Teresa Hubley

Biography

Teresa Hubley was born in Minneapolis and moved every couple of years after that, winding up in a handful of small Midwestern towns, suburban California and even west Africa. As an adult, she acquired a doctoral degree in anthropology and has lived most of her life in Maine, where she works in the health field. She usually has too many books to keep track of going at any time on her reading list. Favorite authors include Charles Dickens, E.M. Forster, Agatha Christie, Elizabeth Peters, and Dave Barry. Lunch out with Teresa and her family usually includes the reading of a few pages while the meal is delivered. When she's not reading or writing, she might be drawing, going for a long walk, or sneaking a guilty pleasure moment playing games on her tablet.

Smashwords Interview

What's the story behind your latest book?
I just published a novelized version of a story serial I had posted to my Writing.Com account ( I am no longer a member), The Salvage Job. The original series had 19 stories involving the same characters as they interacted over a year and a half. Much of my original material had to be jettisoned, as I had written in many different voices, taking the characters off in different directions as dictated by whim and whatever contest I wanted to enter on the site. I condensed the action to one summer and set up a new unifying story arc that magnified the role of one of the stories focused on a criminal act, the kidnapping of an archaeologist for access to a "fabulous find." Many autobiographical details worked their way into the tale (the fry bread making lesson, fishing on the big reservation lake, the small town student in goth gear, etc.). What I kept was the tension between ex-lovers who have find a balance in their relationship before things get out of hand.

My next two projects are new additions to the Hob Scourge and Startrail serials.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
My parents were missionaries and we lived in Africa when I was very small. When we got back to the US, we moved a lot, every couple of years, This gave me a chance to experience many different settings and meet a wide variety of people. It also made it difficult to put down roots and work my way into a community. I became a perpetual outsider and observer. That's a great foundation for Anthropology, which became my field of study, but it's a bit rough on social skill development. I have a habit of half listening to chatter around me as a result of my upbringing and vocation and I think that's given me a good ear for dialogue. It probably hasn't helped make me popular though.
Read more of this interview.

Where to find Teresa Hubley online

Series

Star Trail
The royal family of Anubis is broken and scattered by a violent coup but the empress-in-waiting and her loyal inner circle escapes. Her tormentors will not rest until they punish her. Luckily, she makes the best of friends in a crew of contractors who have a soft spot for the ragtag refugees and are willing to stand with them against the enemy.
Refugee Star Trail
Price: $0.99 USD.
Outlaw Star Trail
Price: $0.99 USD.
The Hob Scourge Saga
When a notorious family of talent-managers for the paranormally gifted encounters a pair of well-to-do siblings travelling through the forest, they know they are in the presence of raw talent but can they cultivate it in time to survive the coming conflict with demonkind?
Charm Speaker
Price: $0.99 USD.
Fire Tongue
Price: $0.99 USD.
Slip Dancer
Price: $0.99 USD.
Star Paw
Price: $0.99 USD.

