As an Australian Army nurse, Annie endures the brutalities of World War II in Singapore and New Guinea. Later, seeking a change, she accepts a job with a British diplomatic family in Berlin, only to find herself caught up in the upheaval of the Blockade. Through it all, and despite the support of friends, the death of a man she barely knew leaves a wound that refuses to heal, threatening her to a life without love.
Years later, Annie is still haunted by what she’d lost—and what might have been. Her days are quiet, but her memories are loud. When a dying man’s fear forces her to confront her own doubts, she forms an unexpected friendship that rekindles something she thought she’d lost: hope.
Annie’s Day is a powerful story of love, war, and the quiet courage to start again—even when it seems far too late.
Praise for Annie’s Day:
“Moving and enlightening…“
~ Deborah Swift, bestselling author
“This is a story of courage and love, and it lingers long after you turn the last page.“
~ Caroline James, author, 5* Goodreads review
“I love the lyrical writing of this author. The descriptive prose and humor made this book a joy to read.“
In the aftermath of a death, and in the busyness that surrounds the packing up of a loved one’s possessions, there is little time to do more than skim the official papers and photo albums of a life now over.
That’s how it was with my mother’s life in a box. I knew she had served with the Australian Army Nursing Service. I knew she had been in Singapore when it fell to the Japanese in 1942, then had been posted to New Guinea. I knew she had been in Berlin after the war. But that was all. Not much. No detail.
The Australian War Memorial Archives sent me Mum’s army records, and her timeline gave me the blueprint for Annie’s Day. The rest is pure fiction, interspersed with real characters. People like Matron Drummond of the AANS, or Bill Tunner, aka Tonnage Tunner, instrumental in coordinating the Berlin Airlift, to whom I have given words, hopefully in the manner in which they spoke.
My desk became surrounded by maps, piled high with troop movements, maritime registers, tropical nursing manuals, types of aircraft, newspaper cuttings, letters, books and photos. Maybe only a line or two of interest extracted from each, but information that nonetheless gives authenticity to the novel.
Then there are the people who are kind enough to spend time talking to me, giving insights on religion, on war, on history. Personal glimpses into different cultures and customs that hopefully takes the reader to each place, giving a human element to sometimes inhuman times.
It’s those seemingly small details that give the story heart.
The photo is one of Mum, taken in early 1944 in New Guinea. That fob watch pinned to her uniform—the smallest detail—became part of Annie’s Day!
Apple Gidley
Anglo-Australian, Apple Gidley’s nomadic life has helped imbue her writing with rich, diverse cultures and experiences. Annie’s Day is her seventh book.
Gidley currently lives in Cambridgeshire, England with her husband, and rescue cat, Bella, aka assistant editor.
Beginning in 1930s Germany and based on their real lives, four cousins as close as siblings—Bettina, Trudi, Gustav, and Gertrud—share the experiences of the young, including first loves, marriages, and children.
Bettina, the oldest, struggles to help her parents with their failing business. Trudi dresses in the latest fashions and tries to make everything look beautiful. Gustav is an artist at heart and hopes to one day open a tailoring shop. Gertrud, the youngest, is forced by her parents to keep secrets, but that doesn’t stop her from chasing boys. However, over their seemingly ordinary lives hangs one critical truth—they’re Jewish—putting them increasingly at risk.
When World War II breaks out, the four are still in Germany or German-occupied lands, unable or unwilling to leave. How will these cousins avoid the horrors of the Nazi regime, a regime that wants them dead? Will they be able to avoid the deportations and concentration camps that have claimed their fellow Jews? Danger is their constant companion, and it will take hope and more to survive.
Praise for What Remains is Hope:
“Readers will find this follow up to Suchman’s prior novel, Stumbling Stones, both a heartbreaking reminder of the Holocaust’s atrocities and a compelling tribute to a family’s refusal to surrender to despair…Richly compelling Holocaust account, centered on the power of hope.“
~ Booklife by Publishers Weekly
“Author Bonnie Suchman has a way of making every moment count with her characters in a narrative that feels powerfully real as she spins deeply personal stories against a sweeping and tragic backdrop of history. ..What Remains is Hope is historical fiction at its best, and I’d highly recommend it to fans of gripping fiction that’s emotionally resonant and grounded in truth.“
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
The Meaning of the Title “What Remains is Hope”
The novel tells the story of four Jewish cousins and their attempts to stay alive in Germany and German-occupied territories during World War II.
