The Bible - Quilted Stories - Angella Graff, Guest Author

Angella's website

A big welcome to urban fantasy author Angella Graff who's not only stopping here as the last stop on a whirlwind blog tour but is offering 10 e-copies of her book by random draw - just leave a comment on any or all of the blog stops to enter. Details at the end of the blog.

About Angella Graff

Angella Graff was born and raised in the desert city of Tucson, Arizona. She married and became a mother very young, and after getting started with her family, began her University studies where she found her passion for creative writing, history and theology.

She now resides in Tucson with her husband Joshua, three children, Christian, Isabella and Adia, and their three cats, Archive (Ivy), Lasciel and Fix. She prefers to spend her days writing, gardening, and reading non-fiction theology theory books. Angella is also an avid, if not fanatic fan of Doctor Who and BBC Sherlock, which suit her dry, sarcastic humor, a lot of which is apparent in her writing.

Currently Angella is working on an Urban Fantasy series called 'The Judas Curse', involving extensive research into Mythos, Christianity and history. The first book of 'The Judas Curse', 'The Awakening', was released in November 2012.

Find out more or contact Angella

Read Angella's other blog posts on her 'Judas Kiss' tour

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngellaGraff
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngellaGraffAuthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6541966.Angella_Graff
Website:http ://angellagraffbooks.wordpress.com/

 The Bible - Quilted Stories

Guest Post from Angella Graff

I have to say that coming up with individual blog topics for this amazing tour was a lot tougher than I thought.  When the idea was first presented to me I thought, “Well I never shut up, so this should be easy.  I always have something to say.”  Then, as I tried to take on this task I was sitting at my computer, staring blankly at the screen, waiting for something to come up.

And… nothing.  You’d think that as a writer, since it’s what I do, I wouldn’t have a shortage of things to write about.  I was email chatting with the amazing host of this blog, and she actually suggested that maybe I touch on the topic of how I came to write 'the Judas Curse' series.  Not the, I was inspired by blah blah blah post that I’ve answered a dozen times for interviews, but what really happened to make these books possible.

I realize that the book is a typical contemporary fantasy.  Detective meets supernatural beings, chaos ensues.  Okay maybe not typical, because I don’t think there’s a whole list of writers combining western theology with ancient mythos, but it’s a typical enough story-arc.  I can’t even tell you how many times I hear my husband use the name, “Jim Butcher,” in reference to something I’ve written. 

But although it may not seem like it, research did, and always has, gone into my writing.  Whether I’m writing some historical piece, some random blog rant about a topic that got under my skin, or several hundred pages dealing with old Greek mythology, I never stop researching.

Then again, I’m a historian—or well, I like to play one from time to time.  I over-stayed my welcome when I was at the University, taking unnecessary history and theology classes because I just couldn’t stop shoving information into my brain about the history and psychology of Western religion. 

I remember sitting in my first theology class, and my teacher made some joke about Ancient Rome, and a lot of the students around the class gave that awkward, “She’s one of those guys,” chuckle, but I thought it was hysterical.  Never in my life had I ever heard anyone make ancient history jokes before and I thought, “Yes.  This is where I belong.”

A few weeks later that very same professor said, “You know class, there’s a joke in the bible?”

Now, having grown up in a staunchly religious family with pastors galore, I was skeptical.  I had no idea where she was going with the comment, and of course the very idea of a joke in the bible—I had to hear it.

           

“Peter, you are the rock on which I build this church.”

It took me a moment, but I got it.   Peter.  Petrus.  Petrus, in Greek meant rock.  So what he said was, “Rock, you are the rock on which I build this church.”  Ha.  Ha.  Ha.

Okay it wasn’t funny, but it was chuckle-worthy.  In that moment it took all of the stigma of supernatural surrounding the Bible and made it suddenly what it was—a human written piece of literature.  Not magical pages handed down by some omniscient being, but some guys who got together and quilted stories told generations before they were born into this thing that we’re still quoting today as though it’s sociologically and philosophically relevant.

Now, don’t misunderstand me—I’m not trying to be insulting, but as a person who grew up in that environment, who was slowly making her way from religion to an Eastern philosophy, I needed that moment to break that sort of hold that this ancient religion held over me.

There were moments then, that led me to 'the Judas Curse' series.  The story of the Fig tree in the Gospel of Mark.  Jesus cursed a tree for not having fruit when he was hungry, as though it was the tree’s fault.  I thought, imagine if his power actually made him slightly mad, and the more he used his powers, the madder he became.  Imagine that.

The gospel of Thomas which reads in the opening lines, “These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Judas Thomas, the twin, wrote down.”

The twin, I thought?  The twin?  Jesus’s twin?

I don’t, for a moment, believe that was the implication, but the idea was there, and when that stigma of holy and sacred and supernatural were removed, my brain let my imagination take over and out of it came The Judas Curse.  I was able to quilt together my love of history, of theology, of storytelling and create this series.

Yes, I’ve experienced some negative stigma regarding the series.  People who don’t want their religion changed, the ideas are sacred to them, the stories in the Bible are as real as the history of their own lives, and with that, I just have to roll with the punches.

My story is for those who can divorce themselves from what they believe, or have faith in, and it’s for those who just want to enjoy the fantasy of it.  Who want to read about alternative views such as Isa of Kashmir who many believed was Jesus of Nazareth, a man who escaped from Jerusalem after being rescued from the cross.  Look it up, I promise it’s fascinating stuff.

