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Audio Books Now Available!

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 Amazon has been beta-testing a new service where books can be turned into audio files using automated technology. I'm suffering from no illusions that this is as good as having a human narrator, but seeing as hiring someone to do audio books was not in the budget, I decided to take advantage of this service.  I know many people prefer audio books for a variety of reasons. I also appreciate that it makes my books available to those who have difficulty reading print material for any reason. So, four of my books are now available in audio format. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to use the service for The Lacemaker: A Novel of St. Zelie Martin (at least not yet). If that changes, I will let you know.  In the meantime, if you'd like to check out any of my books / audio books, please click the links below. These are affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission on any purchases made after clicking a link. Thank you for your support!     The Charter Class   Mother Jo

The Creative Act: A Way of Being

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  I recently read The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin. This is a spiritual but not religious book with the author, who is a music producer, believing in a generic high power. That being said, it did offer much to reflect on regarding living a creative life and producing art of any type. "Creativity is something you are, not only something you do. It's a way of moving through the world, every minute, every day." He emphasizes that art is not meant to be competitive or even a profitable venture (most people will need to do something else to have income). Rather, it is meant to be representative of who we are. It is also a collaboration. "You are in a constant dialogue with what is and what was." He also talks about dealing with the response to our art. "In the end, you are the only one who has to love it. The work is for you." He defines success as moving forward. We should complete our projects, share them, and begin another. We have very li

Why Bother Writing? Here's Some Encouragement

 Why bother writing? I admit that this is a thought that has crossed my mind more than a few times lately (and by lately, I mean many of the last twenty years that I have been writing). It is hard to keep going when book sales and page views are minimal and the income produced is far below minimum wage. It is hard to see so many books out in the world with tons of reviews and sales and know that by comparison my work has failed (and by extension, I have failed), that very few people care about anything I write. To be fair, there are many writers in the same boat as me. Of course, I'm not actually able to stop writing, at least not without feeling even worse. God gave me this gift. I have all these ideas that need to get out or else they just sort of bubble inside of me if I don't work on them, taking up mental space that is better used for other tasks.   On my better days, I do realize that writing for one person matters, that perhaps a few someone's lives are a bit better

"The Charter Class" Prologue

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  Prologue August 14, 1921, Springfield, Massachusetts   Mother John Berchmans Somers shifted the papers in her hands as she waited in the chancellery office. Going to see the bishop was a bit like being called to the principal’s office. Bishop Beaven had always been so kind to her and to the whole Sisters of Saint Joseph community, but the Good Lord saw fit to call him to his eternal reward. She offered a quick prayer for his soul as she thought of him. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. Yes, he had been a good man and a good superior. She could only hope to have as cordial a relationship with the recently installed Bishop Thomas O’Leary. She understood that it couldn’t be easy to lead an entire diocese. The Diocese of Springfield covered much territory and included many people of varying ethnicities who lived in both urban centers and the most rural of hilltowns. Yes, she knew what it was like to bear the weight of responsibility.

The First Review of "The Charter Class"

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  I was so pleased to see this review on Amazon from Laura Pearl , author of Finding Grace and Erin's Ring:     I have read three other novels by Anne Faye and enjoyed them all, but this might be my favorite one of the bunch. A lovely work of historical fiction, The Charter Class tells the story of the very first class of students at The College of Our Lady of the Elms in Springfield, MA ("Elms College" for short), an all-girls school that opened in the 1920's. In an era when few young women of modest means had opportunities for higher education, Mother John Berchmans (Mother Superior of the Sisters of Saint Joseph) envisioned an educational institution that would prepare its bright students--body, mind, and soul--for any future vocation, whether it be in the work force, in the home, or in the religious life. With the eager support of Bishop Thomas O'Leary, Elms College became a reality and welcomed its first charter class of 36 freshmen in the

"The Charter Class" is now available!

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  The Charter Class is now available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon. It is free on Kindle Unlimited.  Mother John Berchmans had a dream . . . Mother John Berchmans Somers of the Sisters of St. Joseph dreamed of establishing a college to serve the Catholic young women of western Massachusetts. With the support of Bishop Thomas O’Leary, that dream became the College of Our Lady of the Elms. In September 1928, thirty-six brave students embarked on the grand adventure of being the charter class for the new institution. In their quest to obtain a college education at a time when that was an unexpected route for young women, these students will face challenges at home, at school, and in their personal lives. Katie O’Sullivan’s recently deceased mother wanted her daughter to have more opportunities in life than to become a farmer’s wife, but Katie leaves for college with a heavy heart. She misses her father and the farm she left behind. Will she fulfill her mother’s dying wi

The Story Behind "The Charter Class"

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  The Charter Class is now available on Amazon Our Lady of the Elms first opened as an academy to educate girls in Chicopee, Massachusetts, in 1899. The diocese purchased a large home and property on Springfield Street to accommodate the new institution. The school was named in honor of the Blessed Mother and for the number of stately elm trees growing on the property. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, who had been serving the Diocese of Springfield since 1883, staffed the institution. It operated as a boarding school designed for girls from economically modest families, especially one-parent households, in addition to welcoming local students who could commute to school on a daily basis. While it doesn’t factor in this novel, the academy for younger students would coexist with the college until 1944. By 1910, the sisters established a Normal School, known as St. Joseph’s College, as an outgrowth of the academy, a two-year course of study that would prepare students to be