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Nuta Kotlvarenko loved cowboy movies, particularly ones starring his hero Tom Mix.
One evening in 1913, Mama handed a passport to Nuta’s older brother Julius. “Ukraine is not safe for Jewish boys. We’re sending you to America where the streets are paved with gold.”
“I don’t want to go.” Nuta’s eyes stung.
***
Following years of odd jobs, Nuta, now Nudie Cohn, found his niche as the rodeo tailor. Stars from Roy Rogers to Elvis Presley paid thousands for rhinestone-studded Nudie suits.
“Nudie,” asked a fan. “Why don’t your boots ever match?”
The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
“Besides being the leader in rushing and scoring, he was my friend.” A former football player for Drake University recalls. “There was nobody like him. Next to impossible to bring down.”
Another player remembers October 20, 1951, “We’d heard Oklahoma’s head coach quoted as saying, “We have to get his black ass out of here.
“Ha! Even after Wilbanks Smith busted his jaw, John threw a 61-yard touchdown pass.”
Johnny Bright later forged a brilliant career in Canada as both athlete and educator.
It wasn’t until over twenty years after his death Oklahoma State University issued an apology to him.
As a Kansas City area resident (and native) you might guess I was glued to the TV Sunday Night, February 12 for the Super Bowl. How ’bout those Chieeeeeeeefs! With most of our best players, including MVP Patrick Mahomes, being black, what Mr. Bright went through is unfathomable.
The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
CALLING MY CAMERA HAPPY FICTIONEERS!!!
PROMPT PHOTOS NEEDED! SOMETHING INTERESTING! SOMETHING INTRIGUING! MY ONLY REQUEST IS THAT YOU DON’T SEND PICTURES OF ANIMALS OR STATUES. ONTO THE PHOTO BELOW. THANK YOU, LISA!
I enjoy February for all the forgotten remarkable people who come to light each year.
Genre: Historical Fiction Word Count: 100
DOCTRESS OF MEDICINE
Rebecca sniffed the tea her aunt had brewed and grimaced. “What is it?”
“Willow bark to bring down Miss Addie’s fever.”
Miss Addie recovered and lived a long and healthy life thanks to Auntie’s wisdom and skill.
Rebecca paid close attention to her aunt’s remedies and the kindness with which she administered them.
Determined to follow in her footsteps, Rebecca became a nurse to ease human suffering. However, it wasn’t enough for the tenacious young woman.
In 1864, the only black face in sea of white, Rebecca Lee Crumpler M.D. received her diploma from the New England Female Medical College.
Chances are this is not a photo of Dr. Crumpler as my resources say there’s no known photograph of her. To learn a little more about the first Female African American physician CLICK HERE.
The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
“What do you think, Tante Margarete?” Richard Steiff held up a stuffed bear. “His arms and legs move. He’s soft and cuddly mohair.”
Richard’s creative aunt who’d been paralyzed by polio as a toddler had against all odds, founded Steiff Manufacturing in 1880. Her felt elephants and other animals were favorites of thousands of German children.
She took the bear in her arms. “He is darling. But will he sell?”
“May I enter him in the Leipzig toy trade fair?”
“Viel Glück.”
Margarete’s question was answered in 1903 when an American trader ordered 3,000 bears and renamed them Teddy Bear.
*viel glück – good luck in German
Conflicting stories abound when it comes to the Teddy Bear named for President Theodore Roosevelt. This one seems feesible to me. CLICK HERE to learn more about this remarkable woman.
CLICK HEREif you’d like to read the other side of the Teddy Bear’s history. I don’t propose to know which story is true. One thing is for sure and certain and that’s the popularity of the Teddy bear.
The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
81 years ago today, December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed it a “date which will live in infamy.”
Genre: Historical Fiction Word Count: 100
Click below to hear the author (me 😉 ) read:
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
A few flakes floated by the window and colored lights reflected in the glass. Dennis Day sang a romantic tune on the radio. Laura sipped hot chocolate and read Fred’s letter at least a tenth time since it arrived Friday.
“November 26, 1941
My dearest,
Happy Thanksgiving from the USS Arizona! I sure do miss your cooking. I swear our gravy was mixed with fuel oil.
I hope my presents get there on time. You’d love Hawaii. The flowers. The beaches. But, golly, it won’t seem like Christmas without snow and my best girl.