The idea of hope is mentioned several times in early portions of the book. Then, in 1937, as two cousins are helping a third cousin in her move from Frankfurt to Munich, the three begin to discuss this move to a city known for its history of anti-Semitism. One of the cousins, Gustav, draws a picture of a butterfly and tells the story of Pandora’s box, about how Pandora had received the box and was told never to open it. But curious, she opened it and all of the world’s ills flew out of the box and attacked Pandora, causing her to take on the world’s ills. She quickly closed the lid, but she soon heard a banging in the box. When she opened the lid, a butterfly flew out of the box, touched her arm, and she was healed of the world’s ills. Gustav told his cousin who would be leaving for Munich that what remained in the box was hope and that she should take that hope in the form of the butterfly with her. That cousin took the drawing with her to Munich.
Throughout the book, the characters continue to discuss hope and the importance of hope. The reader knows from the beginning of the story that one of the four cousins did not survive the war. During the war, many Jews committed suicide, losing hope and falling into despair. More than six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis; no amount of hope could save them. But those Jews who survived, like the three cousins in What Remains is Hope, could not have survived without hope.
Bonnie Suchman
Bonnie Suchman has been a practicing attorney for forty years. Using her legal skills, she researched her husband’s 250-year family history in Germany, publishing the award-winning, non-fiction book, Broken Promises: The Story of a Jewish Family in Germany, as a result.
Those compelling stories became Suchman’s Heppenheimer Family Holocaust Saga. The first in the series, Stumbling Stones, was a Finalist for the 2024 Hawthorne Prize for Fiction, and recently, her family traveled to Frankfurt, Germany, to install stumbling stones for her husband’s Great Aunt Alice and her husband Alfred, the real-life characters in the book. What Remains is Hope is the second novel in the saga.
In her free time, Bonnie is a runner and a golfer. She and her husband reside in Potomac, Maryland.
Old Books and Faded Dreams transports readers on a nostalgic journey
with the townspeople of Tilden, a quaint community in Madison County,
Nebraska. At the center of the heartwarming story is Maggie Davis, a
middle-aged widow and heiress to a grand Victorian estate. The stately home,
which Maggie shares with her spunky nine-year-old daughter Jenna, also serves
as a bed-and-breakfast to a once regular, but now transitory, clientele. The
kitchen table is the epicenter of lively, often contentious, conversation
where no topics are off-limits. Maggie’s out-spoken, spinster neighbor
delights in keeping everyone on guard with her opinionated, prejudicial
tirades, but she is frequently reined in by an elderly, equally forthright
family member who has recently become a permanent dweller at the manor. Maggie
finds herself struggling with the painful memories of her husband’s tragic
death, as well as the stirrings in her heart associated with a new house
guest. A scandalous scheme to swindle Maggie out of her inherited property
rides on the heels of a sudden, unexpected death, pointing to a member of the
family as suspect. The startling discovery of a sinister family secret locked
away for decades in an old attic trunk threatens to overshadow a highly
esteemed familial image and cherished legacy. Can relationships be salvaged?
Old Books and Faded Dreams is a captivating, small-town tale about friendship,
grief, reconciliation and ultimately, unconditional love.
About the Author
D.L. Norris is a notable author and motivational speaker who has written
numerous short stories and articles on health, emotional wellness, family, and
cultural history. Norris’ novels, The Long Way Home and Where the Heart
Is, capture in colorful, humorous style the actual events and cultural
mindsets surrounding her Scandinavian family and personal life experiences.
Norris’ expressive writing style quickly engages her readers and
encourages them to sit back and enjoy a nostalgic, magical journey. She and
her husband are happily retired in beautiful Hartford, Connecticut.
A farm devastated. A dream destroyed. A family scattered.
And one Texas girl determined to salvage the wreckage.
