#BookReview - Gathering the Self: Poems of the Heart @skyboyphotos

Gathering the Self: Poems of the Heart

By: David Bayard
Publisher: Skyboy Press
Publication Date: October 2018
ISBN: 978-0996738037
Reviewed by: Anita Lock
Date: March 2019

Wordsmith David Bayard provides an enlightening window into nature and self in his baker-dozen collection of poems, Gathering the Self.

Some people are weirded out by the number 13 for a variety of reasons that go beyond its prime classification; others could care less. To David Bayard, the odd number is nothing less than “spiritually irreducible and emotionally magical.”

A compilation of thirteen writings that span thirty-nine years, Gathering the Selfencompasses Bayard’s “poems of the heart,” or as he would put it—Pommes de Coeur: Apples of the Heart. “Tools of self-discovery and healing medicine,” which were initially used to help him “reclaim” himself, are woven into each poem.

Bayard utilizes his sharp eye and fine-tuned analytical skills for woodworking and photography to look beyond self to understand self through the power of nature. His writings presented either from his viewpoint or an item of nature include an assortment of free verse, prose, rhyme scheme, (extended) limerick, cinquain, and one poem that has a haiku-ish feel to it.

While each piece of work has the ability to stand on its own, permitting readers to meditate on Bayard’s words and embrace them in a way to raise self-awareness and enlightenment, what makes his work unique are the accompanying stories behind the poems. The stories not only add depth to the “who, what, why, where, when, and how,” but also gives readers a glimpse into the author and his personal life journey.

Bayard opens with two of his older writings before entertaining his recent poems. His vulgarity-free lingo largely speaks to relatable issues while at the same time exploring.

While some themes focus on personal struggles and the ability to overcome them through the healing power of the natural world, like in his opening works, “To Cherish” and “Drink Me,” others are reflections on death (“Chrysalis”) and suppressed feelings (“Who Died to Make This?”).

The poems that stand out the most are the ones that are written from the point of view of items of nature since they not only capture possible thought processes, but also provide perspectives of how very small and insignificant humans are to the rest of the world.

In “Katydids,” an ant has difficulty working with carrying dead katydids back to the queen. Bayard likens the ant’s struggle to a wood worker manipulating dead wood:

“Struggle bump, breathe
I carry dead katydids back to the Queen
They yet misbehave in my mandibles
Juices flow as if alive
They will not comply
Inertia! Gravity! They cry. It’s the law!”

Stones offer words of encouragement to persevere through the trials of life in “Runes”:

“We could do more, they say, but all that can be pulled away is at the bottom of the sea
Think not, thou ephemeral brief skins, that they are lost, for nothing that exists is without our memory
Sing and dance upon the deck and challenge just this once supremacy, for all is hope and all is pain mixing endlessly in rhythms great and small.”

Quill says: Enlightening and thought-provoking, Gathering the Self provides poetry lovers with a fresh perspective on life.

For more information on Gathering the Self: Poems of the Heart, please visit the website: skyboyphotos.com/collections/books

#AuthorInterview with Norman Whaler

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Holly Connors is talking with Norman Whaler, the author of Tiny Tim and the Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge: The Sequel to a Christmas Carol.

FQ: Writing a sequel to A Christmas Carol is something I believe few authors would dare to undertake.  What made you decide to tackle the story?

WHALER: It was always one of my families Christmas traditions to make some popcorn, turn the lights down, and watch A Christmas Carol movie! And it was always fun to speculate about what happened to Tiny Tim Cratchit after he didn't die! It had to be answered!

FQ: Becky was an interesting character with a full backstory.  How did she develop?

WHALER: Becky is the true hero of the story. Not Tiny Tim. While she is in poverty, he is in comfort. While she fights the good fight, he crumbles and gives up. While she is faithful, he is faithless. A true counterbalance to Tim's character.

FQ: Speaking of Becky, a line that stayed with me was from a section where you were discussing Becky’s background – “It was the habit of despair that ultimately condemned a soul.” Would you share your thoughts on this with our readers? 

WHALER: I feel that any emotion repeated over and over becomes who you are eventually, whether it's pessimism or optimism, love or hate, joy or anger. Therefore, I believe we should try not to be the person we are, but be the person we want to be.

