I had no idea what to expect from an anthology entitled ‘Paisley Shirt’. I drifted along with the words and became hooked. Enigma, shock and a wry smile accompanied me as I read these stories. Each evening, I sipped another story and savoured the unanswered questions. I searched beyond the words and entered the territory of the unsaid. As I travelled in the gaps between the words, I admired the meaning squeezed into the story. Even the child’s perspective temps the reader with the innocent gaps in the narration.
‘Stepping back as the glass shatters, his blood speckles the paintwork.’
Some stories are presented as vivid a flash of emotion whispered in black and white tones while other stories are sounded in blast of colour. Aldwin explores: love, domestic violence, families, political asylum, memories, loneliness, divorce, other cultures and more. She is not afraid to challenge her reader and is skilled at presenting economical use of dialogue. This compressed narrative form showcases Aldwin’s poetic style. To unravel each story would spoil the surprise for future readers.
‘The gift is an entry into his world.’
Tension spins in the narratives like a storm waiting for the finale, but the reader often must imagine the conclusion. Aldwin writes,
‘And there was something tuneful about Australia. Sitting on the veranda at night, listening to the rhythm of the cicadas or hearing the wind ripple through the gumtree that build to a crescendo when the storm came.’
Here in ‘Blue Skies’, Aldwin captures the way I felt when reading the flash fiction. Even the titles of the story add to the compressed meaning of the narrative form. Indeed, one must have blue sky thinking to appreciate flash fiction and look into the characters’ world.
Indeed, one must have blue sky thinking to appreciate flash fiction and look into the characters’ world.
As a tribute to Gail’s writing, I have presented words that left images on my mind. Images presented throughout the post are a snapshot of emotions that flashed in my mind long after reading. The poetic quality of this writing conjures powerful images, and I hope they will tempt you to read on.
The stories have also inspired me to experiment with this genre and have enjoyed reading the language into shape. Indeed, Gail explained:
‘I write every day and love to see my stories change direction and become more textured through redrafting and editing.’
“‘If she lives it will be thanks to God’, said the doctor, ‘If she dies, she will not be alone.’”
About the Anthology
‘Paisley Shirt‘ is a fascinating collection of 27 stories that reveal the extraordinary nature of people and places. Through a variety of characters and voices, these stories lay bare the human experience and what it is like to live in our world.
Gail Aldwin
About the Author:
Gail Aldwin is a prize-winning writer of flash fiction, short stories, and poetry. Her work can be found online at Ink, Sweat & Tears and Slamchop and in print anthologies including What I Remember (EVB Press, 2015) Dorset Voices (Roving Press, 2012) and The Last Word (Unbound Press, 2012). Gail works collaboratively with other women writers to develop comedy for the screen and stage. With the Dorset Writers’ Network, Gail supports isolated writers in rural communities. She is an experienced teacher who delivers workshops to young people and adults in community settings.
Creative author of young adult fiction and builder of new worlds, Sue Bentley, is featuring on my blog today. Her novel Second Skin is a fascinating exploration of world inspired by Native Americans. Sue explores what happens when two races collide. Jessie: What inspired you to write Second Skin?
Sue: I found 500 Nations and Empire of the Summer Moon totally fascinating. The books made me think about the dynamics that happen when races collide; how complex the whole thing is and how tragedy so often follows. The visuals in the 500 nations were compelling and inspired me to wonder about the people I saw on those pages. It’s always been stories about individual people in impossible circumstances that intrigue, move me and get me thinking. So the genesis of Second Skin sparked when I read Empire of the Summer Moon, and met Quanah Parker, last great chief of the Comanche and mixed-blood son of the famous and tragic pioneer woman Cynthia Anne Parker.
I found 500 Nations and Empire of the Summer Moon totally fascinating
Jessie: Tell us what happens in Second Skin
Sue: Second Skin is a stand-alone novel, currently number one in a new series entitled Bridge-of-Fire. The main character, Aledra, in one of a race of shapeshifters called The Drakkoni. While outwardly human in form, some of the Drakkoni harbour a secret. Like others of her race Aledra has a soul-double hidden deep inside her, and can switch between two-personas or skins, hence the title, Second Skin. The Drakkoni are the fierce and proud conquerors of a beautiful wild continent named Esra, and are hated by the oppressed indigenous people.
Jessie: What do we need to understand about your main character?
