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- [00:00]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
How can a country that 10 times bigger than England be taken over? But because of after everything that was going on with the wars and everything, and then the kingdoms that were all falling apart at the time, they were able to just walk in there and talk these people into it. The next thing you know is the British is telling them what to do and pull in all their resources and take in all their money. And in the 1990s, that's when there was the Gandhi resistance. No, we don't want to be ruled by you anymore. We want to be our own people.
- [00:39]
Tracy DeForge
Welcome to the True Fiction Project, a podcast series that explores the origins of fiction. Every week we begin with an interview nonfiction followed by a creative piece, fiction inspired by something from the interview. The idea is to demonstrate, of course, that fiction is born out of our life experiences. Now, here's your host, storyteller, author, public speaker, health and wellness expert, Renita Hora.
- [01:09]
Renita Hora
Well, hello there. Welcome to the True Fiction Project podcast. And you might be asking yourself, you're not Renita. Who are you? Well, I am Tracy DeForge and I am the founder and CEO of Produce your podcast. And we are the production company that has been behind the scenes of this amazing podcast for years. And we are excited to be taking over the podcast today, if you will, because we have some really fun and exciting news about Renita and about her new book that is launching in July of 2024. So. So I am going to just jump right in with our amazing guest today. We have Lynn, Yvonne Moon and Shannon Pearson, who are the co founders of Indignor House and they are the publishers behind this amazing book that you're going to learn all about in today's episode. Welcome, Lynn and Shannon.
- [02:10]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
Thank you.
- [02:11]
Shannon Pearson
Thank you very much.
- [02:12]
Renita Hora
Oh, you're so welcome. So happy that you're here. So. So I want to give the audience a really an insight into Indigner House publishing. First and foremost, women owned. Obviously you guys are co founders, which is amazing and just a fantastic publishing house. But tell us a little bit about your story, how you got here and how you guys got. How you ladies got together to start the publishing house.
- [02:42]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
Well, I can easily explain that it was back in 2020 and I had received a royalty check from my publisher and I was very upset because I found out he or they had made quite a bit of money and I made very, very little compared to what they had made. And I was in tears. And I don't know who decided first, but we basically said, let's start our own company. Let's try to change the publishing environment so that new voices can be brought out into the open, have their voices in print and not lose the rights to their book and not be basically taken to the bank. In other words, let's give most of the money back to the authors so that, you know, they're not basically taken like I was.
- [03:35]
Renita Hora
Oh, wow, that is a powerful motivator. But at the same time, most people may have had those emotions and those experiences, whether there are authors or musicians. And I've heard in the creative industry, unfortunately, that story in different, you know, same. The story is the same, the details are different. But not everybody then takes action like you did, Lynn and Shannon, and actually started a publishing company. So congratulations. And tell me about after you launched Indignor House. What type of authors then were you looking for?
- [04:12]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
Well, we started off with just two of us, myself and a friend of mine who is an author, because I figured we couldn't sue, we wouldn't sue ourselves. So it was. We thought we'd give it a try and see if it was as difficult as we thought it would be. And it really wasn't. I mean, we had bumpy roads. We were afraid to buy certain things and to take that step and push the buttons and we just jumped in and did it. Do you have a different story, Shannon?
- [04:44]
Shannon Pearson
No, that sums it up. We started with Lynn and we started with Lynn's books because we knew that she wouldn't take us to court over them. We couldn't screw them up too bad. And then another friend of hers, Drew Nicol the Broom and all that rendered Trump.
- [05:04]
Renita Hora
And was there a specific. So it sounds. Well, it sounds like what I'm hearing you say is like you guys got together very mission focused in terms of why you were launching the publishing house, then started with your own books and your own intellectual property, if you will, for just to get that foundation going to feel confident, you know, like, and trust each other. Your business partner. So that was, that was the, you know, the phase one of the authors that you were working with. And then you started to explore, expand into working with other authors. So tell me about how you got connected to Renita Hora, who is the author of the Vermilion Harvest, Playtime at the Bog, which is her book that's set to be published in July. Tell us how you got connected to Renita.
