Interview with Poet Laurie Childree

Interview with Poet Laurie Childree

author of

Moments, Money & Memories

and

Observations, Obsessions, & Oddities

I have invited Laurie to my world to pull up the rug and chat about her two new books of verse.

Set a spell, while we talk poetry.

GT:  Hi Laurie (smile), Tell us a bit about yourself as a poet. How long have you been writing, and who or what is your muse?

Laurie Childree: Hi Gail, (smiling) I’ve been writing for more than twenty years, we just won’t say how much more. We’ll leave out how many things have found their way to the trash. My muse is difficult to explain, things just pop into my head and I write them down. I hear my voice in my head, at times it’s difficult for my hands to keep up to write what I hear. Which isn’t always a good thing when what I hear does not translate to the same rhythm on the page.

Anything could trigger it, staring out a window or riding down the road. Trips to the store or the evening news. It’s more of a view on life, a different take on the reality around us.

GT: Your book Moments, Money & Memories has an interesting theme. What was the driving force behind the poems written for this book?

Laurie Childree: Reality and those who fail to see it was the driving force.  Poverty is everywhere. There are ad campaigns to send donations overseas, but many do not realize that poverty exists right here. We walk past people everyday that are without food, homes, running water or a million of the other things that we take for granted.

We are spoiled, we forget that the things we think of as necessity are still but a fantasy for parts of the world. Electricity, we think we have to have yet millions live without it on a daily basis washing their clothing and themselves with dirty water.

GT: I was struck by the true to life nature of the poems in this book. Do you have an overall message?

Laurie Childree: Assumptions are bad, when you make a decision for someone you could be causing them problems that you don’t even consider. There is an assumption that the way things are is the way they have always been, this is not always true.

GT: Who would benefit from reading your poems in Moments, Money & Memories?

Laurie Childree: Anyone that wants to know the realities of poverty.

GT: Your second book is of a different nature. Tell us how you came to write Observations, Obsessions & Oddities.

Laurie Childree: I ended up at a stalling part for a project I was working on, one I had envisioned for a couple of years. It needed to rest, so I began changing course for a while. The news at the time was........well, less than pleasant so I went with it. There are those that avoid the news like the bad things can contaminate you.

So I began to put the things together and a book was the result.


GT: There are some very powerful poems in this book. Do you have favorites, and why?

Laurie: Not exactly favorites, some resonant more than others.

GT: Is there a different intended audience for Observations, Obsessions & Oddities?

Laurie: This is a bit tricky, they overlap. Anyone that does not fear reality should read it.

GT: Is there a message for this book?

Laurie Childree: The world isn’t going to change on it’s own. We have to be the change we want to see. Simply watching the news, reading the paper and standing back to observe is not enough. Evil, poverty and all the things we shy away from have always existed. The change begins at home. We complain about things that do not matter in the end.

GT: Are there any additional thoughts you would like to add about yourself or your books?

Laurie Childree: My books have been described as being unapologetic and that’s pretty much how I am. I state facts, if people cannot handle facts, then they cannot handle facts. When you open your mind you’ll see that we have both have a lot to offer.

GT: Where are your books available?

Laurie: Redmund Productions, in paperback, PDF, kindle and ebook formats so they are accessible to everyone.

Thank you for your visit, Laurie and your insightful answers about your poetry.

The Girl in the Iron Lung Giveaway on Goodreads

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Girl in the Iron Lung

by Gail Thornton

Giveaway ends July 01, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Fork

The word is fork. The word limit is 150 words.


The World's End Diner sat off the beaten path at the end of a long dead end dirt road in the middle of the dust bowl somewhere. The parking lot was dirt and brush, showing the imprints of turnarounds the tractor trailers had made to and from this lonely spot. The blinking neon sign was on, but it looked abandoned as Keith and Nadine drove up in their jeep. Dust from the road covered the vehicle.

Looking sideways at each other first, they parked and stepped out and stood at the front of the jeep gazing at the sign and the surrounding brush.

"Well, someone has to be home," Keith said, tenuously taking Nadine's hand as he walked her toward the door. They heard music from inside, and eased a bit before opening the large screen door.

It was Blue Suede Shoes. There was a lone fork on the counter.

"Hello?"

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The M3 Blog Challenge

Mantra's Book of Shadows, Dark Poetry by Red Dwyer

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The Regret of a Flower Giveaway by Gail Thornton

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Regret of a Flower

by Gail Thornton

Giveaway ends May 09, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Energized

The word is energized. This is a hot flash coming in at or under 50 words.


