To save her daughter from conscription,
one mother sets out to avert the war.
"A snarl of fine black thread dangled like a drenched daddy long-legs from a sugar cane leaf, and Aryana's heart sank. She did not need to know which fray from her satchel was the culprit to recognize the imperial dye, nor to recognize that she had just walked in a circle.
The stalks pressed flush against her, and the narrow patch of sky above was the same narrow patch of sky that had witnessed her attempt to cut across this farm for the last two hours. She had loved playing frogs-and-herons in fields like this, when she was a girl. She hoped that soon, her daughter might do the same. But for that, she needed to beg her case with the head magistrate. She needed to get herself to the head magistrate."
About Me
I've always enjoyed how words and stories can take us to new places and change how we see old ones. I wrote stories and skits in grade school, minored in creative writing in college, and was a member of the absolutely wonderful Cambridge (UK) Writers of Imaginative Literature during my masters.
These days, I'm a professor in Computer Science at Harvard University. I develop new techniques in artificial intelligence, with applications to healthcare and technology policy. If you're curious about the left brain of my life, check out my Harvard website and my group's website.
I'm also the lyricist for my lab's and other music videos. I run role-playing games and use my statistical background to inform my home-brew mechanics; I incorporate ludological pedogogy into the classroom when I can. My experience as a woman and parent in STEM also informs my fiction.
— Books —
I love stories that encourage us to see the challenges of our lives and our times in a more hopeful and empowered light. As an immigrant and a parent, I also seek to represent people, places, and perspectives less seen in fantasy. In particular, my work takes place in non-European settings and centers South Asian perspectives and philosophies on justice, community, and what it means to be whole. I have several manuscripts in progress:
— Lines in the Sand —
Aryana believes few things are impossible for a creative mind and a compassionate heart. To save her daughter from conscription, she sets out to avert the war.
— Roots —
Pisha's family is appalled that she is willingly choosing to work for an empire that oppresses her people. But Pisha is convinced that the power of a government post is the surest way to make a difference, even if it does require a few sacrifices.
— The Second Covenant —
A rival house has murdered Rija's brother, supposedly for practicing dangerous magic. As she sets out for revenge, an unlikely friendship makes her reconsider what justice might look like--not only for her brother but also for all magically-inclined.
— Forest Bathing —
Forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) is all about mindfully immersing oneself in nature. Pictures cannot capture the rich smells, the buzz of cicadas, or the feel of filtered sunlight, and I keep images like these for times when nature is not so nearby.
