INTERNET SCAVENGER HUNT CONTEST for READERS OF SAVING MARIETTA BOOK 1
Saving Marietta: Journey to Freedom, Book 1 released in February as the first book in my new historical romance series set in early America when the soon-to-be-a-state Ohio was THE frontier. Untamed, expansive, and dangerous, military officers from the American Revolution were awarded free land in the wilderness to live and populate…and sell. The first known settlement in The Northwest Territory was Marietta when 88 pioneers floated down the Ohio River dodging ice chunks and high water to establish this settlement. True, there was already a military base called Fort Harmar located at the point where the Ohio welcomes the Muskingum River, but no real commerce or civilization until a group of retired soldiers formed The Ohio Company with grand plans to settle the wild frontier.
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My series titled Saving Marietta follows three women I imagined could have been among the industrious and brave gals who wanted the freedom to follow their dreams. Desires that set them in contrast to what the system expected women of the period to pursue. Doctor, tavern owner, and legislator were among the careers that put up resistance to women. My gals, Molly, Vina, and Sarah Jane meet in the first book then the series follows them individually as they refuse to back down or throw in the towel once they arrive in Marietta. Along the way they encounter bigger problems like being captured by Indians, the beginnings of the underground railroad, and political backroom deals. It’s about gender, economic growing pains, and prejudice in a time when I believe women played a huge role in the development of America.
I did a ton of research. That’s perfectly fine because I enjoy doing research. It helps me include details of everyday life as I try to give readers an authentic look into what living in the past was like. And hope that a reader will come away with an appreciation for what was then and what is today. To give you an idea of the research I did for the book, I created an internet scavenger hunt contest that will guide you through some of the steps I took to arrive at the plot. The scavenger hunt will explain the motivating factor that inspired the storyline and motivated the actions of one of the main characters.
THE INTERNET SCAVENGER HUNT CONTEST-SAVING MARIETTA BOOK 1
Instructions: Open the link to the Google doc. Answer the questions in the doc then hit Submit at the bottom to be entered into a drawing to win a bookmark, signed bookplate to put into your print copy of Saving Marietta, and a custom-made embellished paperclip. The instructions and details are in the Google doc.
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
When Molly Hilliard is kicked out of physician training in Baltimore in 1796, she travels to join her family in The Northwest Territory in search of the freedom to become more than an herbal healer and dreams of saving pioneers from illness and disease until she literally loses everything in the icy waters of the Ohio River when her canoe overturns. Molly discovers that her medical school sponsor, Dr. Andrew West, has followed and caught up with her in Pittsburgh, and she must trust strangers to help her evade the meddling man who is hell-bent on marrying her.
Romney Applewood survived ten years as a captive among the Delaware natives when The Greeneville Treaty between the U. S. and the Indian Nations frees all white captives, and he is finally able to search for his younger sister who has been living with another tribe. Just as he is about to take her to a doctor in Boston to help Sarah Jane talk again, she is kidnapped. Suddenly he is back on the frontier searching for his sister despite there being a bounty on his head for “aiding and abetting the enemy”.
Molly and Romney’s destiny is sealed when they bond over saving others from drowning, bullet wounds, and smallpox, but he doesn’t want Molly’s dreams to be shattered by his past and thinks the best thing is to leave her in Marietta to forge a future as a doctor. His brain says go, but his heart shouts never let her go!
Daylight splayed its yellow-orange fingers at the edge of the western Kentucky horizon as the Applewoods stepped out of the cabin. Joseph carried an axe, a saw, and a musket. A powder horn hung from his belt. His wife Nancy followed, rake and hoe in hand. A linen cloth was tied around her waist in such a way as to hold the day’s seeds. She stopped and turned to the open cabin door where her children stood sleepy-eyed and watching.
“Remember to wash out the breakfast bowls, Romney, and you two keep to the yard where we can see you,” she said.
Her son nodded and yawned as his little sister Sarah Jane shadowed him in the doorway. Framed by the stacks of crude-cut logs and mud, Nancy could hardly see them as everything in sight was about the same color. Drab brown and dirty gray. Everything but for the beautiful sunrise. This was the only moment of the day she ever really enjoyed out here among the tall trees and endless fields of grass.
