Meredith Allard's Blog, page 2

August 5, 2025

Want to Know What Your Novel is About? Write the Blurb

One of the trickiest parts of writing a novel for me isn’t the beginning. It’s not even the dreaded middle. It’s figuring out what my book is actually about.

Over the years, I’ve become more of a pantster than a plotter. Before I begin writing, I know the ending. For some strange reason, the ending is always the first thing I know about a story I’m writing. Figuring out how to work my way through the beginning and the middle to get to that ending can be a challenge. Sometimes, as with my current WIP, I start with a vague idea about what I want to write (as in: I want to write a murder mystery), but I’m not entirely sure what the story is going to look like. 

After fumbling around for a bit, I remembered a trick that worked for me when I was writing The Duchess of Idaho. My cover designer asked for the blurb for the back cover of Duchess and I thought, uh oh, I’m not even done writing the book. Since my cover designer asked for the blurb, I figured I’d better write it.

Most readers and writers know what a book blurb is, but if you’re not familiar with the term, it’s that short, punchy paragraph or two that appears on the back cover of a book or in the online description.

Before writing the blurb for The Duchess of Idaho, I thought that blurbs were for marketing purposes, something you write once the manuscript is complete and polished. I discovered that writing the blurb early in the process can be one of the most clarifying exercises for a writer. Through writing the blurb, I was able to articulate the heart of my story. 

Why Writing the Blurb Works

Writing a blurb early on is beneficial because it forces us to understand who our most important characters are, helps us define the central conflict, and enables us to understand and explain what is at stake for our character(s). It also allows us to convey the emotional tone of the story. 

In other words, writing the blurb helps to identify the story’s core, the center that holds the novel together. When we know our story’s core, writing becomes easier because we know what we’re working toward. We’re not just wandering aimlessly through plot points. We’re following a through-line.

Here’s the basic structure I’ve used to write the blurbs for my novels. It’s the same structure most writers use. 

[Tagline]

[Character’s name] wants [their goal], but when [inciting incident/conflict], they must [big decision or journey] or risk [what’s at stake].

It might feel formulaic, and it is, but it works. Try plugging in your story details. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your novel’s heart reveals itself.

I’ve been having many of the same issues with my current WIP as I had with The Duchess of Idaho. I know this story is a murder mystery. I know who the characters are. I know who the victims are. And I know who the murderer is (though that changed as I continued through the writing process). That’s all fine and dandy, I thought, but what the heck is this story about? Why are these things happening and why does it matter? 

Although I didn’t feel ready, I forced myself to write the blurb. It took some trial and error, and it still needs some fine-tuning, but it helps me see the story I want to tell. 

This is what it looks like. For now, at least.

In the shadows of academia, the dead still speak.

Professor Jonathan Ferrer is haunted by his past and troubled by his present. What begins as a quiet autumn term at Eventide College becomes a nightmare when three of Jonathan’s students are murdered. Playing against time, he searches for the truth behind the murderer’s sinister plan—a plan so perfect it appears Jonathan himself is guilty. 

To save himself, Jonathan must work with the supernatural forces hidden at Eventide before he descends into madness. 

What I have for my blurb works for now since it helps me refine my vision for this story. This blurb serves as a compass, pointing me in the right direction. More than any outline I’ve written, this blurb has helped me to see what matters the most. 

If you’re feeling lost as you’re bringing your story to life, try writing your blurb. It might point you in the right direction too. 

Guided Questions

If you like guided questions to help you write, you can respond to the following prompts.

1. Who is your main character?

Name

Age

What do they want?

What is standing in their way?

I have a more complete character questionnaire here

2. What is the conflict? (Remember, there’s no story without conflict)

What happens that changes everything?

What is the emotional or physical journey your character(s) must take?

What happens if they fail?

You can use the following template to help you write your blurb. 

[Main character’s name] wants [goal], but when [inciting incident/conflict], they must [journey/decision] or risk [what’s at stake].

There are a couple of things to consider when writing your blurb. 

1. Does your blurb give clues about your story’s tone or theme? 

2. What questions does the blurb leave your reader with? Will readers want answers to these questions? 

Categories: Creative Writing, The Writer’s Life, Writing, Writing InspirationTags: creative writing, writing, writing fiction, writing inspiration, writing the blurb for your novel, writing tips
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Published on August 05, 2025 09:00

July 29, 2025

Five Things I Wish I Knew When I Began My Writing Career

When I began my writing career, I was fueled by passion, determination, and naïveté. Like many new writers, I thought that if I worked hard enough and believed in my stories, success would naturally follow.  

While some of what I dreamed of has happened, some things have turned out very different from what I imagined them to be. I had to learn how to create my own definition of success the hard way. Looking back, here are five things I wish someone had told me before I began my writing career.

1. Writing Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

I imagined finishing my first novel, sending it out into the world on angel wings, and magically landing a publishing deal. I didn’t realize that the writing life is not a straight road but a winding path through fog. It took time for me to develop my own distinctive writing voice…time as in years. My writing skills developed as a result of putting in those 10,000 hours, and then another 10,000 hours for good measure. It takes time to learn how to craft a book that others wanted to read. 

I was the executive editor of a literary journal for 23 years, and during that time I learned what good writing looks like to me. Then I was able to take those lessons and apply them to my own writing. I had to learn how to be critical of my own writing, not critical in a negative way, but I had to learn what I did well and not so well (and how to improve the not so well). I had to learn how to revise and then re-revise. When I made the decision to become an independent author, I had to learn about the business of publishing. 

There was no overnight success for me. It took years of quiet persistence. I nearly gave up writing several times over many years. I’m so glad I kept at it, even when it was hard.

2. You Don’t Need Permission to Call Yourself a Writer

If you write, as in putting words on paper, you’re a writer. In years past, people used to think you needed to be published to give yourself the title of writer. That isn’t true. You don’t need a publishing deal, an MFA, or a certain number of followers on social media. The act of writing itself is enough. Don’t wait for someone else to validate your work, and don’t worry about the naysayers. Be proud of yourself for sticking to your dreams while others let their goals fall by the wayside.

