Lichtentanne Castle Apparition

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The 26 eclectic-genre short stories for my #AtoZChallenge are excerpts from travelogue notes by

novel character Gahlen, who first appeared in SHARDS OF MEMORY – Oral History in a Heartbeat.

Each A-to-Z daily post is a complete, stand-alone tale - partly true, partly fiction.

Lichtentanne Castle Apparition

Genre: Paranormal Reign

(362 words)

High-pitched voices attracted my attention. I glanced outside at the moat of Burg Schonfels Castle and spotted three school-aged girls skipping atop the wall. They played tag, the shortest girl chasing after the others. Through her eyes, I somehow gained the benefit of seeing a stunning view. The castle overlooked a sprawling Saxon countryside. A field of poppies offered a striking contrast to vibrant foliage and the river’s shimmering water.

As the girl glanced toward the village, I sensed the warnings her parents had issued about never entering the castle grounds. She recalled tales of sorrowful moans coming from within the castle on windy nights. Unease overtook me as she focused on a room directly above me.

Apparently, the most stressful moaning emanated from that room. Anyone within range described the vibrations as voice-like. Rampant town gossip followed any particularly active period.

The girl’s thoughts turned to folklore about a royal child drowning in the moat’s murky waters centuries earlier. Tales made mention of foul play for any number of suspicious reasons. Such thoughts excited the girl but terrified me.

Many placed blame for the drowning on the royal child’s claim to a jealous king’s throne; others believed the drowning occurred when the mute toddler grew unmanageable. A version that caused me and the girl to shiver involved the royal child’s deranged mother. No one knew what she might have done one sleepless night. Regardless the rumors, often disbelieved but never disproved, the moans continued.

The school girls raced faster along the moat’s wall. Then the slipper of the shortest girl caught the edge of a protruding stone. She fell, closing her eyes. The scene faded. Curious to know more, I squeezed my eyelids shut.

The girl reappeared with her eyes wide open. We stood in an unkempt, upper room of the castle. Frowning at me, she said, “You were told not to come up here.”

I ignored her reprimand. “How did the royal child die?”

“The child lived to be king.” She glanced toward a crib fitted with a rotting mattress. “A royal descendant is who suffered poorly the anticipation of such unrelenting burden.”

With that, her eyes closed for good.

*****

Elderly Fare at Cork Market #AtoZChallenge

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The 26 eclectic short stories for my #AtoZChallenge are excerpts from travelogue notes by

fictional character Gahlen, who first appears in SHARDS OF MEMORY – Oral History in a Heartbeat.

Each A-to-Z daily post is a stand-alone tale - partly true, partly fiction.

By Dylan - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,

 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65950422

Elderly Fare at Cork Market

Genre: Humor

(389 words)

Once we settled into Devlon’s taxicab, he drove along the bank of the River Lee, pointing out the Butter Museum. “They give an interesting history of Ireland’s success in the butter trade and how they stored butter in bogs.”

Turning the corner, he said, “Taking the St. Patrick’s Street Bridge to the English Market for a scheduled fare. See St. Finn Barre’s Cathedral looming?”

At the market, Devlon pulled up to an elderly woman. She dragged a wire cart overflowing with fresh vegetables. Devlon whispered, “She won’t allow me to assist with the cart or open the door for her.”

While she unlatched the back door and struggled with her possessions, Devlon kept talking.

“Cork’s English Market has been a landmark since they laid the foundation stone in September of 1786. They offer the best local food.”

“Everything from olives to eels,” the elderly woman said, hauling the cart into the back seat and forcing my sisters to scrunch together.

“Headed home, Mamó?” Devlon asked.

Ah, I thought, his grandmother. All of Ireland must be related.

“Where else would I be headed with a cartful of groceries, Devlon? Of course, home.”

“We just drove past the Butter Museum,” he said, unfazed. “These folks are visiting from America, checking out their ancestral roots.”

“Is that so?” she said. “What name would you be upholding?”

Devlon translated: “Which of your ancestors left Ireland for America?”

“The Keogh family. They sailed from Cork to Quebec. That’s in Canada. Later, they migrated to Wisconsin.”

“I know where Quebec is,” she snapped. “Wisconsin most likely is a state in your country.”

“Gramma,” Devlon said, pointing to me, “this is Gahlen. Seated next to you are Rianne and Vondra. May they call you Gramma?”

“Devlon,” she said, “what is my name?”

Devlon squirmed. “Sorry, Gramma, I never knew your name.”

“Exactly. And if you don’t know my name, why should these strangers?” She sighed, then said, “Yes, call me Gramma. Do you know what I once found buried in the bog behind our farm? A finger bone. Oh, the stories I could tell about ritual sacrifices.”

“Gramma,” Devlon said, his voice a bit shaky now. “Are you sure you want to tell such stories to a bunch of strangers?”

“Strangers?” she asked. “They are practically family, calling me Gramma. How much closer can we get?”

*****

Corned Beef and Cabbage-Galley Duty #AtoZChallenge

###

The 26 eclectic-genre short stories for my #AtoZChallenge are excerpts from travelogue notes by
fictional character Gahlen, who first appears in SHARDS OF MEMORY – Oral History in a Heartbeat.

Each A-to-Z daily post is a stand-alone tale - partly true, partly fiction.

By Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums - https://www.flickr.com/photos/twm_news/16104487498/,

No restrictions, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53196609

Corned Beef and Cabbage - Galley Duty

Genre: Novice Sea Experience

(374 words)

We spotted the cargo ship’s bright blue lettering: AMOR*DE*FAMILIA. Chesko waved from the deck, acknowledging his offer of a free ride from France to Ireland in exchange for galley duty. He introduced us to his father, Captain Dominique.

“Welcome aboard,” the captain said. “My son vouches for you and that's good enough for me.”

Chesko led us below to our cabin, small with submarine-style bunks along one wall. Once we stored our duffels, he clapped and said, “Okay, to work.”

He assigned me to scrubbing pots left soaking in greasy water. Pointing to a mound of red potatoes, he told my sisters, “You peel the spuds, a step my Spanish mother insists is un requisito absoluto. There's four deck hands, two boiler mechanics, seven cargo stackers, Dad, you three plus me. Average two per.”

“Thirty-six spuds, by my count,” I said. Chesko’s scowl had me scrubbing harder.

From the refrigerator, he removed a thick corned beef brisket marinating in a pot of water and spices. He let that simmer on the stove while we went about our duties. Then he transferred the meat to a roasting pan. “We have fair seas,” he said, sliding the pan into the oven. “Go enjoy the fresh air. You might spot a pod of bottlenose dolphins, if not a fin whale.”

After only a distant sighting of one whale, we returned to the galley. Chesko was tucking peeled spuds and sliced carrots around the meat. For the final fifteen minutes of baking, he added layers of green cabbage.

Five hours out, he rang the dinner bell. We were invited to dine at the captain’s table. After Captain Dominique said grace, he asked, “What is your purpose in traveling?”

“To visit our ancestral homelands.”

“Keeping alive memories of your past is important,” he said. “Nationality does not dictate who you become, but heritage does guide your decisions.”

We cleaned dishes and mopped the galley floor one last time. Chesko again sent us topside, this time to announce land sighting.

“Do we yell, ‘land ho’ or something?” I joked.

“As your final order, that is exactly what you do.”

A pod of a dozen dolphins escorted the ship and at the first sign of cliffs, we fulfilled our duty, boisterously.

*****

Absorbing an Ancient Scene #AtoZChallenge

CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81313

Shandon Belltower, Cork, Ireland Created by Kglavin

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The 26 eclectic-genre short stories for my #AtoZChallenge are excerpts from travelogue notes by

fictional character Gahlen, who first appears in SHARDS OF MEMORY – Oral History in a Heartbeat.

Each A-to-Z daily post is a stand-alone tale - partly true, partly fiction.

###

Absorbing an Ancient Scene

Genre: Exploration with Comic Relief

(313 words)

Chiming bells sent us searching for an access to the steeple tower. We scrambled in typical sibling rivalry fashion toward a narrow stone staircase. Naturally, I came in last, but not due to my bum leg. I had stopped to dip my fingers into another holy water font. Carved in jagged lettering along its facade were words I assumed were of Irish dialect. While I recognized certain words as English, their meaning escaped me. I copied the letters, exactly as they appeared on the font, into my notebook for future research.

MAD  ETHIS  PANT

AT  THEIR  CHAR

GES

By the time I reached the stairwell, my sisters had begun their climb toward the bells. With each step, I felt the space between the staircase walls diminish. Though not one to suffer from claustrophobia, I experienced a heightening fear. Obviously, my overactive imagination was at work.

Fairy tales had been the path my grandparents chose to teach me the intricacies of my ancestry. Had this stairwell once witnessed a dastardly act that bled into the walls - my sensitive nature absorbing the ancient scene and translating the event into a current dread? Reluctant to analyze the surroundings further, I urged my legs to climb faster, adrenaline seeking to overpower . . .

Before that thought fully formed, my sisters called down to me. “Stop lingering, Gahlen. The sealant on the rock steps is potent enough to make you start hallucinating.”

With a shudder of relief, I rushed upward, the poetic rhythm of Shandon bells urging me on. The panoramic view from the tower made my efforts worthwhile. In silence, we surveyed the city. I snapped several photographs knowing I could never fully capture the tranquility of the River Lee rippling through the Irish countryside of Cork. My overactive imagination would have to suffice.

*Craftsmen MADE THIS PANT (font) AT THEIR CHARGES (for their patrons).

*****

#AtoZChallenge Theme Reveal

April is fast approaching, which means 26 days of blogging about topics from A to Z, literally. Each day's subject corresponds with the letter of the day: the 26 letters of the alphabet for the 26 days of April (Sundays excluded).

Themes give authors a steady focus and allow readers to anticipate the topics of each blogsite. For more information about this event, please visit: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

Enough 'splaining!

My Theme:

A virtual travelogue by a virtual traveler

Short tales of various genres (300 - 400 words), excerpts from a companion piece to my historical novel (Shards of Memory: Oral History in a Heartbeat ) based on family genealogical research. The narrator in most of the short tales is the novel's young character, Gahlen.

Each post tells a complete story for a quick and entertaining read. The tales cover a variety of genres. 

Ancestral lands included:

In Western Europe - Belgium, Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, and Bohemia;

Cork, Ireland;

Quebec, Canada; and

Wisconsin, USA.

A small sampling of the eclectic blog post topics:

Salt Mining in Bavaria;

Ghent on a Rainy Day;

Potawatomi Wives;

Nave of Irish Church;

and

Yeoman's Daughter

       * * * * *

My anticipation mounts to read posts of other participants!

My 3 Motives for Participating in #NaNoWriMo18

Visit my NaNoWriMo page at: https://bit.ly/2zKwh6j

National Novel Writing Month begins each year on the first day of November. Each writer commits to writing fifty thousands words during the thirty days of this month. Whether a person completes 50K, 5K or 50 words in November, that's more words written than by those who set no goals and wrote no words.

Time moves at warp speed during November when you participate in NaNoWriMo (you will see it on Twitter also as: #NaNoWriMo18.) It's hard to believe this is already the last day of the first week of NaNo18. So far, my word count is increasing at a steady pace. I expect it to continue in the same vein. What is my plan? I'm glad you asked.

The obvious answer is to have a plan. Whether you write by the seat of your pants or outline each chapter, a clear pathway from 0 to 50,000 words is your best solution to a surmountable challenge. Each year my plan varies. This year, I made a game of writing my 50 thousand words.

Until the end of October, I hadn't fully committed to doing NaNo this year. I have two manuscripts ready for editing, ones written for NaNo 2013 and 2016. In July, I published the manuscript that I worked on during NaNo 2015 and 2017 which became the novel SHARDS OF MEMORY Oral History in a Heartbeat.


With that much of a backlog, I figured my attention should be directed at editing and marketing. Granted, writing an original draft feels far more creative than revising and checking facts to support a train of thought within the story. But what convinced me to join NaNo this year were three better ideas:

1.) I would write a string of short stories that blended in with the parts of the 2016 manuscript that didn't make it into SHARDS OF MEMORY.

2.) These short stories would then be used for the April 2019 AtoZ Blog Challenge that lures me in year after year, just as NaNo does!

3.) The final product would become a companion piece for SHARDS OF MEMORY.

I'm not one to count my chickens before they're hatched. For now, I am enjoying the pleasure of writing the short stories. Also, a lesson has emerged: I'm learning so much about getting the beginning, middle, and ending of the story set, regardless of the length. (Did you know the only difference between a short story and a novel/novella is all those words in the middle?)

So, how am I doing?