My story is definitely different; it’s going to ask a lot of you, because I asked a lot of myself and my knowledge bank while I was writing it.  I had no qualms about twisting and distorting ancient mythos from the Greeks, Norse gods, and Christianity, and I’m not sorry for it.  It’s not perfect, and it’s not Shakespeare, but it’s mine and it’s something I’m proud of.  I hope, if you read it, you’ll let yourself enjoy it for what it is, and see all of my own heart and soul poured into it.

amazon link

Book Summary

Judas' Kiss haunts him 2 millenia into his unending existence. Mark's story finally begins to unfold in the newest volume of Angella Graff's well received series: The Judas Curse.

Torn between petty gods and their hunger for power, a faithless police officer slips further into machinations that have already cost the life of someone he loved. Just as Detective Ben Stanford is ready to put the past at rest, he's pulled down once again into the chaos of gods, theology, and mystery. Told that his sister is alive and the two immortals, Mark and Judas, have been kidnapped by the treacherous goddess, Nike, Ben must find a way to rescue the pair before she can harness their powers.

While Mark waits alone, forced to write out the story of how their powers came to be, and Judas lay tortured by the angry Goddess, a reluctant Ben must enlist the help of an unwilling being from the ancient Norse Pantheon.

Time is ticking, and the hard-headed detective must use everything he learned in the past to prevent another disaster, which could potentially wipe-out the human race

Ebook available from amazon 

Print version from CreateSpace

My Review

Pacy supernatural thriller with deeper level 

On the surface, this is a pacy supernatural thriller, where various gods from different pantheons - Greek, Norse, you name-it – battle it out in modern day human bodies. The complications are enjoyable as you keep track of which god is in whose body, and whether it’s god or human currently in control. Add to the mix two cursed immortals from Jesus’ day and two likable New York detectives, Ben and Stella. The fact that their potential love affair is a threesome adds yet more complications; Stella harbours a god.

The story has plenty of twists and it takes place in two time periods, the modern day full of  murder and mayhem, and the ancient Palestine of Jeshua’s story as told by Mark, including the men from the east who seek Jeshua, and his tragic crucifixion. Sound familiar? Well, it isn’t! Angella Graff has drawn on her theological background to create a very different version of a history known to most readers from the Bible. Letting one of the apostles narrate this is a neat element in a complex, clever plot. Make no mistake; the author knows her Christianity, both as religion and as history and her take on ‘the Judas Kiss’ itself is both playful and provocative. Don’t expect the usual interpretation of ‘betrayed with a kiss’. Don’t expect the usual anything!

Somehow, Angela Graff manages to prevent the dialogue and the battles from being as silly as they ought to be, given the premise. On one level is the hook of resolving each mystery, starting with the question of whether Ben’s sister is actually still alive, despite her recent funeral. There are plenty of life-threatening menaces to survive, with imaginative resolutions. But there is also a deeper level, for those readers who want to think about the points raised regarding religion – or indeed to take offence. Without pontificating, Angela Graff’s characters make clear the damage that religion does, a viewpoint with which I totally sympathise. Whether someone entrenched in a particular faith would enjoy the story as much, I’m not sure. This is not a book for Christian fundamentalists.

Although I caught up on events in the previous book,  I would recommend reading Bk 1 'The Awakening', before 'The Judas Kiss' as the second book is very much a continuation from the first - and I now fully intend to read the first one!

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Lou the Black Dog, Chez Lui

Now I know why experienced dog adopters are reluctant to put in writing their advice beforehand; each dog comes with 'previous', good and bad, which affects his reactions; each adoptive family offers and wants different behaviour from the dog in widely differing family contexts; much of 'what you should do' is in body language, relationships and good timing - so difficult to explain or teach; and most successful dog adopters have absolutely no idea why they're good so they can't explain the skills they've added to instincts from experience. I still think it helps to share what we learn so here's my experience so far.

Balou on Day 1 in his new home

I've already blogged about choosing Balou, the seven-year old dog no-one wanted, who's spent over two years in a shelter and won the hearts of the people working there. Yesterday was the day of truth; Day 1 of the rest of his life, chez nous, earlier than planned because the rain just keeps hammering down and we cancelled our holidays. Great! We could get Balou sooner! Note crucial fact already mentioned; the rain keeps hammering down. Lou is not a dog; he is a furry hippo who threw himself into a deep, full mud-hole in our garden and wallowed. He already smelled like two years in a cage, fur like a carpet from a dumpster. I very rarely bath dogs but I decided to make an exception, using the special 'shampooing pour les chiens noirs' that had tempted me with its promise of making black fur blacker and shinier.

'I wanted a garden and a cute blonde'

Would I advise someone to throw buckets of warm water over the new arrival within hours of starting his new life, followed by a soapy massage, more buckets of water and then a game of chase round the garden with a towel? I don't think so! But it worked for us. While my Great Pyrenees watched the peasants cavorting and stayed well away from the wet stuff. It didn't take a canine genius to figure out that Lou liked water (the dirtier, the better) and I felt confident in handling him because of the car journey.

I haven't told you about the car journey? No problem getting him in the car with a traditional 'run at open boot' method. We waved goodbye to Nice Lady at Shelter, who wants 'after' photos. Then we fought to keep dog from jumping over to join us in the front seat, stopped the car, and re-arranged the people for Plan B. I put a back seat up and joined Lou in the Berlingot boot. An hour's drive later, I knew where he liked being stroked and I smelled like 2 years in a cage.