3. Rejection Isn’t Personal (Even When It Feels Like It Is)

Every writer faces rejection. Rejection is part of the creative life. Like every other writer, I’ve dealt with my fair share of rejection letters. There’s no way around the fact that it stings. Sometimes it feels like a personal dismissal of your story, your voice, your style, or even your worth. But publishing is subjective.

What one editor passes on, another may love. I learned the truth of this when I was an editor myself. There were times when I passed on a story that I thought was well written, but it didn’t fit my publishing needs at that time. Maybe I had just published a story about World War II and it wasn’t the right time yet to publish another. I know the form letters feel like a gut-punch, but they’re necessary for literary journals with small staffs that receive huge numbers of submissions.

When I was a new writer, I let every rejection and negative comment weigh me down. In time, I learned to trust my own voice. Once I trusted myself, I stopped looking for others to define my writing. Learning not to take rejection personally and to see it as part of the process helped me keep going when I might have given up. 

I had a lot to say about how to handle rejection as a writer here

4. Your Writing Will Evolve 

When I look back at my earliest work, I can see how much my writing has changed over the years. That’s a good thing. If you’re thoughtful about your art, you should continue to learn as the years pass. If you think you know everything about writing, it’s time to find something else to do with your time. There is always something new to learn and different ways to challenge your art.

Whenever I write a new book, I challenge myself to do one thing I haven’t done before. For Her Dear & Loving Husband, the challenge was to write a dual timeline for the first time. For Down Salem Way, the challenge was to write my first epistolary novel. For my current WIP, the challenge is to write my first murder mystery. How can you challenge your art in new ways?

Growth is a natural part of the creative process. Over time, your style will deepen, your characters will become more complex, and your themes will feel more resonant. Allow yourself to change. That’s how you know you’re growing as an artist. 

5. Community Matters More Than Competition

I used to think of other writers as competition. I’d look at their sales rank and wonder why they were selling more books than me. In time, I learned to look only at my own growth. 

For writers who ply our trade alone at the computer, or with pen and paper, community is everything. Writing is an isolating occupation. At a certain point, we have to put our bottoms into chairs and write the words of our story, and we are alone in the world when we do that. Still, we can find community. Finding writer friends in person or online, joining critique groups, and supporting fellow authors makes the journey far more joyful. There’s enough room at the table for all of us since we all have our own unique ways of storytelling. If 100 people write a cozy fantasy, you’re going to get 100 different versions of a cozy fanasy because each of us has our own secret sauce. 

If I were able to go talk to myself at the beginning of my writing career, I’d tell myself that, despite all of the frustrations and detours, it’s going to be okay. Your career won’t look the way you imagined it would, but there is always something to be grateful for.

If I had known it was going to take 20 years to get my writing career off the ground, I would have said, “No thanks. It’s going to take too long.” But the 20 years passed anyway, as time will, and now I’ve published 14 books and I’m working on my 15th. I have amazing fans all over the world who love my stories and who look forward to each new book I publish. The career I have today is worth every frustration and heartbreak I had along the way. Resilience is key.

If you’re at the beginning of your writing journey, you should understand that it’s okay not to know everything right away. Keep writing. Keep learning. Keep showing up for your stories. Keep growing your creativity. The rest will unfold in its own time.

Here is my advice to young writers about how to get published.

Categories: Creative Writing, Creativity, The Writer’s Life, Writing, Writing InspirationTags: beginning a writing career, creative writing, creative writing inspiration, how to handle rejection as a writer, writing, writing inspiration, writing tips
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Published on July 29, 2025 09:00

July 22, 2025

My Summer Routine (Hint: I Don’t Have One)

I love summer because it’s vacation time for me. I was going to write a post about my summer routine, but when I started thinking about it I realized that I don’t have a summer routine. I don’t follow a schedule.

And quite honestly, I love it. 

Another Example of My No-Routine Routine

I wrote here about having a no-routine routine when it comes to writing. I also have a no-routine routine during the summer.

During the summer, I have no fixed schedule. I do what I want when I want. I’m not traveling this summer, which has been true for the past few summers. While I’ve been lucky enough to see a bit of the world, as the years pass, I find I’m becoming even more of a homebody. My goal for my life has been to create a life that I don’t need a vacation from, and I’ve been largely successful at that. 

Here’s how I go about my days as I continue working on my WIP while still allowing time for fun.

Mornings

I wake up naturally. Alarms are strictly forbidden during the summer. If I have errands to run or a coffee shop to visit, I leave my house about 8 am and I’m home by about 9 am, maybe a little later depending on what needs to be done. 

Once I’m home, I eat breakfast. As I said in this post, I’m used to eating my breakfast about 10:30 am. Breakfast can be anything from scrambled eggs and toast or waffles, or sometimes Greek yogurt with granola and fruit. 

At about 10 am, I open my computer. Yes, I fiddle around a bit by checking Feedly, but after that I get to work. I start most days by writing in my journal just to get my thoughts straight. If something is pressing from my WIP, I’ll write in my book journal. If I need to think through life things, I’ll write in my personal journal. 

Things are coming along smoothly with my WIP, so these days I’ve been working until about noon for my first round of writing for the day. If I have admin tasks like running book promos or writing these blogs, I often do it during this time as well. 

Afternoons

I do my walk aerobics videos in the early afternoon. I love the Leslie Sansone videos because you can move the equivalent of walking two miles in half an hour, which works for me. I stopped paying to go to the gym years ago. I didn’t go that often, so it was a waste of money. 

Even if I had the time for an hour class at the gym, it’s not just an hour of my time. It’s a 20 minute drive to the gym, and then 10 minutes to find a parking spot, and 10 minutes to find a locker. It’s waiting for the class, then the hour, then back to the locker room, the parking lot, and home. An hour class was two hours out of my day. I’d much rather do a video at home. 

If you like the idea of walk aerobics, Leslie Sansone’s Walk At Home has a YouTube channel

Afterwards, I’ll get crafty. If I finish reading a book I’ll work on my reading journal page during the afternoon. I might bake during this time, though I don’t bake a lot during the summer, especially in July and August when the heat is ridiculous. Turning on my oven when it’s 109 degrees Fahrenheit and humid is not pleasant.

