Short story collection ROSE WINDOW released July 1, 2025
ROSE WINDOW is a novel-in-stories about three generations of the Grant family and their efforts to conceal family secrets. Set in pre-war Hastings-on-Hudson, post-war Brooklyn and Manhattan, and contemporary Long Island, the stories explore family secrets that can and cannot stay hidden as history repeats itself in haunting ways. As an episodic collection of stories, each one is told from the perspective of a different family member. From a mother sent off to a mental asylum, to her adult son later trapped in an attic by his wife and children, this collection shows the power of secrets and the lengths we will go to in order to keep them hidden.
Inspired by family secrets I discovered from genealogy research, the interconnected stories center on the Grant family. The stories take place in the early 20th Century to the 1970s in New York City and the Hudson River Valley. Questionable paternity, a stolen car, family hidden in a mental asylum, and a fake kidnapping surface in the stories.
Notable awards and publications
Inspired by family secrets I discovered from genealogy research, the interconnected stories center on the Grant family. The stories take place in the early 20th Century to the 1970s in New York City and the Hudson River Valley. Questionable paternity, a stolen car, family hidden in a mental asylum, and a fake kidnapping surface in the stories.
Notable awards and publications
- 2018 - "Ribbon" Top 10 Finalist in WOW! Women on Writing Winter Flash Fiction Contest. Top stories selected by literary agent Jennifer Chen Tran of Bradford Literary.
- 2018 - Selected as a contributing writer for Craig Johnson's fiction workshop at the Looking Glass Rock Writers' Conference in Brevard, North Carolina
- 2016 - Second Place ($250) WOW! Women on Writing Summer Flash Fiction Contest
- 2015 - "Money Changes Everything" Honorable Mention in Fiction Carolina Woman Writing Contest
- 2013 - "Tuna Heart" published in Mused Literary Review
- 2009 - Selected as a contributing writer and received a scholarship to attend Melissa Bank's short fiction workshop at the Southampton Writers Conference
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Behind the scenes of the book and each of the stories
ROSE WINDOW is loosely inspired by my time researching my family history. Many of my ancestors lived in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. I spent a week traveling around upstate New York in 2019 collecting more information about my family and learning the history of the area. Here's a peek into my experience:
Part 1: Family history research with visits to Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings-on-Hudson, and Poughkeepsie
Learn about a mental asylum where one of my ancestors lived for more than 30 years.
Part 2: Family history research with visits to a cemetery and the historical society in Hastings.
Learn where the rose symbolism comes from and why I retitled the story collection.
Planning a short story collection
I share how I started to see a larger story come together after I wrote a few pieces of short fiction.
Part 1: Family history research with visits to Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings-on-Hudson, and Poughkeepsie
Learn about a mental asylum where one of my ancestors lived for more than 30 years.
Part 2: Family history research with visits to a cemetery and the historical society in Hastings.
Learn where the rose symbolism comes from and why I retitled the story collection.
Planning a short story collection
I share how I started to see a larger story come together after I wrote a few pieces of short fiction.
Story #1 "Eyes"
In “Eyes” the father in the story has only one hand. Through my family history research, I found a record that one of my ancestors was born with one hand. However, through oral family history, living family today were told that this ancestor lost their hand in a wood chopping accident. This made me wonder about the possibilities of why someone would avoid telling their own family the truth. You’ll notice a nod to chopping wood, but the father’s missing hand in “Eyes” is attributed to an inherited trait that they don’t want to continue to pass down.
Part of my research also showed conflicting parentage records, which prompted this story’s plot. (The cliché of the plot is intentional.) One of the things I remember learning in school was how eye colors are dominant and passive. Combinations of parents’ eye colors can produce certain colors in their children’s eyes. Using that as a framework, our main character Frank moves through this exercise in a school assignment. When writing this story, I drew out eye charts and mapped characters’ eye colors to each scenario.
Even though “Eyes” reveals a secret, we see Frank put in a position to keep the secret. Is withholding the truth a lie? I had a family tree project in the 7th grade. Without the Ancestry digital records that we have today, I had limited resources and couldn’t go back the 3 generations that the project required. I could have submitted the project with blank family records, but I realized that I shouldn’t forfeit my grade on a project just because my family didn’t have any knowledge of past generations. I also realized my teacher couldn’t verify the family tree accuracy, so I filled out the unknown parts of the tree with fake information (and kept that a secret until now) and avoided a failing grade.
A motif you’ll see throughout the collection are trains. Every story includes a train in some way. The train in “Eyes” serves as a bridge. It’s a conduit for the father to get to work each day. It also acts as a bridge for Frank to a place of wonder—New York City—but, more importantly, it’s a bridge between Frank and his father. The train is something they connect through and it helps them see the world through each other’s eyes.
In “Eyes” the father in the story has only one hand. Through my family history research, I found a record that one of my ancestors was born with one hand. However, through oral family history, living family today were told that this ancestor lost their hand in a wood chopping accident. This made me wonder about the possibilities of why someone would avoid telling their own family the truth. You’ll notice a nod to chopping wood, but the father’s missing hand in “Eyes” is attributed to an inherited trait that they don’t want to continue to pass down.
Part of my research also showed conflicting parentage records, which prompted this story’s plot. (The cliché of the plot is intentional.) One of the things I remember learning in school was how eye colors are dominant and passive. Combinations of parents’ eye colors can produce certain colors in their children’s eyes. Using that as a framework, our main character Frank moves through this exercise in a school assignment. When writing this story, I drew out eye charts and mapped characters’ eye colors to each scenario.
