Tobi and Serena were the best of friends and everyone expected them to become more than friends until a disagreement between their families happened over who was responsible for the death of Tobi’s father who worked for Serena’s father in the phosphate mine. As you read about the accident, do you think it was right of Mrs. Doyle to blame Mr. Robinson or was it an unavoidable situation? Mining accidents and deaths still occur all over the world wherever this type of work is necessitated such as the extraction of diamonds and coal. There are laws in some countries protecting these workers. Do you think mine owners should provide safety to their employees? Can you find a news article about a recent mining disaster and compare it to what happened in the Robinson Phosphate Mine?
Why do you think Tobi had to find out for himself if Dr. Trask had captured a mermaid? Was it peer pressure? Did he believe the Root Seller Woman? If so, why? Was there some other reason that Tobi did something so out of character at least from Serena’s perspective?
The phosphate industry helped bring Charleston, South Carolina back from the brink of financial ruin after The Civil War, but it was eventually supplanted by the discovery of the “stinking stones” in Florida. Today, both states have permanently damaged ecological disaster areas that the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States calls “legacy pollution” sites that are in constant reclamation. The water and soil are contaminated with lead and arsenic which were byproducts of mining phosphate rocks and preparing it for use in fertilizer production. Multiple acres of land are uninhabitable perhaps forever. Keeping in mind the era of Reconstruction following the war, do you think the results of the mining were worth it? Here is an article from The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services that you may want to read Historic Superphosphate Fertilizer Industry in S.C.
One of the major themes of The Mermaid Riot is the warning “don’t believe everything you’re told.” Can you point out any of the ways or scenes where Tobi and Serena experience this adage? Have you ever had a situation where this idea played a role? What happened? What did you learn?
Do you have any questions about the characters in the story?
Looking ahead, do you have any ideas about how Serena and Tobi’s life will change after The Mermaid Riot?
Thank you for reading The Mermaid Riot! Please be on the lookout for Book 2, Revenge of the Mermaid where Serena comes face-to-face with the mermaids and strives to solve their concerns while keeping her family intact! Coming 2026 from Headline Books, Inc.
Rick Hill, the underdog publisher of The Lawnsville Crier continues his fight to hold elected public officials accountable for Jordan County’s corrupt old-line political machine in this fast-moving novel, The Pulse of the City – the fourth in the award-winning Rick Hill Series.
One of the few times the old-line faction outsmarted the Crier publisher resulted in a takeover of the Lawnsville City Council.
Is it possible that a by-chance invoice approved at a Council meeting could lead Rick Hill to a kickback scheme which leads directly to the Governor’s office? Or will the State’s Chief Executive again walk out of the Federal Court House a free man?
Could his 85-year-old anonymous news source with the creaky voice again provide the Crier publisher with a “tip” that could unravel a carefully planned scam that finally lands the slippery Governor Wilson McDuff in a federal prison? The same Wilson McDuff who was found not guilty in two previous federal trials, while his co-defendants were convicted, and now resides in a federal prison.
The Pulse of the City, expands the behind-the-scenes look at The Lawnsville Crier beyond the duty to hold public officials accountable. It pulls the curtain back to show the everyday routine – less glamorous – things the paper features that draw readers and give the community pride and an identity.
Disclaimer
This article may contain affiliate links which may result in the author receiving a commission when readers purchase items through the links.
JOY E. HELD is a busy 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
Music has always been an important part of my life. My father played many instruments and instructed my siblings and me on the piano at home. One of my fondest memories is sitting on the piano bench next to my dad plunking out my part in the beginning piano duets book. On holidays Dad was home from work and played Broadway show tunes, classical, and boogie-woogie jazz that echoed through the house as preparations happened for Thanksgiving dinner or opening Christmas presents.
That’s part of why I designed my “Writer’s Playlist” to inspire and support me as a writer. When I searched for songs about writing, I was pleasantly surprised at the lengthy list of tunes available. This playlist lasts just under an hour and is divine to listen to while doing revisions. I’ve also played it for energy support while walking or practicing vinyasa (flow hatha yoga.) I’m listening to it right now. Many of the lyrics are subtle but directly applicable to writing.
Do you have a writer’s playlist or what song(s) would add to mine?
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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.
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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.
GUEST POST: EXPLORING THE STORY THAT CAME BEFORE THE STORY BY LYNN SLAUGHTER
Missing Mom by Lynn Slaughter
Saturday 2 August 2025
I’ve long been fascinated by real-life mysteries of missing persons, people who suddenly disappeared from their loved ones’ lives. So many questions, and often, so few answers. Were they victims of foul play? Kidnapped? Running from something? Running toward something that they found more appealing than their current lives? So many possibilities, and for loved ones left behind, so much grief and uncertainty.
