(Note: This piece originally ran in Women Writers ~ Women’s Books Online Magazine in early September 2024. I thought it would be fun to share in my own space during this most ghostly month of all. Enjoy!)
The ghosts came to town in 2020. October, to be exact. That’s when I contemplated taking a stab at my first National Novel Writers Month (NANOWRIMO), the challenge to draft a 50,000-word book in the month of November. The experience resulted in the first whispers of SECRETS OF THE BLUE MOON. My debut novel follows Marnie Putnam, a grieving woman who battles her own personal ghosts as she chronicles the haunted history of a quaint Georgia town.
Did I set out to write a ghost story? No. The tale began as balm for my soul at a time when I’d grown tired of people spouting their thoughts on vaccines and Presidential politics. Many were shouting; few listened. Travel was off the table, as was visiting favorite restaurants and funky shops in the lake town near where I live. I mourned my old life. Yet I considered myself lucky. I didn’t have to get up each morning, go out into the world, and face the unknown.
When I sat down to write, I created a town like the one I was missing. I named it Lake Gardner. Then Marnie appeared to me. She said her marriage was rocky after losing two pregnancies and a job. To heal, she briefly fled to Lake Gardner for space. There she was haunted by past regrets and an unknown future. Something more sinister too. Something not of this world.
Enter the ghosts, who came in myriad forms, appearing as flames, orbs, and even a crow. They represented fear and longing, sorrow and guilt. And maybe—maybe?—even hope.
At first, I thought those ghosts came from nowhere and just for Marnie. Later, I realized that they also came, in part, for me. They came to buffer me from my obsessions of too many lives lost. They came to distract me from thoughts of my own death. They came with a kick-butt warning: “Don’t you lose hope, old lady! Your grandkids still have plenty to teach you.”
Each of us needs to find a way to process our fears during uncertain times. My way was to write.
For more than a year, I honed Marnie’s story, struggling through workshops and major revisions, beta reads and edits. When a small press offered a contract, I was elated. But it came with two caveats: Take the pandemic out and remove any references to the Presidential election. “No one,” the editor said, “wants to re-visit the events of 2020.”
I pondered that because those very events drive Marnie’s story. She loses her job due to COVID. She runs to Lake Gardner, feeling isolated from a husband who can’t understand how deeply she mourns yet another loss. In Lake Gardner, she experiences even more isolation and loneliness.
And then there’s the blue moon. In 2020, it rose on Halloween night, an anomaly that happens only once every nineteen years.
Marnie’s search for peace is interrupted on Halloween night 2020 when a tragedy occurs in Lake Gardner. It mirrors another horror that happened there in 2012, under another blue moon. It stirs up spirits, old and new, who refuse to leave Marnie alone until she helps them find the answers they desperately seek. She believes helping them will help her too. If she can survive.
When the ghosts came to town in October 2020, it’s true, they came for Marnie. The pandemic and pesky politics, coupled with ghosts, all factored into her journey. They affected her judgment and faith, as well as her sense of purpose. They influenced how she experienced life and how she made a plan to move forward.
Yet those ghosts came for me, too. They came to help me process my own fears in those difficult times. Given all that, how could I bury all the 2020 references that clung to my pages?
Turns out I couldn't.
If a quaint town in Georgia could refuse to bury its ghosts, I decided I could too. And I did.
**
Secrets of the Blue Moon serves up speculative book club fiction that celebrates family and friendship and small-town Southern living. It’s sprinkled with gentle humor and mystery and ghosts that don’t want to let the past go. At times a bit gristly, it deals with topics including grief, self-harm, and death. Yet at its core, it is an uplifting story of hope, resilience, and redemption.
If you like stories that haunt you while also filling your heart, pick up Secrets of the Blue Moon today…and read it with the lights on tonight. Go to www(dot)janheidrichrice(dot)com to order.
Last week, my debut novel, SECRETS OF THE BLUE MOON, hit the shelves, and I had my first book signing. (Thank you, Switzer Library in Marietta, Georgia. What a lovely event!)
Like many writers, I’d rather be writing than talking about writing. In fact, selling is one of my least favorite things in the world to do.
Off the bat, I scared potential customers away at the signing with what I thought was a simple, well-crafted question:
“Do you like ghost stories?”
My roadie and publicist sat nearby. For the sake of disclosure, please note that I’m sleeping with him. Not that that earns me the right to throw shade on his suggestion, which was to pose alternative questions, like:
“Do you enjoy mysteries?” or “What kind of books do you like to read?”
Okay. I hate to admit it, but he was right. The fact that he’s also my husband makes that extra tough. But the thing is, when I took his advice, people did stick around a wee bit longer.
So let me say it again. He was right. My book is not just a ghost story. It’s contemporary book club fiction about a woman who grapples to overcome fears, deal with past regrets, and regain a sense of purpose and faith. Set in a small town with quaint shops and quirky characters, it is a mystery, but it also provides a few laughs and raises questions about the world around us and how we fit in.
That said, the book is a ghost story. So in honor of Friday the 13th, I’d like to point out thirteen reasons why ghost stories are da bomb. In fact, they’re good for the heart, and here’s why:
1. Ghost stories tap into our fears, and a healthy dose of fear historically kept us physically safe.
2. Ghostlore provides a fun adrenaline rush of terror and dread, yet we can walk away when we feel the need to regain a sense of control.
3. Ghost stories help us develop empathy, providing a way for us to experience loss and sorrow (and horror and more) in a safe way.