I was wrong in thinking it would take time for Lou to take an interest in us. He's lying beside me as I type and, now he's away from the shelter, there's no doubt he wants us to be his people and he wants to be with us - both of us. If he hears a door, he checks out who's coming through it and his tail will need a service check from wagging so fast and so often. Change is difficult and tiring, even change for the better, and I know many dogs try to run back to what is familiar, even if the familiar is physical abuse or neglect. There's no sign of Lou trying to do a runner but we're being careful - walks are on-lead.

He loves grass. He rolls in it, chews it, lies on it. The only grass he's seen in two years was a strip where the shelter dogs get walked every 3/4 days. He hadn't been out his cage for 3 days when we picked him up. He loves being brushed, apart from two knotted dreadlocks dangling from his ears. I don't know whether he's been brushed at all in two years (or before that). He lived in an infernal noise at the shelter, amid construction work as well as all the barking, and he seems surprised at Blanche playing guardian to a passing bicycle or the postvan. When she barks, he points, in the classic gundog pose, but so far he hasn't spoken.

Pointing

Amazingly, his behaviour indoors is civilised - no attempts to steal or destroy - and he is house-trained. When you think about him spending up to 3/4 days in a cage without leaving it, it is a miracle that he has kept  the habits presumably learned with the family of his first five years. That doesn't mean there's been no territory-marking. He's a full-blooded male and when he peed on the verandah door, he was told a clear 'No.' I cleaned it by the book, with white vinegar (never bleach or the smell encourages repeat crimes). He watched, waited and returned to finish the job that I'd interrupted. He obviously hasn't read the same book! Since then he's lifted his leg against another interior door, recollected himself (or decided that I was watching) and refrained. My husband is already referring in franglais to 'the Big, Bad Loup' since we shortened Balou to Lou.

I am exhausted but, so far, this is an easy adoption of a dog who wants to please, who gets on with people and other dogs. However, the Princess already in residence is not an easy dog; she is polite to others (human and canine) but unknown humans should keep their distance and dogs should show respect, especially in doorways. So far, we've passed potential flashpoints without incident; going in the car together, mealtimes, a quiet night (hooray), even doorway negotiations. Sometimes it doesn't matter what decision you, the master, take; what matters is that you do take a decision and give clear signals to the dogs, over matters such as getting in and out the car. With dogs like Lou, anything goes; not with dogs like Blanche.

They have played chase and fallen asleep together (in a thunderstorm - an unexpected flashpoint!). It's a good start to what I hope will be a great friendship but I'm watching my Great White very carefully - almost as carefully as she's watching me...

My top tips on dog adoption? 
Tell your dog sweet nothings in a low, purring tone. Tell him when he's doing things right (which includes when he's doing nothing at all) Thank you, Michel Hasbrouck, for this simple but under-used technique.

Secure the perimeter and walk on lead for at least 2 months (and better forever than lose your dog).

Predict the flashpoints, especially if you have another dog, and plan for the practicalities. Anything involving travel, food, close quarters,sleeping arrangements, attention from the master, comings and goings, visitors, could be stressful.

After you've got him home - 4 common stages in dog adoption

1) Just Visiting 
The first 2 months can be honeymoon heaven, with artificially good behaviour because the dog hasn't yet got his paws under the table. Family pets can be over-polite to each other and all the bad habits you allow because you feel sorry for the woes suffered by your dog in the past, can bite you in the butt (literally) when he's settled in. Escape bids are common because the dog is seeking to return to familiar territory.

The beginning of an adoption can also be hell, especially with a dog who's known abuse - and often you don't know the history of your new family member. Be calm and careful with introduction to other animals, other family members. Avoid more flashpoints than are necessary - life will bring more than enough.

Whether heaven, hell or in between (does that mean purgatory?!) this will pass.

2) Integration
Usually some time in the first 2 months. Everyone realises the new dog is here to stay - including the new dog. Everyone tries to figure out how he fits in and where he fits in. Resident dogs stop being polite to the visitor and they have dog-dog sort-outs of the pack hierarchy. One new dog means that every privilege, every toy, every relationship, is up for grabs.

3) Testing
The new dog has his place in his family but he's the sort who wants more. If you've given him everything he wants from the start, and he's been easy-going about it, he might start to cash in on it now, bullying you. Or he might be a 'benevolent tyrant' who knows he's in charge but doesn't bother acting on that knowledge. If your adopted dog starts pushing you around, you have to stop him, without hitting or shouting.

4) Your dog in his pack
Everyone is happy but...

5) Testing
never stops with some dogs and you go through Steps 3,4, and 5 all of the dog's life. It's how the dog checks you are up to the job of leading, that you are 'Someone to look up to'.

Playing the heart-strings - 'Banjo' by Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch

A warm welcome - 'croeso' as we say in Wales - to the poet Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch. To me, Samantha is part schoolgirl and part legend. You see, I was once her English teacher, and I can still remember thinking, 'Thank God they don't all write stories as long as hers or I'd be marking forever.' At fourteen, her handwriting was big and round - I can still picture it - and of course the stories were excellent. I failed miserably and lost Samantha to the clutches of Classics and History but then the legend began. In 2001, we both had books featured in a Welsh publishers' summer reading promotion and our paths crossed again.

