THE CRONE

 Mt story titled "The Crone" is published in this volume of Downstate Story.

Downstate Story

www.downstatestory.com       www.wiu.edu/users/mfgeh/dss

 

___________________________________________

Elaine Hopkins, publisher ehopkins7@prodigy.net

1825 Maple Ridge, Peoria, IL. 61614

phones: 309/688-1409; 309/231-5758

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Further information:

Elaine Hopkins 309/231-5758

ehopkins7@prodigy.net

 

DOWNSTATE STORY VOL. 30 NOW AVAILABLE FREE ON THE WEB

 

Nine new short stories by Illinois and Midwestern writers are featured in the 2021 edition of Downstate Story, Peoria's only literary magazine for fiction. Downstate Story is now published only on the Web at www.downstatestory.com

 

The writers in this issue are: Jim Wilhelm of Peoria, IL, Pepper Bauer of Mapleton, IL.., Jim Courter of Macomb, IL.;  Jackson Courter of Urbana, IL., Jason Sibert of Maryville, IL.; Laura McPherson of Addison, IL.,  Audrey Carli of Iron River, MI.; Arlene Shovald of Salida, CO.; Elise Warner of Jackson Heights, NY.,  and Natalie Dale of Hillsboro, OR.,

 

Most of these outstanding writers have long lists of publications in other literary magazines, and some have authored books.

 

Published by Downstate Story, Inc., an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, the annual publication aims to present original fiction by Illinois writers and writers with ties to Illinois and the Midwest as a quality alternative to today's mass-market publishing.

 

Downstate Story’s Facebook page can be accessed at www.Facebook.com/downstatestory

 

EDITORS/PRODUCERS NOTE:

The magazine is available free on the Web. Interviews with the authors are encouraged and can be arranged. Contact us, or them. Their email addresses and other information are included below.

 

Please help us notify the public about this unique venture.

 

(continued on p. 2)

DOWNSTATE STORY, Vol. 30, THE FACTS

 

1. Politically correct. Contributors paid for their work. No government funds used.

 

2. Something for everyone. Stories reflect diversity of authors, and include romance, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, mainstream fiction.

 

3. Promotes quality reading. Content realistic but not X-rated.

 

4. Promotes Illinois and Midwestern writers.

 

5. Unusual concept for the arts. Provides outlet for local writers and artists to reach

local audiences free.

 

6. Original work. None ever published before.

 

7. Quality work. Stories and art comparable to work in Harpers, Atlantic, The New Yorker and top literary magazines.

 

8. No poetry.

 

9. No advertising.

 

 

DOWNSTATE STORY, Vol. 30. AUTHORS

.

Authors: (Telephone numbers available on request)

Jason Sibert, Jasonsibert@hotmail.com

Jim Courter, je-courter@wiu.edu

James Wilhelm, IllinoisjamesP@comcast.net

Laura McPherson, lauralmcpherson@gmail.com

Jackson Courter, j.courter3@gmail.com

Elise Warner, elisewarnerb@aol.com

Arlene Shovald, witcharlene@gmail.com

Audrey Carli, audreycarli@yahoo.com

Natalie Dale, nataliedaleauthor@gmail.com

Pepper Bauer, pepperbauer@att.net

                                                       

***

Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Hilarious, Heroic, Human Dog Coast to Coast Canines

     

Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Hilarious, Heroic, Human Dog will go on sale at all bookstores beginning Sept. 7th. My story is titled COAST TO COAST CANINES. A loving tribute to our Jackie (a toy poodle) and her canine companions on tour with the National Company of the prize-winning musical Fiorello!

                                                                                    

More info to come.

