Thyme, Place & Story is my personal mini-magazine, designed for readers who want to share what we know about living in place, growing green, growing older, reading, writing, and publishing in an era of new technologies.
Who I am
I’m an 80-something writer who migrated from a 15-year university career to a 40-year career in fiction—over seven million best-selling, award-winning books sold in four mystery series, plus biographical and YA novels, memoir and nonfiction. I love learning and have pursued a lifelong study of astrology and other mystical traditions while I explore the new technologies that enhance research, writing, and publishing in our digital era. My husband Bill and I live on a 30-acre scrap of Texas Hill Country, with dogs, cats, and an ever-changing community of farm and wild creatures.
What We Do Here
Here at Substack, I usually send four Monday articles a month, as well as short fiction and nonfiction on Wednesday (in serial format). Paid subscribers are invited to join the conversations, which sometimes is quite lively. (It’s okay if you have a lot to say. I’m here to listen.)
What I Write
Here’s what my Substack mini-magazine currently looks like. Of course, the magic of online publishing means that I can change the layout and coverage often. And I do.
First Monday. All About Thyme. A plant-themed calendar, a feature on herbs, and a curated list of plant-related things to do and think about. This is a popular tie-in to the China Bayles mysteries.
Second Monday. LifeScapes, posts about the places we live and the way place shapes and compels us; also on eldering in place: growing older and maybe wiser (imagine that!). These posts and conversations are behind a paywall because they are often deeply personal.
Third Monday. Guerrilla Reads is a read-along project for people who believe, as I do, that reading deeply is an act of resistance, revolution, and repair. I read and write about books that are timely, idea-driven, and provocative: mostly nonfiction, always urgent, guerrilla texts by writers who challenge the status quo, shed light on how power works, and point to what might be coming.
Fourth Monday. Growing Green with the Zodiac. An ecological-astrological project, from a Jungian perspective: astrological information about the current Sun sign, herb lore, plant wisdom, suggested readings. For paid subscribers: a workbook with tarot, ritual, journal work, and recipes. This is a draft version of a possible book.
Occasional Wednesdays and Fridays. Short Reads. Serial fiction and nonfiction. Currently, I’m at work on the revision and serialization of the first book in the China Bayles series, for digital publication. Also AI Working Notes, where I chronicle the process of working with and exploring artificial intelligence. (This is an actively opt-in publication.)
Choose What You Read. Too much to read? Crowded for time? You don’t have to subscribe to everything I write. Go here to customize the posts you receive from me. You can change your mind any time it suits you.
Time Out. When the serial Short Reads are running on Wednesdays, I sometimes take time out from the regular Monday posts. And like everybody else, I enjoy a few weeks of family time (aka “vacation”) throughout the year.
Scholarships. Thanks to the generosity of supporting subscribers, paid subscriptions are available for readers on a fixed income Ask me about this: susanalbert01 at gmail dot com
Subscriptions. Supporting subscribers make my work possible and help keep Substack doing what it does best. I deeply appreciate whatever support you would like to offer. I share a portion of your paid subscriptions with the Story Circle Network.
Where else you’ll find me
If you’re looking for my books, please visit my website. I’m on Facebook here and sometimes here, also Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub and Bluesky.
My AI Policy (because every writer needs one)
I use Google’s AI for quick factchecks and OpenAI’s GPT4 and 4.5 in what has turned into an exciting, ongoing, and often surprising collaboration. I use AI to stretch my thinking and writing, not to replace it. I work with AI the way writers work with a well-read and willing research assistant, a sharp copy editor, or an uncanny colleague who never sleeps. I use AI not as a therapist, but as a thinking partner: to test out ideas, probe issues from different points of view, and help me develop a clearer understanding of the topics I choose to work on. AI informs and challenges me, connects me with other thinkers around the world, and encourages me to see my work in relation to theirs. It also generates some of the images you see in my posts—like the one above.
I began writing with a pencil, then moved to a pre-WWII Royal typewriter, a word processor, a computer, the internet, and now here we are. As the tools evolve, so does my use of them, along with my interest in learning more about how they work, what they can do, and how they change us. I believe in being transparent about that—not to issue a disclaimer, but to open up a conversation. The relationship between human and machine intelligence is part of the story I’m exploring, and want to share with you. If you’re interested, you can follow this path with me. I’m documenting it here.
About Women’s Stories and the Story Circle Network
The Story Circle Network is a nonprofit organization that supports women with stories to tell. I founded it in 1997 and participate in many of its programs. You’ll find SCN here. You’re invited to check out the current sample of our quarterly Journal, on the Publications tab. That’ll give you a good idea of who we are and what we do.
And here is our latest annual anthology, with an introduction by Len Leatherwood and writings by our members:
