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.

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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.

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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

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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.

Summary: Kate Jones offers two affirmations in this video.The first focuses on letting go, releasing any tense hold we have on people, places, events and things.The second centers on forgiving everything, everyone and all experiences needing forgiveness.

Background: This is Kate. When I was in my 20s, I started doing two amazing affirmations thanks to my first husband. That was a long time ago, so the details of their origins are fuzzy. I think he learned them from a couple of women friends who were involved with the Unity Church. I always thought that there was a connection between these affirmations and Unity, though I've not been able to confirm that by searching online. Recently, however, I Googled the first line of the "letting go" affirmation, and this is what Google's AI came up with: "That is a wonderful mantra focusing on acceptance and releasing attachment to external factors. This perspective can bring about a sense of inner peace and freedom. By letting go of rigid control over people, situations and material possessions, you open yourself up to experiencing life with greater flexibility, resilience and serenity. It's a practice of mindfulness and trusting in the natural flow of life."

So then I Googled the first line of the second affirmation about forgiving, and AI came up with this: “The phrase 'I forgive everything, everyone, every experience from the past or present' is a powerful affirmation for radical forgiveness, a practice to release resentment, find inner peace, and free oneself from past hurts by consciously letting go of anger and choosing love or acceptance, often through repetition in meditation or prayer, recognizing it as a gift to oneself for healing and growth, not necessarily condoning actions but releasing their power over you.”

I think AI did a great job summing up these affirmations. I incorporated them into my life decades ago and have found them to be great tools for growth and healing. I hope they're useful for you as well. Also want to mention that although the speaker here is a woman (me), just change the wording so that it's right for you.

One other note: The thumbnail picture of the awe-inspiring interior of the Basílica de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona was taken in 2024 by my husband, Bernie Jones, for whom I'm grateful for our life together and the marvelous places we've visited. Speaking of gratitude, I also thank my former husband for introducing me to life-enhancing spiritual tools including the affirmations in this episode.

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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.

Each one of us can spread a little love in the world with just a smile or a kind word. And when we join together with other like-minded individuals, our positive influence grows exponentially. That's the effect that Impact100 has in communities throughout the U.S. and in England, Australia and New Zealand.

You can learn about Impact100 in this interview with Brooke Potrzeba, who first got involved with the nonprofit organization in Pensacola, Florida, before moving to Ohio in 2024. Brooke is founding president of the Cleveland chapter, the 76th chapter worldwide.

Impact100 gives $100,000 grants to nonprofits that can make transformative improvements to their communities. For more information, check out impact100cleveland.org or impact100global.org.

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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.

"THE LIGHT" is an 18-page illustrated board book designed to empower youngsters with themes of self-connection, self-trust and self-love. Author Scarlett Lam and illustrator Mindy Lee have found that adults also are moved by the book's uplifting message.

This short excerpt is from an interview that Scarlett and I recorded in early 2024 not long after the book was published. I highly recommend "THE LIGHT" and have revisited the interview more than once. So far, I've purchased four copies of the book and have given three of them away. The recipients love it too because it reminds people of their inner light and worth.

To buy your own copy, go to readthelight.com. Scarlett is offering 10% off with the code EVERYDAYCREATION10, good through 2025.

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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.

This is the sixth and last excerpt from a longer conversation (Episode 121) with philanthropist and author Iris November and two of her daughters: the Rev. Rachel Hollander, also an author, and Anita Hollander, an actress, singer and songwriter who joined us on Zoom from New York City.

In previous excerpts, we talked about Iris' two books; Anita's long professional career as well as her activism on behalf of performers with disabilities; and Rachel's book about living (and thriving) with depression vs. suffering from it. We also talked about the death of Iris' husband when he was only 48 and how his sudden passing affected the family.

To honor the memory of Bernard (Bud) Hollander, a lawyer, Iris set up an award to be given to a law school student who exemplifies her husband's unwavering commitment to public service. It first was presented in May 2025 and thereafter will be an annual award.

In this episode, we start off with Iris' knitting group, Yarn Over Beachwood, and then we touch upon the Statue of Liberty Club, which she founded. From there, we move on to the thoughtful practice of leaving a legacy that benefits future generations. The public service award honoring Bud Hollander is an example of that.

The episode ends with Anita singing an original song, "Beyond," inspired by some words that her father had jotted down about the importance of leaving something beneficial behind. You'll find the lyrics to Anita's beautiful song at the end of this episode's transcript.

To hear a professionally recorded version of "Beyond," go here. And go here to learn about Rev. Rachel's online spiritual community, SpiritsHome. By the way, the Beachwood Library mentioned in this episode is in Ohio on Cleveland's East Side.

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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.

In this fifth excerpt from a longer conversation, Iris November and daughters Anita Hollander and Rev. Rachel Hollander, talk about how the family struggled in the aftermath of the sudden passing of Iris' husband, Bernard "Bud" Hollander. Father of Anita, Rachel and their sisters, Celia Hollander Lewis and Lisa Hollander, he was the "cornerstone of our family," Rachel says.

Iris was 42 at the time of her husband's fatal heart attack, and she quickly had to shoulder household responsibilities she had never handled before. Far worse, the family faced multiple health crises shortly after Bernard's death. Despite the many hardships, mother and daughters express deep gratitude for their lives and for each other.

If this short episode piques your interest to hear more, please check out the other excerpts or the full interview, which is Episode 121.

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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.