Bests,

Elise

THE AMERICAN CEMETERY

ON MEMORIAL DAY On the west side of the Greve river, approximately 7.5 miles south of Florence, Italy,set against a backdrop of hills dense with London Plane trees, headstones belonging to 4,402 American Military Dead stand on 70 acres of foreign soil. Pine, cypress, willow, oak and cedar trees enclose the section along with oleander, crepe myrtle and laurel-cherry shrubs. A bridge set between the cemetery office and the visitor’s center at the entrance to the cemetery leads us to row after row of crosses and stars of David. The cemetery is hushed except for the occasional rustle of a leaf or a bird’s fragment of song. We wander among the headstones that bear the names and dates of birth of the servicemen and women who were lost to friends, loved ones and our nation. Here and there, we see a pebble placed on a stone; a way to say “We are here. We came to see you. We will never forget you.” Americans,traveling through the area,stop at the cemetery, on the west side of the Via Cassia,a major highway that links Florence with Rome and Sienna, to pay their respects to the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in World War II.The majority died in the fighting that occurred after the liberation of Rome in June 1944 and during the fierce battles in the Apennines right before the end of the war. The cemetery is one of 14 permanent memorials built by the American Battle Monuments Commission. The site (liberated on August 3, 1944 by the South African 6th Armored Division) and the stone used to construct the chapel and headstones was supplied by Italy. On the highest of three terraces located in back of the burial site are two open sections partially enclosed by walls; to the east is the American flag. Tablets of the Missing, constructed of Travertine stone, connect the two sections. Visitors barely breathe as they read the Baveno granite panels; on the tablets are inscribed the names of 1,409 Americans (United States Army and Air Forces and the United States Navy) who died in our nation’s service and rest in nameless graves. They came from every state in our union but Alaska and Hawaii. Men study the north section’s west wall where two marble operations maps tell the story of the American Forces in the area. Inscriptions in English and Italian provide an explanation for the maps and the military operations. A forecourt at the south end of the tablets leads to a marble and mosaic chapel; a place to meditate and pray for the peace represented in a sculpture that rests on a pylon. The Florence American Cemetery and Memorial is open daily from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm from April 16 to September 30 and from 8:00am to 5:00pm from October 1 to April 15. Staff members in the visitors’ building will accompany family members to the graves and memorial sites. In remembrance, Elise

THE PACK HORSE LIBRARY

 

My article titled, "THE PACK HORSE LIBRARY PROGRAM OF DEPRESSION ERA KENTUCKY" is featured in the February issue of the Elks magazine.

Women living in rural communities were hired to bring books to schools and homes in extremely hard to reach communities under terrible conditions. They brought education, entertainment and a bit of knowledge of the outside world with them. After FDR became President, he set up the WPA--which brought jobs to young men and veterans. I hope that through urban renewal and the construction of bridges and tunnels will soon bring jobs and a better economy to our country.

Scene Stealer is available wherever Ebooks are sold.

Bests,

Elise

GROVES OF GOLD CITRUS FRUIT IN AMERICA

The Elks Magazine is featuring my article on citrus. Enjoyed the research and writing of this one. Imagine all writers have favorite "children." Two of my favorites from a number of years ago were one about gelaterias in Rome and another about touring the Peruginia chocolate factory in Perugia, Italy. My husband's favorite was testing the gelato. Of course, we had to taste what I wrote about. I tend to think beginning with a title you love makes the writing go much more smoothly although editors do have a tendency to change them. Do you have a favorite? Bests, Elise

"Brush Up Your Shakespeare"

What do writers do during quarantines? Why we write, scrub our hands to the tune of "Happy Birthday," and write and write and write. For non-fiction we research, often finding other pieces of information that inspires us to write and write and write. Taking a few minutes--here and there--to visit Facebook and Twitter and check our emails to see if any of our queries have been accepted. Then it's back to the keyboard to write and write and write. It's one of the few positives to come out of this horrific pandemic.

From singer Rosanne Cash, "Just a reminder that when Shakespeare was quarantined because of the plague, he wrote King Lear." Something to strive for...

Bests,

Elise

Scene Stealer is available at Barnes & Noble and wherever eBooks are sold.