4. Ghostly tales serve as a metaphor to help us learn more about life. They can help us examine our thoughts and feelings on social conditions like loneliness and isolation.
5. Stories of things that go bump in the night allow us to escape the everyday.
6. Ghost stories distract us from all sorts of universal fears such as war, financial woes, climate change, social injustice, health problems, betrayals…and so much more.
7. Ghostlore allows us to explore our fear of the unknown (like the supernatural and the afterlife) in a cathartic way.
8. Ghost stories allow us to engage with our inner child, to reconnect with the thrill of a quickened heartbeat and heightened senses.
9. Stories of ghosts can help us to build emotional resilience.
10. Because most civilizations share ghost stories, these tales provide cultural connections.
11. Ghostly tales can move us closer to one another, like when we grasp for someone else’s hand under the spell of a ghostly tale shared by a crackling fire.
12. Ghostlore provides a way to help us explain the unexplainable.
13. Ghost stories represent storytelling at its very best. And that, my friend, is about as good as it gets.
So…here’s an idea. Why not tuck a ghost story at the top of your books-to-read pile for fall?
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Secrets of the Blue Moon celebrates family, friendship, and small-town Southern living. It’s sprinkled with gentle humor and mystery and ghosts that don’t want to let the past go. At times a bit grisly, it deals with topics including loss, self-harm, and death. Yet at its core, it is an uplifting story of hope, resilience, and redemption. Please order it through your favorite book store or by going to my website. Or get a signed copy on the spot at one of my events.
Not every book is for every reader. And you know what? That’s okay.
But can we hone down on the topic of book reviews?
As an introvert, I enjoy writing a whole lot more than talking about my writing. Even more awkward is asking for reviews. That’s about as pleasant as learning I need a root canal.
Yet with millions of new books coming out each year, writers need reviews. Algorithms, baby. Algorithms. But readers benefit from thoughtful reviews, too. Some things to consider:
What do readers get from book reviews?
Book reviews can help link like-minded readers to books they’re more likely to enjoy.
Writing reviews gives readers a voice. (Fingers crossed for a thoughtful, not hate-filled voice.)
Reading reviews can save readers time in making an informed decision on what to read next. (Why pick up a rom-com if you prefer literary historical fiction?)
Writing a review provides a way for a reader to support a writer without spending a dime. Sometimes I write reviews on books I got on loan from the library or as gifts. It’s my way of being a good literary citizen and saying “thank you” to the writer.
What do authors get from book reviews?
Book reviews (yikes! – even the negative ones) can help an author get noticed. Of course, positive reviews can boost a writer’s self-confidence and creativity.
Reviews can help a writer know what resonates about their work with readers.
Reviews lend to an author’s credibility.
Authors are businesspeople. Whether just starting out or having already achieved bestseller status, they need reviews to drive sales. This applies to traditionally and self-published authors in hardback, paperback, audiobook, and/or eBook. In this digital world, reviews drive sales.
So…what exactly is a book review?
A review is not a master’s thesis or a synopsis. It can be short, as in one sentence. I loved this book! Of course, a little more depth can make a review more meaningful to others.
I came across a three-sentence review formula and tested it out with the delightful NEENA LEE IS SEEING THINGS by Sheila Athens. (I shared a longer review of this in my April 2024 newsletter.)
Sentence One: Recap of story and genre.
Meet Neena Lee, a travel writer who’s approached for help by the ghost of JFK Jr. in this blend of contemporary fiction sprinkled with history and magical realism…and a pinch of romance.
Sentence Two: Share three to five things you liked about the book.
I enjoyed (1) how fifty-something Neena Lee overcomes grief and anxiety and agism by pushing beyond her comfort zones, (2) the charming ghost story, (3) the lush descriptions of Cumberland Island, (4) reliving parts of history through a fictional character’s eyes.
Sentence Three: Tell who else might like the book (in general terms) or perhaps share a comparable title.
If you enjoy fiction about characters confronting personal demons, rising above difficult times, and learning the art of self-forgiveness, this one’s for you.
Bonus: Add an optional headline; it may be all the reader stops long enough to read.
Enchanting ghost story…and so much more.
Some thoughts on star ratings:
Maybe you’ve heard it said that no one should earn a five of five star-rating (the BEST) unless they walk on water. That’s one viewpoint.
Another comes from a writer friend of mine, who points out that writers love their five-star ratings, so why not? (The write-up itself carries more weight than the number of stars, in her mind.)
Yet another writer friend never gives five-star ratings to writers she knows lest Amazon (or other review sites) think she’s playing favorites.
I can see points to each of the above. Personally, I used to practice a tough-love approach to reviewing, but these days I work more from a mindset of abundance. I rarely post books I’d rate three. Books I’d rate two or one are pretty much moot as I rarely finish them. Life is too short to read books that aren’t my jam. Same goes for sharing on-line snits over books I don’t like. Life. Is. Short.
But that’s me. You need to do you.
A final note:
If you’re ready to share a review, please remember to post to all the places that might help a reader find a book to enjoy. Consider Amazon, BookBub, Goodreads, or wherever you purchased the book. Cutting and pasting the same review to multiple sites is not just acceptable, it’s thoughtful.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering what to do if a friend writes a book you don’t care for...
Be honest but kind with your words. Smile. Maybe say, “Congratulations; I’m happy for you.” (Note: If you’re famous for your snarky tone, maybe find a Plan B?)
Just a thought here—okay, make that several thoughts—from a debut novelist.
Here’s wishing you many happy (or scary or sweet or poignant or whatever-you’re-looking-for) pages to come! Thanks for reading.
