The Wandering Scribe March 2025 Edition
As we near the spring equinox, it is time to introduce the following lineup of people making their official debut on the Wandering Scribe. Not to mention, a lot of new and important updates will be coming out in the following days, many of which will help boost the channel and my brand to new heights and tease upcoming projects debuting this year.
Historians Lounge Guest: Elizabeth Hyman
March Lineup
Advert
AudioMaze: A New Era of Storytelling
Story of the Month: Shattered
Meeting some Familiar Faces
Wandeing Scribe Book of the Month: Afterglow-Risng from the Ashes by Stacey LP
Historians Lounge Guest: BR Williams
Making her return to the show is Professor BR Williams. For those who remember, she is a historian, author, educator, and creator of the Traditional Legends blog and YouTube channel, specializing in dark folklore with a deep academic background. Holding a Bachelor of Arts in European History and a Master of Arts in Antiquities and Classics, her work delves into the often-overlooked aspects of history, including the contributions of women, diverse ethnic groups, and the myths that traditional narratives tend to ignore. Her research highlights how common legends and folklore across cultures reflect shared human experiences, fears, and beliefs throughout history. Her return will be this Monday.
March Line Up
Beginning March's lineup is author and historian Elizabeth Hyman. Elizabeth Hyman is a Public and Holocaust Historian. She holds a BA in History and Journalism from Purchase College (SUNY), and a Master’s in History and Library Science from the University of?Maryland-College Park. In?May 2014, she defended her thesis,?“‘An Uncertain Life in Another World’: German and Austrian Jewish Refugee Life in Shanghai, 1938-1950.”?She worked for seven years as an archivist and digital content manager for the American Jewish Historical Society at the Center for Jewish?History in New York City.
In June, 2022, Elizabeth presented the paper?“Tema Schneiderman and Tossia Altman: Voices from Beyond the Grave” at?the Heroines of the Holocaust: New Frameworks of Resistance?International Symposium at Wagner College. Later that summer,?Elizabeth was invited to talk “Women and the Warsaw?Ghetto Uprising” at the National World War II Museum’s 15th?International Conference on World War II. She presented this talk on?November 18, 2022. On April 14, 2023, Elizabeth delivered the keynote address at the Jewish Federation of Dutchess County’s Yom HaShoah Program in Honor of the 80th Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: “Women of the Warsaw Ghetto.”
Her first book, The Girl Bandits of the Warsaw Ghetto: The True Story of Five courageous Young Women who sparked an Uprising will be published by Harper Perennial in Fall, 2025.
Also making a return is Guy Robin. He grew up on the South coast of England, near Bournemouth. He lost his father when he was five and was brought up by his mother. He was educated at Reeds School in Surrey. At 21, he joined the Metropolitan Police Service, serving for 30 years in various roles and departments. His most recent work, ‘On The Beat,’ describes his first nine years of service at Battersea Police Station.
Since retirement, Guy worked in various roles before starting his writing journey. Initially, the writing was a way to ease the boredom of the Covid restrictions, but now Guy has published his third book, following the 2022 debut, Dysfunction and Indomitable in February 2024. Guy is married to Paula and after having lived in Sussex for many years they decided to embark on a new challenge in 2023. In July of that year they moved to the small village of Neuvic in the Dordogne, France. The time is now spent between tending their large garden, supporting Paula’s continued business interests, and finding time for Guy to continue his writing. Guy’s interests are many and varied. He played hockey for many years for the Police and then for Crowborough Hockey club, where he and Paula met. Guy enjoys the outdoors, mainly walking great distances across the South Downs and now the numerous bouclé’s in France. He collects stamps and Scottish Malt whisky. He is a keen motorcyclist and has now joined a local like-minded group. Guy has more work in the pipeline, with a new story set in France currently in development.
