A children's story from Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Today finishes this month's rotation for VBT - Writers on the Move. Carolyn Howard-Johnson has been my guest for October 1 and today.

We are used to reading and hearing about Carolyn's How To Do It Frugally books for writers. Most of us don’t know she also writes children’s stories and poetry.

Carolyn has been working on stories she's collected on her travels from around the world for several years with no end in sight. Generally, like this one, they are told using the traditional style for legends and fairytales. Learn more about her travels at Red Engine Press and more about her fiction and poetry at Published Works Almanac.

Below is one of her stories.


The Legend of Laguna del Incas

A long time ago in the land of the Inca—long before this faraway place had names like Chile and Peru—there lived a young couple in love.

Most Incas felt close to their gods and these two young people were no exception. Febo, the god who warmed them with warm rays and made the crops grow, was part of their everyday lives. So was Eolo who blew clouds into puffy shapes like giant umbrellas. Old men and women who lived in the villages reminisced about Eolo and Febo as they blew their smoke from pipes into rings. They still do, still think of the young people as smoke curls up into the thin mountain air.

Illi Yupanqui and the Princess Kora-Ilé were to marry and, because the Incas considered themselves children of the sun, they chose Aconagua, the highest peak in the Andes, for their wedding. There they could be as close as possible to Febo's warmth and Eolo's magic. Aconagua was not only the highest mountain in all of the Andes, it was the highest in all of their world. It was so high, so very, very high that the peaks were carved into giant black teeth, pure and barren, by glaciers and by Eolo's icy gusts.

Kora-Ilé's eyes were so blue-green they looked as if the gods had mixed lapis lazuli found in the veins of mountain rocks with silver waters of the lagoon at the foot of the Aconagua. For her wedding, she chose white linen, much as brides do today. It was often cold on the mountain even in summer, and the sun god Febo made her dress look as pure as glacier ice against the dark peaks that surrounded them. The princess walked regally followed by her séquito down the steep dark precipice where all could see her, much as modern brides make their entrance down a curving staircase.

The cliffs were smooth and slippery from the morning dew. She chose her way carefully. Trying to glimpse her Illi, she looked away from the path. Her soft slipper caught on a piece of smooth black basalt and she fell to her death.

Illi Yupanqui could not bear to have her removed from the place where they had experienced the bliss of true love. He wrapped her in his arms and carried her to the edge of the silver lagoon at the foot of the peaks. There he kissed her lips, immersed her into the pure, clear water and watched her sink. The lake was so clear he could see her as she descended deeper and deeper. He didn't think he could leave the lake as long as he could see her hair flowing in the water, her dress shining up at him like a white pebble from the bottom of the clear lake.

The gods knew Illi's thoughts. As Illi watched, Eolo moved the surface of the water. Tiny ripples obscured the young bridegroom's view of Koru-Ilé. Then Febo moved across the sky so shadows from the peaks darkened the water. Soon the water turned from crystalline to turquoise. Eolo's breath no longer pushed it into tiny waves. It became a smooth cabochon, rounded and opaque like a semi-precious stone set in black metal, just as the Laguna del Inca mountain, looks today.

Illi Yupanqui knew it was a sign that all would be well. When the moon is full, high up in those mountains where the country of Chile meets the border of Argentina, the village people who trek to the summit can hear the princess's voice blend with Eolo's call. Eolo, for his part, has never disturbed the surface of the lagoon from that day to this, though some say it is only because the peaks that surround it protect it from his sighs.

Descendants of the Incas are reminded of this love story by the blend of Eolo's quiet moans and Kora-Ilé's high, young cry that can be heard in the thin mountain air, and, of course, by the tales that are told today of a love still pure in this place so close to the home of their gods.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson is collecting stories from around the world for a book that will include little known legends from places she has visited. A work in progress, it includes myths and legends and stories of monsters and princesses. She is the author of THIS IS THE PLACE and HARKENING, and TRACINGS, a chapbook of poetry. All are award winning books. She also writes books that will help other authors. They are the multi award-winning How To Do It Frugally books for writers.


