Toot's Book Reviews: Review, Excerpt & Guest Post : HERSTORY : Fiction Honoring Women’s History Month by Various Authors

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Book Blurb

In ancient times, women were regarded as sacred. They were thought to hold the mystical power of creation—responsible for the continuation of our species. With the rise of Science and Religion, these myths were dispelled and their plight began.

HerStory: Fiction Honoring Women’s History Month is a collection of Flash Fiction and Short Stories from today’s top authors featuring female characters that exemplify strong strength of mind, body, and character. Some of these tales are based on real people while others are purely fictional. However, all are standing up for themselves and what they believe in.

Grab yourself a glass of wine or favorite hot beverage and get comfortable as you read about the lives of women who will light the fire in your soul.

This anthology features stories by Alexandra Chauran, Angelique Mroczka, Dahlia DeWinters, Danielle Villano, Dianne Hartsock, Dorothy L. Abrams, Gina Tonnis, Mary Terrani, Jodie Baptie, Justine Dee, Laura DeLuca, Lisa A. Adams, Lisa Cerezo, Lisa J. Yarde, Lori Beth Johnson, Lorraine Nelson, Marie Antonia Parsons, Megan D. Martin, Michelle Cornwell-Jordan, Mirella Patzer, Morgan Summerfield, Becca Diane, Lacey Wolfe, Sarah Cass, Shelli Rosewarne, Tara Chevrestt, and Toni Rakestraw.

Buy Links
Print
Amazon / Barnes & Noble

eBook
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords

Book Links
http://herstoryanthology.blogspot.com/
http://paganwriterspress.com/anthologies/herstory/

Book Excerpt

From A Pit Story by Shelli Rosewarne

“Who has authorization on-site at the moment then?”

One of the foremen shifted uncomfortably.

“We have two first-aiders underground, but we don’t know if they might be injured too.”

Maud shook her head. “If they’re badly injured, they can go into shock when they get moved. They need a shot first.”

He glanced away. “There’s no one who can do it,” he said simply.

Before she realized what she was saying, Maud replied, “There’s me.”

The yard almost turned as one to stare at her.

The foreman coughed. “Er, ma’am, you know that’s not possible. Women aren’t allowed underground.”

She glared. “Are you prepared to let people die because of that? Robbie Stanham, I knew your mother and God bless her soul, she would be ashamed.”

He flushed under the layer of coal dust and looked away.

“It ain’t safe, ma’am,” he muttered, but she knew he was only saying it for show.

She paused—was she really going to do this? Not only was it dangerous, but even if she made it out again safely, she would be in world of trouble … maybe even lose her job. Harry might be down there … or Danny. Even if they’re not, it’s someone’s husband, someone’s son … you owe it to them.

She squared her shoulders. “Someone get me a helmet.”

By the time she was decked-out in overalls three sizes too big for her with an overlarge helmet weighing down her head, she doubted her sanity. This was crazy—she’d never been underground before. While she supposed she might have been a little curious, both the rules and a well-placed sense of self-preservation had kept it at just curiosity.

She carefully checked her pack—that was the main thing, getting the first-aid supplies down to those who couldn’t be moved safely without them. Focus, Maud. Lives are at stake here … this is what your job is about, remember? She stepped gingerly toward the entrance, where half a dozen waited to go with her. She was grateful, knowing they could be risking discipline as well simply by helping her.

Lord, it looks dark.She peered into the gaping hole in the earth. As though he read her thoughts, one of the men stepped forward and gently flicked on the light on top of her helmet. She smiled a little sheepishly at him and muttered her thanks. The small bulb gave a pale watery glow, only seeming to deepen the shadows. You volunteered for this. No backing out now. She shook herself and stepped into the blackness.

It was like stepping into another world. The darkness was so thick she could barely see a few steps in front of her. The lights from their helmets and the lantern one of the men carried reflected off the gray walls. As they moved away from the entrance, the passages became narrower, the roof lower. Maud could almost feel the dirt and stone pressing in on her. The light of the day didn’t penetrate here and she could feel the cold and damp seeping through the heavy overalls. She tried to take deep breaths, but that just seemed to fill her lungs with dust and she found herself coughing.

