Informational Fiction?

Supposedly “Informational Fiction” presents facts and information within a fictional story. Would In the Wake of the Willows qualify? I think so since the natural history and locations are all accurate, if whimsical, and possibly displaced in time; that pesky Carolina wren and the persnickety mockingbird were rare in Rickie’s day, but their behavior is correct.

BTW, there is a sequel in the works to In the Wake of the Willows. It has been tentatively named The Following Sea. It will feature adventures on the Elizabeth Islands, smuggling, shipwrecks, secret codes, ruthless croquet, and even some ontology by Mr. Rat and his daughter. It would also appear that Toady has reverted to his bad old ways as we assumed he would,…or is he being framed by someone who wants to discredit him?

Emily Dickinson, Bobolinks, and Grasslands

Northern Woodlands magazine just published a major article I wrote about Emily Dickinson, bobolinks, and grasslands. The article is making waves, some amber. It can be read here along with an auxiliary article and comments:

https://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/bobolink-dickinson

Adventures in Sound

Print and Audio Production In the Wake of Willows

Join us on July 27th at the 6:30 at the Dedee Shattuck Gallery for a program on the production of the print and, especially, the audio version of our book. Listen to wiseacre mockingbirds, blowhard toads, impish chipmunks, Cockney otters, snarky literary agents, conspiratorial weasels, badgers with a brogue, and sweet singing water rats tell their story in this entertaining and amusing audio/visual presentation.

In 2020 we began a quest to find a narrator for the characters in the audio version of In the Wake of the Willows. Follow our search for the perfect voice for our little friends along The River. Join us and listen to audition tapes from some talented student actresses from a very special theater arts department. Get to hear the winner of the auditions, Madeleine Barker, a young lady of a thousand voices, and listen to amusing clips from her recordings.

Discount coupons for purchasing the book at Partner’s Village Store will be available at the event.

Madeleine Barker in her homemade recording studio

The Firefly Square Dance

Here is an audio version of the Lightning Jitterbug done by the fabulous Madeleine Barker with the latest sound improvement by Joel Thibideau.

If you want to hear more clips from the marvelous Maddy Barker, we will be doing a presentation of her work on the book at the Dartmouth Library on Thursday night and again the following Thursday at the Westport library. Details in the previous blog post here: https://willowslink.wordpress.com/2022/06/12/adventures-in-sound-the-making-of-the-audio-book/

Adventures in Sound: The Making of the Audio Book

Join us on Thursday, June 16, at the North Dartmouth library or June 23 at the Westport library, for an entertaining and amusing back stage look at the process of creating the audio version of In the Wake of the Willows. Listen to various actresses and the eventual winner doing auditions for the book plus some unpublished clips from the snarky Advanced Praise.

Westport Point Walking Book Tour

This took place on May 14 and was a great success. Thank you all for coming out and special thanks goes out to our friends, Haggis McBadger, Baroness Raquel Toad, Crassus Weasel, Rev Cotton Mather III, Portly Otter III, Marten Fisher, and my beloved agent, Noelle A. Vail of the Sisyphus Literary Agency.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=southcoastalmanac&set=a.2319287271560975

Facebook photos of tour

The James Thurber House

We are excited to report “In the Wake of the Willows” is officially being considered for The Thurber Prize for American Humor, one of the highest and only major recognitions of humor writing in the United States.

Yes, the authors share the same last name, and a distant familial connection. While Fred’s writing style beautifully compliments that of Kenneth Graham, his humor and whit are so very Thurber.

Don’t forget your daily dose of the chuckles. It’s good for your soul.

– AT

Purrington Lecture Series on Audiobook Production

Fred will be doing a presentation on Audiobook Production at the Mattapoisett Library on Tuesday, November 30th at 6:30pm. Also available on Zoom.

AudioFile Magazine

We were pleased to see this review of In the Wake of the Willows in this month’s AudioFile Magazine!

“Narrator Madeleine Barker takes on this New England version of England’s WIND IN THE WILLOWS. She delivers a variety of accents and tones for a group of inhabitants that includes its own Rat, Mole, Badger, Otter, and Weasel families. Barker’s lively narration adds to the sense of adventure, making her the perfect fit for this lyrically written tale. Barker’s voice rises in surprise in her portrayal of Mr. Rat’s inquisitive daughter, who solves a mystery and is part of a thrilling journey. Barker’s personifications of the other resident animals are executed perfectly: a fast pace for a warbler whose excited words run together, squeaky voices for chipmunks, an upbeat tempo for a wren’s Pollyanna preaching, and a high pitch for a mockingbird’s repetitive statements.” — A.L.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2021]

The audio version is available through Amazon, Audible and iTunes.

For more reviews of great Audio Books check out AudioFile Magazine online:

https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/198618/

The Actress, The Mic and The Wardrobe

Yet another example of how our world has changed, and how we have learned to adapt, and continue our creative pursuits. Here is a link to the story in Brown Alumni Magazine.

https://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/articles/2021-01-11/the-actress-the-mic-and-the-wardrobe