Five by Five—Listening for signs from the departed

Tara Badstubner

By Max Bowen 

Tara Badstubner's debut “Every Room Remembers” (Sibylline Press, Sept 25, 2026) is a portrayal of a young widow’s journey following the sudden loss of her husband, where signs from the natural world and the community she always needed guide her toward healing.

The novel shows "both sides" of grief by alternating points of view between the grieving widow and her ghost husband who watches over her. 

In this interview, Tara talks about the inspiration for the book’s dual points of view, if she believes the deceased can pass on messages to the living and the message to readers.

What inspired the dual points of view and how does this shape the story?
The dual point of view emerged after I went to upstate New York to be a part of a writing cohort. There were four of us staying in a Victorian mansion, and on the third night, all of us together, experienced an undeniable haunting. This strange event got me thinking about the inherent loss of the bereaved but also the departed. I wondered what it might be like to have an unfinished life, dreams and aspirations, yet be yanked out of life into a liminal space, a ghost.

What inspired this book?
The initial germ of the idea came about during COVID. I, like so many other people, was struggling with the daily toll of the pandemic. It was taking up a lot of mental space, this fear of losing someone dear to me. A good friend encouraged me to write into my fears instead of trying to squash them or deny them. This suggestion was a gift. It completely changed my relationship with this fear of loss. I realized through my protagonist, SJ, that, yes, there was this fear of death, but there was also a dogged hope, a grit. I didn't know this about myself until I wrote this novel.

Do you believe that the departed can send signs to the living?
Yes, I do believe the departed send signs to the living, but I also believe the living need to be in a receptive state to see the signs, the communication. I think grief can be such a tsunami of emotions that often we're unable to perceive the subtle ways the departed try to reach us. I think a degree of emotional quiet needs to be present to truly perceive. Often, it is years after a loss, when there is finally a degree of peace present, that we notice unique signs from our loved ones.

What is the role of the natural world and SJ’s community in her healing?
The "natural world" is a catch-all phrase for all the wonderful ways the world shows up to help SJ through her deep mourning. Her dog, a snake, beetles, a curious fox, a Carolina wren—each of these shows up at pivotal moments in her life, each with a different role. Some of them act as harbingers of change; others act as protection and comfort; still others act as chaperones from one stage of life to the next. This goes back to the idea of signs. Often, signs appear to us from the "natural world," but we must be looking for them.

Is there a message that you hope readers take from this?
I hope a reader, especially one who has experienced deep loss, might read this novel and feel seen, but I also hope it might encourage a degree of curiosity. What signs might have been there all along that were missed? How has the world been trying to speak to me? If a person comes out of reading this book a degree or two more compassionate to those who are grieving and a bit more curious, I will feel all the effort had real purpose.

For more information, visit https://www.tarabadstubner.com.

Five by Five—The search for faith

Chelsea Kim Long

By Max Bowen 

Raised in evangelical churches, Chelsea Kim Long had a clear vision of the Christian woman she was born to be, but after a traumatic birthing experience and postpartum depression, she found that vision―and her faith―shattered. Instead of giving up on her faith, she looked within and asked: What would Christianity beyond patriarchy look like?

“Faithfully Dissident Daughters: Reclaiming Christian Womanhood Beyond Patriarchy” (Westminster John Knox Press, September 8, 2026) shows what it takes to reclaim Christian womanhood beyond the patriarchal influences that have historically marred Biblical interpretations.

In this article, Chelsea talks about her original vision of her Christian life, what happened to change it and how the patriarchy of the church has harmed women. 

Learn more at www.chelseakimlong.com/


What happened to change your original vision of who you were supposed to be?
I did everything right, according to the conservative Christian world I grew up in. I was named Countess of Christianity at my Christian high school prom. Met the good Christian boy on a mission trip, married young, had a baby at 27. The birth didn't go the way I planned, and a few months in I was sobbing on the couch telling my husband I wanted my life back. That was supposed to be the happy ending. It was the beginning of a painful journey to a truer version of myself.

How did your perspective change?
Slowly, and not on purpose. I'd grown up holding two beliefs that don't work together: that I could hear God myself, and that if what I heard didn't match the church's interpretation, I was wrong. That trains you out of trusting yourself, which is great for keeping you controllable. Once I saw that the structure was built by men, and that their reading of the Bible worked well for men, I couldn't unsee it. When I left conservative church world, I didn't leave God; I went looking for a version of faith that let me see myself.

What kind of theological research did you do and what was learned?
Years of it, mostly deep dives on ancient Hebrew and Greek, feminist theology, and church history. The short version: the divine feminine has always existed in Christianity, and women have always led. El Shaddai, usually translated "God Almighty," shares a root with the Hebrew word for breast. Wisdom in Proverbs is a woman. Mary Magdalene was called Apostle to the Apostles in the early church, then recast as a prostitute by a sixth-century pope. Rome didn't correct that until 1969. In 1748, Moravians in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, carved a prayer to the Holy Spirit as Mother into stone that still stands.

How has the patriarchy in the church harmed women?
Purity culture teaches girls to be ashamed of their bodies while teaching boys they can't control theirs. Marriage and motherhood get sold to women as our highest aspiration. We get blamed for divorces and reproductive choices. We're expected to make our pain palatable and swallow our grief. Under all of it is training in not trusting yourself, which for me led to debilitating anxiety. Here's what I want people to hear: I had every advantage in that system and it still didn't work. That's not personal failure. That's the theology working as designed, to uplift some and suppress others.

What do you hope readers take from this?
That you don't have to pick. Most of the books I read while I was falling apart ended with the author leaving, and I closed every one of them a little disappointed, because I wanted to stay. I wanted to know if there was a version of this faith big enough to hold my actual life. That's my book. If you've ever been told that becoming more yourself means becoming less faithful, “Faithfully Dissident Daughters” argues the exact opposite. Your body, your anger, your intuition, all of it belongs.

New book teaches how to build ‘attention momentum’

By Max Bowen

If people can binge-watch an entire Netflix series in one weekend, listen to a three-hour true crime podcast or spend hours scrolling TikTok, why does so much content online lose us after the first paragraph?

