October 11, 2010

Visit From Award-Winning Author Carolyn Howard Johnson

Today, I am very pleased to present the award-winning author Carolyn Howard-Johnson who is sharing her work in progress with us, just in time for Halloween here’s...


Stories to Make Frankenstein Faint

A Sampler: Legends from Bohemia
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

(The introduction from a work in progress that
tells legends from around the world.)

Listen my Children. There is a place in Eastern Europe that is full of ancient graveyards and cellars where even today people read scary poetry by candlelight. It is an ancient city called Prague. There they speak a very, very mysterious Celtic language called Czech. There are strange circles and lines a little karets over the letters that make sounds like nothing we English speakers have ever heard.

In that city is an olden bridge. We who speak English call it the old Charles Bridge, but the people who live there call it the Karlov most. And that bridge looks like no bridge you have ever seen. Towers and gothic arches and stones, like a castle, are like sentries at the entryway. You can imagine horses hobbling and clattering over the cobblestones beneath as they move from the old town onto the bridge.

The people who lived in the town say a water goblin lives under the bridge. He crouches on the bottom, ready to devour children and adults don’t pay attention to the rules and go swimming after eating huge quantities of dumplings and pork and beef,. They die of the cramps and the goblin feels that they are fair game.

At the bottom of the river, in the shadow of the bridge, the goblin keeps pottery pots—or perhaps they are enameled metal—for both are still made around Prague today. These he uses to pop the souls of those who die and keep them there. He has quite a collection but, it is said that he has grown skinny and bored today because the river is no longer good for swimming so there are very few opportunities for modern children to encounter his long fingers and toes and hair that moves with the current like deep green seaweed or slender water grass in the sandy bottom. He must rely on his stores of days gone by.

That means that he is hungrier than he ever has been. So beware!

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson is known for her multi award-winning nonfiction how-to books for writers and retailers (http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/), but she is also an award-winning novelist (www.howtodoitfrugally.com/this_is_the_place.htm) and poet (www.howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm) . Her novel This Is the Place won eight awards and her book of true short stories, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, (www.howtodoitfrugally.com/harkening.htm) won three.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Instructor for the renowned UCLA Extension Writers' Program Web site: http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/ E-mail: HoJoNews@aol.com
Award-winning author of the How To Do It Frugally Series of Books for writers, including USA Book News' award winners The Frugal Editor http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870/The Frugal Book Promoter http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/193299310X/The Great First Impression Book Proposal http://budurl.com/BookProposals Great Little Last Minute Edits: http://budurl.com/WordTrippersPB Love LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynhowardjohnson Squidooing at: http://www.squidoo.com/HowToDoItFrugallyforAuthors My iFOGO Page:http://www.ifogo.com/BRZ_AG/members/chjohnson.htmlTwittering at: http://www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromoAt Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carolynhowardjohnsonBlogs for Writers:http://www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com/ , http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com/ http://www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com/
Now blogging on War. Peace. Tolerance and Our Soldiers at: http://warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com/

15 comments:

Nancy Famolari said...

I love the Halloween flavor! Great post. Carolyn is a very talented lady!

Unknown said...

WOW, Carolyn, you scared me to death! Kids will love these spooky stories. Great for around the campfire or sleep overs!

Janet Ann Collins said...

Carolyn is an impressive person. I never knew her multiple talents included writing this kind of story before.

Donna McDine said...

Ohhh, I have goosebumps. Love it!

Best wishes for your continued success,
Donna

Karen Cioffi said...

Carolyn, great story, spooky. It's funny how old wives tales ( don't go swimming after eating) have various version all over the world.

I agree with Janet, you're such a multi-talented wrter.

Darcia Helle said...

I can't wait to read the rest! Love the story Caryolyn and the title is great!

Carolyn Howard-Johnson said...

Thanks to you all, and especially to Kevin! This is a story (and the beginning of a book) that I've had stowed in bowels of my computer for ages. I collect stories and recipes when I travel, but sometimes I don't run across the kind that will fit into any of my themes.
Best to you all,
Carolyn

Kari Wolfe said...

Very nice--I like spooky stories :) And I love the idea of a book encompassing legends from around the world for children :) Fantastic!

Magdalena Ball said...

I didn't know you were writing a series of fables, Carolyn - what a multi-talented gal you are. That one is so fun.

Martha said...

What fun! My girls loved it and so did I.
Thanks for the story.
Martha Swirzinski
www.movementplus.com

Kevin McNamee said...

Thanks for stopping by everyone! It was a lot of fun hosting Carolyn and reading her spooky story.

Debra Eckerling said...

How fun! I heart Carolyn! And I loved reading this "sneak preview."

Keep doing amazing things, Carolyn!

Thanks, both of you, for sharing!

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Scary story, Carolyn!

Glynis Peters said...

Great stuff, Carolyn. I have enjoyed Carolyn's work for sometime now.

I enjoyed my visit. :)
Nissi Peters

Glynis Peters said...

Great stuff, Carolyn. I have enjoyed Carolyn's work for sometime now.

I enjoyed my visit. :)
Nissi Peters