I write rough drafts in a hurry. For many years I followed the original rules of National Novel
Writing Month, even after those rules loosened up: write at least 50,000 words of a new novel
entirely within the month of November. I would make notes on a few characters and some
possible scenes during October, and sometimes do a little research, but I saved starting the actual
text for November 1 st . That meant averaging 1,667 words a day, a pace which kept me from
spending hours editing and fretting over what I’d already written. In recent years I’ve allowed
myself to start in late October, but I still aim to reach (and usually pass) the 50,000 word mark by
the end of November. More often, November 30 th or the first few days of December find me with
a very rough draft about 55K-65K words long.
Very rough. Typical problems include inconsistent character descriptions, inconsistent plot
developments, unheralded changes in point of view or character descriptions, characters
introduced early on who vanish for the rest of the book, and characters with identical names. I’ve
even had characters come back from the dead, with no intention or fanfare. Promised or
foreshadowed plot events may never materialize. On a more technical level, there are often too
many filler words such as “very,” “quite,” “somewhat,” “almost,” “feel,” and (in some uses)
“that.” These words create unnecessary distance between the reader and the point of view
character, or dilute the impact of what’s happening. Two or three or more characters may also
have identical speech habits and vocabularies, instead of their “voices” reflecting their
geographical origins, educational levels, and personalities.
So I jump right into fixing all these problems once the draft is finished – yes?
Well, no. I’ve found it’s better to wait a few weeks and approach the draft with fresh eyes. The
closer I can come to experiencing the draft as a reader instead of a writer, the better my chances
of seeing these problems. Then I can put my writer hat back on and start solving them. I can also
see where the story is too thin, where it needs a deeper dive into a character’s motivations or
trauma, where a subplot could add interest or an existing one is pointless or distracting. And I
can see whether the parts of the story that should move me as a reader actually do so.
It’s not always easy to step back after a month of working on the draft every day. There’s no
feeling quite like the creative impulse on simmer, the way my subconscious sneaks in and turns
the heat up so that it boils at 2 a.m. and compels me to scribble down a barely legible idea on my
bedside note pad. But I know, by now, that if I want the book to be good in the end, it needs this
fallow time.
KAREN E. WYLE
Karen A. Wyle is a retired appellate attorney and the author of multiple novels in a bewildering array of genres. She has been married more than thirty-six years and has two wildly creative adult offspring. She lives between two small dots on the map in south central Indiana, more or less in the woods. http://www.KarenAWyle.com
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BLURB: Destinee was four years old when her mom tried to make her kill herself. The trajectory of her life was forever altered as the emotions associated with that night later became the foundation on which she would build her identity. After living with different families throughout the years, and conforming to fit in, she became desperate to find somewhere to belong and be loved for who she was – baggage and all. She struggled to find reasons to stay alive as the demons of her own past, and the demons which plagued her family for generations, threatened to crush her spirit. This is a story of one girl’s journey to overcome loss, search for love, and find redemption.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Destinee Brooke has always used writing as a therapeutic outlet, starting at a young age. She started writing The Girl Who Lived: The Story of a Resilient Heart during a creative writing class her senior year of college after realizing the healing power of writing about her trauma. Since then, she’s graduated with degrees in both English Education and Creative Writing. She’s made it her mission to help others, her students included, work through their trauma and bring awareness of how to overcome generational pain. She lives in West Virginia with her son.
JANE CARY, KAAREN CARY FORD, Editor
BOOK:Tuscawilla: Stories of a Farm
AUTHOR: F. Jane Cary, Kaaren Cary Ford, Editor
GENRE: Memoir; History
BLURB:Tuscawilla: Stories of a Farm is a collection of stories by the late F. Jane Cary about farm life in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, in the middle of the twentieth century. Cary lived her entire life on Tuscawilla Farm, eventually managing it after the deaths of her brothers. This fascinating account of the realities of post-war farm life features P.O.W.s, the ins and outs of hog butchering, how to make the perfect apple butter and much more. Cary’s unique personality and love of the world around her shines through, and takes the reader back to an America that can be hard to recognize.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: F. Jane Cary (1923-1995) lived her entire life on Tuscawilla Farm, just outside of Lewisburg, West Virginia. She was the second daughter of the farm manager, and after the deaths of her father and two brothers, took on the position herself, managing all aspects of the farm from animal husbandry to gardening to cooking large meals for friends and family. In her youth, Cary had wanted to become a teacher, but ill health prevented her from finishing high school, and instead she instilled her love of West Virginia history and farming by instructing the many young people who worked for her. Well-known and well-liked, she rarely left home, and documented her experiences of the farm on many legal tablets, transcribed and edited by her niece, Kaaren Cary Ford, after her death.
BLURB: Ariel Matthew enjoys escaping into the worlds and adventures of her favorite books, but she can’t escape her past, no matter how hard she tried to push it from her mind. Haunted by a traumatic event, Ariel struggles to find peace from her memories of what happened. When Axel Stone walks into the small coffee shop where she works, her world is changed forever, and she begins to believe that happiness might be possible. But neither one of them is ready for the devastation that ensues when both of their pasts come back with a vengeance.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Molly Kendall is quick-witted and quiet, and appreciates a dramatic story when she reads one, as well as crafting such tales of her own. She aims to inspire hope within her readers hearts as she shines light onto darker topics. When she doesn’t have her nose stuck in a book, you can find her at home with her husband, cats and bunnies.