In his book, “The Digital Engagement Model,” Emmy-winning science journalist, professor and digital engagement researcher Ronald Yaros says the problem isn't that our brains are broken or that nobody can pay attention anymore. So why does some content pull us in while other information sends us reaching for the back button?

In this article, Yaros talks about people’s attention spans, why some content pulls us in or pushes us away, and the expectation we have when it comes to information. 

Learn more about his work at digitalengagementlab.org and on Substack: @ronaldyaros.

Let’s begin with the notion that people’s attention spans are gone. Your research argues that this isn’t the case. How so?
People haven’t lost the ability to pay attention—they’ve become selective about where they invest it. Younger audiences still spend hours on YouTube, TikTok and streaming when content aligns with their goals. CNBC recently reported that sports organizations are increasingly using TikTok and YouTube because that’s where younger audiences choose to engage. The problem isn’t shrinking attention spans; it’s a mismatch between how information is presented and how diverse audiences consume it. Instead of assuming everyone is a committed reader with time to read a page of text or view a five-minute video, information needs to adapt to different users.

What have you learned in your research?
We’ve found that audience engagement depends as much on how information is structured as on what it says. Traditional communication assumes a single path through content, but today’s audiences have different interests, time and motivations. By enabling people to quickly assess relevance and choose their own path through different “chunks” of information, we can increase curiosity to build what we call “attention momentum,” which is what everyone calls “engagement.” The structure of information has become as important as its accuracy.

Why does some content pull us in and some pushes us away?
People take about three seconds to judge whether the content—music included—is worth their limited time. Content that immediately signals relevance, offers meaningful choices and rewards curiosity is more likely to hold attention. Content that demands commitment before demonstrating value is abandoned. Engagement isn’t simply about entertainment—it’s about helping people quickly recognize that the information is interesting, useful or personally relevant.

Why do the traditional methods of communication no longer work?
Traditional communication was designed for audiences who previously consumed information in linear, uninterrupted ways. Today’s media and mobile environments are filled with competing demands, constant interruptions and unlimited choices. The issue isn’t that traditional methods are wrong. They were designed for a different media environment. To reach larger audiences today, content must be adaptable to the diverse needs of today’s audiences while preserving depth, accuracy, and trust.

What are people’s expectations when it comes to information?
People expect the overwhelming amount of information to respect their time without sacrificing quality. They want to quickly determine whether content is relevant, decide how deeply to engage, and move easily between summaries and detailed explanations. Rather than forcing everyone through the same linear experience, successful communication allows different people to access the same information in ways that fit their goals, interests and available time.

Five by Five—Building community, one story at a time

By Max Bowen

In Anne Shaw Heinrich’s new book, “House of Teeth,” she captures another facet of small-town life in the Women of Paradise County series. 

“Jules Marks and his five little sisters can finally relax. Their feckless parents from Shakey's Half are doing time in the Paradise County Jail, and their Uncle Larry, Aunt Sally and Aunt Clarice have swooped in to give them the safety and security they deserved all along. As they settle into the closest thing to normal they’ve ever known, their neighbors and classmates are quick to remind them not to get too comfortable. Poulson’s only dentist makes a generous offer to help the Marks children fix their long-neglected teeth, but many folks object to the free treatment they receive. Meanwhile, Jules is figuring out how to be a man as he holds onto an ugly secret involving his dear friend, Violet Sellers. When cancer strikes the family, Jules decides to right a wrong that’s gone unchallenged for far too long.”

Anne goes into how her writing process has changed over the course of the series and her process for capturing small-town life. We talk about her protagonist and their creation process, as well as the future of the series.

Check out more at https://www.anneshawheinrich.com.

I want to begin with how your books capture small-town life. What’s your process, and has it changed or evolved over the course of your series?
My process has evolved, primarily because when I wrote the first book, “God Bless the Child,” it wasn’t created with a series in mind. That came later, so I’ve had to throw open the doors and windows on that original story to let the timelines breathe and allow other characters and places to bloom. It’s been an unexpected gift that has turned into something I could never have imagined when it started! When you think about how connected we are to others in the world by time and space and circumstance, the possibilities are endless for exploring and just shining light on voices that beg to be heard.

Who is Jules Marks and what went into his creation?
Jules doesn’t emerge in The Women of Paradise County Series until Book Two, “Violet is Blue.” He’s a little boy born into very tough circumstances just trying to come to terms with his place in the world. We get to see him discover that he actually has some agency. He can set things into motion and I’ve just loved helping Jules grow into a young man capable of loving deeply and being loved in turn. He’s based on a compilation of people I’ve watched from afar and up close. I care about him deeply.

It seems like you're creating the whole community, one book at a time. Where do you see this going?
It’s been a privilege to go deep and wide like I have. Each book adds new layers that could go on and on, if you keep honoring a shared humanity that is just there for the taking if our eyes and ears and hearts are open. Book Three, “House of Teeth,” has been just a joy to write. I’m thankful that the series has been extended to include a fourth book. I’m trying to give the story a respectable closure, so I can move onto another exciting stand-alone book. Who knows what will happen? I’m staying open to any and all possibilities.

Small towns are known for being close-knit. What are the ups and downs of this?
I would liken small-town living to an extended family of sorts. It’s a collection of people who occupy the same general space and therefore find themselves agreeing to a complex set of rules and unspoken expectations that generally suit the common good until challenged by something we just can’t dismiss—the human spirit. It’s inspiring and inconvenient, depending on where you happen to be perched within the ecosystem. Still, there's love, hate, and even an indifference that connects to a twice-removed kind of comfort we crave. I’ll never tire of exploring it.

What’s your advice for someone looking to launch a series of their own?
Keep an open mind and heart. Let readers make up their own minds about the characters and their choices. As their creator, you get to decide where to shine the most light, but the storyline still has to make sense. Let yourself play with time and perspectives, and be really intentional about reminding readers of what’s happened. Remember that they are not as entrenched in the story, so you have to keep them supplied with breadcrumbs.

Five by Five—Exploring a connection with mom

By Max Bowen

In her memoir, “The History We Carry,” Margaret Whitford explores her relationship with her mother, which the author describes as at “an emotional and physical distance from each other.”

Whitford said she was inspired to write this book following her mothers passing, which she was not present for. Whitford begins uncovering the history that shaped their relationship—from wartime Europe to cycles of violence, loss, and complex PTSD. In doing so, she explores how generational trauma shapes identity, relationships, and the ways we move through the world.

