“The Golden Arm” by Joan Y. Edwards
I am excited to tell you that The Golden Arm, a camp ghost story, a legendary folktale that I told as a teenager, told to my cousins, nephews, and nieces, and told to my fourth and fifth grade students at Fairview School in Union County is now a published book with illustrations by Dazzling Media, I am thankful to God, my family, and friends who have believed in me and encouraged me.
When I told “The Golden Arm” to students at Fairview School (1967-1977), they kept asking me to tell more. They said, “That can’t be the end of the story.”
So I added more to the story. I even gave the characters names. This seemed to satisfy the students and made me think about actually writing the story down.
in 1994 as Joan M. York, I entered it into a writing contest with Parent without Partners. I won first place ribbon and a trophy. Only trophy I have ever won.
I entered it into a few scary story contests. and scary story magazines. One magazine editor said, “The Golden Arm” is so funny, which meant he laughed more than he panicked. Which made me feel good. Because I wanted it to be scary and funny.
Last year, 2024, my good friend, Bill Harvey said, “Joan, you’ve got so many stories. People need to hear them.” That encouraged me. I decided to find an illustrator on Fiverr.com. A friend had used the services of a few people on there. So voila, I saw the work of a group called, Dazzling Media. Arpita was their leader. I wanted a full color illustration for each chapter as well as the cover…a picture book/chapter book combination. I wanted them to be beautiful, magical, and captivate you, the readers with the story of Minerva and Abijah in The Golden Arm.
I also made it 16 point font, a little larger print to honor those who might need a larger font to read the story easily.
I am very honored that Carla Stack, Sharon Benfield, Irv Edelstein, David Collins, and Melanie Robertson-King gave me the following reviews:
“The Golden Arm” by Joan Y. Edwards, Illustrated by Dazzling Media is now available on Amazon as an Ebook and a Paperback.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/
Minerva, admired for her beauty, demands a golden arm from her husband, Abijah. Her vanity and his greed lead them into a world of ghostly consequences. Readers in grades 4-7 will keep turning pages to discover the suspense and chilling twists and turnsof this haunting tale.
Copyrighted Material
Copyright © 2025 Joan Y. Edwards
Chapter 1
The Most Beautiful Arms
My wife, Minerva, had the most beautiful arms of anyone in town. When she walked down the streets of Shallott, everyone stopped to stare.
Almost breathless, husbands exclaimed, “Ahh! Look at those lovely arms! I wish my wife had arms of such beauty.”
The wives sighed, “If only my husband showed that much passion for my arms. Mine feel so inadequate.”
To keep her arms lovely, Minerva rubbed them every morning with the gel from the aloe plant in her bedroom window. It was a great healer. However, it did not heal the pain of her grandmother’s death. She always talked with her grandma to solve her problems before she passed away. It was easier for my wife to believe that Grandma was alive on Ancestor Mountain, than to accept the fact that she was dead.
Reviews
The Golden Arm is a delightful book with captivating illustrations. This book shares the fun roles of Minerva and Abijah in a riveting story to a young audience. Joan Y. Edwards’ book inspires love and forgiveness and is a must read for all in any family!
…Carla Stack
The Golden Arm is an entertaining re-telling of an old folktale. It is scary, with just the right amount of humor to lighten the tale. The action scenes are gripping. The illustrations are perfect. A fun story, both inside and outside of the grave.
…Irving Edelstein
The Golden Arm reminds me of Aesop’s Fables. It is an intriguing story that teaches a truth in an enjoyable way. Fun story. Fascinating pictures.
…Sharon Benfield
Midnight rides to talk with grandma in the graveyard, parasols comically wielded as weapons, ghostly visitations with glowing eyes–it’s all here in an engaging moral fable about the power of forgiveness that entertains and delights as it teaches.
…David Collins
Joan Y. Edwards’s latest children’s book, The Golden Arm, is a delightful story about Minerva and her husband Abijah. When Minerva is killed in a tragic accident, her husband steals her golden arm from her grave. Not letting her husband’s greed stop her from the other side, she wages her revenge from beyond.
The tale of The Golden Arm leaves the reader pondering Minerva and Abijah’s actions. Vanity and greed are the main motives behind the characters’ actions, and they teach young readers about the consequences of both.
….Melanie Robertson-King
Purchase link:
“The Golden Arm by Joan Y. Edwards
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966006004/ref=
Please let me know if you would have me as a guest on your blog to tell about The Golden Arm. All reviews are welcome.
Thank you very much to the following people who left a comment on this post before midnight December 15, 2025.
1. Carol Baldwin
2. Melanie Robertson-King
3. Joan B. Reid
4. Emma Shipes
5. Bill Harvey
I used Random.org to choose a number between 1 and 5 to win. a free autographed copy of The Golden Arm. It chose Number 1, therefore Carol Baldwin, you won a free autographed copy of The Golden Arm as you were the first to leave a comment.
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Joan Y. Edwards, Author
Copyright © 2025 Joan Y. Edwards
My next book up will be The Day I Turned My Brother into a Monkey!