Carving out a canal around the Great Falls of Virginia in the early 1800s was a monumental feat–but no greater than the struggle to carve out freedom in a nation that reserved rights for the privileged few. As the canal takes shape along the Potomac, ten people undertake their own journeys to define liberty, proving that the pursuit of freedom —like the river itself — never stops carving, never stops chasing, and never truly changes, no matter the intentions behind it.

My first novel is in the last stages of editing and should be completed before the year’s end. This first book in what will be a series is set in Matildavlle, Virginia–a canal town envisioned by George Washington and Henry “Lighthouse” Lee as the center of the new American nation, before Washington D.C. was even imagined.  From 1801 to 1806, against a backdrop of fragile nationhood and grand ambition, ten unforgettable characters seek liberty in its many forms—through moral conviction, communal support, and the consequences of past choices.

Each chapter unfolds as a self-contained story told from a different character’s perspective. Chasing Freedom reveals the personal histories that shape their present choices.  These backstories—whether rooted in enslavement, ambition, loss, or longing—illuminate how each character comes to define liberty on their own terms.  While grounded in early American history, the novel resonates with today’s political polarization, inviting reflection on who gets to define freedom—and who is left behind. 

The novel will appeal to readers who enjoyed the structural inventiveness of Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout and the emotional depth of character-driven historical fiction, such as America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie.