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Once Upon a Time in Alabama

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Such a sad story, but with an optimistic side. I can’t understand how people could, and still can, treat others in such a way.

Yecheilyah's avatarThe PBS Blog

Once upon a time in Alabama, there was a racist white man named Charles Agustus Lamar who was angry with Northern states and their desire to end slavery. He devised a plan to send a ship to Africa to buy Africans for $100 and sell them for $1,500. His ship, called the “Wanderer,” made national news in 1858 that it had successfully imported 370 people from Africa who would be enslaved.

However, the slave trade had been outlawed, and Lamar was arrested for illegal slaving.

That’s when another racist white man, steamboat captain Timothy Meaher, made a bet that he could do the same thing but not get caught.

Photo: Yecheilyah

On July 8, 1860, the ship (called the Clotilde / Clotilda) sailed into waters near Mobile Bay carrying 110 men, women, and children stolen from Africa under the cover of night.

They were bought from the Dahomey tribe at…

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book reviews, short story, stories

Life, Death and Other Characters. Geoff Le Pard

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb

What would you do if you were to host a dinner party and the sky wasn’t what you’d ordered? Could you find someone to shake out the creases from the clouds and tone down the wind to an acceptable zephyr? And what are the challenges facing a Portal Management Volunteer as they steer the recently departed to their chosen Hereafter? Or how would you organise your life if you were called to do God service just when you’d planned on making marmalade that weekend? Life, DEATH and Other Characters will inform and, where necessary, guide you through these and other complications amongst a lot of other short fiction that will educate inform and entertain. Well, maybe one out of three.

Review

As this is a book of short stories, my usual review is not applicable.

Geoff Le Pard has written a book of short stories that are not to be missed. Whoever you are, there is something for you here. I am not usually one for short stories, but I loved this.
There is such a variety of stories here. Some are irreverent, with tales of problems that God has; some are lough out loud funny; some are short; some are longer; some have deeper meanings for those who wish to search for them.
I love the tales where Death (or De’Ath as he has decided to call himself) is a character, but I can’t say I have a favourite story. They are all my favourites.
It is an easy read for when you have only a few minutes and don’t want to plough through a chapter of a full-scale novel. There will be a story that can fit into your time-scale. Or do what I did and start at the beginning and continue to the end.
Some of the stories are commentaries (disguised, of course) on modern life, and politics.
Whoever you are, I recommend this book to you.

I gave it 5*

If you enjoy short stories and would like to receive an exclusive, free short story by me, called The Haunted Table, simply click the link. This will take you to the page where you can download it.

Maria and Tom have bought an antique table for the old cottage they have bought. When they hear strange noises in the night that sound like crying, they worry their house is haunted, but the sounds seem to come from the table.

They set about trying to find what is causing the disturbances. The answer is stranger than either of them had thought.

(Clicking the link will add your email address to my email list, but don’t worry, you can unsubscribe immediately if you wish. Nor will you get any spam. I only send out an email each quarter, or if I have any exciting news–like a new release.)

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‘Do I Need to Use a Dragon?’ Now Available on Amazon Kindle and Paperback!

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Having read a few extracts on Charles’s blog, I am definitely buying this book.

Charles Yallowitz's avatarLegends of Windemere

Do I Need to Use a Dragon? is LIVE!

Cover by Alison Hunt

Have you ever wanted to write a fantasy story?  Not sure about the rules? Well, look no further!

Hidden within these pages are opinions and observations that MIGHT help you with your literary adventure.  Boiling fantasy and writing in general to their most basic principles, I have devised a litany of short essays . . .

Do you get intimidated by colorful jargon and language in ‘how to write’ books?  I mean, if you’re just starting out, your head is probably already spinning with all of the advice you’ve received.  That’s why I tried to use simplicity and humor to help authors along.  I’ve been that nervous, easily confused fledgling author and remember how all of the flowery language and cliché adages didn’t really help.  So, I wrote this book in my own voice as if the…

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Once Upon a Time in the Swamp by CS Boyack. A Review

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Overview.