My eating schedule doesn’t change during the summer, so I still eat my afternoon meal at 2:30 pm. 

About 3 pm, I get back to writing. It’s better for me to get my writing done in two chunks rather than straight through. It’s easier on my back and neck, and it stops me from growing too weary from staring at a computer screen for hours at a time. 

Evening

Depending on where I am in the writing process, I might write for hours. I prefer to tap into the Muse when she’s present. Other times, I get done as much as I can and I move on. 

I’ll spend more time watching TV and films during the summer than I do while I’m working. I recently watched Mr. Loverman, based on the novel by Bernardine Evaristo, on BritBox and it was excellent in every way. The writing was pitch-perfect, and the actors were outstanding. If you want to watch something with amazing acting, Mr. Loverman is it. Of course, summer is baseball season, so if the Los Angeles Dodgers are on, then I’m watching. 

During the school year I start reading about 7 pm, but during the summer I pull out my book about 5 pm and I give myself more time to indulge in a wonderful story. I’m currently reading my very first Stephen King novel, Dolores Claiborne. So far, I love Dolores’ narrative voice. I thought all of King’s books were horror, but I discovered that some of his books fall into the suspense genre. Yes, I know I write vampire stories, but my vampires aren’t scary. At least, not too scary.  Most of them.

Night

I still watch an occasional YouTube video, and maybe I’ll finish up a TV program I began earlier in the day. 

Bedtime is more flexible because, again, no alarms in the morning. 

Summer is Short

I’ve learned that forcing myself to stick to a plan doesn’t work for me this time of year. My days are completely my own. If I want to spend the day being a tourist in my own town and visit the Las Vegas Strip, I can. Here’s a photo of the summer scene from the Bellagio Hotel conservatory. I love the standing zebra’s 18th-century clothing.

Other days I’ll go downtown to the cute coffee shop or to my favorite independent bookstore, The Writer’s Block

The biggest benefit of this no-routine approach is freedom. It alleviates the guilt that often comes with failing to stick to an overly ambitious schedule. I see others who schedule their summers to the hilt and I wonder when they find time to just be.

Taking one day at a time allows me to connect with my creative work because I’m not forcing anything. My reading journaling, coffee shop trips, and visits to the Strip and different bookstores are my way of participating in the artist’s dates that Julia Cameron talks about in The Artist’s Way. Everything goes into my creativity well. When I sit down to write, my well is full. I also find a deeper enjoyment of the summer season itself.

By letting go of a rigid schedule, I can be more productive, more inspired, and certainly far happier. My writing flows more naturally, and I make space for the things that make summer feel special. 

Categories: Creative Writing, Creativity, Inspiration, The Writer’s Life, Writing InspirationTags:creative writing, creative writing inspiration, flexible schedule, summer schedule for writers, summer self-care, summer writing schedule, writing inspiration, writing tips
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Published on July 22, 2025 09:00

July 15, 2025

Top Summer Reads of 2025: My 5 Favorite Picks

The Joy of Summer Reading

It goes without saying that I read a lot during the summer, especially these days when I’m hardly leaving the house because it’s so hot outside. I know you’re thinking but you live in the desert…of course it’s hot! True, but the heat hit us sooner this year and we’ve been dealing with 110+ degrees since early June. 

Luckily, I’m a homebody. With my days free, I have time to make myself a fresh pot of iced tea and immerse myself in a wonderful story. 

Although I enjoy reading with the seasons, I find that my summer reading tends to be more eclectic, and I’m not necessarily looking for a specific type of book that I would consider a “summer” book. Any book can be a summer read if you read it during the summer.

Recently, I’ve been enjoying cozy fantasies, which is a new genre for me. I believe that we should occasionally push ourselves to read outside our comfort zones, as we never know when we’ll discover a new favorite genre. 

My Five Favorite Books So Far This Summer 2025

1. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

Birdwatching is my #GOALS right now since by 9 am it’s too hot to sit outside. There are a few hummingbirds who like the tree near my window, and I love seeing their quick-time wings flutter as they pass. 

The Backyard Bird Chronicles is about Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter’s Daughter, and how she discovered the hobby of studying the birds who visited her backyard in Sausalito, California. I love it when authors share their hobbies and interests outside of writing. Tan shares her observations about the birds, but also about life, as well as her own illustrations of the birds who visit her. 

Tan’s book is a good reminder about the importance of taking time to notice the miracle of our surroundings, including the birds who visit our backyards. If you love birding, slow living, or nature writing, you’ll enjoy this book. 

2. The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love Murakami. His imagination is an international treasure. I’ve found that when reading Murakami I have to allow myself to go wherever the story wants to take me.

I enjoyed visiting this surreal town surrounded by a high wall. We begin with a teenage boy and a teenage girl who fall in love. When the girl disappears, he follows her to that town inside the wall. The people have to give up their shadows to live in that town alongside unicorns who live nearby. 

As you’d expect with Murakami, there are twists and turns. One twist in particular was perfectly drawn and I didn’t see it coming. While I was happy to follow the story, I didn’t love the ending. I have no problem with ambiguous endings, but the end felt too sudden. Even so, this is a beautifully written book. If you’re new to Murakami, I wouldn’t start here. If you’re a Murakami fan, this is a must read even if the last ten percent or so isn’t as strong as the rest of the story. 

3. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Emily Wilde’s Encylopaedia of Faeries was my first cozy fantasy, and I loved it. This book would do well as a winter read because of the cabin in the snow, but I was so excited to read this book that I couldn’t wait. It’s 109 degrees Fahrenheit as I write this, so I enjoyed the colder climate in the story. 

Emily Wilde is a Cambridge professor who researches faeries. She’s a bit of a curmudgeon, but she has a good heart. She also has a few adventures and some romance along the way. You know how much I love fictional professors. As I read the book, I wondered about Heather Fawcett’s background because she gets the details about academia just right. 

I found the story absolutely charming. There is some minor violence but nothing gory and nothing that pulled me out of the cozy vibes. I loved the character of Wendell Bambleby, a fellow professor of Emily’s who invited himself on her research trip. Wendell is both annoying and adorable, but more on the adorable side. He has a secret that Emily has figured out. Emily and Wendell are so darn cute together.