Visit https://margaretwhitford.com for more information and to get your copy.

How would you describe your relationship with your mother?
I loved my mother deeply and believe she loved me but I could not feel the warmth of her love. It was something I understood intellectually. In that sense, we remained at both an emotional and physical distance from each other. In retrospect, I can see that my mother tried to express her love for me—in her words of encouragement, in acts of kindness—but my anger often kept me from appreciating her efforts to reach me.

What inspired you to write this book?
I was not with my mother during her final days, and I could have been. After she died, I realized that the distance between us fit a familiar pattern. Understanding its origins became the catalyst for the memoir. That led me to an exploration of my mother's history and the way it had shaped her and our relationship.

Were there any parts of the book that were a challenge to write?
There were, of course, challenges of craft but these are part of the writing process. The parts of the book that required me to delve deeply into memories of my childhood and adolescence were often emotionally very difficult. Writing the book at times ignited my grief for my mother and the childhood I had wanted but did not have.

What’s your advice for those writing similar books?
Be clear about your motives for writing the book. If you are looking for revenge, you are not likely to treat your characters with integrity. Be as honest as you can by asking yourself what role you might have played in the events you are exploring. Do not shy away from revisiting experiences that haunt you. And, finally, take care of yourself physically and emotionally because writing about trauma can be painful.

What do you hope people get or learn from reading your book?
I hope readers will be encouraged to examine or reconsider challenging familial relationships—especially those with their primary caregivers—from a new perspective, one that asks questions about the forces that shaped these people. I also hope doing so will give readers new insights into the patterns of their own lives. And, finally, I hope this understanding encourages readers to set aside those behaviors and attitudes that do not serve them.

Five by Five—A hollow life finds new meaning

By Max Bowen

What would you do to escape a hollow, go-nowhere life?

For Cole, the protagonist in T.J. Derry’s book, “Carried Away,” that means heading to the Indonesian islands, chasing silence, clarity, and something real. There, he reconnects with old friends and sparks a relationship with someone who sees through his detachment. But after a catastrophic tsunami, the laid-back surf trip quickly turns into a violent fight for survival.

In this Five by Five, T.J. introduces us to Cole and where his life is (and isn’t) and what awaits in the Indonesian islands. He talks about what inspired the story and his support of the Sungai Watch through the proceeds of book sales.

Let’s begin with Cole. Who is he, and why does he make this move?
Cole wants what everybody wants—to wake up next to the love of his life, hear the songbirds outside, and look in the mirror and feel like his life means something. But instead, he’s caught in the rot of modern adulthood: working a hollow job, renting a shoebox in a city where lattes cost ten bucks, contributing nothing of substance. And I think a lot of people feel that—like existence has been boiled down to one hedonic pursuit after the next. Now, on the wrong side of 30, his identity as ‘young’ has all but atrophied away.

His hope was that something would snap into place—the career, the girl, the accomplishment that proves there’s some kind of point to it all. And rattling around in his head is the frustration of a generation promised the world—told they’d be something more, someone more. Instead, they’re stuck paying rent, scrolling social media, nursing hangovers and learning that promise was hollow.

To him surf trips are an escape hatch, a way to dodge winter and feel like an individual. But this trip feels different. The Mentawais are the top of the heap—emblematic of the ultimate escape into adventure, maybe even a shot at feeling connected to the world—to other people—to himself. He doesn’t know exactly what he’ll find there, only that the usual escapes aren’t cutting it anymore.

What’s the effect of being in the Indonesian islands?
I guess by the time Cole gets to the Ments, he’s running on fumes. The trip over is long, often harrowing, full of moments where he’s anxious, but also amused by how absurd it all is. He steps off the plane into this completely different world—new air, new language, no familiar anchor—and almost right away he meets Kendal, who, for all he can tell, might be the perfect woman. That’s part of the shock: the place, the people, the timing and the circumstances. It all throws him off balance, in exactly the way he needs.

What follows isn’t just a surf trip; it’s long days in the sun and nights under the stars, reconnecting with nature, camaraderie with old friends, laughter and that connection with Kendal—open in a way he hasn’t seen in years, untouched by the cynicism he’s used to back home. The islands don’t just give him escape; they give him a jolt of life. Heaven at first…

How does Cole handle the tsunami and what comes after?
Well, I wouldn’t say he handles much—a tsunami like this is untameable. At first he doesn’t even know what’s happening. They’re surfing a remote reef when the earthquake hits, so they have no idea anything’s wrong until the ocean starts dragging them out to sea. At first you think it’s just a current, maybe it’ll let up—but it doesn’t. It only builds. And then they see the wave on the horizon. Panic sets in, and from there it unravels into pure chaos—physical and emotional torture as he stares down his own death. It’s hell.

When the waves finally let him go, he’s severely battered, exhausted, barely keeping himself afloat—and then he sees his friends are still alive too. That moment is loaded: relief that he’s not alone, colliding with dread, because they’re together but stranded—no land in sight, no clue which way to go, no help coming. And that’s when survival shifts. It’s not just about him anymore—it’s about holding the others together, whether he’s ready for it or not.

From there it’s endurance. They scrape together debris for a raft, just enough to keep them afloat through the night. Darkness brings its own kind of terror—sharks in the water, nerves unraveling—but they cling to each other and push through. By the time they finally drag themselves onto a small island, they’re in bad shape, but alive. And for Cole, that changes everything: the guy who left New York feeling aimless now knows how lucky he is just to have what he has—a heartbeat.

What inspired the story?
One of the things that inspired it was just wanting to read it. I’ve always been fascinated by natural disasters—forces so powerful that they make you feel small in a way nothing else can. As a kid I remember learning about tsunamis and thinking how wild it would be to see one in real life…of course, that was before I understood they leave bodies and sorrow in their wake.

Years later I was stuck in an airport, scrolling for something to read, and nothing felt right. So I figured—why not write the book I was looking for? Which sounds simple, but it wasn’t. I carried that idea around for a while without writing a single word—until one night, in the middle of a reckless 1 a.m. cab ride through the Nicaraguan jungle, I pulled out my phone to journal. Maybe to calm myself down, maybe just to leave a last note if things went sideways. That entry ended up leading off the second chapter and gave me something to build from.

