On Pens and Needles, January 2026 Newsletter
Dear Friend,
Happy New Year, and welcome to my first newsletter. I aim to send them monthly, sharing—in addition to my own writing and publishing news--recommendations for outstanding books I’ve read, and reflections from the writing and self-publishing journey, which is an ongoing adventure filled with enormous challenges and a lot of joy.To receive future newsletters, please sign up below.
I'll also be sharing my knitting projects, like this one—made for and modeled by my awesome niece Lizzy, who’s in library school to become a media specialist. It’s sanity-saving for authors to have a rejection-free creative outlet, since rejection is an inevitable part of every writer’s life. Knitting keeps me from becoming unraveled.
My novel, Stones River: A Civil War Story of Courage, Sacrifice, and an Otherworldly Love, is newly available as an audiobook, narrated by yours truly. The paperback, hardcover, and ebook versions are also available. Early reviews on Amazon and Goodreads have given the book four and five stars for its historical authenticity and the haunting romance between the shy young musician heroine and her ghostly Civil War lover. To learn more and, if you like, order a copy, please click here: Mimi's Amazon author page with ordering info
I’ve had so many wonderful comments from friends and family who’ve read the book. If you’re one of them and are moved to share a rating and/or comment (no need for a lengthy book report!) on Amazon, it would be immeasurably helpful and so much appreciated. (If you've already done so, a thousand thanks!) Reader responses are the indie author’s go-power, not only influencing the all-important algorithm, but also letting the writer feel she’s made a genuine connection with a real, thinking, feeling person—which is my main (sole?) motivation.
Soldier’s Joy, the sequel to Stones River and Book II of The Sentinel Heart Trilogy, is nearing completion, toward a target release date of Fall 2026. I’m preparing a cover brief for the designer, and next month I'll tell you more about the story and invite you to help me choose the coverline.
When I’m not writing, studying how to be a better publisher, hiking, knitting, singing in a choir, or enjoying time with family and friends, I’m reading. Some books I’ve enjoyed recently:
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, a touching novel about finding renewed life in old age through human connection and self-forgiveness. I also love the author’s story of her long, long road to publication, paved with rejection slips, and now this book is a mega-bestseller;
Isola by Allegra Goodman, a richly atmospheric story, based on historical events, of love, injustice, and wilderness survival, set in medieval France and the untamed forests of the New World;
The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith (pseudonym for J. K. Rowling), the eighth book in the always entertaining Cormoran Strike mystery series, bringing the tantalizing foreplay between the two detective partners up to 6500+ pages;
Mother Mary Comes To Me by Arundhati Roy, a raw, heartfelt mother/daughter memoir by the Booker Prize winner;
The Black Wolf by Louise Penny: Quebecois detective Gamache and his inspectors rush to avert environmental Armageddon, part of an American plot to invade and annex Canada! Pulse-pounding suspense, though surely nothing like that could ever happen ;-) .
And, two riveting, historical “boat books”: Evolution’s Captain by Peter Nichols, about the idealistic, deeply Christian ship’s captain who ferried Charles Darwin around the world and later rued his part in helping Darwin develop his “godless” theory; and The Zorg by Siddharth Kara, about the shocking crime aboard the slave ship of that name that helped to turn the tide against slavery.
A resolution for 2026: Read and review more of the top-quality books, especially fiction, coming out from self-publishers, and support my fellow indie authors. Shout out to Angela Shaeffer, whose The Things They Didn’t See is a moving novel about a family torn apart by tragedy, drawn together by love. The characters and emotions are unforgettably real and sympathetic. It reminds me of Ordinary People by Judith Guest, which I had the pleasure of editing early in my publishing career.
I wish you a new year filled with good books, creativity, and joy!
Warmly,
Mimi
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