BLURB: When a greedy, scheming relative drives Ellie Waltham and her mother from their home, her brother-in-law Gareth Delaney steps in, but safety is short-lived when Ellie is abducted in an attempt to force her to marry someone she knows intends to kill her so he can claim her inheritance. Only a last-ditch effort by Ellie will save her from certain death.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Barbara Jean Miller is an author, educator, and nature observer.
BOOK:Mission to Madagascar: The Sergeant, the Jing and the Slave Trade
AUTHOR: David H. Mould
GENRE: Historical Biography
BLURB: In 1817, James Hastie, a 30-year-old East India Company sergeant, travelled to the court of Radama, ruler of the most powerful kingdom in Madagascar, to convince him to stop the export of slaves. Radama manipulated the envoy to assert power over the nobility who profited from the trade. Hastie became the British agent, and a trusted advisor to the king. Mission to Madagascar is based on his unpublished journals, one recently discovered. This is the first biography of a man, whom Sir Mervyn Brown, a former UK ambassador and historian of Madagascar, described as “one of the most important figures in the history of Anglo-Malagasy relations.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: David Mould, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Media Arts and Studies at Ohio University, has published books and articles on a range of historical topics, including news and documentary film in World War One, canals and railroads in the 19th century in the US Midwest, television coverage of the first Gulf War, post-Soviet media in Central Asia, and oral history. Born in the UK, he worked as a newspaper and TV journalist before moving to the US. His essays and articles have been published in Newsweek, Christian Science Monitor, Times Higher Education, History Ireland, History News Network and other print and online outlets. He has published three books on travel, history and culture. He is a frequent presenter at libraries and for adult learning classes.
JOY E. HELD is an author, educator, editor, book coach, entrepreneur, and literary citizen responsible for this site and its contents. She is the author of
Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2020)
Writer Wellness Workbook: A Guided Workbook and Journal to Accompany Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2023)
The Mermaid Riot (Fire and Ice YA, 2024) Young Adult Historical Fantasy
She writes spicy historical fiction under a pen name.
She is the winner of multiple writing and book awards:
West Virginia Writers, Inc. Annual Writing Contest, Honorable Mention, Novel, 1998.
New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention, Writer Wellness, 2020.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Finalist, Writer Wellness, 2021.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, Member of the Year, 2020.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, First Book Award, 2020.
She is an adjunct faculty member in the Southern New Hampshire University Online MFA Creative Writing.
She is a proud graduate of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA with an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction.
She is a member of The Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Joy is the founder and CEO of My WRITEDAY Subscription Box for writers and readers.
This article may contain affiliate links which may result in the author receiving a commission when readers purchase items through the links. You are receiving this message because you previously signed up for notifications or participated in a program/course with Joy. You may unsubscribe at any time. My ideas are not ever meant as a substitute for consulting with a qualified health professional.
JANE BUEHLER
BOOKThe Fire Apprentice: A Fairy Tale with Benefits
AUTHOR Jane Buehler
GENRE Cozy romantasy
BLURBHe’s the blacksmith. But she’s the one playing with fire.
After a fairy seduced her, fathered her child, and tried to take that child, Jane swore she’d never trust one again. Surely she can find a suitable human man to be a companion for herself and a father for little Elle, right? So when her housemate mentions a new apprentice blacksmith, Jane leaves Elle playing in the yard and heads to the smithy.
Rowan is rugged and handsome but clearly not interested. Disappointed, Jane has just left the smithy when a sudden shadow swoops over the village. Jane races home to see a dragon snatching Elle. Jane is distraught. Then Rowan mysteriously appears and offers to rescue the child. He insists the dragon won’t hurt Elle—apparently fairy children apprentice with dragons to learn fire magic. How does Rowan know so much about fairies? Turns out, he is one.
Jane will do anything to rescue Elle, even if it involves the F word—a fairy. But climbing into the mountains with Rowan is risky. His reticence keeps Jane guessing, but she can’t keep her mind off him: he’s even more handsome out in the moonlit woods, with that deep voice and those capable hands. When Jane and Rowan run into trouble, Jane must take charge. Because it turns out, Rowan needs rescuing too.
The Fire Apprentice is a grumpy/sunshine romance—or maybe more of a brooding/effusive romance—that’s perfect for fans of Throne in the Dark or Jenna Wolfhart’s Falling for Fables cozy romantasy series. Each book in the Sylvania series can be read on its own but might contain spoilers for previous books. The Fire Apprentice contains love scenes and a heroine with pelvic floor pain.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Emily Jane Buehler published two nonfiction books—one on the science and craft of baking bread, the other a memoir of a bicycle trip from New Jersey to Oregon—before venturing into fiction. She currently writes cozy fantasy romances where everyday people (and fairies) have adventures and fall in love. They are lighthearted stories with action and adventure, love and magic, where protagonists learn to believe in themselves and find their courage. And yes, they are kissing books!
Emily Jane believes that by portraying positive relationships with good communication, romance novels can help readers envision such relationships for themselves, serve as a model of proper consent for young people, and portray diverse types of relationships and people. They can be a fun escape while still having depth and contributing to a better society.
Emily Jane lives in North Carolina. Her favorite things include letters sent through the mail, her fair-trade wool leg warmers, and chocolate cake with frosting. She is passionate about living waste free and usually has one or more cats.
BLURB When Serena Robinson and Tobi Doyle witness the neighborhood apothecary lifting a limp body from his fishing boat, they don’t realize they will be swept up into a life-or-death race to save a mermaid from the doctor’s greedy plans.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joy E. Held is an award-winning author, editor, book coach, educator, and yoga instructor living with her husband in West Virginia.