After that, I leaned on what I knew—traveling, surfing, spearfishing, trying to fold myself into nature—and built a story out of it. That was the start. What came next was messy, grueling, nothing like the romantic notion I’d had at the beginning—but maybe that’s the only way to write a book like this.

I read that you’re donating a portion of the proceeds to Sungai Watch. What is this organization and why do you want to donate to them?
Sungai Watch is this grassroots group in Indonesia, founded by Gary Bencheghib and his siblings. I’d been following them for years on social, inspired by how they grew it from nothing into a team of more than 150 people out there every day—pulling plastic from waterways, building barriers, recycling what they can, and educating local communities. I related to it—I’ve spent plenty of time picking trash off beaches myself, just on a smaller scale. So donating a portion of the proceeds felt obvious. The book’s set in Indonesia, and so much of it is about our fragile relationship with the ocean. If the story is about surviving in the water, Sungai Watch is about making sure the water survives us. And to me, that’s work worth backing.

Five by Five—The perils of artistic ambition

By Max Bowen

What begins with a well-meant deception spirals out of control in Diane Wald’s new book, “The Bayrose Files” (Regal House, May 27). The story follows ambitious journalist Violet Maris, who is determined to write a captivating exposé on a prestigious writers’ colony in 1980s Provincetown. She even fakes her application using her friend’s short stories. Violet's promising start at the colony takes a dark turn when her friend, the true author of the stories, dies while she’s in the middle of her residency.

In this interview, Diane talks about the inspiration behind the story, developing Violet’s character and how writing this novella compares to her work in poetry.

What went into crafting this story?
“The Bayrose Files” is the result of many years of pondering how I could write about my years in Provincetown (two in an artists’ colony, and one as a motel manager) without making it autobiographical or judgmental or quaint or hackneyed. After all, the place often evokes automatic reactions from people, especially if they’ve never been there. One day it finally came to me that a completely fictional story filled with interesting characters and a touch of suspense (will the main character be able to pull off her “terrible thing?”) was the way to go. Then the fun began!

The character of Violet Maris is really interesting. How did she come to be?
Oh, Violet, how I love her, that crazy girl! I’ve always been intrigued by people who have a hard time with life challenges that other easily manage. At 26, Violet somehow hadn’t yet learned how to imagine what her actions might mean in the future for herself and others. She was focused and energized, but not contemplative. Violet possesses the unusual ability to sense when something important is about to happen through the temperature of objects she touches, but she struggles to realize what those events might be. The lessons she learns are hard.

How does the loss of Violet’s friend affect her, especially as she’s using their stories to get into this writer’s colony?
Violet and Spencer shared a very deep friendship, and his well-meaning suggestion that she pass off his stories as her own allows her to rush forward without thinking things through. His death shocks her so profoundly that she instantly spills the secret she’s kept so diligently through several months of her fellowship. The loss of her dear confidant is crushing and, in a single instant, her world of illusion disintegrates, forcing her to face several significant situations that she’d rushed recklessly into before.

What inspired the story?
In addition to what I described in my first answer regarding Provincetown, I’ve always wanted to write about the conundrum of artistic ambition. Are there any “pure” artists, really, and, if so, what makes them that way? I also wanted to explore the idea of forgiveness. Who, if anyone, will forgive Violet’s deception, and will she forgive herself?

Do you find any parallels between poetry and novel-writing?
Absolutely. First of all, you have to be true to yourself and your own style. For me, that means putting things down plainly on the page, the way they naturally come out of me. I like Emily Dickinson and Henry James, but it would be folly for me to copy their styles. What brings any kind of writing alive for me is the marriage of imagery and emotion. And I try to bring the same appreciation for language into my fiction that I do with my poetry. A beautiful sentence can be poetic and still be easy to digest.

‘Violet is Blue’ continues the journey into the town of Poulson

By Max Bowen

Our latest Five by Five continues the The Women of Paradise County Series with “Violet is Blue,” (June 2025, Speaking Volumes) by Anne Shaw Heinrich.

Small town life isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be for the women of Paradise County. Heinrich, shares how the small town can make a huge impact in her dark yet hopeful companion to her first book, which dives into the world of “have” and “have-nots” where Violet befriends Jules, a boy from the other side of town and learns about the indignities and injustices given to the less fortunate side of the tracks.

In this interview, Anne explores how the new book continues the story of “God Bless the Child” and talks about the relationship between Violet and Jules. We learn some of the lessons shared through the book and get a few details on the next title in the series.


How does this expand on “God Bless the Child?”
My second novel, “Violet is Blue,” unfolds in the same town as “God Bless the Child,” the first novel in The Women of Paradise County Series. Poulson is a fictional midwestern small town where everyone knows your business and you have an assigned seat. A few of the characters from the first novel are also featured in the second book, namely the Rev. James Pullman. He has messes from his younger, less reverent days, in need of tending. His younger cousin, Violet Sellers and her newfound friend, Jules Marks, know all about his deeds. As the truth unravels, there are tremendous changes in store for them both, as well as the whole new cast of characters who called Poulson their home.

What is the relationship between Violet and Jules?
Classmates Violet and Jules have little in common. Violet has never done without, and Jules lives with his five little sisters in Shakey’s Half, a dusty cluster of shacks on the outskirts of town. It’s a place most people in Poulson try not to think about too much. Vi and Jules have more history than they realize, but as their unlikely friendship grows, they discover a shared penchant for harming themselves. Violet one-ups tough Jules with a sinister tattoo designed to protect her from her cousin, James Pullman. Jules takes one look and knows the artist. What he does next leads to an unraveling that changes the lives of everyone within their sphere.

How does the fact they’re from different sides of town influence their relationship?
In the beginning, their differences are stark. Violet is protected by her privilege. She wants for nothing. Jules wants for everything and then some. Both want to be seen, comforted and safe. Their trust grows and they come to need one another in ways neither of them imagine. As their friendship deepens, what divides them is still there, but not as noticeable or powerful as what connects them.

