Warming Up (She Writes Press, Berkeley 2013)
Illinois Library Association; Soon to be Famous Author Project (Top Three Finalist)
Top 10, Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards, Mainstream Fiction
Top 15 Finalist, Book of the Year Awards, ForeWord Reviews
Top 10 Finalist, Eric Hoffer Book Awards, Mainstream Fiction
Short List Finalist, William Wisdom-William Faulkner Prize for an Unpublished Novel, 2011
Saluting the Sun (Ampersand, Inc., Chicago 2015)
Long List, William Wisdom-William Faulkner Prize for an Unpublished Novel, 2011
Top 10 Finalist, Book of the Year Awards, (INDIES), ForeWord Reviews
One for the Ark (Ampersand, Inc., Chicago 2016)
Third Place, (Bronze Medal), Book of the Year Awards (INDIES), ForeWord Reviews
Top 5 Finalist, International Book Awards
Excerpt, “When Walls Weep,” Runner-up, The Florida Editors’ Prize for a short story
Third Place, Colorado Independent Press Association’s EVVY Award for Best Cover, 2017 David Robson, Robson Design)
Kind Eyes (Ampersand, Inc., New Orleans 2020)
Top 15 Quarterfinalist, Booklife Prize
Free Spirits (Ampersand, Inc., New Orleans 2023)
Top 8 Finalist, Pacific Northwest Writers Association Prize for a Historical Novel
Finalist, 2021 Tuscarora Prize from Hidden River Arts for an Historical Novel
Distinguished Favorite, 2024 Independent Press Awards in Historical Fiction
Gold Medal in Historical Fiction, 2024 Colorado Independent Press Association
Distinguished Favorite in Historical Fiction, 2024 Independent Press Awards
Distinguished Favorite for Cover Design, 2024 Independent Press Awards
Distinguished Favorite, NYC Big Book Award
Harmony’s Peace & Joy
HPJ Recommended to Readers of Ann Patchett and Lauren Groff!
Publisher Weekly Review: Reed (Free Spirits) delivers a heartwarming tale of second chances, focused on two middle-aged brothers and lifelong rivals. Stone Hunnicutt, a litigator in Madison, Wis., receives a letter from Harmony, the partner of his younger brother Ted, asking for $10,000 to renovate a historic home in her rural community, a hippie commune called Peace and Joy. Stone visits Ted, whom he hasn’t seen for 10 years, to determine if he should donate to the cause. There, Stone discovers that Ted, a former professor who has published one well-received novel and was their father’s favorite, is now living in poverty. While Ted is momentarily away, Stone finds a cache of his unpublished novels and steals the manuscripts. Moved by love for his brother and a desire to improve Ted’s life, Stone sets out to get the books published, drawing ire from Ted for invading his privacy. The feud escalates until Stone’s wife and Harmony try to get the brothers to make peace. The writing is a bit rough (a cherry placed on a napkin “bled brightly like fresh blood”), but Reed offers appealing insights on the relationship between art and life and generally sidesteps sentimentality in her portrayal of the brothers’ conflict. This has plenty of charm. (Self-published) Click Here to View the Article
Personal Essay: “Your Rings and Your Wallet”
Fourth Place, Writers Digest Personal Essay Contest, 2023