"I've taken this test before and failed. I need to pass it today. I have to go to Roger's party. I'll be energized and free if I pass!"
The instructor had a familiar blue uniform and slipped into the seat next to her.
"Should I go now?" she asked.
"Go."

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Elated

The word is elated. This is a hot flash which comes in at or under 50 words.



Every night when the man came home from work, his dog greeted him at the door.
"Old Maggie, you're the only one who is ever elated to see me. I go to work in that lonely toll booth, and come home to you. I love you, girl."

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Brokenhearted

The word is brokenhearted. This is a hot flash coming in at or under 50 words.


"Do you think they notice us?"
"Quick, you put coconut oil on my back, maybe they'll get ideas."
"They're older than us."
"Yeah, so hot in their swimsuits."
"Wait, here they come!"
"Could you girls move your towels so we can play volleyball here?"
"Get the towels, Gracie, I'm brokenhearted."

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Alive

The word is alive. The word limit is 100 words.


This time Ben was going to climb a mountain in Bolivia with his friends and he was laying his equipment out in his bedroom. He had told her to go home because he needed the time to concentrate. Everything had to be perfect. A loose grommet or forgetting the ice axe could mean death to any of them since they were ice climbing.

Three weeks later, she heard the news. An avalanche on the mountain. A search party. No word. They had lost a climber on Mount Rainier and she thought that was the end of it. Was he alive?

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Ashamed

The word is ashamed. The word limit is 100 words.


Jennie had cerebral palsy but she went to the public school on the special bus. She had leg braces and crutches, and was ashamed sometimes when children pointed at her.

One day some of the "regular" kids came into her class and she was scared they might laugh at her  way of talking or moving. Jennie was surprised. They all sat on cubes in a circle and sang songs with her class and best of all, they had made presents for them.

Jennie and her class got busy making presents for the kids who had come to play with her.

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Satisfied

The word is satisfied. The word limit is 100 words.


They lay naked in each other's arms, in love and satisfied. The older couple had waited for years to find each other, and this was true bliss. A quick trip to the justice of the peace, then they had boarded the cruise ship and found their cabin. Secretly, they didn't think they would have been capable of the grand love they now had had it been presented to them earlier in their lives.

"Did you leave the seat down?" she whispered.
"I forget. Did you soak your teeth?"

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Aroused

The word is aroused. The word limit is 100 words.


The nurses were busy among the bassinets. Some babies were crying, others sleeping or sucking their stocking-covered fists. Tiny legs pushed up against the swaddling cloth they were in. It was feeding time. One nurse checked the wristband on one of her assigned babies and wheeled the bassinet along the maternity ward hallway and into the mother's room.

"Here's Joshua for his feeding!" the nurse said brightly.

The mother took her tiny son and aroused him before laying him on her breast. She took his sock cap off and gently touched his lips.

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Intoxicated

The word is intoxicated. The word limit is 100 words.


Gloria had volunteered since she was a young girl.  Now that she was seventy, she had her dream job at the greenhouse. She was overcome by the brilliant colors of the peonies, the orchids, the roses, and the tulips. Upon opening the door to go in, Gloria was nearly inebriated by the scents of her favorite spot on earth. It seemed cruel, then, that one Monday the owner found Gloria flat dead on the cement floor next to the roses. The coroner's report stated she had been intoxicated and overcome by the chemicals in the shop.

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Why not?

The M3 Blog Challenge

Amazed

The word is amazed. The word limit is 150 words.


There was only one thing Ricky was looking forward to on their Florida vacation. He'd seen beaches and amusement rides. He didn't have any interest in souvenirs, either. Nothing had amazed him. In his back pocket for the whole ride from Kentucky, he'd carried a color photo pamphlet for the live safari drive they'd be going on. The next morning, they drove to the park. It had high fences and looked like a desert, bare, with a few trees and bushes around and brown grass as far as he could see on the low hills among small ponds. He was disappointed. They rode through for half an hour and nothing. Just black birds. Ricky rolled down his window to spit out his gum. Instantly he was licked by a seven inch wide black tongue. Ricky recoiled. He saw nothing but huge hairy nostrils with a rank smell.

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Why not?

The M3 Blog Challenge

Contemplative

The word is contemplative. The word limit is 150 words.


