2023 Events

Hawaii Fiction Writers, we are back!   

Our host, the beautiful Aina Haina Library, has reopened after renovations and Covid restrictions.  

Invite a friend.  Save the dates.  Writers workshops on first Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to noon, beginning April 1, in the Aina Haina meeting room.

TBA:  Readings and book signings for Kissing Frogs and Other Quirky Fairy Tales, at Aina Haina Library and Kapolei Library.  All royalties will go to Friends of the Library at these two host libraries.

*Saturday, April 1 (10 a.m. to noon) - Aina Haina Library - Writers Workshop: "Another Opening, Another Fairy Tale." A look at the openings of traditional fairy tales. It's not always "Once upon a time." Fairy tales are often read aloud, in one sitting, so they are not long, they have to establish character and setting in the opening paragraph or two, and get on with the plot. How does your variation on a traditional fairy tale begin? Read and share.

*Saturday, May 6 (10 a.m. to noon) - Aina Haina Library - Writers Workshop: "Closing Time." A look at the closing paragraphs of traditional fairy tales.  It's not always "They lived happily ever after."  As the King in Alice in Wonderland famously said,  "Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop."  Try writing the beginning paragraph or two, then the ending paragraph or two.  Maybe write the middle last.  If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you're there?  Read and share.  (Note:  Julius and Philip Epstein, the twin brothers working on the screenplay for the classic film Casablanca, did not know how to end it until almost the last minute, one morning when they were riding in to work.)

*Saturday, June 3 (10 a.m. to noon) - Aina Haina Library - Writers Workshop: "Drabble Contest!" Hawaii Fiction Writers will be reading their writer's block drabbles (exactly 100 words about writer's block).  Bring your drabbles, or if you can't make the meeting you can send your drabble to mlittlehi@gmail.com.  For inspiration, here's a writer being advised to "write about dogs."

More future 2023 writers workshop dates reserved for Aina Haina Library (first Saturdays, 10 a.m. to noon):

June 3
July 1
August 5
September 2

October 7

November 4

Dawn Knox: The Great War

Hawaii Fiction Writers welcomes its newest member, Dawn Knox!  Dawn lives and writes in the UK (we may have to change our name to Hawaii Fiction Writers International).  We asked Dawn to share her experience writing about World War One.  The Great War (2016, available on Amazon) is a well researched, remarkable collection of 100 stories.  Each story is exactly 100 words, a prose narrative with the emotional power of poetry.

Thank you, Dawn, for this gift, and for sharing your experience!

The Great War – 100 Stories of 100 Words Honouring Those Who Lived and Died 100 Years Ago wasn’t a book I set out to publish – it came about by accident. If anyone had suggested it to me, I’d have doubted I’d be able to write 100 stories of exactly 100 words. I actually intended to write about two or three 100 word stories – or drabbles – to give to some friends who ran the Forget Never Project which was set up in 2014 to commemorate the centenary of the Great War but the ideas flowed and the more I wrote, the more ideas I had.

I thought I’d simply pick those I liked best to give to my friends. However, once I’d written about fifty, it occurred to me it would be interesting if I could make it to one hundred. To my amazement, I achieved that.

I set out to write about various aspects of the war, both abroad and at home from different viewpoints – male, female, young and old. I wanted to show that ordinary people of all sides shared the same horrors and pain and so, as often as I could, I didn’t reveal the nationality of people in the stories. The agony of a mother losing a son would have been the same wherever she lived and for whichever country her son had fought.

Some of the stories are based on real events, such as ‘Outstanding Courage’ which I think is my favourite. I like it because it shows the bravery of the British officer and the compassion of the Germans who applauded his courage. This true story reminds me that despite the killing and savagery, the goodness of humanity was not extinguished.

Outstanding Courage

 Armed with a revolver, the officer climbs over the parapet and marches, as if on parade, across the ravages of No Man’s Land.

Friendly eyes follow his progress, wide in disbelief, whilst enemy eyes line him up in their rifle sights.

He’s aware of the danger, but bravely strides towards the injured infantryman, hanging wounded and broken on the barbed wire.

Such an easy target.

But as the officer disentangles the soldier and carries him to safety on his shoulder, cheering is heard from the enemy lines.

And there, amidst the slaughter, enemies forget their differences and salute outstanding courage.

 ================================================

The book has been a finalist in three book awards: Readers Favorite 2016, The Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2017 and The Independent Author Network 2018

The Great War – 100 Stories of 100 Words Honouring Those Who Lived and Died 100 Years Ago - mybook.to/TheGreatWar100

John E. Simonds: "In a Roundabout Way"

With In a Roundabout Way: Quick Words, Curious Years, Long Miles (2021), available on Amazon, Hawaii Fiction Writers member John Simonds gives us a look at the world and events of our times. 

As I read these poems I imagined a voice reading aloud to us, word by word, line by line, at a slow pace, letting each image and each thought settle in our ears and in our minds. 

When I reached my favorite poem in the collection, "RFK's Last Ride," I did stop and reread it aloud, slowly, mournfully, as it told the story of Bobby Kennedy's funeral train arriving in D.C.'s Union Station as the speaker waits for its arrival. 

The final stanza is perfect: "Vehicles of sympathy move slowly/ with the famous and comforted/ sharing tragedy from inside./ Strangers on the outside wave/ signs of hope, their faces of sorrow/ bearing trust in a journey's message." 

Thank you, John!

And here are some of John's thoughts on the book:

As in my two earlier books of poetry, “In a Roundabout Way” shares a writer’s eclectic thoughts about the big and small universes in which his personal planet travels and twirls. And, like previous efforts, it combines current observations, past reflections and suggested links from headline topics to ordinary moments. 

The prospect of a life-ending health crisis with its prescribed solitude added urgency to getting this book published while both history and its survivors were sill warm and breathing. Anyone reading these words hopefully has had much the same good fortune as this writer (sound of knuckles on koa) and may sense my gratitude on every page. 

Also evident in many of the poems is a continuing quest for meaning among competing values and random forces, as in the lines from "Objects in Motion." 

…”Which stone to choose,

which token to mount or cradle,

loom into view as Earth approaches.

The person browsing beliefs

may value rocks’ roots as remnants of fortune

anchored as links to soil within us,

as the planet we open to mine

yields fragments of light everlasting.”

Gail M. Baugniet: Developing Traits For a Novel Character

 

Hawaii Fiction Writers member Gail M. Baugniet shares her experience on developing traits for a novel character.  Her blog post also includes an excerpt from her latest book, Shards of Memory: Oral History In a Heartbeat.  Congratulations, Gail!

Here's the blog post and excerpt:  
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/9106887476964048342/6892205085140706408

And here's the description of the book on Amazon:  

A novel based on family history research: SHARDS OF MEMORY - Oral History in a Heartbeat presents a heartwarming experience of emotional healing through storytelling, with a touch of romance and mystery woven throughout. Four grandparents offer an eclectic variety of tales to a grandchild healing from a tragic accident. As they relate tales concerning the hardships of ancestors in homelands across the Atlantic - Belgium, Ireland to Quebec, Bavaria and Prussia and Bohemia - each adult comes to accept the unpredictability of life.

 A touching travelogue, tender romances, a bit of mystery, with intent to entertain, and to entice others to record their own histories. Young Gahlen spends an inordinate amount of time with both sets of grandparents after a tragic accident permanently disfigures the child's leg. Eager to assure their grandchild of the lasting bonds of heritage, each grandparent shares tales of ancestors from Europe, Ireland, or Quebec, Canada. Their stories reveal hardships and joys along several branches of two families, from life in their homelands before 1838 and emigration, to a 1938 wedding uniting the two families. A plan designed to entertain and educate Gahlen brings solace to the grandparents as they relate family stories, recall poignant memories, and ultimately come to terms with grief in their own lives.

DRABBLE WRITING CONTEST

WINNER NAMED!

