A New Blog

I have given it a great deal of thought and decided to start a new blog. I dearly love this old one; I’ve had it since 2008. But I feel I have outgrown it and its time to have something a bit more professional. I have no intention of closing this old blog down, but I don’t plan to update this one any more. If you want to hear more about my literary journey, my new blog is where you'll find me.

So, without further ado, here is my new Wordpress blog. 

To Walk Invisible

I recently watched the new Masterpiece Theater Drama “To Walk Invisible,” which features the story of the Bronte family. The only Bronte that I ever liked was Anne Bronte, who wrote “Agnes Grey” and “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.” But I loved the idea of a movie depicting the lives of three literary sisters in Victorian England. I love movies about women writers.

I loved it. It’s very gritty; don’t expect something pristine or wholesome. This is not Jane Austen or one of her comedy of manners. While the stars of the Bronte sisters rose, the star of Branwell Bronte – their ne’er do well brother – fell. He became addicted to alcohol and possibly drugs; the movie shows how he spiraled out of control and how it affected the lives of his three sisters and his elderly father. “To Walk Invisible” also implied that the Bronte sisters incorporated their brother and his troubles into their works, “Jane Eyre,” “Wuthering Heights,” and “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.” Though the Bronte sisters achieved success, it was short-lived. The three sisters died before their time, and their father outlived them all, and faced having to bury his children.

Unlike “Becoming Jane” and “Miss Austen Regrets” (biopics on Jane Austen) there are no manufactured romances in “To Walk Invisible.” This is simply a story of three women who are determined to pursue happiness no matter what obstacles lie in their path. The world was against them: society frowned on women who earned a living; Christians condemned their books; they had to use male pseudonyms to be taken seriously and then a rumor started that “Currer Bell” (Charlotte Bronte) was really the author of all of their novels. But they persevered. 

I read “Jane Eyre” a lifetime ago and didn’t like it. I always considered myself a Jane Austen girl. But lately I recently re-read it and fell in love with this passionate book. So, I am going to give “Wuthering Heights” a try and see where that leads. 

Rescuers

The movie, “The Zookeeper’s Wife” has finally been released in theaters. I am ecstatic! I have been waiting at least two years for this movie to debut. It is the story of Antonina and Jan Zabinski who managed the Warsaw Zoo and during WWII, they saved approximately 300 Jews from genocide. They were later honored by the Yad Vashem and considered the Righteous Among the Nations.

 Those who rescued Jews were an interesting breed of people. No two were exactly alike; their motives for risking their lives and the lives of their families varied. 

Some were like Corrie ten Boom and believed that the Jewish were God’s chosen people and had to be spared.

Others were like Oskar Schindler, who never set out to save Jews, yet he fell in love with his Jewish workers. "I knew the people who worked for me. When you know people, you have to behave towards them like human beings." Schindler said, when asked why he did what he did. Though not a “good” man by the standards of most, when others looked away, Schindler helped.

Leopold Socha, a former thief turned sewer worker, stumbled upon several Jewish people hiding in the sewers of Lvov. He promised to help them for a price, and then influenced by his Catholic faith and the friendship that developed, he continued to hide them when they could no longer afford to pay him. After the war, he died saving his own daughter’s life and the ones he hid returned to honor his memory.

Miep Gies knew the Frank and van Pels families and Fritz Pfeffer personally and insisted that she never did anything heroic. She simply did what many other Dutch countrymen and women did. That she saved Anne Frank’s diary was by sheer happenstance. 

Stefania Podgorska also knew two of the thirteen people she rescued, and after the war she married one of them.

Irena Sendler’s father had been a physician and died treating poor Jewish people who had typhus. He had always taught her that, “If you see a man drowning, you must jump in and save him, even if you cannot swim.” That belief led her to become a social worker and then become involved with Zegota; in turn she and numerous others saved 2500 lives.

The rescuers were simply ordinary people who were given the chance to do the right thing. That was the one thing they all had in common.

I’m going to end this post with one of my favorite prayers: “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.”

Writing is Hard

I’m sure some of you have seen this meme bouncing around the internet. And it’s true: writing is hard. But publication is harder.

I’ve recently had another story accepted for publication. I was on the verge of tearing my hair out, fretting that I would never be published again. You never know, really. Writing/Publishing is a subjective business. What works for one magazine or publication won’t work for another. I’ve had editors tell me that they really liked and enjoyed my stories, but that they just didn’t cut the mustard. They loved it, but they weren’t “in love” with it. It’s not personal; it’s never personal. Yet we always take it personally.