After the birth of their daughter, the freedom, opportunity, and wildness called to her husband. The Virginia Commonwealth’s taxes and crowded townships compelled him to uproot the family and move west. Nancy left behind her rewarding business of fashioning clothing for fine ladies, but she didn’t stop sewing. She made clothes for her family, linens for the house, and a doll for her baby girl, Sarah Jane.
Any time Nancy complained about the loneliness, her husband reminded her that it had been only a few months. “Have patience,” Joseph told her nightly as they lay on the straw mattress on the floor. Maybe after the crops took hold and supplies had built up she’d feel better about being in this isolation called Kentucky. Although there were bright blue skies, lush green forests, and waving grasslands as far as the eye could see, it was barren of people. Nancy had loved having friends and neighbors close to home in Virginia. People to talk to, the market to visit, and the business she had built as a seamstress fed her soul and made her content.
There was no one here except her family for miles and miles, and that’s why Joseph Applewood liked it. He didn’t need people as much as she did. Not only was she lonely, but she also worried every second of every day and night. Worried about where their next meal would come from. Worried about the cold and the damp. Worried about their health. And she worried constantly about Indians.
***
Eleven-year-old Romney was accustomed to his parents working in the field daily. He was big enough to help with the farm work, but he watched Sarah Jane and did the house chores instead. She toddled along behind him while he refilled the water in the cabin and collected kindling.
At midday, the family usually sat together on tree stumps near the edge of the garden and shared biscuits. Today, however, his parents didn’t stop trenching and seeding because the morning glow had succumbed to a mass of gray clouds. They needed the rain, but they also needed to get the seed in the ground. Joseph and Nancy worked through supper hoping to accomplish the whole day’s planting before the heavens opened up.
After chores, the children played their favorite game. Romney pretended to chase Sarah Jane around the base of a giant maple tree whose wide roots spread out from the tree like bark-covered tentacles. It was part of the game to leapfrog over the gnarly roots, and four-year-old Sarah Jane was always ready for a nap after this activity.
When Romney playfully snatched her doll and ran around the tree, Sarah Jane did an awkward about-face and started after him. Her chubby, baby girl legs stumbled. She fell and wailed, as children will do. Her cries pierced the air, and Nancy Applewood’s head jerked up from planting seeds. She straightened her back and squinted her eyes, not at the children, but at a figure lurking near the cabin at the edge of the dense forest.
“Indians!”
As soon as he heard his mother scream, Romney grabbed Sarah Jane and ran for the cabin. An arrow swished through the air next to him, and he turned in time to see his father in the field swinging up his musket. The arrow landed in the center of Joseph’s chest, and he fell on top of the newly plowed rows without getting a shot off. Nancy Applewood hurried toward her children, skirts clutched high and her head down low.
Just as Romney was about to cross the threshold, an Indian grabbed him and his sister. His stomach lurched as his nose and mouth were covered by a large, grimy hand that smelled like dirt and sweat. A second warrior snatched Sarah Jane out of his arms.
“No!” his mother screamed, reaching for her babies. The red man holding his sister shoved Nancy onto her backside. Romney looked to the field where one of the raiders straddled his father’s body and sawed Joseph’s scalp from his head. Nancy scrambled to her feet and dove for Sarah Jane. His mother was clubbed on the side of the head by the blunt end of a tomahawk. She lay motionless on the ground, a stream of red wiggling away from her battered skull. Foul tasting bile rose in Romney’s throat as he and Sarah Jane were dragged toward the forest. The boy struggled in his captor’s arms as fear engulfed his brain.
At the edge of the woods, they stopped and a red man forcibly twisted Romney’s head around to watch the looting and burning of his family’s cabin. He tried to turn away from the carnage, but the Indian grabbed Romney’s hair and forced him to watch as his whole world disappeared in the fire and smoke. At the sight of his mother, eyes wide open and head spilling blood, tears streamed down his cheeks and anger seethed in his young heart. Romney briefly wondered what it felt like to die. Surely, they were going to kill him and his sister next.
But that didn’t happen. They ran through the woods for over an hour, then stopped and set up a crude camp. They tied the children together with a rope around their ankles. Sarah Jane buried her face in Romney’s belly, and he wrapped a protective arm around her. Someone brought them water in a hollowed-out gourd. He helped Sarah Jane drink, then he drank the rest. They promptly fell asleep on the ground as night ate up the forest.
