Marie Zhuikov —The Path of Totality: Stories & A Novella

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Cover of the book The Path of Totality: Stories & A Novella by Marie Zhuikov, showing the title, author’s name, and a blurb by Carol Dunbar superimposed on a dark sky during a solar eclipse with only the corona of the sun visible.

THE PATH OF TOTALITY:
STORIES & A NOVELLA
Marie Zhuikov
Cornerstone Press, February 10, 2025
Paperback, $24.95
ISBN-13: 978-1960329707

Zhuikov reports:

I began writing short stories about 10 years ago to give myself a break from writing novels and from producing water research stories in my job as a senior science communicator for Wisconsin Sea Grant. Although I eventually developed an idea for another novel, short story ideas kept distracting me. The satisfaction of being able to finish stories in a matter of weeks versus months keeps me coming back.

In writing the first of the eight stories in The Path of Totality, I explored the power of appearances to captivate and deceive. I decided to follow through with that theme. I was inspired by experiences I had returning to the dating pool in my fifties and by surprising psychological insights my two sons, whom I thought I knew so well, gained in their twenties.

Portrait photo of Marie Zhuikov in an outdoor setting.

My scientific background shows itself in my book in information about bogs, tree communication, eclipses, shower acoustics, and biosphere research that I wove into the stories. A young man is mystified by why he can’t see an eclipse. A girl discovers a mummified Viking bog boy while on a birding tour. A college student gets trapped in a biosphere after hours. Singing in the shower takes on a completely new meaning. A librarian develops her own theories about the power of trees.

Once I had enough stories for a book, I had a hard time finding a publisher.

While attending a Wisconsin Writers Association Conference, I sat next to an author who had been published by Cornerstone Press, an independent publishing house and teaching press associated with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point that provides both advances and royalties to authors.

She suggested I send them my manuscript, which I did a few months later. Unlike other presses, editing at Cornerstone is done by a team of students and staff. Cornerstone also sends its books to Publisher’s Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews, which aids authors in marketing. I learned from the student editors, and they learned from me. My advice to other NASW authors? Investigate college teaching presses.

Contact info:

Marie Zhuikov, mzhuikov@msn.com, https://mariezwrites.com/
Instagram: MarieZhuikov
Book: The Path of Totality: Stories & A Novella

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Banner image adapted from original photo by Marie Zhuikov.

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Advance Copy

The path from idea to book may take myriad routes. The Advance Copy column, started in 2000 by NASW volunteer book editor Lynne Lamberg, features NASW authors telling the stories behind their books. Authors are asked to report how they got their idea, honed it into a proposal, found an agent and a publisher, funded and conducted their research, and organized their writing process. They also are asked to share what they wish they’d known when they started or would do differently next time, and what advice they can offer aspiring authors. Lamberg edits the authors’ answers to produce the Advance Copy reports.

NASW members: Will your book be published soon? Visit www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines for information on submitting your report.

Publication of NASW author reports in Advance Copy does not constitute NASW's endorsement of any publication or the ideas, values, or material contained within or espoused by authors or their books. We hope this column stimulates productive discussions on important topics now and in the future as both science and societies progress. We welcome your discussion in the comments section below.