One need not come from a Jewish background to be alarmed and appalled at the recent rise of anti-Semitic rhetoric and actions, but for those of us who do, this disturbing trend has personal connotations and connections. My ancestors on my father’s side of my family tree were Polish Jews, most of whom were from Warsaw.  My grandfather wanted me to know that some of these people fought and died in the famous Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, resisting the Nazis during Germany’s occupation of Poland in World War Two.  When I hear contemporary Americans echoing the same anti-Semitic rhetoric that the Nazis used, I think about my Jewish ancestors, and I shudder. 

Although I feel repelled and deeply disappointed by the recent developments in the history of anti-Semitism in America, I feel a sense of pride in Charlotte’s history of supporting Jewish writers, such as Harry Golden. Golden spent most of his boyhood and young adult days in New York City, but in 1941 he settled permanently in Charlotte.  The next year he published a trial run of the Carolina Israelite, a newspaper intended primarily for North Carolina’s Jewish community.  It was a success, and in 1944 he began publishing the newspaper on a regular basis.  He continued to publish this paper until 1968. 

In addition to publishing his newspaper, Golden wrote numerous best-selling books, including Only in America (1958), For 2¢ Plain (1958), and Enjoy, Enjoy! (1960). These books became known for their folksy humor, but they had a serious side to them, too.  In many of his publications and public appearances, Golden spoke out against racial segregation and called for an end to the Jim Crow laws.  At the time of his death in 1981, Golden was Charlotte’s most famous writer. For Golden, Charlotte proved to be a supportive place where he could pursue his career as a writer.  One of the reasons behind Golden’s success as a Jewish writer is that he always emphasized what Jews have in common with people from other religious backgrounds.  He used his gifts as a writer to build bridges and unite people. 

Another Jewish writer from Charlotte who builds bridges is Judy Goldman. She is especially well known for her memoirs, including her recently published Child, which is about her childhood experiences as a Southern Jewish girl who was largely raised by a non-Jewish, African American woman. In many ways, Child is a true story about a relationship that transcends religious and racial divides. Judy, however, has also published books of poetry and fiction.  For more information about Judy Goldman and her books, please click on the following link:  http://judygoldman.com

The Slow Way Back, Judy Goldman’s first novel, came out in 1999, and it went on to win the Sir Walter Raleigh Fiction Award.  Thea McKee, the central character in this novel, has family roots in Charlotte’s Jewish community, but she knows little about her family history.  She is married to a non-Jewish man, and she does not think of herself as being religious.  However, when she acquires a series of eight letters written by her grandmother in the 1930s, she begins to delve into her Jewish heritage.  The letters are written in Yiddish, which she cannot read, so she arranges to have the letters translated.  In the process, she uncovers a series of family secrets that span three generations.  Although The Slow Way Back focuses on one Jewish family, it speaks to all families who harbor secrets.

I recently contacted Judy and asked her for her thoughts on being a Jewish writer.  She responded by sending me a few paragraphs, which she titled “Am I a Jewish Writer?”  Here is what she sent to me:

I suppose, since I was born into a Jewish family and I write books, I am a Jewish writer. I’m certainly not a Presbyterian writer. Or a Methodist writer. But if I’m a Jewish writer, doesn’t this mean I write about Jewish things?

What if my subject is family? Always, family. My books aim to fully and honestly examine how we connect (or disconnect, then re-connect). Does that mean I’m a Jewish writer?

The reason I’m unclear about the answer to this question is that my Jewishness is a small part of who I am. As a writer. And as a person. I don’t really identify myself as a white-haired person or a person with a Southern accent or a person who celebrates Hanukkah. That would ignore the totality of my identity.

When Mark asked me to write a little something about being a Jewish writer, I almost turned him down. But he’s Mark and his intentions are right-minded and he’s a really good guy. So I said yes. However, my yes was an equivocal yes. Because I so wish religion did not divide us, did not separate us into teams that can turn territorial. I wish nobody ever thought about whether a writer was Jewish or Presbyterian or Methodist.

I, too, wish that religion did not divide us.  As I see it, Harry Golden and Judy Goldman both teach us that we can respect religious diversity while still celebrating our common humanity.  I wish everyone in Storied Charlotte, whatever their religious background might be, a happy holiday season.