G etting

R eally

E xcited

A bout

T omorrow

 

How is #NaNoWriMo18 going for you so far this year?

 

 

If you are interested in any of my NaNo publications, you can find them here:

available at Amazon.com https://amzn.to/2D9ZeMg





UPDATE: March 31 Cover Reveal on Facebook for DARK PARADISE: An Anthology

A long time coming, our anthology of 17 Hawaiian mystery short stories has been in the planning stages for two years. On Monday, April 3, Friday, March 31 we will hold a "Cover Reveal" on our Facebook page for DARK PARADISE Mysteries in the Land of Aloha.
(The Facebook page DARK PARADISE goes live on March 31, 2017)

Plan to visit with us on Facebook, Friday, March 31. Along with the cover reveal, we will share some of the short story plotlines, details about the authors, and tidbits of writing information we've picked up along the way. We'll even hold a book giveaway.

The anthology, with a Foreword by author Toby Neal, will be released in trade book and ebook formats at Amazon. Each of the 17 mystery short stories is set in Hawai'i and all offer unique perspectives about living in Paradise (spoiler: it's not all rainbows and Mai Tais.)

 

 

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Each participant blogging  for the cover reveal will reveal a tidbit about their short story . . . without giving away the plot. You can visit each site listed below to get a sneak peek at what is lurking behind the fabulous DARK PARADISE cover!

 

***   ***   ***

 

Gail's tidbit of information about Controlling Destiny, a mystery short story set in Hawai'i:

Freelance Reporter Cacao Janus knows few people choose to be homeless.

After the tragic death of a middle-aged woman living on the street,

Cacao decides to dig into the victim's background for answers.

The truth, as it unfolds, isn't pretty.

This is the third Cacao Janus mystery short story I've written for anthologies:

MYSTERY IN PARADISE 13 Tales of Suspense: Chinatown Conundrum

PARADISE PASSION MURDER: Crime of Dispassion

DARK PARADISE Mysteries in the Land of Aloha: Controlling Destiny

With this trilogy of short stories published, I will begin editing the first draft of the Cacao Janus novel, which I wrote during National Novel Writing Month in November 2013. The setting of the novel, as in the short stories, is Hawai'i.

 

***   ***   ***

List of participants' websites:

 

Gail M Baugniet http://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com

Laurie Hanan http://www.lauriehanan.space/blog/

David W. Jones http://dancingtreefrog.com/

D.V. Whytes http://www.whyteontherock.info/

Toby Neal https://www.facebook.com/LeiCrimeSeries/

Lizbeth Hartz https://www.authorlizbethhartz.com/blog/

D.S. Scott https://www.facebook.com/Sulfur-Silk-D-S-Scott-Writer-616324408427998/

A.J. Llewellyn http://www.ajllewellyn.com/site/blog/

***   ***   ***

 

A SLICE OF LIFE: Studying the Nature of People

My horoscope for today says I should “Study the nature of people today.” I interpret this to mean I should be more observant of my surroundings. This is good advice that has worked well for me in the past. 

In 1998, I decided to “become” a writer. After writing a few short stories, I started my first novel. An entirely new world opened up as I learned to see past the superficial façade of scenery and society, a very slow process for me. My reward for continuing to search and research was an accompanying symphony of sounds, changing colorless events into neon-flashing experiences. 

Blood Red Hibiscus
at Queen Kapiolani Gardens in Waikiki

Everything didn’t immediately and perpetually start coming up roses, or a profusion of hibiscus. I suffered my share of what life offers all of us in our turn. Last Saturday, a close friend since 1969 died. He, and the multi-hued colors he added to the world, will be sorely missed. 

My stories reflect some of life’s unsolicited offerings of fate. Not as a means of purging myself of uncomfortable memories; after all, we are made of memories; but to explore how the process of forging steel applies to life. 

As a result, I look at people in a new light, not to judge but to enjoy. I hear the words they say as they mean to say them, filtered through their experiences, not through my own. All of this helps me to flesh out my stories while creating entertaining and multi-dimensional characters and plots.

 

In bite-sized excerpts, A Slice of Life introduces you to my writing, my protagonist’s interactions with life, and the people who share her experiences. The following excerpt includes a slice of protagonist Pepper Bibeau’s back story. 

A Slice of Life: Excerpt from FOR EVERY ACTION

In this diner scene, Pepper holds a conversation with Toby, a Chicago homicide detective she meets during an insurance investigation that leads to murder. 