Every sunset he filled a thermos with coffee and went down to the docks to see the boats come in. He knew the fish would go to market, and the men would be paid in cash. He had been one of them, but aging had taken its toll on his ability to be nimble and strong enough to pull the ropes in and lift the catch. He was retired, but not by choice. Watching the young men with their bulging forearms and fast feet, he felt contemplative about the scene. The sun was an half disk of brilliance against the water, sending a rippled beam straight to him where he leaned against the post nearby. He heard the birds screaming for a piece of the catch as the men tossed small pieces of fish into the air. It was misty, for all the right reasons.

Join the Flash Fiction Challenge on the M3 Blog!

Are you flashing yet?

The M3 Blog Challenge

Lonely

The word is lonely. The word limit is one hundred and fifty words.


The young woman put on her yellow frocked dress and headed down the hill with her journal and pen. Sitting on her favorite rock by the pond, she was alone finally, but not lonely. Loneliness was alien to her nature, as so many other demands took her time. She glanced down and saw the spring grass peeking out from the brown over brush she had tamped on so many of her outings here. Her family scorned writers and artists as daydreamers, so she stole her time there in secret. From her left, she heard the barks of hounds. She stumbled on the wet underbrush trying to get up. A shot fired out. She looked into the sun before her journal fell to the ground.

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Why not?

The M3 Challenge

Happiness

The word is happiness. The word limit is one hundred and fifty words.


The G.I. had come home in the same fatigues he had worn recently. There had been few rations, and no changes of uniform. He felt lucky. He was alive and going home. There were three letters in his wife's handwriting in his left pocket. The soldier took them out often to read them. She had stopped sending letters a year ago. The letters were dry in tone. He doubted his wife would still love him. He knew he was a different and broken man. Walking up the steps to the door was the epitomy of loss. She didn't come out when he called to her, but his happiness was restored when Rusty came running around the corner of the house and knocked him down, licking his face and head and hands until the young man laughed the longest and hardest he had since leaving for the war.

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Why not?

The M3 Blog

Frightened

The word is frightened. The word limit is seventy-five words.

Darcy was exhausted after a long day at the playground. She and Mommy had baked cookies together and Darcy was so excited about putting sprinkles on them. She made them green and yellow. Daddy tucked her into bed and turned off the light, but the nightlight was on. After the house was quiet, she looked under the bed, frightened of monsters. A silent scream. A clown was grinning at her. He had Mommy's nightgown on.

Are you flashing yet?

The M3 Blog

Listless

The word is listless. The word limit is seventy-five words.

The listless scarf hung around her neck in the waiting room like a used noose. That's how she felt, and when the waiting was over, she may as well be dead, she thought. She picked up a magazine from the stack in the empty waiting room, and looked at the cover. She stared at the sunbathing woman oiled and sweating in a bikini. The title was Destiny.

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Guest Interview about The Regret of a Flower, selected poems

This week I had the honor of being interviewed by Laurie Childree, author at Redmund Productions and owner and writer of the blog Odds and Ends. See the fascinating interview. 

Interview about The Regret of a Flower, selected poems

Hangout with author Liz Campbell - A Month of Mental Moments

Gail Thornton - Book Signing Success Story!

On Sunday, March 3rd I held a book readings and signing event in Canton, Massachusetts. It was a gorgeous New England Day, and a crowd of twenty-two people came to hear about my newly published books. I have published The Girl in the Iron Lung, a memoir, and The Regret of a Flower, selected poems. Both books were published by Redmund Productions.

It was one of the highlights of my life. First I read excerpts from the two books then asked for questions from the audience. They were most curious and had many questions about polio and my experience while I wrote the book. The question and answer period went on for ten minutes without a break while my son made change for those buying the books in the back.

Afterward, I went around and hugged old friends and aquantances and welcomed people who had come whom I didn't know. I signed all of the copies with a personal inscription. I sold out of the memoir, and gave out my business card to those who wanted to order it through Redmund Productions. Equally successful was The Regret of a Flower, selected poems, and I was happy to see everyone enjoying themselves and chatting about the books and each other over the refreshments which were served.

I'm looking forward to contacting libraries and coffee shops for more experiences like the wonderful, enriching one I had on Sunday. If you are interested in hosting me please contact me at redmundpro.com

To see my books and read the reviews, go to The Redmund Productions Bookstore!