Every December I visit Park Road Books to buy books for children whom I have never met and will likely never meet. This annual ritual is tied to the Book Tree Initiative, a collaborative project involving Communities In Schools (CIS) and Park Road Books.   The CIS website includes the following description of the project:

Communities In Schools and Park Road Books in Park Road Shopping Center team up each year to give the joy of reading and books to CIS students.  A tree in Park Road Books’ store is decorated with ornaments created by our students, including the name, age, and “book wish” of a student.  Customers who select an ornament are given a 20% discount on a book purchased for the student.  It’s a wonderful way to give a new book to a child who may never have had a book of his or her own.

This week my son and I selected two ornaments from the Book Tree.  One of the ornaments was created by a girl who expressed a desire for a Sailor Moon book.  We checked out the manga section, and sure enough they had the first volume of Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi.  I bought it.  The other ornament was created by a boy who said he would like any book about the American Revolution.  My son and I took a look at the store’s collection of history books for children, and we spotted Guts & Glory:  The American Revolution by Ben Thompson.  I bought it.  After I paid for these books, I left them with the helpful cashier.  The staff at Park Road Books will make sure that the books get into the hands of the children who requested them.

For readers who want to know more about the Book Tree, please click on the following link: https://www.parkroadbooks.com/book-tree-2022 

For readers who want to know more about Communities In Schools, please click on the following link:  https://www.cischarlotte.org/about/

I am a big believer in providing children with their own books, which is why I always take a trip to the Book Tree.  I like the fact that the children who participate in this program are given an opportunity to say what book or type of book they want.  I enjoy making their “book wishes” come true.  

I wish everyone in Storied Charlotte a wonderful holiday season, and I hope that everyone’s “book wishes” all come true.   

The Charlotte Center for Literary Arts, more commonly known as Charlotte Lit, is a nonprofit arts organization, but it is also a place.  Since its founding in 2015, Charlotte Lit has aspired to provide area writers with an inviting place to take writing classes and workshops, participate in conversations and readings, and write and reflect in a space that promotes creativity and conviviality.  For more information about Charlotte Lit, please click on the following link: https://www.charlottelit.org/about/

For a number of years, Charlotte Lit found rooms of its own (to paraphrase Virginia Wolfe) in the Midwood International and Cultural Center in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood.  Recently, however, Charlotte Lit learned that it needed to find a new place to call home.  I am pleased to report that it has just relocated to a new space not far from its original location. 

I recently contacted Paul Reali, Charlotte Lit’s Co-Founder and Executive Director, and asked him for more information about Charlotte Lit’s big move. Here is what he sent to me:

Have you heard the news? Charlotte Lit is moving on down the road! Our new digs at hygge coworking’s Belmont location are only a mile from our studios at the Midwood International and Cultural Center (MICC). It’s a bright, lively space with a creative vibe and lots of free parking. And, though we weren’t exactly eager to leave MICC, team hygge’s enthusiastic welcome has made the transition easy—dare I say, even a little fun.

Strangely, moving to hygge is a little like returning to our coworking roots. Shortly after finishing a PhD in mythology, Charlotte Lit cofounder Kathie Collins found herself longing for the kind of “synergetic” community she’d experienced in graduate school, so she set out to build one. After searching long and hard for affordable space, she lucked into a beautiful, light-filled re-purposed classroom at MICC and set out her shingle as August Moon Creative Co-op. The original plan was to recruit 6-8 people to share space, rent, and creative energy. Coworking was a relatively new concept in Charlotte at the time, however. Kathie had just one taker. Me.

Fortunately, we discovered a shared passion for writing and a desire to create a literary center focused on offering the kind of creative writing classes and literature-based programming largely missing from Charlotte’s arts landscape. In early 2016, August Moon went dark and Charlotte Lit was born. Since then, we’ve built a nonprofit organization that now offers more than 100 writing classes and two dozen special events each year. We wouldn’t have been able to achieve such a feat without the foundation MICC provided us in our first six years, and we’ll remain forever grateful for the center and all the friends we made there.

Alas, times change. Development comes for all, especially in Plaza Midwood. MICC was sold in 2021, with all tenant leases ending in June 2023. We searched far and wide for affordable studio/office space with adequate parking but quickly realized Charlotte’s commercial real estate market doesn’t exactly cater to nonprofit arts organizations with limited budgets. We also realized we didn’t need to reinvent the wheel. We thrived in MICC’s collaborative environment during our first six years; perhaps coworking was the solution we had been gravitating toward all along.

