My Publishing Comeback Story: How I Landed a YA Paranormal Book Deal Without an Agent

I am officially dusting off this old blog. Welcome in. Look for weekly posts dropping each Sunday on a variety of topics including: my author life, my books, writing, publishing, and life in general.

My three contemporary YA novels and my music-focused YA anthology

I have a new book coming out, something I haven't been able to say since 2017. It still feels surreal to think it let alone write about it. Despite landing and working with three incredible literary agents from 2010 – 2025 (not at the same time) one of my manuscripts hasn’t sold since 2015. Painful but true. Then my last agent released me this past May with grace and kindness. Despite not being surprised it stung more than I thought it would. After pouring my heart and effort into numerous unsold manuscripts, I became so frustrated that I told my husband I was walking away from publishing. It was too painful.

He squinted and said, “Aren’t there smaller, independent publishers you can submit to without an agent?”

That gave me pause. “I think so. Yes.”

“So, look into it. Don’t quit,” he said.

Being agent-less for the first time since July 2010 had me traversing unknown territory. But me and research are the coziest of cozy, so I rolled up my sleeves and spent weeks online and subsequently built a submission spreadsheet for my unsold manuscripts. It felt empowering. Overwhelming. Terrifying.

Let me insert this here: literary agents deserve every earned penny.

Guess what though? I managed to get a publishing contract all by myself with Collective Ink, and it has been quite an experience. Empowering. Overwhelming, Terrifying.

Luckily for a seasoned author doing this for the first time the people at Collective Ink have been wonderful to work with.

What is this book you ask? Like this whole experience, it is unlike anything I’ve ever done before. PORTAL is a YA paranormal releasing late 2026.

When seventeen-year-old Genevieve Foster’s family uproots her from the sun-soaked beaches of New Smyrna Beach, Florida to a centuries-old stone house in West Chester, Pennsylvania, she’s sure her life is over. The only bright spot? Aidan, the sweet, red-headed local boy who makes her heart race.

But the past refuses to stay buried.

Her little brother Charlie begins talking to invisible friends, one kind, one terrifying. Doors slam, lights flicker, and Genevieve’s name is whispered in the dark. When the line between living and dead blurs Genevieve, Aidan, and a tattooed ghost-hunter named Lilly race to uncover the house’s secrets.

Genevieve must risk everything to protect her brother and herself. Because some portals should never be opened, and some family bonds are strong enough to survive even the darkest haunting.

Stick around, dear reader and pop over here on Sundays to follow PORTAL’s journey into the world.