<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Gina Hogan Edwards]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gina Hogan Edwards]]></description><link>https://gina021.wixsite.com/ginahoganedwards/posts</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 17:03:42 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[What is The Royal Jade?]]></title><description><![CDATA[You may have come here expecting to read Dancing at The Orange Peel (the original working title for my novel). We can rarely (if ever) anticipate how our creativity will unfold; it’s never linear and rarely logical. So the last 6 months have brought on a host of changes. Keep reading for the TD;LR or for the full backstory to find out how all these changes have come about and what they mean for me as the author and for you, the reader.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/what-is-the-royal-jade</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a43070c69b2dfbbf129ceef</guid><category><![CDATA[Dancing at The Royal Jade]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_e561e227800641ad85bdd631cc1f5119~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Camelot]]></title><description><![CDATA[Serendipity happens in my life a lot. I used to dismiss it as coincidence. I now like to think of it as my intuition paying attention. It happens in my writing, too, and here's how it showed up in Chapter 6 of Dancing at The Royal Jade, entitled "The Knight Alone."]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/camelot</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4d5b9d75e9053cf024c665</guid><category><![CDATA[Behind the Stories]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2026 17:58:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_e79601e0716c488ebd95182aef6ff823~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trusting the Muse]]></title><description><![CDATA[I try to start each day with the intention to pay attention. Throughout the day, I stay aware and attuned to any ideas for my writing that present themselves to me. They often appear unbidden, sometimes gifted to me subtly. Other days, they are presented like a bonk on the head.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/trusting-the-muse</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d80ea7a51db32c14c389dd</guid><category><![CDATA[Writing & Creativity]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:03:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_755addd2e2eb407e8104593be8878407~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_552,h_332,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Truth or Consequences]]></title><description><![CDATA[Movies often show up in my fiction. But I picked one to use in a scene in my novel that wouldn't actually have been playing in that time. This triggered a series of considerations about the use of historical facts in fiction. Dozens of authors have bent history in various ways and/or depicted events that never actually occurred in the lives of real people. Where am I willing to draw the line in the name of fiction?]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/truth-or-consequences</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4d53d724d6803bed6ad704</guid><category><![CDATA[Behind the Stories]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 15:19:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_ac7f38ed84c147f9b1cb1602580e46de~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_320,h_457,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Doyle Lott Has Left the Building]]></title><description><![CDATA[On the evening of April 2, 1968, American living rooms were graced by an unprecedented moment on national television. During an NBC musical special called Petula, British singer Petula Clark and the iconic Harry Belafonte shared a stage, united by song and a brief, gentle touch. That fleeting moment of human connection spiraled into a controversy that reflects the era’s tumultuous racial tensions.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/doyle-lott-has-left-the-building</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4d5023a79e22eec792e112</guid><category><![CDATA[Behind the Stories]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 14:40:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_71fc8916436f45d1ac2029303af5a139~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_691,h_593,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bringing Nate Boniface to Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[For several years now, I’ve actively sought anything that would contribute to my understanding of intuition and how to tap into it, especially in my writing. Still, it has seemed out of reach for me, a fantastical superpower for only a few divinely gifted souls.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/bringing-nate-boniface-to-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4d58a5646539e116355fab</guid><category><![CDATA[Behind the Stories]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_fc0b8f83f7164ac7a458c786a16a8be5~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_840,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Story Inspiration]]></title><description><![CDATA[What we read cannot help but influence what we write...not in a copycat way, but as inspiration that sometimes is so subtle we may not even realize it. ]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/story-inspiration</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4d5cb7bc13f1e9358f9f38</guid><category><![CDATA[Behind the Stories]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 20:30:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_e6ed92cb2c804b7295fb71f484e27f6b~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_678,h_463,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[1. Alleys &#38; Shadows]]></title><description><![CDATA[Me and Becky quit playing hangman when Al, that crazy boy my cousin Connie has a crush on, stands up in the back of the school bus, pretending to be James Brown. He acts out like that every day, right when we get to that same corner. The other kids have eyes on Al, too. I don’t know why anyone would want so many people watching them, but you can tell he loves it. ]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/1-alleys-and-shadows</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3ac842e48ba4122ae78615</guid><category><![CDATA[Dancing at The Royal Jade]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:10:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_bffc353044c04466a7b66326062e623c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[2. Watchful Eyes]]></title><description><![CDATA[Libby had never seen a Negro in the Chamber before. Could this be the man the Chamber Board fussed over accepting? Mama had told Uncle Nelson that many members were fuming, her boss, especially, that a colored man might be allowed to join.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/2-watchful-eyes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4163f651416e35e780ec58</guid><category><![CDATA[Dancing at The Royal Jade]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 18:53:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_52c74f36bbb643e9a78110b2ca6961b9~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[3. Hard Questions]]></title><description><![CDATA[At the end of the day on the bus, Libby quizzes Mama about the Black man she's just seen at the Chamber. But she has to be careful how she asks.