Thank you so much for sharing this story with us, Carolyn. It’s very interesting and definitely shows your versatility.



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An interview with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Ms. Fugal herself

Every month members of VBT - Writers on the Move host another member on the first and third of the month. This month I'm privileged to host Carolyn Howard-Johnson, promoted and author of the Fugal books.

I promised Carolyn not to have the cookie-cutter type interview. Therefore, I invited her over to my house, handed her a shovel to make her way through the clutter, and offered her a cup of Constant Comment tea mixed with green.

After she and I were cozy with mugs of tea and some tasty sugar-free zuchinni bread, I started the questions.

How did/does your history and home background affect your writing, especially since you write nonfiction help books?
 
Answer: I also write fiction and poetry, Viv. And my history and background (and that of my ancestors) is extremely important in most of that work.

But it is for my how-to books, too. That I started in journalism at the Salt Lake Tribune when I was only 18 and worked as an editorial assistant for Good Housekeeping and as a fashion publicist all contributed to my marketing skills. Then I owned retail stores for 30 years. Operating stores successfully is probably 80% pure marketing. In fact, my latest book is for retailers, A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. It's available at www.budurl.com/RetailersGuide and even includes information on how to incorporate the use of authors into profit-making events. In fact, some authors have said it helped them understand retailing better--all the better to sell an author event to their local bookstores and other retailers.
 
 
Wow, I didn't know how versatile a writter you are. (After a sip of the tea, I asked the next questions on my mind.)

Tell us something about your educational background that has made you a better, or more caring, writer.
 
Answer: I was an English Lit major so that pretty much answers that question. But my education has continued as I teach writers for UCLA's Writers' Program. I've been doing it for about five years now and I constantly am learning more things from writers about what writers need to know. So that helps answer your question about my how-to books, too. (-;
 
I knew you and I agreed on many things concerning writing, and no wonder. I'm a retired English and composition teacher myself.

Please fill us in on your hobbies, interests, or activities you participate in during your leisure time. *laugh* If you have any – besides attending book festivals and other public appearance.
 
Carolyn took a bite of zuchinni bread before she nodded to let me know she would be with us again in a second.

Answer: Travel is probably my major interest outside of writing, and it's really integrally involved with writing, too. I find travel contributes to writing in so many ways. It keeps a writers' interests broad. Reading does the same thing.  I've been to so many countries I've lost count but I've studied writing at Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; Cambridge University in the UK; and Charles University in Prague, the Czech Republic. Did you know Charles University is the oldest university in Europe--by their reckoning, any way.
 
What keeps you writing? 
                    
Answer:  I just can't help myself. (-:
 
That's an answer I can understand only too well.

You have so many projects going all the time: working on books, traveling, etc.; how do you manage?

Answer:  That's impossible to answer. I guess just keep putting one foot ahead of the other and going.
 
How do you feel when you complete a book? Which book has been your favorite?

Answer: My favorite book was my first, a novel. It is really the story of my life, fictionalized. And it deals with the most important themes that run through all my serious work. It is This Is the Place and is a story of a young journalistic coming of age at a time when women were repressed. She lives not only in a repressive time, but also a repressive place and must find her way by examining the lives of women who came before her.
 
You are definitely one interesting woman.

What are your writing achievements and goals?

Answer: I am on the final draft of Here's How I Don’t Cook, a memoir, and I'm looking for an agent for it.
 
Another thing we have in common, not cooking or very little. Who has time?

How do any writing groups benefit you and your writing? Also, we might tie some information about your presentations with this.

Answer: I love my critique groups, the ones I use to better my own writing. I also love the seminars and workshops I conduct to help better the writers of others. Of course, I get tons out of both of them. One of those you know about is the free Muse Online Writers Conference I cosponsor with Lea Schizas. It happens every October and attracts--literally--thousands.
 
