Publications:

Bumblecat, my latest short story, was published in Luna Station Quarterly, Issue 064, in December of 2025.  The editor still publishes author bios, which I love.  This is a delightful little story about a female scientist who genetically engineers a cross between a bumblebee and a house cat, then *spolier* things go wrong.

An Open Letter to My Lactose Intolerant Friend Regarding my COVID Intolerance, published in (oh my goodness, is this really true?!?!) McSweeney’s Internet Tendency on September 30, 2020.  A dream come true in the worst year ever?  Amazing.  Also, they let me write a biography, which was super intimidating since everyone else on McSweeney’s used to write for Saturday Night Live or do stand up comedy with Seinfeld.  The McSweeney’s piece was followed up with an article, by Melissa Hart, in The Writer magazine titled Tips from Writers and Editors for Publishing Your COVID-19 Stories.  Melissa included my story and my experience in her piece, alongside my all time favorite McSweeney’s series on the pandemic, Frog and Toad are Self Quarantined Friends, by Jeannie Egerdie.

Grork Dentist, published in Luna Station Quarterly, Issue 038.  This amazing magazine makes an author feel special, so you can also view my author bio and author interview.  Beware, the author interview page does have pictures of teeth and dental implements.  *shudder*.

I See You, a love letter written to myself for the 1,000 Love, You Letters project.  It will be featured in the forthcoming Urban Ivy Love, You book.

Works in Progress:

I’ve also got a few works in progress in various states of completion.  Brief summaries are below, but contact me if you’d like more information.  For my published technical publications please visit my Google Scholar page.

The Empathy Machine, by Johanna Levene

Fantasy novel in final draft (120,000 words)

THE EMPATHY MACHINE is a cozy adult fantasy novel. As a caution, it contains sensitive topics including maternal mortality, abortion, infanticide, and rape.

Shawna King is at the pinnacle of her life on Earth. She’s pregnant with her first child and launching her company’s new virtual reality gaming platform, when everything comes crashing down. Her water breaks on stage, and she dies giving birth to her daughter, Graceilla.

Shawna finds herself in Heaven, but this Heaven is a bureaucratic organization where agents mentor people on Earth who have the potential to improve humanity. Unfortunately, Shawna’s assigned organization is more interested in metrics and procedures than accomplishing real results. When Shawna finally breaks through all the red tape, Graciella becomes her first client. Suddenly, Shawna has direct access to Graciella’s mind. She’s delighted to find that Graciella is a well-adjusted child, and Shawna’s mother is raising her in a large, supportive, unconventional family unit.

Like any parent would, Shawna uses her connection to help Graciella learn to read, answer hard questions at school, and avoid danger. Unfortunately, Shawna’s Heavenly friends get wind of the situation and block Shawna’s access to Earth for fear she’s destroying Graciella’s free will.

Back in Heaven, Shawna’s friends provide a distraction. They rope her into building a float for the annual Halloween parade. It’s a chance to show off their visualization and emotional transference capabilities, which, when revealed, astound the Heavenly community and create new possibilities to help humanity. When Graciella breaks through Heaven’s barriers begging Shawna for help mending their broken family, Heaven and Earth move together to build a new device, The Empathy Machine. They hope that providing emotional understanding can bring reconciliation.

The Fisherman, by Johanna Levene

Fantasy short short story  (1700 words)

The Fisherman is a mystical creature who lives under an overpass near a wide slow river.  When children come to fish for the first time he will appear, if the conditions are right, and feed on their childhood wonder.  The story is reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s short story Troll Bridge.

Christmas Quietus, by Johanna Levene

Women’s Fiction novel in progress (25,000 words)

Christmas Quietus glimpses into the life of Anna and Grant Proctor over five Christmas Eves and five Christmas Days as they grow from a couple to a family of four.  Like any family, they have to navigate the concentrated opinions, passive-aggressive comments, traditions and expectations of their extended families during the holiday celebrations. Underneath the familial tensions is a growing uneasiness in the world, and Anna begins to think her brother’s doomsday scenarios are less like paranoia and more like prophesy.