BLURB Writer Wellness Workbook is a companion book to Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity designed to offer hands-on practice in the five key concepts of journaling, fitness, relaxation, nutrition, and creative play.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joy E. Held is an award-winning author, editor, book coach, educator, and yoga instructor living with her husband in West Virginia.
BLURB It is a crisp fall day in Appalachia and Katie is learning about the season of fall as she and her mother walked to the local autumn festival. She sees squirrels and other animals putting away food for the cold winter months and compares it to the canning of fruits and vegetables that she and her mother did the day before. at the autumn festival, she experiences Appalachian music while admiring the beautiful fall mums and pumpkins. Katie sees and learns about many other traditional Appalachian customs, like making apple butter, quilting, folk, toys, and pumpkin patches. The colorful illustrations make this a book for the entire family as they go with Katie on an autumn adventure!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR I am a former early childhood teacher who is now the author of six books for children.
BLURB Ellie Waltham and her mother have been driven from their home by her grasping cousin. As they run out of resources, her young niece and nephew appear, needing care. But their uncle Gareth Delaney magically moves all of them to safety and returns to Belgium to search for the children’s wounded father and their mother.
Once all are safe in England, Ellie’s scheming relative tries to steal their land. Though she thinks she lacks courage, Ellie takes action to protect her family. Abducted in an effort to force her to wed the villain, she knows she will be killed so he can claim what she has inherited. While sure Gareth is riding to save her, Ellie must still rescue herself…and him.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Barbara Jean Miller is an author, educator, and nature observer.
My WriteDay is a bi-monthly subscription box for writers and readers. Each “treasure trove for writers” includes a writing craft book and 3-5 writerly gifts curated to support writers.
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JOY E. HELD is an author, educator, editor, book coach, entrepreneur, and literary citizen responsible for this site and its contents. She is the author of
Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2020)
Writer Wellness Workbook: A Guided Workbook and Journal to Accompany Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2023)
The Mermaid Riot (Fire and Ice YA, 2024) Young Adult Historical Fantasy
She writes spicy historical fiction under a pen name.
She is the winner of multiple writing and book awards:
West Virginia Writers, Inc. Annual Writing Contest, Honorable Mention, Novel, 1998.
New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention, Writer Wellness, 2020.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Finalist, Writer Wellness, 2021.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, Member of the Year, 2020.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, First Book Award, 2020.
She is an adjunct faculty member in the Southern New Hampshire University Online MFA Creative Writing.
She is a proud graduate of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA with an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction.
She is a member of The Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Joy is the founder and CEO of My WRITEDAY Subscription Box for writers and readers.
3 Errors That Led to My Small Press Contract
Jean Burgess, Ph.D.
If you’re a “full steam ahead” type, who is too impatient to learn from your mistakes, then stop reading now. However, if you are willing to learn how, as a novice fiction writer, I made a few major errors and still landed a contract with a small press for my debut fiction, read on.
As writers, we tend to get so excited when we finish our manuscript that we just can’t wait to push it out into the world. Some writers want to skimp on steps like beta readers or competent development editing. Some are tempted by visions of dollar signs, then movie deals, then television series, then world domination…(See how quickly things can spin out of control?) And sadly, some have lost their grounding and forgotten why they were drawn to writing in the first place.
I can point out these flaws because I’ve been there. Let’s dive in and see what can be learned from these errors.
Error #1: Pitching to literary agents before the manuscript is ready
Yep, that was me. The book was completed. Several beta readers offered input and I made a few edits based on their feedback. I thought I’d caught all the grammar goofs and typos. I decided I was ready to secure a literary agent. So, I queried and queried and queried. I received plenty of “Thanks, but no thanks” responses.
I also pitched at writing conferences. That was a better experience because, after submitting my three chapters or fifty pages, at least I received a few “Thanks but no thanks and here are two reasons why… .”
With something to work with, I was able to make revisions…badly needed revisions.
Lesson learned: The feedback I received from the literary agents was invaluable for me because it pointed to developmental issues. It caused me to ask: How do I fix those issues? As a novice fiction writer, I was able to analyze my skill weaknesses. I took workshops and classes to strengthen the holes. The biggest lesson, however, was I needed to be prepared and open to revising (and revising and revising) my manuscript. I learned that hiring a development editor BEFORE copy editing is an important step.
Error #2: Being uneducated about the industry
Guilty as charged. Looking back on my own journey, I now ask myself, “What was I doing querying agents when I didn’t understand a thing about the author-agent relationship?”
What did I want from a literary agent? Did I even understand their function in the industry and what they do for authors? And what about self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What was that hybrid publishing I kept hearing about? How can I avoid scams? Yikes! I realized I needed to get myself educated.
Lesson learned: While there are a variety of paths to getting these questions answered, I chose to join several professional writers’ organizations. These offer seminars and resources that help me immeasurably, plus I appreciate the networking aspect of the groups. I also encourage others to read reputable blogs, join podcasts, and find other resources about the industry. Jane Friedman’s blog, Writer’s Digest, Authors Publish online magazine, and this one are just a few examples. Secure a complete understanding of all the various publishing approaches — self-publishing vs traditional publishing vs small press publishing – before deciding which is right for you and your book.
