Hello writers!
I’m delighted to welcome today’s guest blogger Milana Marsenich, an award-winning author and historian celebrated for her vivid storytelling and meticulous exploration of the untold lives of extraordinary women.
Her popular history book, Idaho Madams, unravels the enigmatic and turbulent histories of women who ran brothels in the Gem State from the 1850s to the 1980s, offering readers a glimpse into a world as complex as it is fascinating.
Milana’s passion for uncovering hidden histories is evident in her work, as is her ability to blend historical rigor with heartfelt empathy. You can read more about her and the book below (including an excerpt!).
Today, Milana joins us to share her thoughts on writing about the ghostly echoes of towns and events, particularly how history and memory intertwine to shape the stories we tell.
Enjoy!
~Kaecey
WRITING THE GHOSTLY ASPECTS OF A TOWN
by Milana Marsenich
I really enjoy exploring the ghostly qualities of a story or town. In my first novel, Copper Sky, a white dog wanders through the town and through time. His relative, the wolf dog makes a strong appearance in the sequel, Beautiful Ghost. A phantom swan follows Lillie through the mountains and out to the Cattail Marsh in The Swan Keeper. I wrote about the actual blue ghost of Morgan’s Alley in Idaho Madams. Here are some of my thoughts about including ghostly elements in a story.
Start with the wind. The wind can bring sounds, smells, bitter cold, or the feel of danger. The wind can be a character in a story. It can bring a memory that the character wants to avoid. It can carry something mysterious or unknown, that the protagonist misses, but the reader gets. The wind whisks into every part of the town, knowing more than any one character. It can be a devise to stir the character. Or it can blind the character. The wind can be mysterious or respectful. When you give it human qualities, ghostly qualities naturally follow.
Shadows also amp up the mysterious elements of a town. Shadows can follow, absorb, and watch. They can sink into a corner or rise and stand in the way of a character. Shadows naturally have a ghostly feel to them, and this can be played on when wanting to create mystery in a town.
Smoke and fire have their own ghostly qualities. Smoke rises and seeps into rooms stealing the breath and bringing death and destruction. Fire lights the sky and blazes through buildings, bringing fear and devastation.
Actual ghosts sometimes inhabit stories and towns. These can be blatant, spelled out characters in the story, such as in The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, or they can be more subtle and surprising, such as in The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman. Ghosts can follow a character or stand in the corner and watch. They can haunt a character, pushing them to specific action. Ghosts as characters can inspire feelings of guilt and despair, peace and happiness. Ghosts can be alluded to through footsteps, sounds, objects moving, or by having them watch from the sidelines.
Bad Luck in the town will create a ghostly theme. Each time the character walks through a certain part of town something bad happens. Since a certain event, bad luck has followed. You can dress bad luck in images, such as a dark cloak, a clown face, a tree in the wind, a ragged bear on the mountainside. Bad luck might be trying to tell the character something important. Once the character understands the message they can run from the town or turn and face the demon luck.
History is its own ghost. It can be the town’s history, or personal history that haunts a character. It can be a tragic event, a remembered face, or even an expression appearing on many faces. A watcher can step aside and tell the history the character doesn’t want us to know. Disasters and tragedies fall into this category. So do murders, abuse, and most secrets.
About Milana
Award winning author, Milana Marsenich lives in Northwest Montana near Flathead Lake at the base of the beautiful Mission Mountains. She enjoys quick access to the mountains and has spent many hours hiking the wilderness trails with friends and dogs. For the past 20 years she has worked as a mental health therapist in a variety of settings.
As a natural listener and a therapist, she has witnessed amazing generosity and courage in others. She first witnessed this in her hometown of Butte, Montana, a mining town with a rich history and the setting for Copper Sky, her first novel.
Copper Sky was chosen as a Spur Award finalist for Best Western Historical Novel in 2018. Her second novel, The Swan Keeper, was a Willa Award finalist in 2019. Her short story, "Wild Dogs," won the Laura Award for short fiction in 2020.
She has an M.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling from Montana State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. She has previously published in Montana Quarterly, Big Sky Journal, The Polishing Stone, The Moronic Ox, BookGlow, and Feminist Studies. She has four published novels, Copper Sky, The Swan Keeper, Beautiful Ghost, and Shed Girl, and one popular history book, Idaho Madams.
Her next popular history book, Mary MacLane: Butte’s Wild Woman and her Wooden Heart, will be out sometime in 2025.
Here's how to find Milana online:
Her website: https://milanamarsenich.com/
X/Twitter: https://x.com/milanamarsenich
About the Book
Idaho Madams uncovers the enigmatic and salacious lives of 30 women who ran brothels in the Gem State from the 1850s to the 1980s. Here are the hedonistic and sometimes heroic exploits of Effie Rogan, Jennie Girard, Nettie Bowen, Ginger Murphy, Dixie Colton, and Dot Allen, but also the unsung sagas of Carrie Young, Grace Freeman, Willow Herman, Hattie Carlton, and many more.
As told by author Milana Marsenich, the stories of these women come alive with voluptuous detail, historical photographs, and the social context of the times.
READ AN EXCERPT
From the book's introduction:
"Idaho has a long history of strong, independent thinkers who embody the gritty and vital spirit of the West. During the gold and silver rushes of the 1800s, adventurous, hardworking men flocked to Idaho Territory, many with the grand dream of 'striking it rich.' Miners, railroad workers, loggers, and merchants made their money and were only too eager to spend it on alcohol, gambling, and pleasure. The women of vice who followed them West were happy to oblige.
These madams and prostitutes also wanted to get rich—or at least make a livable wage and gather a small nest egg. The West was large and pocked with logging, mining, and railroad boomtowns that popped up overnight and died out just as quickly once the trees or ore ran out or the rails extended down the line. Many prostitutes were bold, nervy women who made choices, sought adventure, exhibited business savvy, demanded respect, craved stability, and gained independence in a man’s world. Some took care of their families through the trade, sending their siblings to school or paying medical bills. They either chose the frontier sex trade deliberately or came to it through a twist of fate."
Title: Idaho Madams
Author: Milana Marsenich
Publisher: Farcountry Press (2023)
ISBN: 156037750X
ISBN: 978-1560377504
Print length: 160 pages
Purchase a copy of Idaho Madams on:
You can also add this to your Goodreads reading list!
Read More by Milana or Learn More About the Book:
Interesting in reading more from Milana or checking out reviews, giveaways, and excerpts for Idaho Madams? You can stop by The Muffin for all the links, or check out these remaining stops on the WOW! Blog Tour:
December 13th @ StoreyBook Reviews
Get a peek at an excerpt of Milana Marsenich's book Idaho Madams. She's also posting about Dogs and other Animals in Story Development.
December 14th @ Words by Webb
Head to the Wild West for a review of Idaho Madams.
Have you read Idaho Madams? Or do you have thoughts on what Milana has to say about writing the ghostly aspects of a place or event? Let me know by sending me a message or an email!
Happy Reading & Happy Writing!
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