It’s good to read a book not full of errors! I enjoyed this story. It kept me reading, and I couldn’t wait to get back to it when I had to stop reading.

Blurb.

Mari and her husband opted for a simple life as farmers. It’s been decades since the world tore itself apart, pitting neighbor against neighbor and family against each other. They were happy in this re-emerging world, until disaster struck.

Mari sets out on a solo quest to avenge the deaths of her family and loss of everything she holds dear. She’s ill equipped for the task, but seems to have time on her hands. Time alone in the wilderness to deal with her personal demons along the way.

She is helped by a few sympathetic elders and a couple of animal companions with lessons Mari can use if she pays attention. Can Mari find justice for her family?

Set in a post apocalyptic, Gulf Coast world, this is a story for fans of the old Spaghetti Westerns.

Story.

Mari White comes back from hunting to find her husband and son have been murdered. The sheriff is no help and so she takes it upon herself to track down the killers and exact revenge.The world in which she lives is brutal. It is in the aftermath of a terrible war where everyone seems to have been fighting everyone else. Society has broken down.The story is a cross between a western and a post-apocalypse tale.

Characters.

The main character is Mari. She is tortured by the death of her husband and son, and consumed by her desire for vengeance. She is basically a good person, but her experiences have pushed her kindness to the back of her mind. Nevertheless, she still has enough to rescue a dog when its owner wants to kill it.At the end, Mari has come to terms with her loss and starts a new life.

One of the characters I liked was not even human, but a longhorn ox called Dirt. Dirt is awkward and can be trouble. He has a temper, and Mari has to work hard to get him to do as she wishes. Nevertheless, he proves essential on many occasions.

The pup Mari rescues is another character. Mari called her Worthless, because her original owner was going to shoot her because she was ‘worthless’. The pup is full of life and fun, and gives Mari comfort in her low moments.

Mari meets other people on her travels, most of whom help her. One interesting ‘character’ is a skeleton of a woman. Mari stays in her house and gives the skeleton a personality and talks to it.

Writing.

Mr Boyack does an excellent job of building the world in which Mari lives. He describes the surroundings so we can really get an idea of where we are. As a Brit, I don’t know this area at all, and have no experience of the swamps, but I got a good idea of the wetness and the dangers, including the animals that live there.

The story is told in the first person. Mari is relating the tale. It sounds, to my British ears, as authentic Southern USA. I can hear the drawl. I am glad that I was reading on my tablet, though, as I needed to look up a few words and the animals mentioned.

A good read. I gave it 5*.

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Taking chances makes us human

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This comment on elfcat.com is so true.

elfkat's avatarAdventures and Musings of an Arch Druidess

I’m going to give my useless opinion. But here goes. When I was growing up a gentleman from the Explorers Club used come every year and give a presentation and I so wanted go with him. And except for the 18 year old these men were old enough to make what they thought was an educated choice to go (and the money) and do something extraordinary.

Nothing in human history would have been done without people who made those kind of choices. This includes people like our ancestors who boarded the May flower as one of mine did. Have you been to Disneyland and seen the ship in the lagoon that was the same size? Imagine that in high seas.

Imagine the women who were Suffragettes. They made the choice to be different or those of us who marches for gay rights knowing and risking attack.

People make choices to…

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The Unlikely Origins of BeatrixPotter’s Tales.

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An interesting post about where Beatrix Potter may have got her inspiration from.

The Unlikely Origins of Beatrix Potter’s Tales
Continue Reading here
Poetry

I Am Earth.

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After some protests in Germany in February, over the destruction of a village to make way for the expansion of an open cast coal mine,I thought of a poem I wrote a couple of years ago, called I Am Earth (found in Miscellaneous Thoughts) and decided to write a sequel.

