Welcome to the WordCrafter “Midnight Garden” Book Blog Tour
Posted: October 7, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Blog Tour, Books, Dark fiction, Giveaways, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "The Seagull Man", Anthology, M.J. Mallon, Midnight Garden, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press 25 Comments
It’s day 1 of the WordCrafter Midnight Garden Book Blog Tour, and we’ve got a great tour scheduled with with guest posts and readings from contributing authors at every stop, and a fantastic giveaway, so stick with us.
Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow is the annual WordCrafter anthology, and book 2 of the Midnight dark fiction anthology series. This year’s winning story is “The Seagull Man”, by M.J. Mallon. Also featured are stories by contributing authors Paul Kane, Ell Rodman, DL Mullan, Joseph Carrabis, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Paul Martz, Denise Aparo, Jon Shannon, Julie Jones, Abe Margel, Robb T. White, Molly Ertel, Zack Elafy, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Kaye Lynne Booth, and Alex Constance.
About Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow
17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest Midnight Garden… if you dare.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/MidnightGardenAnthology
Giveaway
Three lucky winners will receive a digital copy of Midnight Garden in a random drawing following the tour. All you have to do to enter is follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop that you visit.
If you miss a stop, you can go back and visit through the links in the schedule below. (Links won’t work until the stop goes live).
Schedule
Monday – October 7 – M.J. Mallon: Interview & Reading from “The Seagull Man” – Writing to be Read
Tuesday – October 8 – Danaeka Scrimshaw: Inspiration for “The Fae Game” & Denise Aparo: Reading from “Jack Moon & the Vanishing Book” – Roberta Writes
Wednesday – October 9 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Last Drop” & Inspiration for “Striders” – Paul Martz
Thursday – October 10 – Paul Martz: Reading & Inspiration for “The Blackest Ink” – Writing to be Read
Friday – October 11 – Molly Ertel: Inspiration Reading from “Antipenultimate” & Abe Margel: Inspiration for “My Balance” – Kyrosmagica
Saturday – October 12 – Paul Kane: Inspiration for “Drip Feed” & Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “Grande Ture” – Undawnted
Sunday – October 13 – DL Mullan: Reading from “Kurst” & Ell Rodman: Inspiration for “The Drummer” – BookPlaces
Monday – October 14 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Exchange” & Inspiration for “The Tomb”) – Writing to be Read
Today’s stop features an interview with the author of the winning story, M.J. Mallon, and an excerpt reading from “The Seagull Man”.
Interview
M.J.: Thank you so much Kaye for such wonderful questions and for featuring me.
Kaye: What inspired you to enter the WordCrafter 2024 Short Fiction Contest?
I enjoy being part of anthologies especially around Halloween time when I can flex my dark fiction tendencies. And the bonus of winning, which this time I did, is so inspiring!
Kaye: What inspired your story entry, “The Seagull Man”?
M.J.: Bird and people watching! I’ve witnessed four curious bird episodes, three with seagulls, either acting strange or amusing and one more recently with a large swan and pigeons being fed by a curious-looking man. Getting back to the seagull story that inspired me, I saw a man surrounded by seagulls who appeared to be dressed like them. They flocked around him, obsessively, camouflaging him, and then followed him when he drove off on his bike. He disappeared with them, as if he was one of them, dressed in seagull colours of white and grey.
Kaye: Where were you when you received the news that your story had been chosen as the winner?
M.J.: I was in Tavira, Portugal, enjoying the June sunshine. Imagine my delight to hear that I was the winner. An excuse for some celebratory wine, some vinho verde!
Kaye: You’re a YA author. In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between YA and adult fiction? Why do you choose to write for young adults?
M.J.: With YA fiction, you must have the right mindset, a youthful one. And be mindful of the audience you are writing for. So, I include mental health, etc, trigger warnings, (mild ones, albeit.) I am currently writing book three in the series and there is one creepy scene, (which I’ve had some concerns about. How far is it okay to go?) How much do I include for a younger readership? What is acceptable? Whereas, if you write for adults, there are fewer restrictions in that way. I write YA because I have a young mindset, and I like to keep as youthful in mind and body as I can.
Kaye: What is the biggest reward you get from your writing?
