WELCOME TO
Breath of the Drowned
Follow my author journey as I write my debut novel—one chapter, one breath, at a time.
Condemned as a witch and drowned at high tide, Iara is swept below into Thalassia, the drowned halls of an ancient siren people long dismissed as myth. She ignites the ruins of the Crown Gate, setting an old prophecy in motion: a veiled Tenth Isle stirs, the ring of A Coroa Velha begins to close, compelling Iara to stand between Gate and Compass as the world redraws itself.
Your Main Characters
Meet Iara
She's a tide-reader & quietly curious even when it gets her in trouble. She was found on the rocks & raised by a local fisherman and an avó of the old ways. The book opens with her being drowned at the Witch’s Steps and dragged below only to have the sea's hum claim her.
She trusts the ocean more than people, keeps a small circle, wary of crowds. What she wants is small: freedom, a home that smells of bay leaves, and plenty of water to fill her horizon.
Meet Cael
Cael is a warrior-protector: gruff, disciplined, loyal. Think salt-tangled hair, eyes like wet basalt. He’s sparse with words and precise in action. He trusts water more than people, keeps his circle small, carries duty like a blade he won’t set down. No posturing; he just moves. If he says he’ll get you home, he will.
Crowds make him uneasy & prophecy makes him suspicious. Under the scowl is fierce loyalty and a tenderness he won’t name, especially around Iara.
Icy water drenches my nightgown. His eyes follow mine, to Sofia. I wrench his gaze back. I shout the words like a flare: “Decima will rise again. The nine will become ten. The Coroa Velha will finally close its broken ring and Thalassia will breathe as one again!”
I draw one last breath to the taste of salt and iron dust, and let the ocean close my eyes.
Meet who's writing this thing
Hi there!
I’m a first-generation writer who took the scenic route — years spent in classrooms filled with essays, red pens, and voices learning how to be heard. Teaching English across high school and college gave me a front-row seat to what stories can do: how they heal, challenge, and keep us alive.
Somewhere along the way, between lesson plans and late-night grading, my own stories started whispering louder. So I listened.
Now, I divide my time between the classroom and the page — crafting the world of Breath of the Drowned, writing short fiction and poetry, and helping other writers transform rough drafts into work that sings. Every day, I get to help others find their voice while I continue to shape my own.