Early the next morning, Romney woke with a start as something jabbed his ribs. Sarah Jane wasn’t beside him. He saw her sitting on a horse in front of an Indian who was leaving camp. He jumped up to follow, but the rope around his ankle pulled him down. He was tied to a tree. The red men laughed.
“Bring her back,” Romney shouted. “Sarah Jane!” His sister turned and looked at him from around the body of her captor, fear showing in her beautiful, sky-blue eyes.
“Where’s her doll?” Romney demanded. An Indian pointed toward those leaving. At least she had her doll. At least she had a small measure of comfort in the doll her mother had made for her.
When the riders disappeared from view, Romney waited, his hands twitching to punch something. With Sarah Jane gone, he figured they would kill him. Instead, they untied him, gave him a little food and water, then helped him up onto his father’s horse that had been taken during the raid. He and the seven Delaware Indians who had burned his home and killed his parents rode through the forest in the opposite direction of the warriors who took Sarah Jane. He would learn later that she had been taken by the Shawnee. He fought back tears by silently vowing to do whatever necessary to find his sister and avenge the murders of his parents. Knowing he would have to stay alive in order to fulfill such a pledge.
Joy E. Held is an author, educator, book coach, and yoga teacher living in West Virginia with her family. She enjoys herb gardening, junk journaling, and walking. She is a member of The Authors Guild and The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. Joyeheld.com
Disclaimer: This article may contain affiliate links although I have never made a single dime from one, I’m required by law to provide a disclaimer.
If I am a workaholic, I don’t care.
Honestly, I’m pretty sure I am a workaholic, but I’m not going to blame anyone else. Growing up, I had intense role models. My parents and extended family members were all middle class and had to work incredibly hard to make ends meet, food appear on the table, and apparel that met the fashion expectations of the day available to everyone. If we were poor, I didn’t get the memo, but I also don’t remember wanting too much besides a book to read, the time and freedom to read it, and paper and pencil with which to write my own poems and stories.
When I was twelve years old, my parents, who were self-employed (my Dad actually worked two jobs year-round; one full-time and one part-time, both as a contractor,) decided I should be more conscious of the money necessary to run a business and a household. I was happy to learn and by the age of fourteen I was keeping the financial books for both of them. As the family bookkeeper for two entrepreneurs, did I maybe see too much work going on? Did I assume everybody worked all the time? I don’t remember thinking that, but perhaps it influenced me more than I knew, because flash forward I will work, work, work until something is done or I run myself into the ground and get sick.
Something called the Bergen Work Addiction Scale entered the world around 2012. It was compiled by researchers in Norway and the United Kingdom and administered to over 12,000 working Norwegians. It’s based on the traditional psychological conditions indicating addiction to anything and is developed in specific accordance with the principles of work. Here are the seven basic criteria of the Bergen scale:
You think of how you can free up more time to work.
You spend much more time working than initially intended.
You work in order to reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness and depression.
You have been told by others to cut down on work without listening to them.
You become stressed if you are prohibited from working.
You deprioritise hobbies, leisure activities, and exercise because of your work.
You work so much that it has negatively influenced your health.
How many do you recognize in yourself? I meet six of the seven. Whatever.
To save me from myself, my Mom introduced me to yoga when I was eighteen. She probably recognized the type A (for Always busy) oldest child syndrome leaking out. Because I was a competitive gymnast, hatha yoga suited my twisty-twirly, boneless body just fine. Consequently, I have practiced yoga and meditate to counterbalance my worker bee personality ever since.
And although not much is said about it, the dirty little secret of gymnastics AND ballet is that you can’t do that stuff forever. THAT has haunted me forever. The last day of ballet, the last day of back handsprings, and the last night of reading till dawn were difficult for me.
The last day of storytelling will inevitably make its appearance. That will be a really tough one. Eyes, hands, shoulders, spine, and hips will eventually stop cooperating. My pragmatic side gets this. My creative side says, “Get this shit done before you can’t!” So, I read books, write books, sell books, and help others with their book needs while I can and until I can’t.
That’s why I am a workaholic. One day the work won’t work.
Are you a workaholic? I took this test on the Psychology Today website and scored a B-. Well, damn. I would love to know what you score. Remember to take such things with a healthy, side-eye of skepticism.
