Shadows and Storylines

What happened when armed troops entered a Florida State University campus during the Vietnam War era? In this episode of Shadows & Storylines , I explore the little-known story of The Night of the Bayonets , a dramatic confrontation that unfolded at Florida State University in 1969. I also discuss how this forgotten moment in Southern history became a key inspiration for scenes and themes in m...

In Episode 14 of Shadows & Storylines , author Pelham Pugh discusses one of the most controversial topics in modern publishing: artificial intelligence. How much AI is too much? Does using AI make someone less of a writer? Can independent authors realistically compete without it? In this episode, I explain exactly how I use tools like ChatGPT, Adobe AI features, and other software in my writin...

In this episode of Shadows & Storylines, I talk about the books that influenced my love of reading and eventually led me to become a writer. From the library at Clio Elementary School to discovering "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls, this is the story of the book that hooked me on reading and has remained my favorite for more than forty years. I also discuss:• Growing up in...

After finishing the Fractured Horizons trilogy, one question keeps coming back to me: am I truly done with the Bruce family? In this episode, I talk honestly about the future of the series, the characters whose stories still haunt me, and why I intentionally left parts of the ending open. From Burt Williams and Vern Bruce to Jefferson Black and the Confederados of Brazil, there are still stories w...

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 At...

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 Revolution...

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 Fest...

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 — thi...

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...

In this episode, I talk openly about how Perfidious Tides really began — not as a polished Southern-noir vision, but as a mix of unexpected influences, personal history, and a story that took on a life of its own. I share how helping someone edit a memoir pulled me back into writing, how old attempts at novels resurfaced, and how the idea of brothers — shaped partly by Dallas and partly by my own...

In Episode 5, I dive into one of the questions readers ask the most: Why do I write under the name Pelham Pugh? This episode explores the roots of the pen name, the family history behind it, and why it fits the kind of Southern-noir stories I tell. From the Wiregrass to the page, this is the personal story behind the name on every book cover. If you enjoy Southern storytelling, creative journeys,...

Not every place gives you what you’re looking for. In Episode 4 of Shadows & Storylines, I talk about traveling through the Ochlockonee area of Florida and visiting historical sites that didn’t always live up to expectation; places that were closed, overlooked, misrepresented, or simply quiet in ways I hadn’t planned for. This is a voice-only episode about the unpredictability of chasing histo...

Not all influence comes through words. Some of it is learned by watching. In Episode 3 of Shadows & Storylines, I talk about my grandmother and the way she shaped how I see people, family, and endurance. This is a voice-only episode about presence rather than instruction. About strength that doesn’t announce itself. And about the kind of influence that comes from consistency, care, and holding...

Some deaths don’t come after illness or warning. They arrive in the middle of an ordinary day. In Episode 2 of Shadows & Storylines, I talk about my grandfather’s death: sudden, unexpected, and the result of him trying to help someone else. This is a voice-only episode about the kind of loss that leaves no time to prepare. About how quickly a steady presence can disappear. And about the quiet...

Before there were books, there was a place. In this first episode of Shadows & Storylines, I go back to where everything started: Elamville and the Wiregrass of southeast Alabama. This is a voice-only episode about place, memory, and the quiet influences that shape a life and a writer long before the words ever arrive. No visuals. No narration tricks. Just a story about growing up in a small p...