David-Michael Harding's Blog, page 9
December 11, 2013
Check Out Trail of Tears National Site!
On a recent promotional trip to Eastern Tennessee I had the opportunity to tour the Blythe’s Ferry area. This is where several thousand Cherokee passed on the forced march to Oklahoma which was to become known as the infamous Trail of Tears. The site is extremely well done and the documentation is pronounced. I would encourage anyone with an interest in American history – even the vicious black eye of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 sponsored by the United States Government – to visit this site, nestled in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains (seen rising above me in the photograph).
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Cherokee Talisman is Out!
December 3, 2013
These are the type of men Tom Brokaw was thinking of when he said, “The Greatest Generation.”
Recently I was incredibly honored to be able to attend a reunion of sailors who served on the USS Warrington, DD-843. The Warrington was a destroyer that saw extensive service in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. The men that gathered are some of the best our country has to offer.
A group of veterans took me along on a unique tour of the Big J – the USS New Jersey, BB-62, an Iowa-class battleship, anchored in Camden, NJ. The New Jersey is the most decorated ship in the Navy. She is also a beautiful ship. I took this photo looking out over two turrets of her amazing 16″ guns – capable of firing a projectile the size of a small car 20 miles!
Me with a 5 inch shell casing stands beneath a flag flown on the USS Warrington in Vietnam.
Their stories were fascinating and compelling and I count it a rare privilege to have been permitted to sit in and listen. I’m certain there is fodder here for a story!
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December 2, 2013
December 1, 2013
Get Black Men in Bright Blue for FREE on Amazon for Kindle til Thurs., the 5th!
It is 1864 and Rachel Justice is ten years old. Her days are spent exploring Providence, her father’s plantation in South Carolina. Life in the mansion is a series of playtime adventures as she romps over the grounds on pretended spying missions for her special General, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. The manicured lawns and fields are tended by black hands she knows little of. But hard lessons are coming as the Civil War ravages the land only miles away and lives in her own backyard.
As Rachel discovers her mother’s role in a clandestine enterprise, conflicts with the often harsh demeanor of the plantation mistress cause a coarse split between mother and young daughter. Rachel develops a chance encounter with a young slave boy who inadvertently changes her life at the cost of his own and the story explodes. She learns of slavery in the echoes of a cracking whip as mysterious specters of Black Men in Bright Blue resurface and escort her to a special destiny. Her secret knowledge of the underground railroad pushes her family and her young mind into life and death decisions none are ready for.
This piece is part of a collection of short stories and several novellas that comprise The Cats of Savone, the initial installment in The Completely Abridged Series.
November 13, 2013
Get Forever Beneath the Celtic Sea for FREE on Amazon til Sat., the 16th!
“FIRE ONE!” “Fire one!” “Fire one…”
“ONE AWAY!” “One away!” “One away…”
As these words rise, fall, and echo from captain to crew and back again through the damp metal confines of a German submarine patrolling beneath the choppy Celtic Sea, RMS Lusitania was steaming for England above. The U-20 attack sub had sunk three other ships in as many days prior to having the mammoth luxury passenger liner cross the lens of its periscope, but nothing of its size, with as many people aboard, and with such far ranging consequences.
Historians point to the sinking of the RMS Lusitania as the catalyst that propelled the Unites States into the First World War. The American press vilified Germany over the deaths of the Americans lost among the 1,200 killed. Winston Churchill called the attack murder as he goaded President Woodrow Wilson to join the war effort. In time, the United States sent its soldiers into harm’s way in Europe. When it was over, more than 115,000 Americans had been killed.
Forever Beneath the Celtic Sea eavesdrops on life in the cold wake of the U-boat as the 1915 attack off the coast of Ireland unfolds. The focus of the story is U-20’s captain, Walther Schwieger, and the torpedo man, young Guenther Stroehmann. Schwieger is compelled by his orders and his powerful sense of duty and allegiance to Germany. Guenther follows orders as well, but it is his hand that launches the deadly torpedo.
This piece is part of a collection of short stories and several longer novellas that comprise The Cats of Savone, the initial installment in The Completely Abridged Series.
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Writing 101: Writing the Next Great American Novel is a marathon. Short Stories are the roadwork, preparation, and conditioning.
David-Michael Harding’s The Cats of Savone is a literary collection of shorts and novellas compliled from the author’s collegiate instruction as he teaches on the Art & Science of Writing.
TAMPA, Fla. – David-Michael Harding steps away briefly from his publication of historical fiction (How Angels Die and Cherokee Talisman) to compile a wide range of topics in The Cats of Savone (ISBN 978-0-9857285-1-9), the first installment in the new Completely Abridged Series – Short Novels for Busy People. Through the fabric of eight very different stories, Harding presents the discerning reader with tales which purposely shy away from a commonality of locality or characters. By design, the unrelated stories effortlessly glide through genres as examples of what the collegiate instructor calls “newborn novels”. As the novelist explains -
“Most novels begin their lives as short stories. Consider Ernest Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea, or John Steinbeck’s The Red Pony. Though in their entirety these classics are short in comparison to other works of the masters, each began life as a true short story. Writing, much like any gift, skill, habit, or hope, is strengthened through application, training, and exercise. The short story is the stretching and dedication to a running regime long before the marathon. It is the repetition of scales on the piano, years before the recital.”
