Wednesday, March 25, 2020

In the Spotlight: L.T. Ward ~ Author of "Return to Cahokia"

Over the past nine weeks, the IWSG Anthology blog has featured posts
from nine of the authors in Voyager: The Third Ghost.
Our author today is, last but not least, L.T. Ward.


L.T. Ward on her short story "Return to Cahokia" ...

Before January 2019, I was not a writer. I had been a stay-at-home mom with four children, working part-time in marketing. My eldest, a teenager, had come home one day the previous December and told me that her dreams of becoming an actress were stupid. Before my frustrations at her dismissing her aspirations settled in fully, I asked her why she felt that way. She explained that everyone in her life said it was foolish, lacking pragmatism, and that she should focus on a more reliable future. When I said acting made her happy and that I supported her in her creative goals, she said it didn’t matter and couldn’t be done.
I asked why. She said because no one in her life ever did anything they wanted, just what they were expected to do, especially me.
That set me off, because NO ONE, not even me, was allowed to convince my children they didn’t deserve to go big with their lives.
So I started writing.
For my first novel, I had researched Cahokia Mounds, the pyramids located outside of St. Louis, MO were fascinating. To see them firsthand, I took my children to visit the mounds during a vacation. The pyramids were beautiful and the history there, rich. I wanted to learn more, but found there was a lot of missing history as the city had demolished so much of the land during urban development. I went home inspired and a little sad, but the images and feel of the sites wouldn’t leave my mind.
Back home, I started a second novel, completed it, then tried to figure out my next step. Both novels needed heavy editing, but I wasn’t ready to tackle that. Yet, I had found in writing what I saw my daughter has when she is on stage--satisfaction. I googled “insecure writer help” and found The Insecure Writer’s Support Group. It was everything I needed to push me in my aspiring writing career.
The IWSG put out a call on Facebook for their upcoming middle grade anthology. The theme for The IWSG Anthology was Historical-Fantasy/Adventure. Both of my novels were young adult fiction, but they each maintained speculative fiction. I still had that needling idea about Cahokia Mounds from my visit so I decided I had to write a short story to submit.
To begin writing, I thought back on what had inspired my novels. Weather. I live in an area fraught with erratic weather. I’d seen the damage of floods, F5 tornados, and violent winters. Mother Nature is powerful and magnificent. Each season, I’m in awe of the effects the sky has on the land and people below. Weather isn’t common small talk because it’s convenient; it’s because we all care about it. During long walks, I watched the skies, felt the winds, and the idea for “Return To Cahokia” grew.
To my extreme surprise and thrill, my very first short story will also be my first publication. The story and its creation are very near and dear to my heart, which adds to my joy at its upcoming release.
An added bonus: My eldest has resumed her big dream aspirations.



The Birdman Tablet
The Birdman is etched on a lot of the artwork and pots that have been found at Cahokia.
Cahokia Mounds State Park, Collinsville, Illinois, USA 
Photo by L.T. Ward




Blurb 

Will Tonalli, her mother, and her siblings, Warm Weather Gods, complete their spring journey back to Cahokia, and what will happen if they don't?






Excerpt from "Return To Cahokia" 
by L.T. Ward ... 
“Tonalli, my daughter,” my mother calls, “have you prepared yourself for our journey?”
“Yes, Mama,” I tell her. Mama knows my siblings and I are all ready for our return to Cahokia. It has been nearly eight months since our last visit, and we are--literally--bursting with anticipation to return.
Since our departure from our summer home, my family has traveled long distances over the earth, until we reached the dark, chilly waters in the east. We rode the clouds south, toward the warmer climates, as is our duty as the Warm Weather Gods. We spent our winter lounging and resting over the lands, providing the luxurious humidity and heat our people need. Wintering over the southern lands, they reward us with offerings of their bountiful harvest. Cocoa is my favorite, but my mother, Yolotl, loves the offering of guava.
But now, spring is nearing and we get to finally return to our favorite home.
“Come along, Tonalli,” my mother says. I follow her obediently, walking carefully atop the clouds. My father, Yaxkin, never joins us. He has to remain behind to lighten the days, reflecting his warmth to his brother, Metztli, to brighten the nights. Mama will guide us, though. My many siblings and I will make the journey every spring to Cahokia without Papa, but he will visit as best he can. He usually makes time several weeks in the late summer, just before we prepare our eastward trek to the sea. And he will join us for the Arrival Celebration.




Bio

LT hails from the Land of Corn,
otherwise known as Central Illinois,
where weather inspires her literary works. 

When not writing speculative fiction
shorts and novels, she spends her days
raising a brood of plague monsters
(a.k.a. her children) as well as
satisfying her never-ending thirst
for knowledge through reading,
meeting people, and first-hand life experiences.





Coming on Wednesday, April 1, 2020 . . .

Our authors will share their favorite middle grade books.



* * * * * * * * * *


Upcoming Blog Interviews and Virtual Tours:

1. March 16 - Yvonne Ventresca http://bookshopwithstaceyhoran.libsyn.com/bookshop-interview-with-author-yvonne-ventresca-episode-063

2. May 4 - June McCrary Jacobs https://authorjunemccraryjacobs.blogspot.com/

3. May 6 - C. Lee McKenzie, Author https://www.cleemckenziebooks.com/blog/

4. May 6 - Literary Rambles – Natalie Aguirre https://www.junetakey.com/#writersgambitblog

5. May 11 - Juneta Key https://www.junetakey.com/#writersgambitblog


* * * * * * * * * *


The release date for VOYAGERS: The Third Ghost 
is May 5, 2020,
but purchase links are available,
and you can preorder a copy now.

Print 9781939844729 $13.95
EBook 9781939844736 $4.99
Juvenile Fiction - Historical / Action & Adventure / Fantasy & Magic
Dancing Lemur Press/Freedom Fox Press


Amazon - Print https://www.amazon.com/dp/193984472XKindle https://www.amazon.com/Voyagers-Third-Ghost-Yvonne-Ventresca-ebook/dp/B083C4WPR5/

Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/voyagers-yvonne-ventresca/1135912991?ean=2940163430857

ITunes - https://books.apple.com/ca/book/voyagers-the-third-ghost/id1493413956

Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/voyagers-the-third-ghost


Wednesday, March 18, 2020

In the Spotlight: Beth Schuck ~ Author of "The Orchard"

Over the coming weeks, the IWSG Anthology blog will be featuring posts
from each of the authors in Voyager: The Third Ghost.
Our author today is Beth Schuck.


Beth Schuck on her short story "The Orchard" ...

My interests in camping and genealogy may seem like an odd pair for inspiring a short story. Both influenced development of "The Orchard." Using a historical setting creates challenges for the characters, which in turn allows their personalities to shine. I have researched my Scandinavian heritage and discovered prior relatives who had forest-related occupations. Norwegian immigrants often immigrated to the American West and found work in orchards or lumber camps. This was the spark for Nels, the young protagonist, with magical powers that connect her to nature. Camping allows me to appreciate gorgeous, rustic places. When visiting, I imagine what life was like in pioneer settlements. I wonder how women made their way in difficult circumstances with few life choices. That was my motivation for creating Della, the narrator. Staying in Capitol Reef National Park inspired me to learn more about the history of the Junction area, now Fruita, Utah. The orchards were planted by the pioneers and are still thriving today. The uncertain conditions of rural existence in the early 1900’s fascinate me. How did families exist, isolated and with limited resources? They had to learn to rely on each other to survive. That challenge, two capable female protagonists, and my belief that nature can connect us in magical ways launched "The Orchard."


Fruita Schoolhouse Capitol Reef National Park, Wayne County, Utah, United States. Photo by Beth Schuck



Blurb 

Can Nels, with her magical connections to nature, and Della help each other survive in a remote area of Utah over a century ago?





Excerpt from "The Orchard" ... 

She readied herself, balancing her body weight back on her heels. Nels swung the ax and whack rang out in the orchard. The wind whistled in my ears and the pine trees amplified the sound. It seemed almost musical. I swayed awkwardly with the wind.
After a few swings of the ax, Nels stopped to rest. She cocked her head and wiped her brow with her sleeve, pushing her short bangs straight up in the process.
That girl needs a bath, I thought. Just then Nels startled and almost fell over backward.
I heard a moaning sound: noooooooo… It seemed to be the wind again and I glanced at the darkening sky. Storms were definitely coming. 
Nels picked up the ax and began another swing, when boom! Lightning flashed and thunder clapped loud and close. I flinched and bumped my head on a tree branch. Ow, that was close.
“Nels, let’s go,” I yelled. I picked up the hem of my long skirt to make running possible. Turning to tear toward the barn, the nearest shelter, I glanced back at the girl. She seemed frozen. Had she been struck by lightning? Sheets of rain fell as dark clouds moved over the sun and surrounded the trees.
Nels put her face up to the sky to face the torrent. She howled, sounding more like a coyote than a human.
Owwooo, don’t tell me what to do!”
She slung the burlap sack over her shoulder and picked up the axes, one in each hand.






Bio
Beth Anderson Schuck is a retired
librarian who believes reading can
take you anywhere. 

She writes historical fiction featuring willful female characters. 

Being in nature whether hiking,
birdwatching or gardening makes her whole.





Coming on Wednesday, March 25, 2020 . . .

Next up is L. T. Ward who shares her backstory for "Return to Cahokia," a tale featuring Tonalli, a young Warm Weather God, who embarks on a spring journey with her mother and siblings back to Cahokia.


* * * * * * * * * *


Upcoming Blog Interviews and Virtual Tours:

1. March 16 - Yvonne Ventresca http://bookshopwithstaceyhoran.libsyn.com/bookshop-interview-with-author-yvonne-ventresca-episode-063

2. May 4 - June McCrary Jacobs https://authorjunemccraryjacobs.blogspot.com/

3. May 6 - C. Lee McKenzie, Author https://www.cleemckenziebooks.com/blog/

4. May 6 - Literary Rambles – Natalie Aguirre https://www.junetakey.com/#writersgambitblog

5. May 11 - Juneta Key https://www.junetakey.com/#writersgambitblog


* * * * * * * * * *


The release date for VOYAGERS: The Third Ghost 
is May 5, 2020,
but purchase links are available,
and you can preorder a copy now.

Print 9781939844729 $13.95
EBook 9781939844736 $4.99
Juvenile Fiction - Historical / Action & Adventure / Fantasy & Magic
Dancing Lemur Press/Freedom Fox Press


Amazon - Print https://www.amazon.com/dp/193984472XKindle https://www.amazon.com/Voyagers-Third-Ghost-Yvonne-Ventresca-ebook/dp/B083C4WPR5/

Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/voyagers-yvonne-ventresca/1135912991?ean=2940163430857

ITunes - https://books.apple.com/ca/book/voyagers-the-third-ghost/id1493413956

Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/voyagers-the-third-ghost



Wednesday, March 11, 2020

In the Spotlight: Rebecca Douglass ~ Author of "A World of Trouble"

Over the coming weeks, the IWSG Anthology blog will be featuring posts
from each of the authors in Voyager: The Third Ghost.
Our author today is Rebecca Douglass.


Rebecca Douglass on her short story "A World of Trouble"

Starting with a true story ... My IWSG Anthology story, "A World of Trouble," began with history. Not just any history, but personal, family history. Quite a few years back, I set out to write what amounted to a novelized biography of my grandmother. Grandma’s life was pretty interesting: born in 1900 in Nebraska, in 1904 she and her family fled vile weather and farming conditions, ending up in the Spokane area. Four years later, the family moved across Washington State by covered wagon. That’s right. In 1908, my grandmother and her family’s "relocation service" was to put a cover on their farm wagon, hitch the buggy to the back of that, harness their draft horses to the whole rig, and drive some 150 miles over rough dirt "roads." It wasn’t the Oregon Trail—but it always amazed and fascinated me that they traveled like that. It was a story that cried out to be shared. Writing a story based in true events turned out to be hard. Real life isn’t usually as dramatic as fiction, and it seldom holds together in as neat a plot curve. I struggled with "Grandma’s book" for years, each iteration moving farther from her life as I knew it, until I renamed the characters, took the basic framework of her stories, and began to construct a real novel. I still don’t have one I’m happy with, but turning it fully into fiction gave me the freedom I needed to write strong stories. "A World of Trouble" is part of that story-world. The germ of the idea was a story my grandmother told me once, about her dad deciding that it was worth driving the whole family 20 miles up the river to see a real live aeroplane. But while I loved that Great-Granddaddy thought that was important enough to take a day off working, nothing really happened. I had to take that story-nugget and invent a real story. What Mattie Scott did isn’t much like anything Grandma ever did (or at least, it’s not like anything she ever admitted to me). In fact, the air show turned out to be the least important part of the story, as Mattie’s adventure got her into "a world of trouble." My take-away from the project is that the best story will happen when you take the seeds you’re given—and let your imagination loose on it. I kept the thing that delighted me—and gave my character the chance to do what she would do, unconstrained by any need to keep to the facts. The result is a story I am proud to have in the IWSG anthology, Voyagers: The Third Ghost.







Bio

Rebecca Douglass grew up
in Idaho, Arizona, and Washington states,
and now lives and writes
in California. 

Her imagination resides
where it pleases,
in and out of this world.

Her passions include backpacking, hiking, books, swimming, biking, and moderately adventurous travel. 

Rebecca has two grown sons and a husband with whom she travels. 



Rebecca is the author of the delightful Ninja Librarian books, as well as a picture book for outdoor families, a mystery series for the parents, and her middle-grade fantasy, Halitor the Hero. After more than seventeen years working at the library, she has retired still without learning all the secrets of the Ninja Librarian.

BlogFacebook| Twitter| Amazon


Wikimedia

Rebecca is truly out of reach today, as her post is published. She has set sail for Antarctica. Assuming she doesn't die of sea-sickness, she'll be back on land and back to the internet in a couple of weeks. Feel free to leave comments, and Fundy Blue will respond to them. And likely, Rebecca will check in with her post once she is back.



Coming on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 . . .

Next up is Beth Schuck who shares her backstory for "The Orchard," a tale in which Nels, the young protagonist, has magical powers that connect her to nature.


* * * * * * * * * *

Upcoming Blog Interviews and Virtual Tours:

1. May 4 - June McCrary Jacobs https://authorjunemccraryjacobs.blogspot.com/

2. May 6 - C. Lee McKenzie, Author https://www.cleemckenziebooks.com/blog/

3. May 6 - Literary Rambles – Natalie Aguirre https://www.junetakey.com/#writersgambitblog

4. May 11 - Juneta Key https://www.junetakey.com/#writersgambitblog


* * * * * * * * * *


The release date for VOYAGERS: The Third Ghost 
is May 5, 2020,
but purchase links are available,
and you can preorder a copy now.

Print 9781939844729 $13.95
EBook 9781939844736 $4.99
Juvenile Fiction - Historical / Action & Adventure / Fantasy & Magic
Dancing Lemur Press/Freedom Fox Press


Amazon - Print https://www.amazon.com/dp/193984472XKindle https://www.amazon.com/Voyagers-Third-Ghost-Yvonne-Ventresca-ebook/dp/B083C4WPR5/

Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/voyagers-yvonne-ventresca/1135912991?ean=2940163430857

ITunes - https://books.apple.com/ca/book/voyagers-the-third-ghost/id1493413956

Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/voyagers-the-third-ghost



Wednesday, March 4, 2020

In the Spotlight: Bish Denham ~ Author of "The Blind Ship"

Over the coming weeks, the IWSG Anthology blog will be featuring posts
from each of the authors in Voyager: The Third Ghost.
Our author today is Bish Denham.

Bish Denham on her short story "The Blind Ship"

When I saw what the theme for this anthology was going to be and that it was for middle graders, I knew immediately the story I wanted to tell. Because my family has lived between Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for over hundred years and because I was raised in the VI, most of my stories have a strong Caribbean flavor. For research purposes I have a small collection of books about the islands. One of those books, by Isidor Paiewonsky, is Eyewitness Accounts of Slavery in the Danish West Indies also Graphic Tales of Other Slave Happenings on Ships and Plantations. It was in this book that I read excerpts from the journal of a twelve-year-old boy named Jacques B. Romaigne. Jacques' story haunted me for years. He lingered behind a near opaque curtain which he pulled aside from time to time, casting ghostly shadows across my mind, reminding me he was still there and that he wanted his story told. Finally I gave in and wrote, “The Blind Ship.” I tried peddling it around to various children’s magazines, but no one was interested. I knew my writing wasn’t the problem so my guess is that it was too dark and serious. Whatever the reason, his story has languished in my files for a good 15 years, yet in all that time, Jacques has never left me. Now, at last, he has come out of from behind the curtains, and his story can be told.




Blurb

The journal of a twelve-year-old boy reveals the horrors of a slave ship, and when its cargo and crew go blind from a highly contagious eye disease, the situation only gets worse.





Excerpt 

At last we are on our way, He wrote a few days later. Le Rôdeur is 200 tons and we now have on board 160 Negro slaves.
Jacques reread his words. He had already commented on the fair weather carrying him toward the Caribbean. He tried not to think about what lay in the close dank, dark quarters of the hold. It was enough that he could hear their muffled moans and cries through the decking. He took up his quill and continued writing. I know you will miss me while you tarry in France, but Father needs me on the plantation. Besides, I long to see the green hills of Guadeloupe and the blue waters of the bays. Take heart, Mother, soon you will follow and we will be together once again. At dinner a few days later, M. Gagne and Captain Boucher spoke of shipboard issues. Jacques, as a paying passenger, ate with the men. They talked over his head, as if he wasn’t there. “The slaves have brought ophthalmia on board with them,” said M. Gagne. “Ophthalmia?” asked Jacques. “What is that?” “An eye disease that causes blindness.” said M. Gagne. “At worst the blindness is permanent. Most often, if treated properly, vision will return, though in some cases one’s sight will be permanently impaired.” “How bad?” asked Captain Boucher. “It is spreading at a frightful rate. There are already more than I can manage.” 





Bio

Bish Denham is from the U.S. Virgin Islands, where her family has lived for over a hundred years. The author of two middle grade novels and a collection of retold Jamaican Anansi stories, she says, “Growing up in the islands was like living inside a history book.”






Coming on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 . . .

Next up is Rebecca Douglass who shares her backstory for "A World of Trouble," a tale in which an adventurous Mattie Scott gets into a whole lot of trouble on a family trip to see see a real live aeroplane.


* * * * * * * * * *

Upcoming Blog Interviews and Virtual Tours:

1. May 4 - June McCrary Jacobs https://authorjunemccraryjacobs.blogspot.com/

2. May 6 - C. Lee McKenzie, Author https://www.cleemckenziebooks.com/blog/

3. May 6 - Literary Rambles – Natalie Aguirre https://www.junetakey.com/#writersgambitblog

4. May 11 - Juneta Key https://www.junetakey.com/#writersgambitblog


* * * * * * * * * *


The release date for VOYAGERS: The Third Ghost 
is May 5, 2020,
but purchase links are available,
and you can preorder a copy now.

Print 9781939844729 $13.95
EBook 9781939844736 $4.99
Juvenile Fiction - Historical / Action & Adventure / Fantasy & Magic
Dancing Lemur Press/Freedom Fox Press


Amazon - Print https://www.amazon.com/dp/193984472XKindle https://www.amazon.com/Voyagers-Third-Ghost-Yvonne-Ventresca-ebook/dp/B083C4WPR5/

Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/voyagers-yvonne-ventresca/1135912991?ean=2940163430857

ITunes - https://books.apple.com/ca/book/voyagers-the-third-ghost/id1493413956

Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/voyagers-the-third-ghost