Ruby Lee Becker can’t breathe. It’s 1935 in the heart of the Dust Bowl, and the Becker family has clung to its Texas Panhandle farm through six years of drought, dying crops, and dust storms. On Black Sunday, the biggest blackest storm of them all threatens ten-year-old Ruby with deadly dust pneumonia and requires a drastic choice —one her mother, Willa Mae, will forever regret.
To survive, Ruby is forced to leave the only place she’s ever known. Far from home in Waco, and worried her mother has abandoned her, she’s determined to get back.
Even after twelve years, Willa Mae still clings to memories of her daughter. Unable to reunite with Ruby, she’s broken by their separation.
Through rollicking adventures and harrowing setbacks, the tenacious Ruby Lee embarks on her perilous quest for home —and faces her one unspoken fear.
Heart-wrenching and inspiring, the tale of Ruby Lee’s dogged perseverance and Willa Mae’s endless love for her daughter shines a light on women driven apart by disaster who bravely lean on one another, find comfort in remade families, and redefine what home means.
My Writing Journey’s Taken Me All Over Texas, on Wheels, by Click, and by Page
That’s how I gathered ten years of Texas historical research. Now I’m transforming it into The Dust Series, set in a mythical town in the Texas Panhandle — and wherever the characters roam.
Unspoken is historically accurate, and wickedly fictional.
It’s a true enough tale of a Texas girl more tenacious than fire ants who faces air she can’t breathe, and what’s gone unspoken, to find family and remake home. Set in the Texas Panhandle during the Dirty Thirties and beyond, an era of drought and dusters and war, it’s at once the story of a mother and daughter and a love letter to strong women who blaze trails, bolster one another, and prevail.
“There are things, I wanted to tell him, unspoken things that can never be fixed. But I said nuthin.” —RUBY LEE BECKER in Unspoken
Unspoken is the first Texas novel in The Dust Series to be published.
Featuring dual narratives of estranged daughter and mother, Unspoken is the second Texas novel I’ve completed but first to be published. Its predecessor, Vacancy, is the inspiration for the series and coming soon. Unspoken’s sequel is underway now, which gives my characters (and me) a chance to keep rambling all over Texas, unearthing some lesser-known and fascinating history — as my research into the lesser-known events in the Dust Bowl era in the 1930s revealed.
There are miles and miles of Texas.
If you don’t think so, just set out in your car from Texarkana one morning, and see how long it takes you to arrive in New Mexico. You may end up asleep at the wheel. To research my books, I drove across Texas in many directions, of course, sometimes following old maps I’d discovered, and after one 600-mile road trip, my license plate and front grill showed it.
A 1940 map of Texas shows you how far you can go.
It’s easier to click than to drive. I uncovered a 1940 map (and many more like it) by click, that showed me there’s lots of territory to explore, wherever you land. It’s a map I referred to plenty, as I was moving my characters in Unspoken from the Panhandle to Waco to Wichita Falls and points in-between. (Not all were willing travelers, but those were the tenacious types.)
There were plenty more pages to turn, too, as I researched.
My collection of books on Texas grew, married, had children, cousins, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and so on, as I read out-of-print finds from secondhand bookshops or firsthand nonfiction accounts of events, along with art and photography books of the times. Immersing myself in so many visual and written sources spurred many more characters and plotlines. Stay tuned as The Dust Series unfolds. •
Unspoken, the first book in The Dust Series by Jann Alexander, features strong women facing the worst the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and world war can dish out, and somehow persevere.
About the Author:
Jann Alexander writes characters who face down their fears. Her novels are as close-to-true as fiction can get.
Jann is the author of the historical novel, UNSPOKEN, set in the Texas Panhandle during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression eras, and her first book in The Dust Series.
Jann writes on all things creative in her weekly blog, Pairings. She’s a 20-year resident of central Texas and creator of the Vanishing Austin photography series. As a former art director for ad agencies and magazines in the D.C. area, and a painter, photographer, and art gallery owner, creativity is her practice and passion.
Jann’s lifelong storytelling habit and her more recent zeal for Texas history merged to become the historical Dust Series. When she is not reading, writing, or creating, she bikes, hikes, skis, and kayaks. She lives in central Texas with her own personal Texan (and biggest fan), Karl, and their Texas mutt, Ruby.
