Dash Durham is a card-carrying catastrophizer.
She’s also an introverted freshman with Social Anxiety Disorder who’s more likely to be found hyperventilating—or worse, hurling—in the spotlight rather than basking in it. When the Queen Bee of their year cancels her after a social media debacle, Dash finds herself an outcast in a hostile new school and facing a mandatory speech class she will never survive.
To add insult to injury, she’s the victim of arrested development, her only friend thinks she’s somebody else (it’s complicated), and her crush—perfect, wonderful, dazzling Rafe—treats her like a kid. But it’s not just school that’s bringing the stress. Her family of overachieving superstars will surely freak if they discover she’s an Epic Fail, so Dash vows to rewire her brain for success with nothing but a self-help book and sheer determination.
Things get real when she risks everything to grab the brass ring of her dreams . . .only to plunge into her worst nightmare. With her nemesis poised to crush her in front of 400 jeering freshmen, Dash must confront her deepest fear to seize the day, land the prize, and win the boy.
Will it be her greatest triumph or her ultimate downfall?
Win or lose, Dash Durham is about to learn that true courage isn’t measured in inches but in resolve, and one thing is certain: "Though she be but little, she is fierce."
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About Me
My 14-year-old daughter was annoyed because YA lit was always about the juniors and never about the freshmen. (So much wrongness.)
So I wrote the novel I would have wanted to read when I was in the ninth grade and needing an escape. It had to be humorous. (Check.) It had to be about a girl who’s smart but has dingbat moments that bring her grief. (Double check.) She had to be struggling to discover who she was - all while trying to find her tribe in the same kind of hostile territory I’d encountered. (Checkity-check-check.)
And there had to be a boy.
A really nice, really cute boy. (SO checked.)
I’d always wanted to write a novel, so I participated in NaNoRiMo, writing 72,402 words in 30 days. (That was a rough draft in more ways than one!) Looking back, I’m really lucky there were no books about freshmen for freshmen, or I might have missed out on one of the best experiences of my life. I’ve grown as much as Dash, I think, and I’m looking forward to writing a sequel and other books. I hope you enjoy reading Little But Fierce as much as I enjoyed writing it!
(The Story Behind the Story)
The Howl
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LITTLE BUT FIERCE
Come to my Book Signing!
I’ll be at Your Brother’s Bookstore in Evansville, Indiana, from 5 0- 7:00 p.m. on Monday, February 19, 2024.
I’ll be reading an excerpt or two, answering questions, and personally dedicating paperback copies of Little But Fierce.