I already have the second and third Emily books downloaded onto my Kindle.

4. The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

Everyone is talking about this book right now, but I wanted to add my two cents. To me, this book is worth the hype. 

Ocean Vuong, with his usual talent for expressing things we’ve all felt in precise, perfect language, shows us the day-to-day lives of ordinary people with ordinary jobs who do the best they can in any given moment. The main character, Hai, suffers from drug addiction as he finds himself the caretaker for an elderly woman who suffers from dementia. With his found family of fellow fast-food workers, Hai does his best to help his elderly charge, his cousin, and himself. 

This book is not meant to be escapism, which some people might look for in summer reading; instead, it’s a mirror for the real, gritty lives most of us lead.

5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I love this book. The only negative I have is that I waited so long to read it.

If you’re not familiar with the story, The Night Circus focuses on, well, a circus that operates at night. It appears suddenly and disappears as suddenly, and some patrons love the circus so much they form their own fandom and follow it around the world. The circus performers are wonderfully drawn, and there’s a magical showdown between two of the characters–Celia and Marco–and only one of them can survive. 

The story is magical, touching, and an absolute delight from beginning to end. As I read this book, I wondered if Erin Morgenstern looked inside my brain to create the perfect story for me. The Night Circus has all the elements I love–wonderful writing, complex characters, a fascinating setting, with magic thrown in for good measure. I think this may end up being my favorite book of the year. I bought Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea on my latest trip to Barnes and Noble.

Did I say how much I love this book?

Two Bonus Books

After reading What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami and Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Dame Judi Dench, I’m convinced that the three of us could be friends.

Murakami’s book is a memoir that primarily focuses on running. He’s a serious runner, participating in marathons and triathlons, and he talks about the effect running has had on his writing, which I found particularly fascinating. As I said with Amy Tan’s book, I love it when writers share their interests outside of writing. Murakami has a wonderful sense of humor–not that I’m entirely surprised since his novels have some very funny moments. It’s a great read for Murakami fans.

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench was such a wonderful discovery. Dench’s thoughts about Shakespeare, shared through the lens of the roles she’s played, are truly insightful. The book is told in interview style since it’s a transcript of conversations she had with actor/director Brendan O’Hea. This book is a joy for Shakespeare lovers. Judi has a wonderful sense of humor, and her knowledge of Shakespeare is exceptional. As an English teacher, I could say that Shakespeare has paid my rent on numerous occasions.

Happy summer reading!

Categories: Book Recommendations, Book Reviews, Books, Reading, Reading InspirationTags: Book Recommendations, book reviews, books for summer reading, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Reading Inspiration, Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, The City and Its Uncertain Walls, The Emperor of Gladness, The Night Circus, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
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Published on July 15, 2025 09:00

July 8, 2025

A Sneak Peek: An Excerpt from The Professor of Eventide

I’ve had so many questions about The Professor of Eventide, which makes me very happy, so keep them coming. You can always send your questions to me through the Contact link above or at meredithallardauthor@gmail.com.

Right now, readers mainly want to know when the book will be published. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time you know that I’m terrible at guessing when books will be finished. As I write this, I expect an early 2026 release date, but don’t quote me on that. I’ll update everyone here and in my monthly newsletter when I have a more definitive date. 

Another question I’ve been getting is whether or not The Professor of Eventide is a paranormal fantasy, and the answer is yes. I won’t say who the paranormal characters are yet, but they’re there. I love writing speculative fiction. I love playing with possibilities. 

I’ve also been asked whether or not this new book is historical fiction. Again, yes. Those of you who read The Swirl and Swing of Words know that I said quite definitely that my next novel wasn’t going to be historical fiction. And the Muse said, “Ha!” If you’ve read some of my previous posts, you’ll know that I’ve researched Edgar Allan Poe as well as spiritualism in the nineteenth century. I’ll have more to say about how those elements fit into the overall story later. It will be similar to the Loving Husband Trilogy in that there’s a present day storyline and a historical storyline.

The Professor of Eventide is my first foray into writing a murder mystery. When I shared an outline of the story with a writer friend, she said, “That sounds like The Secret History meets Ninth House!” I loved that so much (I adore both of those books) that I asked if I could use that in my marketing. She said yes.

For now, I’d like to share a bit from the book. This is the prologue. I think. This is very much still a work in progress, but it’s in good enough shape to share.

Enjoy. 

The Professor of Eventide Preview

A moment begins innocently enough. A ticking hand on a clock strikes the witching hour. A new job in a seaside town. A colleague who seems friendly enough, at first. A student who pays attention, sometimes. A cozy cottage hidden beneath hanging trees in a cul-de-sac. 

Professor Jonathan Ferrer’s routines were largely the same no matter where in the world he was. He slept. He fed himself. He taught his classes. He researched and wrote his scholarly papers. He read and journaled for his enjoyment and sanity. Things are always the same. Until they aren’t. 

He arrived along the midnight coast of Maine under the light of a vanilla moon. He was used to the late hours and enjoyed his solitary walks in the gloaming. Most people are frightened by the night. Too much is left unseen. Unknowing is more frightening than knowing. Who knows what lies between the shades and the shadows? Nightmares can spring out from behind the blackness, monsters with talons for fingers who crush your very bones into dust that blows away with the wind. Crime lurks in the darkness, anxiety in the darkness, terror in the darkness. With little to see by, phobias are exposed to be picked at like scabs that hurt more than help, so we peel them away until we bleed. 

Jonathan was at peace under the somber sky. He lived in the half-light. Instead of dwelling on the possibility of ghostly torments, he found solace in the unseen. For Jonathan, at night there was no one to fear or hide from. Few people were awake at that hour to mind whether he came or went. Of those he happened to encounter, they were less curious at night, indifferent even.  

He was still getting used to the jagged coast, the forested areas, the small town of Southshore. Every night, while others slept, he walked down the main street or along the coast. It was September, the weather mild even as Atlantic gusts whipped the water against the rocky shore, creating whirlpools in the wind. Shroud-like clouds grew menacing, so he turned from the bay toward his new home.

