THE ORDER OF GOOD THINGS

A Novel of Community, Courage, and the Power of People Helping People

When machines threatened to replace human hearts, one community chose a different path—and changed America forever.

In February 1898, Daniel O'Malley arrives in Seattle clutching his grandfather's fiddle and chasing the promise of work in a boomtown drunk on gold fever. But the city's theaters are going dark, not from lack of audiences, but from a new threat: Edison phonographs that promise to replace live musicians forever.

As a bitter strike erupts between desperate performers and powerful theater owners, the city's soul hangs in the balance. Enter Anna Morrison, a boarding housekeeper with a revolutionary vision—what if, instead of fighting each other, they helped each other?

THE ORDER OF GOOD THINGS tells the true story of how a musicians' strike became the birthplace of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, one of America's most influential fraternal organizations. From eighteen struggling musicians meeting in Anna's kitchen to over 200 chapters across North America within six years, this is the story of how "people helping people" became more than a motto—it became a movement.

What Readers Will Discover:

The Power of Community Over Competition
When Daniel, Clara, and their fellow musicians choose solidarity over individual survival, they discover something profound: we are stronger together than we could ever be alone. The novel shows how mutual aid and cooperation create prosperity that benefits everyone, not just a select few.

Love That Transforms
This isn't just romantic love (though Daniel and Clara's relationship beautifully mirrors the larger story). It's the kind of love that sees a stranger's struggle and says, "I will help carry that burden." It's Anna Morrison opening her boarding house to feed eighteen families. It's theater owner Mose Goldsmith remembering his own immigrant struggles and choosing compassion over profit. It's communities learning that true strength comes from lifting each other up.

Real Change Begins Locally
The Eagles didn't start with a master plan to change America. They started with one boarding house, one strike, one choice to try something different. The novel traces how local acts of kindness—musicians pooling resources for a sick colleague's medicine, shop owners saving day-old bread for striking families—rippled outward to inspire a national movement.

Technology Should Serve Humanity, Not Replace It
In 1898, it was phonographs threatening to make musicians obsolete. Today, it's artificial intelligence and automation. The novel's central question remains urgently relevant: In a world transformed by technology, what is the value of human connection? The Eagles chose to embrace progress while insisting that machines should enhance human community, not destroy it.

From Seattle to Sacramento to the Nation
Follow the spreading wings of the Eagles as Daniel and Clara travel south, establishing new chapters and discovering that the hunger for genuine community exists everywhere. Watch James Scott crisscross railroad circuits, carrying stories of mutual aid to mining towns and major cities alike. The novel captures the thrilling momentum of an idea whose time has come.

The Legacy That Lives Today
The principles pioneered in Anna Morrison's boarding house became the foundation for Mother's Day (championed by F.O.E. National President Frank Earle Hering in 1904) and influenced the development of Social Security. The novel reveals how one community's choice to care for each other planted seeds that would transform American culture.

Why This Story Matters Now:

We live in an era of increasing isolation, despite unprecedented connectivity. The novel speaks directly to our current moment:

Post-pandemic longing for genuine community: We've rediscovered how much we need each other
Economic anxiety: Like the musicians of 1898, many today face disruption and uncertainty
Technology's double-edged promise: We're again choosing how innovation will shape our humanity
Hunger for belonging: The Eagles' rapid growth (18 to 200+ chapters in six years) shows what happens when people find authentic community.

THE ORDER OF GOOD THINGS proves that community always wins when we work together in the spirit of true love and caring for people. Not the easy, greeting card version of love, but the kind that requires sacrifice, courage, and choosing "we" over "me."

The Heart of the Story:

This is ultimately a story about transformation:

Musicians and theater owners who were enemies become brothers
Individual survival instincts evolve into collective responsibility
A local strike becomes a national movement
Caring for each other stops being charity and becomes community
The principle of "people helping people" spreads like electricity from the Folsom Powerhouse—illuminating communities across a continent

The novel shows that when we choose to help carry each other's burdens, everyone's load gets lighter. When we invest in each other's success, we create prosperity no individual could achieve alone. When we practice radical hospitality—making room at the table for everyone—we build something that endures.

Perfect For Readers Who:

Believe in the power of community and mutual aid
Are inspired by true stories of ordinary people creating extraordinary change
Love historical fiction that resonates with contemporary challenges
Appreciate stories where love (in all its forms) conquers division
Want to understand how American social support systems were born
Seek hope in a divided time—proof that cooperation can triumph over competition

THE ORDER OF GOOD THINGS reminds us that the most powerful force in the world isn't technology, wealth, or individual ambition. It's people choosing to help people. It's communities deciding that everyone's wellbeing matters. It's the revolutionary act of caring for each other, not because we have to, but because we understand that none of us truly succeeds until all of us can thrive.

In 1898 Seattle, a group of desperate musicians and reluctant theater owners proved that when we work together in the spirit of true love and caring, community doesn't just win—it transforms everything.

Their story became America's story. And their choice can inspire ours.

"From hunger and chaos, we found each other. And so the Order of Good Things was born—proving that when people choose to help people, they can change the world."