Books

Travails in Staycationland
Price: Free! Words: 2,720. Language: English. Published: December 18, 2021 . Categories: Poetry » American poetry » General, Poetry » Contemporary Poetry
A third poetry collection squeezed out of a brutal few years marred by cancer and calamity wherein simple pleasure yielded treasure
The Deadly Rounds
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 64,340. Language: English. Published: November 29, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » General, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Police Procedural
In a flash, the lives of all connected to the courthouse in a remote town are jumbled as an explosion pulverizes one corner of the building. While federal agents descend to investigate, commissioner Thomas Crane and sheriff Pat Wild prob the mystery their own way. As Crane's daughter LeeBeth puts it, once they have discarded the "accident" theory, 'everyone but the cat' is a suspect.
Gently Worn
Price: Free! Words: 3,160. Language: English. Published: March 26, 2019 . Categories: Poetry » American poetry » General
A collection of 30 poems, from sonnets to free verse, from thoughtful to funny, mercifully brief
The Salvage Job
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 59,480. Language: English. Published: June 13, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Humor & comedy » General, Fiction » Themes & motifs » Family sagas
Archaeologist Charlotte Parrish got guilted via skillful family politicking into helping her real estate developer sister, Sybil, to 'speed up' the historical survey of her new site. Now she has to overcome treasure-hunting kidnappers, warring sheriffs, extra-fickle weather, and, most of all, an ex beau who still knows the way to her heart.
A Year in Haikus
Price: Free! Words: 6,890. Language: English. Published: July 19, 2017 . Categories: Poetry » Biography, Nonfiction » Biography » Literary biography
This poetic diary covers a year in one woman's life through haikus written one per day, regardless of writer's block, catastrophe, and monotony
Outlaw Star Trail
Series: Star Trail, Book 2. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 69,010. Language: English. Published: March 30, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Space opera
Her refugee days behind her, Marleta settles into a comfortable life as a celebrity, eclipsed only by her infant son in popularity. Her old pilot friend Nell, however, sees the truth: old enemies are on the hunt and they will not rest until they destroy the ship and crew that gave them the slip. Nell and her new crew hasten to warn the survivors of the Valindi crash before all is lost.
Star Paw
Series: The Hob Scourge Saga, Book 4. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 64,240. Language: English. Published: August 29, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Historical, Fiction » Fantasy » Paranormal
In the fourth Hob Scourge book, demons are on the march, encouraged by an impending disaster that threatens the citadel. Sergei and the Grudzori search for a solution but lawyer Zhandarsky spends his time courting darker forces. New family members and blossoming romance bring hope but is it all in vain?
Shoals Court: The Book
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 98,510. Language: English. Published: May 31, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Themes & motifs » Family sagas, Fiction » Themes & motifs » Crime
The novel version of the on-line soap finds a suburban neighborhood beset by murder and organized crime while police and a visiting attorney try to piece the sparse evidence together and catch the villains. Meanwhile, residents contend with growing families, old flames, new crushes, serious illnesses, marriages gone violently sour, and pesky gulls.
Refugee Star Trail
Series: Star Trail, Book 1. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 68,330. Language: English. Published: March 15, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure, Fiction » Science fiction » Space opera
When the planetary government of Anubis falls, the royal family doctor, with the help of his nurse and two loyalist friends, smuggles the comatose Princess Marleta out aboard an antique star cruiser. Now they must run for their lives with the usurpers on their heels and a universe filled with spies ahead.
Slip Dancer
Series: The Hob Scourge Saga, Book 3. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 70,310. Language: English. Published: November 28, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Paranormal, Fiction » Fantasy » General
The 3rd “Hob Scourge” book finds Maxim showing promise of a great talent that he is too young to manage alone. The search for a teacher and a way to shape his talent becomes urgent when Levosta finds a loophole in his treaty with the humans and uses it to plot revenge against newlywed Sergei. The family lawyer’s obsession with removing the demon-struck scar from his head plays into the plot.
Learning to Shine and Other Stories
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 14,060. Language: English. Published: November 16, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Anthologies » Short stories - single author
(3.00 from 2 reviews)
Join six souls at a crossroads in these stories. You’ll meet a woman struggling to come to terms with a criminal relative, a fictional character denying reality, an under-appreciated assistant wondering how much more to take, a man facing a fantastical family secret, a married couple fretting over a potential piece of criminal evidence, and a writer with a strong-willed lead character.
Fire Tongue
Series: The Hob Scourge Saga, Book 2. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 64,270. Language: English. Published: January 22, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Paranormal, Fiction » Fantasy » General
In this sequel to “Charm Speaker,” Sergei’s skill at routing demons creates enemies. Evil Levosta raises an army to crush Sergei. Without full status as an agent of the Grudzori, he must face them alone. Worse yet, Levosta finds the way to kill one of Sergei’s kind and tests it. As a midnight deadline looms, friends and family from the first book rally for him and the search for a strategy is on.
