I was recording a poem for Instagram a few weeks ago when the double-edged irony of “just sex” occurred to me. As someone who grew up religious and is now part of some erotica communities, I’ve experienced both sides of this coin. If you’re familiar with purity culture, you know the weight physical intimacy is… Read more: “Just Sex” Paradox

Happy New Year! Yeah, I’m a little late, but plenty of people aren’t counting 2026 until Monday anyway. Every new year starts with promise, whether it’s hope for something good to begin or prayers for something terrible to end, but sometimes I think we put too much pressure on the changing of a calendar. Hell,… Read more: Every Day is a New Year

My poetry chapbook, edging, is available for preorder from Arcana Poetry Press. This collection is special for many reasons. For one, it represents my first foray into erotic-adjacent poetry – the opening piece is actually the first sexy poem I ever wrote! – but putting it together and promoting it has taught me so much… Read more: Debut chapbook available!!!

Mass Technology = Mass Tomfoolery I’ve talked about AI before, and I probably will again, but it’s definitely not my favorite topic. Why? Frankly, because I probably know more about it than I should, mostly because of some well-educated friends and family. Does that give me the right to talk about it? Not necessarily, but… Read more: Seriously, this ag”ai”n…?

In high school, I read a book called How to Read Literature Like a Professor. I love this book – it’s got so many great gems, one of the only things I’ve ever taken a highlighter to – and something that really stuck out to me was “there is no original story”. For someone who… Read more: Ownership and Originality

i.e. New Site Content Coming Soon! As it turns out, finding yourself takes more than a few months, and this journey into authorship has provided so many opportunities for growth and experimentation that I’ve had an even harder time narrowing down exactly how I want to present myself to the world. Ultimately, I want the… Read more: Scaling Back

I’ve been thinking a lot about dreams versus delusions lately. As a creative, I think it’s in my nature to dream, but it can also be really easy for me to get carried away with those dreams. If I have a sudden inclination to go on a writing cruise, I’m already halfway through the booking… Read more: The Art of Dreaming

As I’ve been getting my head together and trying to figure out the best way to build a brand and market myself as an author, I’ve realized how awful this process is. Yet, in today’s literary landscape, it seems unavoidable. You want to build a following. You want to gain traction. You want to reach… Read more: Person vs. Persona

Guess what? We’re rebranding! As much as I love being a human being, I’m currently trying to rework my public online spaces to ensure I’m focusing more on my craft. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Find out on my new Substack! As a creative, I have lots of thoughts and lots of… Read more: Spiraling on Substack

Been a while, folks! I’ve got a few WIPs in the fire, and I’m still querying Spirit Against Bone (check out The Works for more on that), but what I’m really excited about right now is my poetry journey! My Instagram followers are creeping on up there, and I’m loving the poem-a-day trend for National… Read more: A Peek at My Poetry

Emerging authors sometimes ask about the pros and cons of writing under a pen name. For me, going the whole nine yards with an alter ego has always been a dream. Maybe I just watched too much Hannah Montana growing up. In any case, it’s an adventure that’s just getting started. Having a pen name… Read more: Mask and Manifest

Disclaimer: I had some idea of where I was going with this post when I started, but it didn’t end where I expected, so look for a sequel on fake news and information processing at a later date. I’ve loved reading for as long as I can remember. As an extension of that, I’ve loved… Read more: Language matters

It’s been a while since I’ve written. While I’d like to say that’s because I’ve been hard at work on new projects and queries or negotiating contracts with dream agents, it’s actually quite the opposite. I’ve been distant because I’ve been discouraged. My debut manuscript, Spirit Against Bone, is doing poorly out in the agenting… Read more: From the (Querying) Trenches

Let’s just get this topic out of the way, shall we? I think it’s super interesting that we’re having so many conversations about artificial intelligence and its impact on the arts. Technology has been the primary marker of innovation throughout almost all of history, so I’m happy to live in a time where people are… Read more: AI and Authorship

Red Wine. Fallen Angels. Violent Kisses. Lush Flowers. Ballroom Dancing. Colorful Flames. Soul Mates. Fine Lingerie. The click-clack of heels across a marble floor. A woman’s head held high because she knows she’s exquisite. Perfectly applied lipstick. The gray-green sky before a southern storm. The smell of smoke, burnt marshmallows, and pine needles. A ballerina… Read more: What Inspires Me

Hi, I’m Claire! If you’ve found my The Author page, you already know a little bit about me, but let’s talk about why I’m here. I’m writing under a pen name (shh!), trying to split time between fiction and poetry, waiting for my big break! This site isn’t just about my creative projects, though. It’s… Read more: Introducing Me