At hygge coworking Belmont, we’ve found a new creative community in a central location that will allow us to continue serving a diverse cross-section of Charlotte—and all the features essential to Lit’s success: affordability, accessibility, parking, the right vibe. Best of all, we’ve found a management team dedicated to making us feel at home. When Kathie and I first met hygge owner Garrett Titchy, he said: we want you here and we’ll make it work. He and his staff have done just that!

Our staff began working at hygge in November. We’ll hold in-person classes in the new space beginning in January. Check the new space out beforehand at our annual holiday party on December 14. We’ll have music and mingling, drinks and snacks. We hope we’ll have you, too. Please let us know you’re coming, here: https://charlottelit.configio.com/pd/132/holiday-party. See you soon!

I know that I speak for everyone in Storied Charlotte in wishing Paul Reali, Kathie Collins, and everyone else associated with Charlotte Lit all the best as they settle into their new home. 

Thanksgiving and family reunions go hand in hand.  This pairing is reflected in Lydia Maria Child’s famous Thanksgiving poem “Over the River and Through the Wood,” which first appeared in Child’s 1844 book, Flowers for Children.  This poem is all about children traveling through the woods in order to visit their grandparents on Thanksgiving Day.  As is stated in one of the stanzas, “When Grandmother sees us come, / she will say, ‘O, dear, the children are here, / Bring a pie for everyone.’” 

The topic of family reunions is of special interest to Charlotte poet Grace Ocasio. In fact, her 2020 poetry collection is titled Family Reunion.  For more information about this collection, please click on the following link:  https://www.broadstonebooks.com/shop/p/family-reunion-poetry-by-grace-c-ocasio

I recently contacted Grace and asked her if any of the poems in Family Reunion have connections to Thanksgiving.  She said yes, and she shared the following story with me:

Thanksgiving wasn’t Thanksgiving unless we (my family and I) attended one of Great-Aunt Esther’s family gatherings.  Of course, she wasn’t the one cooking on these occasions—it was my Great-Uncle Calvin who prepared all the foods.  As soon as we walked through Great-Aunt Esther’s door, we could smell the goodness of all the great food. There was sliced ham, turkey roasted golden-brown crisp, string beans, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, and a panoply of cakes and pies.

After we had all eaten, some of us got up to dance.  The Bump was the latest dance craze then.  My female cousins giggled attempting to execute other dances besides The Bump while my male cousins stood on the sidelines watching.  Uncle Arnold, fresh from South Carolina, one of the few relations coming up to New York from the South, performed a simple dance of placing his hands on his belt and slightly pulling up his pants while stepping from side to side.  Again, there were giggles from my female cousins.  Uncle Arnold’s dance might have passed for just enough movement on Soul Train.

Bored after a while from dancing, I’d wander around Aunt Esther’s three-storied house, gazing at family photos.  Chastity, one of my cousins, loomed larger than life in one of the photos, posing like a model with hands on her hips, her right leg extended slightly with her right foot tilted in front of her left foot.  In a different photo, Tanya, her older sister, sat on her father’s shoulder. She looked to be about four years old.  These are the memories that linger, tease me, and turn on like an old television show when I least expect them.

I then asked Grace for permission to reprint the poem in which she wrote about spending Thanksgiving with her Aunt Esther, and she kindly agreed: 

I thank Grace for sharing her poem and her memories of celebrating Thanksgiving at her Aunt Esther’s home in Mount Vernon, New York, and I wish everyone in Storied Charlotte a happy Thanksgiving. 

Charlotte children’s author Alicia D. Williams has a new picture book that came out this fall.  Titled The Talk, this powerful and timely book is illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu and published by Simon & Schuster. The Talk tells the story of Jay, a young Black boy who is growing up in an American city with his tight-knit family and his regular group of neighborhood friends. He likes pretending to be a superhero, skateboarding with his friends, and listening to his grandfather’s stories.  In the beginning of the story, he is brimming with energy and joy. 

At first, Jay is more or less oblivious to the realities of racial prejudice, but as he matures, his parents and grandparents take him aside and talk to him about how to respond to racial profiling and other forms of prejudice that Black children, especially Black boys, often encounter when they make the transition from childhood to pre-adolescence. The Talk is a book about racism, but at its core, it is a celebration of a loving Black family. All of the family members in The Talk do everything they can to protect their boy as he grows up.