- [05:54]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
Well, that's. That's a very good question. I haven't really had that length of a conversation about it with her, but she had called me and had emailed me because we have our information just out there. I'm everywhere. I taught at the university. I've worked for a publishing house, so. And I'm an author, so my name is out there. If anybody wants to find me, I'm not going to be able to hide. So we have our email and our phone number on our website. And she called me one day and we talked, and I said, well, I have. It's going to be about a year wait. And she's like, okay, I'll wait. And about nine months, 10 months later, she gave me another call and I said, I am real, real close. Give me a couple more months. Let me get a couple more books out there and then I'll have an opening. She says, I'll wait one day. I did ask her. I said, why would you wait so long? And she goes, you don't understand the reputation you have out there of being a remedial editor. And that's. I've been doing that for probably about six or seven years. And what that means is I work one on one with the author to go through the whole manuscript, look at story flow, sentence structure, character development, everything except for a copy edit. I don't spell, Shannon. I cannot spell to save my life, but I can help to tell a story so that when people read it, it grabs their heart, it grabs their emotion, and it actually talks about that author is trying to tell everyone out there that they. It's so close in their heart. And she wanted to wait for me, and I said, okay. I still to this day don't know who she talked to. I don't know who recommended me, but she. She waited a year for that.
- [07:46]
Renita Hora
Well, I can say there. There's some really interesting things to unpack with what you just shared. And I'd like to, for. Especially for the aspiring authors who listen to the True Fiction Project podcast, you do want to align yourself with a quality individual. I mean, essentially, when you give birth to your creative project, you have to trust your baby with the right person. And I think that it's very powerful that Renita had the. The patience and the willingness to wait. But at the same time, I'm not surprised by that because I know that being a creative partner with her through producer podcast, she's very committed, been very diligent about who she works with to make sure that her brand and her voice and her content creation and her intellectual property and all of those things are protected and respected. And she's an investigative journalist on the side too, right? So, I mean, I don't know how she found out about you. I'm not exactly sure how she found out about produce your podcast, but I do know she does her homework and the people that she partners with are always taking her to the next level because we are all, we are both, it sounds like between my company and your company, really committed to her success as a creator. So I think that speaks volumes for Indigner House and for the two of you. And I think another thing about that, that for aspiring authors is that don't get so anxious to get published that you go with the wrong person just because they can get it out quicker and because it. I think that patience pays off because it's very, very important again, to have the right partner. And timing is everything. And the fact that you put her on a waiting list, in essence was really respectful for both of you so that your expectations were in alignment.
- [09:50]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
Yeah, I, I can't tell you how many authors have come to me and said that they either self published or they had a vanity press work with them. And I look at their. Their finished product and I'm just totally horrified. I know with my first two books, I self published those. I paid $5,000 per book for an editor. And when I got the first book back, the word collide was spelled wrong on the front cover. And I was like, oh, my goodness. So most editors, basically what they do is what's called a copy edit. They look for commas, they look for punctuation, capitalization, etc. The very basics. But what makes a novel so great is the story FL the character development. And to have an editor that can work with you and not change that author's voice, that is key. That is the key to success. Because so many times editors will say, oh, well, I don't like the way this sounds. Well, I don't care how it sounds. It depends on that author, how that author is thinking, that author's personality. And you have to make sure that voice comes out in that novel or you've just ruined it. You've totally defeated everything that you've tried to go for as an editor. So that's why I have to work one on one with them. And many times. Excuse me, I've been on the phone and I've asked, what are you trying to say here? This is not making any sense. Just talk to me. And I let them just talk and ramble and talk. And then I'm like, okay, I got it. I know what you're trying to say. I go in and massage it. Then I send the manuscript back to them. And I say, work with it. Make sure I haven't destroyed your voice. Make sure your concept is coming through. And that's how I work with my authors. It's a very, very close teamwork that we do other than just a copy editor. Copy editors run off on their own. They mark it up, they redline it. That's what Shannon does. She makes sure all the spelling's accurate, the commas are in the right places. Personally, I don't care about that stuff. I carry about the overall story and make sure that it grabs the reader and that they don't want to put it down. That's what I'm trying to go for.