The title story is the PEN International Award Winner, The Cats of Savone, which follows a pregnant cat beneath a mammoth steel gate into the exercise yard of the Savone Correctional Facility. The hardened convicts in the maximum security prison adopt the cat as much as she adopts them. But an accident in the prison leads to murder and a host of tough choices for tough men.
Black Men in Bright Blue traces the steps of ten-year-old Rachel Justice in 1864 while she explores her father’s plantation in South Carolina. As she learns of slavery beneath the shadow of the Civil War, her secret knowledge of the underground railroad pushes her family and her young mind into decisions none are ready for. Eavesdrop on the captain and crew in Forever Beneath the Celtic Sea as the story follows in the cold wake of the World War I German submarine the U-20, and its deadly encounter with the luxury passenger liner Lusitania in 1917.
The History of West Texas According to Henry Brass sits beside the bed of a of a old soldier, trapper, and patriot who is dying from consumption. He hasn’t lost his sense of humor however as he relates story after story to a young man who cares for him in his last days. Then move from West Texas in the 19th Century to another continent and another time in St. Alden’s where a classic fight between good and evil comes to life on a university campus. An aged Guardian of the campus needs to pass down the secrets of a mysterious silver and the power of goodness to his grandson before night demons put an end to a magical spring and its unique life giving water.
Additional stories provide glimpses into the life of a man who has gone through a lifetime of labels – retarded in the 50’s, handicapped in the 70’s, and now with special needs – Jonny Archer finds himself on an unlikely trip in The Junket. The Jazz Bridge chronicles the history and anniversary of an ordinary bridge in an ordinary town as something extraordinary happens. The collection is rounded out by My Boo Radley and the high school baseball pitcher who learns lessons from an old fan who the world viewed as a monster.
For fans of the author, these shorts and novellas are glimpses into the stories, talents, and passion his characters are layered in. Readers care about the people in a Harding story. You’ll cheer, jeer, laugh, cry, and then VOTE for the one that becomes the next full length NOVEL!
Read, enjoy, and VOTE at www.DavidMichaelHarding.com
The Cats of Savone is available online at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, Smashwords, and everywhere fine books are sold.
About the Author:
David-Michael Harding is a life-long writer whose novel, How Angels Die, continues to receive critical acclaim. A former semi-professional football player, his writing is hard hitting and passionate. He holds a master’s degree in education and is an adjunct professor of writing. Most of his days are spent writing from the cockpit of his sailboat, Pegasus, somewhere off the Nature Coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico.
MEDIA CONTACT
David-Michael Harding
E-mail: info@DavidMichaelHarding.com
Phone: (813) 468-0225
Website: www.DavidMichaelHarding.com
REVIEW COPIES AND INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE
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Mark Your Calendar! The Cats of Savone Release Date 11/11/13!
Check Out My Recent Visit to Eastern State Penitentiary!http://www.prlog.org/12239806-writing-101-writing-the-next-great-american-novel-is-marathon.html
November 3, 2013
Check Out My Recent Visit to Eastern State Penitentiary!
I recently visited Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA, the site of the photograph which graces the cover of my new release, The Cats of Savone. The administration and staff were a delight.
I took an extensive self-guided tour of the expansive facility and saw the well visited cell of the infamous mobster Al “Scarface” Capone. Perhaps more intriguing was the fascinating design of the prison – novel in its day (1829) – which would become the blueprint for worldwide prison construction thereafter. The architecture and construction techniques are marvelous and worth the trip for anyone with an interest in structural engineering.
The highlight of the trip was two-fold. The ESP Team took me to the exact spot were the cover photograph was taken and snapped this picture. Shortly thereafter I met with the artist, Linda Brenner, the creator of the Ghost Cats installation.
My time in Philadelphia was equally informative and captivating and will be the source of several upcoming entries.
Artist, Linda Brenner, the creator of the Ghost Cats installation and me at her studio
October 31, 2013
Mark Your Calendar! The Cats of Savone Release Date 11/11/13!
The Cats of Savone will be available Monday, 11/11!
September 5, 2013
Cats of Savone is Coming SOON!
For fans of the author, these shorts and novellas are glimpses into the stories, talents, and passion his rich characters are layered in. Readers care about the people in a Harding story. You’ll cheer, jeer, laugh, cry, and then VOTE for the one that becomes the next full length NOVEL!
Read, enjoy, and VOTE at DavidMichaelHarding.com
“Most novels begin their lives as short stories. Writing, much like any gift, skill, habit, or hope, is strengthened through practice, training, and exercise. The short story is the stretching and dedication to a running regime long before the marathon. It is the repetition of scales on the piano, years before the recital.”
Read “My Boo Radley” and meet the peculiar ex-big league pitcher. “The Cats of Savone” will take you into the world behind the walls of a maximum security prison while in “Forever Beneath the Celtic Sea” you’ll feel your hands pressed against the damp hull of a German U-boat. You’ll be taken back to a hidden side of the Civil War in “Black Men in Bright Blue” and somewhere unknown through “St. Alden’s.” Then saddle up to laugh and learn with “The History of West Texas According to Henry Brass.”
July 19, 2013
Check Out My Native American Touchstones!
My Inspiring Writing Space!
