“Your life is but time and choice.

So make use of the time you have to choose. Nothing less than destiny is at stake.
There has never been a more important question put before a people.
You have never been more powerful than you are at this moment. All I ask is that before you answer, you understand the decision. To truly hear the question, however, you must know the one who asks…
...But I am not easily known.

No name can hold me. I am not tied to any one birth, or death, or set of ancestors. I do not come from one land but many. I have worn thousands of faces and inhabited millions of minds. You cannot be expected to know them all. But I owe it to you to offer some handhold of connection—to give you a set of eyes to look upon as you weigh out this dilemma…
...Among the totality of my identities,

there is one lifetime that will suffice for this understanding—one existence that was pivotal. Not the most noble.
Not the most wise.
Not the most pure. He was my darkest incarnation—my most flawed self…
...But if you can know him, you will know me.

If you can love him, then you can love me. If you can trust him, then together we will accomplish wonders undreamed of and vanquish this foe that has dogged our kind since the dawn of time.

That is why I must tell you this tale—the tale of the Last Life of Christopher Salvatore.”

Welcome!

Welcome to my author page—my name is M.J.Miello. This is a collection of interrelated writing projects. If you are not sure where to start, I recommend reading “He was the Shop” my featured short story. Otherwise, have a look around!

Current Projects

Available Now!

This modern fable is a satirical retelling of the work of J. R. R. Tolkien. It follows two young doctors as they settle into a wondrous village in New York’s Hudson Valley. Surrounded by colorful (and oddly familiar) characters, they find themselves in the midst of a struggle between good and evil that goes back to the time of the American Revolution.

Available Now!

This free eBool is the ultimate guide to the series of Tolkienesque. Inside you will find my original project proposal, a brief history of Harmony On Hudson, genealogy of the Old Ones, the village map, a character index and much more!
Get your copy by subscribing to my free newsletter: The Harmony Herald! See below or click here to sign up!

Underway:

Christopher Salvatore has lived this life before. Seventy-four times, to be exact. Every time, however, he has failed to avoid the violent confrontation that prevents him from fulfilling his life’s purpose. With one last chance, he must live again.

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Super Magic Force Wars is a fan fiction and parody podcast that weaves together our time’s greatest works of popular culture. Every character in this story is or will become a dual character, combining the traits, attributes, and powers from two (or sometimes more) of some of the most popular characters from J.R.R.Tolkien, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Disney Animation, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe—and many more.

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Just announced! My next release will be the beginning of the Christopher Salvatore series. Penultimate will be a novelette that introduces Christopher Salvatore, a man fated to live his life again and again until he fulfills his purpose. Here we meet him in his darkest incarnation—a version of himself that has lost his way and lives only to fulfill his own selfish desires. But how can he continue to live a life in defiance of his true self? What is the price of a destiny denied?

The Harmony Herald (Newsletter)

Sign up for my newsletter and never miss a thing! Three to four times a year (or as the fates move me) you’ll receive the best of my recent content right in your email. The current incarnation of my newsletter is the Harmony Herald—a local newspaper for Harmony On Hudson that offers a bird’s eye view of the comings and goings in the world of Harmony On Hudson!

When you subscribe you’ll also receive the Tolkienesque Reading Guide, including the village map!

The Tower of the Night Sky. (Blog)

Regular blog pieces featuring author notes, whimsical commentaries, and Hudson Valley travel logs.

Featured

Nov 30, 2022

The Folly of Demandingness in J.R.R.Tolkien’s World

Nov 30, 2022

In this second article, I will begin to explore the specific connections between the themes of Tolkien’s writings and those of the irrational thinking styles proposed by REBT. Specifically, I’ll be addressing the first of REBT’s four irrational belief styles—demandingness. Then I will show how these beliefs styles are prevalent in Tolkien’s work.

Nov 30, 2022

Nov 26, 2022

J.R.R.Tolkien: Cognitive Behavioral Therapist?

Nov 26, 2022

As a psychologist, when I read J.R.R.Tolkien, I find something most others do not: a legendarium in which the core principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are at work. For me, Tolkien’s masterworks are brilliant demonstrations of the power of rational thinking. I believe that Tolkien’s writing’s on Middle-earth showcase a clear set of beliefs. If we combine these beliefs with the methods of CBT, I am confident they can help Tolkien’s readers live more wisely, morally, and effectively. In this series, I will attempt to clarify and outline these beliefs, making them easier to put into practice.

Nov 26, 2022

Oct 8, 2021

How to Visit Harmony On Hudson (Part One)

Oct 8, 2021

Harmony on Hudson is a real place, although its not truly located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River “just north of Beacon and south of Cold Spring” as I have written. A look at a map will confirm that there is no such location; the directions are nonsense.

Oct 8, 2021

Oct 3, 2021

Who is Ralph Crespo?

Oct 3, 2021

Tolkienesque’s narrator, Ralph Crespo, was invented to be the butt of jokes. Ralphie first appeared in an earlier version of my forthcoming novel, Vanishing Places. In very early versions, my protagonist, Christopher Salvatore’s classmates, were a lot like my high school friends.

Oct 3, 2021

Sep 10, 2021

Why In Middle-earth Would I Write Tolkienesque?

Sep 10, 2021

I’ve been told, more than once, that Tolkienesque is an odd thing to write. I suppose it is a fair question: Why would I write a humorous retelling of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien set in modern-day America—and in New York of all places?

Sep 10, 2021

Who I am

Read my author bio, strangely written in the third person by a highly authoritative, yet uncredited, contributor.

Author Bio

Social Media Projects

Recently I’ve begun a number of small projects that appear primarily on Instagram as mini-booklets. These include Spellbound: A Writing Life (reflections on the creative process), Reason Based Living (Psychology topics), Tolkien and Philosophy, Meditations on a Spiral Path (A fictional narrative), the Pandemonium Bookclub (reviews and tips for the disorganized reader), and the Six Season Calendar (seasonal reflections). Find my latest here.