Ah, yes, I'm involved in the Muse Online Writers Conference, but not nearly to the stage you are.

Does writing help better you as a person? How?
 
Answer: This is such a good questions. If writing doesn't help a writer get better as a person, then that writer probably isn't being as truthful with him or herself as she should be. I do know that many writers fear stripping themselves bare but--really--they are limiting themselves if they let their fears limit them from learning more about themselves.

Thank you, Carolyn, for joining me today. You always have such insightful comments.

Please let readers know how they can purchase your books.
 
Carolyn: My books are all at Amazon, and Amazon makes it easy and inexpensive to buy them. My Amazon profile is at www.budurl.com/CarolynsAmazProfile. From there each book is but a click away. Also, my how-to books are all available for the Kindle reader.

Any other comments?

Carolyn: Only many thanks for a caring interview. Oh, and a reminder via my motto: "“Careers that are not fed soon die as readily as any living organism given no sustenance.”

P.S.Oh! And come back to Viv's Bubbles blog to read a legend I found in Chile retold for children.

Thank you again, Carolyn. I so enjoyed the visit, and hope you liked the tea and zuchinni bread.


Now about VBT:

VBT Writers on the Move begins a new feature to the VBT: Writers on the Move Mystery Site Give-away. Each month, the winner will have the choice of receiving the Mystery Site Host's book or a guest spot on VBT - Writers on the Move web site. If you're an author and looking for visibility, this is a wonderful opportunity. But, it's going to be a tough choice; our members have great books to offer.

REMEMBER, you can't win if you don't play the game, so please stop by our members' sites during the tour and leave a comment.

4RV Publishing authors Linda Asato, Katie Hines, Elysabeth Eldering, Crysatlee Calderwood, and Vivian Zabel participate.

If you're interested in finding out more about our promotional group, you can send an email to: karenrcfv@yahoo.com.
Please put VBT-VBT in the subject line.



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When will Amazon stop? Guess it was a mistake

The view point discussion started on Lea Schizas' blog The Writing Jungle, to promote the controversial discussion for the VBT group. However, as stated in the following comment, we discussed a false story, or one that has been changed:

Cheryl Tardif, author and book marketing coach said...

Hi Vivian:

I've spent the morning tracking down people who are quoting me and discussing this past problem I had with Amazon because it's important you have all the facts.

First, there is NO policy at Amazon for this. They fully allow authors to post their titles in their signature lines. This was a mistake on the part of some overzealous employees who thought they knew what they were doing.

This case has been resolved and I'm happy with how Amazon handled it. Amazon has apologized for this error and has reinstated all my reviews, even taking the time to manually add my signature line at the end of each review.

You can read the full story at The Write Type ~ Multi-Author Musings.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
author and book marketing coach

The rest of this post is outdated.

There's an interesting discussion over at Carolyn Howard-Johnson's blog - Sharing With Writers - about Amazon's latest kick in the gut to writers and reviewers. Here's an excerpt:

"A week ago I found that all 85 of the reviews I've written for other books had been deleted. It has been a very difficult and stressful week dealing with Amazon. They are not very accessible and I was given at least 3 different reasons why my reviews had been deleted. After numerous e-mails, this is what it's come down to:

"Their final ruling: 'Please know that our participation guidelines don't allow customers to promote their own titles in their reviews.' If you sign your review with anything other than your name, your reviews could be deleted."

To read the rest and participate in the discussion visit her BLOG.

If you agree with the discussion, or disagree, please comment and/or post on your own blog to add to the discussion.



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Fabulous? My blog? Wow, thanks.

Holly Jahangiri, a dear friend/adopted daughter and 4RV Publishing author, wrote one of the best children's books I've ever read, Trockle. Over the past months, Trockle has become "real" to everyone. My grandson Aiden will not go to sleep until someone reads Trockle to him. When he talked to me on the phone after I sent him a copy and a Trockle t-shirt, he just kept saying, "Love Trockle book. Love Trockle book."

