Finally sent the revised version of River Fork: The Bear in the Storm.
Customers I know of have been patient and sympathetic. Hubby and I appreciate it.
He is doing better. His surgery is scheduled in the near future. He’s nervous, so am I. He will make it okay…he has a strong body and I have a strong resolution to see him through.
Have faith.
I see him back to swimming laps again!
What is the origin of “being through the mill?”
I Googled it:
” ‘I’ve been through the mill’ means having experienced a very difficult or challenging time, similar to being figuratively crushed like grain in a flour mill. It has been used in various contexts, including literature and music, to describe someone who has endured hardships.”
Well, I’ve been struggling to find a key I stumbled upon two weeks ago. A key buried in the multiple programs I use to publish and create my content here and there.
River Fork: The Bear in the Storm, which I recently released had errors and typos which I have now corrected and resubmitted to the publisher. Look River Fork at your favorite book store or book site.
HOWEVER, the inside graphic—a pen and ink illustration of the River Fork neighborhood, placed on a 2-page spread, had a problem. It either came out as a grainy illustration with grayscale, or it came out as a dark grayscale with black lines…difficult to view.
Therefore, for the last two weeks, I’ve been struggling with the issue. Like I said, I had found the key, but could not locate that key again. After many conversations with my publishing company and others, I finally stumbled upon that key yesterday afternoon!
And I believe I made it work the way I intended!
Hallelujah!
Do you believe in Spell Buggers? I do.
Spell Buggers live in the deep dark woods and come out when they smell the energy of a fresh story sitting on a desk or in your computer.
They bring their little ink bottle and a pen. They mess up graphics and spelling to attract mates.
They have a long life span…not enough research has been done to determine just how long. Perhpas someone out there has more information?
What a mess they make. Beware, they could live in your neighborhood!
If you see a typo on this post, it’ll be the Spell Bugger’s doing. I think it lives in my office…or maybe in my keyboard?
I don’t have time to search for it—I’ve been through the mill and recovering, and, believe me, once is ennough.
Leave a comment. Love to hear from you.
Purchase River Fork: The Bear in the Storm at your favorite book store or book website.
J. M. Orise
Those of you who ordered, and already received River Fork – The Bear in the Storm, please contact me at jm@jmorise.com* See below for the why.
Why?
In March I announced April 2 as the release of my debut novel: River Fork – The Bear in the Storm.
Then I pushed it out to April 30 with a promise of a final review, update and submission to the publisher to meet the deadline.
Well that didn’t work out!
Hubby went to ER. His breathing was seriously comprimised. They admitted him to the hospital. He stayed a week. The problem—his heart.
During his stay at the hopital, I remained at his bedside 9 hours a day. A phalynx of doctors entered his room every other day with more info and concerns.
Of grave concern was his low red blood count—therefore, his O2 level was low.
The next task…replace Hubby’s Aortic valve. At this time, we are still waiting for his surgical procedure.
Back to my book: I cleverly saved a working copy as a .PDF file and imported it into my KOBO reader, which I brought to read while sitting on a small folding chair, cramped between the bathroom wall and Hubby’s wheeled tray where he ate and stored books to read.
First problem: constant interruptions, doctors appropriating my handy notepad where I made notes for planned edits to be execute once I returned home late in the evening.
Second problem: I was bushed, unable to focus, and missing Hubby’s presence in our now all-too-quiet house.
With my energy drained, my review was not good. I missed simple typos, a mispelled word, and a missing word. But among these, other salient details had been incorrectly represented. Perhaps only I noticed? Or would others notice too? All of this caught my attention while re-reading my paperback copy which arrived May 2nd.
I was apalled! How could this be! OMG!
So, the remedy*, find those customers who ordered their printed book between April 1 to May 3.
How?
If you are one of those lucky customers, you now own a collector’s item (and I appreciate your being one). However, for a remedy, please contact me at jm@jmorise.com . We’ll talk.
(The deadline to contact me regarding this issue is May 20, 2026)
J. M. Orise
Author
Note to those planning to order River Fork: The Bear in the Storm, for this interval of time in May only, there may be a short delay in delivery. I appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience.
A few links here:
Order your copy now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, or other outlet.
A Young Adult Historical Fantasy novel based on my childhood experiences regarding loss, and wishing that something magical would make everything better—make things be as they once were.
My characters are based on what I observed in people, their loss, their pain, whenever they shared thoughts with me, the child, and with me, the adult.