One of my many projects is My WriteDay bi-monthly subscription box for writers, and it opens to new subscribers Monday, March 2 at noon eastern. Each box is packed with a new writing craft book, office essentials, healthy snacks, and items to support a writer’s creativity and health. The March-April 2026 box is “Picture Book Perfection.”
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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
Saving Marietta: Journey to Freedom, Book 1 (Headline Books, Inc., 2026) Adult Historical Romance
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.
Why Professional Writer Organizations Are Mostly Worth the Dues When It Comes to Searching and Selecting a Literary Agent
Genre specific writing organizations offer different benefits to members. One of those benefits related to the literary agent search that is often overlooked is the pre-screened list of agents actively seeking submissions in a particular genre that some groups offer their members. For example, the dues to the Romance Writers of America national chapter includes access to a members only resource listing agents (there’s one for qualifying markets too) that RWA has already vetted as to their willingness to accept submissions from RWA members. Historical Novel Society also offers this to members in good standing.
The agent search can feel daunting because the system has evolved to where an agent is almost an absolute requirement for getting the attention of a traditional Big Five publishing house because BFs generally accept agented submissions only. This has increased the number of agents, but it has not increased the value of having an agent.
Another agent related value to membership is that the warehouse organizations (and some smaller regional groups) invite agents to their conferences where you can schedule a one-on-one meet with an agent and pitch your work. Sometimes they are group pitch sessions. They may also bring in editors from publishing houses. I’ve known writers who only attend in-person pitches at conferences and have never cold emailed an agent or editor. Many of them have secured agent representation this way.
These resources are workarounds that are worth the consideration because the organization has done some of the leg work for you. It’s a cut to the chase sort of process that might possibly reduce the amount of time and research you should do when selecting a literary agent. But it comes with the price of the annual membership dues or the conference fee. And you still have to do the advance research in order to choose the right potential agent to meet with.
I’ve had a singular bad experience with this process when an agent listed in the member’s only resource accepted me as a client then turned around and said I had to pay for his wife to edit my manuscript before he would offer it to publishers. That was a price I wasn’t willing to pay. The writer organization heard from me and the agent was eventually removed from the list. I had the emails to prove the demand.
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.
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.
Buy me a coffee
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.
Welcome to “Next Level Plotting” the July/August 2025 My WriteDay box!
Wherever you are as a writer and regardless of genre, you still have to have some kind of organization for the story, article, poem, etc. Something that serves as a framework for stability and keeping you on track and on task. From the featured writing craft book to the elegant planner in the box, “Next Level Plotting” is designed to help you develop the plot and document your progress.
Let’s look at it all.
Welcome to “Next Level Plotting” the July/August 2025 box!
Next Level Plot Structure: How to Write a Better Novel Using Advanced Storytelling Techniques by K.M. Weiland lays it out plain and simple but with handholding advice every step of the way. There is a signed book plate sticker from K.M and she has contributed a special message for MWD subscribers for the digital magazine.
I’m All Booked hand towelwas too cute to turn down! It has the perfect message printed it on to remind you and maybe others that you have a plan and a writing schedule to keep!
Writer’s Tea Bags from Cliché Tea.Cute, fun, and an assortment of yummy tea flavors. You gotta save the tea envelopes and put them in your journal (or the new planner you just received in this box) simply because they are so true to the writing world.
My Daily Organizer with Matching Ink Penis one more thing in this fun box to take you to the next level of writing and plotting. So pretty I wanted you to have them. Keep track of your word count, plotting notes, and more.
There are reading andwriting stickers, a Thoughtfull pop-out journal prompt, and promotional bookmarks from some my author friends.
Want to get in on these fun and practical gift boxes for writers? Easy. The next box will be available for new subscribers on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 @ NOON EASTERN TIME.
$59.00 every other month includes FREE SHIPPING (continental U.S.)
Look it over here then mark your calendar for Monday, Sept. 1 to get in on the next box of writerly goodies.
Already a subscriber? Camp out at your mailbox the first week of September for your next box!
I hope your WriteDay is fantastic!
~Joy
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Perfect Strangers by Barbara Jean Miller
The Mermaid Riot by Joy E. Held
Disclaimers
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.