- [12:03]
Renita Hora
Amazing. Well, speaking of stories, so this. The. The. The Vermilion Harvest, playtime at the bog that Renita wrote is a historical fiction novel. Is this. Do you work often with historical fiction novels? Is, or was this a new type of project for you?
- [12:22]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
This was the first historical fiction that we have done. We work with all types of authors. We don't have any one genre. Someone told me once that I could only write in one genre. Well, I've proven that wrong. I write adult books, middle grade young adult children, picture books. I write in all genres. Science fiction, love. So that's not exactly an accurate statement. But when Renita first gave me her manuscript, I read the first couple of chapters, and I honestly thought it was just a young adult love story. That's what I really thought. It was centered in India. So that was kind of interesting. And then as I'm working in it, I was floored. I was flabbergasted. I called her, I said, renita, is this true? What I'm reading? Is this true? I mean, it still makes me cry to this day to think about it. And she said, yes, Lynne, it's totally true. It's something we never was taught here in America. But as I'm working on her novel, I'm thinking back to an old Shirley Temple movie that started off with Shirley Temple being in India and a couple other movies came to mind. And I'm sitting there thinking, omg, it started. All the. All the dots started to connect. And I was just. I was horrified, Absolutely horrified. And then I couldn't get enough history on it. I searched the Internet, I read, I dug, I made phone calls. I have a friend who is from India, and I just captured him and basically tied him to a chair. And I'm okay, give me. Give me history. Give me history. I couldn't get enough out of him and to Learn that this actually happened and thousands and thousands of people were just butchered. It blew me away. I'm like, oh my God, this is Hitler all over again. And then as we were talking and the stuff that's happening worldwide, I said, history just tends to repeat itself over and over, over again. We have got to get this book out. It's got to be good. It's got to grab the reader. It's got a heavy, heavy message that's so important that people just read this and understand what this book about. Yes, it's a love story. Yes, it's about a tragic event, but it also shows the sinister side of the human psyche and how easy it is for us to just destroy other people without even thinking twice about it. And it just, it just took my heart away. And I'm like, I mean, I was obsessed. Ask Shannon. She's like, why are you so into this book? I said, shannon, you don't understand this book. I'm just driving this poor woman crazy. And then when she finally read it, she was in tears. She's like, oh my God, is this real? Yes, this is. This is real.
- [15:25]
Renita Hora
So for the context, the Vermilion Harvest, it tells the story of an Anglo Indian schoolteacher and a spirited Muslim student activist who find themselves entwined in a forbidden romance. But it's also set in the backdrop of various, like social political issues that were really relevant in India a hundred years ago. So it sounds like it just has like all the makings of just a. A total page turner between. Because you have the socio political issues that you have the historical events, but then you also have this romantic love story. Like, I don't know, Romeo Juliet is a good metaphor for it or not, but at, but at the same time. So it, it feels like it just has so many complex layers, but that is going to really, really keep the reader engaged.