After reading The Talk, I wanted to know more about what motivated Alicia to write this book.  I contacted her and asked her for more information about how she came to write The Talk.  Here is what she sent to me:

The subject of the talk has been in my mind for several years. Yet, I didn’t think I should write the story because of potential blind spots as a woman. I held no experience living as a Black male nor had I raised one. But I raised a girl and knew my worries were almost the same. I gave my own daughter the talk when shopping, when she got her driver’s license, and when she stayed at Airbnb’s. Still, I tried to give the story away to male peers. Even tried to enlist a male poet to co-write it. Eventually, I let it go figuring the story will ride the wind and land at the hands of the right writer.

In 2020, I, along with so many others, was deeply impacted by George Floyd’s and Ahmaud Aubrey’s murder, as well as the last words of Elijah McCain. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t focus. But one night when I did manage to rest, a little chatty voice woke me and wouldn’t let me rest until I grabbed a pen and paper. The boy, the character Jay, introduced me to his friends, family, and everything he was proud of. Then, those same moments of pride came with a warning or a talk. The story literally unfolded that night.

The interesting backstory of writing this story is the chatty boy that woke me. I recognized him. He was, in fact, a little boy who attended the independent school that I taught at. He was one of the small percentages of Black boys attending lower school. And from the start of kindergarten, he was always being pulled out into the hallway and given a talk for being too wiggly, too chatty, too much. I had noticed that the other kindergarteners were just as wiggly, chatty, and too much. This talk for him had carried on to first, second, and third grade. I realized that the talk given at the school was indeed given so that he could manage himself at a predominantly white institution.

What I am no longer teaching, my experiences and all that I’m exposed to direct the stories I tell. For instance, just a few weeks ago, I was shopping at the Arboretum and my car was stopped by security. The security guard prompted me to roll down my window and then began asking if I was lost or knew where I was going. This, no doubt, was racial profiling. I realize that had this been an older “Jay,” the outcome might have been different.

The Talk is Alicia’s fourth children’s book. Alicia burst on the children’s literature scene in 2019 with the publication of her novel Genesis Begins Again.  She received both a Newbery Honor Award and the Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Author Award for New Talent for this novel. She has quickly followed up her novel with two picture book biographies of prominent African American women: Jump at the Sun:  The True-Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston and Shirley Chisholm Dares: The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress. For more information about Alicia and her books, please click on the following link:  https://www.aliciadwilliams.com/  In just four years, Alicia has established herself as one of Storied Charlotte’s leading children’s authors.

Joseph Bathanti, a former North Carolina Poet Laureate and a one-time resident of Charlotte, recently contacted me about a new film project that deals with veterans from North Carolina.  Titled Brothers Like These, this film tells the story of a creative writing class that Joseph taught to a group of veterans.  Given that Veterans Day is just around the corner, now is a perfect time to spotlight this film and the veterans whose voices are featured in the film.  I contacted Joseph and asked him for more information about the film and his work with North Carolina veterans.  I also asked him to comment on the experiences of veterans from the Charlotte area. Here is what Joseph sent to me:

During my stint as North Carolina Poet Laureate, from 2012-2014, my signature project was working with returning combat veterans, all veterans, really, and their families to harvest their stories through poems, short stories, memoirs, plays, you-name-it. In 2014, I teamed with the extraordinary Dr. Bruce Kelly, now my great friend, a primary-care physician at Charles George VA Medical Center; and, in 2016, he and I co-founded the creative writing program there at the VA for Vietnam veterans with PTSD.

A very short film about that program was released in July of this year. It’s titled Brothers Like These, produced by Red Light Films & The Documentary Group and directed by Academy Award-winning director, Ross Kaufman. You can also read “The Church of Classroom B” on Thrive Global. What happened at Charles George is not about Bruce and me, but about those men, all from North Carolina mountain counties, who had literally stayed silent and tortured for half a century about their service in Vietnam, and the cruel reception they received upon return to the U.S, until they opened up on paper. I’m greatly oversimplifying the story, but as I say in “The Church of Classroom B,” I have never seen such a miraculous transformation in nearly 46 years of teaching creative writing, and the film says it all.