FQ: You’re obviously a big fan of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  Any plans to tackle a sequel to any of his other novels, or a classic by another author?

WHALER: I have been focusing on children's picture books right now, so no plans at this time. But you never know!

FQ: Tim asks Scrooge an age-old question that many people have asked of God – “...why does God allow such misery in the world, such hatred, and evil, and indifference?”  It’s such an important question and plays a major role in your story.  Without giving too much away, how would you answer somebody searching for an answer?

WHALER: For me, the answer is simple. WE CHOOSE every day how we behave towards each other. We can, therefore CHOOSE decency and respect and reject anger and violence.  Every day we all help create the world in which we live. The choice is ours.

FQ: Tiny Tim and the Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge is a very different book/style from your other books, which are all children’s books. What are the challenges of writing in a different genre/style? 

WHALER: I have always been taught that with words, less is more. In Tiny Tim, every word had to earn its place on the page, using one word instead of 10. Children's picture books are mostly 550 to 1000 words. Writing a picture book is more challenging on many levels, to be sure!

FQ: Your stories all have strong Christian themes of love, acceptance, faith, etc. How important is it for you to pass along this important message to today’s young readers?

WHALER: In a world that has been polarized by racism, bigotry, anger, and hatred, I believe it is more important than ever to have messages that show that there is another way, and that we are not alone.

FQ: I noticed that book one in your new children’s series – Oink and Gobble – has recently been published.  Would you tell us a bit about this series and what future books in the series might be about?

WHALER: Oink is an adventurous young pig who gets in some trouble from time to time because of his overactive imagination. His best friend is Gobble, a cautious turkey, who tries her best to keep Oink grounded, but gets caught up in his adventures. Book 2 is now out and is called Oink and Gobble and the Men in Black!

FQ: Are there any other future projects that you wish to share with our readers?

WHALER: Yes! A third Oink and Gobble Book 3 is on the way, and a PB with an ecological focus!

FQ: You’re a member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators), and CIPA (Christian Indie Publishers Association) as well as several other writer groups.  Would you recommend new authors look into joining these or similar organizations?

WHALER: Oh, yes! The resources available to writers are vast and everyone should take advantage of them! I definitely recommend!

#BookReview - God Squad Mission Him-Possible II: The Giant Slayers

God Squad Mission Him-Possible II: The Giant Slayers

By: Darlene Laney
Publisher: Halo Publishing International
Publication Date: January 2019
ISBN: 978-1-61244-721-6
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: March 2019

You know them. Whether they met you in the hallways of the school and issued the term “nerd,” or made a fat joke at your expense, they were there. “They” were deemed bullies. Most liked to make as much fun of you as possible in order to get others to point and laugh. Maybe you were one of the strong ones who held your head high and made sure to only show your pain to the people you trusted—those parents at home who were there for you and wanted to do anything they could to help. Yet, no matter what they did, the bullies just seemed to get worse.

For those lucky enough to read the first book in this series, The God Squad Mission Him-Possible: The Distorted Mirror, you were lucky enough to meet up with a group of kids who work together in order to help others. In the newest book, God Squad Mission Him-Possible II: The Giant Slayers, the kids are back, and the mission they are about to take on is a truly tough one. Angel is a member of The God Squad and the narrator of this tale. She brings readers along, telling them the story of a girl named Taylor Williams. Taylor is currently being bullied by Marcie. It wasn’t so long ago that Taylor was Marcie’s BFF. In fact, when Taylor first got to Carver Preparatory School, she became part of Marcie’s not-so-nice group and is guilty of doing the same type of bullying she’s receiving now. Let us just say that she and Marcie had a falling out, so Taylor is now the target of Marcie’s wrath.

Taylor’s mom has tried to help. She has phoned the principal, she’s spoken with her pastor…everything. But the principal chalks it up to “girls being girls” and does not see the need to intervene. She believes that the girls will work it out. But as time moves forward, the bullying gets worse, even to the point where Taylor states that she would rather die than go back to school the next day.

