Wildflowers Press

The past few weeks have been busy for this writer. We took our youngest, Sam to Denver for his sophomore year of college, just after celebrating his 20th birthday.  Last year he spent abroad, first in Florence and then in Seville.  It was a joy visiting him in these iconic cities, meeting friends and hearing of his adventures.  Look out Denver. We’ll miss him, but we’re glad we got to spend quality time together this summer.    

Our daughter, Caroline spent the summer in Tennessee training to become a white-water rafting guide on the Ocoee River.  I’ve never been so impressed when we rode the river with her.  Confidence, daring and huge smiles let us know she’s in the right place, doing what she loves. Our days rafting made me nostalgic for the past crazy adventures of my youth.  

And Anna, our eldest finished grad school in Denver and spent eight months backpacking around SE Asia. Now she’s living at home for a few months while interning remotely as a security analyst for a company that monitors wildlife trafficking.   Her next move is to Key Largo to train to be a dive master, while continuing her internship.  Life with these people is never dull.

My husband John, returned from Sierra Leone where he’s working to get a clinical trial started with Ebola survivors.  Prior to his trip, we went up to the Adirondacks for a family wedding.  Gorgeous mountain views, chilly evenings and time with family we don’t get to see often enough, made our time up north a welcome respite. 

Now we’re home, settling back into a routine.  Me, writing and submitting to various journals and contests.  I’ve had a bit of success along with the usual number of rejections, keeping me humble and hungry.  One piece (Parched) was runner up in the New Orleans Public Library Summer Short Story contest and will be featured in their upcoming publication, Renewed.  I’ve also been accepted into a writing workshop next May, in Dublin with Reboot author Justin Taylor.  My focus will be on a new historical fiction manuscript set in the Atchafalaya Basin in the 1920’s.  John will join me and we look forward to exploring the Irish countryside and reconnecting with old friends who live in Cork.  

But the big news from me is my forthcoming novella – Snakeroot and Cohosh.  For the last four months I’ve been editing and revising and editing some more. Snakeroot started as a short story for an NYC Midnight short story contest three years ago.  The characters of Eva and Luther stuck with me and I kept going back to them, thinking about what might happen next.  At the end of the story Eva confronts her abusive husband who tracks her down in the tiny town of Helton, KY where she’s become a botanical guide to visiting researchers on tour of Appalachia’s medicinal plants.   The next chapters are unpredictable, a bit of a roller coaster ride.  What does Luther’s return mean for Eva and her new-found freedom?  Will he allow her to continue her work or will he drag her back to that trailer in Gilley?  

Join me on a journey with Eva and Luther.  Not everything is as you imagine.  Just like the wildflower-strewn roadsides quilting Eva and Luther’s pasts, twisting and turning, there’s something new to discover around each bend. Snakeroot is a story of resilience and fighting for what you want and for what you need. It’s about generational trauma and its impact years later.  Written alternating between Eva and Luther’s perspectives, this novella examines love, redemption, trauma and the familial threads that bind people together, for better or worse.

Be on the look-out for upcoming book launch events.  As a teaser, I’ve posted the short story of Snakerootand Cohosh that was originally submitted to the NYC Midnight contest.  You can find it under the Writing Tab, in Short Stories. Enjoy.

Finally, I’m excited to reveal the gorgeous book cover created in collaboration with Atmosphere Press’ graphic design team.  I gave Ronaldo Alves a photo of an owl feather and a snake shed I snapped years ago at our farm in Folsom.  He transformed that image into the striking book cover that oozes elements of this historical fiction novella.

Happy Fall and keep doing what inspires you.                                   ~Cathy Schieffelin