To celebrate the publication of Kissing Frogs and Other Quirky Fairy Tales, Hawaii Fiction Writers announces the winner and runner-up in the Super Bowl Drabble Contest.  The challenge was to write the opening of a familiar fairy tale as told by a famous writer.  The two finalists were asked to write one more drabble (exactly 100 words), the opening of a familiar fairy tale as told by a famous writer.  The winner, in advance of Super Bowl Sunday, will receive (1) a copy of Fractured Fairy Tales, by A.J. Jacobs, as featured on the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show; and (2) bragging rights.

Congratulations to our winner, Laureen Kwock!  Laureen warmed up for the Super Bowl with her earlier entry of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears, as told by Mickey Spillane.''  Her overtime-winning drabble, which appears below, is "Little Red Riding Hood, as told by Agatha Christie."

Congratulations also to our Super Bowl runner-up, J.T. Page Jr., who qualified for the contest final with his "Hansel and Gretel, as told by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."  His Super Bowl overtime entry, which appears below, is "Little Red Riding Hood, as told by Edgar Allen Poe." 

Laureen Kwock:  "Little Red Riding Hood, as told by Agatha Christie"

Clients call me old, mon cher Hastings, but the little grey cells continue their work.
You ask about this last case, the missing child. The mother herself came to my office in tears, asking for help. Such a foolish tale she told.

What kind of woman sends a child out in a forest to deliver food to her grand-mère? Why did the mother not go herself? And dressing la petite in red. Was she trying to attract wolves?

My advice was clear. Cherchez le woodsman. He and his ax know what happened to the old woman and the little girl. 

J.T. Page Jr.:  "Little Red Riding Hood, as told by Edgar Allen Poe"

Once upon a dreary time, lived Wolfie the wolf who planned a crime.

The deed involved a maid in red and a grandma in her bed.

Before the maid could do some good, Wolfie slunk into the wood.

Suddenly there came a tapping as grandma was gently napping, napping in her forest home.

Heartless Wolfie broke the door and then grandma was no more.

Once the maid arrived, so did a woodsman to Wolfie’s surprise.

Ghastly was the scene as that creature lost spine and spleen.

Horrified, the maid implored “Can Wolfie ever darken my door?”

Quote the woodsman, “Nevermore!”

DRABBLE WRITING CONTEST: 

FINALISTS NAMED

To celebrate the publication of Kissing Frogs and Other Quirky Fairy Tales, Hawaii Fiction Writers announce the two finalists in the Super Bowl Drabble Contest.  The challenge was to write the opening of a familiar fairy tale as told by a famous writer.  The two finalists will write one more drabble (exactly 100 words, the opening of a familiar fairy tale as told by a famous writer.  The winner, to be announced on February 7, Super Bowl Sunday, will receive (1) a copy of Fractured Fairy Tales, by A.J. Jacobs, as featured on the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show; and (2) bragging rights.

Honorable mention to Lizbeth Hartz for "Hansel and Gretel, as told by Ray Bradbury", and to Kent Reinker for "The Turtle Prince, as told by Ernest Hemingway."

Congratulations to the two finalists:  Laureen Kwock for "Goldilocks and the Three Bears, as told by Mickey Spillane" and J.T. Page Jr.  for "Hansel and Gretel, as told by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."  And here are the two drabbles that are headed to the Super Bowl:

Laureen Kwock:  "Goldilocks and the Three Bears,
as told by Mickey Spillane"

I told the blonde not to do it. She didn’t listen. Blondes never do.

Her first mistake was breaking and entering. She claimed the coast was clear. The Baers out for the day. Just enough time to look around.

Things got bad fast. Never mess with someone else’s porridge. And did she need to sample all three? Too hot, too cold. Just right.

Mistakes piled up. Trying out the furniture, breaking that chair and getting caught in Baby Baer’s bed.

I made sure they didn’t press charges. Money talks. And Goldie? She’s grounded for life. Not going anywhere ever again. 

J.T. Page Jr.:  "Hansel and Gretel,
as told by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle"

It was bitterly cold outside.

A thick fog settled over the woodcutter’s impoverished hut near the edge of the great forest.

He had a singular dilemma. His family was starving.

However, the woodcutter’s new wife, stepmother to his two children, had an elementary but sinister solution: take Hansel and Gretel into the forest and abandon them.

