Lantern author
Stories where folklore whispers, communities remember, and remarkable women uncover the truth. Memory leaves a mark.
Behind the byline
I write mysteries that uncover the hidden worlds tucked inside ordinary places. Whether I’m following six witch sisters through the coastal town of Wellsprings or an investigator determined to explain the impossible on the streets of San Francisco, my stories blend folklore, mystery, humor, and heart with unforgettable communities and extraordinary women.
I’m especially drawn to Black history, local legends, family ties, and the quiet magic that can live inside everyday life. Again and again, I find myself writing about buried secrets, overlooked clues, and those delicious moments when the past comes up and smacks you in the face.
I’m here for the curtain pull. That second when everything shifts, the lights come up, and someone unexpected waves hello.
When I’m away from the page, you’ll usually find me with a pot of tea, planning my next theater or museum outing, enjoying a glass of red wine, or convincing myself that one more chapter absolutely counts as productive research.
⌖ Writing from the last place anyone thought to look.
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On Lantern
Paranormal cozy mystery
Private investigator Keke Chung believes there’s always an explanation for the unexplained. Then the Wolfman shows up. After Keke connects a viral dating sensation in fur and fangs to a string of San Francisco robberies, actor Jax Maddox is arrested. But Jax insists he was only following instructions from someone known as the Handler. When one of his former dates turns up dead, Keke follows a trail of secret research, coded messages, and a respectable academic society obsessed with people who disappear and return. Just like her. Twenty-eight years ago, three-year-old Keke vanished from a locked home during the Lunar New Year. Four days later, she was found near Coit Tower, unharmed and clutching a stuffed toy no one recognized. San Francisco called her the Lucky Lunar New Year Baby. The Silver Howl Society calls her the Returned One. Now another Wolfman is stalking the city, and the mystery Keke has spent her life trying to solve may finally be hunting her back. This Black-led paranormal cozy mystery is perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building, Poker Face, and mysteries where the supernatural always has a very human explanation.
Read Chapter One - The Ghost Hour with Dante Hale →Found a new favorite?