Error #3: Not having a clear writer’s purpose
I do believe that not being clear about my writer’s purpose when I took the next step in promoting my book, whether querying a lit agent or even chatting about it to readers, was a huge obstacle. It interfered with my messaging and my confidence.
When I say, “writer’s purpose,” I’m not talking about my reason for writing this particular book, but rather for writing anything. What motivates one to write? And if your answer is “For the big bucks,” you might want to dig a bit deeper!
I found that I was flailing with connecting to my purpose, which caused me to be unfocused when I spoke about my debut novel.
Lesson learned: Once I permitted myself to indulge in uninterrupted quiet reflection on the question “What motivates me to write? What is my purpose?”, I finally found clarity. My writing purpose applies to both my nonfiction and fiction works:
I write to encourage others and to start conversations.
Understanding and connecting with this purpose has helped me to define my goals and decisions moving forward. I pivoted my thinking and decided to put all my efforts into pursuing small presses for publication of my debut novel set in the late 1970s around themes of emerging feminism, social injustice, and retro music. As a result, at the next regional writers’ conference I attended, I skipped pitching to the literary agents on the roster and focused on the small press publishers instead.
In the past, regardless of whom I pitched to, I must admit I’d be anxious about the whole process. But once I was grounded in my writer’s purpose, I found enjoyed pitching. I was relaxed as I chatted about my book and its marketing possibilities.
The best news of all is that my debut novel, That Summer She Found Her Voice, was picked up by Apprentice House Press and published in April of 2024. Based on my journey of being open to revisions, learning all I could about the industry, and taking time out to define my personal writing purpose, I encourage you to apply these vital steps toward securing your own publishing success story. Best wishes.
Jean Burgess, Ph.D. is a writer, editor, and playwright with a background in theatre and education. She holds a M.A. in Theatre from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Theatre from New York University. Her debut novel, That Summer She Found Her Voice: A Retro Novel, was published by Apprentice House Press in April 2024 and is available on Amazon and other online outlets. Follow her publishing journey by signing up for her monthly newsletter at https://www.jeanburgessauthor.com.
Welcome historical fiction author Valerie Nieman with a fascinating perspective on researching for her novels.
Tracing Flickering Lights in the Dark
Not so long ago, most of us were putting away the strings of Christmas lights, hoping we won’t find a tangle when we open the bin again come November. That never seems to happen – somehow, the sets manage to knot themselves and cannot be easily pulled into the neat linear strings we expect. Where did all this complication come from?
It can be a bit like that, researching historical fiction. We expect to find a more or less continuous story, a reasonable thread of action and consequences, but history is more tangled than we think. Conspiracy theories aside, the reasons for an incident are often less than clear, people’s motivations are complicated, and people (or nations) may act in unreasonable ways. And history, as we know, is told by the victors.
I began working on my first historical fiction novel, Upon the Corner of the Moon, 30 years ago. People are shocked to learn that! Now I haven’t been writing continuously for three decades, but I have been working. Lots of reading, spells of writing, then back to research. As I was drafting and redrafting, I spent time writing other books – five novels, three books of poetry, a college history. I also went to Scotland on two month-long trips to hike, visit historic sites and museums, and generally “get the lay of the land.”
In this age of “instant art and writing” from AI, the thought of spending a third of a lifetime on one project seems a bit – obsessive. And it is. I came onto the story of the historical Macbeth while researching another book and was intrigued at how my favorite play had completely twisted the story. When I plunged into research for a novel on this topic, I didn’t imagine how deep that rabbit hole could go.
Those working in recent (20th century) historical fiction or studying well-documented eras have the benefit of newspapers, government records, previous histories– but in the more ancient past, records may be few or fragmentary, and they can be severely slanted because of religious or political considerations. Shakespeare based his play on Holinshed’s Chronicles, itself a compilation of earlier chronicles. At each iteration, legends became attached to history, cultural misunderstandings were amplified, and the actual Macbeths were slandered so that the current ruling dynasty might plump up its lineage.
I read original sources such as the “Life of St. Columba” by Adomnan, medieval handbooks of penance, an 18th century survey of the province of Moray that detailed the landscape of my book. I read sagas from the Norse and Danes, which provided some meat but also a lot of gristle: Names are replaced with epithets, dates might not match up, and the details of battles – well, remember that these were composed to glorify the jarl.
Scholarly sources were of great help in understanding the political landscape of northern Europe, from the Cnut’s Great North Sea Empire to the shifting Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Scotland itself was not united into roughly the form we expect until the early 11th century, under Malcolm II, who welded Strathclyde and Lothian to Alba, and his grandson Macbeth who solidified this realm. The Western Isles remained under control of the Norse, and Orkney was an independent kingdom claiming parts of the north (Caithness).
I also read a lot of books on ancient matriarchal religions and guides to Pictish symbol stones and Celtic runes.
Secondary sources, from popular books to deeply scholarly analyses, were important in helping me untangle the chain of events that led to Macbeth’s death and the change from old Celtic patterns of kingship to primogeniture. That’s why the second book is titled The Last HighlandKing, because after Macbeth, Scottish rulers were highly Anglicized and connected to the lowlands.
Ultimately, I had to make decisions between competing sources. Was this man a nephew, or an uncle? Did this battle occur in 1054 or 1057? Some recent works invaluable in sorting wheat from tares included Macbeth Before Shakespeare by Benjamin Hudson, Picts: Scourge of Rome, Rulers of the North by Gordon Noble and Nicholas Evans, and The Wolf Age by Tore Skeie.