The Road That Leads to You: Four Stories of Love
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 22,640. Language: English. Published: May 23, 2012 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Short stories
These four accounts of love give us a recovering alcoholic with an old song stuck in his head, a businessman who inherits a partner he never knew he needed, an articulate mechanic determined to speak up for her man, and a bride-to-be struggling to put herself back into her wedding.
Charm Speaker
Series: The Hob Scourge Saga, Book 1. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 67,940. Language: English. Published: April 16, 2012 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Paranormal, Fiction » Historical » Paranormal
Siblings Sophia and Sergei are about to approach the sinister Black Vole Road where the mysterious Grudzori await, ready to kidnap one of them and open the door to a world where demons and shape shifters threaten. Their ambitious lawyer's plots to seize their estate seem trivial, compared to the dangers of a perilous rescue mission, but can still bring calamity.
Sarah, Serendipitous
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 71,260. Language: English. Published: December 18, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
As an historian, Sarah finds writing the life of a great American house goes smoothly until the present is the topic. Aside from the house's forceful head, Simon, she faces his needy daughter and mysterious business partners. She is tested most by possible love with Simon's moody nephew and balancing her own family's wishes. When painful stories emerge, she must decide her duty.
Four Dark Corners
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 21,450. Language: English. Published: October 14, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Anthologies » Short stories - single author
(5.00 from 1 review)
Four stories that poke at the boundaries of what we know as reality and discover forces that are beyond reason and control. In them you will encounter: an innkeeper troubled by the ever-present previous owner, a professor whose promotion comes at a steep price, a married couple whose ingrained habits can only be broken by extremes, and a spirit that speaks through a bell.
The Troughton Line
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 70,090. Language: English. Published: July 15, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary, Fiction » Themes & motifs » Family sagas
Ryder Woodbein might have taken Yvette Bruner to the prom but that was ages ago and he hasn’t dealt with the family since. Now his job prepping the Troughton property for market puts him just over their back fence. There he’ll contend with some scores the Bruner kids want to settle and their father’s desire for a lake view, as well as greedy realtors and ghost-hunting history buffs.
Whispa
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 70,840. Language: English. Published: June 19, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Young adult or teen » Fantasy
A mundane farm life is shattered for Pym and his father when they discover a secret policeman, a "Whisperer" or "Whispa," lying unconscious and marked by his special pendant. Soon the farm has other frightening guests and a servant girl, Trilli, goes missing, along with the pendant. Now Pym and his friends must decide whom to trust, while Trilli faces danger in carrying the pendant.
The Orphans' War
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 78,920. Language: English. Published: June 1, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » General
The heirs to the throne of the elf kingdom Cuore, the twin princelings and their half-blood brother, are ready to prove themselves when war breaks out. Their tense family standoff, however, must subside for a perilous mission to the goblin country. Peace between them is the only hope for the half-blood’s mortally wounded lady-love and the future of Cuore.
Mountain Flower
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 12,460. Language: English. Published: March 11, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » General
(2.00 from 1 review)
Wisteria, a spirited and principled motel maid, finds herself battling greedy ranchers and a jealous wench for the honor of her humble father and the love of the wealthy and very eligible Anthony.
Lucky Justice: 3 Crime Stories
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 15,320. Language: English. Published: February 12, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Short Stories
(5.00 from 1 review)
Lady Justice and Lady Luck duke it out for the fates of 3 parties in search of the Lady “Fortune” in this story collection. In “Luck Be a Lady,” two escaped criminals have it made until they take the wrong turn. In “Let Them Eat Cake,” a hired killer considers one more risky job. In “the Desk Audit,” a team of investigators trails a fraudster ready to reply with force.
Still Life Without You
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 31,070. Language: English. Published: January 30, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » General
(3.00 from 1 review)
Teen-aged twins, Georgia and Jackson Phillips, spring into action when they find their favorite painting, "Nude Sketch No. 45.," has been stolen from the local museum. A visit to the artist, the heartbroken widower, Jonah Coffey, draws them into the sketch's dark back story and the designs of thieves.
Soleville
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 67,030. Language: English. Published: January 8, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » General
(5.00 from 1 review)
The sudden death of a shoe company CEO changes everything for lowly Cliff, from his humble status on the job to his every-man home life. As if that's not enough, the mysterious letters start coming, accusing him of murder, infidelity, and more. With police closing in, Cliff's only hope is to sort through his long list of suspects and find the culprit first to clear his name.