He moved quickly, his long legs taking extended strides. He had intended to return to his cottage, but being cooped up inside didn’t suit him despite the inclement weather. Instead, he turned down Southshore Road toward the campus of Eventide College. He stepped onto the misty grass and admired the eclectic combination of colonial and neoclassical architecture. Poe’s words ran through his mind. 

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before…

Merely this and nothing more.

Past the witching hour there wasn’t a soul to be seen, the only sounds the snap of the wind and the slap of Jonathan’s footsteps. He continued along the winding walkway, admiring the plentiful trees and impatient for leaf peeping. He looked forward to the progressing cold of autumn when the trees, the sugar maples and the yellow birch, would burst into kaleidoscope colors. The dim campus lights flickered and dimmed, leaving a puzzle-like shadow where Jonathan stood. He stopped when he heard footsteps behind him, light, quick-stepped, but he turned to nothing and no one.

Darkness there and nothing more.

Poe understood the gloom.

When the campus lights brightened, Jonathan spotted a long shadow at the top of the library steps. He shook his head. He must have imagined it. Perhaps a student had dropped a bag on their way out. No. It was too long to be a bag, Jonathan knew. His thoughts echoed inside his head. Leave! It’s nothing. Go home!  

His curiosity got the better of him, as it usually did. He passed the Main Quad and the Student Union. Standing before the wide steps of Chisholm Library, Jonathan feared what he already knew. Whatever it was, it was something he didn’t want to see. 

He climbed the stairs and saw that his worst fear was true. He shuddered when he recognized the body. His student. 

“Oh God,” Jonathan said. “What have I done?”

Categories: Fiction, Mysteries, Paranormal Fantasy, The Professor of EventideTags: Book sneak peek, fiction, historical fiction, mystery novel excerpt, mystery novels, The Professor of Eventide, The Professor of Eventide Preview
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Published on July 08, 2025 09:00

July 1, 2025

How to Create Memorable Characters Your Readers Will Love

How to Create Memorable Characters

I’ve been asked many times how I create such well-rounded characters. The truth is, I’m not entirely sure myself. Here I am, minding my own business as I think my way through a story, and suddenly these people appear. Who are you? I find myself asking the question aloud sometimes, to the amusement, or concern, of those around me. Sometimes these people appear fully formed and I know who they are from the moment I notice them. Sometimes it takes some work on my part to understand what they want with me. Mainly, I use my imagination. 

Character inspiration can come from anywhere. Like story inspirations, your characters can be inspired by books, movies, TV shows, music, people you know, favorite actors, yourself, or your imagination. 

I use the word character when I talk about fiction writing since that’s the accepted way of referring to our imaginary friends. For me, it’s more accurate to describe them as my people. My characters are my people. There’s a disconnectedness to the word character, at least in my mind, that doesn’t fully describe what I’m doing when I write about my people. I want to write multi-dimensional beings who happen to be figments of my imagination. They are my imaginary friends, and I want them to become my readers’ imaginary friends too. 

As with other aspects of fiction writing, there’s a woo-woo element to creating characters that I can’t explain. In general, I start with a vague concept of the people I’ll need to tell the story, and I keep my “cast” down to as few characters as necessary. I don’t enjoy reading stories with dead weight, and I don’t enjoy writing stories with characters that hang out on my pages just to take up space. 

For me, a memorable character is more than a name and a list of traits. My characters are people. Yes, they’re invisible people that exist in my imagination, but to me they are real, complex, and emotionally alive. Hopefully, they seem that way for my readers as well. 

Here are some things I consider when I’m creating characters. In some ways, being an author is similar to being an actor since we ask ourselves many of the same questions when constructing our people.

What Does the Character Want?

Every compelling character wants something. At the same time they fear something else. This conflict drives decisions and prompts growth. Whether it’s a need for approval, a longing for revenge, or a fear of a secret being discovered, grounding your character in emotional truths gives them depth.

It’s In the Details

Generic descriptions that could describe anyone from anywhere aren’t interesting. Instead of telling us that your character is kind, show them doing kind things such as rescuing stray cats or helping someone no one else notices. Physical details matter, certainly, but go beyond hair and eye color. What makes them tick? That’s the meat of your character.

Let Them Make Mistakes

People are full of contradictions, and characters should be too. Inconsistencies add authenticity and tension while keeping readers engaged. In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen is hardened and sensitive, independent yet protective of those she loves. These conflicting qualities make her relatable.

Perfect characters are boring. I don’t know any perfect people, and characters shouldn’t be perfect either. Characters become real when they act out of jealousy, make bad choices, misread situations, or make mistakes. Readers want to see how characters evolve. Mistakes create emotional stakes and invite reader empathy.

Craft Distinctive Voices

I love writing dialogue. It’s one of my favorite parts of writing fiction.

Dialogue is where characters come alive on the page. Each character should speak with their own rhythm, vocabulary, and tone. This isn’t just about accents or slang. It’s about how the characters think about the world. Make sure your characters’ speech is realistic and easy to understand. Don’t overdo the dialogue. This was one of the most common problems I saw in short stories submitted to The Copperfield Review. Many of the stories submitted to the journal contained dialogue that was forced, artificial, and unwieldy. Such dialogue weighs the story down and pulls the reader out of the experience.

Another frequent problem I saw was when all of the characters sounded the same. If you have a cast of five characters, you should have five distinctive voices. Readers should be able to tell who is speaking without dialogue tags. That’s why it’s so important to have a clear understanding of your characters’ personalities as you’re writing.

Take a look at your favorite novelist’s approach to dialogue. Study how they construct their conversations among characters. This is the one fairly easy fix that will make your manuscript more readable.

Give Them a Past

Even if it never appears directly in the story, your characters’ past shapes their present. What formative event shaped their worldview? What secret do they carry? What do they regret? A fleshed-out backstory creates rich subtext that informs every scene, adding depth and nuance to the narrative.

There are no secrets to creating characters. If an idea works it works, and if it doesn’t it doesn’t. Eventually, all the right characteristics will fall into place, but it might take time. Developing characters comes down to allowing the freedom of our imagination, dreaming through our characters’ traits, wants, and problems, allowing the characters to materialize in front of us, and then writing down what we see.