Research is like that pile of twinkling lights – you see the glimmers, study how the knots have formed, and with patience and some good advice, make a tangle into something that can illuminate the dark.
BLURB: At the dawn of the second millennium, two royal Scottish children are swept away from their families—Macbeth to the perilous royal court of his grandfather, Gruach to the remnants of the goddess-worshiping Picts. Macbeth learns that blood bonds are easily severed while Gruach finds her path only to lose it when she’s summoned back to the patriarchal world. They struggle with gaining and losing power, guided and misguided by prophecy and politics as their paths converge in a fiery bid for royal succession. Upon the Corner of the Moon separates literary legend from the reality of rulers who changed the face of Scotland. While closely following recorded history about Macbeth, it also speculates on the heritage of his wife Gruach, drawing on the Neolithic settlement of Alba and the mysterious legacy of the Picts. “Upon the Corner of the Moon is a haunting and bloody tale of Scottish history. It’s also a finger tracing along a set of scars, ones we already know are too deep to ever really heal,” said the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Valerie Nieman’s debut historical novel, Upon the Corner of the Moon, is the story of the young Macbeths, destined to unite Scotland in the tumultuous 11th century. To learn more about the people and landscapes, she wandered Scotland from coast to coast and spent many happy hours in museums, libraries, and small pubs. She is the author of a short fiction collection, three poetry books, and six other novels, including In the Lonely Backwater, winner of the 2022 Sir Walter Raleigh Award, which was called “not only a page-turning thriller but also a complex psychological portrait of a young woman dealing with guilt, betrayal, and secrecy.” Her novel Blood Clay won the Eric Hoffer Prize in General Fiction. To the Bones, a horror/Appalachian/ecojustice novel, was a finalist for the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award, and now has a sequel, Dead Hand. A graduate of West Virginia University and Queens University of Charlotte, she has held state and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships is professor emerita of creative writing at NC Agricultural and Technical State University.
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Just as they wed, his sister elopes, and Dancy is captivated by the unconventional Kate as they ride across England together to prevent another scandal.
This article may contain affiliate links which may result in the author receiving a commission when readers purchase items through the links.
You are receiving this message because you previously signed up for notifications or participated in a program/course with Joy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
This article may contain affiliate links which may result in the author receiving a commission when readers purchase items through the links.
You are receiving this message because you previously signed up for notifications or participated in a program/course with Joy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
GENRE: Haiku, Poetry, Popular Culture, Television, Science Fiction.
BLURB: The Twilight Zone Haiku explores the essence of Rod Serling’s iconic,
uncanny 1960s television show through haiku, giving us dazzling, spot-on
snapshots of each episode. In seventeen syllables, Boykin captures the
show’s main objective: to deliver a keen jolt of existential awareness.
As you read, you find yourself marooned on an alien planet, lost in
time, trapped inside a mannequin, surrounded by the debris of a nuclear
attack, and always, always powerless to forces beyond your control. The
Twilight Zone Haiku conjures the trappings of each haunting plot of the
series, but more astutely, its scalpel-edged soul.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Attorney, author, and former boxer Chadwick Ellis Boykin is the owner
and creator of Jobber House Press, LLC. He is the author of Muay Thai
Kickboxing: The Ultimate Guide to Conditioning, Training, and Fighting
(Paladin Press, 2002), The Twilight Zone Haiku (Jobber House Press,
2023), and the forthcoming Kaiju and Kayfabe, essays on the uniquely
interconnected history of giant Japanese monster cinema and the art of
professional wrestling. He has contributed to the forthcoming Outside In
Can Live With It: 174 Deep Space 9 Stories, 174 Writers, 174 New
Perspectives (ATB Publishing), and The Kaiju Haiku: The Comic Zine with
Weirdo Poetry.
Tom Elliot is the host of The Twilight Zone Podcast, the definitive and
longest running podcast about the landmark show on the web. In addition
to episode reviews, the podcast includes short story readings, book
reviews, event coverage and interviews. The show has been graced by
guests such as Anne Serling (daughter of The Twilight Zone creator Rod
Serling and acclaimed author of As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling),
Earl Holliman (the first actor to ever appear in The Twilight Zone) and
Win Rosenfeld, Executive Producer of the 2019 The Twilight Zone reboot.
Tom featured as one of the speakers in the BBC documentary You’re
Entering Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, along with Anne Serling and
Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker. The Twilight Zone Podcast is an
unofficial production, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of
The Twilight Zone and the work of Rod Serling.
BLURB: Governess Marian Greenway feels she’s been hired by a lunatic when her employer demands she wear a revealing dress to dinner then introduces her to his relatives as his fiancée. When she realizes his behavior may be rooted in his war wounds he has her instant sympathy. Captain David Armstead, Lord Wyle just wants to fob off his interfering aunts, and a fake engagement seems a good idea when in his cups. But the next day the woman he thought was a hired actress takes over his household, and his children become instantly devoted to her. After only a few days he feels that he is falling in love with her but she has vowed never to marry a soldier. Even before they wed Wyle and Marian face the dilemma of what is more important, the welfare of the children or their own happiness. They find the answer when a threat to those children vaults them into an international plot where only Marian’s resourcefulness and Wyle’s faith in her can bring them all home safe.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Barbara Jean Miller is a retired educator, author, and nature observer.