Has success turned her into one of those literary demons who avoid eye contact with me because they're looking for someone more important? Not a bit of it. The more successful she is, the more open she is and if you get the chance to learn from Samantha, take it.

Samantha's web-site

It is daunting to interview a writer described as 'the incredibly exciting' Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch and  'a major voice in contemporary poetry'. She has published three collections of poems, ‘Rockclimbing in Silk’ (Seren, 2001), ‘Not in These Shoes’ (Picador, 2008) and ‘Banjo’ (Picador, 2012). Her work has appeared in the Guardian, the Independent, Poetry London, Poetry Wales and Poetry Review. In 2005 she was awarded a Hawthornden Fellowship and in 2007 a grant from the Society of Authors. In 2009 Samantha was shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year and in 2011 she won a Leverhulme writer in residence award. In 2012 Samantha was second prizewinner in the National Poetry Competition.

Amazon link

Bonjour Samantha, and bienvenue. Croeso!

Congratulations on the publication of ‘Banjo’. ‘Not in These Shoes’ was a hard act to follow. Do you feel under pressure from your own success when you write?

Bonjour, Jean and thank you for inviting me to talk with you on your blog. To answer your first question, I hope that I am developing as a poet with each book that I write. I’m aware I still have a long way to go until I reach the standard that I would be happy with. So it’s more a case of looking forward rather than writing in the shadow of a book that I’ve already completed.

I read ‘Banjo’  'cold' and then looked at your website and reviews, after I'd let my own responses brew. I loved one poem in particular, partly because as a photographer I identified with Ponting and was fascinated by the difficulties of shooting film in Antarctic temperatures. Clearly I wasn't the only person who loved it, as it won 2nd prize in the prestigious National Poetry Competition 2011 (link to poem). What drew you to Ponting and his story? To the Antarctic expeditions?

I’ve always been fascinated by perception and particularly by the eyes of the photographer behind the lens of the camera, by why they choose to represent something this way instead of that and what that particular angle brings to our understanding of the picture we are presented with. Although I love Ponting’s remarkable photographs taken on the Terra Nova expedition, I am more interested in what happened behind the camera lens when Ponting wasn’t there, when Captain Scott was taking the pictures on the final leg of the journey to the Pole (Ponting not being a member of what was known as ‘the Pole Party’ and so he had already trained Scott up in advance). For example in the photograph which was taken at the Pole, it was a collaborative effort between Scott, who set the camera up, and Henry Birdie Bowers, who pulled the string so that the camera would take a self-portrait of all five men to prove they had reached the Pole. I was also moved to think that all the negatives of the photographs taken by Scott at the Pole and during the last lap of their journey, remained in the tent with their corpses from March until the bodies were found in November 1912 (see my poem In Silver Bromide).

Particularly when inspired by historical documents, how do you decide whether you've given enough background context within a poem for the reader to understand it? Did you consider footnotes for 'Banjo'?

That’s a very good question. I never really considered footnotes because I wanted each poem to stand on its own two feet and to contain all the information needed to understand it. This was the most challenging aspect I faced when writing the collection, and as you rightly point out, is a balancing act between weighing down the poem with too much historical detail and giving the reader enough context with which to engage with the narrative of the poem. Once a poem becomes top heavy with facts you will lose your reader. With each poem there was a slightly different level of detail required so I had to be constantly on my guard to make sure I wasn’t overloading the poem.

When you give a reading, what's your favourite 'story behind the poem' to share with your audience?

I always enjoy reading out my poem 'Table Manners'. First of all I thought people wouldn’t believe me if I said that I went on a table etiquette course to improve my manners, which sounds plausible but isn’t true. What really happened was that I went on a table etiquette course because I wanted to write a poem about table etiquette. It was a form of research, to amass enough information in order to be able to sound authentic when writing the poem. I can’t stress how important it is to sound as though you’ve really been there and done that, which is why I use the first person a lot, whether I’m reflecting on an experience I’ve read about in a newspaper, an experience I’ve been through myself or the experience of a character from history or a combination of all three. I always try to make sure that I put myself into the shoes of that person so as to bring the scene alive for the reader.

What do readers most often ask you about and what are your answers?

I’m often asked what inspires me. I have to say that I’m not usually stuck for ideas; in fact I have a backlog of poems waiting to be written. The greater challenge for me is time management: trying to carve out writing space and to make sure that I don’t overload myself with teaching. Whilst I love working with students and learn a lot from the discussions that we have, I really value the peace and space of my creative time.

How do you feel you have evolved as a poet since your first book?

I think it takes me longer now to write well, probably because I am aware of the many pitfalls! It reminds me of when I lived in France: the better my French, the more I realised how far I had to go until I spoke it like a native. I find it’s the same with writing.

Worse than comparisons with your own previous books, is a comparison with someone else's, so that's exactly what I'm going to inflict on you. A large section of 'Banjo' is based on Scott's Antarctic expeditions, written first person from the viewpoint of members of the expedition. Have you been influenced at all by Sheenagh Pugh's poetry? I certainly have been, as she was the first poet who inspired me to write in historical persona. When reading 'Banjo' I was reminded of her work partly because in 'The Beautiful Lie' Sheenagh Pugh takes on the voice of the widow of an Arctic explorer.

