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To welcome in the new year, I’m happy to share a brief overview of the blog series I have planned for 2025.

“Fragments Observed: Life During Mobile’s Progressive Era” will consist of ten articles beginning in about two weeks from now and running once or twice a month into the summer months. Broadly speaking, the Progressive Era in the United States spans the late 1890s through the 1920s. Narrowing down those varying decades, the height of the Progressive movement was 1901-1916. As most of my stories span the end of the Gilded Age through the Roaring Twenties, I like to use the term “Progressive Era” to cover them all. As of right now, the majority do take place within those key years: The Possession Chronicles books 1-6, the second book in The Malevolent Trilogy, the first two books in Washington Square Secrets, and numerous short stories.

I am proud to partner with Historic Mobile Preservation Society for the “Fragments Observed: Life During Mobile’s Progressive Era” blog series highlighting several notable events and locations that help define life in the Port City during those years for both real Mobilians and my fictional characters. All historic photos in this series are used with permission from Historic Mobile Preservation Society for the purpose of education and enlightenment. HMPS’s Minnie Mitchell Archive has become one of my favorite places to research.

In the coming months, I might intermix a few updates in between the “Fragments Observed: Life During Mobile’s Progressive Era” posts to help keep readers informed about upcoming events and progress on my journey as the final book in the Washington Square Secrets series will release in late Spring or early Summer.

Betrayal: Washington Square Secrets 4 closes out the quartet in 1927. The main characters are two returning favorites from the previous book, Loyalty; Mobile Police Officer Jim Abbott and Ernest, who is now fourteen years old. The manuscript is in the final editorial passes (about six more rounds to go) including a Mobile Police Department fact/authenticity check with MPD historian Captain Rowland, beta reader input, and professional edits.

To keep up with developing news in between blog posts, you can subscribe to my free monthly newsletter and be sure to check the EVENTS tab on my website for the latest happenings in the months ahead. There are already events listed for February and April with more to come. Happy reading–this winter and always!