Welcome to the site. I’m Emma. I’m made up entirely of words and tea.
Look at all the fun stuff on that top menu bar!
The podcast Sacred Cheese of Life is here and available on Apple Podcasts.
I wrote a lot of New Adult (older young adult) fiction you can get on Amazon.
My books available right now are:
I have two short story collections coming out soon.
I have a gigantic multivolume thing I’m working on. It’s fantastic to read, so I’m going to get it to you. But it will get released one volume at a time. It’s called The Geographic Cure.
And I’m finishing another book, Summerlands, except I wrote parts of it wrong (no way) so have to go back and repair all that. But it’s one of my favorites ever. Alternating histories, family mysteries, grappling with your maladaptive coping mechanisms, and of course problematic parenting. But also forgiveness! Rescuing others! Redemption! Guys who live over the barn! A great big house! Escaping then surviving your own escape! Finland!
Check out the external blog Story on the Brain. Lots of essays there about fiction and how it works, but also extras that go with the podcast episodes.
There’s a lot absolutely ludicrous merch. Get a sticker and mystify all. Get the one of the falling piano. Someone annoying in your life? Imagine dropping a piano on them. It’s weirdly satisfying! I got the t-shirt of The Icarus Triptych so I can wear the t-shirt of the band to the band and also I’m the band. It makes me laugh all day long. Hurray!
I’m just full of books and words and things, that’s me. Lately I’ve been cutting down trees that annoy me. Earlier this year I learned how to reupholster furniture. (It gives you elbow tendinitis, so be ready for that.) Mostly I read things, write things, and teach college literature. I’ve been teaching more or less forever. These days I teach upper level British literature, early American lit, early world lit up to about Shakespeare, literary theory, and intro surveys that are a blast because I get to show the unwilling just how amazing literature can be.
Anyway, I love teaching literature more than just about anything except writing and reading. I don’t get to teach in the classroom much anymore. It also means I’m going bonkers stuck at home alone with the dog and cat. They’re wonderful. But not much as conversationalists.
I also like skies, dogs, cats, trees, weather, Ellsworth schist, books, tea, baozi, gyoza, every type of dumpling, sweaters, Norwegian language study, languages in general, enthusiasm, getting unstuck, great characters in every kind of media, knitting, writing music, making quilts, and talking with you all day long.
You can and should email me at sacredcheesepodcast@gmail.com. Send ideas for texts to talk about! Ask me questions! Say hi!