“WANTED: Red-faced, port-wine complexioned and gone-to-seed colonel as model.” This strange classified was drafted in the early 1930s by a pioneering English color photographer who went by the name Yevonde. Today she’s best known for her 1935 “Goddesses” series, society beauties posed as green-, blue-, and gold-hued deities, shot for an exhibition to mark the […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/08/19/a-riot-of-color-yevonde/
Sinead O’Connor, who passed away on July 26, was only twenty-three when she released her second, seminal album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, but she “had by then lived a lifetime and would go on to live several more,” writes the philosopher FT in an essay published earlier this month on NYR […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/08/19/the-decadent-life-of-the-mind-ft/
Finding Andy’s Home follows the adventurous journey of a curious tortoise and his clever cat friend as they traverse Germany, unraveling secrets and learning about themselves in a quest to discover Andy’s origins. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Unlike Andy, the tortoise, I am an immigrant who knows where I come from. The subject of home and belonging wherever one finds themselves is universal. Nostalgia and lack of belonging are triggers for any immigrant. I wanted to write a book that, if anyone read it, they would find comfort in knowing that an unlikely friendship can make one feel at home even when away from home.
You chose to set the story in Germany and include aspects of immigration and travel. What led you to incorporate these themes, and what do you hope young readers take away from them?
On 29 April 2015, a story was published in The Local (a German online magazine) titled “Munich Police Save Giant Tortoise From Train Tracks.” I recall thinking about where that tortoise was heading to. Was it lost or wanted to escape? And where was home? Meanwhile, this newsworthy story happened in the background of events that shook the global community: 2015 saw the largest exodus of people fleeing the Syrian Civil War and the Germanwings plane crash. These two events fixated the subjects of immigration, home, and travel into my mind.
I hope this story will teach young readers to be open-minded about making friends outside their comfort circle. I, too, have to remind myself that home can be the friends I make.
How did you and illustrator, Silja Schüler, collaborate to ensure that the illustrations beautifully emphasized the storyline? Can you share any insights into the creative process behind the visual aspects of the book?
This book was my second collaboration with Silja. I prefer to give an illustrator the freedom to visualize the story first without me meddling with initial instructions. After seeing the sketches, we discuss changes and improvements before painting.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I have a few ongoing projects but have committed this year to poetry. The next book will be available hopefully before the end of this year.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
Können eine Schildkröte und eine Katze trotz ihrer Unterschiede Freunde sein? Andy ist eine afrikanische Riesenschildkröte, die als Haustier nach Deutschland kommt. Dort trifft er die Hauskatze Audi. Trotz ihrer Unterschiede werden sie enge Freunde. Gemeinsam machen sie sich auf den Weg, mehr über Andys Herkunft zu erfahren. Begleiten Sie die beiden Freunde bei ihren Abenteuern. Zeigen Sie Ihren Kindern, wie wichtig es ist, dem Anderen offen und freundlich zu begegnen und ermutigen Sie sie, Fragen zu stellen.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/08/19/home-and-belonging/
White Cat unveils the intricate life of a centenarian through letters and artifacts, weaving a tapestry of history, emotion, and mystery across eras like World War 2 and the approach of apartheid-era South Africa. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Initially, a family connection made it important: Barbara was my aunt and the last of her generation, and, during her last years, shared with me a lot of family history and anecdotal material which, I suspected, no other family member had been aware of. The instigation for the actual writing was her disclosure of her extra-marital relations with the army spy whom I have called Hugh in the book. In fact, she refused to tell me his real name, which I put down to the unwavering wartime sense of duty of her generation. She suffered for this relationship and it became important to me to witness to the resilience and courage – evidenced also by her own wartime actions – of the person she was. Then my therapist persona jumped in and I realised that I had the material for a favourite theme of mine, namely, the passage of our lives through our heredity mixed with our contacts with others, the strands from which the thread of life is spun.
Can you elaborate on the real events that inspired “White Cat” and how you balanced historical accuracy with creative storytelling?
Wars, in this case, the Boer War in South Africa and World War 2, provide grand tableaux which, if we are not careful, distract us from the reality that it is the lives of the people which make up the picture. I knew that my grandfather lost a leg in an engagement in the Boer War, that a granduncle drowned in South Africa in undocumented circumstances and was ‘disappeared’ by his family, and that Barbara’s paramour, the military spy, vanished in Vienna. The great events provided a stage on which to play this out, but the real drama was about the lives of individuals. I had considerable material from my firsthand acquaintance with many of the individuals. I also had family anecdotal evidence of the personalities of the generation before, enough to be able to ‘write back’ some family traits which I knew of from my own day. So the narrative of the story grew also from what I could believe or impute for the characters concerned. This formula, such as it was, gave me enough scope for creativity in storytelling. The one enigma was Harry, my granduncle, and, whilst I offer a therapist perspective on his death, I leave it for the reader to decide.
The book’s narrative structure, weaving together elements of historical fiction, memoir, and mystery, is unique. What challenges did you face in crafting this multi-layered story, and how did you overcome them?
This was a challenge. I knew how I was going to start and I knew where the book was going to end. In fact, I wrote the final chapter not long after the first and I changed it very little. I knew I had two main storylines, the love story of Barbara and Hugh, and the tragedies of the family in South Africa: they were roughly 50 years and 10,000 miles apart. That in itself intrigued me. It was the letters that gave me the answer. Within my cast of characters over four generations, there were enough people who either did, because I had some letters, or plausibly could have, written to each other across the generations, for this to provide the continuity and create for Barbara the pivotal role in the overall drama.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
The first sequel to White Cat is already out. It is called And Then There Are The Stories. It follows the fortunes of Hugh and Nobomi, starting in Vienna and then moving back to South Africa, ending in the Drakensberg mountains on the border between Eastern Cape and Lesotho. It is largely fictional – I was unable to find any trace of a likely Hugh in the National Archives once he moved from his military unit to the FSS. But there is one scene in Vienna for which I found sufficient family material to make possible a reconstruction. I have adopted a different format in this sequel, the main storyline being carried by the accounts given by a series of ‘outside’ characters, whose lives become involved in different ways.
I am now working on the third and final sequel, which is more or less present-day, though with allusions to some material in White Cat, as well as to the two main characters of the first sequel. The two figurehead names of White Cat reappear, though they might not be related to their namesakes there, but they continue my theme of the thread of life. This final sequel is called River.
Author Links: Goodreads | Facebook | Website | www.life-counselling.co.uk
This family saga begins at an end, with the death of Barbara at 104, the last of her generation, and the end of an era. She was the custodian of memories and memorabilia from four generations – her larger-than-life grandfather converted by a Quaker nurse, a father in the Boer War in South Africa, an uncle who mysteriously drowned in the Indian Ocean, his African girl-friend and the child he never saw, Barbara’s own paramour a spy in post-war occupied Vienna…and her own heroism in that war.
The reader passes through the abandoned rooms of her house, as the story unfolds by way of narrative and letters which create an immediacy, even intimacy, with the various players in the drama.
“… a confusion of sets and settings when the action moved, sometimes you could see it but sometimes it was offstage and reported, and then you have to trust the word passed down across the terraces of history, the hardships, the joys, the resentments, the hopes, the terror, the humanity, the resilience… and somewhere back along the way, still tolling, the bourdon bell which marked the tide of war.”
The White Cat? – no, six in all, and a question left unanswered.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/08/19/the-thread-of-life/
Destroy Creation: Phase II continues the saga of Dr. Larson’s manipulation of Thomas and his psychic abilities and sheds light on the backstory of how he arrived where he is now. What was the inspiration for your story?
The true inspiration for this story mostly came from the dichotomy of creating and destroying. I’m a huge Pink Floyd fan, and much of their music has inspired stories and poetry I have written over the years. When I did some research into their music and learned of their underlying tones of dichotomy in their album The Dark Side of the Moon, I went down a rabbit hole of finding my own original idea for a story. What was originally just a short story I’d written which was the ending of Create Destruction, begged a more conclusive ending. In Create Destruction, we followed Thomas on his almost self-destructive journey of losing himself and his identity all while choosing to do so. Even when he didn’t choose, not doing so was still a choice. Destroy Creation follows Thomas on his road of consequences and what he hoped would be redemption. Much like the lives we all live, we make choices based on thoughts, feelings, or beliefs and then must be ready for the potential consequences that may follow. Thomas is no different despite his abilities and much like myself, he only strived to make a difference in the world and I hope he did.
The writing in your story is extremely artful and creative. Was it a conscious effort to create a story in this fashion, or is this style of writing reflective of your writing style in general?
I’m quite sure everyone that knows me well would describe me as being an extrovert. I say that to say that in most cases I have a tendency to stand out whether it’s my obnoxious laugh, witty humor, philosophical insights, or talking to strangers, I wanted my writing style to stand out as well. I understand the fact that verse writing looks different from traditional prose that so many have come to read over the centuries. What I enjoy about poetry is that there are no boundaries, loose rules, and a simpler way to convey complex stories or emotions. I’m a poet at heart but I’m also a storyteller and without dragging an idea out for multiple books for some money grab or being overly complex I chose to keep this story short. Short in the sense that all that I wrote was important to the story, characters, and lessons learned, leaving out the fluff, and omitting less impactful occurrences for the sake of word or page count. Call it quality of quantity or more is less and less is more if you must. The beauty of poetry is that it gives me the freedom to choose my words, the way they are conveyed on the page, and even the way I intend for them to be read.