The Ancient Greeks thought that the Earth itself was a goddess called Gaia who, along with Uranus, the sky, created all living things. In I Am Earth, she bemoans what humanity has done, and threatens us with destruction. Here she is telling us what she is doing to bring this about.

I Am Earth (2)

I am Earth.

I am your mother.

I gave you birth.


I told you

What will occur.

And now you will rue.


You ignore me

And take little heed

Of my anxious plea.


So I send you rain

To flood all your homes

And give you pain.


I send the drought

So no crops will grow.

There’s famine, no doubt.


I heat the world

And many will die

From the heat I have hurled.


Winds I will send

In hurricanes now.

Your lands they will rend.


Yet you will not learn.

To me you are deaf

So the world I will burn.


Fires in the summer;

Deep snow in the cold.

You get dumber and dumber.


My skin I do shiver

And make buildings fall

As the ground it does quiver.


I will belch forth fire

From deep in my heart.

Make Earth like a pyre.


Will you now learn?

Don’t exploit my wealth.

Or you I will burn.


I AM DESTROYING YOU.

You can buy my poetry book, Miscellaneous Thoughts, from your favourite retailer, in ebook and physical book form.

The poems are in a variety of styles, some serious and some amusing.

If you purchase it I would be ever indebted to you if you would leave a little honest comment on what you think of it. You can post on any of the retailers.

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St Lawrence’s Lament

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I discovered poet’s corner purely by accident. I love the poetry. So much better than mine!

Jem Croucher's avatarPoet's Corner

Deconsecrated hallowed walls to commercial gain
Shamefaced the stone walls weep
The ageing tower crenels kiss the sky
and now glazed windows
arch to residential pews

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School

Why Don’t People Read More

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This post was inspired by on posted by Charles Yallowitz last Tuesday.

To read what he says, click here.

I always loved reading from a very early age, but not always the books we read at school. Sometimes I did. We read The History of Mr Polly by H.G.Wells for ‘O’ level (aged 16), and it was interesting and funny.

When I went on to higher education I chose English Literature as a subsidiary subject (I think it’s called minor in the US) because I enjoyed reading.

One book we studied I refused to answer any exam questions on it (we had a choice) because I felt that analysing it would ruin it for me. It’s this analysis of books we read where I think we go wrong. Everyone has an opinion about a book from whether it was enjoyable to what it means. (Same with poetry.) Many books people read and don’t see any extra meaning; yet in school we force them to find meaning, even if there may not be one. One of the comments said that in an interview with Pinter, he stated that An Inspector Calls has no meaning beyond the straightforward story. Yet children are taught to look for one.

As a writer, I read many posts and books on the craft of writing. One thing that constantly crops up is Theme. It seems as though we all have to have a message. Well, I’m with Pinter. Why can’t I just write a story without having to have a message and deeper meaning?

Poetry is the same, in fact, more so. Oddly, the posts of mine that get the most views are when I post a poem. Yet poetry books, we are told, don’t sell.

I also think that teaching is the reason people don’t review the books they read. Memories of doing book reviews at school (usually of the books they read independently) are not good. It’s work, and not easy work, either. I have quite a lot of ratings that do not turn into written reviews. I prefer to ask my readers to leave a comment rather than a review. I think this is less intimidating. So what if I receive some that are just one line. That’s better than none.

I read to my children. One has grown up reading, and loves a good book. The other never reads fiction. Hardly any books, in fact, preferring to get stuff from the net. My daughter read to her children, but they don’t read.

The way we teach our children should be improved. Not every child can be taught in the same way, yet in the UK at least, everyone seems to be taught in an academic way. This goes for all subjects. Some children respond to that well, but others are turned off.

And how many people remember much of what they were taught at school? Maybe they’d remember more if they were taught it in a less academic way.

We are told how important reading is, but turn so many of our children off it.

There are dragons and magic in the world if only you look for them… V.M. Sang