Even though “Eyes” reveals a secret, we see Frank put in a position to keep the secret. Is withholding the truth a lie? I had a family tree project in the 7th grade. Without the Ancestry digital records that we have today, I had limited resources and couldn’t go back the 3 generations that the project required. I could have submitted the project with blank family records, but I realized that I shouldn’t forfeit my grade on a project just because my family didn’t have any knowledge of past generations. I also realized my teacher couldn’t verify the family tree accuracy, so I filled out the unknown parts of the tree with fake information (and kept that a secret until now) and avoided a failing grade.
A motif you’ll see throughout the collection are trains. Every story includes a train in some way. The train in “Eyes” serves as a bridge. It’s a conduit for the father to get to work each day. It also acts as a bridge for Frank to a place of wonder—New York City—but, more importantly, it’s a bridge between Frank and his father. The train is something they connect through and it helps them see the world through each other’s eyes.
Part of a 1917 document from my ancestor's military records where he attests he was born with one hand.
Story #2 "The Day Eleanor Arrived"
Through my family history research, I found records that an ancestor left the family home and a live-in housekeeper resided in the home instead. I wondered what that dynamic would be like for a family—grieving the loss of their family member while shifting into the day-to-day life of a stranger—Eleanor—in their home.
There’s a reference in this story to Eleanor cleaning the curtains on Thursdays. I found a book in a thrift shop about homemaking efforts during this 1940s era. It was common at the time for many households to follow a weekly cleaning schedule—Mondays were popular for laundry—and curtains or other specific household cleaning were reserved for Thursdays.
My research also uncovered an audio recording from a great-uncle sharing how he would fish for eel on the Hudson River. In “The Day Eleanor Arrived,” the main character, Al, uses eel fishing as a ruse. There are also references to eel fishing in “Eyes” and “Apple Cake.” Today, eel fishing in the Hudson River is still possible, but conservation efforts and concerns about PCBs make it a very different practice than it was in the 1940s. (The eels have an incredible lifecycle—living in the Hudson River year-round and only leaving to spawn in the Sargasso Sea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean east of Bermuda.)
I’ve also learned of multiple ancestors stealing family cars—so I thought it would be interesting to explore why someone may do that. Stealing a car doesn’t necessarily need to be malicious, and we see Al’s well intentioned with his theft.
For the family member who left the home, we learn that the remaining family are told that their loved one ran away. The truth is, they left home not on their own free will. Through oral family history I learned of an ancestor who allegedly ran away from home, but the records I found show that the person was brought somewhere against their will for several decades. (We’ll revisit this in a few more stories.)
A train returns in this story as a challenge and a solution. The train keeps Al’s father from being there for his family when they need him, but Al comes to see the train as a potential exit.
Through my family history research, I found records that an ancestor left the family home and a live-in housekeeper resided in the home instead. I wondered what that dynamic would be like for a family—grieving the loss of their family member while shifting into the day-to-day life of a stranger—Eleanor—in their home.
There’s a reference in this story to Eleanor cleaning the curtains on Thursdays. I found a book in a thrift shop about homemaking efforts during this 1940s era. It was common at the time for many households to follow a weekly cleaning schedule—Mondays were popular for laundry—and curtains or other specific household cleaning were reserved for Thursdays.
My research also uncovered an audio recording from a great-uncle sharing how he would fish for eel on the Hudson River. In “The Day Eleanor Arrived,” the main character, Al, uses eel fishing as a ruse. There are also references to eel fishing in “Eyes” and “Apple Cake.” Today, eel fishing in the Hudson River is still possible, but conservation efforts and concerns about PCBs make it a very different practice than it was in the 1940s. (The eels have an incredible lifecycle—living in the Hudson River year-round and only leaving to spawn in the Sargasso Sea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean east of Bermuda.)
I’ve also learned of multiple ancestors stealing family cars—so I thought it would be interesting to explore why someone may do that. Stealing a car doesn’t necessarily need to be malicious, and we see Al’s well intentioned with his theft.
For the family member who left the home, we learn that the remaining family are told that their loved one ran away. The truth is, they left home not on their own free will. Through oral family history I learned of an ancestor who allegedly ran away from home, but the records I found show that the person was brought somewhere against their will for several decades. (We’ll revisit this in a few more stories.)
A train returns in this story as a challenge and a solution. The train keeps Al’s father from being there for his family when they need him, but Al comes to see the train as a potential exit.
From a 1940 census record, a housekeeper named Eleanor lived with my ancestors.
Story #3 "Ribbon"
A flash fiction version of this story was a Top 10 Finalist for the WOW! Women on Writing 2018 Winter Contest, selected by Bradford Literary Agency.
One of my ancestors worked in a ribbon factory. I didn’t understand what this was until researching it. Then I learned it was typewriter ribbon. What would it be like for someone to spend their days making typewriter ribbon when all they want to do is use it for their own writing? I chose this path when creating Al’s life. We learned in “Eyes” about the mysterious parentage between Al and his siblings. Now we meet Al at a point in his life where he’s a parent himself.
As Al struggles for time to invent characters through his writing, he’s also creatively inventing his own family. In this story we’re first introduced to Al’s children: James and Georgie. Later in the collection we meet Georgie’s children and the secrets in their family. The well-intentioned decisions Al makes for his children don’t prevent secrets from resurfacing in their own adult lives.
A flash fiction version of this story was a Top 10 Finalist for the WOW! Women on Writing 2018 Winter Contest, selected by Bradford Literary Agency.
One of my ancestors worked in a ribbon factory. I didn’t understand what this was until researching it. Then I learned it was typewriter ribbon. What would it be like for someone to spend their days making typewriter ribbon when all they want to do is use it for their own writing? I chose this path when creating Al’s life. We learned in “Eyes” about the mysterious parentage between Al and his siblings. Now we meet Al at a point in his life where he’s a parent himself.
As Al struggles for time to invent characters through his writing, he’s also creatively inventing his own family. In this story we’re first introduced to Al’s children: James and Georgie. Later in the collection we meet Georgie’s children and the secrets in their family. The well-intentioned decisions Al makes for his children don’t prevent secrets from resurfacing in their own adult lives.
