IWSG Anthologies

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.

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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/193984472X/ Kindle 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.”

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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.

* * * * * * * * * *

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

In the Spotlight: Charles Kowalski ~ Author of "Simon Grey and the Yamamba"

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 Charles Kowalski.

Charles Kowalski on his short story "Simon Grey and the Yamamba"

Hansel and Gretel in feudal Japan ...

Simon Grey came into being because of my son, and my quest to create a literary character that could bridge the Japanese and Western sides of his heritage. At the time Simon was conceived, the “Yo-kai Watch” anime and game franchise was all the rage among Japanese children my son’s age, and had started to make inroads into the American market as well. A character began to take shape in my mind: an English boy, who signs up as a cabin boy on a long sea voyage in the hope of some relief from his “gift” (or curse) of seeing ghosts everywhere on land. When a shipwreck leaves him stranded alone in Japan, only with the help of the yokai can he find his way home.

Simon Grey

Edo Period, Japan

Yokai are mythical creatures, like goblins or fairies, that play a central role in Japanese folklore. In medieval times, they were seen mainly as fearsome ghosts or ogres. But by Simon Grey’s time, the Edo period (17th-19th centuries), when yokai stories featured prominently in the illustrated books mass-produced by woodblock printing, they had become a mixture of scary and silly, weird and whimsical, creepy and cute.

Charles with a Kappa, a Japanese Water Sprite

SIMON GREY AND THE YAMAMBA, an adventure that befalls Simon and his mysterious friend Oyuki on their journey to Hirado, features two famous yokai: the Yamamba or Yamauba (www.yokai.com/yamauba/) and the fox (www.yokai.com/kitsune/). Simon and Oyuki need the help of the one to escape from the other. If this episode stirs your interest in Simon and Oyuki’s adventures among the yokai, you can read the full story in SIMON GREY AND THE MARCH OF A HUNDRED GHOSTS.

Night Parade of a Hundred Demons

Artist: Unknown. Date: Late Edo Period (1750/1837)

Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts

mesosyn.com

Excerpt

"Simon Grey and the Yamamba" by Charles Kowalski

As we neared the summit, I heard an ominous rumble of thunder, soon followed by the patter of raindrops on the leaves overhead. Before long, the rain came down in torrents. Within minutes, my robes were completely soaked, and the rocks underfoot grew so slippery that even Oyuki slowed her pace to a crawl. Lightning flashed in the distance, followed a few seconds later by another thunderclap.
Oyuki stopped and turned to me, probably to confer about what we should do, and I wondered the same thing myself. We were so close to the top that it would take us almost as long to go down this side as the far side. Whether we chose to turn back, go on, or stay put and seek shelter, we were equally easy targets for lightning. But her first question was, “Do you smell that?” I could smell nothing but wet earth, wet wood, and wet cloth. But soon after she asked, a different, unexpected scent reached my nostrils. “Wood smoke?” I said. She nodded. “Where there’s fire, there’s bound to be life. Come on!” We forged ahead, climbing our careful way over the slippery ground, until we reached what I dared to hope was the summit. To our right, a sheer cliff dropped to the river far below, and to our left, the possible source of the smoke: a small house made of wooden beams that time had pushed into odd angles. The windows were shuttered against the storm, but under the broad eaves hung a red paper lantern, swaying wildly in the wind but still lit with a flickering light. It was the most welcome sight I could imagine. As we stared in wonder, the door slid open. Behind it was an extremely old woman, her long, white hair unbound and unkempt, hastily adjusting her disheveled kimono. When she saw us, her eyes widened with understandable surprise. “What in the world are you doing up here?” she said in a voice that sounded cracked and rusty from long disuse. “Come in before you get struck by lightning!” We hurried through the door and stood on the packed-earth floor of the entryway, trying to wring as much water out of our clothes as possible. When we had gone from dripping to merely soaked, we stepped out of our sandals and up onto the tatami straw-mat floor of the living room. In the center, a fire burned in the open hearth, with an iron pot hanging over it. The smell of stewed vegetables filled the room, making my stomach growl. “Now, who might you be?” the old woman said. “And what are two children doing out here on their own?” “My name is Oyuki, and this is Simon,” Oyuki replied, deftly avoiding the second part of the question. “And you are?” “Around these parts, they call me Hotchopa.” “Do you get many guests up here?” Oyuki said. “I wouldn’t have imagined it was a very well-traveled road.” “Oh, you’d be surprised,” she said. “I’ve had many weary travelers come in for supper. Of course, I wasn’t expecting anyone on a night like this, but you came at the perfect time. I was just getting ready to give my old bones a soak in the bath, and then have some dinner. I hope you like nanban-ni.” “I don’t think I’ve ever tried it,” I said. “What is it?” “Ni means ‘stew’,” Oyuki explained, “and nanban means…well, no offense, but ‘southern barbarian.’ It’s vegetables stewed in their idea of European style, with fried onions and red peppers.” I had no energy to object. If Hotchopa wanted to serve us a hot meal, I was willing to forgive the name of the dish, for both the cultural snub and the shaky sense of direction. “Here’s the bath,” Hotchopa said, sliding aside a door to a smaller room. In the center stood a wooden tub, resting on a metal pan atop a stone firebox with embers glowing inside.

Bio

Charles Kowalski invites you to read the full story of Simon, Oyuki, and their adventures through haunted

Japan in Simon Grey and the March of

a Hundred Ghosts.

(Tokyo: Excalibur Books, 2019),

and keep an eye out for sequels.

Charles with a Chōchin-obake
or paper lantern ghost.

In addition to middle-grade fantasy, Charles' thrillers for adults, Mind Virus and The Devil’s Son,
have won prizes and nominations including the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Colorado Gold Award, the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award, and the Adventure Writers Grandmaster Award.

Charles lives with his wife and sons in Japan, which has been his home for over 20 years. He invites you to his website www.simongreybooks.com.

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Coming on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 . . .

Next up is Bish Denham who shares her backstory for "The Blind Ship." In this harrowing tale 12-year-old Jacques experiences the impact of a highly contagious eye disease on a slave ship's cargo and crew.

* * * * * * * * * *

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

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

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

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

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

In the Spotlight: Charles Kowalski ~ Author of "Simon Grey and the Yamamba"

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