I should know by now that there is no exact time frame for submission to acceptance/publication. My latest story was written back in September of 2016 and was only accepted in March of 2017. I had to do a revision on it too. Though it was good, it needed polishing. Many stories do. Take it as a sign of encouragement if an editor responds and asks you for a rewrite. They are investing their time in you and giving you a second chance. It’s a complement, really.

One story I wrote, “Saving Grace” was originally written way back in 2013 and didn’t appear in print until 2015. That’s two years.

“A Grave Discovery,” my little murder mystery, had been written in October of 2015 and was accepted by New Zenith Magazine in June 2016. Eight months and I was just about to throw in the towel. Sadly, that magazine has since ceased publication. (I am determined to get this one published again though.)

“An Agoraphobic in Europe,” was written in September of 2015 and wasn’t published until over a year later.

Another interesting fact: 90% of what I write, I write with one publication in mind. However, rarely does that publication ever accept or publish what I have written. I can’t tell you how many times I have submitted stories to Guideposts, Highlights, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and Reader’s Digest, only to have my stories accepted elsewhere.

Manic obsession and perseverance is the only real advice I can give about writing or publication. You receive twenty rejections for a story, submit it again. Submission twenty-one could be it. Don’t take “no” for an answer.

Until next time!

My Internet Publications

To organize this blog a little better, I have moved the promotion of my internet publications to this page. So here they are, all of my little darlings. Hopefully there will be more to come!

I guest blogged on the Artist Unleashed in January of 2017. To read my article, click here. 

GoWorldTravel.com published my essay, "An Agoraphobic in Europe." You may read it here. 

New Zenith Magazine (ceased publication), Summer 2016 Issue. Features my story, "A Grave Discovery." You may purchase it here. 





I am a regular contributor to the blog, Femnista. To read my articles, click here. 

Fun Facts

Below are a number of fun facts about my new WIP that takes place in Poland during and after WWII.

One of the main characters is named Lidia. She was named after the tour guide of the group I was in. This woman was extraordinary; she was a walking encyclopedia.

Another character is named Ewa. She was named after Eva Mozes Kor; she was a Mengele Twin, she survived the war and started the C.A.N.D.L.E.S. Museum. Eva is a remarkable woman, who has publically forgiven the Nazis and encourages others to forgive, as a way of sowing seeds of peace.

The C.A.N.D.L.E.S. Museum hosts an annual tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Krakow. I went on their 2015 tour, because it had been a dream of mine and I was doing research for my WIP.

Image made by my sister, Seanna Acey

The WIP is tentatively titled, “The Judgement of Solomon.” It was inspired by the passage in the Bible: 1 Kings 3:16-28. Two women approach King Solomon, each claiming that a boy as their own. King Solomon offers to cut the child into two that way they will each have him. The real mother backs off, hoping that the boy will be spared. This is a running theme in my story.

My WIP primarily takes place in Krakow. Although they are not featured in my story, historical people such as Oskar Schindler, Amon Goethe, Dr. Mengele, Cardinal Hlond, Hans Frank are mentioned.

Some of the places shown in the story are St. Mary’s Basilica, Main Market Square, Podgorze Ghetto, Wawel Castle, Gestapo Headquarters, Kazimierz District, and Auschwitz-Birkenau. 

The story spans from 1941 to 1946.

The first draft took nearly four months to write. And then when I revised it, I had to rewrite a lot of Part Three.

My Jan/Feb Femnista Article is Up!

This issue's theme is "Playing Second Fiddle," which features couples who play "second-fiddle" in a story or a movie or a TV show. I chose Levin and Kitty from "Anna Karenina." Leo Tolstoy's magnum opus is one of the greatest novels ever written, but I feel that the secondary couple in the story, Levin and Kitty, are often overlooked.

So check it out and let me know what you think.

Click here to read it!

The Artist Unleased

An update: I have guest post on the blog "The Artist Unleashed" and invite you all to read it. It covers a period in 2012 when I thought I had secured a literary agent and was sadly mistaken. Though it was a painful experience, it taught me to persevere.

To read the blog post, click here! Thank you and I hope you enjoy it!

WIP #2

One of the many, many lessons I have learned in my years of writing is never to put all your hopes into one story. As great and wonderful as a novel can be, to not have a second story waiting is naïve. Trust me, know from personal experience. For years I placed all of my hopes into one Epic Novel that was to be my “be all and end all” in my literary career. Needless to say that story was never picked up. So as much faith as I have in my Great Depression novel, it would be foolish of me not to have another WIP. After all, something had to keep me occupied in 2016 while I fretted away on my various submissions.

