With a possible major ice storm predicted here on January 24 and 25, and the accompanying possibility of power outages stretching into the week of January 26, I am scheduling this blog post on Thursday, January 22, to be published on January 27. Our power lines are not underground here, so ice storms wreak havoc with our electricity.

This post is about the ninth story in my historical fiction book, Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories. “Slip Sliding Away: A Southern Appalachian Short Story,” transports the reader to 1875 and an isolated cove in the southern Appalachian Mountains.

I originally wrote this story in the early 2000s. In fact, it was my first historical short story. It has gone through many revisions (and, hopefully, improvements!) since then. It is the story I offer as a free e-download on my website (https://www.janetmorrisonbooks.com) for subscribers to my e-newsletter. If you wish, you may do that to get a free for my fiction writing style.

In “Slip Sliding Away,” Hannah Johnson’s husband, Daniel, has seriously injured himself. A late spring blizzard sets in. Hannah retrieves an envelope of powder from her box of private treasures in the corner cupboard. She adds small amounts of the powder to her suffering husband’s tea as the night passes and she has no way to call for help.

Is she using the precious powder to ease his pain?

And what part does Daniel’s brother, James, play in this story? In fact, all of Daniel’s brothers play a part in this story as it progresses. Therein lies some humor in this otherwise serious subject matter.

You will have to read the story to find out about the powder and Daniel’s ragtag brothers.

How to get a copy of “Slip Sliding Away”

“Slip Sliding Away” is available as a standalone short story on Amazon. It is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.

Of course, I would be thrilled for you to purchase my book, Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories. “Slip Sliding Away: A Southern Appalachian Short Story” is one of more than a dozen stories in the book.

Traveling Through History is available in paperback from Amazon at (https://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Through-History-Collection-Historical/dp/B0FZSR6FPX/) and e-book at (https://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Through-History-Collection-Historical/dp/B0FZSR6FPX/.) 

It is available in Harrisburg, North Carolina at Second Look Books, or you can order it from any independent bookstore in the U.S. by visiting my website (https://janetmorrisonbooks.com) and clicking on the Bookshop.org button. (Full disclosure, as an affiliate of Bookshop.org, I will receive a commission from any books you order through Bookshop.org by going through my website.)    

If you enjoy my books, please leave a brief review on such online sites as Amazon and Goodreads.

Janet

The government should be afraid of its citizens, not the other way around.