- [16:17]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
Well, in India back during the early 1900s and even up to this day, one has to understand that India, even though it's huge, the area itself of India is huge. It's broken up into so many different. I don't really. I call it tribes in a way. I don't think that's the right word. It's not a state, it's not city. They call them cities now, they call them towns. But they're broken up because of the religion or because of culture. And so you have four or five heavy religions that are just basically clashing. And so what she did is she took her young woman, I believe she was Punjab, and she falls in Love with what's called a Muslim muscleman. You say Muslim man, quickly muscleman. And that's forbidden. You don't, you don't do that. You don't cross that line. But her character being a female and proud, no one's going to tell her what she can and can't do. No one's going to tell her who she can and cannot, cannot have a relationship with. However, at the same time her mother is full blue, full blooded India Indian and she does conform to society. However, she was raped and that's where this young woman comes from. She's half Indian and she's half British. So she's loathed by the British and she's basically loathed by the Indians. She doesn't fit into either. She's an in betweener but she falls in love with Muslim and so she's trying to protect her mother, she's trying to keep her job and she's trying to have this love affair while India is basically imploding in on itself. India wants freedom. India doesn't want to be ruled by the Britishers anymore. And that was one aspect of the book that really I had to educate myself on. I was so curious. I said how can a country that's what, 10 times bigger than England be taken over by England? That blew my mind. How can that happen? They're huge. But because of after everything that was going on with the wars and everything and then the kingdoms that were all falling apart at the time, they were able to just walk in there and talk these people into it. The next thing you know is the British is telling them what to do, where to do, what to do, where to do it, when to do it and pull in all their resources, taking all their money and trying to control them. And in the 1990s, that's when there was the Gandhi resistance. No, we don't want to be ruled by you anymore. We want to be our own people. And that's money from the British. Can't do that. No, no, no, no. Can't do that. And that's why the colonel went in there like he did and slaughtered him. Because as far as he was concerned, they were protesting, they were resisting and they were going against the crown. And we can't have that. We can't have you going against the crown of England. The king is the ruler, the king is God, the king is everything. And thousands of innocent. I think the youngest to be killed was, was like a six month old little girl. Families were there at the bog. Bog means like A park. It's not like the parks you see today. It was all dirt, it was mounds. But it was a gathering place. It was where they could go to see family and friends and enjoy the holiday that they were getting ready to enjoy. And this was an annual event, so people came from all over India and they went there to buy balloons and to have a great time and to barbecue and to sing and to dance and for the kids to run around and play and then to be slaughtered, all because of the. Under the ruse of a kingship. It's just amazing. Power. Power and money. Power and money is what it was all about.
- [20:47]
Renita Hora
Well, and you were mentioning earlier, and I really wanted to circle back to one of the things that you said. It's like, so you're very passionate about this. And then the whole idea of history repeating itself. And we're in such an interesting time in our world right now. And this particular historical fiction book is not based on American history. Right. Like it's being published in the U.S. but it's not necessarily or in any way associated with the American history. But you still are really passionate about the voice and the messaging and getting this message out. How do you think that it's different in terms of publishing an historical fiction book that's not based on US Historical fiction?
- [21:36]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
Well, you have to, I guess you have to have the strange mindset that I have. I'm human. I live on the planet Earth. And so as far as I'm concerned, this little ball that we live on that rotates around the sun, we're all the same. I don't care where you live. We all have the same goals, we all have the same dreams. We may live in a different looking house, we may shop at a different plaza. But in today's environment, I don't care where you go, a Walmart is Walmart. A Kentucky Fried Chicken is a Kentucky fried chicken. A McDonald's is a McDonald's. Although I understand in China they have a little bit of different food or same in Russia, but it's still the same. And we go to work, we go home, we fall in love, we have children, we have grandchildren. And our emotions are still emotional. We're human. So what difference does it make? If the slaughter took place in India, if the slaughter took place in Africa, if the slaughter took place in Germany or in the United States, what difference does it make? Somebody died because somebody else felt more powerful, more entitled, and money was important to them, more important than the soul of the person that they destroyed. So as far as indignor House is concerned. That's irrelevant. That has nothing to do with it. It's the overall message of the story. That we need to take care of each other, that we need to respect each other. And that power is not everything. Power is not for you to go out and just take over. We're all going to disagree. That's one of the things that I taught in my law class, is to disagree. Disagree is so important. But to be able to have a conversation while you're disagreeing without getting emotional. That's what I taught my students. And it's not an easy thing. Teach because people do want to get angry. They do want to yell, scream and holler. But what I tell people is, I don't care how loud you get, I don't care what words you say. That's not going to win your argument. So her book, her message, her storyline, although it's based on something that happened in India in 1919, is very relevant today. I mean, look at what's going on at the colleges. One of the things that that's a thank God moment is you're not going to have a colonel going in there with tanks shooting everybody. But back then in India, that was okay. I'm hoping today that won't happen. But back then it was okay. Yeah, but it could happen today. It could.
