NOVEMBER 2025

Farewell to a Great Lady: Lois Boles

This newsletter starts on a sad note: In September, my mother-in-law, who in the many years I knew her was a great comfort and support to me, drew her last breath in late September. The loss of a loving mother has, of course, been devastating for my wife, Carol, and her brother, Dan, and for the entire family. But for Carol’s father, Sam, Lois’s spouse of 65 years, the loss has been unimaginable.

As a girl, Lois was an aspiring actress, working summer theatre in Connecticut where she lived with her mother and sister, and eventually migrating to California and doing the same at the Pasadena Playhouse. A Hollywood connection brought Sam and Lois together when Sam, an Army infantryman at the time, was assigned to liaise with a crew shooting a movie on his Southern California base. After becoming his wife, Lois spent most of her career as a housewife, only entering the workforce as a receptionist at Hewlett-Packard once her three children got into their teen years. She was a forceful presence, instigating family gatherings, international travel, and improvements to the house—all the things that can be uncomfortable at times, but inevitably lead to a fuller, richer life for all concerned.

And so, Sam muddles through, doing the work of grieving even as he figures out what life without Lois will be. And through it all, he and all of us are soothed and inspired by vivid memories of the lady who for all those years held the whole thing together. In the picture above, she and Sam attend the book launch for The Cyclone Release, coming out to support me just as they always did for their own children. Her strength, and her smile, will be sorely missed.

Tristan 4 America

When I last dropped into your mailbox, back in (d’oh!) June, I reported that my new novel, Tristan 4 America, had found a home with the Willow River Press imprint of Between the Lines Publishing. As I work with the Willow River editors to prepare the book for publication next year, I’ve had some great opportunities in the last couple of months to introduce new readers to the work.

A Very Busy Fall Season

Over the summer, I made a conscious decision to get out into the country, to commune with my fellow writers, and to talk about my work—including Tristan 4 America.

In late September, this determination took me to Granbury, Texas for the Texas Association of Creative Writers annual conference, where I reconnected with Kim Davis of Madville Publishing, the publisher of my first book, The Cyclone Release. I also met and heard readings from the wonderful Madville novelists Gautham Rao and Amit Verma, and made new acquaintances with amazing artists like the poet Stephen Moore and the Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist and author Sid Balman. The opportunity to share my work with such august company is always a thrill, and this was no exception.

Stepping away from the writing game for a bit, I started October off with a 6-day, 395-mile bike ride across North Carolina. The Cycle North Carolina Mountains to the Coast ride is an annual multi-day event that draws about 800 riders and includes tent camping, daily happy hours, stopovers in some of the state’s most adorable towns and villages, and of course, some very fast riding. Averaging 17 miles per hour over 395 miles of riding was something I didn’t imagine my body could still do, but with the help of a mini-peloton of terrific riders that I fell in with—thanks to my good buddy Tom Rooze—I felt strong to the very end. (Turns out I’ve still got it, and my shiny new artificial knee performed like a champ!)

This was followed by a trip with Carol’s family to Pismo Beach, California, for the annual Clam Festival. This had become a regular outing for Sam and Lois and those of us who cared to tag along, so it had all been arranged prior to Lois’s passing, and happily, the family was open to keeping the date. It was a great opportunity for all of us, between walks on the beach and along the boardwalk, to share memories of Lois, and in so doing, to share in our collective grieving.

Finally, at the end of October, I was able to reconnect with my fellow alumni from the Queens University of Charlotte MFA Program. Friends and colleagues both familiar and new gathered in Charlotte for the semiannual Professional Development Weekend—the first such event that was conducted live and in person since 2019, before the covid pandemic. The highlight of the weekend for me was the chance to moderate an Alumni Publishing Panel that featured the poets Lee Stockdale and Richard Allen Taylor, and the novelist and screenwriter D.W. Ardern. All of these writers have wonderful new books out, so I encourage you to click the links and check out their websites. An even greater pleasure was participating with the three of them in the alumni reading that followed our panel discussion—another chance to expose potential readers to the forthcoming Tristan 4 America.

With any luck it won’t be five freaking months before you hear from me again, but just to be safe, I’ll wish each and every one of you a sparkling and joyous holiday season.

In case you missed them, previous editions of the Bruce Overby newsletter can be viewed online here.

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