Happy October, readers! Thank you to everyone who entered the Just Love Prints giveaway and congratulations to our winner, Stephanie.

What’s in this Edition:

Every Story Starts At the Beginning – Updates for Stars in the Storm

October Book Signings – Two Upcoming Events

Releasing in October– Other authors’ new releases I’m most excited about.

Every Story Starts At the Beginning

Note: If you have not read Larksong Legacy Books 1-3, you may want to scroll past this section to avoid spoilers.

If you missed the news last month, Stars in the Storm, the final book in the Larksong Legacy series, releases February 9, 2025.

The story is about 50% drafted at this point and hopefully scheduled to be with my beta readers by December 1. Many details related to the last half are still up in the air, but I think the first half is in pretty good shape. However, as most authors know, writing the first chapter can be one of the most challenging; therefore, I would love to hear what you think. The first chapter as it currently stands is included below. Thank you in advance for your feedback!

Stars in the Storm Chapter 1 (Unedited)

Alice Ann Owens Lark remembered everything. Why she left her husband, Cade, and baby daughter, Julep. Why she stayed away. Why she would never be welcomed back should she choose to return, which she never would.

Alice Ann remembered everything; as much as she tried not to, she had no choice. Like her sister Coraline’s Gift for translation, Alice Ann’s perfect memory had appeared without warning, and for all the future she could see, there was no way to rid herself of it. From today’s first blink until she breathed her last, these horrid memories would always be with her.

Throughout their short marriage, Cade had often asked, “Are you happy, Alice Ann?”

In the beginning, she would laugh and lightly smack his arm. “Of course, you idiot.” But as time wore on, as her dissatisfaction with her mediocre husband grew, her responses held more hostility than joking affection. “How can you be happy in such a dismal place?” she had seethed. “There is nothing here for us. You have no ambition, no sense of adventure. If only you would let us sail away, then perhaps I could be happy.”

“Larksong is my home, Alice Ann,” he would reply. “Our family is here.”

“I’m your family, too! I’m your wife! Don’t I matter?”

“Of course, but everyone else matters, too.”

That was always where their quarrel ended. He would leave the house for his brothers’ or the fields or play with Julep to avoid further confrontation. Often, she considered telling him the truth behind her request, that it wasn’t only her sailor’s dreams that drove her, but there seemed little point in it. Whether she was Gifted or not, he would never leave Larksong, no matter how many arguments she threw his way.

Eventually, to her relief, he stopped asking. That was how she knew her time in Larksong was truly at an end. After penning Cade a letter she knew he would never forgive, she left it and her two-year-old daughter with Coraline. There on the Pacific shore, Julep snuggled into her blind aunt’s lap, finally asleep after her tiny fingers had shoveled sand into her mouth for the fifth time that hour. Small clumps of saliva-laced granules still stuck to her dress and her sticky hands, a baby trait Alice Ann would never find endearing.

“This is selfish,” Coraline had scolded, while cradling the child close.

“No, Cora,” Alice Ann told her, “This is the least selfish thing I’ve ever done. All my life, I’ve only looked out for myself, and you looked out for me. I was a bad sister, bad daughter, bad wife, bad mother. I’m the only one in our family who deserved to go blind, but I didn’t. You’re going to let me do this one good deed and take a little of the burden off your shoulders, since I know I placed so much of it there. Tomorrow, hopefully, I’ll be the best of everything everyone wanted.”

“This isn’t what we want,” her sister had begged; however, Alice Ann still walked away.

A year later, she had no sea-faring prospects and was living on her last dime. But she wouldn’t go back. Couldn’t. Didn’t deserve to, didn’t want to. Life was as she told Cora; she was a bad sister, bad daughter, bad wife, bad mother. The unwelcome memories—what she now referred to as memory moments—hadn’t stopped, but she would rather be alone and tortured in her mind than beg for forgiveness. Cade still had Julep and his family. That was who he truly wanted anyway. That was why he refused to sail away with her time and time again.