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.)
Each box is inspired by literary themes, genres, and holidays. Every box includes access to My WRITEDAY Digital Magazine filled with writing and publishing tips, writer wellness ideas, fiction excerpts, poetry, special offers, social media options such as live virtual meetings, and more.
The idea behind My WRITEDAY is to help writers spend more time creating stories, engaging with like-minded book friends, and enjoying the juicy, creative life they deserve. From craft books to office supplies to fun, writing/reading inspired décor, subscribers ages 14 and up will discover an experience designed to offer a healthy plan for living their best writing life. The cost per box is $59.00 and includes freeshipping (in the continental U.S.). There are discounts available on the website. Please visit us!
“MY TOP 10 REASONS FOR STARTING MY WRITEDAY SUBSCRIPTION BOX”
Monday 18 August 2025
MYWRITEDAY SUBSCRIPTION BOX FOR WRITERS is celebrating two years in September. I’m reposting this to ask if you think MWD is living up to my reasons for inventing it. Leave a comment and get ready to subscribe to the next box.
CART OPENS MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1 AT NOON EST FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS.
“My Top 10 Reasons for Starting MY WRITEDAY Subscription Box”
When I take online quizzes, the results are generally the same regardless of the intent of the quiz. How much weight do you want to lose? Is your mindset fixed or flexible? What are your top five strengths? The final explanations generally note that I’m a CURIOUS person. That’s always been the case, and it’s a quality that serves me well as a writer and a human.
The first place I learned about my curious nature was on a career prospect survey the entire ninth grade class had to take before attending a mandatory career counseling session with the school guidance counselor. I already knew I was going to be a published author and teach writing. At the time, I’d already been a published columnist is two newspapers and won several writing awards. I was also secure about my college and career path.
Nonetheless, my guidance counselor informed me that my survey results indicated that I should be a researcher. Talk about vaguebooking. Or a salesclerk. Flash forward and I have ended up doing all four jobs:
· Published author of historical fiction
· Requires a ton of research,
· College English professor and book coach
· Retail salesclerk in my own dance supply store
Now I’m mashing up these experiences and starting a subscription box for writers and readers. It’s called WRITEDAY, and it’s rolling out in September 2023. But why am I adding yet another job to my freelance W-9 (independent contractor) classification? Because I’m curious.
My curiosity about how other people write has led me to this place. WRITEDAY, which will also be known as MY WRITEDAY, satisfies my interests in shopping (retail therapy,) helping other writers (writing teacher/book coach,) and research (learning how to operate a subscription-based business.)
Here are my top 10 reasons for having a subscription box business devoted to writers:
1. CONNECTION
Writing is a solitary occupation. Not always lonely, but a job that only a singular human (here’s giving the middle finger to you, AI) can do. One person sits (or stands if you have one of those newfangled lifted desktops) and writes. Even when a co-author is involved, the general nature of the business of writing is akin to solitary confinement but in a good way. Writers usually have unrestricted access to the refrigerator and the bathroom. My number one reason for a subscription box for writers is to remind them that while the writing process is individual, there must also be some form of connection to others and the outside world. I want to connect with other writers and connect them to each other with a monthly WRITEDAY box.
2. CONVENIENCE
While the contents of WRITEDAY will follow many themes, genres, and contain products made by writers for writers and readers, I intend for the boxes to supply writers with convenient refills on things like tea and coffee, unique variations of office supplies such as paperclips that also hold a pen, and colorful organizer thingies to straighten out all the damn cords under your desk. One of the highlights of WRITEDAY will be products made by writers who are also crafters. By including these items, I want to demonstrate that writers are NOT one-dimensional, but creative makers in more than one field.
3. CONVERSATION
Despite it being their mandate, social media is a dismal failure at encouraging and supporting meaningful conversations. One reason is that it takes so much time to wade through the piles muck to find a valuable dialogue that once arrived, the researcher is too exhausted to engage. WRITEDAY subscription boxes will contain writing by writers (from books to poetry) in a magazine where the work has already been curated and the reader can relax and enjoy the writing. Then contact and engage with the author at their convenience.
