*The images in this specific piece are granted copyright
privilege by: Public Domain, CCSAL, GNU Free Documentation Licenses, Fair
Use Under The United States Copyright Law, or given copyright privilege by the
copyright holder which is identified beneath the individual photo.
**Some of the links will have to be copied and then posted in
your search engine in order to pull up properly
***The CRC Blog welcomes submissions from published and unpublished fiction genre writers for INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION. Contact CRC Blog via email at caccoop@aol.com or personal Facebook messaging at https://www.facebook.com/car.cooper.7
****Sandra Arnold’s The Ash, the Well and
the Bluebell is #108 in the never-ending series called INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION where
the Chris Rice Cooper Blog (CRC)
focuses on one specific excerpt from a fiction genre and how that fiction
writer wrote that specific excerpt. All INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION links
are at the end of this piece.
Has this been published? And it is totally fine if the answer is no. If yes, what publisher and what publication date? Publisher is Mākaro Press, New Zealand. Published 15 August 2019
What is the date you began writing this
piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished the piece of
fiction? I began
researching the novel in 2013 and worked on the first draft during a writing
residency in the Marlborough Sounds (Left), a remote part of New Zealand in 2014. It
was completed early in 2019.
Where
did you do most of your writing for this fiction work? And please describe in detail. I write in my study which looks out over the Canterbury Plains to the
Southern Alps in the distance.
What
were your writing habits while writing this work ‒ did you drink something as
you wrote, listen to music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop;
specific time of day? On most days I wrote from 9.30 to 4.30, directly on my computer and
sometimes edited or did research in the evenings. I like complete silence while
I write, and the occasional cup of coffee.
What is
the summary of this fiction work? Losing her daughter to the Christchurch
earthquake sends Lily back to her childhood village in Northern England to
scatter Charlie’s ashes. It’s a place of ghosts for Lily after the mysterious
drowning of a school friend at the old village well – a tragedy somehow linked
to the death of a local woman accused of witchcraft three hundred years
earlier. Now Lily is back, she wants to find out what happened at the well and
the truth behind the swift departure of her friend Israel.
The Ash, the Well and the Bluebell spans three centuries and three
countries, exploring the love and history that makes a community, and the hate
and secrets that can destroy it.
Can you give the reader
just enough information for them to understand what is going on in the excerpt?
This excerpt is from Chapter 23 where an eleven-year-old boy from
England has been sent to New Zealand on the Child Migrant Scheme to live with a
foster family in 1956. This was a scheme established by the British Government
after the second world war to give orphans and impoverished children a better
chance of life in the colonies. This extract describes his first impressions.
Please
include just one excerpt and include page numbers as reference. This one excerpt can be as short or as long
as you prefer.
Israel wrote Tamahine at the top of his map when they crossed Cook Strait, and
highlighted the names of the Tasman Sea and the South Pacific Ocean. He wrote South Island and North Island on the land masses that lay on either side of the
Strait and drew the dolphins he saw swimming behind the ferry. On the boat trip
from Picton through the Sounds, he left his map on his seat and stood with his
elbows on the rail, taking in the swoop and soar of seabirds’ wings, the
intensity of blue above forested hills, the green glass sea made luminous by
light so intense he had to shield his eyes. Jesse McDonald’s words like drops
of coloured ink on water: the war; a bar in Mombasa; a Kiwi called Barry
Southgate; the torpedoed SS Khedive
Ismail; Scotland; shortages; emigration. And Fiona’s words merging into
this pattern and changing its colour and shape: five miscarriages; Weka Bay; Mr
and Mrs Southgate; music; singing; silence; solitude; the longing for a child.
They didn’t
press him for information about the voyage or leaving England. They let their
own stories settle inside him. They let him be silent.
He looked back at the frothing wake as the
boat sped past empty bays. He watched the light fade from the sky and
gold-edged clouds gather above the hills. In a distant bay he saw a house set
back from a beach and a man and a woman standing at the end of the jetty. The
boat approached and slowed and the elderly couple waved. As the boat glided
against the jetty, Israel leaned over the side and saw rainbows floating below
the surface of the water. He peered closer and to his amazement saw they were
jellyfish.
Jesse and Fiona
jumped off the boat, greeted the elderly couple and lifted bags and boxes onto
the jetty. Israel stayed on the boat and watched the water in the bay turn gold
as the sun sank behind a stand of dark trees. The skipper’s loud voice echoed
across the water as he gave news about a widow who’d opened a wool shop in
Picton, a boating accident in Havelock, and a little girl who’d fallen off a
jetty in Blenheim and drowned and whose body took three days to find. As he
unloaded the last box he nodded in Israel’s direction and in the same loud
voice said a couple of jokers on Pelorus Sound had had to send their pommy lads
back to the orphanage in the UK. Turned out to be nothing but trouble. Bloody
poms and their riff-raff. Send them all to bloody Australia, that’s what he’d
said to the wife. It was full of criminals already so the Aussies wouldn’t
notice the difference, ha ha. Anyway, he hoped the Southgates knew what they
were taking on.
The old lady’s
voice crisp around the edges: “He does have ears, you know.”
And the skipper:
“Yeah. Fair go, eh?” He tapped Israel’s shoulder: “Come on, mate, time to get
off.”
And then
everyone was waving and calling goodbye as the boat pulled away and disappeared
in furrows of foam.
In the seconds
that followed, Israel’s senses registered strange tangy scents rising from the
earth, trees that didn’t look like trees, and little brown birds that made a
sound like bells. The skipper’s voice: “Bloody poms and their riff-raff.” The
boys on the ship: “Pommy bastard. Go home, pom. Pommy dogs stink like frogs.” And the adults on the ship: “Doesn’t he talk funny? How on earth
can you understand him? It doesn’t even sound like English.” “Poor little motherless lamb. Poor
little orphan. Poor little homeless mite.”
But he wasn’t an orphan. He had a mother.
He had a home on the side of the world where the moon didn’t hang upside down.
Where trees looked like trees. Where birds sounded like birds. Where no one
asked him to repeat what he’d said.
His edges wobbled. Someone spoke his name.
Someone said,
“My dear boy. We’ve been looking forward to this so much.”
Someone said,
“Welcome to your new home.”
Someone said,
“And to your new family.
Why is this excerpt so
emotional for you to write? And can you describe your own emotional experience
of writing this specific scene/excerpt? I tried to get inside the mind and heart and feelings of this young boy
as he left everything familiar behind and faced his future in a strange land.
Were there any deletions from this excerpt that you can share with us? And can you please include a photo of your marked up rough drafts of this excerpt. I don’t keep rough drafts when the novel is finished.
Other works you have published?
A flash fiction collection: Soul
Etchings (Retreat West Books, UK, 2019)
A book on parental bereavement: Sing
No Sad Songs (Canterbury University Press, NZ, 2011)
A novel: Tomorrow’s Empire (Horizon
Press, NZ, 2000)
A novel: A Distraction of Opposites
(Hazard Press, NZ, 1992)
Anything you would like to add? Thank you, Christal, for your interesting questions and the opportunity to share this information.
Anything you would like to add? Thank you, Christal, for your interesting questions and the opportunity to share this information.
Sandra Arnold (Right: August of 2019) is an award-winning writer who lives in New
Zealand. She has a PhD in Creative Writing from Central Queensland University,
Australia and is the author of five books. Her most recent are a novel, The Ash, the Well and the Bluebell (Mākaro
Press, NZ, 2019) which was a finalist in the New Zealand Heritage Book Awards,
and a flash fiction collection, Soul Etchings (Retreat West Books,
UK, 2019). Her short fiction has been widely published in New Zealand and
internationally.
INSIDE THE EMOTION OF
FICTION links
001 11 15 2018 Nathaniel
Kaine’s
Thriller Novel
John
Hunter – The Veteran
002 11 18 2018 Ed
Protzzel’s
Futuristic/Mystery/Thriller
The
Antiquities Dealer
003 11 23 2018 Janice
Seagraves’s
Science
Fiction Romance
Exodus
Arcon
004 11 29 2018
Christian Fennell’s
Literary
Fiction Novel
The Fiddler
in the Night
005 12 02 2018 Jessica
Mathews’s
Adult
Paranormal Romance
Death
Adjacent
006 12 04 2018 Robin Jansen’s
Literary
Fiction Novel
Ruby the
Indomitable
007 12 12 2018 Adair Valerez’s
Literary
Fiction Novel
Scrim
008 12 17 218
Kit Frazier’s
Mystery Novel
Dead Copy
009 12 21 2019 Robert Craven’s
Noir/Spy Novel
The Road
of a Thousand Tigers
010 01 13 2019 Kristine Goodfellow’s
Contemporary
Romantic Fiction
The Other
Twin
011 01 17 2019 Nancy J Cohen’s
Cozy Mystery
Trimmed To
Death
012 01 20 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
Crime Novel
Second
Story Man
013 01 23 2019 Alexis Fancher’s
Flash Fiction
His Full
Attention
014 01 27 2019 Brian L Tucker’s
Young Adult/Historical
POKEWEED: AN ILLUSTRATED NOVELLA
015 01 31 2019 Robin Tidwell’s
Dystopian
Reduced
016 02 07 2019 J.D. Trafford’s
Legal
Fiction/Mystery
Little Boy
Lost
017 02 08 2019 Paula Shene’s
Young Adult
ScieFi/Fantasy/Romance/Adventure
My Quest
Begins
018 02 13 2019 Talia Carner’s
Mainstream
Fiction/ Suspense/ Historical
Hotel
Moscow
019 02 15 2019 Rick Robinson’s
Multidimensional
Fiction
Alligator
Alley
020 02 21 2019 LaVerne Thompson’s
Urban Fantasy
The Soul
Collectors
021 02 27 2019 Marlon L Fick’s
Post-Colonialist
Novel
The
Nowhere Man
022 03 02 2019 Carol Johnson’s
Mainstream
Novel
Silk And
Ashes
023 03 06 2019 Samuel Snoek-Brown’s
Short Story
Collection
There Is
No Other Way to Worship Them
024 03 08 2019 Marlin Barton’s
Short Story
Collection
Pasture
Art
025 03 18 2019 Laura Hunter’s
Historical
Fiction
Beloved
Mother
026 03 21 2019 Maggie Rivers’s
Romance
Magical
Mistletoe
027 03 25 2019 Faith
Gibson’s
Paranormal
Romance
Rafael
028 03 27 2019 Valerie Nieman’s
Tall Tale
To The
Bones
029 04 04 2019 Betty Bolte’s
Paranormal
Romance
Veiled
Visions of Love
030 04 05 2019 Marianne
Maili’s
Tragicomedy
Lucy, go
see
031 04 10 2019 Gregory Erich Phillips’s
Mainstream
Fiction
The Exile
032 04 15 2019 Jason Ament’s
Speculative
Fiction
Rabid Dogs
033 04 24 2019 Stephen P. Keirnan’s
Historical
Novel
The
Baker’s Secret
034 05 01 2019 George Kramer’s
Fantasy
Arcadis:
Prophecy Book
035 05 05 2019 Erika Sams’s
Adventure/Fantasy/Romance
Rose of Dance
036 05 07 2019 Mark Wisniewski’s
Literary
Fiction
Watch Me
Go
037 05 08 2019 Marci Baun’s
Science
Fiction/Horror
The
Whispering House
038 05 10 2019 Suzanne M. Wolfe’s
Historical
Fiction
Murder By
Any Name
039 05 12 2019 Edward DeVito’s
Historical/Fantasy
The
Woodstock Paradox
