my latest YA CONTEMPORARY,
WHAT MUST COME DOWN
Some secrets are carved in stone.
Eighteen-year-old senior, Ansley Ellis, arrives at a protest in the town square right outside her family’s loft apartment on her very first morning in rural Clarkston, Mississippi. Checking it out, she meets an intriguing group of high schoolers, including dynamic twins, Moe and Maddox. They’re leading the charge to bring down a Confederate monument that’s the centerpiece of their town square. The city council votes in three weeks, which means they only have that long to get the votes needed to bring down the statue, but also to find a way to reopen decades’ old murder cold cases. They want justice and honor for the victims who never got it years ago.
Soon, Ansley is joining them, walking the line, and sometimes falling over, what’s legal and illegal. But someone or someones are out to stop them, and soon Ansley uncovers a deeply hidden family secret which may put an end to her newly formed friendships and budding romance with Maddox. Can the group stop the dangerous threats while still achieving their plan of bringing down the monument and bringing healing and justice to Clarkston?
Inspired by true events in the Jim Crow South in Mississippi, and a still-standing Confederate monument in Alabama, this YA Contemporary explores themes of social justice, youth-led activism, family secrets spanning generations, and first loves.
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Bio
Living in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia and with the support of her husband and two children, who are now in high school and college, Kristen jumped into the publishing world twelve years ago. In that time, she’s had five traditionally published novels, a YA novel on submission, and two stories working their way out and into her computer. She is thrilled to have signed with Mara Cobb for literary representation. She’s hoping their partnership will be mighty and fruitful!
Aside from getting down the stories in her head, she started a new adventurous career path in agenting in 2022. She was honored (and surprised!) to receive a coveted spot in the Writers House Intern Program. She loved every minute of it and it paved the way for her to accept a literary manager position with Martin Literary and Media Management. She is diligently working on building her client list and helping these authors get their great works out to the world. She was thrilled to be an ECPA Emerging Leader and is a part of the AALA, AWSA, and ACFW associations,