- [24:34]
Renita Hora
I think that it is. It's a very powerful book with a very powerful message that is relevant in, and unfortunately relevant in not only the US but in the world today. Shannon, I'd love to know how this book impacted you as well, because I can sense and feel and just love the enthusiasm and passion that Lenny Vaughan Moon has for this book. How. How did this book have the experience of publishing this book impact you?
- [25:06]
Shannon Pearson
It was very shocking to me because as impactful as it was, I thought I should have heard about this at some point in my childhood or studies, and I never had. And like Lynn, I didn't realize that this had actually happened until I did some homework of my own. And it's quite tragic. And I think that regardless of what corner of the world you're from, we can all relate to the pain and the love that comes through across these pages. And that was. I found it difficult, I will say, to keep from trying to change some of the language barrier, I guess you could say, from Indian to English. I wanted to change that a little bit here and there. And it was hard to keep. It was. I won't say hard. It was a bit of a.
- [26:09]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
I.
- [26:10]
Shannon Pearson
Don'T know, maybe it was difficult, I don't know, to try to keep her, her flow and not change it to more of an American, Americanized version. I guess that's a better way to put it.
- [26:22]
Renita Hora
Okay. I think just that in itself we, we could just get into even more. I think that it has to be just so powerful to work on a project like this. And I guess my next kind of question is, what are your expectations for such a powerful book, such a big message, such a, I mean, in, in a, in a relevant way now, and connecting the dots back to history and putting this out into the world. Lynn, what are your expectations for what this book. Book can do? What's possible for this book?
- [27:01]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
Well, I'm hoping that it'll open some eyes and ears, especially for the younger generation. Ayaz is young and in the novel he's the Musselman, so to speak. And he was young, he was only 19. And a lot of these kids at the colleges and universities that are so gung ho to change the future. I mean, I may be old and ancient now, but I grew up in the 70s and we were going to change the world. Love child, hippies, yippees, whatever you want to call us, we were going to go out and change the world. And then one day reality hit and we're like, oh, well, I guess I'll change the world next week and next week and next week. And these kids at these colleges and universities, yes, they want to clean up the environment, they want to free whoever they want to free, but eventually reality is going to hit and we just have to be able to survive and live in as much harmony as we can with the world and with other people. And we have sent this book out to the New York Times, we've sent it to Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post. I am hoping and praying that someone there picks it up. There's no guarantee that they will pick it up, but I'm hoping that they will and read it, if anything, just to let people know that it's out there and maybe it'll help others that are wanting to. There's something that happens inside of us when, when we get this ambition, you know, I want to change this, I want to change that. And it's almost like you can't stop and you get to the point to where you're actually destroying yourself. You're not helping any cause. You're actually doing more detriment to yourself than you are to help environment or to help a political cause. And I'm hoping that if people read this, especially the Younger generation, they can take a step back and realize, I can make a change, but I have to do it in a manner that is logical, that is peaceful, and that it'll work within society and not work against society. And that's one of the things that is definitely brought out on this, because this is what Aruna kept trying to tell Ayaz, is that, you know, back off, they're coming. They don't like what you're saying. There's another way to do this. But the men were like, no, we have to fight. We have to fight. And then they're dead. They're gone. So, so much for their cause. Now in the end, yes, their death made a lot of sense. It helped to change. It helped to free India. That whole massacre did free, but at what cost? Could there have been a better way to go about it? I don't know. I don't know. But I think in today's environment, we could.
- [30:05]
Renita Hora
So, Lynn, I understand that there might be a screenplay version in development. Is that top secret or is that something you can talk about?
