Shadows and Storylines 8: The Brutal Truth About Query Letters | Is Anyone Even Reading Them?

Shadows and Storylines 11: Picking it Back Up - A Year Later...

Back after a year away, I’m diving back into Come Our Way, a Southern story rooted in the farming crisis of the 1980s, real-life memories, and the people who lived through it. In this episode of Shadows & Storylines, I talk about restarting the manuscript, rewriting the first nine chapters, and why this story feels more personal than anything I’ve written before.I also discuss the role the Atlanta Braves and baseball played in my Fractured Horizons trilogy — from Perfidious Tides to Last Castle in the Sky and Live the Last Day — and why those memories of Fulton County Stadium became part of the soul of the books.Topics in this episode:• Returning to Come Our Way after a year away• Rewriting the opening chapters — Draft Two• Writing without outlines• The farming crisis of the early 1980s• Real-life inspiration behind the story• The Atlanta Braves as part of Southern identity• Why baseball became part of my fiction• Upcoming book festivals and eventsSigned copies of all three books are available on my website. - pelhampugh.com#ShadowsAndStorylines #ComeOurWay #SouthernNoir #WritingCommunity #AtlantaBraves #PerfidiousTides #LastCastleInTheSky #LiveTheLastDay #SouthernGothic #AuthorTube #PelhamPugh #WritingLife #BookTube #Wiregrass #AmericanSouth #IndieAuthor #BaseballAndBooks

Shadows and Storylines 10: Forgotten History, Writing, and the Road Ahead

Shadows and Storylines returns for Season 2 as Pelham Pugh comes back from hiatus to talk writing, history, YouTube, forgotten stories, and the road ahead for the summer of 2026. In this episode: • The return of American Shadows Season 3 • The forgotten Great Clayton Train Wreck of 1913 • Family stories passed down through the Wiregrass • Visiting the CSS Hunley in Charleston • Upcoming Revolutionary War travel and filming • The return of Wandering Writer and Iron Echoes • Vintage White and Oliver tractors • How storytelling, history, music, baseball, and life influence the writing process This episode also looks ahead to new videos, road trips, local history, and the continued work on the upcoming novel Come Our Way. If you enjoy Southern history, storytelling, writing, forgotten places, railroad history, farm history, and life in the Wiregrass, welcome back. Books by Pelham Pugh: Perfidious Tides Last Castle in the Sky Live the Last Day Signed books and merch: Pelham Pugh Official Website [https://pelhampugh.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com] #ShadowsAndStorylines #PelhamPugh #AmericanShadows #SouthernHistory #WritingCommunity #Wiregrass #RailroadHistory #HistoryPodcast #Storytelling #CSSHunley

Shadows & Storylines 9: Season One Finale — Stepping Back to Write Come Our Way

In this final episode of Shadows & Storylines Season One, I sit down for an honest update about what’s next for the channel, the books, and the work ahead. I talk about why I’m stepping away from YouTube and the podcast until late May or early June, what’s coming up for The Wandering Writer, Iron Echoes, American Shadows, and where you can find me this spring—including the Opelika Book Festival, the Backyard Book Fest in Montevallo, and the Tallahassee Downtown Market. Most importantly, I share where I am with my new novel Come Our Way—nine chapters into the first draft—and why this deeply personal story deserves my full focus over the next few months. I explain the roots of the book in the 1970s–80s farm crisis, how it shaped families across the Wiregrass, and why I’m determined to bring that forgotten Southern perspective to the page. This episode is a thank-you to everyone who’s supported my books, read the Fractured Horizons series, left reviews, or followed the channel. I talk candidly about indie author realities, writing through limited resources, and why your support—page reads, paperback buys, and simple encouragement—keeps this work alive. New episodes return around June. Until then, I’ll be writing, traveling to events, and preparing for a full summer of stories. Stay tuned. More is coming.

Shadows and Storylines 8: The Brutal Truth About Query Letters | Is Anyone Even Reading Them?

Most writers dream about getting an agent. Nobody talks about what happens after you send thirty query letters and barely get a real response. In this episode of Shadows & Storylines, Pelham Pugh pulls back the curtain on the querying process. From instant rejection emails to the frustrating silence, from paying editors hundreds of dollars to wondering if anyone actually reads your work — this is the unfiltered reality of trying to break into traditional publishing. After moving over ten thousand copies as an indie Southern noir author, the question remains: Is the gatekeeping real? Is it about money? Or is it about the right hook at the right time? If you are: • Querying literary agents • Writing your first novel • Self published but considering traditional publishing • Curious about how the publishing industry works This episode is for you. Subscribe for more honest conversations about writing, publishing, Southern noir, and the creative life. #WritingLife #QueryLetters #LiteraryAgents #SelfPublishing #SouthernNoir #PelhamPugh

Shadows and Storylines 7: Panama City Beach the Way I Remember It

The world of Perfidious Tides wasn’t born in a writing room . It came from the backroads and beaches of the real Florida Panhandle.Before condos and crowds, before Pier Park, before the coastline changed forever… there was the old pier, the long stretch of pines, the tiny towns, and that unmistakable emerald water.In this episode, I take you into the places that shaped me, and in turn shaped the entire Fractured Horizons series.If you grew up going to Panama City Beach, Florida Highway 79, Vernon, Esto, Bonifay, or Holmes Creek… this one’s going to hit home.🌊 What you’ll hear about:• The REAL Northwest Florida of the early ’80s• The backroads from Slocomb, Graceville, New Hope & beyond• The old wooden piers of Panama City Beach• Mom-and-pop motels of Laguna Beach, Long Beach & The Strip• Why Highway 79 always felt different• How my childhood memories directly shaped Perfidious Tides• The lost Florida that inspired the opening scene of the book• The sunset version of Panama City we’ll never see againIf you love Southern noir, small-town stories, Florida history, or just grew up in the Wiregrass/Panhandle region, welcome home.