What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?
Being in the military has certainly had the biggest impact on my writing. It has led me down some dark and light paths, granting me perspectives on life I never would have obtained had I chosen another path. Having spent time overseas in combat zones, alone in my room on holidays, and absent from my wife and children, family, and friends, gave me a lot of time to think about what matters in life. More so, on the legacy I want to leave behind and the specific lessons I deem important to teach. One could say the military made me more self-aware and that awareness has interwoven itself into my writings and storytelling. You’ll find these snippets here and there whenever I tell a military story, or speak of an individual I know. Sometimes it’s just as simple as the character or story. Other times, it’s the very way I think and feel and it’s all left up to interpretation.
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
I had ideas of expanding this story early on but I don’t know how I feel about them now with how this series ended. This was a huge passion project for me and while I love the story and I’m sure I could go further, sometimes the end is necessary. It’s not to say that I won’t continue to improve and hone my writing skills and create captivating characters and unimaginable stories that take readers for a ride. What I’d like to take from this story is the philosophical underpinnings, the matters of choice and consequences, and hopefully interweave them into future stories that follow characters searching for something more.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Instagram | Website
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/08/19/self-destructive-journey/
Putney Hicks, an enterprising and tech-savvy seventh grader, is at the heart of an enthralling tale that combines determination, creativity, and youthful ambition. Putney Hicks Inventor Adventures 3: Project First Flight by Marsha Tufft thrusts our protagonist into a complex world where her swimming prowess is not up to the mark, and the approaching competition looms large in her thoughts.
The narrative artfully centers on Putney’s evolving concern over her swimming abilities. Her journey through the often turbulent waters of practice sessions provides an emotionally rich subplot that ripples through the story, heightening the stakes of the impending competition. Compounding these challenges is the added dimension of Putney’s family relocating to a new home, weaving an intricate pattern of conflicts and resolutions.
Assisting Putney in her multifaceted endeavors are her dependable AI assistant, Sam, and her devoted canine companion, Henry. By means of her innovative magic eyePad, Putney converses with Sam’s hologram, receiving both guidance and encouragement. Moreover, Putney’s brilliance shines through her creation of a life-like hummingbird droid, a testament to her imagination and technological savvy.
The plot thickens and takes an unforeseen twist when Putney discovers that her previous best friend has become her principal rival in the pool, now living next door. This development sets the stage for a deeper exploration of focus, rivalry, and the challenges of adolescence.
While the book takes readers on a fantastic adventure brimming with technological wonders, friendships, and school-life dilemmas, it does have minor drawbacks. Some may find the pace occasionally slow and the suspense not fully fleshed out. I think certain dialogues between characters might appear somewhat stilted. Nevertheless, these are but small blemishes on an otherwise vivid canvas, and the inclusion of thematic elements such as butterflies—directly inspired by Putney’s fascination with them—add an enlightening and charming touch that will captivate readers.
Putney Hicks Inventor Adventures 3: Project First Flight is well-suited for young adults and teenagers with a penchant for thrilling escapades and a zeal for gadgets and technology. Through a blend of engaging storytelling and educational insights, Marsha Tufft has crafted a novel that resonates with the curious minds of today’s youth.
Pages: 28 | ISBN : 0692156135
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/08/19/project-first-flight-putney-hicks-inventor-adventures-book-3/
Penn Fawn’s The Burglar is an absolutely captivating short story. The narrative skillfully unfolds around Springer, who finds himself awakened by an intruder stumbling over a computer cord in his apartment. The intense yet delicately crafted conversation between the two characters is truly mesmerizing and adds an alluring touch to the prose.
Fawn’s ambitious writing style brings a fresh perspective to the genre, and the themes explored in the story are thought-provoking and engaging. It’s truly impressive how the author manages to weave so many themes, motifs, and lessons into just 25 pages, leaving readers contemplating people’s intentions, boundaries, and acceptance of events and individuals in their own lives days after finishing the story. While some critics might find fault with the formal vernacular and sentence structure, I believe these elements add a unique flair to the narrative, emphasizing Fawn’s creativity and individuality as an author. Moreover, the characters’ reactions and responses to the break-in, though unconventional, offer a fresh and intriguing perspective. Springer’s nonchalant and dismissive demeanor in such a situation challenges the norm and sparks curiosity in the minds of readers, making them rethink how they would react in similar circumstances.
The Burglar is an excellent book that deserves to find its way to the top of the award lists. For those who appreciate ambitious and thought-provoking storytelling, this short story is an absolute gem. I commend Penn Fawn’s ingenuity in crafting such an incendiary tale that lingers in the reader’s mind long after the book’s amazing conclusion.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/08/19/the-burglar/