- [30:14]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
I can talk very briefly about it. I was asked by an individual if we could have a screenplay created within 120 days after book release. And I said yes. I didn't think that would be an issue. And we are working on one now.
- [30:30]
Renita Hora
That is such exciting stuff. Well, I know that I want to get a hold of this book as soon as possible and I understand it's releasing in July. So please tell our audience how does the pre order process work? How can people order the book? How can they get their hands on this amazing piece of historical fiction? The absolute definition of the true fiction project, I might say.
- [31:00]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
Shannon, that's your department. That's not me.
- [31:02]
Shannon Pearson
All right, well, the actual sale date of the book is July 15, 2024, and pre orders go up two weeks prior. So they should be able to order them on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, all the places that good books are sold, they should have access to get their hands on this book.
- [31:26]
Renita Hora
Well, everyone, you heard it here first and now you know how to get it. So go get it when it's available. And ladies, thank you so much, Shannon. Thank you so much, Lynn. And a really extra special thank you to Indignor House for just publishing this beautiful work of Renita's. And I just very much look forward to seeing how this book makes a difference in the world. And thank you by kicking that off and letting the world know about it today.
- [31:59]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
All right, thank you. It was fun.
- [32:01]
Shannon Pearson
Thank you for having us. It was it was fun.
- [32:04]
Renita Hora
It is our pleasure.
- [32:09]
Hi everyone, Rinita here. I hope you enjoyed that very lively conversation where True Fiction Project producer Tracy Defiorge chatted with Lynn Moon and Shannon Pearson of Indignor House, the brilliant publishers of my historical fiction love story Vermilion Harvest Playtime at the Bog. Now I have to mention that these three wonderful women are all incredibly important partners in my storytelling journey. So it was very exciting for me to hear their insightful intake on the novel and its portrayal of a pivotal moment in modern Indian history that I grew up with in history textbooks, but that remains relatively unknown outside of India. And guess what? I am thrilled to announce that Vermilion Harvest is now on sale. You can grab your copy, as Shannon mentioned, on Amazon or Barnes and Noble or your favorite bookstore. Don't forget to support your local independent bookshop. You can request it from them or you can request it at your local library. Any of those avenues will work and I'm looking forward to making guest appearances at book clubs, whether in person or via Zoom. Plus, I have a special treat for you. Throughout the month of July, I'm offering a free Chapter one to anyone interested. So if you'd like to dive into the story that way, or if you are interested in setting up a book club appearance, just connect with me at my website. Drop me a line at www.renita.com contact again. The link will be included in the show notes along with links to Amazon as well as Barnes and Noble. Thank you for your support, everyone. Now on to the next portion of the episode, which is the fiction read. Here is a pivotal moment in the story Vermilion Harvest Playtime at the Bog. Hope you enjoy it.
- [34:26]
Lynn Yvonne Moon
Mahi.
- [34:42]
Narrator
Gurkhaz, right 59th left. Fire.
- [34:49]
Renita Hora
The order was repeated by a British.
- [34:51]
Narrator
Subaltern, Dyer's second in command. The foot soldiers knelt, raised their rifles, took aim and fired. A volley of bullets sped into the heart of the crowd gathered near the platform. 1,650 bullets, 33 rounds per man, were.
- [35:12]
Renita Hora
Released within a matter of minutes, without pause.