Thousands of men and women from Charlotte and Mecklenburg County served in the military, in a variety of capacities, during the Vietnam War, and 105 gave their lives. In the very heart of Charlotte, at Thompson Park on East 3rd Street, is the Mecklenburg County Vietnam Veterans Memorial. What’s more, I hope it goes without saying that Charlotte and Mecklenburg County are home to thousands of additional veterans from WWII, the Korean War, and, of course, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – many of whom struggle with PTSD and would profit from a writing program – not to mention the thousands that lost their lives in those wars. Charlotte hosts two VA clinics, and local colleges and universities all support veterans upon their reentry from the military. Johnson C. Smith University has the Veteran’s Hub; the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, has a Veterans Services Office; Queens University, has a Student Veterans Association; and Central Piedmont Community College, its Military Families, and Veterans Services.

When I was just beginning my work with veterans, I wrote, out of the blue, for advice to Ron Capps, the founder and director of the Veterans Writing Project in Washington, D.C. Ron, a combat veteran who has been to five wars and a fine writer himself, served 25 years in the Army and Army Reserve. He instantly replied to this perfect stranger: “Your target audience will be found in every imaginable venue in the state. You’ll find them and reach them in schools, hospitals, and Veterans Services Organizations … old folks homes, on and around military bases of course. Everywhere.” Including Charlotte. But they can often be invisible.

I commend Joseph and Bruce Kelly for providing the veterans in their class with opportunities to give voice to their experiences.  As we observe Veterans Day here in Storied Charlotte, it is important to recognize that our community’s veterans and their families have powerful stories to tell and important insights to share.

Halloween is just around the corner, so now is a perfect time to check out Trick or Treat at Caynham Castle, a collection of four Halloween-themed novellas, all of which take place in and around the ancient but restored Caynham Castle located in western England.  These four spooky, witchy, spirit-filled stories are set against the stunning background of Caynham Castle’s epic Halloween Ball and Bonfire Night!

Even though Trick or Treat at Caynham Castle is set in England, the collection has significant Charlotte connections since two of the four contributors call Charlotte home.  These Charlotte writers are Nancy Northcott, whose contribution is titled Mr. Never Again, and Morgan Brice, whose contribution is titled Secrets and Ciphers.

Nancy’s story is tied to her Arachnid Files romantic suspense series.  I asked her for more information about Mr. Never Again. Here is what she sent to me:

Mr. Never Again, my contribution to Trick or Treat at Caynham Castle, offers its hero and heroine a second chance at love. They’re spies guarding a weapons designer, so the story includes intrigue and action-adventure. I really do love a good battle scene. And, of course, a happy ending.

Because the Caynham Castle series is set in England, our Halloween theme offered me a chance to incorporate a holiday we don’t have here in the U.S., Guy Fawkes Day (though it’s more commonly called Bonfire Night or Fireworks Night now). It commemorates Guy Fawkes’s failure to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605. The November 5 holiday culminates in Bonfire Night when people stand around bonfires while eating Parkin cakes (made of oatmeal, flour, ginger, and molasses) and drinking beverages of choice. I really think we should import this holiday because it sounds like great fun!

All the stories in this anthology and its siblings are set in and around Caynham Castle, an ancient castle that’s now a modern boutique hotel. It’s near the Welsh Border and has a small village, Caynham-on-Ledwyche, and an Iron Age hillfort nearby. The collaboration has been fun for us, and we hope it will be for readers.

Morgan Brice (a pen name used by fantasy writer Gail Z. Martin) provides a story that combines mystery and M/M romance.  I contacted her and asked for more information about Secrets and Ciphers.  Here is what she sent to me: 

Lovers from Cape May, New Jersey, take a Halloween holiday at the magnificent Caynham Castle in Secrets and Ciphers. Erik Mitchell and Ben Nolan both left dangerous careers for a chance to start over. Erik parlayed his expertise as a former art fraud investigator into owning an antique shop in Cape May. Ben left the Newark Police Department disillusioned over corruption, and took over the family rental real estate business. When they met, sparks flew between them—and they teamed up personally and professionally to solve a series of cold case murders and disappearances of 1950s Mobsters that spilled over into modern-day mayhem. 

They celebrate surviving their case—and falling in love—by taking a trip to Caynham Castle. Together they uncover a 700-year-old mystery, a family secret, a historical treasure, and the angry ghost of a Knights Templar guardian. (M/M Paranormal Romance by Morgan Brice with ties to her Treasure Trail series.)