Can echoes of the past threaten the present? They are 1500 years apart, but can they reach out to each other across the centuries? One woman faces a traumatic truth in the present day. The other is forced to marry the man she hates as the ‘dark ages’ unfold.
How can Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, unlock the secrets of the past?
Traumatised by betrayal, she slips into 499 AD and into the body of Lady Vivianne, who is also battling treachery. Viv must uncover the mystery of the key that she unwittingly brings back with her to the present day, as echoes of the past resonate through time. But little does Viv realise just how much both their lives across the centuries will become so intertwined. And in the end, how can they help each other across the ages without changing the course of history?
For fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, Christina Courtenay.
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
About the Author:
Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of time. She is the author of historical mysteries with a frisson of romance. Her books are evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval time-slip/dual-time mysteries.
Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language / literature / history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s.
She has published five other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her latest novel is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon dual-time mysteries, Daughter of Mercia, where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries.
Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘Julia’s books captured my imagination’, ‘beautiful story-telling’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘brilliant and fascinating’ and ‘I just couldn’t put it down’.
A Prodigy in Auschwitz: A Holocaust Story, Book One: Simon
By Fred Raymond Goldman
When Nazi Germany troops enter Krakow, Poland on September 2, 1939, fourteen-year-old Simon Baron learns two truths that have been hidden from him.
One, the people who have raised him are not his biological parents. Two, his birth mother was Jewish. In the eyes of the Germans, although he has been raised Catholic, this makes Simon Jewish.
Simon’s dreams of becoming a concert violinist and composer are dashed when his school is forced to expel him, and he is no longer eligible to represent it at its annual Poland Independence Day Concert. There, he had hoped to draw the attention of representatives of a prestigious contest who might have helped him fulfill his dreams.
Simon vows to never forgive his birth father for abandoning him, an act resulting in unspeakable tragedies for his family and in his being forced to live the indignities of the ghetto and the horrors of Auschwitz and Sachsenhausen concentration camps.
Throughout his ordeals, Simon wavers between his intense anger toward his birth father and his dreams of being reunited with him. Through his relationships with Rabbi Rosenschtein and the rabbi’s daughter, Rachel, Simon comes to appreciate his Jewish heritage and find purpose in his life. Driven by devotion to family and friends and his passion for music, Simon holds on to hope. But can he survive the atrocities of the Nazi regime?
How do you reconcile a decision you made in the past when the world erupts in war, threatening the life of someone you love and believe you were protecting?
The rector cleared his throat, stood, and walked back and forth before them with his hands behind his back. His voice seemed apologetic when he stopped and said, “The Nazis are insisting we expel our Jewish students. The ones who came here told me they are forcing all other conservatories and universities throughout Poland to do the same. If we don’t conform, they’ll close the school.”
Simon’s chest tightened. He slowly shook his head in disbelief. A slight noise rose from his throat. He fought an impulse to leap from his chair and swipe his arm across the rector’s desk, letting the items scatter across the floor. To control himself, he squeezed his hands more tightly onto the arms of his chair. He looked at Professor Kaminski again for support. There was a look of helplessness on her face, a look of sympathy for what he must be feeling. He had grown to respect and love her dearly. The thought of losing her as his teacher devastated him.
His father raised his voice. “So, what are you saying? You’re expelling Simon?”
“It’s most unfortunate, but the Germans have tied our hands. I’m afraid the answer is yes.”
“When will this expulsion take place?”
The rector looked down and lowered his voice. “Immediately, I’m afraid.”
Simon’s face reddened. “Does this mean I can’t represent the school at the Independence Day Concert?”
The rector stroked his forearm. “I’m sorry, son. I have no choice.” The rector turned to Simon’s parents. In a gentle tone, he said, “I want to repeat, Mr. and Mrs. Baron, we have the highest regard for Simon. It distresses us to have to take this action.” No one responded. The meeting ended with everyone looking dejected and unable to find the right words to say.