Now the lovable little monster sent my blog the "Your Blog is Fabulous" award.

However, he says two conditions are attached: 1. I have to list 5 addictions; 2. I have to send the award to 5 other blogs.

Addictions are hard, because as Holly told Trockle, there is a difference between love and addiction. However, I'll try.

1. Pepsi, I've had to give that addiction up because of diabetes, but every once in a while, I'll treat myself and have one - a real Pepsi. Diet Pepsi is nasty. *sigh*

2. Shrimp, give me a choice of a favorite meal, and I'll choose shrimp, preferably butterflied, with a tossed salad and baked potato. Yummy.

3. Writing must be an addiction because I can't stop.

4. Teaching is either an addiction or an obsession, not sure which. I "retired" from officially teaching over seven years ago, but through editing and publishing, I'm still teaching. Even my blogs have lessons. Ish.

5. My grandchildren's and great-grandchildren's ballgames are addictive. I love watching them play and feel strong withdrawals when I'm not able to go.

Now, five blogs that I think are fabulous (of course there are more than five, but ...).

1. Carolyn Howard-Johnson's blog

2. Make Mine Mystery blog

3. Harry Gilleland's blog

4. Crystalee Calderwood's blog

5. Ransom Noble's blog

Aren't those blogs a good selection? I would have added Joyce Anthony's, but she's setting up a new blog. I don't have the URL, but hopefully someone will add hers when possible.

Also, please visit Holly Jahangiri's blog.

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A Must Read for Writers

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, the frugal editor and author of the Frugal series, wrote one book that every writer or person who wants to be a writer should read. In fact, they should have the book as a reference, as I do. The following review covers The Frugal Editor, a must have for any writer.

Title: The Frugal Editor
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Publisher: Red Engine Press
ISBN 13:978-0-9785158-7-4
Copyright: 2007

No one knows everything about anything, and certainly no one knows all there is know about writing, or can remember everything learned. Even after teaching writing for twenty-seven years and studying it for over forty, I’m still learning.

The Frugal Editor by Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an excellent reference book for those who have studied composition and know much about it, maybe even have been published multiple times by a valid publishing company. It is a must have help and learning aid for those who want to write and need to know how to edit their work. It is a refresher course for editors who try to remember all there is to know and find in writings.

The approximately 170 page book, counting the introductory material, should be read from cover to cover. Each section contains information to aid in editing (or for revisions while writing). The author refers to gremlins in the introductory pages, and those gremlins cause enough trouble when the author and editors search and search for errors, typos, and other uh-ohs. Writers and editors then need to take extreme care in avoiding as many problems as possible.

Using Howard-Johnson’s book as a guide will help eliminate many common and not so common errors in writing. Of course, a person has to read it first and then apply the lessons she provides.

When experienced writers can find overlooked mistakes, then new authors certainly can. We won’t talk about wrong files being sent to printers or other really drastic mistakes, but the ones often overlooked through carelessness, ignorance, or accident.

The section about using the MS Word functions, use not allow them to dictate, is a helpful guide for everyone. Another point Howard-Johnson makes is to tackle one type of editing at a time, which allows editing to be more manageable. I could write a book about all the helpful hints and information in this book, but she already wrote it.

The only area in the book with which I personally disagree is the section stating that using italics for internal thoughts isn’t correct or professional, but the practice is a sign of self-publishing, subsidy published, or put together by marginally qualified editors, or no editor at all. Experts I’ve read or heard say to use italics for thoughts (internal dialogue) in third person point of view writing so that the reader knows what is a thought and what is spoken.

The Frugal Editor makes an excellent gift for one’s self or for a favorite author. My copy will remain beside my computer where I can reach, read, and use it.

Review by Vivian Zabel, December, 2008

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