This book was my first Rohl Dahl. It was also the first fiction I decided to read not for entertainment but for research as I‘m writing a middle grade story. From a writer‘s standpoint, I learned that 1) It‘s very difficult to write a children‘s story, 2) Rohl Dahl was amazing at it.

From the first sentence to the last, the “voice” and plot of the story never waver. There were no wasted words in this story about courage in the face of danger.

A lovely review from a reader of Shadow Play: Ten Tales from the In-between 🎉

I‘m offering a free Ebook download of one of the short stories in the hardcover edition of my book today. Enjoy!
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This book scared the s*!t out of me. Maybe because I‘m a woman, a minority, a mother, and a writer. Maybe because we‘re living in a world where we‘d gladly hand over our freedom in the name of security and peace, however precarious it may be. This book tells a story about how easily everything about me can be turned into a weapon against myself, and against everything I stand for. It‘s a reminder of how fragile and ephemeral freedom is.

Except for the ending, this is a simply told story, but one packed with layers and complexity. Hajime, a man in his late 30‘s looks back at his life and the girls and women who helped shape it. It‘s an honest peek into a person‘s undercarriage and a reminder that we are all flawed creatures who try but sometimes fail to live up to our own expectations, regardless of what we outwardly show.

Set in Thailand and America, in-between reality and the fantastical, ghosts stalk, lost spirits linger, and the living search for a meaning to life.