Sue: There is a mystery surrounding Aledra’s birth which makes her different amongst her own kind. Young Lady Aledra Jewel-Wing, to give her full title, has been brought up on a remote farmstead and allowed to run wild. She’s a little selfish and has all the prejudice of her people for the conquered subjects over which they rule. As she experiences more of life she learns some hard lessons. At the beginning of the book, Aledra is making her first journey to the famed citadel of her people, where it’s planned she’ll live at court, with its pretty jealousies, suffocating rules and restrictions. But things go badly wrong and she’s left with no choice but to become a fugitive and run for her life.
One of my own mono prints, in which I saw two flaming moons. These also added a detail to my world building. Two moons rise above the continent of Esra, in Second Skin.
Jessie: Your settings are always so vivid. How did you construct the setting of your fantasy world of Esra?
Sue: When building the world for this book I wanted it to seem very different, but also familiar, a place we can all relate to. The landscape of Esra is vast and still largely untouched by farming or mechanisation, many people are nomadic. The native people are made up of different tribes, each with spiritual and cultural links to three powerful main nations; a structure similar to that of Native Americans. In the narrative we experience Esra from the viewpoint of one young man from a single tribe. Jubal Craw, a young warrior of the Yupek tribe, is in hiding at the start of the book, having just witnessed the bloody slaughter of many of his people by a rogue Drakkoni warrior.
Jessie: How did you convey the conflict between two cultures?
Sue: There’s obvious conflict between the main characters, Aledra and Jubal, with their different experiences of growing up, their beliefs and unique world views. Their love, hates, motivations and prejudices mirror the larger conflict of their respective races and of people fighting for the same land. Exciting things happen at the interface between two colliding cultures, which is one of the things that inspired me to write Second Skin. There’s great potential for drama, love, and violence in misunderstandings!
Jessie: Is there any romance in the novel?
Sue: There is a strong thread of romance running through Second Skin, but maybe not in a conventional form. There are many ways of expressing love apart from the obvious fluffy-pink-hearts variety. I felt very emotional when I wrote some of the key scenes and I hope this comes through in the writing. My characters have some tough times with many obstacles to overcome, and some gritty and bloody moments. But there’s loyalty, tenderness, self-less action and moments of humour too, all of which I enjoy in the books I read.
Jessie: Your novel sounds complex. Who was your audience when writing Second Skin?
Sue: People sometimes ask if I have a particular type of reader in mind when I’m writing. I don’t, I write for myself. If I write the sort of things I enjoy reading, hopefully others will enjoy them too. My tastes in reading change with the seasons and with my mood, which is probably why I like to vary themes and settings. I read some contemporary novels, but my main passion has always been for historical novels, particularly set in Victorian times. If people enjoy one of my books, I hope they’ll simply think of it as a ‘Sue Bentley’ and want to read another title. Some other authors who write across the genres and successfully produce different novels all the time are Joanne Harris, Ken Follett and Tracy Chevalier, I enjoy their books enormously.
Jessie: You are very creative and your story sounds unique. What inspires your stories?
Sue: One thing continues to inspire me. Books, books, books. They have been there through good and bad times and even been my salvation when the writing well occasionally runs dry. I became hooked on reading at an early age and enjoyed becoming lost in the imaginary worlds of books. In some ways they seemed ‘safer’ than people – and a lot more interesting. The real world has always seemed a scary and complex place, making sense of it can feel overwhelming at times. It’s a mad and wonderful world and it’s easy to feel out of control. In my books I’m in charge – until I finish a novel and let it out to fly free into the world. Or to soar on high like a Drakkoni having shifted into their soul-double and spread their wings.
Jessie: Is Second Skin similar to We Other?
Sue: I began writing Second Skin while waiting for my previous novel, We Other, to be published. We Other is a modern reworking of a fairy tale, quite gothic and very dark in places. Second Skin is similar in that it contains magical beings – oh and is also really quite dark in places! I’ve been told by some readers that they’ve never read anything like it. Time will tell…
Second Skin is available worldwide in Ebook and paperback.
We Other now has a gorgeous new Anniversary book cover. It’s also available worldwide through Amazon.
Jessie: Before you go, I have to ask you about the programme made about you by ITV.
Matthew Hudson – presenter/editor and Gary Mabee – cameraman/director.
Sue: It’ll be shown during the 6pm ITV Anglia news programme. In essence it’s a ‘local girl made good’ story. I told them I was the most successful author you’ve never heard of! They loved my bookshelf containing copies of my books – translated into over 20 languages. We sat in my office for a cosy chat about how I began writing, and if I’d ever dreamed I’d write so many books and bring so much enjoyment to young readers in particular. (I hadn’t!) The best sort of interview is with a good presenter and a cameraman who know what they’re doing. These two were brilliant. All I had to do was get over my nerves and talk about myself – my favourite subject!