BLURB: At the dawn of the second millennium, two royal Scottish children are swept away from their families—Macbeth to the perilous royal court of his grandfather, Gruach to the remnants of the goddess-worshiping Picts. Macbeth learns that blood bonds are easily severed while Gruach finds her path only to lose it when she’s summoned back to the patriarchal world. They struggle with gaining and losing power, guided and misguided by prophecy and politics as their paths converge in a fiery bid for royal succession. Upon the Corner of the Moon separates literary legend from the reality of rulers who changed the face of Scotland. While closely following recorded history about Macbeth, it also speculates on the heritage of his wife Gruach, drawing on the Neolithic settlement of Alba and the mysterious legacy of the Picts. “Upon the Corner of the Moon is a haunting and bloody tale of Scottish history. It’s also a finger tracing along a set of scars, ones we already know are too deep to ever really heal,” said the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Valerie Nieman’s debut historical novel, Upon the Corner of the Moon, is the story of the young Macbeths, destined to unite Scotland in the tumultuous 11th century. To learn more about the people and landscapes, she wandered Scotland from coast to coast and spent many happy hours in museums, libraries, and small pubs. She is the author of a short fiction collection, three poetry books, and six other novels, including In the Lonely Backwater, winner of the 2022 Sir Walter Raleigh Award, which was called “not only a page-turning thriller but also a complex psychological portrait of a young woman dealing with guilt, betrayal, and secrecy.” Her novel Blood Clay won the Eric Hoffer Prize in General Fiction. To the Bones, a horror/Appalachian/ecojustice novel, was a finalist for the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award, and now has a sequel, Dead Hand. A graduate of West Virginia University and Queens University of Charlotte, she has held state and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships is professor emerita of creative writing at NC Agricultural and Technical State University.
BLURB: Never mind the circumstantial evidence. Seventeen-year-old Noelle, an aspiring ballet dancer, doesn’t believe her missing mother would ever have committed suicide and launches her own investigation. Meantime, she’s dealing with growing romantic feelings toward Ravi, her best friend and fellow dancer, as well as worries about why her little sister is so reluctant to visit their dad. Threaded throughout the novel is the story of a young woman nearly twenty years earlier whose escape from an abusive marriage turns out to be related to Noelle’s investigation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lynn Slaughter is addicted to the arts, chocolate, and her husband’s cooking. After a long career as a professional dancer and dance educator, Lynn earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She is the award-winning author of five young adult romantic mysteries: MISSING MOM, DEADLY SETUP, LEISHA’S SONG, IT SHOULD HAVEBEEN YOU, AND WHILE I DANCED, as well as an adult mystery, MISSEDCUE. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where she’s at work on her next novel and serves on the board of Derby Rotten Scoundrels, the Ohio River Valley chapter of Sisters in Crime.
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writerwellness at gmail dot com for information on how you can be a featured author on Books By My Friends.
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JOY E. HELD is an author, educator, editor, entrepreneur, and literary citizen responsible for this site and its contents. She is the author of
Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2020)
Writer Wellness Workbook: A Guided Workbook and Journal to Accompany Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2023)
The Mermaid Riot (Fire and Ice YA, 2024) Young Adult Historical Fantasy
She writes spicy historical fiction under a pen name.
She is the winner of multiple writing and book awards:
West Virginia Writers, Inc. Annual Writing Contest, Honorable Mention, Novel, 1998.
New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention, Writer Wellness, 2020.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Finalist, Writer Wellness, 2021.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, Member of the Year, 2020.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, First Book Award, 2020.
She is an adjunct faculty member in the Southern New Hampshire University Online MFA Creative Writing.
She is a proud graduate of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA with an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction.
She is a member of The Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Joy is the founder and CEO of My WRITEDAY Subscription Box for writers and readers.
Literary Citizenship is Open to Everyone and How to Be a Solid One
I agree that the concept of literary citizenship is about supporting endeavors and people involved in writing, but it can also be viewed as anyone from writer to publisher to librarian to reader because the eco system of publishing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens in some way, shape, or form everywhere you look because everywhere you look there is something to read. Something that someone had to conjure from thin air to make sense of something else.
Signage. Labels. Instructions. Emails. Texts. Art. Social media. Calendars. Books. Magazines. Newspapers. Billboards. You belong to the literary world because you can’t get through a day without reading something. Sometimes I think that might be why people don’t read books. They’re already reading everything around them. Why read more in a book?
Citizenship implies membership in a community of persons with goals that are at least similar. And it implies responsibilities. As a no-dues-here member in good standing, each literary citizen should contribute to the greater good. Contributions range widely. Obviously, I’m extending on the idea of supporting writers because writers NEED readers. Plenty of writers don’t make their work public, but most writers want to and that can’t happen without a reader to receive and possibly respond to the writer’s words and ideas.
Not all support means money. Time and effort are just as valuable even as they can also equate to money. Here are some ideas on how you can support the literary world we all live in with just time and effort and be a solid literary citizen.
Check in with a writer. You don’t have to talk story with them, just let them know you know they write and that you appreciate that.
Ask for their books at the library and the book store. Not all stores are going to be able to get some books, but that’s okay. It’s on their radar now and that helps. Every library takes requests from patrons about buying books. Librarians will at least take a serious look if you make a serious recommendation.
If you own the print book, get caught reading it in public. If you don’t own it, check it out of the library. Even if no one asks you about it, they might take a look at the book cover. Ahem, you may want to be considerate of others when choosing a book cover to go public with. Just sayin’.
Free. Little. Libraries. Give if you can.