The story is from a world I alone had the privilege to wander through. To meet the characters, listen to them and interpret what they said, thought, and did, based on what I said, thought, and did from when I was five, when Mom died, and later, in my teens, when other family members and friends died. I wanted things to be as they used to be. Doesn’t everyone?
Growing up is challenging, and searching for that someone out there who used to be and perhaps still is with me…no matter which dimension they now inhabit, is a refreshing thought. Something I believe in.
Listen.
If you listen with your heart,
you will hear them.
My book is being published…and…sob, sob, I found a typo in the blurb! On the back cover! I immediatly had palpitations.
BP reading up. Dizzy…not! But I feel like a dizzy dummy.
So I plunged in, reorganized, revised and sent in corrected files. Kept my fingers crossed.
God forgive my typos… The past three weeks were tough—me busy at getting my first novel published, and sitting at Hubby’s bedside in the hospital for seven days. After eight hours with him, I returned every night to an all too quiet house. Hubby is now waiting for a heart procedure. Fingers crossed, again. I pray he’ll be OK.
Therefore, I suppose I have a reason to have missed that silly capital A.
Anybody out there ever find an obvious typo after publishing?
How did you handle it?
Meanwhile, my book is available for pre-order…don’t know if this “A” blip will cause a little delay in delivery.
Search for River Fork: The Bear in the Storm (series 1 of 2), author J. M. Orise. It is a YA, historical fantasy novel. Setting: fictitious town of River Fork, NH, in a farming and logging community in 1957. The theme is dealing with grief at the loss of a parent. Find it at your favorite book store’s website, and place your pre-order.
After reading, please write and post a review at the bookseller’s website. This author will appreciate it.
J. M. Orise
Wooo Hooo! Yay!
A long, long time coming
River Fork – The Bear in the Storm is DONE. It is in the hands of my publisher!
I am relieved—so relieved. 🤣
Please let it be perfect…no missed bloops.
I’ll receive a proof copy for review.
Once I re-read, and any needed changes are done, the book goes public!
Keep a lookout on jmorise blog (type “jmorise . com” without the spaces), go to Facebook, and Instagram.
All comments welcomed by this author.
J. M. Orise
River Fork: The Bear in the Storm was reviewed last April. The reviewer loved the story and concurred it needed to be published for Young Adults as well as Adults.
Happy to hear that, I re-read the story to check for typos, awkward sentences, etc., just in case.
Since then, I have re-read and edited it seven times. It is amazing how one does not see what is in front of them when reading their own work. This phenomenon is known as expectation. You see what you expect. Very easy to do in a manuscript. That’s why another pair of eyes is helpful.
Am presently formatting the manuscript, making it ready to upload to a publisher.
The novel is Young Adult, Historical Fantasy. The setting is 1956-1957 in a fictitious farming and logging town in the New Hampshire mountains.
The theme deals with loss, grief, belief, acceptance, self-discovery, and coming of age.
Though a Young Adult novel, it is suitable for children and parents dealing with loss.
Please keep in touch to learn more about the River Fork series, and to purchase it when available.
Thanks for following.
Keep following for my updates!
Please tell others about it.
Contact me below to: reserve your copy ahead of time OR leave comments and questions.
I’ll keep you informed when River Fork: The Bear in the Storm is available, and where to purchase.
uide
My research focused on the frequently neglected subject of childhood grief, incorporating my own experiences growing up in the 1950s and living for twenty years in a rural New Hampshire community shaped by logging, farming, and the towering presence of Mount Washington.
The research included indigenous Native Americans of the Algonquin Nation, namely the Abenaki tribe and the Pequawket band.
Later I explored the process of novel creation, encompassing manuscript writing, cover design, assembly, and publication. Even though I trembled at the enormity of this self-imposed task, luckily, friends—authors and other writers—urged me to persevere.
A story had initially brewed in my head for over two years. Then I jotted down scenes for a young audience—a children’s book with lots of graphics. I’d do my own artwork, of course.
Years ago, I had purchased Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein and read it to my son many times. My son was around 6 or 7. It was rollicking fun to read. Son, and I nearly fell off the sofa from laughing so hard. Silverstein provided great humor, timing, and storytelling. The artwork was hilarious and beautiful. I had hoped to emulate his style of writing stories for children or adults.
Well, back to my update! I decided that this novel would not suffice as a “children’s” book, for loss and grief affect not just the little ones; everyone in a family, or any relationship, is affected in different ways.
Therefore, it is not a Silverstein-style book. But it is a story I feel strongly about. Some of the scenes are based on my own experience at suddenly losing my mom when I was five.
