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.
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. 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), most of it based on the mystery series you may have read. Subscribers are invited to join in the conversation, which sometimes is quite lively. (It’s okay if you have a lot to say!)
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. BookScapes. Bookish posts about writing, reading, publishing. Launching Jan. 20, 2025: Guerrilla Readers. Reading, discussing issue-oriented, idea-driven books that challenge us to reflect from a variety of perspectives on current events: where we are and what it looks like, how we got here and where we’re going, what people are doing about it, and how it is reshaping our personal stories.
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 supporting subscribers: a workbook with tarot, ritual, journal work, and recipes. This is a draft version of a possible book.
Occasional Wednesdays. Short Reads. Serial short fiction, nonfiction. Go here to see what’s currently available and what’s in the works.
Choose What You Read. Too much stuff? 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.
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. Here’s your invitation to our Spring Retreat 2025, led by experienced teacher/coach/novelist Len Leatherwood :
Whether you’re writing flash memoir or fiction, crafting a long-form memoir, or developing a novel, this retreat will help you refine your skills, explore new approaches, make new connections with like-minded women, and leave inspired to continue your writing journey.
And here is our latest annual anthology, with an introduction by Len Leatherwood and writings by our members:
