blooms at midnight

all the yellow posies

stars on fire

holland road

an anthology on grief and motherhood

Olivia Kay Washington

Elaine DeBohun

Caroline Kelly

poetry & prose

fiction

historical fiction/romance/
magical realism

historical fiction/literary fiction/romance

historical fiction/
literary fiction

blooms at midnight is a portrait of child loss and motherhood. it's four-part sections, accompanied by nocturnal flowers, are meant to reflect the stages of grief as someone bereaved might experience the different phases of a sleepless night.

it is the author's debut work and won best in genre for the 2023 Indies today awards.

this debut novel, an "exemplary portrait of love, loss and the ties that bind," was a finalist in the 2023 american writing awards.

"1919—the great war has come to an end and small-town Fredericksburg, virginia is still reeling from the last outbreak of 1918 influenza. free-spirited lou, an aspiring journalist from a wealthy family, answers the classified for an apartment above a local tailoring shop. there, she meets holden thompson—who's just returned from the western front. as she's brought closer into his circle of family and friends, lou quickly learns that, despite being charismatic, handsome and witty, holden is tormented by the past. unforseen circumstances splinter the tight-knit group as they are carried into the roaring 20s—tied by tragedy and woven together by a thread of fate."

this prequel takes place the winter before the opening of all the yellow posies. it covers holden's time in paris, as told from his perspective.

"murmurs of the dead drift through the streets of post-war paris, where a freshly discharged holden thompson is recovering from his time on the western front. the continuous stream of cigarettes and women do little to pacify the voices of his violent past—or the soured dreams of who he was supposed to be. under the watchful eye of his beloved brother, and with a few fateful meetings along the way, holden begins to unravel the threads of his personal tapestry and rewrite his own story."

Set against the backdrop of rural New England and the sweeping expanse of the European Theater of Operations, this debut is a story of brotherhood, faith, and the loss of these things, told by a non-combatant knee-deep in death.

"Spring, 1945. The war in Europe is nearing its end when Army medic Richard Dare returns home to Maine. Life in his back-woods hometown has carried on much the same as it always has, from the sermons of his minister father to the teasing flirtations of Grace, the girl he never forgot. But it’s soon clear that two years of combat have changed him irrevocably, and not only because of the wounds he sustained. As he wrestles with the mystery of how to go on when so much of what—and who—he loved has been lost, Richard faces another impossible battle: the homecoming of a soldier."

PURCHASE LINK

BLOOMS AT MIDNIGHT IS A PORTRAIT OF CHILD LOSS AND MOTHERHOOD. IT'S FOUR-PART SECTIONS, ACCOMPANIED BY NOCTURNAL FLOWERS, ARE MEANT TO REFLECT THE STAGES OF GRIEF AS SOMEONE BEREAVED MIGHT EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENT PHASES OF A SLEEPLESS NIGHT.

IT IS THE AUTHOR'S DEBUT WORK AND WILL BE PUBLISHED IN MEMORY OF HER DAUGHTER.

THIS DEBUT NOVEL, AN "EXEMPLARY PORTRAIT OF LOVE, LOSS AND THE TIES THAT BIND," WAS A FINALIST IN THE 2023 AMERICAN WRITING AWARDS.

"1919—THE GREAT WAR HAS COME TO AN END AND SMALL-TOWN FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA IS STILL REELING FROM THE LAST OUTBREAK OF 1918 INFLUENZA. FREE-SPIRITED LOU, AN ASPIRING JOURNALIST FROM A WEALTHY FAMILY, ANSWERS THE CLASSIFIED FOR AN APARTMENT ABOVE A LOCAL TAILORING SHOP. THERE, SHE MEETS HOLDEN THOMPSON—WHO'S JUST RETURNED FROM THE WESTERN FRONT. AS SHE'S BROUGHT CLOSER INTO HIS CIRCLE OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS, LOU QUICKLY LEARNS THAT, DESPITE BEING CHARISMATIC, HANDSOME AND WITTY, HOLDEN IS TORMENTED BY THE PAST. UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES SPLINTER THE TIGHT-KNIT GROUP AS THEY ARE CARRIED INTO THE ROARING 20S—TIED BY TRAGEDY AND WOVEN TOGETHER BY A THREAD OF FATE."

THIS PREQUEL TAKES PLACE THE WINTER BEFORE THE OPENING OF ALL THE YELLOW POSIES. IT COVERS HOLDEN'S TIME IN PARIS, AS TOLD FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE.

"MURMURS OF THE DEAD DRIFT THROUGH THE STREETS OF POST-WAR PARIS, WHERE A FRESHLY DISCHARGED HOLDEN THOMPSON IS RECOVERING FROM HIS TIME ON THE WESTERN FRONT. THE CONTINUOUS STREAM OF CIGARETTES AND WOMEN DO LITTLE TO PACIFY THE VOICES OF HIS VIOLENT PAST—OR THE SOURED DREAMS OF WHO HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE. UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF HIS BELOVED BROTHER, AND WITH A FEW FATEFUL MEETINGS ALONG THE WAY, HOLDEN BEGINS TO UNRAVEL THE THREADS OF HIS PERSONAL TAPESTRY AND REWRITE HIS OWN STORY."