FEET of CLAY

Daniel in the Book of Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon’s dream. The king dreams of a sculpture made of gold, silver, brass and iron—seemingly strong but flawed because his feet are made of both iron and clay. The clay will cause the sculpture to topple. Recently newspapers talked of Michelangelo’s David and the unexpected weakness of his feet. Feet of Clay has been employed for millenniums to refer to a person’s weakness of character. Today we talk of Achilles Heel as a failing that can cause a powerful figure to perform ineffectively. Greek mythology relates the prophesy that the baby Achilles would die at a young age. Thetis, his mother, took her child to the River Styx, believing its magical powers would shield Achilles from harm. Thetis immersed the baby in the water holding him by his heel—the water bathed every part of his body except his heel—a physical failure. Achilles lived through many battles but during the Trojan War died from a poisoned arrow shot by Paris that become fixed in the one weak spot his mother could not protect. In folklore, a Golem is created from inanimate matter—clay or mud. Raw material that leads to an unfinished human. It is often employed today to describe someone blundering, and dense who may carry out man’s orders under some conditions but is hostile and destructive under others. I don’t read many biographies anymore. Bios often show the feet of clay, the Achilles heel, the sometimes destructive artist I had previously respected and admired and I find it affects my enjoyment of their work. It’s hard for me to separate the shallow, often despicable person described in the page of a book from my personal image of the painter, actor, or author whose work I once treasured. Many people can compartmentalize and separate the artist’s work from his or her behavior, I find it difficult. How about you?

BREAKFAST WITH LONESOME

When I pick up my cup of coffee to begin my day, I think of Lonesome, an Emu we met while visiting Australia where curious Koalas stared at us wondering what sort of creatures these fur-less strangers were, fur seals ignored us--and snoozed in the sun and kangaroos, as friendly as puppies gathered around. A short ferry ride, on the Sealink, across the Backstairs Passage, brought my husband and I to Kangaroo Island. Lonesome, the Emu, yearned for friendship and his own egg to sit on. He lives at the Emu ridge Eucalyptus Oil distillery, where the oil distilled from a multi-stemmed tree called the Narrow-Leaf Mallee produces the Bush product used as an insect repellent, stain remover, disinfectant, flea-remover, antiseptic and mouthwash. For reasons known only to his fellow Emus, Lonesome is ignored making it difficult for him to father the egg, paternal Emus are born to sit on. We were given a bottle of eucalyptus and I bought the mug with Lonesome's likeness. We chatted awhile and listened to the guide tell Lonesome's story as he scratched his feathered head. he seemed like a charming bird to me but I guess he lacked that certain something a female Emu looks for in a future mate. romance can be difficult.

I greet him everyday as I add a teaspoon of sugar, and a few drop of milk to my coffee. Hope he finally found the right mate.

Bests, Elise

ARE YOU ANYBODY?

Before I became a freelance writer, I worked in the theater. First as a singer/actress,later as a stage manager. During rehearsals, the elevator door to the studios would open and often out would come a man who would stop anyone on a break and ask, "Are you anybody?" My answer was ,"Everybody is somebody." I learned he sold ice cream from a cart to make his living and it was rumored that if he managed to obtain an autograph from a star or featured player, he sold it. After I became a stage manager, one of my jobs was to get rid of the man. One director would get uptight whenever he saw him and one day the "ice cream man" stepped out of the elevator just as our director approached. I saw the look on the director's face and quickly somehow managed to get the man back on the elevator and push the down button. Not quite sure how I managed as I'm 5'4" if I stretch and the "ice cream man," was a foot taller. Often after a show finished for the evening and the cast was leaving, we would see him along with other fans who collected autographs waiting at the stage door. Today, requests are accomplished via email. When I was just beginning in the show business, I worked children's theater in North Carolina playing elementary schools. the kids would come up and ask for our autographs making us feel like stars until one day one little boy shouted, "I've got them all, now what do I get for them?" A major blow to our egos. Bests, Elise

PUBLICATIONS

      It has been quite a month. Beginning with one of my short stories titled Art Show included in an anthology published by Gypsum Sound Tales titled Colp - A Little Bit of Nonsense available as an eBook at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MM9HJT5 and in paperback at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1793909881

 
     Flame Tree Publishing has included A Mouthful of Murder, featuring my amateur detective, Augusta Weidenmaier, in their anthology Cosy Crime Short Stories. Log on to https:www.flametreepublishing.com/Cosy-Crime-Short-Stories.html to find out more about the hardcover edition of the book. It will also be available at Amazon on March 26 and Barnes and Noble.
 