As it happens, I started writing 'Banjo' in 1999 and had completed the poems by 2001 (the year before 'The Beautiful Lie' was published) but then I put the manuscript away in the proverbial drawer as I had lost my confidence with it. I got it out again after 'Not in These Shoes' was finished and started editing the poems. I’m a huge admirer of Sheenagh’s work and regularly dip into her blog. I do remember you encouraging me to write a story from the point of view of a Mediaeval teenage boy during one class in school – so I think I have you to thank for inspiring me to write in the voice of historical figures!
I don't think I deserve the credit but I'll be happy if that's all you remember from those days!

Another point of comparison with Sheenagh Pugh, and many other contemporary poets, is that much of your work is in free verse couplets. I don't really understand what seems to me to be a fashion for couplets. I find that the interruptions given by such frequent line breaks work against narrative poems. Why do you like this form?

Yes I do love couplets, as long as the frequent line breaks are used for a good reason, for example to underline the message of the poem or to convey a particular point in each verse. In terms of my own writing, I think it’s high time I had a go at writing sestinas – they always look so hard to me. I’ve tried villanelles but I always end up sounding silly.

I note that 'Banjo' is available as a kindle. As a poet, what is your attitude to ebooks and electronic publishing?

I have a Kindle, which I use mainly for reading novels when I travel. I tend to read books at home. I don’t see why the two can’t happily co-exist. I’m glad that some of my work is available on a Kindle, although I myself don’t like reading poetry on a Kindle – I prefer to be able to feel the collection as a whole and weigh it in my hand. And I worry a little about what changing the font size does to the line breaks.

On the personal side, you have two very talented sisters. At one time, you were Poetry Editor for a top literary journal and Francesca was overall Editor. I imagine you to be like the Bronte sisters, growing up in your own imaginary worlds. To what extent are you involved in each other's work? To what extent do you need your own space?

We work in different but complementary media (poetry vs. novels) and in different geographical places. By the way, we also have a very talented brother who is currently writing a novel! I have benefitted so much in coming from a family of writers: I have found it a very supportive environment, not only in terms of the help and encouragement I receive from the other three, but also in the way they all come along to readings and are at the end of the phone if I need advice. That has been invaluable and I couldn’t write without it.

I didn’t know you had a brother. He must have stayed under my radar in his schooldays :)

You're a very experienced mentor and writer in residence. Do you enjoy this aspect of being a writer?

It’s been a privilege to have worked with so many enthusiastic writers and students. Last year I was Leverhulme poet in residence at the National Wool Museum in Drefach Felindre. Not only was it an inspirational setting in which to begin the research for my next book, but it was also great to meet a wide variety of local writers who became regular participants at the workshops I ran at the museum. Helping students to start writing has enabled me to reflect on my own creative process – it’s all been a virtuous circle!

Can you tell us about your plans to offer a writing retreat and mentoring in the beautiful coastal scenery of New Quay, Pembrokeshire? I have wonderful memories of watching dolphins play in the sea there.

Generations of my family, several of whom are artists, have sat and read and painted in the garden of our home here in the terraces of New Quay. I wanted to share something of this peace with other writers and creative people, so we decided to turn an old stable at the top of the garden into a writers’ retreat to sleep 1-2 people. Visitors will be able to write in a loft with a view, walk the Pembrokeshire & Ceredigion coastal path and curl up next to the woodburning stove with a shelf full of books. Barely a hundred yards from the beach, the retreat is a simple bolthole, with its own parking and terrace and will be opening in August this year; so when are you coming to try it out, Jean?

You have no idea how tempting that is! There is so much you could teach me. One of these days I will surprise you and book in…

Thank you so much for joining me on my blog and good luck with 'Banjo'. I googled the Scott expeditions and looking at the photos, after reading your poems, makes me shiver.

amazon link

My Review of 'Banjo'

See the world differently...

I love the wide range of places and people, themes and objects, that I can experience while sitting in a comfy chair and reading Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch’s poetry. I also love her sense of humour – sadly, a rarity in literary, prize-winning poetry but I definitely smiled at the Delft lady ‘whose apron said B ugge after she fell’. Most of all, I love the way she shows me the world, differently.

Samantha’s last book, ‘Not in These Shoes’, is one of my favourite poetry books, ever, and a tough act to follow, but ‘Banjo’ really is an experience, and a very different one. It took me from a Paris sewer to Scott’s Polar Expedition, by way of Hong Kong, a wedding in parachute silk and Ladies with Hammers. The precision in language and confident music of the unrhymed verse reward a second – and third – reading. I lived in Hong Kong as a child and the details of place all ring true, evoking memories of the tram up the Peak and the Star ferry; the research underlying the poem is meticulous and typical of Samantha’s work.

With this poet, always expect the unexpected. Hands can be ambiguously sticky – is it raspberry juice or blood? The city’s arteries are the body’s sewers. Imagery and double-meanings enrich the reader’s experience. ‘How composed, how cold’ is one of my favourite lines, describing the explorers in a photo. Sometimes this playful love of words and double-meanings hovers between fun and too-clever but it is always relevant, and a conscious choice, as in ‘Rust’.

‘Let corrosion corrugate us

as we conjugate conrodere:

to go red together’

However, Samantha is equally capable of plain-speaking and some of the lines that hit me hardest were the deceptively simple ones.

‘how there is only enough hay

to take eight of the ponies

up to the foot of the Glacier

where they’ll be shot

for dog food;'

The line break after ‘shot’ emphasises the harshness of what follows but the poet’s shaping is almost invisible – unless you try writing this kind of free verse yourself and realise the craft needed.

