Luanne Castle's Blog, page 21

Is it Real Life or is it Fiction?

Six years ago, I published a piece of flash fiction at The Story Shack called “Parking Lot Superhero.” I posted a link on this blog and yadda yaddaed about fiction giving me more freedom for structure. The story was one of the first flash pieces I wrote.

Here’s a confession. I don’t even know why I wrote that about freedom because the truth is that this story is completely true except for the names. So maybe the freedom actually came from changing the names. And by changing the names I was able to change the structure and how I ended up structuring it made all the difference. So, yes, I submitted nonfiction as fiction by changing the names.

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Photo by Erik Mclean on Pexels.com

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Is this a character defect? Or is it just a genre, like a roman à clef (novel where real people occur, but their names are changed)?

Have you ever written nonfiction and disguised it as fiction?

If you have read this blog for a long time, you might remember the story, but here it is: https://thestoryshack.com/flash-fiction/drama/luanne-castle-parking-lot-superhero/

This story is not one of my most well-written (and at some point I might revise it), but it’s still one of my favorites because the hero of the story (not me) was such a larger-than-life character in real life.

Going back to my title–Is it Real Life or is it Fiction?–maybe fiction is often real life, just many different aspects of real life glued together in a different combination and order.

One more thing. Why did I want to come clean about this story being true? Although I published it as fiction to protect “Jack” and his family story, I have felt guilt at not giving him credit for being a hero. I still won’t publish his name, but I feel better letting you know that he is a real living hero.

Review of Rooted and Winged by Marie A. Bailey

For some reason WordPress doesn’t allow me to reblog to Writer Site, so I am posting a link to Marie Bailey’s fun review of Rooted and Winged. Thank you so much, Marie, for giving me a fresh look at my poetry collection!!!

https://1writeway.wordpress.com/2022/10/31/the-ease-of-wind-filled-wings-a-review-of-luanne-castles-rooted-and-winged-poetry-bookreview/

Read why Marie felt anxiety and exhilaration . . . .

The Rooted and Winged Blog Tour Links

The Rooted and Winged blog tour has been a lot of fun. I thought I would put all the links to early reviews, as well as the interviews and guest posts.

REVIEWS

By Carla McGill: https://www.harbor-review.com/rooted-and-winged

By Sheila Morris: https://iwillcallit.com/2022/10/02/rooted-and-winged-poems-by-luanne-castle/

By Jade Nicole Beals: https://jadenicolebeals.com/2022/10/08/rooted-and-winged-by-luanne-castle-standing-so-your-familiar-setting-takes-flight-with-you/

INTERVIEWS AND GUEST POSTS

Review Tales – Interview with Luanne

The Bookish Elf – Interview with Luanne

The Bookworm – Luanne Castle guest post

Anthony Avina’s Blog – Luanne Castle Interview

The Book Connection – Luanne Castle Interview

Celtic Lady’s Reviews – Luanne Castle Guest Post

The Soapy Violinist – Luanne Castle Guest Post

I would love to do more interviews or posts in the future. If you leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads I would be so thrilled.

Distant Flickers Book Review

Distant Flickers: Stories of Identity & Loss is an anthology of engaging short fiction that varies in subject, style and tone. As the subtitle suggests, explorations in identity and the different faces of loss provide a thematic focus for the collection. After each story, an extended bio, author perspective on the story, and information about the author’s other publications is provided, and I really like that. So often in an anthology I don’t feel that I “meet” the writers of the short stories or poems. Here, I am asked to slow down and get to know them a bit.

Every story in the book is special, but I will write about just a few of my favorites. In “1975: East Ocean View,” Elizabeth Gauffreau develops a character study of a young woman whose childhood has been ended by the birth of a baby. The girl, unexposed to early feminism, hasn’t had a chance to grow up on her own, but instead must negotiate a life of poverty with an immature husband and a baby. Gauffreau’s skill with deft understatement and deep understanding is clear in this piece. “1975: East Ocean View” serves as a reminder to me of the best of the short story genre—and what I love about it. No big splash, but lots of dangerous undercurrents. In her second story in the book, “Diary Omissions: The House on Edgewood Road,” Gauffreau demonstrates a flair for dry humor even as she writes poignantly of a family tragedy.