     A non-fiction article about Oranges will be making its appearance soon. I'll keep you posted about that.



Bests,

Elise










 

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Living in New York gives me the opportunity and pleasure of frequently visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Went last week to see the Eugene Delacroix Exhibition—a showing organized with the Louvre Museum. The exhibit is in two Galleries—I began with his sketches on paper—watercolors, sketchbooks, and old master prints that Delacroix copied plus drawings he made to make ready for major undertakings. He often sketched the tigers and lions at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris and examined the behavior of house cats. His painting of the tiger is included in another section that holds a wealth of his paintings—four decades of his artistry.

 Known as a giant of French Romantic painting in the 19th Century, Delacroix’s paintings are on exhibit in Gallery 899 and may be seen until January 6, 2019; the display includes Greece on the Ruins of Missolonghi, Women of Algiers in their Apartment, Self Portrait in a Green Vest and The Abduction of Rebecca. Delacroix was interested in out of the ordinary subjects, and distant countries and he painted scenes inspired by the writings of Lord Byron and Shakespeare. One of his most famous works, Liberty Leading the People (the July revolution of 1830) was purchased by the French Government in 1831.

He received commissions to paint rooms at the Palace of Versailles. In later life he devoted periods of time away from Paris. In rural areas he painted still lifes of flowers and numerous versions of paintings called The Lion Hunt. If you’re visiting NYC, don’t miss the Met.

Bests,

Elise

My eBook, Scene Stealer, is available wherever eBooks are sold. Flame Tree Publishing will be publishing an anthology of Cozy Mysteries due this January. My story, A Mouthful of Murder, featuring August Weidenmaier is included.

SCHOOL DAYS

Remember music appreciation days in elementary school? I remember sitting in a vast auditorium filled with students. In front of us, on the back wall of the stage, was a mural of George Washington.

Two pieces of music keep coming back to me. “The Swan,” from Camille Saint-Saens work The Carnival of the Animals. Saint-Saens would not allow full performances of the work after its premier. Just one movement, the Swan, was published while he lived. He thought the music too silly and inconsequential and, if produced, would hurt his reputation as a serious composer. I also think of the rhymes we made up to go with “The Swan.” “Over the water the swan…” was one we silently mouthed.

The second piece was “Amaryllis: Air of Louis XIII.” Written by Henry Ghys, a musician born in Cote d’Azur, France in 1839. The piece was published in New York by J.L. Peters in 1872. “Amaryllis by Ghys is a very lovely piece,” were the words—someone—was it a student penned?

As I listened I made up my own stories to go with the music. My swans glided over the water to explore distant lands and my Amaryllis grew in the most unexpected places. Today, the first thing I do after waking is listen to our classical radio station WQXR; music is a source that brings me comfort, fun, relaxation and inspiration. How does music affect you?

Bests,

Elise

A short story titled, A Mouthful of Murder, featuring amateur detective Augusta Weidenmaier will be published by Flame Tree Publishing in January in their anthology Cosy Crime Stories.


My cozy mystery, Scene Stealer, is available wherever eBooks are sold including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
 

DR.BLAKE, BALLARAT AND ME

   

    Began watching The Dr. Blake Mysteries, a series presented by Australian television, that may be seen in New York on PBS-Channel 21. While I enjoy the stories, the characters and, certainly, Dr. Blake’s detecting, I’m hooked because it brings back memories of a side-trip to Ballarat, a town-sixty-nine miles northwest of Melbourne—a town where the good doctor practices medicine, acts as coroner and catches the lawless.