Ms. Foster is the head of The God Squad that includes Angel, Chris, Eve, Sadie, Mia, and Jade. She meets with the girls and shows them a picture of Taylor. The sad, doe-like eyes of the girl affect Angel in a hard way. You see, Angel has been bullied. She’s sickened by what’s happening to this poor girl because she still holds a bit of pain inside from when the teasing happened to her. She knows that if she hadn’t met the Squad when she did, she would’ve been in the exact same place Taylor is now…too scared and upset to talk to anybody about her predicament. Angel is assigned to be the team leader of this mission. By doing this, by helping Taylor, perhaps it will give Angel time to work through her own remaining demons and battle the giants that show up in her dreams; giants that make her feel small and alone.

This book is fantastic, just like the first one in this series, The God Squad Mission Him-Possible: The Distorted Mirror. The God Squad is something I wish every school had. This teaches one and all that the Lord is there and is helping. You even meet some older women when you’re with Angel. Women who appear during times of great need (and disappear just as fast). The one thing I hope will stick with readers is a line that states: “God didn’t make junk when He made you.” I hope victims of bullies never forget those words, and I hope the bullies (“the giants”) who make people feel bad, come away knowing that there’s a mighty Giant Slayer in each one of us. These are not only fun reads with memorable characters, but these books also show how much easier life can be when you have faith in your heart, and true friends by your side.

Quill says: This is perfect for many ages and is definitely a much-needed “must-read” for all.

For more information on God Squad Mission Him-Possible II: The Giant Slayers,please visit the author's website at: www.darlenelaney.com

#BookReview - Writing A Memoir from Stuck to Finished! @Clairitage

Writing A Memoir from Stuck to Finished!: Helpful Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Family History and Putting Life Stories on Paper

By: Karen Dustman
Publisher: Clairitage Press
Publication Date: January 2019
ISBN: 978-1-731536341
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: March 12, 2019

“Everyone has great stories to tell.” This is one phrase I completely agree with and is something that this book professes profusely. Writers who tackle this specific genre, whether it be in the form of biography, autobiography, family history, and so on, look back at past times and people and usually have regrets. They wonder why they didn’t get their grandparents to tell them more stories about themselves: where their family came from; what they did as careers; and, basically, what life was like “back then.” We also run across people in our lives and wonder why we didn’t sit down with them, have coffee, and get their stories on tape in order to learn more about history. In fact, after reading this great book, I remembered a time when I was lucky enough to work in an office with a client who was born and raised in Roswell, NM. He worked at the military base here during that “extraterrestrial” time period, which meant he was in “the thick of things” back in 1947. We were going to talk. Yet, unfortunately, he passed away before it could be done. That is a personal regret, but millions of authors have at least one of their very own.

Author Karen Dustman touches upon those regrets in her book Writing A Memoir from Stuck to Finished! and talks about all areas of memoir writing. However, she has done such a spectacular job in a variety of arenas that this is a book that will help writers in all genres. She dives into the difficult issue of writer’s block. But instead of using “Yale-speak,” she uses good old common sense to explain what the “block” is and how, exactly, to get over it in order to move on and bring to life your creation. She addresses three different reasons as to why writer’s block occurs; she offers up the cause and effect for each, as well as the solutions to use in order to stop things like negative self-talking and attempting to find a way to “begin at the beginning.”

But there is so much more. As a woman who has preserved life histories for 20+ years, teaches in-person Life Story writing classes, has authored over a dozen books, and is currently working on an e-course for Memoir writers, this is most definitely a voice you should listen to when it comes to creating your manuscript. Ms. Dustman goes through the very important steps of organization. She addresses how to put together interviews so that your subject will answer questions that make you better understand what time period you’re writing about. She also tells you the importance of how to manage your manuscript by offering up tips on everything from finding information on clothing styles, news and events by year, cultural histories by decade; to photo and scanning tips so that your end product will look its absolute best.

Life is a learning experience, as is writing. With Karen Dustman’s information, whether you are an established writer or a wannabe just starting out, each chapter is a learning experience that is necessary in order to become that “great writer.” There are even bonus resources and tip sheets given in the back of the book that will make it easier for you to sit down and begin putting that “life story” down on paper. And if you have already begun the process and have just set it aside because you told yourself you were no good at writing, then this is the book you need in order to take that half-written manuscript out of the drawer and get back at it immediately.