The narrative sequence based on Scott’s Polar expedition is a sustained tour-de-force and, as a photographer myself, I was fascinated by the character and work of Ponting in temperatures so cold                                      ‘He lost

the tip of his tongue where it stuck to the camera’

I would have liked more background information about the people and events of the expeditions, perhaps as notes, as some of the references lost me.

And what about the banjo of the title? That’s described from Leonard Hussey’s viewpoint, the group’s meteorologist – and banjo player. ‘All the boys inscribed

their names on my banjo’s skin.’

Samantha also writes as if on skin, and gets right under the reader’s.

He had me at 'Ruff!' Online dog dating.

The 'Ruff!' part is poetic license as Balou hasn't actually barked in my hearing yet so I don't know what he sounds like - no doubt only one of the surprises in store now that we've adopted a dog. It happened like this...

I read obsessively keep an eye on the French Forum for the Adoption of Big Dogs, telling myself I might be able to offer helpful advice or connect people, that I'm not in any way shopping for a dog, that I'm not a sucker for all those stories of heartbreak and hope. Having worked with a dog trainer (Michel Hasbrouck) I know the dangers of pity, of seeking sainthood via pooches, of bringing home a dog riddled with disease and raging against the universe - instead of adopting his quiet friend.

Which is why I fell madly in love made a totally rational decision when choosing a companion for my Great Pyrenees, Blanche, for me and for my long-suffering husband. It's no secret that I've wanted a second dog for some time but L-S.H. liked the advantages of having only one. I miss dog-dog interaction. I miss the games and I even miss dog dialogue; 'It's my couch.. no, it's mine.. mine... mine..' ending with whoever's bigger/smarter claiming the disputed territory/object.

Finding a dog through a website is a form of online dating and increasingly important in placing shelter animals. Some refuges are Internet-savvy, with professional photos of each inmate; others are suspicious of any contact via a computer and usually too busy to answer a telephone. 'Come and see the dog,' is all the answer you get to your questions about background and character.

I was lucky. I was only trying to get more detail about Balou, to help find him a home, as I thought he had a cute face. Yes, photos/appearances make the first impression and some dogs just appeal to you more than others. Separately, two shelter workers gave me more information about Balou, not realising that I was interested for myself (unsurprising as I didn't realise this either). Both people said that this Briard-cross had 'a character of gold', the French idiom that I would translate as 'a sterling character' (interesting aside on national currencies and character descriptions). In any language, he's considered a cutie-pie.  He gets on with people and with other dogs. But the words that etched themselves into my brain were these (I translate):-

'He is one of those dogs we nickname 'the invisible ones'. People never notice them. Because he's black? Black is out of fashion and no-one wants a black dog. And yet he has so many great qualities.'

Balou has been in a shelter for two years and not one person has even looked at him. He was abandoned due to divorce, losing his family, including the children he loved (according to the couple who left him at the shelter).  His friend the German Shepherd was abandoned with him but found a home straight away. Balou has lived with different dogs since then; they come, they find a home and they go.

Apparently, L-S.H. was tired of seeing a dog's face on my computer screen every time he looked, and said 'Yes'. We went to see Balou on Wednesday, taking Blanche with us so that we could have the first meeting on neutral ground and judge the two dogs' reactions. 

We walked them on lead and one training need was clear straight away - Balou pulls like hell.The dogs ignored each other and Balou even ignored another refuge dog playing macho on the opposite side of the road. Then we let the dogs loose on some enclosed ground.

 Balou and Blanche Sniffing together 

Politely avoiding eye contact



Taking a risk

Invitation to play

Playtime!

Balou wasn't interested in us but that's often the case in shelter dogs, especially with strangers. Part of the training work ahead is to make a relationship with an adult dog. However, he was confident with us, didn't mind being stroked, even on his head (a dominant gesture to a dog so should never be the first approach) and his eyes are full of warmth and fun, despite two years in a shelter. The introduction couldn't have gone better and I can't wait for the 6th May when we can pick up Balou and bring him home. We already had holidays booked and I'd rather he stays in the refuge with people he knows than go to a kennels.

Inevitably there are memories of Bétel, the friend we lost three years ago. No-one can replace him but there is room in our life and hearts for Balou. It seems fitting that my book 'Someone to Look Up To', with Bétel's beautiful face on the cover, is now in amazon uk's top 100 kindle dog books and I was wondering how Balou would fit into the characters living in the refuge, described in the mid-section of the book. Prince maybe? The 5 year old black dog? Or perhaps Sirius himself, in character not in looks, the dog who 'kept the faith.'

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Extract from 'Someone to Look Up To'
The dogs in the animal shelter are telling their stories at twilight. Prince, a 5 year old black mongrel takes his turn ...