Story #4 "Newsboy"
One of my ancestors was a newsboy. I also found records of ancestors from multiple generations who were sent away to different schools—military, Catholic, agricultural—and also records of children and adults sent to asylums. One of my ancestors was sent to what was known at the time (1880s) as the New York Juvenile Asylum (today known as Children’s Village). In researching this institution and similar ones, I read about desperation and runaway children who had histories of theft and were often too much for their parents to care for.
Although “Newsboy” takes place in the 1950s, what lengths would James go to as a runaway child in Manhattan? We met James as a toddler in “Ribbon.” Now, still a minor, he’s “independent” and excellent at math like his Uncle Frank. (One of my ancestors was an accountant for a renowned makeup brand. This inspired Frank’s occupation as an accountant for Gucci.) James thinks several steps ahead. This knack for reading situations combined with his math skills, plus the self-awareness to take advantage of his childish traits, makes him essentially an adult criminal trapped in a child’s body.
James flexes his mathematical skills and poor ethics as a newsboy. The story is anchored around a candy store. One of my great-great-grandparents owned a candy shop in lower Manhattan. Candy stores in mid-century Manhattan were iconic. James strategically chooses to sell papers near a candy store so that he can reward himself (while committing a little theft). We learn every part of James’ life is underhanded—even when he does something good. While no one suspects crime from a child like James, he becomes a victim of a crime himself. Since James is adept at taking advantage of the situation, when he sees the opportunity to appear as a savior—he takes it, plus some extra money. One would think the experience of being victimized might change him. By the end of the story we wonder if it has.
One of my ancestors was a newsboy. I also found records of ancestors from multiple generations who were sent away to different schools—military, Catholic, agricultural—and also records of children and adults sent to asylums. One of my ancestors was sent to what was known at the time (1880s) as the New York Juvenile Asylum (today known as Children’s Village). In researching this institution and similar ones, I read about desperation and runaway children who had histories of theft and were often too much for their parents to care for.
Although “Newsboy” takes place in the 1950s, what lengths would James go to as a runaway child in Manhattan? We met James as a toddler in “Ribbon.” Now, still a minor, he’s “independent” and excellent at math like his Uncle Frank. (One of my ancestors was an accountant for a renowned makeup brand. This inspired Frank’s occupation as an accountant for Gucci.) James thinks several steps ahead. This knack for reading situations combined with his math skills, plus the self-awareness to take advantage of his childish traits, makes him essentially an adult criminal trapped in a child’s body.
James flexes his mathematical skills and poor ethics as a newsboy. The story is anchored around a candy store. One of my great-great-grandparents owned a candy shop in lower Manhattan. Candy stores in mid-century Manhattan were iconic. James strategically chooses to sell papers near a candy store so that he can reward himself (while committing a little theft). We learn every part of James’ life is underhanded—even when he does something good. While no one suspects crime from a child like James, he becomes a victim of a crime himself. Since James is adept at taking advantage of the situation, when he sees the opportunity to appear as a savior—he takes it, plus some extra money. One would think the experience of being victimized might change him. By the end of the story we wonder if it has.
One of my ancestors was a long-time resident of the New York Juvenile Asylum.
Story #5 "Rose Window"
Through researching different generations of my ancestry, I found recurring references to roses. A rose window seemed like the perfect symbol to represent the Grants. With many different parts, a complicated process to combine, and everything needed to happen in a specific order to produce the image of this family.
Rose windows are generally associated with cathedrals and historically were used to allow more light in. For the Grants, the rose window sheds light on their secrets, but doesn’t reveal all of the truths.
Through oral family history I learned of a relative that lived only upstairs, which inspired Al’s storyline of living in the attic.
Thanks to digitized newspapers and school programs, I found multiple records of various relatives who participated with theatrical productions. This inspired Sadie’s storyline starring in Annie Get Your Gun.
In “Rose Window” we get a peek into how James’ departure from home has impacted his parents. As James continues to struggle with finding his place, we also see Al—many years later—still challenged with writing and publishing his work. Just as his father had kept his mother’s whereabouts a secret, now someone in his own family lies about his son. Even when he learns about this deceit, he chooses writing instead of confrontation.
Through researching different generations of my ancestry, I found recurring references to roses. A rose window seemed like the perfect symbol to represent the Grants. With many different parts, a complicated process to combine, and everything needed to happen in a specific order to produce the image of this family.
Rose windows are generally associated with cathedrals and historically were used to allow more light in. For the Grants, the rose window sheds light on their secrets, but doesn’t reveal all of the truths.
Through oral family history I learned of a relative that lived only upstairs, which inspired Al’s storyline of living in the attic.
Thanks to digitized newspapers and school programs, I found multiple records of various relatives who participated with theatrical productions. This inspired Sadie’s storyline starring in Annie Get Your Gun.
In “Rose Window” we get a peek into how James’ departure from home has impacted his parents. As James continues to struggle with finding his place, we also see Al—many years later—still challenged with writing and publishing his work. Just as his father had kept his mother’s whereabouts a secret, now someone in his own family lies about his son. Even when he learns about this deceit, he chooses writing instead of confrontation.
Story #6 "Asylum"
One of the major family secrets I learned that motivated me to keep researching was coming across a census record for my great-grandmother at the Hudson River State Mental Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York. Not only had she been a patient there, she died there after more than 30 years on its premises. I found newspaper clippings, forums with accounts from alleged former staff and surviving family of patients, plus historical descriptions of the site and how similar institutions operated at that time.