What are some of the lessons shared through the story?
“Violet is Blue” delves deeply into what happens when people living together in small spaces must reckon with how they are different, yet connected, whether they like it or not. Some have everything. Some have nothing. But most live in that space between everything and nothing. The story also allows readers to explore the capricious nature of circumstance, a universal desire to be loved and protected, and the lasting impacts of action and inaction. The characters in the book are forced to reckon with their own notions of generosity and grace. What motivates us to give, and where does that fine line between enough and too much land? How closely do our wants dance next to our needs?

Will there be more stories that continue this?
Yes. There is one more novel in The Women of Paradise County Series, “House of Teeth.” I’m knee-deep in the writing of it and really enjoying the process of “putting a bow” on the story arch. There is some unfinished business for nearly all of the characters in the series that must be tended to in a way that will satisfy readers, but also lean into the reality that we face, even outside the fictional world: the decisions we make or let others make for us, have lasting consequences that are difficult to quantify, but nonetheless powerful.

Five by Five: Charting your own path to happiness

By Max Bowen 

Deb Miller’s book, “Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness” seeks to challenge the age-old notion that marriage is the surest path to the good life, and hopes that readers will strike out on their own journey.

In this interview, Deb talks about her own life experiences that helped make the book, the theme of fulfillment, and finding real happiness.

How did the theme of fulfillment coming from a marriage come to be part of your book?
That message was everywhere when I was growing up—from my mom, from society and from every pop culture role model I saw. “Leave it to Beaver.” “The Brady Bunch.” Rodgers & Hammerstein’s epic “Cinderella.” I thought all men wanted to be providers like Charles Ingalls or Ward Cleaver. Marriage, I was taught, was the ultimate destination. My memoir exposes how misleading that narrative is—and what it takes to rewrite it.

What parts of your life were included in this book?
Experiences that mattered to the theme made it in. From early childhood memories and first love to career highs, heartbreaks and finding peace in 2020. If it shaped my understanding of love, purpose, or happiness, it’s in the book—sometimes raw, sometimes funny, always real.

What is the ‘traditional princess narrative’ and how does your book address it?
It’s the belief that happiness comes when Prince Charming shows up. That if you're pretty and patient, a man will “rescue” you with marriage, and your life will be complete – you’ll reach the happily ever after. My book challenges that myth head-on. I spent years trying to live that fairy tale. Then, I realized the heroine I was waiting for was me.

How did you find your own real-life happiness?
Did you know that 50% of your happiness is genetically determined, only 10% is affected by life circumstances and situation and the remaining 40% of happiness is within your self-control?* Despite the title of my book, happiness, isn’t found—it’s chosen.

I stopped chasing what society told me I should want and started doing what brings me joy. At first, it was guiding my kids. I’m happy to report that they are all set now, so I can sip tea and work on my book in the morning instead of taking a long commute and working 12-hour days. I love being outdoors with my dog, hiking and landscaping, and hanging out with people I enjoy—especially my grandkids. We have the most interesting conversations.

What do you hope readers take from this book?
The title says it all: “Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness.” I want readers to feel empowered to chart their own path—not the one prescribed by others. When you stop chasing someone else’s version of happiness and start following your own, that’s when the real happy ending begins.

I hope readers realize they don’t need a glass slipper, a castle, or anyone’s approval to build a beautiful life. Ditch the script. Write your own ending. The journey isn’t about finding a prince—it’s about finding ourselves.

*According to research by Harvard graduate and Stanford university PhD, Sonja Lyubomirsky.

Five by Five—From fantasy to family story

By Max Bowen

When author Mima Tipper began her writing career, the plan was to pen a young adult fantasy.

Instead, an advisor recommend she write something with a personal connection—leading to her new book, “Kat’s Greek Summer.”

In this Five by Five, Mima talks about the switch from fantasy to a memoir, her main character Kat and how writer and protagonist reflect one another and the theme of going back to your roots.


How did your own background help shape the story?
A year before I began writing the manuscript that would become “Kat’s Greek Summer,” I started an MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. I went into that MFA ready to dive into a YA fantasy I’d been dreaming of writing for years. At the end of the semester, my advisor—though super kind about my dark faerie story—asked me if I’d consider writing something more personal.

At first, I was taken aback. I mean, I love fantasy, and those stories are the ones that got me writing. Something about her words stuck with me, and I began thinking of the Greek side of my family—my mother is Greek—and the many summers I spent in Greece during the first 16 or so years of my life. I didn’t want to write a memoir, and instead created a fictional main character—a girl as opposite to me at the age of 14 as possible—and began writing what I thought would be a fun, gripping, romantic, sun and sand-filled story.

As I wrote, a lot of my feelings about my family and heritage bubbled up, and soon my protagonist Kat Baker started saying and doing and asking things that I never had the courage to say or do or ask. These memories and feelings informed Kat’s story more and more, and the result of all that self-reflecting and imagining turned into “Kat’s Greek Summer.”

Does the story reflect much of your own youth?
Yes, like my main character Kat, I grew up between my two cultures, and never fully connected to my Greek half. When my Greek mother became an American, she wanted to be all American, so she didn’t speak Greek to me or my brother. That made spending summers in Greece fairly surreal. Though we loved my Greek grandparents, especially my yiayiá, my brother and I were expected simply to fit in with our Greek family without much help.

The real fishing village where we stayed is called Alepahori, though the place has changed quite a bit since my childhood. I loved capturing my memories of that place with the physical setting as well as the rustic cottage and relatives in “Kat’s Greek Summer.” Regarding the Greek characters and Kat’s relatives, most are compilations of my true family members and of Greeks I met during my Greek summers, especially my Yiayiá Sofia character. My own Yiayiá Kalomira passed away a bunch of years ago, and it was amazingly fun and personal to bring pieces of her back through my fiction. My character Kat’s story is fiction, but to be honest many, many aspects of her story hold the emotional truth I discovered exploring my own heritage growing up half Greek/half American.

Who is Theofilus and what makes him “off-limits”?
Theofilus is the young Greek fisherman my main character Kat falls for. There was a real Theofilus for me during one of my teen year Greek summers, and my Theofilus also did not speak English. We did have fun trying to communicate, and there were a lot of hand signals. The reason my character Theofilus is “off-limits” is because of his grandfather’s attitudes about how young girls should behave, and his very specific fear of all things American. No spoilers!