‘From puppyhood to dog, I grew up with the two babies in my family. I made them smile by licking their feet when they were tiny and my master and mistress stopped them pulling my ears or poking my eyes when they were old enough to experiment on objects. My masters loved me, looked after me, walked me and the children together. We were one family. First Linda, then little Alice started school and every day my mistress and I would walk to meet them. I loved the sound of the children coming from the playground. And the sound of my master coming home from work. And the daytime with my mistress. She sang while she cleaned the house, cooked some food. She took me shopping with her or to visit friends. I can keep myself warm through the winter on my memories of my family. I am lucky.’
‘He is lucky,’ we howled.
‘They died. They went out in the car and they didn’t take me. They said, ‘Bye, Prince, see you soon.’ And they didn’t come back. There was an accident. The police said so when they came to my house where I was waiting for my family to come home. One said, ‘He’s a bit old.’ The other said, ‘No, he’s not old at all and he’s sweet. Give him a chance. He’d make a lovely family pet.’ And they brought me here.I will always love my family.’
‘He will always love his family,’ we echoed.
‘I can love another family too. My heart is big enough.’
‘He can love another family too.’
‘My new family will come.’
‘His new family will come.’ As Prince lay down, Maisie was standing up and I could swear she licked his face as she moved past him but as the clouds drifted past the moon, it could just have been a trick of the light. There was no trace of softness in her deep wrinkles as she gave voice.

They called her 'Pony' - a free spirit

Welcome to author Kristin Gleeson, who is going to talk about her controversial biography of Anahareo, an Algonquin/Mohawk girl who grew up in a small Ontario town during WW1 and became famous for her marriage and conservation partnership with the man known as Grey Owl.

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Originally from Philadelphia, Kristin  lives in Ireland, in the West Cork Gaeltacht, where she teaches art classes, plays harp, sings in an Irish choir and runs two book clubs for the village library. She holds a Masters in Library Science and a Ph.D. in history, and for a time was an administrator of a national denominational archives, library and museum in America.

Kristin's website

Kristin ’s multi-talents include services to other authors and I can highly recommend the partnership she has formed with two other published writers; these are people I trust.  Check out Famelton Writing Services - their prices and services are clearly stated.

Kristin Gleeson is better known for her historical novel ‘Selkie Dreams’ so it makes a change for her to be interviewed about 'Anahareo', which was published the same year as 'Selkie Dreans', 2012, but with a different publisher, Fireship Press.

Welcome to my blog, Kristin.

Your book sparked off all kinds of questions! What made you write about Anahareo? Many people will be saying ‘Who is she?’

I was brought to the story oddly enough by seeing the film 'Grey Owl' (with Pierce Brosnan) one Christmas at my mother-in-law's in Cornwall.   My husband Dave and I talked about it afterwards and he pointed out that Anahareo was the story that should be told and I should tell it. 

How did you go about the research? You must be really pleased that the family love the book but did that give constraints on what you could write? Did you have enough material?

My Ph.D. focussed on women's history and I also have a lot of experience documenting and writing about Native American experiences.  Then began a five year journey trying to get to the sources and tease them out.   It isn't always easy working with Native Americans/First Nations because many have  a great distrust of outsiders of course and since Anahareo had short shrift in the past (and Grey Owl) they were naturally suspicious of me and my motives at first.  It took a great deal of time to build trust.   Also, I am living in Ireland and though I took trips to Canada, when I was there I was always working against the clock at an archives or with a family member who would dole out the material a little at a time. I had bad luck with the national archives because they brought the wrong boxes from across the river which meant that instead of 3 days examining the material I only had 2.   I was also financing it myself since, not being Canadian or Irish, I had no chance of getting grants to support the work.   So I didn't examine every piece of evidence.  That is for others, because now the papers are safely deposited in the Glenbow Museum.  My goal was to get her story out there, not put in the minute details.  

How amazing that you took the project on after seeing the film - I'd imagined you must have had a request from the family or some such personal connection. The practicalities of research are fascinating too.

Anahareo has been described as ‘the great woman behind the great man’. Is that how you see her?

I think Anahareo can stand in her own right.  Though she did inspire Grey Owl, she was also a woman whose own singular outlook and manner challenged the stereotypes society held about Native Americans. She didn’t wear a fringed buckskin dress or have her hair in long braids.  She was stylish with her bobbed hair and would on occasion wear makeup.  She never wore a dress, though.   She wore breeches and lace up boots and still managed to look a million dollars.  Few women would dare to wear that in those times, and fewer First Nations women.  She also was a prospector, could survive on her own in the bush and could paddle a canoe as well as any man.  She was campaigning for animal rights in her fifties, sixties and seventies, long after Grey Owl was dead.

  

What’s your take on Grey Owl? Many people saw him as a con-man when they found out, after his death, that Archie was really British, with no First Nation heritage at all.

I think Grey Owl truly believed that the best way to get his message out was to allow everyone to think he was First Nations.  He recognized that people, especially the British, would be more likely hear the message of the danger of the disappearing wilderness if it came from a First Nations man who they saw as close to nature.  He was under that spell to a degree, too (unlike Anahareo) and felt a great empathy for the issues First Nations people faced. 

Anahareo did finally gain recognition. She was invited to join the Order of Nature in 1979 by the International League for Animal Rights, an honour previously only given to Albert Schweitzer and in 1983 she was given Canada’s highest award, the Order of Canada. Why do you think these awards were given at this time?

Anahareo was awarded the medal of honour because of the guilt I think they felt for belatedly recognizing her contribution and Grey Owl's.   She campaigned hard in the 1960s and 70s for animal rights and for environmental issues.  Though I mentioned some of her appearances in detail, I didn't have the time to gather information for every appearance and felt that if I put it all in it would slow down the narrative. 

What came over to me was how hard Anahareo had to fight just to stay alive. Your book gave a new meaning to the term ‘pioneering spirit’ and I had no idea so many women prospected for gold (including Anahareo) But I found the poverty and alcoholism depressing.