F.J. Sánchez is a U.S. Navy veteran, engineer, and an islander from Puerto Rico. He lives in Florida with his wife, two sons, a dog, and a fierce cat. On any chance he gets, he escapes this world by immersing in the world of fantastic realms with his many books that sparked the inspiration to tell wondrous stories with the beginning of a new epic trilogy. Occasionally, he enjoys going freshwater fishing, recording epic-inspired tunes in his home studio, and spending quality time with his family.
Mariana Olmeda is a narrator specializing in Romance, Dark Romance, and YA genres. A librarian by profession, Mariana holds a Master’s in Library Science. She has been a reference and digital services librarian in colleges and numerous public libraries supporting local communities.
Her love for books started at a young age, sparked by reading Interview with a Vampire and becoming captivated by the complexity of its characters. This passion for literature led her to pursue a career in library sciences, and eventually into the world of narration. Over the past decade, her fondness for audiobooks grew, inspiring her to train in narration. With the help of authors who offered to provide snippets of their work, she began to practice and share openly her progress as an aspiring narrator. In 2024 she officially launched her professional narration career with the support of authors who trusted her with their work.
She runs their independent studio with her husband, offering bilingual narration in English and Spanish, editing, audio mixing, and mastering services.
Zaid Hasan is an author who enjoys crafting epic Science Fantasy stories. He’s written many books throughout his life, none of which you’ve read because they’re buried in a box in his storage unit.
In 2021, however, Zaid started to outline a story that he felt could be worthy of publication one day. That epic tale became his debut novel, The Ore Monger.
Outside of storytelling, Zaid is a happily-married husband, a Muslim, a devoted cat dad, a loving uncle, a tattoo enthusiast, a comic book collector (DC Comics), and an obnoxiously proud New Yorker.
Since the curious age of 7, Emily has been fascinated with creating stories, from picture books to short stories to full-length novels and even trilogies in the making.
Growing up in Alaska inspired more ideas and wonderings of “what if?” Hodson moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2013 but currently resides in Vancouver, WA, just across the bridge to get the best of both worlds.
In her free time, Emily enjoys snuggling with her dog and cats, cooking with her boyfriend, going to Depeche Mode concerts, taking yoga and spin classes, playing guitar, selling stuff online, reading, drawing, editing, and the biggest one…get ready for it. WRITING :P
Caley Robison introduces herself as an artist and graphic designer. She boasts years of experience as a marketing coordinator and senior graphic designer. Armed with a bachelor's degree in studio art and a minor in graphic design from California State University Long Beach, she exhibits a multifaceted skill set.
However, beneath her professional veneer lies a fervent passion for literature, particularly fantasy and romance novels featuring empowered female protagonists. With an insatiable appetite for captivating stories, she devoured every available book until she exhausted her reading list. Faced with this literary void, she resolved to embark on a journey of her creation—to write the kind of story she has always wanted to write.
Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Heidi Richardson married a farmer, Ron Richardson, and left the city life. Now tucked away on a farm northwest of Calgary, Heidi loves to tell stories, but she often says, “If there is a bright center to the publishing universe, I’m on the planet it’s furthest from!” (Apologies to George Lucas and Star Wars fans!)
Technology has changed from laborious pen and paper to today’s swift computers through the decades. Now, she writes fictional fantasies for young readers, books for thirteen-year-olds and older,?where her creative dreams weave with biblical truths to create allegorical visions. She took the plunge and self-published with Kindle Direct Publishing!
Heidi invites all her readers to “Come dream with me.”
More guests are slated to come so be on the lookout.
Are you looking for creative ways to get the word out? I want to help your business reach new audiences through the following media packets.
Youtube Advert-$25
Instagram reel/post Advert-$20
Newsletter Advert-$10-15
Media Bundle-$45
Payment
All payments will be done through Venmo at this time. Other payment methods may come in the future.?
*Payment will be confirmed before project begins
Script, Images, and Links must be submitted by the 15th of each month for the following month's issue.?