Quill says: This is a resource book that should be sitting next to your computer at all times!

For more information on Writing A Memoir from Stuck to Finished!: Helpful Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Family History and Putting Life Stories on Paper, please visit the publisher's website at www.Clairitage.com

#AuthorInterview with Steve Zell @stevezelltales

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Barbara Bamberger Scott is talking with Steve Zell, the author of True Creature.

FQ: You have several powerful female characters in True Creature – is it easy for you to get inside their heads and their thinking processes?

ZELL: Boys like myself growing up Catholic in the 60s knew absolutely nothing useful about females except that it was a sin to let your mind wander about them... As warping as growing up that way was, it gave me a very strong desire to listen and learn and find some common ground there. I think you learn how connected we all are when you find yourself consoling someone you’ve fallen head-over-heels in love with whose heart has just been broken by an idiot – and you suddenly realize your heart is now being broken by an idiot too...and you’re the biggest idiot of all for putting yourself in that position. I guess it comes down to the fact we’re all idiots in one way or another. At times we’re all heroic too. That partly answers one of your later questions – if there’s any character in True Creature I see myself in – and the truth is, good, evil, male or female, brave or cowardly, I really have something in common with all of them.

FQ: You feature some funny scenes with adolescent love (and lust) gone wrong. How much humor do you think can safely be mixed with horror?

ZELL: Hah! Adolescent love can be a horror story on its own. As far as the mixture of horror and humor goes in my writing, there was a glut on the bully market when I was a kid. I eventually developed two survival techniques – one was a fast straight punch, the other was humor. I think, in some of the most horrific situations – having a sense of humor is the one thing that will keep you sane – it’s also a very powerful weapon. I think humor gives the reader a chance to recover, it can also make the characters more human and even underscore their terror. But you do have to be careful where and when you use it, otherwise you can diffuse the situation, which isn’t something you want to do. If the truly “horrific” element you’ve just written evokes a truly funny image...you may need to rethink it and rewrite it.

Sara uses humor to shield herself from the very real horror of her job as a medical examiner. And, without giving too much away, I think one of the most horrific scenes in True Creature is one you don’t actually see. Deanne knows what’s going on, she hears it, smells it, there’s even a very detached running commentary by the killer throughout it. There is some very dark humor in all of that, and I think the little bit Deanne pulls from her seemingly hopeless situation keeps her sane.

FQ: You mention Wallace and Ladmo, the TV characters, numerous times in this book. Can you comment on their place in your childhood and in Arizona culture?

ZELL: Oh man. Did I EVER look forward to that show after school! We all did. We probably give folks credit for being “ahead of their time” too often, but Wallace and Ladmo really were. It was a “cartoon show” but the cartoons weren’t the draw – the reason for watching were the skits between the cartoons, and the humor was funnier the more you thought about it. Sure, they had slapstick elements, but they were a little more like Fractured Fairy Tales from Rocky and His Friends (The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show) – they challenged your ideas about the world (their bizarre version of The Civil War which I believe they filmed mostly at Papago Park, comes to mind). Pat McMahon, a local newsman, appeared as various characters – his spoiled rich kid, Gerald, was one of the staples of the show, but he also played a clown who hated kids and smoked – and THAT was hilarious, and this was the 60s! Wallace and Ladmo often appeared live around town – notably at our frighteningly old-west-themed park, Legend City, which I mention in True Creature, but they could be anywhere. They appeared at a Der Wienerschnitzel (remember those? Yes – Phoenix was a testing ground for the finest of fast-foods) near our house and I went to see them. I’ll never forget how thrilled I was to win a giant, foot-long, Baby Ruth bar and have Ladmo himself call me by name and congratulate me. They were rock stars.

FQ: Is there a particular political model for Todd Worwick?