Thank you.
Gail Thornton, Author and Poet

Free Cafe Comics! - Volume 1 Number 2

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An Interview with Red Dwyer, Author of Taming the Terrible Twos

Red Dwyer - Author of Taming the Terrible Twos

I welcomed Red into my world, and settled down to ask questions about one of the most significant of her many titles. Pull up the rug and gather around, as we hear from the author herself.

GT: Taming the Terrible Twos, a Parents' Survival Guide is a self-help book for parents of toddlers. What inspired you to write it?

Red Dwyer: With ten children spanning 17 years, I was intimately aware of the tie between toddler and teenage behavior. I was also surrounded, as I normally am, with parents struggling with terrible behavior. I realize why the parents believed it was merely a rite of passage which could not be mitigated. I argue it is a "self" help book. I think it really helps the children.

GT: Did you do research for this book, or does it come from your experience as a parent?

Red Dwyer: Yes. (grins) The advice in the book comes from more than personal experience, despite my abundance of it. Indeed, there are situations covered in the book which my children never orchestrated. There is also milestone, dietary and psychological advice which comes from the medical community.

GT: Most parents have difficulty with tantrums at this stage. What advice from the book do you think would help?

Red Dwyer: Read chapter five. Bookmark it. Reread as necessary. Tantrums are easy to understand. Children of all ages have them. The advice in the book will help you when the child with the tantrum is in the office beside yours.

GT: What is play for a child, and how have you incorporated play into your parenting?

Red Dwyer: Play is water for children. It is as essential as breathing. Play fosters the inquisitiveness which help children form their bond with the world around them, especially the world outside the parent's home. I still play with my adult children. Parenting is not about curtailing adventure. Good parenting frames life lessons in the midst of adventure.

GT: How can this book help predict the behavior and navigate the sometimes difficult teen years of a child?

Red Dwyer: The book professes the differences between teens and toddlers are the size and cost of their clothing and toys. Toddlers who struggle with social or emotional development have a harder time navigating the teen years. Toddlers are forming the basis of character. Character determines and defines how children negotiate. Negotiation is the core of social interaction. Giving a toddler the tools to negotiate with character empowers them to take on the emotional (and hormonal) upheaval of adolescence with grace and power.

GT: What are the most important qualities or standards a parent should exercise during the parenting years?

Red Dwyer: Patience and understanding. We cannot be compassionate to anyone without understanding why they act the way they do. Realizing what we consider bad behavior is a form of communication is the key to avoiding and preventing it.

GT: Who would you recommend this book to?

Red Dwyer: Anyone who deals with children. Do you work with people who are someone's child? This book is for you. Have grandchildren? This book is for you. Pregnant? This book is for you. Got teenagers? This book is for you. T3 is deceptively named. Although the protagonist in the book, Terry, is a two year old, how Terry acts is evident in children of all ages. How to tame Terry's behavior is equally effective on twos, teens, twenties and beyond.

GT: Where can we find your book to purchase?

Red Dwyer: RedmundPro...Taming the Terrible Twos

I'm heading there now. Thank you Red, for a most enjoyable and informative talk about Taming the Terrible Twos, a Parent's Survival Guide. Please come by again (smile).

Gail Thornton - Unique Artisan Jewelry

Designed and Handcrafted

by

Gail Thornton

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FREE Cafe Comics - Bo Lumpkin

Get these comics FREE at the Free Book Bin

at Redmund Productions!

PDF Format, easy to read.

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About Me - Gail Thornton Author and Poet

Read About Me

Gail Thornton

Profession

Education

Background

About Me - Gail Thornton Author and Poet

Gail Thornton - Book Signings and Readings near Boston, MA

Gail Thornton

I will be holding a book signing and readings of my two newly published books: The Girl in the Iron Lung, a memoir and The Regret of a Flower, selected poems. Both books have been published by Redmund Productions at redmundpro.com.

The event will be held on Sunday, March 3 from 3-5 at the Hagan Court Function Hall at Hagan Court, Canton, Ma. The books will be available for purchase, and also information about how to order your own books through redmundpro.com. Contact the author at redmundpro.com or at email address thorntongaila@gmail.com

Winter Flash in the Pan - Available Now!

WINTER FLASH FICTION

FROM REDMUND PRODUCTIONS

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FLASH IN THE PAN

Find my flashes in the newest edition!