Some of you may know that I was very blessed a year and a half ago to go to Poland with the CANDLES Museum and tour Krakow and Auschwitz- Birkenau. It really was a life changing experience that I will never forget for as long as I live. Though I have been interested in the Holocaust since I was twelve, dreamt of visiting Auschwitz, and wanted to learn from Eva Mozes Kor – I must admit that I had ulterior motives in going. I was there partly to do research for a prospective story.

The novel is based in Krakow and Auschwitz-Birkenau; it spans most of the war and some of 1946. And it is told from two perspectives: a Catholic woman and a Jewish man. Unbeknownst to them they are connected and must come to terms with their prejudices to find a way to co-exist. It is almost finished and I hope to speak more about it in the coming months, especially now that the movie “The Zookeeper’s Wife” is to be released, which is based in Nazi Occupied Poland.

Until next time.

Life in Indiana in 1930s

In my research, I stumbled upon this interesting website called Only in Your State and one of its pages shows what life was like in Indiana in the 1930's. Of course that grabbed my attention because of my Great Depression novel. So if you're curious as to what life was like for my heroine, or perhaps you want to know what life was like for your grandparents and great-grandparents, check it out!

Click here.

Dear Lucky Agent!!!

For those interested in having the first few pages of your novel read and critiqued by a literary agent, please check out the Dear Lucky Agent Contest. Keep in mind though, it is for Historical Fiction only.

Check it out here!

Good luck!

Home Fires: Season 1

This time I want to blog about one of my new favorite shows, which by now isn’t so new.

Last autumn a new debuted on PBS called “Home Fires” which features a group of women living in England prior to and during WWII. Though they were fictional, I was blown away by the strength of these ladies. I grew up hearing about America’s home front and how the women were the ones to hold down the fort while the men were away. Living in England, though, being in such close proximity of Europe, the bombings, the constant terror…I couldn’t really imagine until I watched this show. The music, the cinematography, the acting, the characterization – just perfect. I was sad to learn that after season 2, Home Fires was not renewed and well not be returning. It did well in the ratings, but for whatever cockamamie reason, it will not be back.

(From this point on there are spoilers for Season 1.)

There are two characters that really struck a chord with me: Steph Farrow and Pat Simms. 

Steph is a no-nonsense, farmer’s wife who has a son to raise, and who is her husband’s equal in every sense of the word. When her husband feels called to go to war, she encourages him to do so, and then she and their son run the farm while he is away. She is strong, intelligent, and capable. Her only stumbling block is that she can’t read. But with the help of a new teacher in town, she overcomes that as well.

Now Pat Simms, she too is a strong woman, but her strength is channeled in a different way. Pat is married to Bob Simms, a one-hit wonder novelist who is physically, verbally, and emotionally abusive. He thinks he is some kind of English Ernest Hemingway. Bob might be mentally ill (it is alluded to when he is drugged with lithium salts by a well-meaning friend of Pat’s and he suddenly becomes docile - seriously, you have got to watch this show) and I feel sorry that he can’t receive the proper treatment, but whatever his reason, he has no right to be abusive to Pat. Pat is one of the sweetest, kindest, giving characters on the show, and she continues to be so, despite her circumstances. Through some quick thinking, the two of her friends manage to send Bob off to be a war correspondent, freeing Pat of him.

Though I love Steph, it is Pat who has become my favorite. She is in a similar situation that the heroine of my Great Depression novel is. Divorce was looked down upon, society couldn’t intervene, and Pat had no place to turn to for help.

Though Home Fires was only a two season show, I look forward to watching the second season. I hear there is a cliff-hanger ending that will no doubt frustrate me because the questions will never be answered, but it will be worth watching it. 

The Zookeeper's Wife

Okay, I have been waiting for this movie for two years and finally, the trailer has been released and it is coming out in March 2017!!!! Check it out!

For those who don't know, it is based on the bestseller "The Zookeeper's Wife." It is the story of Jan and Antonia Zabinski, who ran the Warsaw Zoo. During the Nazi Occupation of Poland, the Zabinski's hid Jews in the Zoo.

An Agoraphobic in Europe!

Hey All,

My article entitled, "An Agoraphobic in Europe" is up on GoWorldTravel.com! So psyched about it. Please go check it out and let me know what you think!

Click the following link to read it:  http://www.goworldtravel.com/travel-in-poland/

Alone in Berlin

“Alone in Berlin” is based on the book, “Every Man Dies Alone,” by Hans Fallada, which in turn was based on the true story of Otto and Else Hampel. This looks great!

A Quick Note...

To say that one of my stories was accepted by GoWorldTravel.com. Haven't heard when it will be up on the website, but I'm excited. Anyway, it was about my trip to Poland and my tour of Auschwitz and Krakow.

