Beginning "The Matriarch's Legacy"

My Loyal Guards, Louise & Thelma Enjoying a Stunning Sunrise (after 4 hours of writing in the wee, dark hours)!

In the quiet hours before dawn, when the world is still asleep and only the soft sounds of morning stir, I find myself most connected to story. Those hours have always belonged to me—sacred, uninterrupted, and full of possibility.

This January, they will once again become my writing hours.

I’m thrilled to share that I am officially beginning research and writing on the sequel to The Philadelphia Matriarch: The Matriarch’s Legacy. What began as a single story has gently insisted on becoming more—stretching forward through history, family, and time.

For four hours each morning, I’ll be digging deep into the Depression era and tracing the lives of Florence and her growing family through the upheaval of the 1930s and into World War II. These were years shaped by loss and resilience, sacrifice and ingenuity, fear and hope—years that demanded strength, especially from women who quietly held everything together.

Florence’s journey does not end where the first book closed. In many ways, it only begins there.

This next chapter follows the legacy she built—through her children, their service, their separations, and the way love endured even when the world felt unsteady. It is a story rooted in history, but told through the intimate lens of family: kitchens lit by early morning light, letters sent across oceans, prayers whispered during wartime, and the unbreakable threads that bind one generation to the next.

I won’t be writing alone.

Beside me—quite literally—will be my research assistants, personal trainers, moral support, and ever-watchful guardians. If you know me, you know exactly who I mean. They’ll be there as I read, write, and sometimes sit quietly, listening for the voices of the past to speak.

As always, I approach this work with reverence—for the people who lived these moments, for the history that shaped them, and for the readers who trust me with their time and hearts.

Thank you for walking this journey with me. I can’t wait to share what unfolds. As this story takes shape, I’ll be sharing glimpses behind the scenes—research discoveries, historical details that stop me in my tracks, and moments when the past feels especially close. If you’d like to follow along, I invite you to join me here on the blog and on social media.

Your presence, your messages, and your shared love of story mean more than you know. Writing may be a solitary act, but storytelling has always been a communal one.

With gratitude,

Beth