Are you happy now? she often asked herself. Now that you’ve gone?

She should have been happy then. She was certainly not happy now, and never would be.

All around her, the Ghost Forest’s barren trees rose from the stagnant waters before Washington’s mountainous splendor, their juxtaposition the perfect metaphor to all she was. Alone and broken, yet surrounded by beauty. Longing for home, yet resigned to shame and regret as her only companions, the only ones she deserved after all she had done…or considered doing. The intense nature of her frequent reminiscences was punishment enough, without peering into the eyes of all those she had wronged.

No one would come here. No one would want to. Not even Garrett could find her if he tried. He had never been able to find another one of their kind.

A ramshackle hut became her home, her wedding ring the last page of her desolate story. A place where she could open her mind to the Gift of her memories. Where she could scream and no one would hear.

Get More Info on Stars in the Storm.

Catch Up with the Rest of the Series.

October Book Signings

As a reminder, if you live near St. Louis, Missouri, there are two events in October where I will be selling and signing books with fellow author, Susan Laspe. If you already have copies of our books, feel free to bring them by for signing and to pick up some swag. Hope to see you there!

St. Joseph Cottleville School Craft Fair

October 12, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

1355 Motherhead Rd, Saint Charles, MO 63304

Ursuline Academy Holiday Boutique

October 13, 2024 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

341 S. Sappington Road, Saint Louis, MO 63122

Releasing in October

Need another read? Here are the new releases I’m excited about:

1. Specters in the Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright – Dual timeline to solve a series of murders by the “Butterfly Butcher” in Prohibition-era Wisconsin
2. Cocktails Before Midnight by Tanya E. Williams – The third book in the 1920s Hotel Hamilton series and my absolute favorite so far.
3. Sadie’s Star by Colleen Marie – Young adult novel of dark secrets and spirit bears in the Redwood Hills
4. One Must Die by Candice Pedraza Yamnitz, Amber Lambda, Sarah Everest, Claire Kohler, Lydia Mae, and C.C. Urie – In a contest of untold wealth for its winner, one contestant always has to die
5. Before You Came Along by Sarah Whitley – Coming of age novel about choosing love over perfection and doing the right thing in the face of opposition

Want to know what I’m currently reading? Follow me on GoodReads.

Did you know reviews help both readers and authors? Even one sentence is enough, and every word greatly appreciated. Consider leaving a rating on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, and/or your favorite retailer!

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Until next month, happy reading!

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Kelsey

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Purchase signed copies of my books: kelseygietl.com

Due to variability in social media algorithms, the best way to receive this newsletter is through e-mail. If you were directed to this site via social media or a search engine, you can subscribe to updates by entering your e-mail on the Contact page. E-mail addresses are never sold or distributed. You may unsubscribe at any time.

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Welcome back to the Extra Edition newsletter! I’m excited to bring you bonus content each month with a special inside look at my novels and the history behind them.

What’s in this Edition:

What would you like to see next? – Share your thoughts!

Mark Twain, Antiques, and Geostorms – My Adventures at Mark Twain Lake

Reviewing Sparks with Author Erin Lewis

What would you like to see next?

As a reminder, I am still collecting responses for the survey below regarding serialized articles in my Extra Edition newsletter. I’ve included several suggested topics in the form below, along with an area to write in your own ideas. And if you’re not interested in these types of articles, I appreciate that feedback as well. All responses are anonymous. Thank you in advance!

Let me know what you’d like to see next.

Mark Twain, Antiques, and Geostorms

Last weekend, my husband and I took the kids for our first family camping trip to Mark Twain Lake near Hannibal, Missouri. It was so peaceful being out in the quiet of the woods, away from the hustle of the city. It had been over 15 years since I last went camping, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had a wonderful time and am already looking forward to our next adventure.