Although the hospital is no longer in operation, many of the unique characteristics of their campus inspired the features of the hospital setting in "Asylum." The real hospital, an architectural gem with grounds designed by the same landscape architect credited for New York's Central Park and Asheville's Biltmore Estate, Frank Law Olmstead, was renowned for its grand size, modernity, and resort-style amenities. With multiple bowling alleys, pools, sports courts, and it's own train and fire stations--the hospital was more or less its own town. In the 1950s, approximately 6,000 patients lived there.
One of the major family secrets I learned that motivated me to keep researching was coming across a census record for my great-grandmother at the Hudson River State Mental Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York. Not only had she been a patient there, she died there after more than 30 years on its premises. I found newspaper clippings, forums with accounts from alleged former staff and surviving family of patients, plus historical descriptions of the site and how similar institutions operated at that time.
Although the hospital is no longer in operation, many of the unique characteristics of their campus inspired the features of the hospital setting in "Asylum." The real hospital, an architectural gem with grounds designed by the same landscape architect credited for New York's Central Park and Asheville's Biltmore Estate, Frank Law Olmstead, was renowned for its grand size, modernity, and resort-style amenities. With multiple bowling alleys, pools, sports courts, and it's own train and fire stations--the hospital was more or less its own town. In the 1950s, approximately 6,000 patients lived there.
My view of the Hudson River State Mental Hospital from the highway while visiting Poughkeepsie to find historical records of my family.
I visited the entrance of the hospital grounds in 2019 before it was slated to be demolished for a condo complex. My goal for this trip was to learn why my great-grandmother was admitted and how she died. With a hospital out of service for so long, and with patient privacy regulations, I only had limited public record options to tap. Fortunately, the Poughkeepsie Town Hall staff had her death certificate. Her cause of death was related to cardiac issues and it also revealed her condition: schizophrenia. I had already drafted "Aslyum" before taking this research trip. The protagonist, inspired by my great-grandmother's circumstances, exhibits behaviors conducive with schizophrenia. Another thread of art imitating life.
Story #7 "Harriet's Walk"
A few different threads came together to create the fabric of "Harriet's Walk." The embroidery puns are intended. At least one of my ancestors worked in the fashion industry and later in life she owned a restaurant. These characteristics and hints surface in this story.
A few different threads came together to create the fabric of "Harriet's Walk." The embroidery puns are intended. At least one of my ancestors worked in the fashion industry and later in life she owned a restaurant. These characteristics and hints surface in this story.
While one of my ancestors worked as a fashion designer, you may recognize another ancestor's profession here: working in a carbon ink factory. That came up in the earlier story, "Ribbon."
This story is also inspired by multiple abandoned houses. While the story setting involves an abandoned house--referred to as the Blakely Estate--in Hastings-on-Hudson, the house was inspired by my experience visiting other abandoned homes. The Chandler Estate in Mt. Sinai on Long Island is one. The Chandler Estate had been a resort in the mid-20th Century, a spot where Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller had spent time. I initially visited the house with my dad. One of the people working for him at the time was involved with trying to preserve the land the estate was on for historical significance and environmental protection. At that time, it was the target of a condo development. (Interesting how this facet of history has repeated itself. If you read the behind the scenes for "Asylum," you'll understand the threat of condo developments. Fortunately, the Chandler Estate is now a county park and didn't get developed.) To access the estate, you need to pass a church and cemetery, which is the same for the Blakely Estate in the story.
Back then, my dad and I had roamed the Chandler Estate property and went into the different buildings. One had a huge fireplace that someone had obviously left unattended and the entire floor had burned away. That inspired the condition of the Blakely Estate. One of the odd things I remember about visiting the Chandler Estate was that one of the bedrooms had neat and organized rows of shoes. It was so odd to see when the rest of the house was empty and partially charred. I really liked the image of the shoes and felt like it could symbolize something special for Harriet's storyline. I have pictures of this somewhere and plan to add them here when I find them. I returned to the estate many years later with my now-husband and the shoes werelong gone. The rest of the buildings burned down in 2004.
Several years earlier, I was riding bikes with my high school boyfriend in Greenport on the eastern end of Long Island. We were riding by an abandoned house that I had seen decaying for years and decided to ride up to it and explore the property. While following a path off the side of the house, we went out into the woods and found a giant pile of clamshells. It was an odd thing to see and it makes a cameo in this story. I also have pictures of this and will add them here when I find them.
Back then, my dad and I had roamed the Chandler Estate property and went into the different buildings. One had a huge fireplace that someone had obviously left unattended and the entire floor had burned away. That inspired the condition of the Blakely Estate. One of the odd things I remember about visiting the Chandler Estate was that one of the bedrooms had neat and organized rows of shoes. It was so odd to see when the rest of the house was empty and partially charred. I really liked the image of the shoes and felt like it could symbolize something special for Harriet's storyline. I have pictures of this somewhere and plan to add them here when I find them. I returned to the estate many years later with my now-husband and the shoes werelong gone. The rest of the buildings burned down in 2004.
Several years earlier, I was riding bikes with my high school boyfriend in Greenport on the eastern end of Long Island. We were riding by an abandoned house that I had seen decaying for years and decided to ride up to it and explore the property. While following a path off the side of the house, we went out into the woods and found a giant pile of clamshells. It was an odd thing to see and it makes a cameo in this story. I also have pictures of this and will add them here when I find them.
Story #8 "Sisters"
While parents say they don't have a favorite child, as an author I'm happy to say that this is my favorite story in this collection. The main ancestry detail that inspired this story were repeated records of great-aunts that lived alone together in New York City. Both of their marriages had ended. Decade after decade I found census records of them living alone together. What tension could exist between single sisters living in a small space in New York?