- [35:20]
Narrator
Children cried, mothers screamed, fathers shouted desperately for help. The crowd dispersed and everyone scattered as bullets exploded into the grass, the mud and the people. My mind told me to run, but my body tensed. I crouched on the ground, counting the seconds, praying that the metal shower would stop. The rat tat tat pounded through through my ears. The people fell as the bullets hit. I didn't recognize anyone, just a deluge of humanity desperately seeking an escape to safety. Those closer to the meeting stood but had no means of Escape. They perished instantly. A group on the outskirts ran, desperate to flee. Three men raced to the walls to pass, pushed their way through the few narrow exits. Many dashed helter skelter across the yard. A smaller group gathered at the corners, hoisting each other up to scale the bricks. The family that had been sitting just a few feet away now flung themselves into the wall, children included, only to be hit with flying bullets. Others surged at the only entrance, the entrance where the troops stood. But they too fell and rolled as bullets hit. Claustrophobia rose fast and furious inside my tightened chest. Panic pounded throughout my veins as the people moved. I did too. If my feet failed to keep up, I risked being trampled. The faces that surrounded me looked gaunt and serious. There was nothing for me to do but move forward with the crowd. The stench of fear saturated the air. I could smell it, smell it all. An unholy agglomeration of coconut oil, body sweat and over applied attar. The crowd was moving too fast and many couldn't keep up. Everyone unruly and panicking. Which way do I go? We were packed together, creating a river of human fluid. We were now a molecule, a flowing crowd moving at a collective pace. Any space created by a discordant move instantly filled with human liquid. Where's Ayaz? Amrita? Gopal? Falling rays from the incandescent sun whirled across my eyes. The walls of the bog rotated around me. The ground slammed against my ribs and my nails dug into the hardened soil. Something unfamiliar and metallic tasting filled my mouth. Blood. I had bitten my lip for real this time. I glanced up as a wave of bullets pulverized a small group clustered in the center. Loud screams and wails filled my ears before growing silent. A human wave pushed me to one side. I gasped. I was now standing on someone who was dead, feeling helpless and frustrated. A flood of panic soared. I screamed. A hard blow shoved me to the ground, and again the air escaped my lungs. My vision blurred and the dark smoke burnt my eyes. Each time I tried to see. My head was slammed onto the hard dirt as others tried to escape. The painful tread of sandals trampling across my face sizzled. With daylight gone, the area felt superheated from the hysterical cries. I tried to take in a deep breath, but the pain running, running through my head held firm. Blood filled my eyes. My nose and dirt gritted against my teeth. Voices screamed, calling for help. Death never visited me like this before. I was living. As others died. I lay quiet, watching as feet darted past me, praying that no one would land on me. Me the guns continued to fire. The people in the bog were trapped. Bodies piled up near the entrance. Others rushed over them in a desperate attempt to escape. Many slipped before being trampled. Skulls cracked. I screamed again as the sound of bullets tore through the human flesh, only to claim another on the other side. I waited for my bullets to come. I prayed that it would be quick and painless. Blood splattered across my face and I closed my eyes. A body fell and rolled across my chest. He was heavy, so very heavy. The kneeling soldiers fired with uncanny accuracy until their ammunition ran out. A deadly silence. Silence now floated just under the white haze. Colonel Dyer ordered them to withdraw. The men stood for only a moment.
- [40:40]
Renita Hora
Before marching out the way they had come in.
- [40:43]
Narrator
The sound of a car engine roared. Colonel Dyer was leaving the scene and the carnage behind. These innocent people had arrived to celebrate. Vaisaki Playtime at the the Bog thank you everyone.
- [41:22]
Renita Hora
I I hope you enjoyed this special episode featuring my historical fiction novel Vermilion Playtime at the Bog don't forget to order your copy. The show notes include links to Amazon.
- [41:36]
Narrator
As well as Barnes and Noble.
- [41:38]
Renita Hora
And if you're looking to set up a book club appearance or if you'd like a free chapter one, just connect with me by sending me a message on my website that www.renita.com contact.
- [41:53]
Narrator
You know, here at the True Fiction.
- [41:55]
Renita Hora
Project we are always looking for guests with great stories.
- [41:59]
Narrator
So if you know somebody with a.
- [42:01]
Renita Hora
Great story, or if you know a great storyteller, or if you're a writer with an idea for a great story, a writer of books or poetry, music.
- [42:11]
Narrator
Fiction, screenplays, you name it.
- [42:13]
Renita Hora
Please, please do get in touch@www.renita.com.