A Month of Mental Moments - By Liz Campbell, See Review

Mantra for a Muse ~ By Red Dwyer, See Review

Review of A Month of Mental Moments

A Month of Mental Moments by Liz Campbell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This groundbreaking book by author Liz Campbell is warm, helpful and profound. In thirty days of self reflection, I was carried along a journey of change and self healing. Each Mental Moment is an exploration into previously assumed topics. Where do our values and beliefs come from, the author posits in one of her Mental Moments. She then guided me to explore the foundation for my belief and value system with regard to how I was raised, the society I live in, and bias and predjudice that I was previously unaware I held.

But the author didn't leave me exposed to myself for long. She encouraged me in a warm, conversational tone of tolerance to change the ways I had previously blocked my own growth. In her month of Mental Moments, I found help to assist me to become a more tolerant, loving, and enlightened member within family and community and ultimately to change society as a whole through my actions.

This is an enlightened book. Liz approaches all topics including an exploration into previously held spiritual beliefs, which was engrossing and led to much introspection on my part. Liz pushes the reader just a bit, but has a safety net for insecurity and doubt. Learning about oneself and how we have the positive power to change our lives was exhilarating.

Since reading A Month of Mental Moments, I am often drawn back to refer to sections I may be struggling with today. Perhaps I don't feel as free as I once did. Perhaps I am feeling negative. Accepting oneself and overcoming obstacles to a truly enlightened and free llfe are the goals of this natural author.

I recommend this book highly for everyone. Its approach is unique and to tie it down to the genre of self help is only a shadow of the immense proportions of change you can acheive with Liz Cambell's vision.
c



View all my reviews

Are you a wanna-be too? Get to Know Gail Thornton

My editor wanted to know me better and asked simply, why do you write? Find out here, in this funny and fascinating essay.

Getting to know Gail Thornton

Review about Publishing at Redmund Productions

The following is a link to an original review I wrote about my experiences publishing with Redmund Productions. Read to find out why there is a different option to traditional or self-publishing.

My Review about Publishing at Redmund Productions

Author Interview with Red Dwyer - The Regret of a Flower

My Author Interview with Red Dwyer - The Regret of a Flower

Hear author and poet Gail Thornton, about her experience publishing her poetry book, The Regret of a Flower with Redmund Productions

Learn about her process and the steps to publication, with comments from her audience!

Free Flash Fiction from Redmund Productions!

Get your free copy of Flash in the Pan, with thirteen authors including Gail Thornton!

Free Flash in the Pan from Redmund Productions!

Flash fiction is a wild ride through highs, lows, funny, and dramatic flashes. Thought-provoking, wondering where the story began and where it leads after the flash. Often poignant, unpredictable, and varied coming from thirteen authors! Get it for free at Redmund Productions today!

Book

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Get Published with the M3 Challenge!

The word is Book. The word limit is 125 words. This one comes in at exactly 85 words.


The book was under Wayne's bed with his comic collection. He had stolen it from his mother's book-of-the-month collection in the living room bookcases which created a wall on either side of the sooty fireplace. He took the book out from under his bed at night in his basement bedroom and looked at the illustrations for hours with a flashlight. The pen and ink pictures jumped out at him, and he was sweaty, afraid, fascinated, and intrigued by what they might mean. This was his dirty pleasure. It connected to the demons that chased him in the middle of the night in his dreams. They were there, in Dante's Illustrated Inferno.


©Gail Thornton

Flash Fiction 7 - The M3 Challenge

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Get Published with the M3 Flash Fiction Challenge!

The word is Ecstatic. The word limit is 75 words. This one comes in at exactly 74 words.



Angel was ecstatic after the birth of her first baby. It was painful, and the doctor panicked at the end, whisking the baby away, but the nurses had comforted her. Being thirteen, Angel didn't know what to expect beforehand. The pain was incredible, the hole in her stomach was oozing aqua slime, and all around it the skin had been singed. I'll name him Jupiter, she thought. A scream, a push, another one.


©Gail Thornton

Drug

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Get Published with the M3 Challenge!

The word is Drug. The word limit is 75 words. This one comes in at exactly 72 words.


No one had told her the end would be this way. The frail man who had called her "Baby" lay in his bed dying. He had told her he was not afraid of dying, but of suffering. She took the bottle with the dropper and gave him four drops of morphine to ease his labored breathing. The drug took effect, and she lost him to sleep again. She sang the lullaby he used to sing to her, and slowly turned her back.


©Gail Thornton

Paranoid

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Get Published in the M3 Flash Fiction Challenge!

The word is Paranoid. The word limit is 75 words. This one comes in at exactly 71 words.