M.J.: The readership, when you get feedback that your writing means different things to different people. No one has the same opinion. And when someone truly gets your story and relates to what you are trying to portray that is the biggest reward.
Kaye: How does your love of crystals play a role in your writing?
M.J.: I collect crystals have done for years. My first was a malachite, which is a green crystal and a stone of transformation! Crystals are a crucial part of the Curse of Time series, Bloodstone and Golden Healer, and will also be in the third book, still to be named. Crystals are magical! The main protagonist, Amelina, learns about her magical ancestry and how to wield magic to protect her family and her friend Esme, the vulnerable mental health protagonist, the mirror girl, from harm.
Kaye: Books 1 & 2 of your Curse of Time series are Bloodstone and Golden Healer, respectively. Would you like to tell about this series?
M.J.: The story setting is Cambridge, England, where I used to live.
It is inspired by:
The Corpus Christi Chronophage clock on King’s parade and its three creatures: the grasshopper, the mythological midsummer fly, and the dragon, (invented by Dr. John C. Taylor, OBE who I had the pleasure of meeting!)
Juniper Artland’s sculptural park, crystal grotto, (crafted by artist Anya Gallaccio,) in Wilkieston, near Edinburgh, Scotland.
It is a light (crystal magic,) and dark tale of a girl’s transformation, her discovery of who she is, who she can trust and how to cure her father of a debilitating aging curse. As the series continues, the storyline of all the characters evolves. In this process, we learn more about the antagonist, Ryder, who is a dark demon, a shadow sorcerer, with a creepy panther. And book three has the extraordinary dragon clock timepiece! A dragon like one you have never met before!
Kaye: In addition to your novels, you’ve had stories published in several short fiction anthologies, including Nightmareland, in which I also have a story featured. (I didn’t realize that until I visited your author page on Amazon.) What is your preference: writing fiction in short or long form? Why?
M.J.: Yes, I began writing short fiction horror/dark fiction through the training ground of Nightmareland!
My preference… long form is so rewarding when I write that final chapter. I always feel such a sense of accomplishment. But it is so difficult in its production, because of its size, the sheer volume of the project. And a series is even harder.
Short form is easier to get to the nugget of the story. I love that about short form. Both are wonderful. I’m not sure which I prefer… I love them both, but for different reasons!
Kaye: If you could meet and talk with one literary figure, dead or alive, who would it be? Why?
M.J.: Ah, just one? Oscar Wilde, as I’d love to ask him about his portrayal of Dorian Grey, in the Picture of Dorian Gray. The antagonist, Ryder, in the Curse of time series was based on him. Dorian’s narcissistic vanity, his longing for beauty, for youth, his charm, and his excesses that is Ryder.
Reading from “The Seagull Man” by M.J. Mallon
Midnight Garden Book Trailer
Excerpt From “The Peddler”, by Alex Constance
Excerpt From “Fire Sale at the Burdock Family Business”, by Robb T. White
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Wrapping up the WordCrafter “Tales From the Hanging Tree” Book Blog Tour
Posted: September 13, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Release, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Horror, Paranormal, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Anthology, Blog Tour, Books, Fantasy, Science Fiction 10 Comments
Tour Schedule
Monday Sept. 9 – Writing to be Read – Reading Excerpt by Joseph Carrabis & Guest Sylva Fae
Tuesday Sept. 10 – Roberta Writes – Guest Kaye Lynne Booth
Wednesday Sept. 11 – Carla Reads – Guest C.R. Johansson
Thursday Sept. 12 – Undawnted – Guest Paul Kane
Friday Sept. 13 – Writing to be Read – Reading Excerpt by Dl Mullan & Guest Matt Usher
The Giveaway
Follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop you visit to let us know you were there and earn an entry in the giveaway for a free digital copy of Tales From the Hanging Tree.
About Tales From the Hanging Tree
Tales from the Hanging Tree is a wonderfully dark, themed anthology which revolves around an ephemeral and timeless hanging tree that absorbs the memories of all hanging victims. This WordCrafter Press anthology was created by invitation only and includes stories from authors Kaye Lynne Booth, Paul Kane, DL Mullan, C.R. Johansson, Joseph Carrabis, Sylva Fae, and Matt Usher.