The man ahead of her turned back. “Are you okay?”

She forced herself to nod and he smiled briefly at her.

“Always bad your first time down. Turn your collar up and take shallow breaths.”

She did as he suggested and although it helped a little with the dust, she felt the cold settling into her bones. She tried to concentrate on the broad back of the man in front of her.

Lord, she couldn’t imagine doing this every day!

She focused on the monotony, the stepping forward, the lamps set at intervals down the passageway, the stamping of their footsteps and the constant grayness around them. She didn’t even notice the man in front of her had stopped until she nearly ran into the back of him. He turned to her and gestured to a slumped form on the ground. Maud carefully stepped round him, gesturing for the man with the lamp to come forward, as she crouched down beside the fallen miner. The warm glow of the lamp glinted on his blood-stained form and the white shine of bone poking through his shin. She gently touched his shoulder and he turned pain-filled eyes her way.

“Am I dead?” he whispered.

She tried to smile reassuringly. “No, pet. The angels are a great deal prettier than me.”

Toot's Review

Herstory is an anthology of short stories centered around woman through history (hence the play on words) varying from ancient times to modern, written by various authors (There's roughly 35 stories in one book). Definitely an "I am woman hear me roar!" book. The woman in the selected stories are vastly varied and they are all strong characters. They range from homemakers to a nurse to a terrorist and everything in between. What I found fascinating was that some of the stories are based on real people and real events while some are completely fiction.

Like any anthology, there are stories you will like better then others but also like any anthology of short stories, the ones you don't like will be over soon enough and the ones you love are not long enough. My thoughts on it as a whole, It would be a great read for anyone who wants to feel connected and empowered and/or...... you just need some wonderful short stories to read while waiting for the kids, LOL.

Guest Post

Two of my stories are in HerStory. One is called From You No and one is Silent Suffragette.

I can see you shaking your head..."What? She calls herself an editor? From You No? You gotta be kidding me..."

Bear with me.

I have a Votes for Women obsession and have taken to collecting old postcards from that era. I have quite the collection and some of them have messages on them. From You No was truly inspired by both the picture on the card itself and the message penned on the back sometime in the year 1916.

My first thought upon discovering the writing on the card was, "Drat! This decreases its value!" But then I closed my eyes and imagined the woman who wrote it almost 100 years ago, I pictured the dress she would have been wearing, the message between the lines as she scribbled a note to her beau. Why would she have chosen this picture?

Perhaps she wasn't the best educated as she did sign the card From You No. But it's not like women had loads of opportunities then. Perhaps she'd had to leave school before eighth grade. Some of our grandparents had to. It's not too far-fetched.

Silent Suffragette also came from a card, a card with a much longer message. Again, I just closed my eyes and thought of the woman who had sent it. Was her life so very peachy as she made it sound? Was there a hint of stress and tiredness in her penmanship?

I imagined there was.

Not all women are in positions to be amazing trailblazers. They have family, children to protect and care for. Perhaps the woman found another way to fight her lot in life, a more quiet way.

I'm not going to reveal anymore. Do read the stories for yourself and I welcome comments.

On that note, have you ever touched something vintage, closed your eyes, and imagined who else had touched it? Wore it? How they'd felt? Is that smudge mark from a tear?

Tara Chevrestt is a deaf woman, former aviation mechanic, writer, and an editor. She is most passionate about planes, motorcycles, dogs, and above all, reading. That led to her love of writing. Between her writing and her editing, which allows her to be home with her little canine kids, she believes she has the greatest job in the world. She is very happily married.

Her theme is Strong is Sexy. She shares a website with her naughty pen name: http://tarachevrestt.weebly.com/index.html and they have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Chevrestt-Sonia-Hightower/218383211513877.

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