Current Project

THE PECULIAR CRAFT of SHADOW REPAIR (93k),* a 3-POV grounded speculative novel with themes including family dynamics and relationship repair.

Maude “Ma” Brubaker has a random time travel problem and it’s ruining her relationships. When she confirms a long-suspected hunch—she is infected by a Shadow Weaver—she must learn to control it. The tiny creature provokes new symptoms every few years, including time travel and a more serious one—disappearing limbs. Time travel is triggered when the host experiences extreme stress. The only way to fight disappearing is to make amends with those she loves.

The first time it happened, Ma thought she’d be adopting a son, clinking champagne glasses, buzzed and celebrating with her bride. Instead, she finds herself in the middle of a traveling carnival—a century in the past.

When Ma explains to her partner that she time traveled to the 1920s which caused her to miss the wedding, she is met with anger, disbelief, and told to stay away. Three months have passed and Ma discovers that her partner has moved-on and moved-in a new girlfriend. After that, her motorcycle stunting career tanks and she must rebuild her almost-adopted son’s trust. She loses more friends. She’s had it. She wants her life back.

However, not everyone is willing to exonerate her. Her ex-fiancé stands in her way of absolving her guilt, and ending her complete disappearance.

My novel is similar to Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel for its multi-POV, touch of speculative, and time travel aspect. Fans of Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore for its splash of magic and innovative approach to its speculative elements will find comparable features in my novel. The time travel element in my novel is most similar to Octavia Butler’s Kindred where it is a forced experience.

As Christi R. Suzanne, I was nominated for Best Small Fictions 2023 by Variant Literature. My stories are forthcoming or have appeared in Pumpernickel House Publishing, Harpur Palate, the online journals Invisible City and Variant Literature, and others. In addition, I was a reader of Science Fiction and Fantasy stories for Uncharted Magazine.

To the right: Fun poster for The Peculiar Craft of Shadow Repair.

*Contact me if you are interested in learning more (or want me to query you!).