Shyla's Initiative by Barbara Casey | Book Review | A Goddess Fish Tour

“Barbara Casey weaves an intricate tale of love, loss, and the mystical intersections between faith and fate. Shyla’s Initiative is both unsettling and empowering—a modern woman’s awakening wrapped in layers of spiritual mystery.”

🌿 Welcome to the Goddess Fish Shyla's Initiative Tour

I’m delighted to share my stop on the Shyla's Initiative tour! This gripping novel follows Shyla Wishon, a writer whose life spirals out of control after marriage, family pressures, and a loss of creative spark. When she retreats to Naples to teach at a writing institute, Shyla becomes entangled in an ancient ritual that blurs the lines between life, death, and transformation—forcing her to confront who she truly is and who she’s meant to become.

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📝 All About the Book

Shyla's Initiative
By Barbara Casey
Published by Speaking Volumes LLC on April 10, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Fiction
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 184

Thirty-five-year-old novelist, Shyla Wishon, fears that her life is spinning out of control since her recent marriage to Carl Cores. First, her overbearing new mother-in-law moves to Florida in order to be close to her son, followed by a steady stream of visiting relatives who become a constant intrusion on what was once her time to write. To make matters worse, Carl’s two grown daughters refuse to have anything to do with her, and even though Carl has a good job, bills are starting to pile up.

Shyla tries to cheerfully accept the responsibilities that come with a new marriage and the inevitable adjustments, but the stress is leaving her with constant migraines, a lack of energy, and, worst of all, a loss of creativity. Shyla leaves her home in West Palm Beach to spend two weeks in Naples where she teaches creative writing each summer at the Ibis Institute of Writing. When she arrives, her friend, Jayne Sinclare, president of Ibis, invites Shyla to join her for lunch. Mariela Fanjul, whose family has just donated $100,000 to the Institute, and the Fanjul family attorney, Terry Sawyer, who is a big fan of Shyla’s published work, are also invited.

Mariela Fanjul has signed up for Shyla’s course, and is writing a novel based on her family’s Cuban heritage and their Santerian beliefs. As Shyla works with Mariela, she becomes entangled in the ancient Regla de Ocha involving soul transference and animal sacrifice. It is through these beliefs and a remarkable series of events that eventually allow Shyla to escape her present life and become a totally new person.

Before we dive into Barbara Casey’s guest post, here’s a scene that captures the heart of Shyla’s Initiative. In this moment, Shyla begins to realize just how far she’s drifted from herself. Between a controlling mother-in-law, a distant husband, and a fading creative spirit, she’s trapped in a life that no longer feels like her own. It’s a turning point that reveals both her breaking point—and the spark of strength that’s waiting to emerge.

📜 Excerpt from Shyla's Initiative

Shyla noticed that there had also been a change in Carl’s attitude and temperament as well as her own. Before they were married, they had been able to talk about everything, the good as well as the bad. Nothing was unfixable because the two of them were pulling together toward the same goal.

Now she had the feeling Carl was keeping things from her, turning to his mother instead. It was making her defensive and suspicious. The intimacy they had shared in the beginning of their relationship wasn’t as strong now, if it was there at all. Carl still said and did the same things. He frequently told her how much he loved her, and he usually did little things around the house like help vacuum or do the dishes. He was wonderful at fixing things when they got broken as well.

But he seemed impatient; he became irritated easily. She felt a distance—an awkwardness—between them now that hadn’t been there before, and it made her uncomfortable and jittery. It were as though she was being snatched from her own life and forced to live another. Somehow each of the many defining layers that she had carefully nurtured and added over the years to complete her identity at this point in her life were gradually being stripped away and sacrificed, one by one, just like the petals from a flower. The person who was left had headaches and anxiety. The person who was left, she didn’t even recognize.

She remembered reading once that when someone is faced with a sudden loss of a loved one, the overwhelming feeling is that of helplessness and isolation. She had felt that way when her first husband died of a heart attack. One moment he was healthy and vibrant; the next, he was dead. For months after his death Shyla existed in a state of semi-conscious numbness—seeing and hearing and even responding to everything going on around her, but feeling nothing.

That was what was happening now, only she was the one who had died. She didn’t want to feel this way or to be left out; she had too much to give. After all, the reason for getting married in the first place was because she and Carl loved each other and wanted to share as much together as possible. But this feeling of secrecy and separation and the constant demands from the outside on her time and energy was beginning to take its toll on her health and her marriage.

She knew that her resentment toward her mother-in-law was building because of Pilar’s unrelenting requests of Carl. The woman didn’t seem to understand or care that she and Carl might want time for themselves. Shyla tried hard to suppress those feelings, though. After all, Pilar was Carl’s mother. They had only just reunited a few months earlier after being estranged for years. Shyla could see how Pilar would want to spend as much time as possible with her son.

What bothered Shyla, though, was that she seemed to want to relive the past, without Shyla, and to pick up where she and her son had left off as though nothing had changed. But things were changed. For one thing, Carl was now married to Shyla.

As a writer, it was natural for Shyla to keep things inside of her, avoiding conflict except when she expressed it on paper. She would keep this inside of her and deal with it the best she could. What she couldn’t suppress, however, were the headaches which were frequently followed by severe anxiety.

Out of everything, the one thing that frightened her the most was the feeling she was losing control. Always before she had a plan on how to move forward, no matter how bad things were—even when her first husband died. Now she felt frustrated and weak. She couldn’t make decisions and her energy had plummeted. Looking back she realized she had been struggling with this for over six months, and still she was losing control.

The worst part of it was feeling that somehow in losing control over her life, she had also lost her ability to write. She was convinced of it. Just as she would start to work on an idea for a new short story or perhaps the outline of a novel, something would come up—another visiting relative, more errands to run, another meal to cook, and more bills to pay. There were always more bills. It felt as though a door had been slammed inside of her, and behind that door just beyond her reach was her creativity.

She would go through the same routine each morning, getting Carl off to work, the breakfast dishes done, beds made, house straightened, and then go upstairs to her office. When before she would crank out at least fifteen hundred words a day with regularity, now she would sit in front of her computer and stare at the blank screen until the worry of having to run errands or cook dinner took over.

She hated it. And she couldn’t blame anyone but herself. That was one of the reasons why she had insisted on going to Naples and teaching the class at Ibis. It was the annual summer retreat, and maybe by being around other writers again she could somehow unlock that door. It would be good to see her friend, Jayne Sinclaire, again as well. It had been much too long.

📚 Where to Find Shyla's Initiative

Available on Amazon

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✨ My Thoughts on Shyla's Initiative ✨

Barbara Casey takes readers on a haunting, emotional journey in Shyla’s Initiative. At its core, this is the story of a woman who’s lost her footing—creatively, emotionally, and spiritually—and must find the courage to reclaim her life. What begins as a quiet domestic drama slowly unfolds into something deeper and more mystical, layered with ancient rituals, soul transference, and the awakening of inner strength.

Shyla is a relatable, well-crafted protagonist. Her struggles with identity, marriage, and creative burnout feel painfully real. As the story moves into its more spiritual and supernatural elements, the shift feels both startling and satisfying—like watching a woman step out of the shadows and into her own power.

Barbara Casey writes with elegance and restraint, balancing realism with mysticism in a way that keeps the reader grounded even when the story turns otherworldly. The pacing allows time for reflection, giving emotional weight to Shyla’s transformation.

I especially loved the way Casey contrasts the oppressive control of Shyla’s new family with the liberating mystery of the Regla de Ocha rituals. It’s that balance between light and dark, ordinary and extraordinary, that makes Shyla’s Initiative such a compelling read.

🩵 Review at a Glance

⭐ Rating: 4.5 of 5
📖 Genre: Fiction / Psychological Drama / Supernatural Elements
👥 Best For: Readers who enjoy character-driven fiction with spiritual depth and emotional resilience.
💬 Quick Take: A beautifully layered story of self-discovery, empowerment, and rebirth—where faith, fate, and the human spirit intertwine.

I received a copy of the book as part of this tour. This review reflects my honest, unbiased opinion.

Read more of my Barbara Casey reviews:

• The Seraphim's Song
• The Airs of Tillie
• Slightest in the House

🖋️ Guest Post by Barbara Casey

Have you ever been so deep in a story that your characters start writing themselves? According to award-winning author Barbara Casey, that’s not just a sign of creativity—it’s a test of control. In today’s guest post, Barbara shares her insights on walking the fine line between inspiration and intention. Drawing from her novel Shyla’s Initiative, she explores how a writer’s instinct must balance with good judgment to keep tone, emotion, and believability intact—even when her characters start rebelling on the page.

How to Keep Your Characters from Getting Out of Control

It is true when a writer tells you that when they reach a certain point in the process of writing a book, it feels like the story writes itself and the characters take over. At least that is my experience. The problem comes, however, if you as a writer don’t use certain filters and just plain good judgment when this happens.