040 05 14 2019 Gytha Lodge’s
Literary/Crime
She Lies
In Wait
041 05 16 2019 Kari Bovee’s
Historical
Fiction/Mystery
Peccadillo
At The Palace: An Annie Oakley Mystery
042 05 20 2019 Annie Seaton’s
Time Travel
Romance
Follow Me
043 05 22 2019 Paula Rose Michelson’s
Inspirational
Christian Romance
Rosa &
Miguel – Love’s Legacy: Prequel to The Naomi
Chronicles
044 05 24 2019 Gracie C McKeever’s
BDMS/Interracial
Romance
On The
Edge
045 06 03 2019 Micheal Maxwell’s
Mystery
The Soul
of Cole
046 06 04 2019 Jeanne Mackin’s
Historical
The Last
Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli
and
Coco
Chanel
047 06 07 2019 Philip Shirley’s
Suspense/Thriller
The
Graceland Conspiracy
048 06 08 2019 Bonnie Kistler’s
Domestic
Suspense
The House
on Fire
049 06 13 2019 Barbara Taylor Sissel’s
Domestic
Suspense/Family Drama
Tell No
One
050 06 18 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
Short Story/
Crime Fiction
“No Good Deed” from Down to the River
051 06 19 2019 Rita Dragonette’s
Historical
Fiction
The
Fourteenth of September
052 06 20 2019 Nona
Caspers’s
Literary
Novel/Collage
The Fifth
Woman
053 06 26 2019 Jeri Westerson’s
Paranormal
Romance
Shadows in
the Mist
054 06 28 2019 Brian Moreland’s
Horror
The
Devil’s Woods
055 06 29 2019
Epic Fantasy
Wings
Unseen
056 07 02 2019 Randee Green’s
Mystery Novel
Criminal
Misdeeds
057 07 03 2019 Saralyn Ricahrd’s
Mystery Novel
Murder In
The One Percent
#058 07 04 2019 Hannah Mary McKinnon’s
Domestic Suspense
Her Secret
Son
#059 07 05 2019 Sonia Saikaley’s
Contemporary
Women’s Literature
The
Allspice Bath
#060 07 09 2019 Olivia Gaines’s
Romance
Suspense Serial
Blind Luck
#061 07 11 2019 Anne Raeff’s
Literary
Fiction
Winter
Kept Us Warm
#062 07 12 2918 Vic Sizemore’s
Literary
Fiction-Short Stories
I Love You
I’m Leaving
#063 07 13 2019 Deborah Riley Magnus’s
Dark
Paranormal Urban Fantasy
THE ORPHANS
BOOK ONE: THE LOST RACE
TRILOGY
#064 07 14 2019 Elizabeth Bell’s
Historical
Fiction
NECESSARY
SINS
#065 07 15 2019 Lori Baker Martin’s
Literary Novel
BITTER
WATER
#066 08 01 2019 Sabine Chennault’s
Historical
Novel
THE
CORPSMAN’S WIFE
#067 08 02 2019 Margaret Porter’s
Historical Biographical
Fiction
BEAUTIFUL
INVENTION: A NOVEL OF HEDY LAMARR
#068 08 04 2019 Hank Phillippi Ryan’s
Suspense
THE MURDER
LIST
069 08 08 2019 Diana Y. Paul’s
Literary
Mainstream Fiction
THINGS
UNSAID
070 08 10 2019 Phyllis H. Moore’s
Women’s
Historical Fiction
BIRDIE
& JUDE
071 08 11 2019 Sara Dahmen’s
Historical
Fiction
TINSMITH 1865
072 08 19 2019 Carolyn
Breckinridge’s
Short Story
Collection
KALIEDESCOPE
& OTHER STORIES
073 08 21 2019 Alison Ragsdale’s
Emotional Women’s
Fiction
THE ART OF
REMEMBERING
074 08 22 2019 Lee
Matthew Goldberg’s
Suspense
Thriller
THE DESIRE
CARD
075 08 23 2019 Jonathan Brown’s
Mystery/Amateur
P.I.