A Character Questionnaire

If you like to use questionnaires to flesh out your characters, you can use the one below. It was inspired by Lessons That Change Writers by Nancie Atwell. Write your responses from first-person point of view as if you are the character. 

1. What is your name?

2. What era do you live in?

3. When were you born? Where do you live?

4. What is your biggest hope?

5. What is something odd about you? How are you different from those around you?

6. How old are you?

7. Who are your family?

8. Who are your friends?

9. What color hair and eyes do you have? How tall are you? Do you have any unique physical characteristics?

10. Who or what do you love?

11. What keeps you up at night?

12. What is your biggest challenge? Your biggest fear?

13. Why do you make the choices you do?

14. What is a secret that only you know?

15. What challenges do you face based on the time when you live?

Categories: Character Inspiration, Creative Writing, Writing, Writing InspirationTags: creating characters readers will love, creative writing, creative writing inspiration, how to create memorable characters, how to write a novel, writing, writing inspiration, writing tips
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Published on July 01, 2025 09:00

June 24, 2025

Poe and the Gothic: Researching His Literary Style

Sharing More Book Research

Since I shared my research into the nineteenth-century spiritualism movement last week, I thought I’d share some research into one of my favorite authors, Edgar Allan Poe. Yes, if you’re wondering, this research also plays into my new novel, though I can’t say how yet.

I’ve read so many biographies about Dickens that I don’t need to look much up when I write about him. Though I love Poe’s short stories and poetry, I didn’t know much about him other than the oft-told stories of his alcoholism and the odd circumstances of his death.

My WIP has Gothic vibes, and few writers have shaped the Gothic tradition as powerfully as Edgar Allan Poe. With his brooding settings, psychological depth, and fascination with death and decay, Poe redefined the Gothic genre that was already popular in the early nineteenth century. Since I’m taking my first stab at writing Gothic fiction, I thought it would do me some good to examine Poe’s Gothic style in greater depth.

Poe helped to popularize Gothic, horror, and suspense fiction, and he created the detective genre. According to my buddy Etymolygy Online, the word detective, short for detective police, first appeared in 1828. Poe’s short story “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” featuring his detective, C. Auguste Dupin, was published in 1841. Even so, Poe didn’t refer to Dupin’s mysteries as detective stories. Poe used the term ratiocination, which refers to logical thinking.

What is Gothic literature?

Emerging in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, authors such as Horace Walpole, Ann Radcliffe, and Mary Shelley helped to define Gothic literature, with themes of the supernatural, crumbling architecture, and emotional extremes. Poe used these elements as vehicles for exploring the darker aspects of human nature. 

Psychological Horror Over Supernatural Terror

Poe rarely relied on external monsters. Instead, his terrors were internal, such as the descent into madness, guilt, obsession, or fear. Stories like “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Black Cat” aren’t about ghosts or ghouls, but about minds unraveling under the weight of their own conscience. This inward turn was the precursor to modern psychological horror.

Symbolic Settings

Poe’s architecture, such as crumbling mansions, claustrophobic chambers, or isolated tombs, is never just background information. In tales like “The Fall of the House of Usher,” the setting itself becomes a character as well as a reflection of the characters’ mental states. The decay of the Usher mansion mirrors the moral and psychological decay of its inhabitants.

Language and Rhythm

As a writer myself, this may be my favorite aspect of Poe’s unique style. Poe used poetic devices such as metaphor, simile, alliteration, assonance, rhythm, and repetition, among many others. Whether in prose or poetry, his word choice was designed to evoke mood and manipulate tempo. His use of internal rhyme draws the reader into the character’s psychological experience. 

Poe believed that the poem was the highest form of literary art, followed by the short story. He also believed in the “unity of effect,” meaning that each element of a literary work should come together to create one single emotional impact on the reader. Poe believed that the author should have a specific, pre-conceived effect in mind and construct that work in a way that every aspect contributes to achieving that effect. You can see Poe’s belief play out in most of his poetry and short fiction. His poem “The Raven” is an excellent example of this. 

The Macabre and the Beautiful

Poe was fascinated by the intersection of beauty and death, often romanticizing the deceased woman as an ideal. In poems like “Annabel Lee” and “Lenore” and stories like “Ligeia,” the dead or dying woman becomes a symbol of eternal loss, which echoes the Gothic preoccupation with mortality.

Poe said, “The death of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world.” Poe’s own wife Virginia died young after battling tuberculosis for several years, and it was no accident that so many of his poems and stories are about the death of a young woman. “Morella,” “Ligeia,” and Lenore in “The Raven” are just a few examples. 

Poe’s Legacy in the Gothic Tradition

Poe set the groundwork for future horror and suspense authors. He influenced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. I noticed the similarities between Holmes and Poe’s detective C. Auguste Dupin when I read “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”

When it comes to Gothic literature, Poe’s fusion of the darkness of human nature and psychological realism transformed the genre from melodrama into something far more chilling. I love Poe’s haunted houses, his nervous narrators, and his recreations of his characters’ anxieties. Poe’s Gothic genius was in the quiet, creeping dread that we all experience from time to time.

References

“Neither Life Nor Death: Poe’s Aesthetic Transfigurations of Popular Notions of Death” by Ruth Mayer

Edgar A. Poe by Kenneth Silverman

“Analysis of Poe’s Death Theme in the Short Stories” by Lin Xiabon

Categories: Inspiration, Mysteries, Research, Writing InspirationTags:19th century authors, characteristics of Poe’s writing, Gothic elements in Poe, Poe’s Gothic literary techniques, Research, researching Edgar Allan Poe, Researching Poe’s literary style, writing inspiration
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Published on June 24, 2025 09:00

June 17, 2025

Victorian Séance Research: History, Mediums, and Beliefs     

The Belief in Spiritualism

It’s hard to talk about my current WIP without spoilers! I think it’s safe to say that some of the book is about spiritualism in the nineteenth century. I’ve touched on spiritualism before in the Loving Husband Series, specifically with Olivia, who, of course, is one of the most powerful witches in the world. Just saying. This new WIP is a different kettle of fish. It’s a darker story and I’m going for Gothic vibes here. Although spiritualism doesn’t play a large role in the story, it does prove to be important. I’ve found the research into spiritualism fascinating, and I thought I’d share some of what I’ve learned.