Professor Kaminski and Simon walked quietly to his classrooms to collect his belongings. Other students passed Simon and nodded. Simon’s eyes averted theirs. When Simon finished, Professor Kaminski walked him to his parents. On the way she stopped, faced him, and placed her hands on his shoulders. “You’re a fine violinist, Simon,” she said. “You must never forget that. This war will be over one day, and you will resume your studies here, I hope. In the meantime, hold your head high, and keep practicing and composing. I’ll want to hear your compositions when we meet again.” They hugged each other. Simon bit his lip to hold back his tears.
Simon and his parents walked out the front door of the school with their shoulders slumped and their heads down. His father attempted to put his arm around Simon’s shoulder. Simon brushed it away and walked home ahead of his parents.
Once home, Simon retreated to his room and slammed the door. He threw his backpack on the floor and fell into his bed, stomach first. He hid his face in his pillow and cried.
Author Bio:
Fred Raymond Goldman graduated from Western Maryland College in Westminster, MD (now named McDaniel College) in June 1962 with a BA in psychology. Two years later, in 1964, he earned an MSW degree from the University of Maryland School of Social Work.
Most of Fred’s career was spent in Jewish Communal Service. He served as the administrator of Northwest Drug Alert, a methadone maintenance program at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. In this role, he also acted as a community resource, guiding individuals struggling with addiction toward Jewish services that supported abstinence, counseling, and job placement.
Following that, Fred was hired as the Assistant to the Director of Jewish Family Services in Baltimore.
His final professional role was with Har Sinai Congregation, a Jewish Reform Synagogue in Baltimore, where he served as Executive Director for 23 years, retiring in October 2005.
In retirement, Fred pursued his love of hiking with The Maryland Hiking Club and spent time volunteering at The Irvine Nature Center. There, he led schoolchildren on nature hikes and assisted in the center’s nature store.
Writing had always been a passion for Fred, dating back to childhood, but it wasn’t until retirement that he began to take it seriously. He started writing children’s books and became a member of the Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Association. Among the titles he wrote are: Vera and the Blue Bear Go to the Zoo, Never Bite an Elephant (And Other Bits of Wisdom), The Day the School Bus Drivers Went on Strike, If You Count, and The Day the School Devices Went on Strike.
Though none of these books has been published, Fred remains hopeful that if the CONCERTO books gain recognition, opportunities for the earlier works may follow.
Fred’s journey of writing the CONCERTO companion books began when he saw a note on a local library bulletin board about a new writer’s group led by a local author. He joined and, along with nine other participants, learned the fundamentals of writing: staying in the protagonist’s point of view, building narrative tension, developing distinctive and flawed characters, and the process of writing and rewriting.
Over the course of more than four years, Fred dedicated time to writing, researching, rewriting, and submitting the manuscript. What began as a single book titled The Auschwitz Concerto was eventually split into two volumes and self-published. For a time, the manuscript was also titled The Box.
The encouragement from the group’s teacher and fellow members played a key role in shaping the novels, and Fred hopes his feedback was equally helpful to others in the group.
In the ‘Author’s Notes’ of the CONCERTO books, Fred outlines the goals behind sharing these stories. Prior to writing them, he had only a general understanding of the Holocaust—knowing that nine million lives were lost and that it was a horrific chapter in history. Through the writing process, he gained deeper insights into both historical events and human suffering, fostering a greater sensitivity to contemporary issues. He firmly believes that what affects one group can quickly impact everyone, and that such awareness is critical today.
Book Title: Uprising Series: Rebellion (Book 2 of 3) Author: Paul Bernardi Publication Date: 09 April 2025 Publisher: Sharpe Books Pages: 284 Genre: Historical Fiction Any Triggers: Strong, bloody violence. Some foul language (15+).
Summer 1067. Northumbria.
Oslac, thegn of the village of Acum, feels cheated – having been robbed of the chance to kill his enemy by his own kinsman.
Instead, Gundulf, the erstwhile Lord of Hexham and murderer of Acum’s villagers, is now awaiting justice for his crimes in Bebbanburh, Earl Oswulf’s fortress capital far to the north.
But when Oslac narrowly escapes death at the hands of Gundulf’s assassin, he realises he will never be safe while the Dane lives. Summoning his closest companions, Oslac heads north to demand Oswulf put an end to Gundulf’s life – only to find the prisoner has escaped.
