MASTER OF ARTS

SCANTIC BOOKS

September 21, 2022

Master of Arts is a novel about secrets—the ones we keep from the people we love, and the ones they keep from us.

Viola Hartman is happy to help when her older sister Natalie needs help caring for her toddler and new baby. Eager to escape the messes she’s made in her own life, Viola moves in with her sister and her brother-in-law, Cole Hollis, who is a big-deal writer. And while Viola comes prepared to change dirty diapers, she isn’t prepared to learn Natalie has been keeping secrets for years. Slowly, Viola must unravel the truth; little by little, Viola also needs to come clean herself.

“… a well-crafted, relatable yarn about figuring out your life. Alles balances humor and heart while wonderfully capturing those intricate dynamics we must navigate among family, friends, and lovers.”

-Adam Schuitema, author of The Things We Do That Make No Sense.

“… absorbing and intimate … A refreshingly honest reflection on sisterhood and friendship; Alles writes with such humor and heart, I couldn’t put it down.”

-Meagan Lucas, author of Songbirds and Stray Dogs, and editor of Reckon Review.

SKINNY VANILLA CRISIS

ATMOSPHERE PRESS

July 1, 2020

Middle-aged high school English teacher Holden Averett is gearing up for a well-deserved break. Finally, a relaxing summer spent napping and soaking in the West Michigan sun. Until, that is, his wife of 18 years drops a bomb on the last day of school: move out by the end of the week. Sophia wants a trial separation. She also might be in love with someone else.

Spinning from the shock and desperate to fill his unexpectedly fraught summer, Holden takes a job as a barista at a coffee shop in a strip mall. His hopes to stay anonymous while he convinces Sophia to take him back are dashed when in walks a woman from his past—a woman he barely remembers at first. A charming woman. An enchanting woman. In other words, a woman who changes everything.