Hello Friends! Thank you for subscribing! Enjoy some of my personal and writing updates, sneak peeks, guests and reviews. ♥

— Jan Goldyn —

October Jewels

October was chilly walks

through dense leaf covered trails,

watching for the perfect shapes,

for scarlet, rust orange and yellow.

Placed between waxed paper

and pressed with mom’s old iron

gems put in the window glistened

saffron, crimson and auburn.

The tea kettle whistled

and under a velvety blanket

off to dream we went

thoughts of forest treasures inside us.

— October Update —

I’ve always had one of those families that looooved to bake! My grandma made great chocolate layer cakes with whipped seven-minute frosting covered in coconut to take to Sunday picnics— and flaky luscious cherry, apple and minced meat pies. The day my oldest sister was born, our grandma took a triple layer birthday cake decorated lavishly with roses to the hospital room. The nurses loved her!

It’s no wonder my sisters and I fell in love with making confections. But I would be remiss not to mention our training at Penelec’s Ready Kilowatt School of Baking. A true perk for the daughters of Pennsylania Electric Workers —our dad having been a lineman with over 40 years of service.

Our very favorite baking tool was Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book. It was a treasure trove of seasonal and everyday favorites.

Candy cane cookies and cut-out santas, bells and angels at Christmas time. * Easter nest cookies. * Candied cherry ‘love-letter’ cookies on Valentine’s Day.

So each October I think about my Grandma and my sisters as I mix up a batch of pumpkin cookies with butter frosting.

One bite and I’m taken right back to1970, sitting around our kitchen table with some hot chocolate boiled on the stove with milk and cocoa . How lucky to be part of a cookie loving family. Thanks ladies ♥

Prequel, Julia

My vision for the unveiling of “Julia” had been on a Spring 2025 horizon. I’m now focusing on a Christmas — or a bit later — debut. My life has become unexpectedly busy this summer and fall. But I promise to do my best and will update you well in advance!

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I am so excited to be working on my Prequel — Julia. You’ve all given me such super feedback on Coal Town Girls! Those of you who have grown up locally have been sharing your excitement at seeing the landmarks of your youth (or your present!) showcased within its pages.

Now, with Julia, I’m taking a journey further back in time to the people, places, struggles, triumphs and dreams of those who came before Joan and Mary. I can’t wait for you to join me.

October Sneak Peek

-Excerpt from Julia -

Francis crossed his arms over his knees and laid his head down on them. Had it been weeks or months since he’d been riding the rails? One day seemed like another. In one moment his anger at Julia – at the world – fueled him onward in his life as a drifter. The next moment, a sadness seemed to sink into his heart like a grave marker, descending to the bottom of the ocean. At these times, he wanted to turn around and run back to her. But his gut told him it was useless.

As the train screeched, it roused him to alertness, along with the other two hobos. "Time to breeze," said one of them.

* * **

Jan’s Reading Nook

Throughout history, our ancestors gathered around fires telling and soaking in the magic that is “story.” This primal need continues and has not left us! I love to share thoughts on nuggets of literature I’ve been enjoying and exploring. For me, a main focus has been historical fiction, literary fiction, family sagas. Although all genres have their own jewels.

The Day the World Ended

“1969 Vol 4, Reader’s Digest Condensed Books”

— Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan Witts —

Every now and then I like to pull out one of the beautifully bound volumes of “Reader’s Digest Condensed Books” that I inherited from my sister’s mother-in-law. Each time I find an unexpected gem. Such was the case with “The Day the World Ended.”

In 1902, St. Pierre Island was considered the “Paris of the Caribbean,” with it’s beautiful lush scenery and colorful, diverse culture.

But in April of that year, its sleeping giant, Mt. Pelee, began to awaken, grumbling and smoking.

Fernand Clerc, a prosperous farmer on the island, had become alarmed by the hoarfrost appearance of vegetation, covered in ash. He wrote to Governor Louis Mouttet with his concerns. Mouttet’s response was a mere acknowledgement.

It was at this point in the story that I realized it’s eerie resemblance to that of the Johnstown Flood. A man-made lake had been created in the lush hills outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s. Intended to be used for canal purposes, it soon became obsolete. Wealthy Pittsburgh businessmen purchased it as a get-away, building a clubhouse and quaint cottages on it’s edge.

As with Governor Mouttet, those holding responsibility to the citizens of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in the valley below, failed to heed warnings. In May, 1889, the dam at Lake Conemaugh burst, causing catastrophic human loss in the valley.

By May 3, 1902, in St. Pierre, little ash had fallen on the east side of the mountain where hunters pursued wild boar. They eventually pursued the animals to the western side of Pelee. There they were stunned by the white cover of ash upon the entire surroundings. Then as a boar raced away, they watched it dissolve into a bubbling liquid mass which sucked it in and carried it down the mountain. The hunters fled.

Even as conditions worsened, Mayor Robert Fouche, friend to Governor Mouchett, claimed that far from being harmful, sulfur was “beneficial to throat and chest.“

On May 8, 1902, after days of red skies, black smoke and scorching ash, Mount Pelee erupted and destroyed the city of Saint-Pierre, killing approximately 30,000 people in minutes due to a fast-moving pyroclastic flow. This event was the deadliest volcanic eruption in the 20th century. 

The Day the World Ended, partially a historical account, also shows the propensity of man to become complacent. To trust that things will not deteriorate simply because they have not up until this point done so — or because those in high places assure them that all is well.

This gem of history is well worth the read.

Coal Town Girls

Coal Town girls was an idea that bubbled up over the years and finally found its way to paper. My mother, Joan, and her best friend, Mary, were often found on our back porch, telling stories of their youth -- the town, the river, the people, the adventures, the sadness's, the joys. 

Each month I’ll try to highlight a tidbit of history from Coal Town Girls!

—-Excerpt from Coal Town Girls—-

Charlie returned with three cups of foamy, sherbet-filled liquid and they all saw that the bridal dance was starting. They'd been to enough of these Polish weddings to know the drill. The bride dances with everybody under God’s heaven. Meanwhile, her maid of honor holds out an apron into which each guest throws his or her payment for the privilege of the dance. Then they each get either a shot of whiskey or a piece of cake, slightly smashed, wrapped up in a napkin.

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By the end of the whole shebang, the bride’s mother is holding onto her daughter like she’s the royal jewels about to be swept out to sea. Pretty much everyone else is forming a fortress to keep the groom from getting to the gem.