It was always the same thing. Donna had learned to only go out at night. There was one twenty-four hour store in her town, a pharmacy. She bought coffee and smokes there. Otherwise, the people downstairs would cut the drooling dog off his chain. He'd tear her flesh off. The children would laugh at her. She knew some thought she was paranoid, but it was she who knew real evil.


©Gail Thornton

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See The Girl in the Iron Lung and Reviews!

See the Girl in the Iron Lung and Reviews!

The Girl in the Iron Lung

Prose - Vladimir

Vladimir



Vladimir lay on the soft grass trying to get back to his mother. He couldn’t smell her anywhere, and it scared him. His eyes were still closed, but his tailed whipped the warning that he was in trouble. His gray silky coat hid his white underbelly. He was four inches long.

Something was lifting him from both sides in the warm June sun. It was the young boy’s hands that had found Vladimir at the side of the street near the post and rail fence in the grass. Andy saw the baby squirrel and wanted to take him home to take care of him. He knew the cats in the neighborhood would eat Vladimir if he didn’t rescue him.

Once home, Andy’s mother welcomed him in with his precious cargo. She was an animal lover, and often helped the boy take care of strays and wounded wild animals. In the home at the moment were two cats, a dog, and a fish tank with tropical fish that was his dad’s pride and joy.

“What do you have there?” his mother asked when she saw the Andy’s cupped hands. Vladimir had stopped shaking but he smelled the cats. His tail whipped against the soft skin holding him. Andy opened his hands and his mother sighed. This little one wasn’t weaned yet. This little one probably wouldn’t live the night.

She found a small basket and lined it with a soft dishtowel.  Andy lay the tiny squirrel in the basket, and Vladimir curled up, exhausted. His tail flicked still, sensing he wasn’t safe, and still sniffing for his mother. Andy’s mother quickly took out the baby formula in a can she kept for the babies he brought home. She took the tiny doll bottle and filled it, then warmed it under the faucet. She handed the bottle to Andy, and he looked at her with big eyes. He loved his mom.

Vladimir was starving. He took the bottle and his pink paws wrapped around the nipple, and he drank. Andy held the bottle to Vladimir’s lips until the baby squirrel fell asleep. He put the bottle in the fridge and it was time for him to go to bed.

Andy carried the basket up to his room and set his alarm for two hours from then. He got up every two hours to feed Vladimir. In the morning, Andy’s mother said to him, “This one is going to make it, Andy. You’re a sweet boy. You’ll make a good father one day.”

Vladimir grew and Andy’s father built a large cage for him they kept in the kitchen. It was late July and Vladimir was a healthy young squirrel. The cats played hide and seek with him, chasing him all over the house but never hurting him. The dog slept. Vladimir was the most excitement the family had had in a long time.

Andy gave Vladimir walnuts and the squirrel filled his mouth with the shell, running around the house looking for somewhere to hide it. Under the couch cushions were treasuries of walnuts, and Vladimir often dug them out to hide them somewhere else. He never cracked a single nut, he must have been saving them for Winter.
August came, and Andy let Vladimir go outdoors with the cats. They played in the grass, hunting him and wrestling with him. Andy beamed. Vladimir climbed the trees calling down to Andy, and Andy called back, with the squirrel scampering down the tree and scaling Andy to nestle in his neck. Vladimir had the run of the yard and the house, but always came back at sundown to sleep. He hung on the screen door calling, until someone let him in.

In September, Vladimir spent more time in the trees. Andy went out and called to him, and he answered, but didn’t come down. He jumped from tree to tree, calling out.

Finally, Vladimir didn’t come to the door anymore. Andy recognized his call in the trees, but it was too hard to see which squirrel out there was Vladimir. He was full grown now, and Andy knew Vladimir was going back to the wild where he belonged.

The house was quiet. For months, the family found walnuts in the sofas and chairs. Andy kept a framed picture of a baby squirrel on his nightstand, feeling the love he had for the tiny baby he saved and set free.

Gail Thornton's Books Available Now in Four Formats!

Available now in four formats!
The Girl in the Iron Lung

Available now in four formats!
The Regret of a Flower

See The Regret of a Flower and Reviews!

The Regret of a Flower

Find My Books at Redmund Productions Bookstore!

