Psychology Alumna Michelle Horton Publishes her First Book, Which Began in Class

Michelle Horton, who graduated from Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) in 2021 with an Associate of Arts degree in Psychology, just published her first novel, “The Covenant of Magic” (Barnes and Noble, 2022), inspired by a Political Science course she took in 2019 with Professor Herbert Fischer.

She credits some of the character insights in her novel, as well as insight into her work in the field of cosmetic product development, to what she learned in psychology and other classes while she earned her degree.

“Psychology plays into marketing and how products are developed and packaged to be more appealing,” she says. She also shares some thoughts on returning to college after working in that field for more than a decade.

“I was a ‘seasoned’ student who felt very old initially on a campus full of 20-somethings — I was almost into my forties,” Horton says. “I soon realized, though, that what I had learned in my life up to that point was immensely valuable in my studies.”

Professor Fischer, she says, helped her come to that conclusion.

“He recognized that I could offer a different perspective than the other students in our class and utilized it in his lessons,” she says. “He made a place for everyone’s different realities, including mine, as he helped us understand the basic workings of our governmental systems.”

Professor Fischer puts it like this: “Teaching is often about cross-pollination. I will always remember the contributions Michelle made in class, and now I can see how they relate to the amazing content of her book.”

It took about three years for Horton to write “The Covenant of Magic.”

“My sister was my editor,” she says. “She has degrees in English Literature, as well as in Education. A friend who is a graphic designer did the cover — I gave her the components to use and she plucked the image right out of my head! Corvids are very sacred to Native Americans.”

The presence of a crow on the book cover, and the connection to Native American culture has personal significance for Horton.

“My grandmother was a full-blooded Shoshone, but we never knew that because she was adopted and given an anglicized name,” she says. “Writing this book was my way of reclaiming some of our lost heritage and to pay homage to her. ‘Elizabeth Cross,’ which is my author pseudonym, was the name given to her by her adoptive parents. I am a proud Native American, though not full blood.”

The story of  “The Covenant of Magic” presents a wide array of characters and events. To paraphrase from the jacket blurb, there is the Clan of the Hidden Children of the Goddess who barely escape the Dark Ages, the Inquisition and the Witch Trials of the New World. There is a shift in the celestial alignment which reveals the magic in the world. Finally, there is the Covenant of Magic which tells of a single magician, who unifies the land.

Corrupt political systems and oppression are important themes in the book, and the psychology of the characters propels its dramatic plot.

The BMCC class which was the impetus for the book, Political Science 100, included a final assignment in which the students wrote a science fiction story about a totalitarian state that uses technology to spread propaganda and control people — in other words, a fantasy world that could have parallels to the social and political events they had explored that semester.

Mandatory elements for the story included a mysterious or dramatic introduction, a ruler who controls access to information, methods used to control peoples’ actions and an opposition movement or revolt.

In the assignment sheet, Professor Fischer concludes, with more prescience that he perhaps realized, “Maybe you can get published in a fiction- or science-fiction magazine!” and “Have fun with this.”

As Michelle Horton can attest, the impact of a college education doesn’t always follow a straight line. Many life experiences come together in the completing of a degree and in its application down the road. “Overall, I loved being at BMCC,” she says. “The professors were amazing!”

 

To learn more about the Psychology program in the Department of Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice, visit here.