What is Kat’s experience going back to her roots?
Born and bred in New England, Kat hasn’t had much contact with her Greek family, so the foreignness of the language and culture is very alien to her. Also, the summer place is a tiny cottage located in a very rustic fishing village, and she finds herself cut off from her sport, her friends, her technology, and everything she knows. The food, the climate, the language are all foreign to her, making her question her Greek heritage, and feel more and more that she doesn’t belong.

What do you hope readers take away from this book?
When my readers turn the last page of “Kat’s Greek Summer,” I want them to take a big satisfied breath because they feel like they’ve gone along with Kat on her daring, swoony adventure in gorgeous Greece, and were rooting for her all the way. I want my readers to feel powerful and hopeful about their own possible choices and future. I want their takeaway from this reading experience to be the message that to belong anywhere or to anyone or anything, they must first belong to themselves.

 

Five by Five: Tim Piper reflects on the growing world of Jubilee Walker

By Max Bowen 

When Tim Piper wrote “The Powell Expeditions,” a series wasn’t quite on his mind. But as he progressed through the book that introduced us to Jubilee Walker, things took off, and now we’re seeing the third book in the series, “The Northern Pacific Railroad.”

In this interview, Tim talks about how the series grew from his first novel, plotting out the stories and where we’re going from here.

Was it always your plan to write a series?
When I began writing my first novel, “The Powell Expeditions,” I had given no thought to writing a series. It was my first attempt at writing a novel, so it was enough of a challenge just to complete the book. But as I neared the end of writing it, I was enjoying the process so much that I wanted to keep writing. I thought my Jubilee Walker character could be woven into other historical explorations and adventures, so I researched America’s western expansion during the post-civil war years. I found events that I could envision getting Jubil involved in—and the series was born.

The second book, “The Yellowstone Campaign,” revolves around the expeditions and events leading up to the creation of America’s first national park. Book three, just released, “The Northern Pacific Railroad,” is based on Jay Cooke’s efforts to build a second transcontinental railroad. I am currently working on a fourth and final book in this era of the series. I have some other literary ideas that I would like to pursue next, but I’m not ruling out the possibility that I may someday return to the Jubilee Walker series.

Now that we are three books in, do you need to re-read the other two in order to keep the details straight?
Yes, I re-read the earlier books. It helps to refresh my memory of the timeline, and review the arc and portrayal of characters. However, my memory is not up to the job of recalling the finer details, so I rely on another source for that. I create a summary document for each book that lists every scene and the pages it begins and ends on.

As I’m writing a book, the scene summary is very useful for referring back to find some detail, and invaluable for finding details that occurred in previous books. Keeping this scene summary updated during the revision stage is a bit tedious, but I find it worth the effort. I make one final review of the scene summary before freezing a book for publishing. Another method of keeping details straight is to find a good editor. Mine seems to be able to remember everything that anyone ever said or did at any point in any of my novels. I don’t know how she does that. I use my scene summaries in an effort to avoid over-reliance on her to point out my inconsistencies.

What are some of the real-life events that you incorporate into the book?
In 1864 a company was chartered to build a second American transcontinental railroad, the Northern Pacific, to connect the Great Lakes at Duluth, Minnesota, with the Pacific Ocean at Puget Sound. The project got off to a weak start due to difficulties in obtaining funding, but that changed in 1870 when famed financier Jay Cooke took control. Public bond sales soared, largely on the strength of Cooke’s reputation, and the project was finally underway. But many people questioned the need for the railroad and also doubted it could ever be made safe.

By 1872, six hundred miles between Bismarck and Bozeman remained to be surveyed, but the route would pass through the traditional hunting grounds of the Sioux. Sitting Bull was gathering strength to resist this incursion into their hunting grounds. My novel, The Northern Pacific Railroad, portrays the events of the railroad surveys that took place in 1872 and 1873 to determine the route the railroad would follow through this territory. Two surveys set off in 1872, one starting in Bismarck going west, the other from Bozeman heading east to meet the westbound crew. The westbound survey made it to the planned meeting point, but the eastbound survey failed to reach the goal. In 1873, another survey set out to complete the job. The events of these surveys are portrayed accurately in the novel, with my protagonist, Jubilee Walker, participating in them as Jay Cooke’s representative. The impact that these events had on Cooke’s financial empire are also portrayed true to the historical record.

When it comes to picking these historical settings, do you look at different options?
I wasn’t really a writer looking for a historical setting when I got the idea for my first novel. I was a hiker who dreamed of writing. During one of my early trips to Rocky Mountain National Park, I hiked the Longs Peak Trail. After the hike, I purchased a book on the history of the mountain and learned the first person to summit it was Major John Wesley Powell.

Researching Powell, I was surprised to learn he had close connections to my hometown, Bloomington, Illinois. Much of Powell’s life struck me as something out of an adventure novel, but I did not find any fiction that had dramatized it. I carried the idea with me for years until I finally wrote my novel. With its completion, I had established my protagonist, Jubilee Walker, as a young man with dreams of becoming an adventurer and explorer in the post-civil war west. So, I only looked at historical settings that fit my characters. Fortunately, that era of American history had some dramatic events that gave Jubil more opportunities for adventure.

I’ve read that the series has won a number of awards. As a writer, does this make you want to “up your game?”
I would not know how to do that. I don’t believe anyone writes in an effort to win awards, or if they do, they must very often be disappointed. Awards are a wonderful affirmation that you are doing something right, but I don’t think they should be a goal. All you can do is make your best effort, and hope that it resonates with people.

Kevin Moore keeps the Christmas spirit with new book

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, so it’s only fitting to mark it with Kevin Moore’s new book, “Christmas Stories, Vol. II.”

Kevin may love Christmas even more than I do, as his new book is a collection of Yuletide-themed short stories, including “a young boy who creates a profound and mystical Christmas for his community, a woman who stumbles upon a mysterious pink gift card filled with unexpected surprises, and a troubled young man who hears the magical sound of snowflakes falling” according to the story synopsis.

Kevin talks about some of his favorite aspects of the stories and how writing one led to another, then another, and wound up as a new book. He employs a technique called ‘lucid dreaming’ which has helped with his writing. Kevin shares how lucid dreaming is done and the insight it has offered to his work.

And of course, we talk about the holiday and why it’s so special to him.