Redmund Productions Bookstore

The Girl in the Iron Lung - Trailer

 A memoir so powerful, you will become the child as she struggles with love, fear, and paralysis from polio. In the innocent sixties, families had few resources to help them with the care of a child with a catastrophic illness. Hear her in her own voice, as she brings you through a journey of life and
her triumphant victory.

Redmund Produtions Presents
The Girl in the Iron Lung, a memoir
by
Gail Thornton

Find it at the Redmund Productions Bookstore

Poem - Crescendo

Crescendo


Emotion in motion
our senses fly by
I love you I want you
from somewhere a sigh
weightless water
surround us
the undertow grows
take me with you
to fathoms below

Thunderstorm
Breakwater
Eddying deep

Whirlwind
Mirages
Waterless sea

Novas exploding
The birth of a star
Take me with you
To pardise far

Emotion in motion
we've been here before
I love you I need you
can't take any more
galaxies spinning
milky way flow
take me with you
to passion spent glow
take me with youo
let everything go
take me with you
let everything flow

Prose - Two Friends

Two Friends



Their names were Max and Pedro, and they were the best of friends.

Pedro sat on his perch above the living room, talking to Max, saying, “Pedro, Pedro, pretty, pretty Pedro!”  He bounced up and down on his skinny legs dancing, waiting for Max to taunt him back.

Max stuck his nose up at his friend, eyeing him with his dark eyes, his bright teeth poking out from pink lips. Max didn’t taunt back, but ran in circles waiting to play.

Pedro started whistling, knowing this was how to get Max’s goat, and get him to be on the ready for a tackle. Pedro’s handsome face bobbed up and down as gibberish poured from his tongue in a musical melody.

Max was on the carpet now, knowing the routine, knowing his friend would soon be upon him and their day would begin like every other day. These two loved each other, more than any buddies I had ever known or shared my home with. They ate together, slept together, and their happiness was inextricably bound with each other.

Suddenly and silently, Pedro was upon him. Max spun around, his eyesight not being very good, but he could smell his opponent and his stubby arms fought to catch hold of his brazen friend. He turned on his back to surrender, all appendages straight up in the air. Pedro had won this round once again.

Pedro stood back to gloat in his victory. He spread his green luminescent wings and preened them in front of Max, without a care of what the large rat might do to him to retaliate. Pedro knew that Max would only wait there for a new opportunity to play.

Max didn’t wait. He scurried up the sofa front, and hid behind one of the two plush throw pillows there. Pedro hadn’t seen him, so Max felt secure that he would best his friend in this next round of one-upmanship.


Pedro slowly finished grooming his gorgeous feathers, and looked up. Max was gone. Pedro bounced to the left and to the right, his head pivoting, looking for him. He flew the short distance to the back of the sofa for a better view of the room. “Pretty biiiiiiird! Pretty, pretty Pedro,” he sang, hoping to call Max to him. Silence. No movement. No Max.

Max had heard, and after half a minute, he poked his white whiskers attached to a quivering nose out from behind the throw pillow.

Pedro barreled down the front of the sofa, but instead of rushing Max, he nosed his way behind the other throw pillow at the other end of the couch. Two could play this game!

A standoff. Silence. Eternity passed.

In unison, they rushed at each other, and wrestled in the  midpoint on the sofa. Feathers clicked against the friction of Max’s grasp on Pedro’s wing. Max’s tail whipped when he was under Pedro, trying to right his balance to come out on top. They rolled and rolled on the sofa, true wrestler-style, with equal opponents.

They rolled to the edge of the sofa, one big feather and fur fest. In one motion, Max fell off the sofa and landed on his back on the carpet. At the same time, Pedro took flight from the edge, and landed on the kitchen table.

It was Max’s turn to clean himself off, and he did so with joy, another play day complete. Pedro turned to his water glass, and jumped up, perched upon it and like a mechanical toy, took deep gulps of water to refresh himself.

The Regret of a Flower - Trailer

In this powerful and personal collection of poetry, 

Gail Thornton invites readers into the inner life

of an Artist and with a scope and variety 

unusual in one book of verse,

reaches all readers with her unique images 

and musical metaphors.

Available at RedmundPro.com

December, 2012

Find me at Redmund Productions!

Poem - Pure of Motive

Pure of Motive


It's me, it's you, it's they.
A plate of pancakes for love.
Tinsel for warmth.
A cup of coffee for company.
A poem for peace.

A document for freedom.
An ex-patriot's bias.
Entrapment in a taxi.
Siberian air from the window.
Back in the U.S.A.

©Gail Thornton