Hansel observed the situation was dire after overhearing his father and stepmother arguing. Gretel was fearful but Hansel calmed her by saying he had a plan.

Early the next morning, their father led his innocent children deep into the forest.

The shame was afoot.

 

Note:  This is the title story from Kissing Frogs, and Other Quirky Fairy Tales, presented by Hawaii Fiction Writers, edited by Gail Baugniet, Carol Catanzariti, and Michael Little.  The collection was published in paperback in January 2021 and is available on Amazon. Net proceeds will be going to the Friends of the Library at our host libraries, Aina Haina Library and Kapolei Library.  A list of the stories in the collection are posted at the end of this tale.  Enjoy!

“Kissing Frogs”

by Michael Little

THERE WAS ONCE a beautiful young princess named Gwyneth. She lived in a large castle in a tiny kingdom, with an excellent view of the enchanted forest, and she had everything a princess could desire, except for one thing. The large book of fairy tales in the castle's royal library promised that for every beautiful young princess there is a handsome young prince. Gwyneth would have settled for an above-average looking young prince, but even those can be hard to find, as we shall soon see.

    But Gwyneth already had so many wonderful things. The king, her father, had never fallen in love, but he liked kids, so he had adopted Gwyneth as a baby. So there was no evil queen in the castle to talk to her mirror and be told that the girl was the fairest and then threaten her life. When the princess reached that age where girls begin to take an interest in boys, Daddy kept the boys away. Gwyneth did have a large closet full of beautiful gowns and shoes. She had an elegant little Italian greyhound named Sofia. She also had a personal servant and best friend named Daphne. Daphne had actually kissed a few boys and told Gwyneth how delightful the experience could be. Of course, Daphne was not looking for a handsome young prince, and she did not have an overly protective father to keep the boys away.

    It was Daphne who suggested that Gwyneth should go to the enchanted forest one day and then lie down with her eyes closed and wait, like Sleeping Beauty in their favorite fairy tale, for a handsome young prince to kiss her awake. Gwyneth was there all day, waiting, sometimes with one eye half open to look out for a prince, so she could whistle in case he wasn't finding her. As Daphne had told her, more than once, boys need help. Gwyneth listened for the footsteps that never arrived that day. All she heard was the endless mumbling of the frogs.

    The witch who lived in the enchanted forest had a wicked sense of humor. As was well known throughout the kingdom, the witch had done her dark magic to give all the frogs in the forest the power of speech. They spoke with a heavy accent, but boy could they talk. Once they left the forest, however, they were reduced to the usual croaking. It was rumored, by some folks, that the witch had also cast a spell on a handsome young prince and turned him into a frog. There was no hard evidence to support this rumor, however, and most people just laughed at the notion.

    Anyway, as the shadows lengthened in the enchanted forest, and no prince had appeared, the poor princess shed a few tears and made her way back to the castle.

    The next morning Daphne suggested that they consult with Melvin, the old retired wizard who dwelled in a room near the top of the castle. Melvin, who was 99 years old, had been a fairly useful wizard in his day, but now he was largely ignored. He was living out his days in his tiny room, left with his memories and lots of time to sleep. On a typical day, one servant had said, Melvin could sleep 18 to 20 hours. So it was that when Gwyneth and Daphne climbed the stairs and knocked on the old wizard's door, they could only hear snoring inside. So they let themselves in.

    “Let's wake him,” whispered Daphne, and she shook the wizard gently, then less gently, until he muttered and opened his eyes. “Oh great and powerful wizard,” she said (for she knew the power of flattery), “what must the princess do to find her handsome young prince? You must help us. You're our only hope.” Daphne then fluttered her eyelashes at Melvin (for she knew the power of flirtation).

     The old wizard spoke in a thin, dusty voice, and the two young women leaned closer to hear every word. “The princess must kiss a lot of ….” The last word was difficult to hear, as Melvin trailed off and fell asleep again.

    “Kiss a lot of what?!” Gwyneth said.

    “I think he said 'kiss a lot of frogs,'” Daphne said.