Tracking the fugitive into the wild hills and dales of Northumbria – places far beyond the reach of Oswulf’s power – Oslac falls into Gundulf’s trap when the earl’s warband is ambushed with catastrophic consequences.
Elsewhere, unrest in the north of England is growing. Impotent in the face of Norman avaricious brutality, the Saxon nobility can do nothing to prevent their ancestral lands being passed to foreign invaders. It can only be endured for so long, and a reckoning is coming.
Once again, Oslac must put aside his personal vendetta to join with the few remaining great lords of Anglo-Saxon England in what may prove to be the final, climactic stand against their Norman overlords.
The song of swords will echo across the land once more.
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Paul Bernardi studied Anglo-Saxon and Medieval history at the University of Leeds more years ago than he cares to remember. He has been an author of historical fiction since his first novel (a second world war drama) was published in 2017. Since then, he has reverted to his favoured period, publishing six more novels (so far) set in 11th century England, mainly around the time of the Norman Conquest.
Paul Bernardi’s books are published by Sharp Books.
Book Title: Boy With Wings Author: Mark Mustian Publication Date: March 15th, 2025 Publisher: Koehler Books Pages: 322 Genre: Literary Fiction / Historical Fiction
“A brilliant fever dream of a novel, a haunting coming of age story reminiscent of both Franz Kafka and Charles Dickens.”
~ Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Jackal’s Mistress
*Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2025 First Place Winner*
What does it mean to be different?
When Johnny Cruel is born with strange appendages on his back in the 1930s South, the locals think he’s a devil. Determined to protect him, his mother fakes his death, and they flee. Thus begins Johnny’s yearslong struggle to find a place he belongs.
From a turpentine camp of former slaves to a freak show run by a dwarf who calls herself Tiny Tot and on to the Florida capitol building, Johnny finds himself working alongside other outcasts, struggling to answer the question of his existence. Is he a horror, a wonder, or an angel? Should he hide himself to live his life?
Following Johnny’s journey through love, betrayal, heartbreak, and several murders, Boy With Wings is a story of the sacrifices and freedom inherent in making one’s own special way-and of love and the miracles that give our lives meaning.
There’s something magical about words and music—it’s why popular songs burrow into our minds and ears. When I started the Word of South Festival of Literature and Music in Tallahassee, Florida in 2015, it’s what we sought to tap into. Poetry has rhythm. Musical tracts tell a story. It all blends together, often into something profound, sublime or strange.
Like maybe most authors, I listen to music when I write. Usually classical works, sometimes jazz—I find that pop or music with words tends to distract me, and I’m there to write. I go through phases that correspond loosely to the book: for The Gendarme I listened to a lot of dissonant 20th century stuff: Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Weill. I was big into Messiaen. For Boy With Wings, it was more 19th century romantic pieces, Mahler and Brahms but also some jazz: Miles Davis, Mingus, Adderley, Coltrane.
It’s interesting how musical tastes change over time and also don’t, and tastes in literature do the same. I listened as a youth to what’s now called “classic rock,” and still do sometimes, but my interest has broadened as I’ve aged, and I appreciate the complexities now of classical music and jazz. I can listen to folk music pop, country—almost anything, and enjoy it. Being involved with Word of South has exposed me to a whole range of new artists that makes me feel young again.
With literature it’s much the same. I enjoyed sci-fi and fantasy as a youngster and still do. I was forced to read the classics, which I generally disliked, but later in life I went back and read many of them and found new interest there. I read widely now, biographies, non-fiction, literary fiction, even some horror and graphic works. If it’s well-written it’s wonderful, and I try to set aside time each day to read.
This may sound strange, but sometimes I can hear the words on the page as I write them, as they seem to belong to some structure beyond the page. Maybe I’m to be faulted for this—I can’t really say, and I don’t know quite where it comes from. I saw somewhere that the writer Richard Ford reads every word of his novels aloud to his wife before he completes the work. I don’t do that, but to an extent I guess I do, as I listen to them bang around in my head as I read and revise, revise and read. Occasionally I’ll utter a phrase aloud that seems awkward. Reworking it, I hear music, that gift that seems to arrive from beyond time and logic. Mixed with the beauty of language, it seems to create between them something else. Something different, and special, even ethereal. I can look back on it later and think, “Who wrote this crap?” but also think, “Hey, not bad. This isn’t bad at all.”