In trying to answer this question, I found myself writing the opening dialogue between sisters Anna and Lydia. These are Sam's siblings. At this point in the collection, Sam is a generous character revered among his family and community as reliable and trustworthy. In "Sisters" we get a glimpse into the stingy, undependable side of the family through his siblings. Anna and Lydia appear to be living in the consequence of their alleged financial woe. Yet, Anna's daughter Lena seems to be having professional and romantic success. Another detail from my ancestry is a distant relative who was a stenographer for a district attorney. This inspired Lena's job in the story. While Lena's professional life is known, her romantic life stays beneath the surface. Similarly, Lydia is keeping something below the surface too. Those details about what's just out of plain sight are what make this story my favorite.
One little detail about the apartment was inspired by my childhood home. In Anna and Lydia's kitchen, there's a hole in the floor that allows them to see straight into the apartment below. In my childhood home, before it was renovated, our kitchen had a small hole that went straight into the basement. I liked the idea of how holes could surface not only in the characters' apartment, but in their stories lined with secrets.
While parents say they don't have a favorite child, as an author I'm happy to say that this is my favorite story in this collection. The main ancestry detail that inspired this story were repeated records of great-aunts that lived alone together in New York City. Both of their marriages had ended. Decade after decade I found census records of them living alone together. What tension could exist between single sisters living in a small space in New York?
In trying to answer this question, I found myself writing the opening dialogue between sisters Anna and Lydia. These are Sam's siblings. At this point in the collection, Sam is a generous character revered among his family and community as reliable and trustworthy. In "Sisters" we get a glimpse into the stingy, undependable side of the family through his siblings. Anna and Lydia appear to be living in the consequence of their alleged financial woe. Yet, Anna's daughter Lena seems to be having professional and romantic success. Another detail from my ancestry is a distant relative who was a stenographer for a district attorney. This inspired Lena's job in the story. While Lena's professional life is known, her romantic life stays beneath the surface. Similarly, Lydia is keeping something below the surface too. Those details about what's just out of plain sight are what make this story my favorite.
One little detail about the apartment was inspired by my childhood home. In Anna and Lydia's kitchen, there's a hole in the floor that allows them to see straight into the apartment below. In my childhood home, before it was renovated, our kitchen had a small hole that went straight into the basement. I liked the idea of how holes could surface not only in the characters' apartment, but in their stories lined with secrets.
Story #9 "Pay it Forward"
The first thing that may catch the reader's eye with this story is that it doesn't take place in New York. Far from it. In Texas! A branch of my family tree goes back to Texas with an ancestor who was a sea captain out of Galveston. Also, many of my ancestors served in various parts of the military. This inspired our main character Lewis' father--although we never meet him.
In a way, Lewis' mother doesn't really "meet" or know her true son and what he's capable of. Lewis' duplicity and drive to take advantage of his family culminates in his biggest secret that he kept from his mother until revealing it with his escape. Throughout my research I learned of kidnappings in different generations. Lewis' sub-story in "Pay it Forward" is inspired by these kidnappings.
As trains surface in every story within ROSE WINDOW, this particular story takes place primarily on a train. If the reader steps back, the story could have taken place anywhere: A hotel lobby, an airport, a park--but I encourage the reader to think about what it means to be on a train. One doesn't control the speed, the destination is fixed, and what circumstance would anyone be traveling on a train completely by themselves? The train represents the inertia of all the characters' lives. Although they can choose a destination with their ticket, they could get off at stops on the way--an effort to control their fates. And, even with the isolating circumstances of the characters' lives, they're all alone together.
The first thing that may catch the reader's eye with this story is that it doesn't take place in New York. Far from it. In Texas! A branch of my family tree goes back to Texas with an ancestor who was a sea captain out of Galveston. Also, many of my ancestors served in various parts of the military. This inspired our main character Lewis' father--although we never meet him.
In a way, Lewis' mother doesn't really "meet" or know her true son and what he's capable of. Lewis' duplicity and drive to take advantage of his family culminates in his biggest secret that he kept from his mother until revealing it with his escape. Throughout my research I learned of kidnappings in different generations. Lewis' sub-story in "Pay it Forward" is inspired by these kidnappings.
As trains surface in every story within ROSE WINDOW, this particular story takes place primarily on a train. If the reader steps back, the story could have taken place anywhere: A hotel lobby, an airport, a park--but I encourage the reader to think about what it means to be on a train. One doesn't control the speed, the destination is fixed, and what circumstance would anyone be traveling on a train completely by themselves? The train represents the inertia of all the characters' lives. Although they can choose a destination with their ticket, they could get off at stops on the way--an effort to control their fates. And, even with the isolating circumstances of the characters' lives, they're all alone together.
Story #10 "A Different City"
Millie's storyline is meant to capture a branch of my family tree that extends to Maine, and her future residence in the next story represents another branch in North Carolina. My grandfather routinely visited Maine to go fishing. I didn't know until doing my research that more family lives there. I'm not sure of the circumstances that brought my ancestors to Maine, so I imagined someone (like Millie) had a drive and a dream to live there.
In the scene where Phillip reveals his secret to Millie, I intentionally wrote it in a veiled way. In dialogue alone, each person is revealing and accepting, but what's unsaid is assumed incorrectly. Although Phillip thinks he's confessed, Millie's made her own assumptions and accepted a false reality.
Millie comes to accept reality while carrying groceries. I specifically made her grocery bags heavy with apples. These apples symbolize her knowledge of what Phillip confessed, and they also foreshadow the next story. The act of her cooking agenda and grocery haul is a false understanding in and of itself.
Part of this fake reality is represented in Phillip's job running a doll factory. He's creating representations of people. These dolls are absent of emotion and kept on a shelf. On one side of my family, an ancestor ran a doll factory. My mother inherited some of these dolls and they're still in my parents' home today. They're 100% creepy.
Millie's storyline is meant to capture a branch of my family tree that extends to Maine, and her future residence in the next story represents another branch in North Carolina. My grandfather routinely visited Maine to go fishing. I didn't know until doing my research that more family lives there. I'm not sure of the circumstances that brought my ancestors to Maine, so I imagined someone (like Millie) had a drive and a dream to live there.