    “Ewwwwwwwwwww,” Gwyneth said, and her face scrunched into something not so lovely.

    “Well, I heard 'kiss a lot of frogs,'” Daphne repeated. “Could have been hogs, but no, I'm sure it was frogs. And you know where the frogs are, don't you?” But Gwyneth, who had never kissed a boy before, much less a frog, was already halfway out the door. Daphne followed, as the old wizard began to snore again.

    The next morning, Gwyneth took her favorite toy, a bright golden ball, and went into the enchanted forest. She sat down in a clearing, next to a well, and tossed the golden ball in the air and caught it, then tossed it again and caught it, for this was a rather simple game. The third time she tossed it, however, she failed to catch it cleanly, and it fell into the well. The beloved golden ball, alas, did not float. It sank into the water, out of sight. Down, down it went. Gwyneth gasped, and then large tears began rolling down her cheeks.

    “Why are you crying?” Gwyneth looked up to see … not a handsome young prince but a large bullfrog with a crooked smile. “Well, here I am,” said the frog, with a wink. “Call me Frederic. What were your other two wishes?”

    “Oh,” Gwyneth said, “my beautiful golden ball has fallen into the well.”

    “Hey, don't you worry, babe,” the frog replied. “I can retrieve your ball.”

    Gwyneth's face brightened. “Would you, oh frog? I'll give you anything. I have lots of jewelry and stuff back at the castle. My daddy's rich. He's the king.”

    “Nah,” said the frog. “What would I do with jewelry? I only ask for one thing. I've never kissed a princess. Give me a big juicy kiss.”

    “What?!” Kissing a frog was not on Gwyneth's bucket list. But she did love her golden ball. “Well...” she said.

    “Come on, babe,” the frog said, moving closer. “My lips are like Skittles. Wanna taste the rainbow?” Frederic actually had a long list of cheesy pickup lines, but we must get on with our story.

    “All right,” Gwyneth said. “Just get my ball.”

    Frederic dove down and quickly returned with the beloved golden ball. The frog tossed the ball to Gwyneth, then closed his eyes and puckered up, waiting for his first kiss from a princess. He waited a while, then opened his eyes and discovered that she was running away. “Come back, babe! You owe me a kiss.” He hopped after her, but she was much faster. Finally the frog stopped and shouted one more appeal at the princess. “You must be Jamaican, because Jamaican me crazy.”

    Meanwhile, a couple of female frogs, who had witnessed the whole scene at the well, laughed and chatted, and laughed some more. “That Freddy,” one said, “none of the girl frogs in the forest will kiss him. He's one big, ugly bullfrog, and we've all heard his terrible pickup lines.”

    That night, when Gwyneth was preparing for bed, she thought she heard a “splish, splash” on the staircase outside her sleep chamber, but she chose to ignore it. She was safe in the castle. She climbed into her luxurious silken bed and soon fell asleep. In the middle of the night, as she dreamed that a handsome young prince was about to kiss her, Gwyneth rolled over on her left side. She felt a pair of thin lips brushing against her lips. This dream was surprisingly realistic. Then she felt a long, thin, cold amphibian tongue sliding slowly into her mouth.

    “Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!” Gwyneth screamed, and she threw the frog across the room. In the moonlight pouring through her window she could see no frog. She did hear some loud croaking and a “splish, splash” going down the stairway.

    Frederic was on his way back to the enchanted forest, no doubt to brag about his kiss to the other frogs, perhaps to embellish the tale more than a little. Soon there would be a long line of boy frogs hopping their way to the castle, wanting their princess kiss.

    But first, Gwyneth told Daphne that they had to return to the old wizard and find out exactly what she was supposed to kiss to find her handsome young prince. So it was that the very next morning they made their way to the top of the castle, and woke Melvin, who answered their question with “OK, I'll say it again, you've got to kiss a lot of frogs.”

    “Frogs?” the princess said. “Frogs? Really? Ewwwww.”

    “Yes, frogs,” the old wizard said, patiently, because she was a princess. “Frogs. Tailless amphibians with short squat bodies, moist smooth skin, very long hind legs for leaping, and long tongues. In a word, frogs. Now I'm going back to sleep.”