Attend book readings. I could be wrong, but I’ve never seen anyone charge money to people who show up at a reading. Readings are usually free. Go. It would be nice if you could buy the book and get it signed at the reading!
Stop at least once a day and say to yourself, “I wonder who wrote that?”
Literary citizenship is an important element in the world of writing and publishing. It’s the give-and-take part of belonging to any worthwhile group. It is the juicy stuff that binds us to one another to be supportive, respectful, and helpful as we journey through the world. Within the literary citizenship concept lies opportunities to enrich and be enriched by a diverse group of writers.
A good literary citizen actively and purposely gives as much as they take. The good stuff. It can be gently used, which sometimes makes it advice, but a place to toss refuse it is not. That isn’t to say that the writing community won’t listen when you have an elephant to shove off your chest. They will.
When I say that everyone can be a member of the literary community by virtue of reading, that isn’t to denigrate those who seize the ideas, write them down, and either share them or hide them under the bed. We’re all literary citizens, and we should support each other.
One of my ways of demonstrating literary citizenship is to post a regular feature in my newsletter focusing on books. It’s called “Books By My Friends” where once a month I tell you about the books from my author friends. Email me if you have a book published in the last year and want it considered for BBMF! It’s free:)
writerwellness at gmail dot com
In what ways are you a solid literary citizen?
Be well, write well!
~Joy
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The wealthy Kate Hamilton must marry the wounded viscount she is sheltering in her London townhouse since saving his life has ruined her. But he is a perfect candidate since he needs to marry well. When he seems reluctant, Kate proposes hiring him as her husband to disguise her love for him.
Hugh Bartram, Viscount of Dancy, has never met anyone like levelheaded Kate, thrusting herself into a scandal to save his sister from gossip. He resents Kate trying to solve everything with money, even as he admits her heart is in the right place.
Just as they wed, his sister elopes, and Dancy is captivated by the unconventional Kate as they ride across England together to prevent another scandal.
My WriteDay Subscription Box for Writers
My WRITEDAY is a subscription box program that delivers curated products from authors, creators, and small businesses to writers and readers in the continental U.S. It’s unique in that many products are sourced from writers who are also crafters and artisans. Each box delivers a writing craft book and 3-7 items associated with the key concepts (journaling, fitness, relaxation, nutrition, and creative play) of Writer Wellness, my flagship program and book (Headline Books, Inc. 2020.)
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JOY E. HELD is an author, educator, editor, entrepreneur, and literary citizen responsible for this site and its contents. She is the author of
Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2020)
Writer Wellness Workbook: A Guided Workbook and Journal to Accompany Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2023)
The Mermaid Riot (Fire and Ice YA, 2024) Young Adult Historical Fantasy
She writes spicy historical fiction under a pen name.
She is the winner of multiple writing and book awards:
West Virginia Writers, Inc. Annual Writing Contest, Honorable Mention, Novel, 1998.
New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention, Writer Wellness, 2020.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Finalist, Writer Wellness, 2021.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, Member of the Year, 2020.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, First Book Award, 2020.
She is an adjunct faculty member in the Southern New Hampshire University Online MFA Creative Writing.
She is a proud graduate of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA with an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction.
She is a member of The Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Joy is the founder and CEO of My WRITEDAY Subscription Box for writers and readers.
This article may contain affiliate links which may result in the author receiving a commission when readers purchase items through the links.
You are receiving this message because you previously signed up for notifications or participated in a program/course with Joy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
BLURB: In this coming-of-age novel we meet Fiona, an art student at a New Jersey college struggling to find herself. Through her eyes we relive the turbulent culture of sex, drugs, and rock ’n roll, the Vietnam War draft lottery, Kent State University shootings, and harsh reality of war for young Americans. Note from the author: Sexual content and language.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Susen Edwards is the founder and former director of Somerset School of Massage Therapy, New Jersey’s first state-approved and nationally accredited postsecondary school for massage therapy. During her tenure she was nominated by Merrill Lynch for Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Susen is the author of “What a Trip: A Novel.” Her articles have appeared on Residence11.com, BooksByWomen.org, and DIYMFA.com. Susen lives in Middlesex, New Jersey with her husband, Bob, and her two fuzzy feline babies, Harold and Maude.
BLURB: Standing at the altar as her two best friends get hitched, the Maid of Honor struggles to let go of her love for the groom and drifts back to when their triangle of love and friendship began—the late 1960s, rural Wyoming.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Micki R. Pettit is a former radio personality and voice talent with vocal experience spanning musical theater, opera, big band, rock, and country. She is currently lead female singer with the folk group Bandella and performs with the Bay Area Chorus of Greater Houston. Born in Wyoming and raised in New Mexico, she now lives in Texas with her husband and sons. A Kiss for Maggie Moore is her debut novel.
BOOK: Freedom with Food and Fitness: How Intuitive Eating is the Key to Your Happiest, Healthiest Self
BLURB: Build the full, vibrant life that you’ve always wanted, without another diet or dreaded exercise program. Filled with personal stories, science-backed research, and easy tools to apply to your life today, Freedom with Food and Fitness will inspire you to adopt a more mindful and intuitive approach to food and fitness.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ALANA VAN DER SLUYS is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, TEDx speaker, eating disorder survivor, and the founder of Freedom with Food and Fitness. She is dedicated to empowering women to heal their relationship with food and their bodies to step into their potential, take up space, and pursue true health. She currently hosts the Finally Free Podcast, and her debut book– Freedom with Food and Fitness: How Intuitive Eating is the Key to Becoming Your Happiest, Healthiest Self–will be released with Urano World USA on November 14, 2023. She is a contributing writer for several national publications, including the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) and Best Holistic Life Magazine. She was also, most recently, a panelist and speaker for the Speak Up Women’s Conference in April 2023. You can find out more about Alana and Freedom with Food and Fitness on Instagram: @FreedomwithFoodandFitness.