Book Trailer
Inspiration for Death for Sale, by Matt Usher
Hanging is harder than it looks. In media, you’re more likely to find your average strangulation hanging. This belies a long history of hanging development. Strangulation is more of an amateur, homespun kind of hanging. Many works in this collection consider this to great effect. Others prefer the cleaner solutions. They both have their appeal.
The history of hanging, dating back to at least Homer, converges in different nations to a common point of development. An odd form of mercy: you see, there’s the short drop, the medium drop, and the long drop of the famed “long drop, short stop”. This is because the merciful version of the art of hanging causes death by cervical fracture long before the patient can enjoy asphyxia. Cleaner that way. No risk of having to watch the hanged make a drama out of the proceedings.
The body’s weight does all the work, leaving the executioner to the simple task of pulling a lever. The English, masters of execution that they were, with a long, long history of hanging innocents, had it down to an exact science. The solution is to make a table that compares the soon to be departed’s height and weight to an array of possible drop distances. This was, of course, to avoid the chances of decapitation with a too-long drop, or a drawn-out death by a too-short one. Jolly humanism at its finest. Wouldn’t want to cause a mess. Unless you happen to fall athwart the long history of botched hangings. But hey, you can’t get it right all the time.
You’ll find plenty to learn about the history and morbid dynamics of hanging in this collection. In my own contribution that takes place in the near future, despite everything I’ve said, I’ve opted for a traditional death by strangulation. It just has that particular frisson. Makes your skin crawl. Others have plumped for the quick and painless style. Why be shy about it when you’re spoiled for choice? So much for the how of hanging; this anthology explores why. Even the Hanging Tree has its reasons.
About Matt Usher
Matt Usher is an agender creature in the big city. Before this, they had no other fiction publications. They write as a critic at Compulsive Reader. They cherish a love of the music of language and a polycule who are the dearest people in their life.
They are the strange sort of being that makes spreadsheets for fun. This is often in service of automatic calculations and data storage for traditional roleplaying games, their most important hobby. Collaborative creativity is one of their most valued things.
They play bass and trumpet, like pro wrestling, and write extremely nerdy poetry. They are immensely neurodivergent and rather queer.
Excerpt from “12 Angry Dead”, by DL Mullan
About DL Mullan
DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology. Her lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lecture invitations. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, Ms. Mullan’s artistic renditions are seen on book covers, blog sites, and various merchandise. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate the way she perceives the creative arts.
As a writer, DL Mullan loves to stretch her imagination and the elasticity of genres. She writes complex multigenre stories in digestible and entertaining forms, be it poetry, short fiction, or novels. Her science, history, mythology, and paranormal research background is woven into her writings, especially in Undawnted’s Legacy Universe. Ms. Mullan’s creative endeavors are available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. She is also an award-winning poet.
Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at http://www.undawnted.com.
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That wraps up this stop and the WordCrafter Tales From the Hanging Tree Book Blog Tour. Thank you all for hanging around with us, and thanks to the contributors of the anthology for all their promotional efforts for this tour. Be sure to use the schedule above to go back and visit any stops that you missed, and don’t forget to comment so I know you were there and can enter you in the drawing for the giveaway. I’ll leave this open through the weekend and announce the winners in this month’s “WordCrafter News” on Monday, the 30th, so be watching for that. After all, you might be a winner!
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Day 4 of the WordCrafter “Tales From the Hanging Tree” Book Blog Tour
Posted: September 12, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Book Release, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | Tags: "The Hanging Men", Anthology, Dark fiction, Paul Kane, Tales from the Hanging Tree, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 2 CommentsToday we’re all ‘hanging around’ over at Undawnted for Day 4 of the WordCrafter Tales of the Hanging Tree Book Blog Tour with a guest post by contributing author Paul Kane about his story, “The Hanging Men”. Join us. (Please leave any comments here on Writing to be Read, as Undawnted is not comment enabled.)
http://www.undawnted.com/2024/09/paul-kanes-hanging-men-from.html
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Welcome to the WordCrafter “Tales From the Hanging Tree” Book Blog Tour
Posted: September 9, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Books, Dark fiction, Ghost Stories, Guest Post, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Anthology, C.R. Johansson, DL Mullan, Joseph Carrabis, Kaye Lynne Booth, Matt Usher, Paul Kane, Sylva Fae, Tales from the Hanging Tree, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press 7 CommentsWelcome to the opening day of the WordCrafter Tales From the Hanging Tree Book Blog Tour. We have a great tour planned, with guest posts and readings from contributing authors, and a great giveaway where you could win a free digital copy of this dark fiction anthology.