If, for instance, you are writing fiction that brings in paranormal, as in Shyla’s Initiative, and the tone of that story is serious, you as the writer don’t want to suddenly throw in a comedy act that is obviously out of place and inappropriate for the overall theme of the book. That doesn’t mean you can’t have some light humor in the midst of serious situations, but you, as the writer, need to use good judgment as to how much is appropriate and determine if it adds value to your story.

One of the issues Shyla faces is her new mother-in-law, a woman who is domineering, opinionated, controlling, and shows no love or respect for Shyla. In addition, her son—Shyla’s new husband—won’t stand up to her and is constantly at her beck and call. It is a terrible situation that will make the reader angry, but in some places I felt it would help to lighten the situation by writing about the mother-in-law’s excessive use of talcum powder. They live in Florida, known for hot temperatures and high humidity, so the scenes are believable and they fit.

I believe that balance between good and evil, happy and sad, fairness and unfairness creates an interesting read. This will be especially evident in the scene I write for Shyla when she has survived a terrible car accident where soul transference occurred. She is no longer the kind but somewhat meek, quiet person she was. Now she is not afraid to speak her mind and stand up to what is obviously an injustice when she orders Carl, his mother, and all of his relatives out of her home. For good!

Carl was so busy fussing over Shyla, plumping pillows, straightening sheets, pouring water into the glass on her bedside table, that he didn’t even notice Terry when he first got to Shyla’s room. He probably didn’t notice him when he left either. This was his chance to really show Shyla how much he loved her, and that he would do anything to make up for the fool he had been.

“Are you in much pain, my love? Are you comfortable?” He sat down in the chair Terry had been sitting in moments earlier and clutched at Shyla’s hand. He smiled. “You look so beautiful, I don’t know how you do it.” It bothered him a little that Shyla still hadn’t said anything to him. She just stared at him with a slight smile on her lips. He adjusted the way he was sitting in the chair. “Mother sends her love. She wanted to come with me to see you, she is so worried about you, but I thought the drive would be too much for her, and her sister is visiting her for a few weeks.”

Shyla stirred and pulled her hand free. “Carl, I want you to listen to me carefully because I don’t want to repeat myself. If you don’t understand anything that I tell you, then ask me to explain it. All right?”

“Of course, my love. Anything.” He leaned forward so he could be closer to Shyla. He didn’t want her to have to strain her voice.

“I have put up with your lies and deceit for eight months now. I have catered to you, your mother, and all your relatives since the day after we got married. I have heard nothing but complaints and criticism from your mother, which you have condoned through your silence, even though I have done everything humanly possible to make her life and yours easier. You have done nothing to support me or my wants other than fix me breakfast every morning, which I hate.

Neither have you done anything toward making our marriage work. On the contrary, you have gone out of your way to establish a secret life with your daughters, your mother, your relatives, and your so-called office-mate. So this is the way it is going to be. You will return to West Palm Beach now and remove everything and everyone that does not belong in my house or to me personally, and that includes your mother’s fat ass.

I do not want you to spend another night in my house. I do not want to see or hear from you until the day we go before the judge to sign the divorce papers. Is there anything about what I am saying that you don’t understand?”

Carl hadn’t moved. He heard everything Shyla said, but couldn’t believe it was Shyla saying it. She was so calm about it. She didn’t even look the same. He could feel tears welling up once more in his eyes and start running down his cheeks. It didn’t do any good. Shyla told him to get out. When he didn’t move, she repeated it, only this time she said it in Spanish.

✍️ Meet the Author: Barbara Casey

Originally from Illinois, Barbara Casey is an award-winning author, agent, and publisher known for her elegant storytelling and rich character development. Over her distinguished career, she’s written nearly two dozen novels spanning fiction and nonfiction for both adults and young readers. Her work has received numerous honors, including the National Association of University Women Literary Award, the Sir Walter Raleigh Literary Award, and the Independent Publisher Book Award.

She makes her home on a mountaintop in northwest Georgia with her three cats—Homer, Reese, and Earl Gray—and continues to inspire readers with her depth, imagination, and insight into the human spirit.

Connect with Barbara Casey:
Website   |   Amazon   |   Goodreads

🌟 Closing Notes

Thank you to Barbara Casey for sharing her guest post and insights with us today, and to Goddess Fish Promotions for the opportunity to feature Shyla’s Initiative.

If you’re drawn to emotionally charged fiction layered with mystery, transformation, and heart, this one belongs on your reading list. Don’t forget to enter the tour giveaway for your chance to win a $20 Amazon/BN gift card below!

Good luck, and happy reading! 💛

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