“Ladies and gentleman, a special announcement…”
*No, it wasn’t happy news. There were a total of 2,335 military personnel killed, including 2,008 navy personnel, 109 marines, and 218 army. Added to this were 68 civilians, making the total 2403 people dead. 1,177 were from the USS Arizona.
The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
November 9–10, 1938, Nazi leaders unleashed a series of pogroms against the Jewish population in Germany and recently incorporated territories. This event became known as Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass) because of the shattered glass that littered the streets after the vandalism and destruction of Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues, and homes. This was only the beginning of one of the most barbaric and vicious times in recent history.
We say “never again.” But...
Genre: Historical Fiction Word Count: 100
THE SPIRIT NEVER DIES
With eyes that pierced her soul, Dr. Mengele told 16-year-old Edith, “You’ll see your mother soon. She’s just going to take a shower.”
That same evening, he forced her to dance for him.
For decades she grappled with guilt. “Why me? Why did I live?”
When her patients, Vietnam veterans, would ask her the same question she realized, as a clinical psychologist, she’d never found the answer for herself.
In 1990 she returned to Auschwitz where she allowed her mother’s final words to heal her soul. “No one can take away from you what you put in your own mind.”
If you have a few minutes to spare, you can listen to Dr. Eger’s story in her own words. HERE
***
HAPPY NEWS!
My work in progress, LAST DANCE WITH ANNIE, is under contract with Ozark Hollow Press!
Short Summary
Elise, a military spouse and mom in the throes of midlife, dances three times a day with the most relentless partner, her secret nemesis she’s nicknamed “Annie Wrecks-Ya.” Will Elise’s strive for perfection kill her, or will she learn to let go and face the truth: she’s an addict. At the same time, her devoted husband Tony feels helpless to save her as he battles demons of his own that followed him home from war.
Can Elise and Tony join forces and defeat these threats to their lives and their marriage? And can Elise learn to dance again, this time with the carefree joy she experienced as a child.
The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
The signs posted by neighboring farmers declared in bold letters, “Don’t buy Max’s milk. He loves the Hippies.”
The son of a Jewish immigrant from Minsk, Max’s anger burned as he read the words. “My father came to this free country to escape such nonsense and hatred. It’s my land and I’ll rent to whomever I please.”
According to a close friend, Max traveled to Israel in 1971 where he met David Ben Gurion.
Max told the retired prime minister, “I’m Max Yasgur from Bethel, New York.”
To which Ben Gurion responded, “Oh yeah, that’s where Woodstock was, wasn’t it?”
Instead of the 75,000 expected, it’s estimated that 450,000 came to the 3 day festival that turned into 4.
The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
Naomi hadn’t seen the scenic deutsche Stadt in fifty years. The synagogue had been replaced by a church. Although some shops still existed, her childhood home did not.
She swallowed. “I was ten. Momma gave me a sack of her homemade macaroons for the long journey. She told me, ‘You’ll be safe with Aunt Gertie and Uncle Norman in New York.’
“Poppa crushed me in his strong arms. ‘Momma and I will come for you soon. You’ll see.’
“From the ship I watched them grow smaller and smaller.
The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
“Who was the greatest mother in the Bible?” Mama asked twelve-year-old Anna.
“Mrs. Noah.”
“Why not Jesus’ mother Mary?”
“Because Mrs. Noah looked after children and all those stinky animals for forty days and forty nights.”
Mama smiled. “I hope someone, sometime will found a memorial mother’s day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it.”
May 10, 1908, due to Anna Jarvis’ diligent campaigning, the first Mother’s Day ceremonies were held in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. In 1914 U.S. President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday.
Mama’s quote isn’t fiction 😉CLICK HERE for a brief history of Mother’s Day in the United States.
White Carnations are the official Mother’s Day Flower. President Woodrow WilsonAnne Reeves Jarvis, the mother who inspired the celebrationAnna Jarvis
The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
Genre: Historical Fiction/Excerpt from Work in Progress Word Count: 100 of 16,500
CHILDHOOD LOST
Schoolboys cavorted along the cobblestone street, shoving and teasing each other after a day of boring lessons. Peter missed being one of them.
Papa approached with determined strides, head held high, and a scowl on his black-bearded face. Like the Red Sea’s parting, the children made a path for him.
Peter turned from the window and hunched over his book.
Taking rolls from the oven, Mama clutched her rounded belly. “Son, come help me.”
He rose and took the pan from her, breathing in the yeasty aroma.
Papa burst through the door. “Peter! Lazy oaf. Get back to your lessons.”
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 