Historical Fiction with Speculative elements
Date Published: January 7, 2026
Publisher: Mindstir Media
A WALTZ ACROSS TIME spans 500 years of New Mexico's history, inspired by family ancestral records and lore; interweaving a contemporary ghost story, bibliomystery and romance with fictionalized accounts of ordinary people navigating extraordinary times.
Lucinda, a clairvoyant Santa Fe bookstore owner, promises the ghost of a one-eyed Marine she will return his family's 500-year-old Spanish Bible to his descendant and rightful heir, using clues stashed within its pages to guide her search.
Each clue opens a window to the lives and loves of Franciscans and Indigenous peoples, Spanish-Mexican colonials, mixed-race settlers creating adobe homesteads and fighting slavery with the Union Army, forbidden lovers eloping amidst a hail of bullets, midnight fugitives being quietly fed, and WWII soldiers prevailing over devastating injuries. But Lucinda's search for the Bible's heir goes dark with the plight of a Marine who lost an eye at Okinawa and imagined a raven-haired angel just before his world, too, went dark. How can she trace the thread of his life to the present day and keep her promise without losing sight of her own hopes and dreams?
"... a historical novel blended with adventure, romance, mystery, suspense, and a paranormal touch ... Jiron interweaves two stories: a modern-day romance and the history of New Mexico from the fifteenth to the twentieth century...Through well-researched historical exposition and cinematic depictions...The prose effortlessly shifts between historical times and the contemporary era. " - K.Mbuya (Readers' Favorite)
About the Author:
I am a Midwesterner from America’s corn belt, but have lived in 7 states (18 different cities) and Austria. As a travel agent and tour operator, I got my first chance to do creative writing in the form of travel brochures for places I'd never been:). Eleven years with Hughes AirWest/Republic/Northwest airlines were fun because aircraft had actual legroom back then (!) and I also worked as a recruiter. But after too many "dumb stewardess" jokes, I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Neuropsychology and worked with neurodivergent individuals of all ages in many settings (clinical and educational) for 20 years, which involved writing detailed clinical assessment results and treatment programs. All of that culminated in my first published book, "Brainstorming: Using Neuropsychology in the Schools." Anthony Girard at Western Psychological Services taught me the priceless value of a good editor:).
But the most fun career I ever had was running elementary school libraries for 6 years! I redesigned the physical setup to display kids' book covers facing out at their eye level, and developed a curriculum that allowed for coaching cognitive and social skills through read-aloud. After six years, students' scores on standardized reading tests improved significantly, and I keep a basket of Thank You cards from parents who said Library was their child's "favorite class."
During those years, writing time was scarce, but I enjoyed a one-month writers' retreat at Vermont Studio Center in 2014, where I drafted a family drama/speculative fiction then titled "The Well," which won the 2015 Chanticleer Paranormal Award, and was a Finalist for the 2015 Indie Book Award (since then updated and retitled, "Voices from the Well.")
After retiring in 2017, I was able to garner enough concentrated time to work on the five stories that had been cavorting in my head for years. A Waltz Across Time was one of those books. I also authored a spiritually-oriented self-help book, "Living the Real Tree of Life," and collaborated on two plant medicine books with a 2-tour Iraq war veteran turned ayahuasca healer, Drew Bankey.
On a more personal level, due to a mild spinal curvature, I started doing yoga at age 16 and have practiced several different styles, but focused on Kundalini yoga for the past 40 years. I've taught that practice in a variety of settings, including churches, recreation centers, and a maximum security prison. My husband and I currently reside in wondrous New Mexico, where the skies are a panorama every moment.
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