The other contributors to Trick or Treat at Caynham Castle are North Carolina author Caren Crane and North Carolina native Jeanne Adams.  In Caren Crane’s tale, Murky Waters, a landscape architect from Massachusetts finds much more than he expects, both in a floral designer from his friend’s shop and in the woods south of Caynham Castle.  In Jeanne Adams’s Trouble Under the Tower, an archaeologist witch from Idaho gets involved with a sexy photographer from the witchiest town in America, Haven Harbor, Massachusetts.  In the process, they discover a hidden chapel, fend off thieves, and help put a dark entity to rest.

Trick or Treat at Caynham Castle is one of three holiday-themed collections that take place in Caynham Castle.  The others are Christmas at Caynham Castle and Ring in the New Year at Caynham Castle.  Plans are in the works for a Valentine’s Day collection and a Midsummer’s Day collection.  Like Trick or Treat at Caynham Castle, these other collections have Storied Charlotte connections, and all have stories filled with adventure, romance, and castle intrigue.    

It’s no secret that Mark de Castrique is one of Charlotte’s leading mystery writers.  A native of Hendersonville, North Carolina, Mark is the author of two popular mystery series in which he makes use of his familiarity with western North Carolina—the Barry Clayton Series and the Sam Blackman Series.  He has also written several standalone mysteries, including The 13^th Target and The Singularity Race, both of which are set in Washington, DC.  At first glance, it might seem a bit mysterious that a Charlotte writer would use Washington, DC, as a setting.  However, earlier in his career, Mark worked as a broadcast and film producer in Washington, DC, so he knows his way around our nation’s capital. 

Mark draws on his knowledge of the Washington, DC, area in his latest mystery, Secret Lives, which Poison Pen Press will release on October 11, 2022.  Secret Lives is the first book in Mark’s new Ethel Fiona Crestwater Series.  The central character in Secret Lives is a 75-year-old retired FBI agent who runs a boardinghouse.  For readers who want to know more about Secret Lives and Mark’s other mysteries, please click on the following link:  http://www.markdecastrique.com/

I recently contacted Mark and asked him how he came up with the character of Ethel Fiona Crestwater.  Here is what he sent to me:

A few months before Covid struck, I was flying back to Charlotte from Phoenix.  It was a long flight, and at one point I had a brief conversation with the young woman seated beside me.  I asked her if she also lived in Charlotte.  She said she was only connecting to a flight for Washington, DC.  Since I have two daughters in the DC area, I asked if that was her home.  She replied she was going to visit a great aunt who lived in the District.  Then she added, “She’s eighty-five-years old and lives in the house she was born in.” 

“Does any family live with her?” I asked. 

“No,” the woman replied.  “No family, but we don’t worry about her.  She rents out rooms to FBI and Secret Service agents.  There’s always someone in the house with a gun.”

There’s always someone in the house with a gun.  Music to a mystery writer’s ears.  My co-traveler had given me the outline of what could be an interesting character.  But what to do with her?

An older friend in Charlotte had told me that as a 14-year-old high school student in DC, she would ride the bus to the FBI after school where she would classify and categorize fingerprints using cards and a magnifying glass.  This was before computers.  Her experience inspired me to make my character more than a landlady for agents; she would be one herself.  She became a retired FBI agent who had spent her life in the Bureau and whose former borders included the heads of the FBI and Secret Service.

Her name is Ethel Fiona Crestwater, and she is a force to be reckoned with.  I imagine her as Ruth Bader Ginsburg as an FBI agent.  Feisty, brilliant, and protective of those she holds dear.  So, when one of her boarders is murdered in front of her house, there’s no stopping her pursuit of justice.

Thanks to a Charlotte connection and a chance encounter on a plane, Ethel debuts in Secret Lives on October 11th.

Secret Lives is not yet officially released, but it is already getting very strong reviews.  The reviewer from Publishers Weekly praises the central character as “an elderly Nancy Drew: sure of herself and her convictions, and ready to bend a few rules to achieve her goal of seeing justice done.  She’s off to a fine start.”  The reviewer from Kirkus Reviews describes the book as “a taut and crisply told thriller whose charmingly shady protagonist triumphs.”

Mark will be signing copies Secret Lives and talking about Ethel Fiona Crestwater at Park Road Books on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, at 7:00 pm.  I plan to be there.  Ethel Fiona Crestwater might be from the DC area, but I consider her an honorary member of Storied Charlotte.