The Story Behind the Story for the Anthologies - Spring Paths & Summer Paths (coming soon). Sandra Bunting and Chuck Bowie.
Thisweek you will read the SBTS from two talented authors who are part of the Seasonal Collective and contributors tothe Path Anthologies.
Themost recent being Spring Paths.
BothChuck and Sandra have been guests on the Scribbler before and I encourage you tocheck them out.
Readon my friends.
Sandra Bunting is the author of twocollections of short stories, two poetry books and a non-fiction book besideshaving work included in anthologies and literary magazines. She works as aneditor at the Irish-based literary magazine Crannog, and offers editing andproofreading of manuscripts through her own Gaelog Press.
Chuck is both a writer and an author, witheleven books/novels published. While he mostly enjoys writing mysteries:Suspense-Thrillers and Cozy Mysteries, he also writes short stories. All of hisbooks are well-reviewed, and he has sat on the boards of the Writers’Federation of NB, The Writers’ Union of Canada, is a Fellow of the KingsbraeInternational Residency for the Arts, as well as being acknowledged as a memberof the Miramichi Literary Trail. His thriller series chronicles the adventuresof an international thief for hire, while his cozy series (written as AlexaBowie) follows the adventures of the owner of an arts centre as Emma solves thecrimes that swirl around her centre: The Old Manse.
Chuck lives in Fredericton and on MiramichiBay.
Title: Anthologies.
Synopsis from Spring Paths:
Sometimes, a compelling short story is all you need. Let our tales of gods, ghosts, alien worlds, mystery, secrecy, love, loss and horror get under your skin for a while.
Nine North Atlantic writers have collaborated to create this anthology, the third in a series of multi-genre fables that will entertain, possibly unsettle, and cause you to think about the present in which we live.
Curl up on the sofa and allow yourself to be lost in the pages of this fascinating book.
The Story Behind the Story
Sandra: Oneof the most evocative images of summer when I was a child was a blue sky, ameadow full of yellow wildflowers – probably dandelions and buttercups - and aclothesline of pristine white sheets flapping gently in the breeze. We all knowthat this description is now generally a thing of the past. Dryers are justmore convenient in our busy lives. But I wanted to work around the idea of a clothesline.My story in the forthcoming anthology Summer Paths, the fourth in aseries put out by The Seasonal Collective, is called Clean Laundry.
Through the story, I wantedto explore several themes. I set it in a rural community and wanted to breakthe myth that country people were old-fashioned. Technological advances are asprevalent in smaller communities as they are in big cities. However, I wantedto see what could happen if one person moved into the community and tried tochange the way things were done.
Reflecting on that themealso brought to mind a memory of being in the company of women when I was alittle girl. I remember one time sitting with them in the kitchen as they spokein horror of “a clothesline thief”.
I usually try to sneak inmention of some issues that I feel passionate about, namely creativity and theenvironment. I feel that it is vital as a human to in some way be creative. Ifeel creativity could help answer some of the world’s problems. Another issueis the environment We are so fortunate to live on this beautiful earth but wedon’t look after it.
Clean Laundry is alight-hearted homage to summer, which also lights on serious topics that can becontemplated at a later time. How do I weave all these themes together? Enterinto summer. Enter into the pages of Clean Laundry.
Chuck: When the Spring Paths Melt from Spring Paths.
I had a dream many years ago, where the City ofFredericton flooded. I had gotten a casual job emptying a store basement onQueen St, down by the river during an unusual spring flood. I wondered whatwould happen if the spring freshet hit at the same time as the Grand Falls,Beechwood and Mactaquac dams all breached. Many years later, I added ClimateChange and my recurring dream became a bit of a nightmare.
When I awoke, the simple dream of the entire city beingunder water became a speculation project for me. Would I have a protagonist?Just one? Would they be starving or scavenging? Scavenging, I thought. Wouldthey die (alone)? Or would there be hope? Would it be a cautionary tale ofMan’s foolishness? I didn’t want to do that. Rather, I wanted somethingimmediate, human, and real enough to touch the reader.
I wanted the reader to be in the rowboat with the one whomight be the last human in the region.
So that became the story. But I’ve always been asconcerned—perhaps even more—with the How of the story. How can my characterreview their situation, and then summon the will to get out of bed in themorning? What to they do every day; does every minute, like that of ancientman, have to be about scrabbling for food, warmth, and shelter? How do they putone foot in front of the other, in the hope that things will get better, whenit probably won’t?
But that’s how the human race managed to survive, isn’tit.
So I wrote a story about a brave young man who hoped thatthings would get better. He did the little things to engender optimism withinhis soul. He measured, daily, the height of the water above a specific rooftop.He checked his shoreline every day, placing a rock at the water’s edge andnoting where the waterline had previously been. He got out of bed each morning.And he hoped.
Readers sometimes ask me how I make my stories come tolife. One of the responses I offer is to explain that I watch the details of myday, and note how the details enrich the story; make it real. Remember how Itold of emptying a flooded basement of a downtown shop? I was up to my chest inwater, carrying boxes, and I walked past a light switch, three inches above thebasement water. And then I looked up at the bare ceiling bulb illuminating mywork. And then back to that almost-flooded switch. See? It is those detailsthat add a bit of zest to my stories. Sure, I destroy three dams, but I alsoplace a rock at the waterline. Just to give you hope.
The Scribbler recently posted the STBT for other contributors to the Anthologies. Check them out if you like.
You can get your copy of Spring Paths ( and theothers) HERE.
Thank you both, for being our guests and sharing yourinspiration for the short story contributions to the Anthology. We wish youcontinued success with your writing journeys.
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And a HUGEthank you to our dear readers and visitors. We do it all for you.
