For fans of historical fiction, here's a recommendation: Maria Tureaud's gothic novel "This House Will Feed." It's set during Ireland's Great Hunger, also known by its Irish name, An Gorta Mór.

The author was born and raised in a part of Ireland that was devastated by the Great Hunger during the mid-1800s, yet she barely learned anything about the area's tragic history when she was growing up. She says it wasn't taught in school. Then she left Ireland to spend her junior year in college as an exchange student in the United States. She signed up for an Irish history class, expecting it to be an easy A. Instead, her eyes were opened to the atrocities that were committed during that terrible time.

In this episode, Tureaud talks about why she didn't really want to tackle the subject of the Great Hunger yet felt compelled to write about it. She also discusses why she chose to make it a gothic story; how she developed her main character, Maggie O'Shaughnessy, and how the process affected Tureaud's personal life. Other topics include the urge to someday move back to her home country, as well as her own path to becoming published with some advice for others wanting the same.

"This House Will Feed" came out at the end of January 2026. Tureaud's next Irish gothic historical novel, "Beneath It Sleeps," will be published in January of 2027. Also, before she entered the realm of adult books, she wrote a middle-grade paranormal novel titled "The Last Hope in Hopetown," which was published in 2022.

You'll hear about all this and much more (for example, the difference between masculine rage and feminine rage, revenge vs. vengeance). Please join us for an illuminating — and fun — conversation.

Send a text

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.

For these two calming techniques, all that's involved is breathing in and out and focusing one's mind. They take maybe a minute or so to do both of them. I've found that they help me a lot when I'm feeling stressed, and I really like doing them proactively too — just to get into the right mindset at the beginning of the day or anytime.

Please try them out to see whether they also help you manage stress and feel more clearheaded, and let me know by using the text link below.

Credit and gratitude go to Bob Jones of Wyoming who created the artwork in the thumbnail.

Send a text

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.

I recorded this short video after the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Renée Nicole Good, a mother and poet, and before Veterans Administration nurse and U.S. citizen Alex Jeffrey Pretti died, also at the hands of ICE. Each was shot at what has been reported as a peaceful protest.

These are tense times and, more than ever, we need to follow the examples set by Good and Pretti by being more kind, not less so. Kindness is a form of love and, ultimately, love is far stronger and more resilient than the hate of bullies. In honor of all those who have been harmed by hate, let's spread love and lots of it.

The vibrant artwork in the thumbnail is by Wyoming artist Bob Jones. Art is subjective, of course. To me, the angles capture the edginess of the moment.

And, by the way, "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield made VegOut newsletter's list of "8 songs boomers still love because it reminds them who they were before responsibilities." Check out the entire list by searching "vegoutmag.com/lifestyle/k-bt-8-songs-boomers-still-love."

Here's a link to the official Buffalo Springfield video along with the full lyrics:

There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
A-telling me I got to beware
I think it's time we stop
Children, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Are getting so much resistance from behind
Time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and a-carrying signs
Mostly say hooray for our side
It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
Step out of line, the man come and take you away
We better stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
We better stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
We better stop now
What's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
We better stop
Children, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down

Send a text

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.