Author Bio:
Mark Mustian is the author of the novels “The Return” and “The Gendarme,” the latter a finalist for the Dayton International Literary Peace Prize and shortlisted for the Saroyan International Award for Writing. It won the Florida Gold Book Award for Fiction and has been published in ten languages.
The founder of the Word of South Festival of Literature and Music in Tallahassee, Florida, his new novel, “Boy With Wings,” is out in 2025.
Book Title: Tangled in Water Author: Pam Records Publication Date: March 18th, 2025 Publisher: Historium Press Pages: 418 pages Genre: Historical Fiction
1932. Natalia is 16 and a bootlegger’s daughter, playing the mermaid mascot on a rundown paddlewheel used to entertain brewers and distributors.
A sequined costume hides her scarred and misshaped legs, but it can’t cover up the painful memories and suspicions that haunt her. An eccentric healer who treats patients with Old Country tonics, tries to patch wounds, but only adds to the heartache. A fierce storm threatens to destroy everything, including a stash of stolen jewels.
1941. Prohibition is over, but the same henchmen still run the show. Nattie’s new mermaid act is more revealing, with more at risk. When the dry-docked paddlewheel is bought by the US Navy for training exercises, the pressure escalates further.
Can Nattie entice a cocky US Navy officer to help her gain access to the ship for one last chance to confront her past, settle scores, and retrieve the hidden loot? Is there a new course ahead?
The water level was lower than usual. Every time she got out of the tank, she took water with her, leaving less and less. Cigarette butts floated, collecting in a corner. She’d have to type NO DROPPING TRASH IN THE MERMAID’S TANK on the next sign she made for the little silver frame on the post.
The sand in the bottom of her tank hid other tidbits, hardly trash. There were flat blue rocks, round and smooth, perfect for skipping. Then there were shells, mostly snail shells, mostly busted. At the very bottom was a gold bracelet with a charm, a mermaid, of course. It was a gift, the kind that could get a man killed. She couldn’t stand to look at it, couldn’t stand to throw it overboard either.
More jewels had found their way into her tank. Passengers were so careless after a few whiskeys. They never noticed a bump or tug or twist from the clumsy cripple kid in sequins. There was an oval brooch with diamonds, a gold watch fob, red ruby earrings, a dangly necklace, a ring with every color in the world.
She had such a lovely collection. She sighed. If Mr. Whiskers were here, he’d purr.
The calm before the storm.
She stirred the sand with a stick of driftwood, a prop that was quite useful for fishing in the sand and burying and unburying secrets. The bauble soup was a powerful remedy for lousy moods and for red-haired boys who didn’t show up when they promised and a railing that got busted on purpose because a drunkard deckhand talked to her one time too many. The soup sparkled, sun specks skimming the water’s surface.
Looking out over the onboarding passengers on the deck below, she scanned for sparkles. She could always use more. Her fingertips itched. Anticipation was almost as lovely as the prize.
There! A woman in a snappy white dress and hat with plumes all a-flutter had enough glitter around her neck to light up midnight on Mackinac Island. How splendidly cool to the touch they would be. Ice. Crisp. The edges would be hard and sharp. The centers would be molten, too hot to handle until they sizzle-cooled in her tank for a mermaid eon. Ten minutes, at least.
About the Author:
Pam and her husband, Mark, recently uprooted from the Midwest to move to Savannah, Georgia, the perfect place for enjoying the beach, historic architecture and Spanish moss.
She’s recently retired from writing content for software companies and now focuses on writing fiction, camping, and exploring historic cities.
Her Darkest Hour Suzy Henderson Publication date: May 8th 2025 Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical
In the shadow of war, a young woman must choose: deny her magic or wield it to stop a traitor before Britain falls.
England, 1939. A young witch. A nation at war. A spy hiding in plain sight.
