Here are the stories emerging from Radiant:

Complete | Seeking Representation | 97,000 words

Set five years after A Hundred Ways to Say I Love You, this standalone novel begins with seventeen-year-old Jojo’s overdose death—told by Jojo himself, now a ghost watching those he left behind. As his best friend faces a manslaughter charge, grief, addiction, and justice collide in a small town trying to make sense of an unthinkable loss.

[Read more about A Thousand Ways to Say I’m Sorry]

Complete | 87,000 words

A physician assistant in recovery, unexpectedly pregnant at forty-five, navigates grief, chosen family, and a second chance at love in the Appalachian town of Radiant, Virginia. Told through multiple voices—including an opinionated cat—across a transformative winter week and summer of reckoning.

[Read more about A Hundred Ways to Say I Love You]

Complete | First Draft | 88,000 words

Set once again in the fictional Appalachian town of Radiant, Virginia, this novel follows the emotional aftermath of a gas station shooting—not just the incident itself, but the tangled web of blame, healing, and quiet courage that follows.

[Read more about One Way Home]

In Progress | First Draft | Spring 2026

When Molly Waters returns to Radiant after nearly a decade away, she hopes to disappear quietly into the refuge of Swanson Home.

But small towns remember everything.

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EMILY GIRARD | FICTION WRITER