One of my favorite parts was when we went down to the lake at night to see the stars. Due to the full moon, there weren’t as many visible as there normally would have been, but also due to the full moon, the lake was super bright. This reminded me of a scene in my upcoming novel, Stars in the Storm, where the characters encounter a geomagnetic storm on September 1, 1859. Known as a Carrington event, it created auroras (Northern Lights) visible across the United States and even as far south as Mexico. The electric fields of the storm were so strong that they disrupted telegraph lines in both North America and Europe. Due to their heightened brightness, many of the northwestern gold miners thought morning had arrived and started getting ready for the day, only to realize they had hours left to sleep. While my family didn’t see any auroras on our camping trip, you can see in the photo below how bright 10 p.m. was.

While there, we also had the opportunity to indulge my historical side by visiting Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)’s birthplace in Florida, MO and several antique stores in nearby Perry, MO (population 600). If you ever have a chance to visit Lick Creek Antiques, do so.

Reviewing Sparks with Author Erin Lewis

Author Erin Lewis included the quote above from St. Pope John Paul II in her review of Sparks Fly Upward and it perfectly describes the theme of this novel. Keep reading for Erin’s full review. Thank you, Erin!

“Sparks Fly Upward is a gritty historical fiction story that continues the journey of the Lark brothers. Tackling dark subject matter, this is a novel for adults, as it shines a light on the depravity of slavery in many forms. The historical notes at the end of the story show the author’s care and research as she addresses these challenging problems through engaging fiction, and I appreciate an author who dares to do so.

The writing style is tight and engaging, keeping the reader interested in what happens next. Protagonist Garrett Lark has made despicable mistakes, and seeing his transformation over the course of this series reminds us that hope is there and God will always welcome us back if we repent. The idea that sin itself is a form of deep slavery is an underlying theme, and as I finished reading, I found myself contemplating the events of the book in light of the quote from Pope Saint John Paul II: “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.” The reader cannot help but root for hardheaded Garrett as he comes to learn this truth.

The other forms of slavery covered in this book are the slavery present in the American South in the 1850s (the period in which this book is set) and human trafficking. Even amidst some supernatural and unrealistic elements of this fictional tale, the plot drives home the truth that traffickers will prey on the vulnerable and impoverished, especially those with weak or ruptured family ties. The five brothers’ support of each other despite their past conflicts is an antidote to the sorrow of the broken families we see in this book. Lest the reader be dismayed by the raw depravity, it is not portrayed graphically at any point, and most of the well-developed characters come to a happy ending even though many will carry physical and emotional scars. Martha, one of the most compelling characters, shows quiet strength, grace, and reliance on God through all her trials, from her former life as a slave into freedom and back into a new form of slavery. Her past allows her to relate to the members of Sterling’s circus in a unique way.

The story also gives a glimpse into how power and control can corrupt and the level of arrogance one can achieve if relying on that power as his source instead of God. Villain Ashley Sterling is a tragic example of the lengths one will go to in order to retain control and the hopelessness of a soul enslaved by self-inflicted sin. The backdrop of his post-goldrush San Francisco circus with its sinister hidden side is an apt setting.

One of my favorite scenes was of Garrett and his brother Cade late at night in the church in Charleston. Their conversation there and the reconciliation that had been building through the story was beautifully accomplished.

The only thing I really didn’t like was a revelation about the Lark brothers’ mother towards the end and youngest son Cade’s reaction to it, although Josiah’s response shows the reader that this situation is not condoned or glorified. The plot and characters kept me reading—I finished the book in under a week, and the ending leaves readers with a new mystery the family will need to tackle in the next book.”

Erin writes gritty and inspiring Catholic Christian fiction. Her first novel, Firetender, won 2024 CMA book awards for First Time Author of a Novel and Catholic Novel. Make sure to keep up with her on Substack.

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Until next month, happy reading!

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Kelsey

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Purchase signed copies of my books: kelseygietl.com

Due to variability in social media algorithms, the best way to receive this newsletter is through e-mail. If you were directed to this site via social media or a search engine, you can subscribe to updates by entering your e-mail on the Contact page. E-mail addresses are never sold or distributed. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Follow me on:

COPYRIGHT © KELSEY GIETL 2024