     My husband and I took a vacation to Sidney and Melbourne—our third trip to Australia. The first trip to see where my husband’s father grew up. The second and third because we fell in love with the country. On the third trip we boarded a mini-bus that jerked, joggled and bumped along the way to Ballarat’s Sovereign Hill. A historically accurate, living museum, built on the site of the original gold diggings that gave birth to the town in the 1850s during the state of Victoria’s gold rush. I became fascinated by the stories of its rough and tumble goldfields from 1851 until 1916.

     James Regan, stopped at Ballarat, discovered gold at Poverty Point, down the road from Sovereign Hill, and the “rush,” was on. Men left their jobs in Melbourne and Geelong, the Port Phillip District lost eighty percent of its police force. Ex-convicts and military pensionaries filled the void. The government of Victoria tried to discourage the exodus of workers and sent commissioners to collect a fee of 30 shillings for a monthly permit. That led to clashes between the diggers and the government. A digger who refused to pay the fee could be fined L10 and chained to a log—there were no jails. By 1852, over 20,000 hopefuls had arrived to try their luck. Non-British immigrants created anxiety, Americans were thought to be armed desperadoes.

     I decide to try my luck at the Red Hill Gully Diggings but the only gold I saw was the mud-gold stain on my cold, wet hands and learned the only women in Ballarat were “Fallen Angels” or women who could hold their own: women who fought, chopped wood and survived the primitive conditions. Women did not have to purchase a license.

     Ballarat became a township in 1852, businessmen set up shops, wives joined their husbands, religious services were held on Sunday in a tent made of canvas and wood; the tent doubled as a school on weekdays. The Victoria Theatre, on Main Road, attracted stars who performed Shakespeare and performers like Lola Montez who entertained miners with her erotic “Spider Dance.” Many a nugget was thrown on stage. The founding editor of the Ballarat Times criticized Lola. Lola attacked him with a whip. Fortunes were made.

    Today, fossickers regularly pan for alluvial gold on the outskirts of Ballarat. Visitors may explore the remains of old mines. My hubby and I did not strike gold but I did write an article titled Welcome to Ballarat that was published in Gold Prospectors Magazine. That’s a nugget any writer will treasure.

BESTS,

Elise


"Scene Stealer" is available wherever eBooks are sold. My short story titled, "A Mouthful of Murder," will be published as part of a "Cosy" Crime Anthology to be published in hard-cover by Flame Tree Press in January 2019.


Barnes & Noble

A MOUTHFUL OF MURDER

Hello:

I'm pleased to announce that my short story titled, A Mouthful of Murder, featuring Miss Augusta Weidenmaier, a retired schoolteacher, has been accepted for publication by FLAME TREE PRESS. The story is part of a Cosy Crime Anthology. The date for publication will be January 2019. Miss Weidenmaier missed solving crimes--she made her first appearance in Scene Stealer published by Carina Press and available wherever eBooks are sold.

I'll keep you posted.

Bests,

Elise








 

DIFFERENT HATS

    

    

 Brand—a mark indicating identity or ownership burned on the hide of an animal with a hot iron. A trademark or distinctive name identifying a product or a manufacturer. These are two of the definitions of brand to be found in the dictionary.

     I am a manufacturer because I produce words, form sentences, tell a story but I believe in reinvention of self and enjoy wearing different hats—I don’t have a distinctive brand. I feel fulfilled when I write non-fiction—engrossed in reality’s fascination and the revelations that research brings to a topic. The surprise of finding the unexpected, amusing, unknown.

     I’ve read mysteries since childhood—beginning with Nancy Drew; growing up I began to write them. Sometimes my tales change when a character chooses to take charge and his or her action makes sense. The cozy mystery I wrote with a little help from its characters was published by Carina Press and now I’m about to send another on its journey to seek a future in a world of readers.

     At times, I feel a play will reflect what I want to say. It calls for actors to step on-stage and bring the dialogue and the plot to life. My ideas come from everywhere. Eavesdropping, a storied past mentioned by an acquaintance, someone in the family—all tell me something I have to fictionalize. and write about while writing non-fiction brings the past to life. I can’t choose between them.

Bests,

Elise

Scene Stealer is available wherever eBooks are sold: Barnes & Noble, Amazon etc.