    And so it was that dozens of boy frogs splish splashed their way up the staircase to the sleep chamber of a brave young princess who awaited them with mixed feelings. Her primary emotion was fear and loathing, having to kiss the slimy creatures. But, as she had read in the large book of fairy tales, the princess must find her handsome young prince. If only, if only the handsome young prince had found her in the enchanted forest when she was pretending to sleep. Sleeping Beauty had it easy!

    As the morning wore on, as one boy frog after another received a kiss from the princess (her mouth closed, no tongues this time, please!), Gwyneth's bravery began to wane. It was, let the record show, after the 48^th frog kissed the poor princess that Gwyneth called out, in a voice that could be heard throughout the castle, “Enough! Enough! No more kisses! No more frogs! Everybody out! Go back to your froggy lives and leave me alone!”

    Daphne tried to comfort her. Sofia the Italian greyhound tried. Nothing helped. When she thought that the coast must be clear, she left the castle and walked sadly into the enchanted forest. She found a place far from Frederic's well, a place not often frequented by slimy amphibians, and there she sat on a large flat rock, covered her face with her hands, and quietly wept. A bluebird flew overhead for a while. A lone butterfly came, and went. A cute squirrel hopped close, ate half a nut, and offered the rest at her feet. The sun went behind a cloud and never reappeared. All was quiet. The only sound was the soft weeping of a young princess.

    Gwyneth thought she felt a soft touch on her arm, as if someone was trying to comfort the crying princess. But when you're hopeless, there is no hope, no comforting. Then she felt a light sensation on her shoulder. Still crying, her eyes still closed, she turned slowly and felt … a presence.

    “There, there, princess,” a quiet voice said. When she opened her eyes halfway, she was looking into the biggest, deepest, darkest, most intriguing eyes in her life, the eyes of a sweet young frog. Then she felt a light touching on her lips, not like the other frogs, not like anything she had ever experienced. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips ever so gently against his. When she finally opened her eyes, there he was, her handsome young prince. He took her hand and lifted her to her feet. Without a word they walked together, toward the castle.

    Time to meet Daddy. And Daphne. And Melvin the old wizard. And Sofia the Italian greyhound. Time to live happily ever after.

                                 THE END

Coming in late 2020:

Hawaii Fiction Writers present

Kissing Frogs, and Other Quirky Fairy Tales

Contents

Jane L. Mickelson.     Introduction


it’s not easy being green
Michael Little.      Kissing Frogs
Carol Catanzariti.      Frog Prince Wants a Condo
Dawn Knox.      Rivalry Most Royal

into the woods
Joanna Bressler.      Goldilocks Run Amok
Gail M Baugniet.      Thumbelina’s Butterflies
J. T. Page Jr.      Twice Upon A Time
Patricia L. Morin.      Little Red, Riding Hood
Barbara D. Parente.      Hansel, Gretel, and the Food-Challenged Witch
Eloy Kaminski.      The Power of the Heart
Sue Cowing.      What’s a Kid to Do? A Tale Re-Trolled 
Shauna Jones.      The Spindle Scandal

did someone call a detective?
Gail M Baugniet.       Sgt. Whitey Snow and the Seven Corpses
Scott Kikkawa.      Big Bad
Michael Little.     The Case of the Runaway Blonde
Bob Newell.      The Princess of the Lamp Works

why were the brothers grimm? 
and other tortured tales 
Anonymous.      Why Were the Brothers Grimm?
Jane L. Mickelson.       Awakening
Dawn Knox.      Worse Than Bungling
Rosemary & Larry Mild.      Wooden It Be Wonderful?
E. Shan Correa.      Grandmother Goose
Rita Ariyoshi.      Cast Off
Rosemary & Larry Mild.      Schloffin Beauty
John E. Simonds.      Jack and the Beanstalkers


what, more frogs?!
Laureen Kwock.      The Frog Prince
David W. Jones.      The Disrespectful Prince and The Frog
Noelle Sickels.      The Kindred Frog