Firethorn

The editor to whom I pitched my adult-aged sci fi book A TERRIBLE MAJESTY at the ANWA conference politely indicated that they didn't do adult Sci fi. I decided that I should have gone to LTUE (Life, The Universe, and Everything--a sci fi writer's convention in Utah), much more in my genre. But as my funds are low and ANWA was only two hours away, I went where I could.
Said editor told me to go home and write something spectacular and send him two chapters of it and they'd find somewhere to plug me in. So I decided that, since they didn't do adult, I might as well write them something they could use. So now I'm nearly ten thousand words (and four chapters) into FIRETHORN, my brand spankin' new teen novel.

Karyatis (Karry) Mason's genetic engineer parents have screwed up big time. While developing a new Super-pesticide, Karry's pregnant mom inhales a potentially lethal dose of a mutant strain. The pesticide works its way through the uterine wall and plays havoc with the fetus. Karry is born with a genetically impossible defect. She's part tree. Her skin is wooden and her joints are a softer form of cellulose. She has twigs instead of hair, which sprout leaves and blossoms in the spring. She sucks up water with her toes and thrives on CO2.

To top it off, because her mother has died, Karry comes to Edgemont high in the middle of the school year from being home-schooled all her life. She suddenly has friends and enemies and a confusing relationship with Rafael Greenwood, who makes it his business to help Karry find out what her father is doing in his lab behind the house. Despite being brilliant, Karry has no tools to handle what Rafe does with her heart.

Anywho, I'm really enjoying it. I like putting myself in Karry's head and coming out snarky. I like that I was going to write her beaten down by life, but she took my pen and threw it against the wall and shouted, "I'm a survivor, for cryin' out loud! Make me strong!"