Given my interest in missing persons’ cases, I guess it’s not surprising that I decided to explore what happens to someone left behind. Thus was born the premise for my latest novel, MISSING MOM, in which Noelle, a seventeen-year-old, is distraught over her mother’s sudden disappearance. Despite the circumstantial evidence, she doesn’t believe that her mother would ever have committed suicide and is determined to unravel the mystery of what happened to her mom.
As writers, we often talk about the importance of digging into the backstories of our characters to understand their choices and reactions. Why, for example, is Noelle so sure her mother did not commit suicide? The answer lies in her unusually close relationship to her mother who is such a great listener and so supportive that even Noelle’s friends flock to her mom for advice and counsel. On the day she went missing, Noelle’s mother had made plans to go out with her daughters to the mall for school shopping and pizza. The idea of her mom deciding, “Never mind shopping and pizza. Now I’m going to kill myself” makes absolutely no sense to Noelle.
So, what did happen to her mother? The mystery turns out to be related to the saga of a young woman nearly twenty years earlier who managed to escape from an abusive marriage. I found this young woman’s story riveting and decided to thread it throughout the novel.
After I’d written MISSING MOM, I discovered that what I had done is called a “time slip novel,” in which interconnected stories from different time periods appear. Although time slip novels are not uncommon, this marked the first time I’d ever attempted one, and I found it exciting to try something that was new for me as a writer.
All in all, I loved exploring the story that came before the story I set out to tell. Sometimes our curiosity takes us into new and unexpected places, which makes writing and reading especially pleasurable.
BIO:
Lynn Slaughter is addicted to the arts, chocolate, and her husband’s cooking. After a long career as a professional dancer and dance educator, she returned to school to earn her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Her six published novels have received numerous accolades, including a Silver Falchion Award, an Agatha nomination, an Imadjinn Award, and a Moonbeam Silver Medal. Midwest Book Review called her most recent work, Missing Mom, a “remarkable book” that “invites readers to immerse themselves in a narrative that beautifully captures the essence of struggle and triumph.”
The Mermaid Riot by Joy E. Held Click on the image to purchase.My WriteDay Subscription Box
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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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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.
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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.
Welcome to “Write True” the March/April 2025 box! Writing true means several things to me. Write the truth as you know it whether it’s fiction, nonfiction, memoir, or poetry. Use true words to describe what you believe is the truth. Be authentic and avoid overused words. What does true writing mean to you?
Let’s look at it all.
500 Words You Should Know by Caroline Taggart is not your average “dictionary” because of its organization by theme. Need a unique or special word for mood? It’s in there. Want to use something besides heaven to name it? It’s in there. This is the most unique “dictionary” I’ve ever seen. It even has a bibliography and an index to further support your word cravings. I’d love to know what you think about this book!
Plot Twist inspiration cards. These are not your average inspiration cards for writers. These are not your average cards for coming up with ideas when you’ve hit a bump in the manuscript. Because you never know what you’ll find behind the scratch off area on the card. Just like a lottery ticket, pick a card, get a coin, and scratch off the hidden inspiration. The only difference between Plot Twist cards and lottery tickets is that PT makes you a winner every time. Each hidden message is fodder for fixing plot problems or having something to journal or blog about. The fiction collection is in this box. I love them so much that you are guaranteed to see another genre in a future box! I would love to know how you used these cards. Critique group writing prompt anyone?
Fruit Flavored Chewy Candies consciously crafted by The Lovely Candy Company. Individually wrapped and organic, these candies are perfect for that moment when you want something sweet but don’t want a whole cupcake! The “no” list of ingredients is just as important as what’s in each delicious piece. No artificial colors or flavors, non-GMO, no high fructose corn syrup, or gluten. Awesome.
Candle kit with “natural fireman” is something I created for you. The tea light candles are from an artisan candle maker in California. The sand is what is called a “natural fireman” for candles because if the candle melts or flames out of the container, the sand will automatically and naturally put out the fire! Place the sand in the glass tea light holder then center the candle in the sand. Never burn candles around paper, please😊
Bookshelf Note Pad from Pippi Post products in Kentucky is perfect for lists or keeping in the journal go bag I wrote about in the January/February MWD Digital Magazine. And so cute!
There are reading andwriting stickers, a Thoughtfull pop-out journal prompt, and promotional bookmarks from some my author friends.
I adore hearing from you any time! Watch your email in late APRIL for the exclusive MWD subscriber digital magazine.
IMPORTANT REMINDER
The May/April 2025 MWD box will be available from Monday, May 5 to Saturday, May 10 ONLY. Mark your calendar so you don’t miss out on this “treasure trove for writers” delivered to your door every other month.
Thank you so much for being a My WRITEDAY subscriber AND a future subscriber.
I hope your WriteDay is fantastic!
~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.
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.