Five by Five—A special agent pens his life’s work into thriller series

By Max Bowen

Author Mel Harrison isn’t just a writer of thriller stories—he’s lived the life.

A former special agent and regional security officer with the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, Mel is the creator of the six-book Alex Boyd series, with the newest book, “Crescent City Carnage,” having been released in October. Here’s a look at the story:

Special agent Alex Boyd and his wife Rachel Smith are only a day into their New Orleans vacation when they discover their good friend and colleague, Simone Ardoin, has been brutally murdered. Simone’s parents, members of New Orleans’ high society, are devastated by the tragedy and implore both Alex and Rachel to work with local police to find her killer. The more Alex and Rachel delve into the case, the more deeply they’re drawn into a labyrinth of secrets as twisting as the city’s alleyways, and as dark as its hidden corners.

Mel talks about the New Orleans setting and its role in the book, as well as his background and how it shaped the story. He talks about writing a series and how his main character has evolved over the years.


Why was New Orleans chosen as the setting and how does it serve to drive the story?
While New Orleans is the first domestic setting in my six-book Alex Boyd thriller series, I selected the location because it has characteristics that are conceptually similar to my first five overseas adventures. The Louisiana culture in general, and New Orleans specifically, is unique in America. It is a rich gumbo of black and white, hard-working and laid-back, and innovative and corrupt. When you blend in the amazing food, incredible architecture of the city, and history, it forms the perfect backdrop for a heart-pounding and emotionally captivating story setting.

How was the character of Alex Boyd created and how has he changed over the course of the series?
I developed Alex Boyd’s character based upon my own background as a special agent and regional security officer with the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. Of course, I enhanced certain things to make Alex exciting and memorable to the readers. I created his physical appearance to set an image in the mind of the audience. He’s tall, good-looking, a tough guy, and big enough to handle most situations.

I felt it vital that he also have a keen sense of humor. After-all, in the Foreign Service you meet a range of people in both the embassy and among the foreign community who have divergent views and customs. And you are dropped into dangerous situations that would stress most people. Humor helps deal with this. Also, Alex is successful because he is dedicated to the job and to keeping people safe.

Rachel Smith’s parallel career in the Foreign Service as a press officer and later a senior political officer was created by me to bring readers into the real world of smart couples trying to make it in the challenging world of diplomacy. The humorous banter between Alex and Rachel continues in all the books. As for how he has changed in the series, once he meet and falls in love with Rachel Smith he realizes there is much more to life than merely “the job.” Being a team in every aspect of their life is vital to him.

Was it always your intention to write a series?
Yes, I always wanted to write a series, I just wasn’t sure how many books would be included. I was certain I would have the same protagonist throughout the series. In addition to having Alex Boyd as my lead character, I knew I wanted to have a strong female lead, Rachel Smith, who was an intellectual match for Alex, and also a physical match as well. As I intended to put both of them in harm’s way, I gave each of them the fighting skills to deal with adversaries. I also decided it would be useful to bring back a few secondary characters into subsequent stories, thereby creating linkages that would exist in real life.

How has your professional experience helped you as a writer?
The first bit of advice I learned when I decided to be an author was to write what you know. I have drawn on my knowledge of living overseas, working in American embassies, and dealing with real crisis’ to craft my stories. All of my books are set in locations where I have either lived for several years or worked there from time to time. My characters are fictional, yet they are a composite of people I worked with in different settings. The stories are occasionally based upon events that actually happened, but I have taken the liberty to jazz them up or modify them to excite the reader. As for the extraordinary relationship between Alex and Rachel, well, you will have to draw your own conclusion.

What got you into writing in the first place and why is the thriller genre the one you chose to work in?
Toward the end of my career, I believed I had enough interesting and exciting experiences to write thrillers that would appeal to a broad range of readers. Picking the thriller genre was a no-brainer for me. Thrillers and action-adventure novels are the types of books that I personally enjoy reading. My knowledge of dealing with terrorism, riots, kidnapping and verbal foreign policy disagreements was sufficient to form the basis of each story. When I retired to Florida and moved into my current community, I found it had numerous writing groups to help individuals create the type of books that they yearned to create. I am very grateful to all those who helped my writing improve.

Final RIAE pre-show interview has us looking to the stars

Karyn Chabot Martino

In our final pre-show interview for the Rhode Island Author Expo, I’m getting a lesson in the 52-Star Code System from Karyn Chabot Martino. I’d need all day to expound on Karyn’s lengthy educational background, but suffice it to say, if it’s out there, odds are she’s studied it. 

Case in point—years ago she learned about the Star Code System and in this episode, we’re going to hear what that is, what inspired her to write about it and how her five-book series builds on what she’s already learned. 

The system is linked to the classic playing card deck and she talks about how the different suits and cards are a language all their own. These codes, according to Karyn’s web site, “unveil the probabilities of fate, the possibilities of destiny, and the concepts of free will, allowing humans to revolutionize the understanding of themselves, consciousness, and life itself.”

Solving mysteries with a 5-year-old detective in “The Tender Purdy Mysteries”

In the third installment of our pre-Rhode Island Author Expo interviews, Richard Harrington takes us on a tour of his “Tender Purdy Mysteries” series, now in its second volume. 

Tender Purdy has an IQ of 180, can solve complex cases….and is only 5 years old.

Richard talks about how he came up with the concept, and went from initial idea to completed book. 

He explains who Tender is, how she became a junior sleuth, and the challenges that await her in the books. We also get a sneak peek at what future stories have in store for the readers.

Five by Five: Janine Kovac goes from the stage to the page

Janine Kovac

By Max Bowen

Author Janine Kovac began her life on stage dancing in Ballet El Paso’s production of “The Nutcracker.” After leaving the stage, Kovac adjusted to her new roles as a mother and audience member, watching her husband, children and students as they performed. Transitioning to writing, she penned her autobiography, “The Nutcracker Chronicles,” which pairs her story with that of the classic tale.

In this interview, Janine talks about how she made this pivot, her motivation for writing her memoir and what she hopes people take from the story.


Why did you want to write your memoir and what do you hope people take from reading your book?
I have been trying to make sense of the “Nutcracker” ballet since I first saw the production as a little girl. (The story that was adapted for the stage from E. T. A. Hoffmann’s “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” leaves lots of room for questions).

