Appalachian Gothic

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S.L. Welsh's young adult magical realism debut novel begins in 1988 with abused seventeen-year-old runaway, Birdie Belle Riddle. She escapes a violent Appalachian family feud by unlocking an ancestral time portal in Riddle Creek, with a blink of her kaleidoscope eyes. 

Upon passing through the bloodstained bedrock of the Mason-Dixon Line she boards a cosmic time traveling train, where Fate conducts her to poetry inspired platforms in the past There, memory laden luggage awaits unpacking. 

Birdie revisits those memories to make sense of the madness of her life in a stepfamily hellbent on destroying everything and everyone she loves.

Come along on Birdie Belle's quest to shatter the generational cycle of abuse haunting her, and the women and children of Whistle Stop, Pennsylvania, since the Civil War.

• Novel is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2026. 

• S.L. Welsh needs a literary agent specializing in representing emerging femal authors of speculative fiction to procure a traditional publisher.

• Author S.L. Welsh is looking for local bookstores, colleges, and libraries interested in her works.

• S.L. Welsh invites female alumnae organizations from women's colleges to promote her debut novel because that is where my journey to empowerment began.

• If you are interested in featuring her work on your website, conducting an interview, or being a stop on her book launch tour in 2026 or 2027, please reach out via the contact page.