Tour Schedule
Monday Sept. 9 – Writing to be Read – Reading Excerpt by Joseph Carrabis & Guest Sylva Fae
Tuesday Sept. 10 – Roberta Writes – Guest Kaye Lynne Booth
Wednesday Sept. 11 – Carla Reads – Guest C.R. Johansson
Thursday Sept. 12 – Undawnted – Guest Paul Kane
Friday Sept. 13 – Writing to be Read – Reading Excerpt by DL Mullan & Guest Matt Usher
The Giveaway
Follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop you visit to let us know you were there and earn an entry in the giveaway for a free digital copy of Tales From the Hanging Tree.
About Tales From the Hanging Tree
There exists a tree that is timeless, spanning across all dimensions, which absorbs every life as those who are hanged as they die… and it remembers every one. The stories within are a select few of the Tales From the Hanging Tree.
Tales from the Hanging Tree is a wonderfully dark, themed anthology which revolves around an ephemeral and timeless hanging tree that absorbs the memories of all hanging victims. This WordCrafter Press anthology was created by invitation only and includes stories from authors Kaye Lynne Booth, Paul Kane, DL Mullan, C.R. Johansson, Joseph Carrabis, Sylva Fae, and Matt Usher.
Reading from “Mercy”, by Joseph Carrabis
About Joseph Carrabis
Joseph Carrabis told stories to anyone who would listen starting in childhood, wrote his first stories in grade school, and started getting paid for his writing in 1978. He’s been everything from a long-haul trucker to a Chief Research Scientist and holds patents covering mathematics, anthropology, neuroscience, and linguistics. After patenting a technology which he created in his basement and creating an international company, he retired from corporate life and now he spends his time writing fiction based on his experiences. His work appears regularly in several anthologies and his own published novels. You can learn more about him at https://josephcarrabis.com.
Inspiration for “The Devil’s Mark” by Sylva Fae
I am an author from Lancashire, England, and my maiden name was Jan Southworth – both of these facts are quite relevant to finding inspiration for the story.
Salmesbury Hall, a beautiful stately home in Lancashire, in the north of England, was originally built for the Southworth family, (one of the oldest families in the country) who resided there between 1325 and 1678. The house has a chequered past, which includes religious persecution, betrayal, witchcraft and murder. From being a young child, I was fascinated to read the history of my ancestors, the lords and ladies, saints and witches, but in particular about the women accused of witchcraft.
Jane Southworth was one of three women tried for maleficium, causing harm by witchcraft, in the Lancashire Witch Trials of 1612. The family was split at the Reformation, with one half staying Roman Catholic and the other half, including Jane and her husband, converting to the Protestant Church. There were strong disagreements, and when Jane’s husband was disinherited, her father-in-law spread rumours of her being a witch. Later, Jane and two others, were accused of witchcraft by a child named Grace Sowerbutts. Grace gave evidence at trial of witnessing the women shapeshifting into dogs, meeting with demonic creatures in the woods at night and murdering and eating a child. The accused women beseeched Grace to tell of who had coached her, and when cross-examined, it came out that she had been told what to say by Sir Christopher Southworth, a Jesuit priest. Thankfully, the evidence was thrown out and the women were acquitted, but sadly this was not always the case.
The themes of innocent women being accused of witchcraft, merely because they were deemed different or troublesome, seemed the perfect basis for the Hanging Tree anthology story. My story is purely fictional, but uses research taken from real trials and the ridiculous reasons some of these women were accused of witchcraft. I also like to see justice served, but you’ll have to read the story to find out how this happens in The Devil’s Mark.
About Sylva Fae
Sylva Fae is a married mum of three from Lancashire, England. She grew up in a rambling old farmhouse with an artistic family and an adopted bunch of dysfunctional animals. Her earliest memories are of bedtime stories snuggled up close to Mum to see the pictures. It was a magical time, those last special moments before dozing off to sleep would feed dreams of faraway lands and mystical beings. She spent twenty plus years teaching literacy to adults with learning difficulties and disabilities and now lives in Cheshire, juggling being a mum, writing children’s stories and keeping up with the crazy antics of their naughty rabbits.
Sylva and her family own a small woodland and escape there at every possible opportunity. Adventures in their own enchanted woodland, hunting for fairies and stomping in puddles, originally inspired Sylva to write stories for her girls. Whether it’s sat at the campfire in her own woods, or pottering around the beautiful local countryside, Sylva now finds her story inspiration being out in nature.
Sylva published her first children’s book Rainbow Monsters, in 2017. She has since published seventeen other children’s picture books, three chapter books, five illustrated anthologies, and has several short stories published in other anthologies. Three of her books have won Best in Category for children’s books at the Chanticleer International Book Awards and she’s won ten Reader’s Choice Awards. In addition to writing her own, Sylva has ghost written several books, and is an editor and writer for Connections eMagazine.
Links
Amazon author.to/SylvaFae
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SylvaFae
TikTok @sylvafae54
Instagram @sylvafae
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That wraps up today’s stop on the WordCrafter Tales From the Hanging Tree Book Blog Tour. Follow the tour through links in the schedule above and leave a comment for a chance to win a free digital copy of the book. Tomorrow we’ll be over at Roberta Writes, where I will be Robbie Cheadle’s guest. So be sure to join us there, where I’ll share my inspiration for this dark anthology.
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WordCrafter News: September Release
Posted: August 26, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Release, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter News, WordCrafter Press 2 Comments
Tales From the Hanging Tree: Imprints of Tragedy
To be released September 10. Join us for the book blog tour September 9-13 and help us launch this anthology right.
Seven authors bring you eight deliciously dark tales. Featuring the short fiction of Kaye Lynne Booth, Paul Kane, DL Mullan, C.R. Johansson, Joseph Carrabis, Sylva Fae, and Matt Usher.
If trees could talk…
An ephemeral tree with its roots buried in the fabric of time absorbs the memories and emotions of all hanging victims. Within these bindings, you’ll find their tragically dark tales of be bigotry and bias, curses and deception.
Warning: There are no happy endings.
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Day 7 of the WordCrafter My Backyard Friends Book Blog Tour
Posted: July 21, 2024 Filed under: Animals, Blog Tour, Book Release, Book Review, Books, Children's Books, Fiction, Interview, Review, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home, Kaye Lynne Booth, My Backyard Friends series, Robbie Cheadle, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 2 Comments
Drop by Undawnted for Day 7 of the WordCrafter My Backyard Friends Book Blog Tour, where you can meet Charlie Chickadee in a mini-interview with DL Mullan, some fun facts about Chickadees, and a review of Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home. Join us as we wind down the send off for this wonderful kid’s series, written by Kaye Lynne Booth and illustrated by Robbie Cheadle.
http://www.undawnted.com/2024/07/my-backyard-friends-meet-charlie.html
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Winners of the Wordcrafter “Sarah” Book Blog Tour Giveaway & a Reminder
Posted: May 12, 2024 Filed under: Blog Tour, Books, Fiction, Giveaways, Historical Fiction, Historical Inspiration, Western, Women in History, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Giveaway, Historical Fiction, Historical Inspiration, Kaye Lynne Booth, Sarah, Western, Women in the West, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 9 Comments
We had a great tour for Sarah: Book 2 of the Women in the West Adventure Series, although I would have liked to see a bigger turnout. I enjoyed sharing about myself and about the research and inspiration behind the book with all of you, and I may have made new friends along the way. Thanks to everyone who participated for helping me launch this wonderful book.
The Winners Are…
Each comment on the tour earned an entry in the tour giveaway and a chance to receive a free digital copy of Sarah. So without futher ado…
Drumroll Please.
The winners of the WordCrafter Sarah Book Blog Tour are…
- Author Jan Sikes
- Priscilla Bettis
- Thomastigwikman
Congratulations to the winners!
Please contact me at kayebooth@yahoo.com to receive your free digital copy of Sarah.
Reminder
Today is the last day for tour participants to get a signed print copy of Sarah: Book 2 of the Women in the West Adventure Series. This is an exclusive offer for the tour – my way of saying thanks for your support. Tomorrow it will no longer be available, so get ’em while you can!
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Day 4 of the WordCrafter “Sarah” Book Blog Tour
Posted: May 9, 2024 Filed under: Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Book Release, Books, Fiction, Giveaways, Historical Fiction, Western, Women in History, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press 16 CommentsIt’s Day 4 of the WordCrafter Sarah Book Blog Tour and I’m pleased to welcome you all back to Writing to be Read for my post on ‘Modern Medicine’ & Women’s Suffrage in the American West, and how they played a part in the book. But first, I have something special to offer today. A special thank you for dropping in and following the tour, not available anywhere else. The offer is only available through Sunday and then the PayPal button will be gone, so get your copy now.
‘Modern Medicine’ & Women’s Suffrage in the American West
As Hair of Fire, Sarah had been the acolyte of the Ute Medicine Woman. She earns her keep in Glenwood Springs by using these healing skills, which are gladly accepted by the women of the community, who are tired of being but not so well received by most of the men. They rejected her primitive heathen ways in favor of methods of ‘modern medicine’ practiced by the overpriced and overrated doctor. When I looked at what these “modern” practices consisted of, I had to wonder if the primitive methods were much more inferior.
Female Hysteria
Many of the values in the west had been handed down from the Victorian era, and women were expected to don any number of binding and uncomfortable undergarments to appear prim and proper. Respectable women and soiled doves of the higher classes were forced to wear tight-laced corsets, layers of petticoats and bustles – the former, by their husbands, and the later by their employers. It was house rules at the Old Homestead House brothel in Cripple Creek, Colorado, that ladies weren’t allowed into the parlor and entertainment areas of the house without proper corseted attire.
Corsets were binding, especially when crossed-laced and pulled tight to give the women the hourglass figure that was the trend at the time, cutting off breath, and sometimes even fracturing ribs. Most homes and brothels were furnished with at least one fainting couch, as light-headedness and fainting were common experiences for women of the day.
Men of the day attributed fainting spells and any other female behaviors they didn’t deem appropriate to female hysteria, one of the most common diagnosed illnesses for women through the 18th and 19th centuries. Fainting, headaches, backaches, anxiety, depression, infertility, and even a fondness of writing might be attributed to the ‘disorder’ of female hysteria.
There were a variety of treatments which might be prescribed for this malady, which didn’t seem to affect persons of the male gender, but was specific to the fairer sex, including rest and isolation, dietary changes, ‘hysteric hypnosis’, hydrotherapy, pelvic massage, and ‘vibratory massage’.
- The ‘rest cures’ often involved lying immobilized for extended periods of time, isolating the afflicted away from societal view indefinitely.
- The use of ‘hysteric hypnosis’ involved women being placed under hypnosis in search of past traumas as the root of the affliction.
- Cold showers, warm baths, and localized water sprays were utilized in hydrotherapy to reduce nervousness and anxiety, and restore equilibrium.
- ‘Vibratory Massage’ and Pelvic massage were the most common treatments prescribed for the treatment of hysteria. They involved manual or mechanical manipulation of the female pelvic regions, the goal being to relax the subject and release tension. Treatments were performed by male doctors on female patients, so it is not surprising that these were the most commonly prescribed. Perhaps the women probably weren’t complaining about these treatments. They may have been quite pleasant to undergo. But, when their symptoms didn’t seem to decrease with repeated treatments, you would think the men might have had second thoughts.
The Women’s Suffrage Movement
In 1887, the women’s suffrage movement was a ripple which would eventually become a huge wave across the nation, earning women the right to vote and giving them voices that demanded to be heard over time. Most women in the American West at this time were wives and mothers, or lived in their parents’ or relatives’ homes, although there were some, like my characters Lillian and her girls, or Big Nose Kate, who found themselves alone in the world after husbands or parents passed on, or chose to strike out on their own, independent of a man. With few options to make a living, many of these women were prostitutes or madams.