Who Were the Spiritualists?

Spiritualists believed that people could communicate with their loved ones after death, and that belief brought about an industry of mediums who claimed to speak to the dead. The spiritualists plied their trade at a séance, where they would gather together several people hoping to connect to their loved ones who had passed on. When people attended a séance they often walked into a darkened room lit only by the glow of gaslight. They sat in silence at a round table, hands clasped, as they hoped for a message from the other side.

The Séance Craze

The nineteenth century was marked by a fascination with death and the supernatural. It was a time of high mortality rates, especially among children, and people would engage in year-long mourning for closest relatives while wearing black. Post-mortem photography, taking pictures with a deceased family member, was a popular way of creating keepsakes of those who had passed on. Queen Victoria wore black for her beloved husband Prince Albert for the rest of her life, and she attempted to communicate with him from the Great Beyond.

The Fox Sisters

The spiritualist movement began in New York in 1848 when the Fox Sisters, Maggie and Kate, claimed they could communicate with spirits through mysterious rapping sounds. The sisters found a following among those who wanted to speak with loved ones on the other side.

The spiritualist movement quickly crossed the Atlantic and found a receptive audience in England. By the 1860s, spiritualism was a phenomenon. Séances offered comfort to those who had lost loved ones, and mediums promised that death was not the end but merely a veil that could be parted.

Mediums: Connections With the Spirit World

Mediums were believed to act as conduits between the living and the dead. They were often women, which was unusual at a time when women had little power in society. Séances might feature automatic writing (where mediums wrote messages “dictated” by spirits), the sound of spirit trumpets, ectoplasm (a kind of spiritual goo), and full-body materializations that some people believed were ghosts. Some mediums worked in darkness or dim light to help spirits manifest. Others entered trances or used an early form of the Ouija board to receive messages from those on the other side. Tapping on tables was supposed to be a response from spirits.

Spiritualism was part of the mainstream culture during the nineteenth century. People on both sides of the pond believed in an afterlife populated by spirits who could guide the living toward moral and spiritual improvement. Séances were sometimes seen as religious experiences, combining ideas of the soul with a belief in personal communication with the dead. In time, many mediums were exposed as charlatans, but spiritualism endures and we can still see echoes of it in our society today.

Spiritualism is Still With Us

The nineteenth-century séance reflects the timeless human longing to reach across the void for one final word with those we love. mediums tapped into a powerful cultural current that still captivates us today, and the desire to connect with those we have lost is as strong as ever. Perhaps that’s why I keep touching on spiritualism in different stories from different angles.

References

“Enchanted Spaces: The Séance, Affect, and Geographies of Religion” by Julian Halloway

“Spiritualism and a Mid-Victorian Crisis of Evidence” by Peter Lamont

“To Hold Communion With Nature and the Spirit-World: New England’s Spiritualist Camp Meetings, 1865-1910” by William D. Moore

Categories: American History, British History, Research, Spirituality, Victorian England, Writing InspirationTags:19th century séances, history of séances, mediums, séance research, spiritualism, spiritualism beliefs, Victorian era, Victorian séances
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Published on June 17, 2025 09:00

June 10, 2025

Make Your Reading Group Shine: Her Dear & Loving Husband Questions

I had the thrill of a lifetime when a reading group from Boston, Massachusetts of all places (you know I love you, Massachusetts) contacted me to let me know that they had chosen Her Dear & Loving Husband as their September read. Of course, with vampires, witches, and a Halloween vibe, Her Dear & Loving Husband is a great autumn read. 

Becca, the reading group leader, contacted me to ask if I had any reading questions to go along with the book, and indeed I do. I thought I’d share them here in case anyone would like to read Her Dear & Loving Husband with their reading groups. 

I’m always honored when James and Sarah’s story finds its way into a circle of readers. This is why I keep writing. The love shown to James and Sarah over 14 years is nothing short of remarkable. The blend of historical fiction, romance, and a touch of the paranormal has proven to be an effective way to explore one timeless idea: that true love never dies.

While I would love nothing better than a trip to New England this autumn, I’m back to work in August so I’ll be joining the discussion virtually. 

If you choose to read Her Dear & Loving Husband with your reading group, let me know. I love chatting with readers in person or online, so feel free to reach out through the Contact link above or via email at meredithallardauthor@gmail.com

I hope these discussion questions help spark meaningful conversations about history, memory, fate, and the enduring nature of love.

Discussion QuestionsPast and PresentHow does the dual timeline between Salem during the Witch Trials and the modern-day setting shape your understanding of James and Sarah’s relationship?
Did you find the historical sections enhanced your connection to the characters? Why or why not?
What emotional or thematic parallels exist between the two time periods?
Love, Loss and FateThe novel’s central theme is “true love never dies.” How is that theme reinforced or complicated throughout the story?
In what ways do James and Sarah’s previous lives influence their present choices?
Do you think their love story is one of fate, choice, or both?
Characters and RelationshipsHow would you describe Sarah as a heroine? In what ways does she grow throughout the novel?
James is a complex figure living with centuries of grief. Did you sympathize with him? Why or why not?
How do the secondary characters support or challenge the main relationship?
Paranormal and Emotional RealismHow did the supernatural elements affect your experience reading the story? Did they detract from the story? Did the supernatural feel symbolic or literal to you?
What do you think the novel is saying about history and memory both personal and collective?
ReflectionIf you could ask the author (that’s me!) one question about the book or the research behind it, what would it be?
What emotions stayed with you after finishing the book?
Do you believe that some souls are meant to find each other again?

Her Dear & Loving Husband grew from my fascination with history and my curiosity about the staying power of love across time. The Salem Witch Trials are remembered for their tragedies, but I wanted to write a story that reclaimed part of that history with hope. Heavens knows we need all the hope we can get these days.