In the scene where Phillip reveals his secret to Millie, I intentionally wrote it in a veiled way. In dialogue alone, each person is revealing and accepting, but what's unsaid is assumed incorrectly. Although Phillip thinks he's confessed, Millie's made her own assumptions and accepted a false reality.
Millie comes to accept reality while carrying groceries. I specifically made her grocery bags heavy with apples. These apples symbolize her knowledge of what Phillip confessed, and they also foreshadow the next story. The act of her cooking agenda and grocery haul is a false understanding in and of itself.
Part of this fake reality is represented in Phillip's job running a doll factory. He's creating representations of people. These dolls are absent of emotion and kept on a shelf. On one side of my family, an ancestor ran a doll factory. My mother inherited some of these dolls and they're still in my parents' home today. They're 100% creepy.
One of the dolls made in a factory run by my ancestors.
I also had an ancestor who left his wife for another woman and moved to Arizona. Allegedly, only shared through oral accounts, he financially supported his first wife for the rest of her life. This inspired Phillip's gesture with providing Millie financial support.
It may be clear from earlier stories--I love imagery. I love starting or ending--or starting and ending--with a powerful image. I had a specific image in mind of Millie starting her new life and crafted the story to culminate in her unique departure. This story involves hidden money, which bubbles up in other ROSE WINDOW stories too.
It may be clear from earlier stories--I love imagery. I love starting or ending--or starting and ending--with a powerful image. I had a specific image in mind of Millie starting her new life and crafted the story to culminate in her unique departure. This story involves hidden money, which bubbles up in other ROSE WINDOW stories too.
Story #11 "Apple Cake"
The last we knew of Millie, she had moved to Maine on her own. Now we meet her again, but this time in North Carolina. Millie now lives in the Sandhills region of North Carolina. I always thought I had been the only person in my family to ever live in North Carolina. However, when moving down different branches of the family tree, I discovered a relative not only lived in North Carolina, but she had lived an hour from my home. Although she was deceased upon my discovery, she had been alive during the first few years I lived in North Carolina. I would have had an opportunity to meet her if I had started my research earlier.
Also, discovering this branch of the tree came one morning while I was in a coffee shop (one of my favorites, Buggy Town Coffee) with my husband in Carthage. I came across the details of my relative's gravesite and she was buried only 20 minutes from the shop. After we finished breakfast, we went straight to the cemetery and I found her grave. Later, I contacted the church and I not only received more information about my family, but pictures too.
Back to the story, Millie lives in a different place but she's still determined in her volitions. Instead of Maine being her life goal, now she wants to win a baking contest. With time running out before her contest submission is due, Millie faces several changes in the kitchen that break open a new world for her.
In this story, she could have baked any cake--but I specifically wanted her to bake an apple cake for a few reasons. One, I remember a Thanksgiving holiday dinner as a child and someone brought a German apple cake that I remember to this day. Two, I also wanted the apple to carry the biblical symbolism of knowledge and temptation. The snake carries symbolism of what's in her way. Is it evil? Does it symbolize men who stand in her way? It doesn't matter to Millie because she has the grit to do whatever it takes for what she wants.
The last we knew of Millie, she had moved to Maine on her own. Now we meet her again, but this time in North Carolina. Millie now lives in the Sandhills region of North Carolina. I always thought I had been the only person in my family to ever live in North Carolina. However, when moving down different branches of the family tree, I discovered a relative not only lived in North Carolina, but she had lived an hour from my home. Although she was deceased upon my discovery, she had been alive during the first few years I lived in North Carolina. I would have had an opportunity to meet her if I had started my research earlier.
Also, discovering this branch of the tree came one morning while I was in a coffee shop (one of my favorites, Buggy Town Coffee) with my husband in Carthage. I came across the details of my relative's gravesite and she was buried only 20 minutes from the shop. After we finished breakfast, we went straight to the cemetery and I found her grave. Later, I contacted the church and I not only received more information about my family, but pictures too.
Back to the story, Millie lives in a different place but she's still determined in her volitions. Instead of Maine being her life goal, now she wants to win a baking contest. With time running out before her contest submission is due, Millie faces several changes in the kitchen that break open a new world for her.
In this story, she could have baked any cake--but I specifically wanted her to bake an apple cake for a few reasons. One, I remember a Thanksgiving holiday dinner as a child and someone brought a German apple cake that I remember to this day. Two, I also wanted the apple to carry the biblical symbolism of knowledge and temptation. The snake carries symbolism of what's in her way. Is it evil? Does it symbolize men who stand in her way? It doesn't matter to Millie because she has the grit to do whatever it takes for what she wants.
Story #12 "Unfinished"
Veronica has a secret past she needs to deal with and, in doing so, creates a secret life from her family. After learning of the secrets she lives with daily in earlier stories, now we see her navigate the stress and nostalgia of settling her first love's estate in secret.
At the Reeves' family farm, the reference to the "Cookie Fairy" in this story is inspired by a practice my grandparents had in their home. Instead of a fairy, they had a "Cookie Monster" that would leave a box of animal crackers under the kitchen sink for my sister and me. Whenever we visited them, they would remind us the Cookie Monster had stopped by and we would check the cabinet.
The postcard tradition between Veronica and Peter is inspired by my personal interest in reading and collecting old postcards at vintage shops. I'm selective about which ones I collect, and then I use them as writing prompts when I host writing retreats and workshops. I also used to collect the PostSecret Project books, which were collections of various postcards people mailed in with their secrets. To tie in a postcard conversation between Veronica and Peter that had to remain secret, I decided that blank postcards could speak volumes. They were intentionally unfinished, like Veronica and Peter.