This article may contain affiliate links which may result in the author receiving a commission when readers purchase items through the links.
Welcome to Books By My Friends, a weekly feature hosting a variety of my friends who have published books. Please leave a comment for any or all of the guest authors in the space below.
Today we’re featuring authors LAURY A. EGAN, NITA SWEENEY, AND ZOE TASIA.
“The Psychologist’s Shadow” cover photo by Laury A. Egan
BLURB: In October 1992, Dr. Ellen Haskell begins a new therapy practice in Princeton after a tragic error with a former client. Demoralized by her failure, Ellen strives to restore her emotional and professional confidence. Her parents have departed for Greece, leaving Ellen alone in their secluded country house. As the reader is introduced to her roster of clients through their individual sessions, Ellen becomes unnerved when she receives hang-up phone calls and a series of bizarre gifts from an anonymous admirer—at first at her office and then at home. As the obsessive lover increasingly invades her life, Ellen’s anxiety crescendos and she begins to fear the stalker’s behavior will escalate into violence. The Psychologist’s Shadow is a portrait of a compassionate, introspective therapist who finds herself in a dangerous struggle with an unknown stalker. The novel is a simmering literary suspense, one in which tension accumulates as the reader gains insights during sessions with clients—one of whom may be the psychologist’s shadow—and through the stalker’s journal entries, which serve as a discordant counterpoint.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Laury A. Egan is the author of eleven novels, The Firefly; Once, Upon an Island; Wave in D Minor; Turnabout; Once, Upon an Island; Doublecrossed; The Swimmer; The Ungodly Hour; A Bittersweet Tale; Fabulous! An Opera Buffa; The Outcast Oracle; and Jenny Kidd; in addition to a collection, Fog and Other Stories. Four limited-edition poetry volumes have been published: Snow, Shadows, a Stranger; Beneath the Lion’s Paw; The Sea & Beyond; and Presence & Absence. Eighty-five of her stories and poems have appeared in literary journals.
BLURB: What do you think of when you hear the word meditation? Monks? Instagram influencers? Yoga? Tai Chi? What if lifting weights, dancing with your love, or walking across a room counted? What if you could make any move a meditation? Nita Sweeney’s Make Every Move a Meditation shows you how!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nita Sweeney is the bestselling wellness author of Depression Hates a Moving Target, You Should Be Writing, and Make Every Move a Meditation. Ultramarathoner. Meditator. Mindfulness coach. Writing practice zealot. Mental health advocate. Dog mom. Retired attorney. Retired publisher of Write Now Columbus. Her next book, A Daily Dose of Now, will be released in September.
BLURB: Becca juggles witch-in-training lessons, mothering to two teens, and falling in love as she works to stop island troublemakers and her crazy relatives from wreaking havoc. Bagpipes and Basil is a humorous, cozy fantasy about a family, a courtship, and a community.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Zoe Tasia lives in Texas with her understanding Greek husband and a crazy cat where she explores her imagination as a writer. When she’s not giving her imaginary friends full rein, she enjoys the opera, ballet, well-chilled champagne and books, lots and lots of books.
BLURB: Christmas wants to spend the summer hanging with Lexi, the one friend who gets her completely, ADHD and all. But things are strained, and get weirder when the friends stumble on a crime scene, and Christmas is forced to face difficult realities about her her beloved lake community. Author note: A little heat! (Some kissing and flirting.) Also, content warning for homophobic language (a character uses a slur) and substance abuse.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sara Hosey is the author of three young adult novels: Iphigenia Murphy, Imagining Elsewhere, and Summer People. Her short story collection, Dirty Suburbia, is forthcoming in 2024. A Queens native, she lived for several years in Wisconsin before returning to New York, where she teaches English at a community college.
BLURB: What you see with your own eyes is true, right? Not necessarily, when a crooked prison warden slams social media with deep fake videos showing an inmate’s escape helped by his female guard-lover. The guard claims that never happened. No one believes her except investigator Tawny Lindholm.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Debbie Burke is an award-winning journalist, crime novelist, freelance editor, and blogger on The Kill Zone. She writes from her home in Montana where the scenic, rugged Rocky Mountains offer plenty of locations to kill people…on the page, that is!
BLURB: Ready or Not, the sequel to Summer of L.U.C.K., features more magical adventures with Darby, Naz, Justin, and the ghost who haunts a magical carnival, but it spotlights thirteen-year-old Justin, who faces a tricky choice: stand up to bigotry or let fear hold him back.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Laura Segal Stegman is a Los Angeles-based author whose middle grade debut novel, Summer of L.U.C.K., and its sequel, Ready or Not (both from Young Dragons Press), are available wherever books are sold. The Chambered Nautilus, third in the L.U.C.K. trilogy, will follow. She serves as a judge for kidlit writer competitions and shares her author journey in engaging visits to schools and libraries. Her popular PR Tips for Authors workshop features a step-by-step guide to building a digital author media kit. Non-fiction credits include collaboration on the travel book Only in New York. A long-time publicity consultant, she owns Laura Segal Stegman Public Relations, LLC. www.LauraStegman.com