The remaining seven reasons for my starting WRITEDAY subscription are
4. A source of revenue
5. Fun planning the contents every month
6. Being something of a personal shopper
7. Surprising subscribers with fun and practical gifts
8. Expand my own customer base
9. Learn something new
10. Bring joy to other writers and readers
Want to get your books and stories into the hands of buyers specifically interested in what you write? Are you a writer who makes bookmarks or something else for writers and readers? Got other ideas or suggestions? Stay tuned for how you can be a part of this start-up. Subscriber, product supplier, cheerleader, advertiser, and more opportunities are open now. MY WRITEDAY is on the way.
***
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CART OPENS MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1 AT NOON EST FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS.
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Disclaimers
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.
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.)
Each box is inspired by literary themes, genres, and holidays. Every box includes access to My WRITEDAY Digital Magazine filled with writing and publishing tips, writer wellness ideas, fiction excerpts, poetry, special offers, social media options such as live virtual meetings, and more.
The idea behind My WRITEDAY is to help writers spend more time creating stories, engaging with like-minded book friends, and enjoying the juicy, creative life they deserve. From craft books to office supplies to fun, writing/reading inspired décor, subscribers ages 14 and up will discover an experience designed to offer a healthy plan for living their best writing life. The cost per box is $59.00 and includes freeshipping (in the continental U.S.). There are discounts available on the website. Please visit us!
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.
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Perfect Strangers by Barbara Jean MillerWriter Wellness by Joy E. Held
No, we are not boiling writers in a soup pot today. We are looking at how eating right can improve more than one aspect of writing. These include brain health so you can think better and energy levels so you feel like writing.
Disclaimer: I am not a certified nutritionist or health care practitioner. I have consulted with such and done personal research to learn what works for me in the way of what to eat so I have the brain cells to think and generate ideas, the energy to show up and write, and the general wellbeing that supports me creatively. I am sharing my ideas and practices in an effort to encourage others to get the assistance they need to make good nutritional choices.
The food program known as “the blood type diet” has served as my foundation for what to eat since 1998. Eat Right for/4 Your Type by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo with Catherine Whitney answered many of my questions about why certain foods and I didn’t get along. The general principle is that each blood type has a list of foods that are more helpful than others and by avoiding the harmful foods, the body stands a better chance of thriving. I highly recommend checking out the system.
As writers, we need the whole body to be in good working order because we need brain power to think, physical stamina to endure hours of sitting, and emotional stability to deal with the publishing industry. It’s a rough profession in some regards even though we can have a lengthy career if our bodies are healthy.
BRAIN FOOD
I’m simplifying things in the interest of expediency. The brain needs high levels of protein and healthy, plant-based fats to function. You can make soups with good broth bases such as tomato, vegetable, and low sodium animal proteins. If you want a creamy option, choose plant-derived ones like coconut or almond milk. Likewise, plant-derived oils like olive, avocado, and coconut are better for brain function.
Next, choose ingredients such as beans, vegetables, and leafy greens (kale, spinach, broccoli, cabbage) which are also heart healthy and add taste, texture, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to your diet.
Your brain needs a lot of protein. Lean meats like beef and chicken are ideal but go outside the kitchen box and try turkey, lamb, and fish for a change of pace. Since chicken is an avoid food in our family, I make every type of traditional chicken soups with lean, antibiotic free turkey instead.
Grains and flours are called for in many soup recipes. Checking my blood type, which is O, I cannot eat wheat, corn, or barley. No worries. I thicken our creamy soups with spelt flour and use spelt noodles instead of wheat. Tastes great!
Finally, soup needs herbs and spices for flavor and balance. Light amounts of salt is a given, but black pepper doesn’t agree with my blood type. A pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes adds the perfect zing to my soups.
Here is one of my favorite soup recipes for healthy brains.
Spicy Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash
2 medium sweet potatoes
3 heaping teaspoons minced garlic
4 cups of low sodium turkey broth
2 cups of almond or coconut milk
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced white or yellow onion
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon pink salt
¾ teaspoon oregano
¾ teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup of sour cream
Chopped parsley or cilantro
Chopped green onion
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Peel and dice the butternut squash and sweet potatoes. Smaller chunks bake faster.
Place the squash, sweet potatoes, garlic, celery, and onion in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle liberally with olive oil. Stir then add salt, oregano, marjoram, cumin, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes and stir, coating the vegetables thoroughly with oil and spices. Allow to marinate for five minutes.
Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper and swirl olive oil in the center. Pour the marinated vegetables onto the parchment paper and spread evenly.
Bake at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes (or less if the pieces are small). Check that the squash and potatoes are very soft before taking out of the oven.
In a large soup pot, heat a little more olive oil over medium heat. Add the roasted vegetables. Stir to heat evenly then remove from the stove.
Cool the vegetables slightly then puree in a blender, food processor, or with a handheld immersion blender by adding ¾ cups of turkey broth and two cups of roasted veggies in batches until all is smooth. Return to the original soup pot.
Allow puree to heat but not boil adding any remaining turkey broth. Add additional spices to taste. We like this soup spicy, so I’m always upping the herbs and spices.
Temper two cups of almond or coconut milk by adding ½ cup of hot puree to the milk to warm it and avoid curdling when you add it slowly to the pot. Stir the milk in thoroughly.
Temper the sour cream the same way and slowly add to the soup mixture. Allow to simmer gently.
Garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro and green onion.
Six servings.
I know I promised stew, so stew on this. Think of the food you eat as if it were a story or article you’re writing. Prepare your meals and snacks with good ingredients the same way you search for good ideas to write about. Your food program should have purpose and meaning like the stories you tell. Outline your food choices and eating habits in advance the same way you organize a piece of writing—both need a beginning, middle, and end. Preparation and planning always make for better writing and eating.
No boiling writers allowed.
What is your favorite snack for brain health and support?
Up next: Your Creativity on Auto Pilot
Be well, write well!
~Joy
Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram.
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.
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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 is our moment. Yours and mine. And as my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Mary Young, was very fond of repeating, “You can’t get this moment back, so don’t waste it.”
Many years later, I think about Mrs. Young using this call-to-action to teach eleven-year-olds the value of time. I believed and followed everything Mrs. Young said. She was the first teacher to encourage my writing and tell me that I could and should follow the path of a writer. Even though she knew that I was the heir apparent to my mother’s thriving ballet school, (Mrs. Young’s granddaughter took ballet from my mother,) Mrs. Young let me know that I was a writer. She was also the first person to impress the importance and meaning of a deadline. She is why I became a writer, got a journalism degree, and have pursued the craft and publishing for fifty (yep) years.
The point of this vignette is that everyone must have a champion, someone who sees their potential and supports them in every way, even when the going is tough, and the champion falls off the horse. Who is that person for you? Who first voiced, “You can do this” convincingly enough to motivate you to pursue it? This person is due your thanks.
I often thank Mrs. Young in my journal and sometimes I complain to her that being an author isn’t a piece of cake. Those are the moments when I’ve fallen off the horse and am looking up from the dirt searching for someone to blame. That’s when the query letter doesn’t hit the mark. When a reviewer says something less than adoring (they’re allowed, but it still stings.) Simply dumping my frustrations into the journal helps clear away the doubt, and I’m able to remind myself that writing and teaching it is what I do. I get up, dust off my cheeks, get back into the office chair, and start typing or researching or whatever again. It’s what I do.
I write, publish, and teach to reach out, to connect with other people. Thanks to Mrs. Young, I have the belief (not always the confidence because I’m just human) that my words and ideas may help someone else.
This support notion applies to everything, every field, and every person. Who first pointed out that you make a fabulous fill-in-the-blank and drove you to be better at it? Send this wonderful soul an unsent letter of thanks by writing to them in your journal. Unsend the letter. Keep it in your journal, unless you want to send it in some way-message in a bottle, email, snail mail. It’s all good.
All good things,
Joy
Women with clean houses do not have finished books.
If you’d like to receive a free download YOGA FOR WRITERS exercise routine click the link below to sign-up for my newsletter.
DETAILS: Lessons, activities, and discussion covering the five key WW concepts
*Journaling
*Fitness
*Relaxation
*Nutrition
*Creative play
Taught in private Groups.io forum
12 lessons
REGISTER: Email writerwellness at gmail dot com
WRITER WELLNESS & FIVE THINGS FOR YOUR WRITING
By Joy E. Held
The idea for my book and workshop Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2020) came to me when some of my critique partners asked how they could be my clones. They wanted to shadow me for a week to see what I did every day that led to my prolific publishing (over 500 articles and counting,) life as a homeschooling mom, and part-time hatha yoga teacher. Up to that point, I hadn’t done any self-examination of my processes, but when they asked, I stepped back and watched myself for a month while documenting my doings and beings in a journal. This article is a peek into what I learned.