Will let you know more later!

The Plunge

God help me, but I did it. I started the querying process on my Great Depression novel. I had procrastinated for months, using one excuse after another. That it wasn’t ready, or the subject matter was too taboo, or that the prose was crappy. All of which may still be true, but how will I know that for a fact if I don’t test the waters? I had to start somewhere. Some literary agents give feedback when they reject a project, so one of them may help me without realizing it.

I’ve been in this boat before, so I know the routine. You send off your query letter and- depending on the agent – a proposal and then you have to wait for a response. Sometimes it is a couple of hours, a couple of days, or a couple of weeks to hear back. Others never reply. I think the record for longest wait was about eight months, which by that time I had forgotten that I had even contacted them. Then there are a few agents who have rejected me twice. As if getting one rejection from said agent wasn’t enough, they decided to send that rejection to me again.

I’ve certainly made my share of mistakes in the querying process. I’ve mistaken a man for a woman; misspelled a last name; got the date wrong; forgot to attach the proposal; used the wrong words; misread the guidelines…Been there, done that. I’d like to think I’ve learned from my mistakes, but no one is perfect. Inevitably I will embarrass myself. I’m sure if I am ever land a literary agent, I’ll continue to do silly things. It’s just the way I am. After all, nobody’s perfect.

Well, I’m curious to see what will happen. In the meantime I’ve written a number of short stories that need to be sent off too, and have many others in the works.

Until next time. 

(BTW- Its my 250th post! Whoopee!)

Book Review: Women Heroes of World War II—the Pacific Theater

Book Description:

Glamorous American singer Claire Phillips opened a nightclub in manila, using the earnings to secretly feed starving American POWs. She also began working as a spy, chatting up Japanese military men and passing their secrets along to local guerrilla resistance fighters. Australian Army nurse Vivian Bullwinkel, stationed in Singapore, then shipwrecked in the the Dutch East Indies, became the sole survivor of a horrible massacre by Japanese soliders. She hid for days, tending to a seriously wounded British soldier while wounded herself. Humanitarian Elizabeth Choy lived the rest of her life hating war, though not her tormentors, after enduring six months of starvation and torture by the Japanese military police.

In these pages, readers will meet these and other courageous women and girls who risked their lives through their involvement in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. Fifteen suspense-filled stories unfold across China, Japan, Malaya, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines, providing an inspiring reminder of womens' and girls' refusal to sit on the sidelines around the world and throughout history.

These women—whose stories span 1932 to 1945, the last year of the war—served in dangerous roles as spies, medics, journalists, resisters, and saboteurs. Seven of them were captured and imprisoned by the Japanese, enduring brutal conditions. Author Kathryn J. Atwood provides appropriate context and framing for teens 14 and up to grapple with these harsh realities of war. Discussion questions and a guide for further study assist readers and educators in learning about this important and often neglected period of history.

About the Author:

Kathryn J. Atwood is the author of Women Heroes of World War I and Women Heroes of World War II and the editor of Code Name Pauline: Memoirs of a World War II Special Agent. She has contributed to The Historian; War, Literature, and the Arts; and the collections Des Plaines River Anthology and Holocaust Heroes: Fierce Females. Visit her online at www.kathrynatwood.com.

My Thoughts:

The author arranged to have a copy of her book sent to me to review (Thank you, Kathryn!) and I can’t begin to tell you how much I learned. My knowledge of Japan, China, and the Pacific Theater was limited. I read “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” when I was eight, studied Japan in the third grade, and heard of the bombing of Pearl Harbor – aside from that I was clueless about Japanese history and how their fascism developed. “Women Heroes of WWII – the Pacific Theater” not only gives a short history lesson, it delves into how Japan went astray and how after the war they were given a pass, unlike Germany. There are fifteen different biographies of women, from journalists to spies to children who were witnesses. Many risked their lives to do what was right. One of the more heart wrenching stories was of a young teenager who was forced to become a “comfort woman” and how years later she came forward to speak of her experiences. While the accounts of some of the ladies in the book are harrowing, girls of all ages need to read this. It is a part of history that we have forgotten and must remember. So I highly recommend this book, and once more thank the author for sending it to me.  

Femnista Article Is Live!

My September/October article for Femnista is available! The theme was "Derringers & Fedoras: Spies, Assassins, and Private Eyes" and I chose to write about Count von Stauffenberg. He was the man who attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler and orchestrated a coup against the Nazis. To learn more about Stauffenberg, click here!

Thanks for reading! 

New Zenith's First Issue is Available!

A quick note to let you all know that the magazine who published my, "A Grave Discovery," is available! So for those interested in purchasing it, click here!