Veronica has a secret past she needs to deal with and, in doing so, creates a secret life from her family. After learning of the secrets she lives with daily in earlier stories, now we see her navigate the stress and nostalgia of settling her first love's estate in secret.
At the Reeves' family farm, the reference to the "Cookie Fairy" in this story is inspired by a practice my grandparents had in their home. Instead of a fairy, they had a "Cookie Monster" that would leave a box of animal crackers under the kitchen sink for my sister and me. Whenever we visited them, they would remind us the Cookie Monster had stopped by and we would check the cabinet.
The postcard tradition between Veronica and Peter is inspired by my personal interest in reading and collecting old postcards at vintage shops. I'm selective about which ones I collect, and then I use them as writing prompts when I host writing retreats and workshops. I also used to collect the PostSecret Project books, which were collections of various postcards people mailed in with their secrets. To tie in a postcard conversation between Veronica and Peter that had to remain secret, I decided that blank postcards could speak volumes. They were intentionally unfinished, like Veronica and Peter.
Story #13 "Together Again"
In one of the darker stories in this collection, the Grant siblings reunite unexpectedly at their mother's grave. This story is intended to show the reality of family experiencing absurdity upon revelation of lifelong secrets.
In some way, I like to think that a cosmic sibling connection united them at the grave at the same time. Although Sadie and George planned their visit, some unknown workings in the universe guided James to them. Even with James' troubled past and the challenges he has managing his emotions, he's able to see and call out half-truths that his siblings won't even speak aloud.
I chose Christmas as the day they meet at the grave because of a family tradition when I was a child. We didn't visit family graves regularly. The only grave we visited was my grandmother's and it was always around Christmas time.
In one of the darker stories in this collection, the Grant siblings reunite unexpectedly at their mother's grave. This story is intended to show the reality of family experiencing absurdity upon revelation of lifelong secrets.
In some way, I like to think that a cosmic sibling connection united them at the grave at the same time. Although Sadie and George planned their visit, some unknown workings in the universe guided James to them. Even with James' troubled past and the challenges he has managing his emotions, he's able to see and call out half-truths that his siblings won't even speak aloud.
I chose Christmas as the day they meet at the grave because of a family tradition when I was a child. We didn't visit family graves regularly. The only grave we visited was my grandmother's and it was always around Christmas time.
Story #14 "Summer Home"
Whenever I stay at a hotel or Airbnb, I have a tradition of writing and hiding a poem somewhere in the space. Originally, my preferred place was in the bible that all American hotel rooms used to have. Over the past several years I'm seeing fewer bibles in hotel rooms. Now I hide the poems behind furniture, lodged between the wall and art frames, or squeezed in gaps of base molding. I generally write the date and my initials. I always wonder when someone might find the poem, and what they would think when they do. I decided to explore this possibility in fiction.
We started this collection with Frank as a child in New York. In "Summer Home" we're back with Frank as an adult who discovers poems hidden in a Maine cabin that he rents each summer. He becomes fixated on the poems and the mystery author. In this story we travel with him as he goes out of his way to track the poet down.
One of my ancestors spent time each year on Moosehead Lake. I remember he showed me a brochure of the campground. He was such a fixture there that the campground owners included a picture of him fishing in their brochure. This is an area I still need to visit for more family history research.
Whenever I stay at a hotel or Airbnb, I have a tradition of writing and hiding a poem somewhere in the space. Originally, my preferred place was in the bible that all American hotel rooms used to have. Over the past several years I'm seeing fewer bibles in hotel rooms. Now I hide the poems behind furniture, lodged between the wall and art frames, or squeezed in gaps of base molding. I generally write the date and my initials. I always wonder when someone might find the poem, and what they would think when they do. I decided to explore this possibility in fiction.
We started this collection with Frank as a child in New York. In "Summer Home" we're back with Frank as an adult who discovers poems hidden in a Maine cabin that he rents each summer. He becomes fixated on the poems and the mystery author. In this story we travel with him as he goes out of his way to track the poet down.
One of my ancestors spent time each year on Moosehead Lake. I remember he showed me a brochure of the campground. He was such a fixture there that the campground owners included a picture of him fishing in their brochure. This is an area I still need to visit for more family history research.
Story #15 "The Roast"
While this is one of the last stories in the collection, it was the very first story about the Grants that I wrote. In 2009, I attended the Southampton Writers Conference for 11 days as a contributing writer in the late Melissa Bank's short fiction workshop. The conference was held at the Stony Brook University Southampton campus. This was an immersive, memorable experience and I clearly remember sitting in the dorm (where attendees stayed) and writing the first few pages of the story.
At the time of the conference, I had been living in North Carolina for almost 2 years. Growing up on Long Island and then being back for this event prompted memories of people and places. I noticed that some long-time islanders wore excessive jewelry--either large earrings or rings on every finger--or both. "The Roast" opens with Harriet cooking. "Her hands flash like snappers under marina docks, each twisted finger twinkling with chunky rings."
During those first few days of the conference we submitted our work to the workshop host, Melissa Bank. I was concerned with this story because it has a high number of characters. How can one write a short story with 13 characters, keep it short, but not confuse the reader? The reader will need to get to know and keep track of each character. On the first morning after we all submitted our work, Melissa started the workshop by reading aloud the first page of a story she felt established an immediate sense of place and memorable characters. It happened to be "The Roast," which had a different title at that time. As a writer, this little recognition helps nurture one to continue the story and keep world building. Without that nudge, it would have been easy to abandon the story or eliminate characters and change the plot in fear that there were too many characters to keep track of.
Creating so many distinct characters within 1 story made me think deeply about their origins. Once "The Roast" was done I realized it was an introduction to the Grant family and each of the family member's stories. "The Roast" was originally the opening story in the collection. It felt like a natural introduction to all of the characters. Over time, it became clear there was a greater value in sequentially meeting the Grants from the past to present time to see how each generation keeps repeating itself and attempting to hide secrets.