Please take out a pen and paper (or your phone or computer) and list five things you’ve done in the last thirty days to promote/support your writing.
Now list five challenges or obstacles that you believe are standing in the way of accomplishing your writing goals.
Next, list five writing wishes or desires you want to come true.
Following the Writer Wellness plan will help you to always have five things on those lists. It will also allow you to maintain a level of health and creativity that some writers are missing.
Are you happy with your writing in general?
Are you happy with your health?
Do you ever notice a direct relationship to the productivity and quality of your writing and quality of your life?
A physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy individual is by far a more productive, creative, and pleasant person. This is evidenced by the fact that many corporations have implemented programs to keep employees happy and healthy. Programs range from day care centers in the workplace to personal trainers for every ten employees. A healthy, happy employee is more productive, misses less work, and is a more cost-effective employee.
As a writer, you are the employer and the employed. Happiness, productivity, and health are definite factors in the quality of work you produce. It is therefore in your best interest as a writer to do everything you can to stay healthy and be the best writer you can be.
But where are you supposed to get the time? Let’s not jump ahead of ourselves to the time factor. Hopefully, you will instinctively see that working these ideas into your life will make positive use of your time while adding to the quality of your life and the productivity of your work.
The whole premise of Writer Wellness is that creativity and productivity are crucially dependent upon an overall quality of life. This includes the physical, mental, emotional, communal, and spiritual aspects of life.
To serve the purposes of Writer Wellness, I’ve broken down a writer’s quality of life into five interdependent components necessary to sustain a healthful, creative life.
The five key concepts of Writer Wellness are JOURNALING, EXERCISE, RELAXATION, PROPER NUTRITION, AND CREATIVE PLAY. These areas contribute to an overall wellness way of living and working.
I was raised in my mother’s dancing school. Before she retired after 52 years, she kept the books, wrote the grants and publicity announcements, directed weekly rehearsals, and taught five ballet classes a week. Thanks to her excellent example, the principles of physical fitness and eating right were pounded into me from an early age. At age fourteen, I began the Writer Wellness life (even though I hadn’t labeled it yet,) when a local newspaper carried a weekly column I wrote about my junior high school. I saw my name in print. I was hooked. From then on, I was a dancer and a writer.
I discovered yoga, meditation, and modern dance in college, and everything fell into place for me. Thirty plus years later, I still journal almost daily unless I’m working intensely on a writing project, exercise five to six times a week, follow a strict eating plan with supplements, practice daily meditation, and engage in creative play through art journaling, crafting, and scrapbooking.
When other writers in my critique group asked me how I published so much, I reviewed my life and named the process “Writer Wellness.” Now I teach other writers the basic principles and encourage them to find their own versions of the five concepts.
Today I maintain myself as a writer by incorporating each of the five key concepts of Writer Wellness into my day. Depending on obligations and scheduling, I’m able to journal, exercise, follow a prescribed food program, and meditate seven days a week. The creative play happens more on the weekends when I’m not writing, editing, promoting, or teaching online. I have two new book releases in 2020, a two-book contract with an independent publisher, teach college English composition online, teach hatha yoga three times a week, and run online workshops for various writing associations. I’m also on the board of directors for my RWA chapters.
You can do this as well.
Looking back to the lists of five things you made at the beginning of this article, make a pact with yourself to create a new way of life that will support your goals as a writer and a healthy, productive person. My book and workshop will show you the way so that you’ll always have five things done every month to help you live the writing dream.
The workshop I’m leading October 4-29, 2021 is a detailed look at the five key concepts of Writer Wellness and an exploration of how you can incorporate the practice into your life. With Writer Wellness as the foundation, you can achieve the writing dreams and personal goals you desire.
Be well, write well. See you in workshop!
All good things,
Joy
WRITER WELLNESS ONLINE WORKSHOP
STARTS: Monday, October 4
ENDS: Friday, October 29
COST: $29.00
DETAILS: Lessons, activities, and discussion covering the five key WW concepts
Writer’s Tea Bags from Cliché Tea. 