THE BIG
CRESCENDO
076 09 02 2019 Chera Hammons Miller’s
Literary
Fiction w/ suspense, concern with animals & land management
Monarchs
of the Northeast Kingdom
077 09 09 019 Joe William Taylor’s
Literary
Mystery
The Theoretics of Love
078 09 15 2019 Linda Hughes’s
Romantic Suspense
Secret of the Island
079 09 19 2019 Max Elliot Anderson’s
Middle Grade Adventure/Mystery
Snake Island
080 09 22 2019 Danny Adams’s
Science Fiction
Dayworld: A Hole In Wednesday
081 09 24 2019 Arianna Dagnino’s
Social/Historical/Adventure
The Afrikaner
082 09 29 2019 Lawrence Verigin’s
Thriller/Suspense
Seed of Control
083 10 05 2019 Emma Khoury’s
Fantasy
The Sword And Shield
#084 10 07 2019 Steve McManus’s
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
SEVEN DEVILS
#085 10 08 2019 Sheila Lowe’s
Mystery/Psychological/Suspense
with Scientific Bent
PROOF OF LIVE
#086 10 10 2019 Jess Neal Woods’s
Historical Fiction
THE PROCESS OF FRAYING
#087 10 11 2019 Karen Odden’s
Historical
Suspense
A TRACE OF DECEIT
#88 10 14 2019 Kate Maruyama’s
Love, Loss
& Supernatural
“HARROWGATE”
#89 10 17 2019 Sherry Harris’s
Mystery
“LET’S FAKE A
DEAL”
#90 10 18 2019 Linda Mooney’s
Science
Fiction Apocalyptic/ Post Apocalyptic
“THE TRUNK”
#91 10 19 2019 Jayne Martin’s
Flash Fiction Short Story Collection
“TENDER CUTS”
#92 10 22 2019 Janice Cole Hopkins’s
Inspirational
Romance
“IT ALL STARTED AT THE MASQUERADE”
#93 10 29 2019 Kristi Petersen Schoonover’s
Short Story Collection
“THE SHADOWS
BEHIND”
#94 11 01 2019 David Henry Sterry’s
Fiction:
Sexual Violence
“THE TENDERLOIN WARS”
#95
11 03 2019 Jay Requard’s
Dark Fantasy/Horror
“DEATH
& DUST: THE PALE SAND ADVENTURES”
#96
11 04 2019 Caroline Leavitt’s
Fiction
“WITH
OR WITHOUT YOU”
#97 11 06 2019 Kelsey Clifton’s
Science
Fiction
“A DAY OUT OF TIME”
#098 11 13 2019 John F Allen’s
Urban Fantasy
Tale
“The God
Killers’
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/11/98-inside-emotion-of-fiction-god.html
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/11/98-inside-emotion-of-fiction-god.html
#99 11 16 2019 Damian McNicholl’s
Historical
Novel
“The Moment of Truth”
#100 11 19 2019 Stacia Levy’s
Mystery/Suspense
Novel
“Girl Crush”
#101 11 24 2019 Charlotte Morgan’s
Fiction Novel
“Protecting Elvis”
#102 11 26 2019 T. L. Moore’s
Children’s
Christian Fiction
“Ed On My Shoulder:
Maria & The Candy Trail”
#103
11 27 2019 Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg’s
Coming of Age Literary Novel
The Nine
#104 11 29 2019 Charlotte Blackwell’s
Adult
Paranormal
“MYSTIC EMBRACE”
#105 12 07 2019 Mike Burrell’s
Satire Novel
“THE LAND OF GRACE”
#106 12 09 2019 Phil McCarron’s
Screenplay
“Escapement”
#107 12 11 2019 Wendy H. Jones’s
Crime
Fiction/Police Procedural Novel
“KILLER’S COUNTDOWN”
#108 12 13 2019 Sandra Arnold’s
Historical
Literary Fiction
“The Ash, the Well and the Blue Bell”
No comments:
Post a Comment