The original collection draft includes several stories that weren't published in ROSE WINDOW. Those extra stories fit a different narrative, which I'm expanding to become the next connected story collection in the Grant family saga.
While this is one of the last stories in the collection, it was the very first story about the Grants that I wrote. In 2009, I attended the Southampton Writers Conference for 11 days as a contributing writer in the late Melissa Bank's short fiction workshop. The conference was held at the Stony Brook University Southampton campus. This was an immersive, memorable experience and I clearly remember sitting in the dorm (where attendees stayed) and writing the first few pages of the story.
At the time of the conference, I had been living in North Carolina for almost 2 years. Growing up on Long Island and then being back for this event prompted memories of people and places. I noticed that some long-time islanders wore excessive jewelry--either large earrings or rings on every finger--or both. "The Roast" opens with Harriet cooking. "Her hands flash like snappers under marina docks, each twisted finger twinkling with chunky rings."
During those first few days of the conference we submitted our work to the workshop host, Melissa Bank. I was concerned with this story because it has a high number of characters. How can one write a short story with 13 characters, keep it short, but not confuse the reader? The reader will need to get to know and keep track of each character. On the first morning after we all submitted our work, Melissa started the workshop by reading aloud the first page of a story she felt established an immediate sense of place and memorable characters. It happened to be "The Roast," which had a different title at that time. As a writer, this little recognition helps nurture one to continue the story and keep world building. Without that nudge, it would have been easy to abandon the story or eliminate characters and change the plot in fear that there were too many characters to keep track of.
Creating so many distinct characters within 1 story made me think deeply about their origins. Once "The Roast" was done I realized it was an introduction to the Grant family and each of the family member's stories. "The Roast" was originally the opening story in the collection. It felt like a natural introduction to all of the characters. Over time, it became clear there was a greater value in sequentially meeting the Grants from the past to present time to see how each generation keeps repeating itself and attempting to hide secrets.
The original collection draft includes several stories that weren't published in ROSE WINDOW. Those extra stories fit a different narrative, which I'm expanding to become the next connected story collection in the Grant family saga.
Story #16 "Money Changes Everything"
This story received Honorable Mention in the Carolina Woman writing contest in 2015. The end of this story happens to be the ending of the collection. The Grant family joins together in search of a secret stash of money. This is a larger metaphor showing that one person's secret impacts their entire family.
In "Money Changes Everything" we bear witness to how each family member reacts to the thought of finding a cash fortune hidden in the house as time runs out before the next homeowners move in. Aunt Harriet, like many of the family members, filtered how much information the family knew. They knew that there was money in the house, but they didn't know where.
The Grants take on a mad inventory of the home pursuing the discovery of Harriet's hidden cash. The protagonist in this story, Ella, witnesses her family's efforts and does little to find the fortune. Instead, she's finding richness in memories of her family: experiences she had with them in the neighborhood and walks to town, and gatherings in upstate New York. One of Ella's childhood memories visiting family in Hastings-on-Hudson was of aunt Sadie throwing a rock through the rose window. In the story "Rose Window" we learn that the window was carefully and lovingly created by Al, Sadie's father. Al had designed and crafted the window, and then had been stuck on the other side of it. Ella acknowledges she was too young to understand why this happened, which hints at the greater story of family secrets. Will Ella seek to learn the truth about the window at some point? It's not clear and Ella isn't focused on the past. Out of any of the characters in this story, she's the most present.
Ella closes the story and the collection with her own secret. The end is intentionally ambiguous and it's up the reader to decide what Ella will do with the money that everyone has been searching for. I remember circulating this story through critique groups and the majority of readers wanted a defined ending. Choosing a specific ending felt disingenuous for a collection full of secrets. I feel the reader should be left with the same sense of curiosity about this family's intentions as the Grants felt trying to understand their own family.
This story received Honorable Mention in the Carolina Woman writing contest in 2015. The end of this story happens to be the ending of the collection. The Grant family joins together in search of a secret stash of money. This is a larger metaphor showing that one person's secret impacts their entire family.
In "Money Changes Everything" we bear witness to how each family member reacts to the thought of finding a cash fortune hidden in the house as time runs out before the next homeowners move in. Aunt Harriet, like many of the family members, filtered how much information the family knew. They knew that there was money in the house, but they didn't know where.
The Grants take on a mad inventory of the home pursuing the discovery of Harriet's hidden cash. The protagonist in this story, Ella, witnesses her family's efforts and does little to find the fortune. Instead, she's finding richness in memories of her family: experiences she had with them in the neighborhood and walks to town, and gatherings in upstate New York. One of Ella's childhood memories visiting family in Hastings-on-Hudson was of aunt Sadie throwing a rock through the rose window. In the story "Rose Window" we learn that the window was carefully and lovingly created by Al, Sadie's father. Al had designed and crafted the window, and then had been stuck on the other side of it. Ella acknowledges she was too young to understand why this happened, which hints at the greater story of family secrets. Will Ella seek to learn the truth about the window at some point? It's not clear and Ella isn't focused on the past. Out of any of the characters in this story, she's the most present.
Ella closes the story and the collection with her own secret. The end is intentionally ambiguous and it's up the reader to decide what Ella will do with the money that everyone has been searching for. I remember circulating this story through critique groups and the majority of readers wanted a defined ending. Choosing a specific ending felt disingenuous for a collection full of secrets. I feel the reader should be left with the same sense of curiosity about this family's intentions as the Grants felt trying to understand their own family.
Rose Window is a work of fiction. The stories, characters, names, businesses, and events are products of the author's imagination. Certain places are mentioned, but the characters involved and their circumstances are wholly imaginary. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental. The opinions expressed are those of the characters and should not be confused with the author’s.