Welcome 2017
The new year is already ten days old, but I still wish people a Happy New Year when I encounter them. Starting the new year with positive wishes seems only right.
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The Royal Dragonfly Awards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Linda F. Radke, Dragonfly Book Awards
Phone: 480-940-8182
E-mail: info@storymonsters.com
‘The Spirit of Villarosa’ Wins Coveted Royal Dragonfly Book Award
CHANDLER, AZ (November, 2016) — The judges of the 2016 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards contest, which recognizes excellence in all genres of literature, have spoken. The Spirit of Villarosa: A Father’s Extraordinary Adventures; A Son’s Challenge by Horace Dade Ashton, Marc Ashton, and Libby J. Atwater won first place in two categories: biography and memoir and historical nonfiction. (more…)
Join Me
You’re invited to attend a Local Authors’ Fair on Sunday, November 13, 2016, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Camarillo Public Library in Camarillo, California. I’ll be there to present The Spirit of Villarosa, a true suspense story that I coauthored with the late Horace Dade Ashton and his son Marc Ashton. The book debuted on June 28, 2016 and has received much praise for its compelling father and son tale.
I will also share my award-winning memoir, What Lies Within, with area residents who wish to meet local authors and read their books. If you’re in the Ventura County area that day, please feel free to drop in and introduce yourself. I always enjoy meeting my readers.
Help for Haiti
I have never visited Haiti, but I have been there through the written words of the late Horace Dade Ashton, his son Marc Ashton, and writers Tracy Kidder and Edwidge Danticat. The first two gentleman gave me the opportunity to help them write The Spirit of Villarosa: A Father’s Extraordinary Adventures; A Son’s Challenge, which debuted on June 28, 2016.
Horace Ashton first visited Haiti in 1906, when he wished to learn more about Voudou. He wrote, “On that first visit I fell in love with Haiti in a way that haunted me for life. The breathtaking beauty of this island paradise rivaled that of anywhere in the world I had visited. I fell in love with its vivid colors and vibrant music; the rich green texture of its mountains beyond mountains; and its turquoise ocean, so clear I thought I could reach down and touch the bottom. I felt an immediate connection to this country and its people, culture, and religion that would ultimately become my home and final resting place.” (more…)
Individual Stories Become a Part of All History
On Tuesday, September 27, 2016, the Friendship Connection #1 invited me to talk about how individual histories become part of all history at the Poinsettia Pavilion in Ventura, California. On a sweltering fall day, I shared my past experiences collecting oral histories for the Museum of Ventura County and presented excerpts from these interesting interviews. I also spoke about what an honor and privilege it was to help other people tell their stories in book form.
My own memoir, What Lies Within, grew out of these experiences. After all, if I could write others’ tales, why couldn’t I write my own? I did. But it took nearly ten years from when I began writing my book, a memoir of my early years, until it debuted in 2013. I squeezed it in between client projects and work for my professional organization, the Association of Personal Historians, Inc.
One project I began as a subcontractor in 2003 became my second longest writing achievement. A combination memoir/biography written by Horace Dade Ashton and Marc Ashton grew into a challenging series of tales that I helped tell. Based on recordings that the late Horace Ashton left behind and Marc Ashton’s story of his kidnapping in 2001, the book became The Spirit of Villarosa: A Father’s Extraordinary Adventures; A Son’s Challenge. This book was released on June 28, 2016, and I feel fortunate to have been part of this amazing true-life tale’s writing team.
I read excerpts from both books and answered questions about them and my life. Afterwards members purchased copies of the books, which I gladly signed.
Writing can be a lonely profession, so I really enjoy the opportunities I get to share my work by venturing out and speaking. It felt wonderful to be welcomed by such a warm, receptive audience.
Meeting Horace Ashton
Horace Ashton had been dead for 27 years when we first met. The man known as “The Spirit of Villarosa” did not appear to me in an ethereal manner. He jumped out of a series of transcripts he recorded in his mid-eighties that were sent to me by his son Marc.
As I began transforming the transcripts into a manuscript, I felt like I was channeling Horace’s spirit through his adventures. Imagine going to sea as a cabin boy at age 14; becoming an orphan at 15, as I had; and accepting a job as a photographer when he was only 16 and had no experience taking pictures. Young Ashton soon found himself photographing Washington’s elite, beginning with Alice Roosevelt and moving on to members of Congress. (more…)