ZELL: As a Catholic boy, John F. Kennedy was a god. I was so affected by his assassination that I wrote that date on all my school papers for several years. But I was a little kid and back then they kept the sexual “exploits” secret. It was a big disappointment for me finding out just how “human” he was. As it became more obvious that sexual attraction had as much to do with power and fame in all aspects of life whether it was the high-school athlete, the popular cheerleader, teachers, priests, the bad-boy in the movies, politicians, etc., I came to realize it’s part of the fabric of things. The fact Congress has a fund set up specifically to protect its members from sex-abuse scandals and it’s widely used should be front page news but it isn’t. Male or female, power games are a sometimes evil but often simply intoxicating part of many human relationships. Todd borrows from a lot of folks I’ve known or know of. On the surface, he’s one of those affable jerks we all know who take advantage of their power and good looks when they can – but he’s caused, and suffered, real tragedy because of it.

FQ: Do you ever “see” yourself as one of your characters, major or minor? If so, who would that be in True Creature?

ZELL: I mentioned earlier there’s some part of me in everyone in True Creature. Donovan probably has the most – but, hey, there’s a nerdy part of me in Sara too – and quite a bit of my own regret and need for vengeance carried by Barney and Tahoma.

FQ: Can you say a bit about your central theme – water – and its meaning for the state of Arizona? Does it still loom large as an issue there as it clearly did in the 1960s in True Creature?

ZELL: Phoenix, and southern Arizona in general, is as much a manufactured environment now as it was in the 60s or as the first outpost on Mars will be. That doesn’t mean I don’t love it, or Tucson – where I went to college and is a place I really, really love. Arizonans will always need to redirect water to survive. But that isn’t such an unusual situation, California, where I lived for twenty-odd years, is technically a desert too. Mono Lake has been drained to the point where it’s practically gone. I think Phoenicians are less aware of the tenuous situation they live in now than they once were precisely because of the construction of the Central Arizona Water Project which is the backdrop of True Creature. Many waterways are “permanently” in place now or as permanently in place as anything can be in the desert. You still hear arguments about how much water passing through or around the state belongs to Arizona. Living in Oregon now (and it’s raining as I write this) I still worry about water reserves. Forest fires are a huge problem here...we also have volcanoes. Man...scary stuff everywhere...

FQ: You’ve found a comfortable niche by following the old rule, “write about what you know.” Could you envision leaving that literary comfort zone for another locale entirely?

ZELL: I’ve been lucky enough to be many different things in my life and I want to be more. I owe a lot to the University of Arizona for putting me on the Interdisciplinary Studies path, or recognizing that was where I needed to be! True Creature is a detective novel at its heart which is a little bit of a departure for me, and I love doing research. The LA Crime Lab has Forensic Pathology classes for the “not-so-faint-of-heart” which I’ve taken advantage of. But...I know that isn’t what you mean :). I likely will go in a completely different direction at some point, I really love exploring people – their minds and their hearts. The great thing about supernatural suspense is that I can place people somewhere they’re forced to think of something bigger than themselves – and really explore their minds and hearts. We’ll see...

FQ: Your first book, WiZrD, originally published in the 90s, and then re-released as an ebook several years ago, is enjoying a renewed life, having recently won the “Best of Backlist” award in the Feathered Quill Book Awards. So many large publishers set aside books older than a year, but as a small, independent publisher, you’re able to bring the book back to the reading public. Do you think it’s time for large publishers to re-visit how they handle backlist titles?

ZELL: That is a really great question and I think it’s part of a broader problem. Like every other entertainment form, the landscape and business model is changing for publishing and traditional houses haven’t embraced that. They need to be working with the indies to find a way to get those backlists, and publishing in general, to work better for everyone involved – including the reader. When e-books began becoming popular St. Martin’s Press had already become part of Macmillan and I couldn’t even find a phone number there. Everyone I knew from the WiZrD days was gone – including my editor, Reagan Arthur, whom I love, who had moved on to Little Brown. So...I published WiZrD on the Kindle myself. I can’t say I recommend that, but you have to be bold and that did get Macmillan’s attention; we signed a new contract, and they re-published it for the Kindle and other e-books.

Good books are good books – even if they didn’t receive mass attention when they first came out because they didn’t have the name-recognition and budgets to be mass-marketed back then.

I thank Feathered Quill for the Best of Backlist category in their book awards for the renewed interest in WiZrD! The fact that WiZrD ties into True Creature and to Running Cold makes it all the better!