It is a depressing story and the whole First Nations and Native American story is depressing.  I could go on and on why.  They are no more prone to alcoholism and drug addiction than anyone else, it is just that they face extreme poverty and its attendant health care issues, as well as unemployment, cultural restrictions and racism and many many more subtle obstacles.  The average life span of a Native American on the reservation is 45 for men and 48 for women.  With nowhere to go, nothing to do, why would you care if alcohol is bad, or eats your money, damages your kids?  I'll stop now!

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Your novel ‘Selkie Dreams’ portrays a 19th century love affair between a feisty Irish girl and an Alaskan Native American man who embodies the culture. What draws you to write about that cross-cultural enrichment?

I’ve always been fascinated by other cultures and family seem to embody that cross cultural link with  links now to Thailand, Cuba, South America, Native Americans and the Jewish culture in my family.  I was tame and married a Cornishman and lived in the UK and now I live in Ireland, picking up on my own heritage. 

With regard to writing more generally, you have an exciting new venture in Famelton Writing Services. What are you offering writers?

I am really excited about being asked to join my two colleagues in offering consulting services to various writers.  We know from our own experience how tough it can be to break into the publishing world and we would like to help writers achieve.  Whether it’s someone who would like to have an experienced person review their manuscript to ensure that it’s has the important elements to make a good novel or non-fiction work or they just need someone to go through and help them polish it, we want to ensure their final manuscript is as perfect as possible.

Famelton Writing Services

What are your top tips for writers?

It may sound like a cliché but my very top tip for writers is to read as much as possible in the genre/type of novel/non-fiction work you feel drawn to write.  You’d be amazed at how much you can absorb that way in terms of good writing.

Do you seek outside input on your own writing? Is there one piece of advice that you feel has improved your work?

I think it’s so important to get a few different pairs of eyes on your writing. It’s amazing what you can’t see in your own work that you can see in others'.  But it can also assure you that you are on the right track too.   As for one piece of advice— other than repeat read, read, read—is to write, write, write.    Long ago I was told that ensuring there is a clear goal in the work—whether it is non fiction or fiction, is key to a successful narrative.  Your main character should have a clear goal in a novel and the non-fiction book should as well. 

You have two traditional publishers at the moment, Fireship Press for ‘Anahareo’ and Knox Robinson Publishing for ‘Selkie Dreams’; what are your views on traditional v self-publishing?

I think there is room for both in the market, though it’s changing so rapidly it’s difficult to make a reading.   Self publishing is becoming more difficult for those good writers who want to rise and become noticed.  I don’t think the cream rises to the top that easily.  There are just too many indies out there all trying to market their books, good or not.  Traditional publishing is fighting its own battles against Amazon and others who undercut the market with heavy discounts so that whether you are traditionally published or self published the author must promote virtually on their own.  That takes a lot of time.

Thanks, Kristin!

Thanks for such considered reading of the biography on ‘Anahareo’.  I feel sometimes like it doesn't get the attention it deserves.

Like Anahareo herself!

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Contact Kristin here

MY REVIEW of 'ANAHAREO'

When I was a little girl, crazy about animals, I had a Puffin edition of Grey Owl's book 'Pilgrims of the Wild' and I loved the story of wilderness, beavers and conservation. Later, I found out that Grey Owl was really Archie from England and his story became even more interesting. Knowing a fair bit about Grey Owl, I was curious about another aspect to his story as represented by this biography of Anahareo. I think this was the wrong attitude and I'll read it again - as Anahareo's story.

This is one of the dilemmas, not just in the book but in Anahareo's life; her husband was famous. Kristin Gleeson judges well how much to indulge our curiosity about Grey Owl while always focusing on Anahareo as the main character. The tempestuous marriage in log-cabin isolation through bleak Canadian winters was the backdrop to a revolution in thinking about animal welfare. Both Anahareo and Grey Owl were trappers, and the detail of trapping turned my stomach - as happened to Anahareo herself. She influenced her husband, and he influenced the world, to seriously consider the scarcity of animals such as beavers and start conservation projects. From prey to pets, the couple's beloved beavers became a symbol of changed attitudes. It’s one of the paradoxes about books on conservation that they inevitably detail animal cruelty/environmental disasters – horrible reading. That transition from trapper to animal lover is tough on the reader’s imagination, if you love animals, but it is real history.

Ironically, I never quite invested in Anahareo as a character in her own right, because I started with too much knowledge of Grey Owl and lost a little interest when he died - my fault, not the author's. I would have liked to know more about what exactly she did that won her the praise and medal towards the end of her life. The hardest thing about the book for me was that I found Anahareo’s life deeply depressing. I was expecting a pioneering spirit – and there was some of that (the rebel, bucking stereotypes) – but what came over to me was the poverty, loneliness, prejudice, alcoholism, loss of her children – and I was cut up by her and Grey Owl’s ignorance about animals (realistic, I know) and loss of the animals too, as they learned animal care by painful trial and error. Anahareo's life was hard.

I have had to rethink my naive, sentimental view of what 'pioneering spirit' actually means, especially for a woman who fought racial as well as gender prejudice in the early 20th century. I am in awe of Anahareo's physical endurance and survival skills. She was a beautiful young woman who dressed and worked like a man. She was capable of travelling alone for months by canoe and trek (carrying her canoe)to look for work - and she found it. Her father nicknamed her 'Pony' because she always needed to run free. 

A thought-provoking book; reading it will make your own life look different.

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