(Ie. December 15th 2024 for the January 1st 2025)
AudioMazes: A New Era in Storytelling
Calling all authors, narrators, editors, sound designers, etc.! AudioMazes is revolutionizing storytelling with immersive audio experiences that allow listeners to shape the story's outcome. We're looking for authors to write short stories of 24,000 words or less that can be transformed into interactive, multi-path narratives, where the audience decides which twists and turns to take. In addition to authors, we are actively recruiting narrators, editors, and sound designers to breathe life into our stories. We also have a merch store where people can buy our stories, sign up for our memberships, and purchase collectibles based on the upcoming stories set to be released. If it sounds like the place for you, click the link below to learn how we can bring your stories to life and connect with fellow creatives. Let’s craft something groundbreaking together!
Story of the Month: Shattered
(inspired by the song Shattered by Trading Yesterday).
I see only darkness—an endless void of nothing. I feel myself drifting further away. Then, visions of my past emerge. My first home run. My first dance. Going to see my grandparents, all of them flood my mind. They fill me with such happiness and comfort. Suddenly, a new vision came, one of a white building, and then, just as suddenly, a white light flashed before me. It's sight nearly blinds me, but I erase the darkness and my memories. As the light fades away, my eyes begin to adjust. My vision is foggy, but as they become more apparent, I feel a slight pain on my chest. I turn my head and see a figure over me in what appears to be a white uniform. Looking over my shoulder, I see another figure dressed the same. I tried to listen, but my hearing was still fuzzy. Then the pain becomes more apparent, and as I glance down, I see red on my chest—lots of red. The shock wakes up my senses, and my vision finally returns.
Now I could see that I was in a white room, on a bench with only white pants, with two doctors cutting into my chest. They acted as if I was not awake and continued with what they were doing.
"This is wrong," said one doctor. The voice sounded feminine, and her smell reminded me of my mother.
"I knew this would happen. You became attached to it. He's a clone, not a person." This came from the doctor who was cutting into my chest. His remark also reminded me of someone familiar; my dad. As my eyes look around the room, one thing catches my attention. The male doctor was another body to my left, but this one looked like me. He had the same brown hair, green eyes, tan skin, and a cut over his eye from an accident long ago. Then, from the corner of my eye, I see a bar code on it reading SUBJECT 1. My eyes grew wide at the realization. That body on the table across from me was the original, and I was the clone. Questions rush through my mind. Why is this happening? What's going on? Where am I?
All these thoughts flooded my brain, and before I could react, the male doctor continued cutting into my chest. Feeling my skin tear from the knife, I scream in pain. My sudden outburst alerted the two doctors that I was awake. Fearful, one leaves the table and opens a door, calling for security—meanwhile, the other tries to put me back to sleep. Reaching over, he grabs a mask filled with anesthetic and tries to put it over my mouth. I struggle with him, the pain giving me a sense of adrenaline.
As my hand reaches his face, I pull down his surgical mask and expose a horrific sight. The man was my father, or who I believed was my father. Tears begin to form, but they are soon replaced by anger as I lunge at him. Losing his footing, he stumbles backward and lands on the floor, my body landing on the hand with the scalpel. We both land with a thud, and I feel the blade enter my chest. It's cold steel sliding between my ribs. I groan in pain, and I struggle to get back up. Using the table, I prop myself up and slowly pull the blade out. I felt a sharp pain, and then the blood oozed out. Placing my hand over the wound, I weakly push my way past the other doctor. I smell another familiar scent- the ocean- one of the cool breezes and salty air.
I look over my shoulder and see two armed guards approaching me. Losing blood fast, I run down the narrow hallway and try to find a way out. Right and left, I find myself lost and going in circles. Then I heard the faint sound of waves crashing across the shore, not knowing which way to go, and the guards got closer, down the right corridor as quickly as I could. As I got closer, I felt cold and knew I was losing too much blood fast. To my miracle, I see an exit sign and burst through the doors.