“Ursula was proud of her heritage,” I said. “It’s sad to think prejudice might have played a role in her death.”

Toby sighed and we retreated into our own thoughts until restaurant activity intruded. As customers left, more arrived to place orders for the fresh catch of the day.

“What about your relatives, Pepper?” Toby asked. “Do they live in Chicago?”

“Just Uncle Fred, my mother’s brother.” I pointed toward the ceiling. “He owns this apartment building.”

“Fred Cane still owns this place?” he asked.

Surprised Toby even knew of my uncle, I didn’t correct his pronunciation of the family name. Ka-ne, two syllables, was the Hawaiian word for male, and the name of a Hawaiian god.

“How do you know my uncle?”

“It would be more accurate to say I know the building. Or at least remember it was set up for demolition back in the 50s until some guy got it dumped on him as a sales bonus.”

I smiled at Toby’s description of the windfall Uncle Fred had received.

“With the riverfront Marina Towers absorbing available tenant interest in the area,” I said, “Uncle Fred suspected the company had written off the building as a bad investment.”

“He did a good job of turning it around.”

“His on-site management attracted financially secure tenants, and later he used the Chicago property as collateral to purchase coastline properties around the country. He still oversees the rental units personally.”

“And you?” Toby asked.

His topic-hopping caught me off guard again. I took a moment to collect my thoughts.

“I live in Wisconsin,” I said. “I travel a lot for insurance investigations.”

“Wisconsin your home state?”

“More of an adopted state. My father’s family settled in Wisconsin. Dad was in the military, stationed in Hawaii during the late 1930s. He and my mom met in Honolulu.”

“And she was Hawaiian?”

“Yes. Well, hapa.” I almost laughed at Toby’s look of confusion. “It means part, part Hawaiian. She married my dad on the Big Island in the spring of 1940 and I was born in Honolulu the following year.”

“Hawaii to Wisconsin, quite a leap.”

Whether he meant the weather, the culture, or just the distance, I had to agree. 

 

Thank you for joining me today. The first novel in the Pepper Bibeau Mystery Series,

FOR EVERY ACTION, is on sale at Amazon.com for 99 cents.

http://www.amazon.com/ACTION-Consequences-Pepper-Mystery-ebook/dp/B004VT3QRU/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1350893083&sr=1-1

If you have already read and enjoyed one of my novels, I would greatly appreciate your time

and effort in writing a book review for Amazon and/or Goodreads. 

 

H is for HONOLULU SHORT STORIES

To all the co-hosts of 2014 AtoZ CHALLENGE: Mahalo Nui Loa for all your hard work

and endless hours spent on making this another successful year.

For anyone not following, here is the link: A to Z Challenge Blog

and the hosts:
Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Author Stephen Tremp
Tina @ Life is Good
Damyanti @ Amlokiblogs
Jeremy @ Being Retro
Nicole Ayers - The Madlab Post
M. J. Joachim's Writing Tips
Heather M. Gardner
AJ @ Naturally Sweet
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian

 

The theme of my 2014 A-to-Z Blog Challenge is BLUES, PUPUS, and REVIEWS.

Monday & Wednesday - REVIEWS: mini-style book reviews

 

MYSTERY IN PARADISE 13 Tales of Suspense is a collection of twisted, heart-pumping tales of suspense in all its guises. This anthology features 13 utterly unforgettable short stories by 13 of the hottest authors to appear on Hawai’i’s literary scene. 

The mysterious glint in the eye of the mynah bird posing on the cover offers a promise of intrigue within. Honolulu’s Chinatown is the scene of several diverse mysteries that include a New Year’s Eve traditional cozy; a bloodless corpse; an off-duty HPD detective; and P.I. Jimmie Chan who takes on a seemingly simple infidelity case that soon turns deadly.

 

 

From Cozy Mystery, Urban Noir, and Gumshoe, to Classic Crime, you can’t go wrong. Why not let MYSTERY IN PARADISE 13 Tales of Suspense take you on a colorful trip around the islands and show you a bit about Hawaiian culture, its people, and life in paradise? 

Being involved in compiling, formatting, and publishing this anthology in 2013 was a unique and gratifying experience for me. Would I do it again? I’m still thinking. 

What is your experience with publishing?