historical fiction with a splash of speculation

Timeworn Literary Journal publishes historical fiction with a splash of speculation. They currently invite submissions of previously unpublished 2000- 5000-word stories BEFORE January 31, 2020. No fee to submit. They pay $25 if they accept your story. Here are the guidelines: https://www.timewornlit.com/submit

novel WENDIGO WHISPERS by Alex McGilvery reviewed by Elma Schemenauer

Leigh Dalrymple hears voices in her head. The novel WENDIGO WHISPERS begins by describing them: "The voices in her head wouldn't have been nearly so bad if they just made sense. A discordant children's chorus instead of words, sometimes they were barely audible and other times they drowned out even her own thoughts."

 

A doctor prescribes a powerful cocktail of drugs that keep Leigh's voices away and help her cope with her life as a teacher. When she and her husband move to the fictional town of Spruce Bay in northern Manitoba, Leigh falls in love with her class of grade threes. They're a lively, imaginative group of "white, Cree and others." They love her and she does well with them.

 

But social issues plague Spruce Bay. In the words of the novel, " There are a lot of lost and hopeless people in the town." Some seek solace in alcohol or drugs; some shirk their responsibilities as parents. As a result, "feral" (wild) children roam the streets, many suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome and/or the effects of having drug-addicted parents.

 

Along with her police-officer husband, Leigh works hard to help children and their parents, and "make hope real again." But when somebody steals Leigh's medication, the voices rush back into her head, and life spirals out of control. A Cree grandmother says there's a "dark spirit" inside Leigh. The grandmother, or kohkom, seeks to counteract it with traditional Cree remedies and spirituality. Between the grandmother's ministrations and a (delayed) renewal of Leigh's prescription, her mental state improves.

 

However, external forces are out to get Leigh. Powerful people in the community—people in positions of trust, who should know and do better—exploit feral children. They get the children to do their dirty work for them because the kids are too young to be charged with criminal offences. There's big money to be made, especially in the drug trade. The most nefarious of these unscrupulous characters says of Leigh, "This is the bitch that caused all our problems, making people care. Offering hope to the poor children."

 

I'll leave you as a reader discover how the conflict plays out. It's a rough ride but I think the story will keep you interested, thinking, and caring. The novel is well-plotted and fast-paced with strong characterization and flashes of wry humour. I would have liked to see references to Christian and maybe other religious influences, which would probably exist in a community like Spruce Bay. Also, the novel could have used more proofreading, but otherwise I give WENDIGO WHISPERS and its author high marks. The book is the first in the Spruce Bay series. The other two are CRY OF THE WHITE MOOSE and DISPUTED ROCK. They're all available on Amazon, or from https://books2read.com/ap/x2o0ZR/Alex-McGilvery, or from the author, Alex McGilvery at celticfrog@live.com .

 

 

 

 

inside the book business Feb 12, 2020

Next Interior Authors Group meeting is Wednesday February 12 at 6:30 PM in the North Shore Community Centre on Cottonwood in Kamloops. Elma Schemenauer will speak on the topic INSIDE THE BOOK BUSINESS, based on her many years in Toronto working for Canadian and international publishers as an editor, author, and consultant.

don't fall for a book-publishing scam

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Book-publishing scammers are out there. Many are North American companies who hire people in the Philippines & elsewhere to try to dupe authors yearning to be published or republished. Good article here: https://accrispin.blogspot.com/2019/08/from-philippines-not-with-love-plague.html

your role as a writer in an age of rapidly changing technologies

Wondering about your role as a writer in an age of rapidly changing technologies? Isaac Asimov said this about that in 1986. Still true today. https://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/isaac-asimov-your-future-as-a-writer

CANCER…NO LAUGHING MATTER (BUT IT HELPS) by Glynis M. Belec, review by Elma Schemenauer

I have several things in common with Glynis M. Belec. We're sisters in Christ, sharing the same faith. We're both writers. And we're both thankful survivors of ovarian cancer. She was a pioneer in that regard. She got it before I did—and encouraged me when I was diagnosed with the same cancer a few years later.

Glynis shares her experiences and hard-won wisdom in the book CANCER…NO LAUGHING MATTER (BUT IT HELPS). She writes in a friendly accessible style with a "READER'S DIGEST" tone. I like her short chapters. They kept me reading, saying to myself "just one more chapter," and then a few minutes later "just one more chapter."

The book is a good blend of medical information, personal experience, and inspiration. Glynis's faith comes through in many ways, but as she says in the introduction, the book is not only for Christians. Any reader interested in the subject will get a lot out of it.

Here are a few of my favourite quotations:

"I am trying not to waste my cancer." Glynis uses cancer as a challenging source of personal growth and a means of reaching out and helping others.

"I wasn't going to be a noodle-spine." She emphasizes the importance of courage.

"Of all the things I miss, I think I miss my mind the most." This is a humorous reference to chemo brain, the fuzzy thinking that can be a side-effect of chemotherapy.

"Community forms. The cancers may be different, but patients share a common bond sitting like nervous children sent to the principal's office awaiting our fate." This common bond is reflected in Glynis's generous decision to share other people's cancer stories in her book. There are more than a dozen altogether—some survivors and some who unfortunately passed away. I'm privileged to be included in the book and pleased to recommend it to others.

Published by Angel Hope Publishing, it's a 233-page paperback, price $20. Available online from Amazon.