As war looms over Britain, Eliza MacLean wants nothing more than an ordinary life. Raised on the Isle of Mull, she’s spent years denying her gifts—just as her mother insisted. But her grandmother taught her differently, whispering ancient knowledge of herbs, charms, and spells.
When her grandmother dies, Eliza seeks refuge in Cambridge with her cousin and the women of the WVS. But beneath its spires and blacked-out streets, Cambridge hides more than just scholars and soldiers. A secret network of witches is working to protect Britain from an enemy who knows magic is real—and seeks to weaponise it.
Drawn into the fight, Eliza is thrust into a world of espionage, deception, and occult warfare. Her rare abilities catch the attention of MI5 agent Alex Fletcher, who needs her help to unmask a deadly spy before it’s too late.
As she learns to harness her power, Eliza finds herself torn between duty and love, risking everything for Jim, a fighter pilot whose fate seems written in the stars. But war is ruthless, and magic has a price.
With the spy closing in and the war reaching new heights of peril, Eliza’s only hope of saving those she loves is to embrace the very magic she’s spent a lifetime hiding—no matter the cost.
But some powers were never meant to be used.
Perfect for fans of A Discovery of Witches and The Rose Code, Her Darkest Hour blends historical fiction with supernatural intrigue in a gripping tale of war, witchcraft, and sacrifice.
The Witches Who Went to War: The Real History Behind Her Darkest Hour
When I started writing Her Darkest Hour, I wasn’t just inspired by the idea of witches in wartime—I was captivated by the real, historical belief that magic could be used to defend Britain.
In researching the book, I discovered a lineage of magical resistance stretching back centuries. In 1588, when the Spanish Armada threatened England, tales emerged of magical circles cast to summon storms. During the Napoleonic Wars, rural communities quietly turned to cunning folk—herbalists, charmers, and wise women—to protect them from invasion.
But perhaps most fascinating of all is the rumour that during WWII, a group of witches gathered in the New Forest to perform a ritual known as the Cone of Power. Their aim? To stop Hitler from setting foot on British soil. It sounds like folklore—but it’s part of Britain’s strange, often forgotten magical undercurrent. The war wasn’t just fought on beaches and battlefields. It was fought, too, in glades and gardens, by those who believed the spiritual realm had a part to play.
That hidden history became the beating heart of Her Darkest Hour. Eliza Maclean, a young Scottish witch, is drawn from her quiet life on the Isle of Mull into a war she never expected to fight. Recruited by MI5, she finds herself hunting a German spy in Cambridge—but with magic, not guns.
I wanted to honour both the women who stepped into wartime roles and the lesser-known stories of those who used ancient knowledge to protect what they loved. Eliza’s magic is not flashy or cinematic—it’s rooted in emotion, empathy, and intuition. And that, perhaps, is what made it so powerful.
In the end, this book is a tribute to the quiet guardians of our past—those who lit candles, traced symbols, whispered prayers to old gods, and believed, fiercely, in their country’s protection.
What if those rituals worked?
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy discovering Eliza’s journey in Her Darkest Hour.
Suzy Henderson
Author of Her Darkest Hour
#HerDarkestHour #HistoricalFantasy #WartimeWitches
Author Bio:
Suzy Henderson is the author of The Beauty Shop, Madame Fiocca, and SPITFIRE, novels which are set during the turbulent times of World War Two. She also writes romance and recently released a novella, Christmas in the Highlands, a best seller on Amazon UK.
Her debut novel, The Beauty Shop, was awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion. It is based on the true story of pioneering plastic surgeon, Sir Archibald McIndoe, and the Guinea Pig Club – an exclusive club for RAF pilots and airmen who required plastic surgery as a result of their war injuries and were under the care of this enigmatic New Zealander.
Madame Fiocca is also based on a true story. This gripping adventure follows the tempestuous life of SOE heroine, Nancy Wake before and during the Second World War.
Suzy lives with her family on the edge of the Lake District, where she can be found rambling around lakes, country lanes or roaming the fells. Armed with a pen, a love of reading and a growing obsession with military and aviation history, she is often lost in the 1940s, writing historical fiction.
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