Outside, I saw the grey sky and felt the grass under my feet. All around me were trees, more buildings, and an ocean view. "There he is," said a voice from behind. The guards managed to catch up. With my last bit of strength, I run to the ocean. The breeze brushed past my face, and as I thought I would be safe, I quickly stopped. Two inches from my feet was a massive drop with jagged rocks at the bottom and the ocean. I was on the side of a cliff. Two ideas ran through my head. I either die on the rocks or die here. Taking my chances and danger close behind, I said my prayers and accepted my fate. Jumping off, I fell to my inevitable doom and was greeted with darkness again.
I do not know how long I was out, but by some miracle, I survived. I awoke on an unknown shore with the ocean crashing against me. I get up on my knees and look down at my chest. The wounds were still present, so I was not out of the woods yet. Centering myself, I try to remember what had happened before. Sadly all I could remember were fragmented images. What I did remember was that the life I knew didn't exist.
And I was a clone. "All is lost," I told myself. I wanted my life to end, but I needed answers to why I was made and for what. I then said to myself that as long as I lived, hope remained, and I would find the place where I belonged.
All I had to do was stand up and take the first step.
Meeting some familiar faces
Early today I had the incredible opportunity to attend an event hosted by my good friend Elisabeth Cunningham , vice presdient of the California Writers Club Orange County branch. It was my first time attending a writers club, and I am so happy I attended because it was terrific. To be in a room with many passionate authors, writers, screenplay writers, narrators, and more was, without words, the best start of my day, and to top it off I got to meet two of my previous guests from last year in person: Matt Conant and his partner in crime Lauren Cipollo.
This was an incredible moment as I met Matt first at the Anaheim library convention last year, who then hooked me on his and Lauren's sci-fi trilogy. After that, I got them both in their first double author interview on my YouTube channel, and now I finally have the chance to meet them both in person. Of course, I had to get the following two copies of their series to finish the trilogy of Parallax. Overall, it was a fun start to a fantastic rest of the day. If you are an author in the Ronage County region and looking to meet new authors and connect, click on the link below to the California Writers Club homepage to see when the next meeting is and who will be the guest speaker.
Book of the Month: Afterglow by Stacey LP
As I mentioned in my latest update video, I will be returning to making book review episodes once a month and for the month of March, we will begin with Afterglow by author Stacey Pizzitola . Afterglow Rising is a character-driven, post-apocalyptic, light sci-fi trilogy. Set in Austin, TX, survivors fight to move past the aftermath of an alien invasion. Little do they know, their fight has only just begun. With vicious creatures, abduction victims returning, and other looming threats, our main characters must figure out how to put the fractured pieces of themselves back together—lest the flames in the afterglow reclaim them. Afterglow has a diverse ensemble cast that includes queer representation and main characters in their thirties. There are elements of found family, grumpy/sunshine dynamics, heart-pounding action, and slow-burn romance. In this series, you’ll find aspects of found family, enemies-to-lovers and grumpy/sunshine dynamics, slow-burn love stories, and chosen-one vibes with diverse characters, including queer representation, multiple generations, and main characters in their thirties. Happy endings are not guaranteed.
Thank you for your love and support in the new year. March starts a new chapter for myself and the Wandering Scribe Brand. Look out for the end of the month as I release the official cover of my fourth book, a direct sequel to Amyntas: Son of Persia, and information regarding Beta Reader and Arc Applications. In addition, make sure to check out AudioMazes and share it with friends and family. While the world may be bleak, this is a golden age for us Indie creators, so let us use our gifts to come together and bring about something brighter than anything we can imagine.
Author-YA fiction
2 天前Thanks Gabriel! It's exciting to see me in your great March lineup.
Creative Writer and sometime Kombucha Brewer
3 天前Lovely to connect at the CWC! Thank you for the kind mention.?