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/3-hard-questions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a480d10fa58f0a255cf72a1</guid><category><![CDATA[Dancing at The Royal Jade]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 06 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_98cc53528a484a0da32a8ac20ea246fb~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[4. Awkward Introductions]]></title><description><![CDATA[Libby eagerly awaits Mama’s return from a Saturday movie with her friend Miss Cheryl. They finally arrive, laughing and chattering about Sean Connery. The mood shifts quickly, though, with the the unexpected arrival of Mama’s new acquaintance.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/4-awkward-introductions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a480e2bc6dbda166d443cf2</guid><category><![CDATA[Dancing at The Royal Jade]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 05 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_88bdd0e832074610b0608fd5f83c5ba4~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[5. From Kent Creek to the Eiffel Tower]]></title><description><![CDATA[With their guests gone, Libby is curious about her mama’s new friend. Noticing how different he is from all the people she knows, she watches him and Mama closely, her mind filled with questions. Only a few does she dare to ask. Explore Chapter 5 of Dancing at The Royal Jade, a Beaucatcher Chronicles novel, set in the 1960s in Kent Creek, North Carolina.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/5-from-kent-creek-to-the-eiffel-tower</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a480eab0e6d46569495efab</guid><category><![CDATA[Dancing at The Royal Jade]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 04 Jul 2026 20:00:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_c6320f6f4df64a5e9869b267009fcc11~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[6. The Knight Alone]]></title><description><![CDATA[Like all of Grant's other girlfriends, Brenda had been enchanted by his story of the promise he’d made to Carter to watch over his girls. It was a tale of heroes that had been in the paper, been told and retold by every police officer and sheriff’s deputy in Gibbs County. So the ladies were charmed and fell in love with the hero who’d survived.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/6-the-knight-alone</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a480f220e6d46569495f099</guid><category><![CDATA[Dancing at The Royal Jade]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_fd5de7eb4fb542609fdb7b24df5c6f2c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[7. The Promise]]></title><description><![CDATA[Examining her pink fingernails, Gwen scraped one thumbnail with the other. “We cut our dinners to just twice a month so you could have more time with her,” she reminded Grant. A fleck of polish flipped onto the couch beside her. He sighed heavily then said, “Didn’t make a difference.”]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/7-the-promise</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a48101dfd494c5f10d63625</guid><category><![CDATA[Dancing at The Royal Jade]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_8a118d551039474fbc96ca8f53c8dfb4~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[8. Nosy Neighbors]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mama wakes me trying to slip the Nancy Drew I got at the library out of my fingers. The Secret of the Old Clock is splayed open on my belly from when I fell asleep with my pillows bunched up behind my head.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/8-nosy-neighbors</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a481287fd494c5f10d63b08</guid><category><![CDATA[Dancing at The Royal Jade]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_edae79e6a22940df9d046914222b9e34~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Angelique: RIP Laura Parker]]></title><description><![CDATA[At the end of Chapter 1, “Alleys and Shadows,” in my serialized novel Dancing at The Royal Jade, nine-year-old Libby Billings sneaks to watch Dark Shadows, a show I was not allowed to watch either. That’s probably not 100% true. I was prone to nightmares as a child so even though I was fascinated by the show and my parents weren't all that strict about what I watched, my fears kept me from tuning in. It was creepy, y’all.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/angelique-rip-laura-parker</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a441b08f5f40624272ab92f</guid><category><![CDATA[Behind the Stories]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 20:15:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_bcc6fb21050c42b594dc57ede966a8ae~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_480,h_360,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hangman]]></title><description><![CDATA[For generations, children throughout the U.S. have played Hangman doodled on chalkboards or scribbled on notebook paper. Often seen as a child’s pastime, this simple word-guessing game has a problematic history laced with cultural influences and contemporary controversies.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/hangman</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4406fe2481452f72da46ee</guid><category><![CDATA[Behind the Stories]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 18:52:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_c259f0cfc5644295a9a2f0bfa28df617~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_768,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[9. Carter's Eyes (aka The Shadows)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gwen stepped away from the window and, for the fourth time, allowed the curtains to fall back into place. She fiddled with the stereo volume . . . again. Low enough to keep from waking Libby, loud enough to cover conversation. She couldn’t quite find the balance.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/9-carters-eyes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a48140bf7b480551f0d50d3</guid><category><![CDATA[Dancing at The Royal Jade]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_d8f2fc8b305a4761883140df73bf34b1~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[10. Half Mast]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mama shakes my shoulder. “Libby, Libby honey. You’ve got to wake up.” The bright light coming through the slit in my bedroom curtains hurts my eyes. I roll over and hug Winnie the Pooh close. Mama rounds the foot of my bed. “You know how your Uncle Nelson fusses if he has to keep the car running while they wait on us.” She throws the curtains back, filling the bedroom with sunshine. I squeeze my eyes shut, groan. “Come on.” Palms up, she raises her arms. “UP! Get dressed and come to breakfast."]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/10-half-mast</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4817a1fa58f0a255cf8917</guid><category><![CDATA[Dancing at The Royal Jade]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_fb89f90f7b81465d9321df241495afdd~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[11. Just As I Am]]></title><description><![CDATA[Uncle Nelson pulls up to the church’s side door so Grandmamma won’t have to climb steps. After dropping the back door of the station wagon open for us, Granddaddy points to Grandmamma’s walker. “Push that here, Half Pint,” he tells Pammy. He carry-drags it ’round the car to Grandmamma. At fifty-nine, she needs a lot of help, but Mama says old age isn’t her biggest problem. It’s the diabetes.]]></description><link>https://www.ginahoganedwards.com/post/11-just-as-i-am</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a481872fd494c5f10d64842</guid><category><![CDATA[Dancing at The Royal Jade]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/95d1c0_852dc0843db146dba008418b9127382f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Gina Hogan Edwards</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>