At the same, I have been trying to make sense of the many roles dancers have. There are the roles onstage in the “Nutcracker”: baby mice, stalwart soldiers, delicate snowflakes and sugar plum fairies. But there are also the roles offstage. We start out as young, ambitious students. We become dedicated professionals. After we retire from the stage we are spouses, parents, teachers. Even though we might never wear another pair of pointe shoes, we are still dancers. Even when we can’t dance anymore. We are still dancers.

Writing this memoir—in which each chapter follows the sequence of events in the “Nutcracker” ballet with the stories that happen both onstage and off—was like solving a puzzle. In my book, I tell the story of Clara and the Nutcracker in a new way while also telling the story of what it means to be a professional ballet dancer.

My hope is that dancers and artists who integrate their passions with the grind of daily life will find this book and see themselves in Clara’s journey.


What connection do you see between your work as a dancer and as a writer?
Ballet taught me to show up every day whether I felt like it or not. It taught me that even though I might feel competitive with my fellow dancers, the only control I had was over my own work. And often that wasn’t really “control.” It also taught me the uselessness of perfectionism. If you don’t try to find joy in the moment, it will pass you by.

These lessons help me every day as a writer. I can only write my ideas. I can’t try to be someone else. I can keep chasing the next big project, but I’ll miss it if I don’t stop to appreciate the work that is happening right now in the present.

Ballet also taught me the value of mentors, friends and chosen family. We learn from those around us. If you surround yourself with dancers and artists and writers who are better than you are and kinder than you are, you will improve. You will become kinder.


What kept you in the world of dance despite the challenges you faced?
I stayed in the world of dance because of the challenges. The human body should not be able to dance en pointe—and yet we do! We turn and jump and balance on the tips of our toes—our entire body weight is supported on less than two square inches. And we look graceful at the same time! Every day it is a challenge to be met and it’s a thrill that never gets old.

The most difficult challenges, however, weren’t physical. They were financial. It was hard to string together enough work to pay the bills, and I often moved to the city or country where the jobs were. Miraculously, it always worked out—a company that offered free housing for its dancers or a tour that paid double. But it was hard to have the faith that good things would just drop out of the sky. When they did, it was always a better opportunity than what I had imagined for myself. In many ways, I stayed in the dance world because I was curious to see what would happen next.


Is there a central message that readers can take from the book?
The love of dance and the desire to dance lives inside you. No one can dim that light. No one can take it away.


Any advice for creatives who are looking to pivot to a new medium?
I think there is overlap in most of the arts. Writing is physical—maybe not to the extent that dancing is, but you still have to eat well and sleep well. The ergonomics of writing—posture, typing, back support affect your writing.

But here are some questions creatives can ask themselves:

• What worked for you in your old medium? How might that help you in your new medium? 
• What were some of the blind spots? 
• What were some of the characteristics of the mentors in your old medium that inspired you? Look for these characteristics in the people of the new community. Those will be your mentors. 

And remember, even though the form changes, we ultimately gravitate back to a central theme we are working out for ourselves. For me, I am always trying to unlock the secret to seeing others (be they characters or real people) the way they want to be seen and how this plays out in the power dynamics or our daily lives.

Heidi McLaughlin gives a new perspective in new book

In our second episode of the pre-Rhode Island Author Expo interviews, I’m joined by New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today-bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin. 

Heidi has a new book out on Dec. 3 called “Forever My Boy,” which provides a new angle on “Forever My Girl,” which was adapted to a movie in 2018.

Heidi and I talk about the book and the new direction it goes in, as well as how it fits into the Beaumont Series, which “Forever My Girl” kicks off. We talk about the characters and the different things we’re learning about them in the new book as well as revisiting “Forever My Girl” in the writing process.

We also go into her 60-plus books since 2012 and how she has made such a massive collection work.

An intro to the Rhode Island Author Expo and the work of Scott Jablonski

Scott Jablonski

On Dec. 7, the Rhode Island Author Expo returns, and we’re previewing this event by speaking to some of the writers who will be there. 

First up is Scott Jablonski, a writer, musician and teacher who has been encouraging kids to become their best version through his “Stand Out! Stand Out!” series.

In this interview, Scott talks about his work as a teacher and how it’s tied into his writing and music. 

He shares his hopes for the children that read his books and some of the messages he’s imparting through them.

A steampunk adventure with Nikola Tesla

To wrap up our Halloween coverage, we’re talking historical fiction, steampunk and Tesla….no not that Tesla. Joining us is author Matthew Donald to talk about his new book, “Teslamancer.”

The book is Donald’s second in this alternate history steampunk series, following “Teslanauts” in 2022. In the new book, protagonist Raymond Calvert is an experienced Teslanaut, completing missions across many countries, thwarting numerous underground factions using Tesla's cutting-edge volt-tech. In 1924, the world braces for the emergence of the Teslamancer, the ultimate wielder of Tesla's breakthrough science.

In this interview, Matthew talks about what inspired the series and how he changed history for the books. We go into Raymond’s character and how he’s changed over the two books and what lies in store over the next three titles. And of course, the interview wouldn’t be complete without talking about the tech to be found in this series.

Citywide Bytes—Author kicks off new trilogy set in a magical San Fran

In “The Others” (September, SparkPress) author Evette Davis blends magic and realism, creating a “secret society of supernaturals who seek to slow the spread of facism.” Here’s a look at what’s in store:

Olivia Shepherd is a political consultant with a secret: She’s an empath, with the power to experience the emotions of those around her. Keen to keep her supernatural abilities hidden, Olivia's world is upended when Elsa, an ancient time-walker, appears in her kitchen, unveiling a destiny she never knew she had.

As Olivia delves deeper into the hidden world of the "Others" who lurk beneath San Francisco's foggy streets, she finds herself drawn into the clandestine organization of The Council–who seek to influence humanity from the shadows–and Gabriel Laurent, the enigmatic leader of a realm where vampires, witches, fairies and demons navigate a delicate balance of power.

In this episode, we go into Olivia’s character, her abilities, and how she finds herself amidst this conflict. Evette shares Olivia’s motivation and how she handles this new world that she finds herself a part of.

We talk about the fantasy aspect of the story and why she chose to place it in San Francisco, where she lives. We even go into what will be happening in her next two books, but no spoilers here!