“Two Boys,” by Carol LaHines, is a thought-provoking look at a mother’s loss. The approach to the subject, as well as the writing style, reminds me of Shirley Jackson’s delightful and unsettling “domestic” stories.

“Where Secrets Go to Hide” by Keith Madsen is a charming and humorous exploration of what makes a secret a secret. An undercurrent of darkness occasionally breaks the surface and shows itself, thus providing tension and suspense to the story.

I enjoyed all the stories in the collection immensely. You couldn’t ask for a more satisfying variety of approaches to both identity and loss. The protagonist in “1975; East Ocean View” has lost her future even as she has lost her past. In this way she is in danger of losing her self. In “Two Boys,” the loss affects the mother’s and the child’s sibling’s identities. Madsen’s story is about the loss of innocence, which affects the identity of the protagonist and his family.

You can purchase the book through your favorite book seller here: https://books2read.com/-distantflickers?format=all

The Rooted and Winged Blog Tour: Why and How to Write Slant

The last stop on the Rooted and Winged blog tour by Poetic Book Tours is a guest post I wrote about how important it is to write slant when writing poetry. I also share some ideas on how to do so.

You can find it here: https://thesoapyviolinist.blogspot.com/2022/10/guest-post-from-luanne-castle-author.html

I hope you’ve enjoyed the guest posts and interviews on the blog tour. I’m always open to more interactive blog experiences related to my new book haha.

If you’ve been so kind to read Rooted and Winged I beg you to leave a review at Amazon. Even if it’s only one or two sentences it really helps. If you are on Goodreads, please consider pasting the review over there as well.

New Poem Up at Nightingale & Sparrow

Grateful to Nightingale & Sparrow journal and editor Marcelle Newbold for publishing my poem, “Becoming Silent at Thirteen.”

Becoming Silent at Thirteen

The poem takes place at the lake where my family lived summer. In the following photo, I am about 11 or 12. The lake was not large, but seemed like three lakes that flowed together because of the configuration of the shoreline. In fact, everyone called the different parts first lake, second lake, and third lake. The latter was shallow and swampy with weeds sticking up out of the water. You could see the lake bottom from your boat.

Young teen me on the lake

New Stop on the Rooted and Winged Blog Tour: An Exploration of Roots and Wings

The newest stop on the Rooted and Winged blog tour by Poetic Book Tours is a guest post I wrote exploring the images of roots and wings in my new book Rooted and Winged.

You can find it here: https://celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/2022/10/rooted-and-winged-by-luanne-castle.html

Lily’s ears look like wings

Review of Rooted and Winged at Savvy Verse and Wit

I’m thrilled with this review of Rooted and Winged at Savvy Verse and Wit.

You can find it here:

Rooted and Winged by Luanne Castle

Two of the poems in Rooted and Winged are based on Sylvia Plath poems. This is what my Plath Collected Poems looks like after all these years.

Next Stop on the Rooted and Winged Blog Tour: Interview by The Book Connection

Today’s stop on the Rooted and Winged blog tour by Poetic Book Tours is an interview of me by The Book Connection. The photos I am sharing here of my maternal grandparents (in Kalamazoo) are to complement the interview.

You can find it here:

http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2022/10/interview-with-luanne-castle-author-of.html

Grandma with baby me: this is the grandmother in poems like “Spotlight” and “Your Foot Bone Connected to Your Heart Bone” With Grandpa at my 2nd birthday party: this is the grandfather in “Gravity” and “Spotlight”

Jade Nicole Beals’ Review of Rooted and Winged

I love following Jade Nicole Beals’ sensitive book reviews, creative writing and art, so I am thrilled to read her review of Rooted and Winged on her blog.

You can find it here:

Rooted and Winged by Luanne Castle: Standing So Your Familiar Setting Takes Flight with You