JH

May 24, 2025

I have been debating on publishing my writing on this site. I’ve been thinking about it for quite some time. It wouldn’t be anything that is thought provoking or a masterpiece, just short stories. They will be stories that I wrote for writing contests or during my time at Southern New Hampshire University (which I just graduated from with my MFA in creative writing!).

I am going to start with one that I call “Stay”. It will be on the page called “My Words.” I’m the only one who has edited it so all mistakes are my own.

Enjoy.

Thank you for being here, thank you for existing.

February 7, 2025

I am writing a book. That’s right. A full-blown novel. While I am not revealing too much about it at this time. I do want to talk about it. It is a project that I am passionate about and that I absolutely love. It has been in the works for over a year now and has taken on a life of its own in my head and on the page. As you can see by the title of this post, it is about witches. Actually, make that women who are seen as different and despicable by men. Their blood is black. It is what identifies them as a witch.

The world is fictional. (I am currently in the works of having the map professionally illustrated which I am psyched about.) The names of locations have a special meaning to me. There are aspects of the story that are deeply meaningful as well. Two of my secondary characters are named after my best friends children. One of whom, one of my female characters best friends, is named after one of the littlest loves of my life who not only came into the world too early but left the world far too soon. It is a way that he can be forever remembered. The second is a tarot card reading witch. She is named for a sweet little girl who has my heart and brings a smile to my face daily. (Not a spoiler, but these two characters are the only guaranteed safe ones.)

While this book is fantasy, I wanted the book to have a feeling that it could be set in the real world. When I read through it, I can see it being set in the modern world and in our countries past. Specifically, 1692. For anyone not knowing what that year means, it is when the Salem Witch Trials began. I have had to come up with comparative titles for my novel, one of which I have named is The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. While it isn’t the same type of story it does take on how women are treated in society and how easily they are turned against by their own people, including their families.

I never strived to bring politics into what I write, but as we all know READING IS POLITICAL. I wanted to let the story flow out of me naturally. Something happened though. I paid more attention to politics while also trying to keep my mental health in a place where I wasn’t doom scrolling or scaring myself shitless. I became more in tune with what was happening in our world, in our country (US) and saw the people who are following others blindly and ignoring the consequences that were bound to happen. I saw those who were trying to share their concerns about what would happen. There are male characters in my book who are modeled after rich men in our current timeline.

Something else I wasn’t expecting was to pull religion into the story. There is a character who is semi-modeled after a widely known televangelist and has been fun to write. He is preachy in the worst ways and if he were a real person I would loathe him and wish him ill. I am not super religious, but I’m also not anti-religion in the slightest. It, like politics, is something that comes across in books. It is in the book I am writing and will feature in future stories I write.

If you have made it this far, I hope that you will continue with me on this journey. I hope to share a little bit of my writing in the future. Maybe some of my short stories will pop up. I will definitely be sharing more of my book including stuff about the world it takes place, the characters, and eventually the title. (Only a handful of people know it at this point.) So, with that I bid you adieu for now.

Thank you for being here, thank you for existing.