The Trajectory of Today’s Topics

• Hot off the press, a memoir in the crosshairs.

• Gold Dust Woman, the story of Stevie Nicks

• An interview with a morally gray character

• Get a free short story!

Hot Off The Press

The Salt Path: True Memoir or Fictional Ruse?

Have you read any memoirs lately? If you’re like most readers, you expect them to be truthful. The definition of a memoir tells us that it’s a non-fiction account of the author’s past, that focuses on a certain time of their life with a greater emphasis on emotions and perspectives. With memories, there will be a certain amount of embellishment, such as emotions, conversations, and things that can’t be 100% recalled, but overall, the story is supposed to be true. That’s where the recent memoir, The Salt Path has come under fire.

The Salt Path, written by Raynor Winn, chronicles how her husband was diagnosed with a serious, incurable, degenerative disease right about the time their house got repossessed. With no home, and only a few years left with her husband, the couple embarked on a 630-mile spiritual journey. Allegations suggest that Winn’s husband may not actually have corticobasal syndrome, often called CBS, along with embezzlement charges that led to the loss of their home. 

There is no cure, and the disease shrinks the brain. Moth Winn claims to have been living with CBS for 18 years now, and shows no signs of decline. If that’s true, it’s a miracle, because once diagnosed, the average lifespan is only six to eight years. CBS affects language, motor skills, and the ability to think. Symptoms often come on quickly and require around-the-clock care, because patients can’t function on their own. 

Not only is the diagnosis suspicious, but Winn’s former employer alleges that she embezzled approximately £64,000 over nine years of employment. Add that sum to a slew of bad investments, and the couple allegedly ended up owing over £150,000, not including interest, taxes, and fees. Their house was put up for collateral and was subsequently repossessed.

Before the allegations surfaced, Winn published her memoir, The Salt Path, which rocketed up the charts and sold over 2 million copies. In May this year, a movie, starring former X-Files star Gillian Anderson, was released and so far has taken in £10 million at the UK box office. It hasn’t been released widely yet, but is expected to hit other European countries, and there are talks about releasing it here in the US, but with the allegations surfacing, the US release may be stalled.

For more in depth coverage, check out the full story here: Allegations against The Salt Path.

The TBR Files

The Life of a Gypsy

Speaking of memoirs, I’ve read several memoirs and biographies over the years. Here are just a few: Robin Williams (this one broke my heart), Penny Marshall, Carrie Fisher, Stephen King, Phil Collins, and this one here—Gold Dust Woman, The Biography of Stevie Nicks. Nicks was a big inspiration for my character in Plight of the Familiar, Rhiannon.

Gold Dust Woman is all about Stevie Nicks’ life. It’s a charming and intimate look into her rise to fame, her struggles with finding her soulmate, addiction—one that nearly took her life—and her world beyond the haunting, beautiful music. She was so young when she started singing, but her voice was like nothing anyone had ever heard. Fleetwood Mac was a floundering band that needed something spectacular to save them. Enter guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks’ captivating voice. If it weren’t for these two joining, Fleetwood Mac may have been nothing more than a clef note on history in music history.

It’s tough to keep a band together with so much chaos. If you know anything about Fleetwood Mac, you know that they were a chaotic band with tons of internal struggles, but they created some real bangers. Trying to keep up with who was sleeping with who in the band was like trying to herd cats. It’s amazing they stayed a band for so long, but the songs everyone wrote about each other are classics. I always thought the life of a rock star was glamorous, exciting, and nothing but charming, but for Stevie, it was not only dangerous, but at times, so very lonely. I really feel that Lindsey was her soulmate, but drugs, jealousy, and toxic behaviors ruined any chance they had for lasting love.

The book was put together in a way that it didn’t feel like you were reading a history lesson. Some memoirs or biographies can feel formulaic and like you’re reading a textbook. Not Gold Dust Woman, it kept me gripped, though there were times when it felt like it was diving a little too deep into technicalities. But if you’re looking for a hot mess of drama, an eye opening look into the band’s songs, and a deep dive into Stevie’s life, then you should check out Gold Dust Woman. ☕☕☕☕

…And Then This Happened

Getting to Know Plight of the Familiar’s Antagonist

An interview with Logan Sibbald. A secretive, possibly misunderstood man, Logan has granted us a quick interview. While I’m not a journalist by any means, he’s allowed me to ask some questions that are burning on fans’ minds. Wish me luck, guys. Rumors I’ve heard made me wonder if this interview is worth it. 

A tall, gaunt, thin man strides in with purpose. He’s got the look of a scholar, but a threatening air surrounds him. His thinning black hair, held in place with an old fashioned smelling pomade, is slightly messy. Like he’s run his fingers through it a few times, and his eyes tell me that he doesn’t have much time to ‘entertain’ me. 

He sits, his unblinking eyes staring through me, slightly enlarged through thick lenses, piercing through me as if he’s reading all my darkest secrets. He sits rigid and straight, though I see a slight hunch to the shoulders. Maybe from weariness, constant work, stress, or because of age? I don’t know, but I'll start in on the interview. 

What are you working on right now that’s so top secret?

He sighs and finally takes his eyes off me to look at the door. “Do you not understand what ‘top secret’ means?”

Fair enough. When did you first find out that a certain piece of obsidian was more than simple volcanic glass?  His jaw clenched at the mention of the artifact. “I knew before I found it. My research was not wrong, and I would not waste my time on trivial pursuits.”

Is that why you’re so obsessed with finding it? “Would you not go to great lengths to recover an extremely valuable object that was taken from you?”

You’re a leader in biogenetics, can you share some of your triumphs with us? “There is only one triumph, as you call it, that I put stock in. Have I unlocked secrets that put humans higher on the evolutionary scale? Certainly. But they do nothing to cure my wife. Until I rectify that, I will not rest.

Higher on the evolutionary scale? Care to elaborate? One slick eyebrow arches, and his thin lips stretch minutely. “I can give you a very intimate demonstration.”

Ah, not right now, thank you. Many see your work as cruel or unethical. How do you justify what you're doing? “In language you and your readers will understand, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette.”

What’s something people misunderstand about you? He stares at me with those black, soul searching eyes for a few tense moments. I feel I’m looking at a viper, about to strike. “If I cared what others thought of me, I wouldn’t be where I am now.” He places his hands on the armrests of the chair, knuckles bunching, and I think I hear the wood straining against his uncharacteristic strength. “My time is infinitely more valuable than yours, but I granted this interview, so I’ll play along for one more question.”

What would you say to the twins, Jocelyn and Jason, right now if they were in this room with us? His entire face flashed, and a quick glint of white teeth shone from behind his lips, but he quickly composed himself. His mouth twitched before he said, “I have a feeling you’ll find out very soon. What do you say on your asinine shows? ‘Stay tuned?’ Now get out of my lab before I take you on the executive tour. I hear it’s to die for.”

His sinister laughter clung to my collar as I made a very hasty exit. I can’t explain it, but that man gave me some serious creeper vibes. It’s almost like he wasn’t fully human. I can’t explain it, but those eyes… They looked like the eyes of someone who… No. Never mind. I’m not putting any conjecture here. Until next time, um, as Logan said, stay tuned.