In the story of Sarah, it doesn’t take long for a young girl used to living among the Utes, where the women wore comfortable clothing to necessitate free movement to carry out the day-to-day tasks of tribal living to put ideas in the heads of the women of Glenwood Springs and stir them into action. To find out what happens though, you’ve got to read the book. 😉
References
“Treating Hysteria in the 19th Century: Methods and Controversies”. 19th Century Events and Developments. https://19thcentury.us/hysteria-treatment-19th-century/
“The Classification of Hysteria and Related Disorders: Historical and Phenomenal Considerations”. The National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4695775/
Baloh, Robert W. 1 December 2020. “The Golden Age of Histeria”. Spring Link. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-59181-6_3
“Overview: Medicine 1800-1899”. Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/overview-medicine-1800-1899 Cohut, Maria PhD. 13 October 2020. “The Controversy of ‘Female Hysteria’”. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/the-controversy-of-female-hysteria
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About the Book
Sarah is a young girl trying to make a place for herself in the world.
Sarah is not the young girl stolen away from Delilah anymore. Now she is Hair of Fire, mate of Three Hawks, even as she blossoms into a young woman and tries to make a place for herself among the Ute tribe.
When she is stolen away from the life she’s made, she struggles to survive in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. A streak of stubbornness and determination take this tough, feisty heroine up against wild beasts of the forest and the rugged mountain landscape to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, where she receives a less than welcoming reception by some.
Will this young woman find her way back to the Ute tribe, which she’s come to think of as family, or will she discover a place among the colorful inhabitants of the Colorado hot springs and mining town?
Follow along on her journey to learn who she truly is and where she belongs in this rough, and often hostile frontier.
If you like strong and capable female protagonists, you’ll love Sarah.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/Sarah-Women-in-the-West
About the Author
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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That wraps up today’s stop on the WordCrafter Sarah Book Blog Tour. I hope that you enjoyed learning about American frontier life in the 1880s. Join us tomorrow over on Patty’s Worlds, where Patty interviews me and reviews the book.
Don’t forget to leave a comment for an entry in the giveaway and a chance to win a free digital copy of Sarah. You can comment and enter at each stop. If you missed a stop, you can access them all from the links in the Schedule below.
Schedule
Mon. May 6 – “The Soiled Doves of the American West” – Writing to be Read
Tues. May 7 – “Utes in Glenwood Springs & the Legend of Chapita” – Roberta Writes
Wed. May 8 – Interview & Reading – Book Places
Thurs. May 9 – “‘Modern Medicine’ in the American West” – Writing to be Read
Fri. May 10 – Interview & Review – Patty’s Worlds
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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!
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Day 3 of the WordCrafter “Sarah” Book Blog Tour
Posted: May 8, 2024 Filed under: Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Book Release, Books, Fiction, Giveaways, Historical Fiction, Historical Inspiration, Interview, Western, Women in History, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Audio Reading, Author Interview, Excerpt, Historical Fiction, Kaye Lynne Booth, Sarah, Western, Women in the West, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours Leave a commentPlease join us over at Book Places for Day 3 of the WordCrafter Sarah Book Blog Tour, where host Kay Castenada interviews me, the author, Kaye Lynne Booth, and my reading of an excerpt from the book. Remember to comment for entry in the giveaway and you could get a free digital copy of the book. I hope to see you there.
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“Sarah” is Available for Pre-Order Now
Posted: April 28, 2024 Filed under: Adventure, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Book Release, Book Review, Books, Fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Historical Fiction, Western, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Big Nose Kate, Historic Fiction, Kaye Lynne Booth, Sarah, western adventure, Women in History, Women in the West, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Press 8 Comments
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/3RXlRx
Hey Everybody! Sarah, Book 2 in the Women in the West Adventure Series is available for pre-order. It will be released on May 7, 2024, but you can reserve your copy now.
And don’t miss out on the WordCrafter Sarah Book Blog Tour, May 6-10, starting right here on “Writing to be Read”, where you can learn more about the book and the series. There will be guest posts, interviews with the author, a reading, and a review. You’ll have the opportunity to check out the book trailer for Sarah, engage with the author, and a chance to win a free digital copy of the book.