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Published on June 10, 2025 09:00

June 3, 2025

Annotating Books for Research and Enjoyment: My Personal Methods

The Joy of Annotating Books

I’ve been a bookworm all my life. I started reading at a young age, which my mother attributes to my watching Sesame Street

Ernie and Bert and ABC songs aside, books were my first and best friends. I lived in books. In books I saw that there were other worlds, other times, other ways to live. I remember sitting in Mrs. McCoy’s third grade classroom, there on the blue and red checkered rug near the well-stocked bookcases. I remember Mrs. McCoy watching me as I read while the other kids played. I read Charlotte’s Web. I read everything by Beverly Cleary. I read the Little House on the Prairie books. I discovered Judy Blume.

It’s hardly a surprise that I ended up with two university degrees in English and a PhD in Education, where I studied journaling and storytelling for my dissertation. It’s also not surprising that I make my primary living as an English teacher.

What may be a surprise is that for years I thought that annotating inside books was akin to graffiti-like defacing of public property. While I’ve taught my students how to annotate for years, we always worked with copies of the text. Even when I was studying literature, I’d make copies of the text and mark those up or take notes in a journal.

About two years ago, I picked up an old copy of a paperback, one that had no emotional value to me, and I went ahead and annotated the book just to see what would happen. What happened was that I discovered the true value of annotating. Not only do I feel as if I’m actively reading, but I remember what I’ve read better.  

Marking Texts For Enjoyment

I don’t have a specific game plan for annotating books I read for enjoyment. Some books I read and don’t annotate. It’s not that I don’t like the books; it’s just that nothing jumps out at me. I recently read The Hobbit, and while I adored the story and the narrative voice, and I would very much like to eat second breakfast in my cozy hobbit-hole, there was nothing I felt I needed to expand on. 

I only annotate when I have something to say. Maybe I’m making a personal, text, or world connection. Maybe there’s something I want to remember. Maybe I like the way a sentence or phrase is written. Maybe I discovered some key information or something that connects to the theme. Maybe I make a discovery about the characters or I start to see a pattern. If it’s a mystery, maybe I’m trying to guess whodunnit. 

How I Annotate Fiction

I don’t like to stop reading to annotate when I’m reading a novel. I prefer to stay immersed in the story, so I’ll fold down the tip of the page so I can go back another time to add my thoughts. For some people, dog-earing a page is worse than writing in the book, but for me, if I’m going to mark up the pages then a little folding won’t hurt anything. 

The next day, before I pick up the book to read, I’ll grab my highlighters, my black gel pen, and my book tabs. Then I’ll go back over my dog-earred pages, highlight the points that struck me, and I’ll add my marginalia–the notes I make in the margins around the text. 

I stress to my students that highlighting, circling, or underlining by itself doesn’t mean anything. A circle is just a circle. Why are you highlighting? What struck you about that passage? What did you learn? What questions did you have? What connections did you make? Write it down. Writing is thinking on paper. By writing down your thoughts you’re forcing yourself to interact with the text and you’ll understand it better. 

For me, annotating books that I read for entertainment is a way of having a dialogue with these great stories and authors. My annotations are my journal as I read this book. Here are my thoughts. Here is what I learned. Here is how this book affected me.

I don’t like to take up all the margin space since I might have something different to say the next time I read the book, or I might want to add more to what I’ve already said. This is where handy-dandy post-it notes come in. If my thoughts require more space, I write them on post-it notes and stick the notes onto the pages. 

Poppy investigating my annotations. She approves. How I Annotate Nonfiction For Research

I annotate research differently. I’m currently researching Edgar Allan Poe, and I recently read Edgar A. Poe by Kenneth Silverman. I’ll have a review soon, but for now I’ll say that Poe was maybe not so easy to get along with. He was…intense. And also one of the most original authors ever. The guy single-handedly created the detective story.

Some annotations for Edgar A. Poe by Kenneth Silverman.

I annotate while I read nonfiction because I’m searching for information, not trying to get lost in a story. I have my highlighters, gel pen, and book tabs by my side, and when something strikes me I annotate it. I’m not necessarily looking for something specific, although that can depend on where I am in the research process. I’ve made most of my best discoveries when I’ve allowed myself to peer into any nooks and crannies that catch my attention. For example, did you know that Madeline Usher from Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher has been interpreted as being a vampire? Hmm…

When I’m working with scholarly articles, I print them up and annotate them the same way, with highlighters, gel pen, and tabs. Sometimes I color-code my annotations, especially when I’m researching historical fiction. I might highlight information about food blue, clothing yellow, hairstyles pink, etc, to make it easier to find what I need. 

Annotating an Ebook

I read on my Kindle a lot, and it’s easy to annotate an ebook. Press down and drag your finger across the text that you want to highlight. You can even choose different highlight colors. Then you can just click on the notes icon and type in your thoughts about the highlighted text.

Some of my highlights from The Sound and the Fury. There are typos since I’m typing on the Kindle, but it’s fine for my notes. Aesthetic AnnotatingSome books I’ve annotated along with my highlighters and pens.

The more comfortable I’ve become with annotating books, the more I like my annotations to look nice. I prefer pretty-colored highlighters and book tabs. I use highlighters from Mr. Pen along with the matching book tabs. I also use Mildliner highlighters. I also use the garden variety fluorescent highlighters; you know, the ones you can buy a dozen for a few bucks. I also use those Post-it tabs you can buy anywhere.

Sometimes I’ll pick a color and do all of my highlighting and tabbing the same color. Sometimes I’ll try to match my highlighting and book tabs to the cover of the book. Sometimes I do whatever. 

There’s no right way to annotate. Some people use just a pencil or a ballpoint pen to mark up their books. Some people use yellow highlighters. Some people dog-ear the pages they’re interested in. The simpler you can keep your annotating process, the more likely you are to keep it up. 

Annotation Inspirations

If you’d like some inspiration for aesthetic annotating, check out Cath at Cups and Thoughts. I love watching her cozy annotation videos. I love seeing her passion for the stories she loves, and I love watching her engage with her reading. Ben McEvoy also has a great video about the value of marginalia

If you’re not in the habit of annotating text, I highly recommend you give it a try. You might be surprised by how much more you appreciate what you’ve read.  

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Published on June 03, 2025 09:00