Works in Progress

Nancy Brashear’s works in progress include poetry, flash fiction, short stories, and full-length novels.  See what she’s working on below:

Novels in Progress

Love on the Fly

Misty, a former flight attendant raised to believe that beauty is everything, finds her life changed in a spark. Now an agoraphobic and disfigured mother raising her son, she has to come to terms with what really matters in life.

Excerpt:

As she reached the bottom step, she heard a whoosh. In the living room, across from the foyer, the drapes burst into flames.

Family Secrets

In the first of three book series, Cristina and her husband face reality when he is shot in the head at work, and life, as they know it, flips on its head.

Excerpt:

With just enough of an opening to squeeze the car through the electronic gates, Cristina punched the accelerator and forged her way onto the highway, leaving him behind.

Lucas and the Speak-Easy Queen

He came home to clear his family’s name—only to learn the wolves he feared were the forest’s last guardians.

Excerpt:

After the Halloween tragedy that destroyed his family’s name, eighteen-year-old Lucas returns to his mountain hometown to start over—but when ghost wolves rise from the forest, and a secret speakeasy awakens old magic, he uncovers a truth that could redeem his family and save the town.

The Jumping-Off Place

Twelve-year-old Manny Ortiz discovers a hidden sea cave that hurls him back to 1812 California—straight into a pirate raid and a mystery tied to the old mission trail. With danger closing in on both sides of history, he must survive kidnappers, earthquakes, and a secret treasure that follows him home. Blending time-slip adventure with real California history, The Jumping Off Place is a thrilling story about courage, family, and the moment a kid stops running and stands tall.

Excerpt:

Manny swallowed hard. Everyone at school called the place haunted—the Jumping-Off Place caves—where pirates, sailors, gamblers, and outlaws had vanished. He didn’t believe the ghost stories… much.

Short Stories in Progress

“Living the Fairytale Life”

Eight-year-old Misty goes on an unexpected “adventure” with her mother and discovers that sometimes dreams and reality don’t match. This short story sets readers up to understand Misty’s adult challenges following a fire, disfigurement, and agoraphobia in my upcoming novel, Love on the Fly.

Excerpt:

Yes, this vacation would just be her and her mother together. Mama wouldn’t be worried about work or anything else. They would have time to walk on the sand and maybe even put their feet in the water. They would eat chocolates together, and her mother would be happy. Misty’s feet danced above the floorboard as she forced herself to sit still.

Flash Fiction Works in Progress

“All Charged Up”

Maura is all worked up over her marriage and her husband’s obsession with batteries.

Excerpt:

“It’s always batteries. And now he bought a red Tesla, which is basically just one big battery. I asked him why he needed one, and he couldn’t tell me. A waste of money!” She gulps a sip of wine.

Poetry Works in Progress

“Cataloguing Octavia”

I’m working on a “found poem” based on text found in an article from the Huntington Library after the voluminous archives of the late Octavia Butler, award-winning African-American science-fiction writer, were donated to them.

Excerpt:

Pandora’s Box … crudely made envelope—two taped sheets of notebook paper—bearing a dire warning: “Owner not responsible for pain and damage to eyesight and mental health suffered while reading contents without permission.” Contents: An empty potato chip bag.