The novel is a Young Adult, historical fantasy. The setting is 1956-1957 in a fictitious farming and logging town in the New Hampshire mountains. The theme deals with loss, grief, belief, acceptance, self-discovery, and the coming of age.
I am currently refining the manuscript and artwork I plan to incorporate for the publication of River Fork: The Bear in the Storm, the first of two novels. The sequel involves the same characters, but two years later, in 1959, which I plan to publish after River Fork: The Bear in the Storm.
Though this is a Young Adult novel, I consider it suitable for children and parents dealing with loss.
The plan is to have River Fork: The Bear in the Storm available on the Internet and at bookstores.
Please keep in touch to learn more about the River Fork series, and to purchase it when it is available.
Please tell others about it.
Contact me below to reserve your copy ahead of time, to leave comments or ask questions.
I’ll post when River Fork: The Bear in the Storm is available.
J. M. Orise
We left Maine in January. Two months later than anticipated due to discovering a blockage in my heart, and dealing with all the craziness of that experience.
And we left a day later than planned due to an unanticipated snowfall—4 inches. Neighbor John who watches our property plowed us out! We weren’t exactly “Snowbound”—I read John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem when I was a teen. I believe 4 FEET and more is what he had in mind.
For our trip, I opted to wear cotton socks with my L.L.Bean loafers. Sure it was cold at home, but we were heading south after all. We’d be warm by dinner time!
We left early in the day in 9° F weather. It would be warm soon, we’d be in the truck until 9-10 PM, and arriving in the southern mountains, in Wilkes-Barre, PA! Warm country.
Driving at speeds of 65-70 mph, the truck’s heater could not compete with the incoming flow of cold air…(Hubby’s analysis). Late in the day, it was so cold, the heat barely warmed our feet. My feet, although jammed into the heat outlet were being cooled. Being a bit of a contortionist, I pulled one foot up to the seat to warm it, and switched to warm the other. The floor area was cold! When we swapped driver, I felt the heat move around my feet at the accelerator a tiny bit. As a passenger, Hubby’s feet got colder.
I determined something was plugging the airflow. Next time we swapped driver, I crouched down and dug into the passenger’s heater duct. I proudly displayed chewed up paper napkins and other fibers. How pervasive was this blockage? Who were the perpetrators? Mice? Squirrels?
I engaged the heater’s air blower to the max. Tissue paper and bits of filter netting, a part of the dash construction to filter dust and debris that might be lodged in the heater passageway to the dash and window air ducts, flew at Hubby and me. Chunks of paper snow! I pulled more and more fragments from the dash’s vent grillwork with tweezers I had packed in the back seat of the truck.
We got more heat!
We arrived to 11° degrees Farenheit in Wilkes-Barre! Warmer socks and shoes were packed and inaccessible in the bed of our truck. With feet nearly frozen we hustled to our room and cranked the thermostat to 73°.
This intense cold lasted for two days. Even with vents cleaned out, we barely got warm. On the third day, in southern North Carolina, it was warmer…in the 30s. I finally dug out my thick cotton socks and a second sweater.
We arrived at our Florida destination late that night, but it was too cold to spend a whole lot of time unpacking in the dark with a flashlight. However, I brought in all that should not be left out in the cold…well, it had been left out for a couple of days and nights… but how cruel can you be to your stuff? My stuff? I like my stuff.
The cold lasted for a few days after we arrived…in the 30s and 40s. Nearly a week later, we have 60° and low 70° weather.
Discomfort is soon forgotten when things get better.
Things are better.
Hope all is well with you all. Leave a comment below. Love to hear from you.
Oh, and keep warm, too.
And two funerals in one season are two funerals too many.
I think of mortality…my mortality.
As if I have time to do that.
I feel out of control. But we are never in control. Of time. Our time.
I had the time of my life. Why do they say that?
Are they having fun, or are they now without time?
We do the best we can: eat, sleep, move, think, talk, laugh, cry, smell the flowers, pat our pet, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, create, tune out disinformation, learn how to research information, read any book we choose, pray, sing, decided what we want to do with our body— save Democracy.
Will Time come to me and say, “Do you know what today is? What time it is?”
I’ll say, “It’s not my time.
I’m busy doing stuff.
I need more time.
Will you leave me alone so I can do all this stuff?”
Stuff never ends.
Hm-m. I may be on to something here.
Only Time will tell.
The Muse and I — J. M. Orise 
Oh, go ahead. Leave a comment 🙂