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#BookReview - True Creature @stevezelltales

True Creature

By: Steve Zell
Publisher: Tales from Zell, Inc.
Publication Date: March 2019
ISBN: 978-0-9847468-6-6
Reviewed by: Barbara Bamberger Scott
Review Date: February 18, 2019

Author Steve Zell has created a twisted tale that centers on vengeance, memory and the mystical powers of water in his newest book, True Creature.

Set in and around Phoenix, Arizona, Zell’s book intertwines a number of stories flashing forward and back in time. In 1968, Todd Worwick is running for senator. His campaign manager, Sondra, is getting more involved with Todd than she probably should. Todd’s beautiful, almost-teenaged daughter Cassandra is conflicted and confused since her mom, Susan, has inexplicably retreated to a desert hideout. Deanne is an investigative reporter who, recognizing that Todd and Susan’s estrangement could be a big scoop, is trying to wangle an interview with Susan, but in the meantime, she’s contacted by a woman named Sara, a medical official who’s just performed a couple of weird autopsies. Sara feels sure the two deaths are related: two men have drowned in places miles from any source of water. 

And water, it seems, is the focus of everyone’s lives, since they live in a dry region. Todd is campaigning on his promise to open up a new water source for the state. But when Deanne questions Susan, she learns that Todd is trying to dam up the very lake where his brother drowned in the 1950s—and that may not be all the supposedly squeaky-clean candidate is covering up. Deanne determines to find out Todd’s connection to the monstrously huge, superhumanly strong man known as Red Hawk. A rogue Native American, Red Hawk is so powerful that, as Deanne will discover to her horror, he has no hesitation in ripping a human head off its neck in a few short twists. 

Steve Zell is no stranger to suspense with a fantasy spin. Horror thrillers Running Coldand Urban Limit have established him as a talent in that genre. He is also a keen observer of his environment, the dry dusty southwest US where he grew up and where he still loves to seek out strange, sacred or profane places and delve into their ghostly past. In this book he contrasts the bright lights of an urban political campaign with secrets trapped deep in a disused mine shaft or under the surface of a deceptively placid lake. His characters are full-blown and believable: attractive but macho-tough Sara; lonely, career-driven Deanne; fatherly but possibly manipulative senatorial hopeful Todd; Donovan, a lovelorn teen who is a lot older than he thinks; and Barney, who keeps a shrine in the wilderness to a long-lost love, swearing revenge. Zell is at home with lively dialog, whether among kids at an amusement park or grown-ups in the throes of building passions. He also keeps a tight grip on scene and time changes, so there is no doubt where and when we are as we follow along in this fast-paced tale, enthralled.

Quill says: Zell’s fans will want to grab this one, and new readers of his work will be entranced by his settings, people, and most of all his eerie, unchained true creature.

For more information on True Creature, please visit the author's website at: www.talesfromzell.com

#BookReview - Your Light

Your Light: A Musical Storybook

By: Jillian Aversa
Publication Date: January 2019
ISBN: 978-1793498854
Reviewed by: Gina Montanha
Review Date: March 2019 

Beautifully simple and soothing...Your Light is the story of a baby bunny’s sweet dream that will have your little one drifting off in no time. 

The author of Your Light, Jillian Aversa, an American vocalist and composer has written this whimsical tale of a mama bunny encouraging her baby to sleep with promises of adventurous dreaming. As baby bunny dreams of a falling star, he sets out to find it and encounters a fork in the road, where he is reminded of his mother’s precious love, encouraging him forward.

Making this book extra special is Aversa’s accompanying lullaby – free for download on the site www.YourLightBook.com. She originally wrote the lullaby for her daughter, and to make it more interactive, she turned the lyrics into this charming storybook. The unadorned text has simple rhymes on its own pages or set apart from the pictures by appearing to float in white boxes of light. The night skies are full of stars, set in enchanting purple hues. As for Aversa’s voice, it is soft, harmonious and perfectly in sync with the wonderfully illustrated book.

Quill says: Your Light will delight and comfort your little one. It’s a winner of a bedtime story that can be enjoyed with or without the accompanying music. Try singing it yourself!