Book Synopsis:
Unaccustomed to Grace is a collection of short stories where the unlikely outcome for irresponsible acts and unfortunate events result in redemption. Bannatyne’s mastery of the written word informs these stories of common conflict with a brilliantine magic rarely found in contemporary literature. From the unlikely romance between a zoo employee and a spiritualist/activist to the redemption of a grandmother’s long-rehearsed vengeance, these heart-warming stories are the contemporary fables we need in these stressful days.
Unaccustomed To Grace is available in paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.
Guest Post:
Lesley Bannatyne: Ten Things About Me
1-I received my first rejection letter when I was six.
I printed the text for “Flowers for Mother” on lined yellow paper and drew the cover in crayon, but despite my best efforts, a Chicago publishing house chose not to go forward with it. I was in first grade, and they were very kind.
2-I was part of a small theater company for over 20 years.
I think the experience of taking on roles and writing plays helped me develop the fictional characters in my stories; I empathize with all of them, good or not-so-good (i.e.., once got to play Lady MacBeth).
3-I was a stringer for the Boston Globe for several years
I loved interviewing people: Buddhist leaders, Bobbie Burns Night celebrants, local druids, movie prop makers, baseball pitchers, Noh actors, bird watchers. Details from those experiences often work their way into my fiction.
4- An early version of Unaccustomed to Grace was my master’s thesis.
I received a master’s in Creative Writing from Harvard University Extension Studies, where I had the good fortune to work with amazing writing mentors and colleagues.
5-I worked on the stories in Grace for almost eight years.
That is, I started writing the first of them eight years ago and wrote 3-4 each year. Writing is like sculpting for me: the first draft is very rough, and it takes many revisions to see what I’m really writing about and how it should be shaped.
6-I read short stories constantly.
Other short story writers inspire me no end: Tessa Hadley, Lauren Groff, Willa Cather, and always Alice Munro.
7-Most people think of writing as a solo effort – something between the writer and her keyboard. I’ve found there are lots of collaborative parts. My writing group reads and critiques my work, as does my poet husband. Each story is a bit of a conversation, both in the writing process and in what happens between author and reader.
8-Before Grace, I wrote books on the folklore and celebration of American Halloween. My most recent, Halloween Nation, sent me out on ghost hunts and haunted hayrides, to witch ceremonies, pumpkin beer brew-pubs, Halloween craft shows and more. In my two years of research, I never met an unfriendly Halloween fanatic.
9-I am a surdo player (it’s a Brazilian bass drum played with mallets).
My band, SheBoom, is described as a post-menopausal, Brazilian-inspired, vocal and percussion ensemble. Our rehearsals are hilarious, and a high point of every week.
10- My daughter just had a daughter!
About The Author:
Lesley Bannatyne is an American author who writes extensively on Halloween, especially its history, literature, and contemporary celebration. She also writes short stories, many of which are included in her debut collection Unaccustomed to Grace (Kallisto Gaia Press, 2022). She won the 2018 Bosque fiction prize and received the 2019 Tucson Festival of Books Literary Award for fiction, the 2020 Ghoststory.com fiction prize, and was a finalist for many others, including the Tennessee William Literary Festival Writing Award and the Hudson Prize. Her most recent non-fiction book, Halloween Nation, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award. Lesley is a graduate of Wheaton College (MA) and holds an ALM in Creative Writing from Harvard University Extension Studies. She lives and works in Somerville, Massachusetts.
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