Our Featured Book for July 2025
Jonathon Syzmoor, orphaned at the age of eleven in early 1800s Scandinavia, left his home to get an education. Returning home six years later he made an uncommon contract with the richest man in town. After one year Jonathon held the seat of power and married his soul-mate. Tragedy struck again and Jonathon immersed himself in business. Awakened from his soulless world by the generosity of his grandson, Jonathon made another agreement; this time with a man in a long red cape. This agreement changed his life and has effected the lives of countless others ever since.
Story behind the book
When Nicholas dropped off several boxes containing the diaries and logs of previous Woodsmen, I was overwhelmed. Struggling to figure out what to do with this wealth of story and wisdom, I was about to quit and send it back before I really got started. Then I found a note telling me, "Start at the beginning" Some things seem too logical to be real, so I put all the journals in order and started reading. That reading resulted in seven (7) books about Christmas, Nicholas, Santa's Woodsmen, and what it is all about. Excuse me, eight books ... no twelve counting the Tales From the North Pole.
About now you may be wondering if I am crazy. No. This all happened. Maybe not quite the way presented, but it happened. You see my primary job as the 13th Woodsman of Saint Nicholas is to tell the stories of the other Woodsmen. "Woodsman's Tale" is the first book I published "professionally" but it is not my first story. I fell in love with writing and story in high school and it began to play a major part in my life when my finace (now my wife of 41+ years) told me to get over a problem. She loved Christmas and well, I had issues. So, I wrote a story to resolve my problems. Then another ... and another and ... well, you get the idea. Over 250 short stories and 20 published books so far. But, "Woodsman's Tale" is the first published for sale. I hope you enjoy this story about the birth of a legend.
A quote from the story:
To set the scene, this is the first meal Jonathon Syzmoor has with his grandchildren. Rebecca is his sister, who has kept an eye on them after their mother and Jonathon had a parting of the ways.
Conversation around the table was limited. Rebecca assisted the children in talking with Jonathon, who conducted himself as though he were at a business dinner with associates. At one point Jonathon looked up from cutting his meat and saw both Angela and Andrew pushing bits of bread and meat into their napkins. "Children, why are you putting food in your napkins?"
Both children grew wide-eyed and silent. Jonathon repeated his question. "There is so much food here," Andrew began very sheepishly. "You have so much food and Kristian and Edvar have almost nothing on their table. I was going to take them some food when we go back to their house."
Jonathon was struck by the comment and looked to Rebecca for an explanation. "They speak of the Metzer family. Jon Metzer is, or was, Marc's assistant crew chief. He and his wife have five children and, like most of the village, have very little food to eat this time of year." The dinner was finished in silence as Jonathon pushed his remaining food around the plate.
Purchase your own copies, click on your preferred link:
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Note: When we feature a book we also offer it at a "feature price." From Thursday, July 17 through Sunday, July 20 you can get the Kindle version for 99¢ by clicking on the Amazon link above during those days. (Normally $2.99) Unfortunately we cannot discount the print version. It was originally published thorugh Infinity Press then CreateSpace, which became Amazon. Amazon does not provide program discounts on print books. Sorry. Should I move the print service to Ingram Spark, I will publish a discount link at that time - for a limited time, of course. I do thank you for your continued support.
Other conjurings from this old author
In the May issue of Conjuring Silver I mentioned that I am working on a romantic comedy, a rom-com. I have never tried anything like this before, so it is a bit of a challenge. Here is the premise I am working on: once a top producer, a young man is demoted, due to lack of productivity, a year after his wife and daughter are killed in an auto accident. Nothing romantic nor enticing about this, but what he does next begins the comedy. On impulse, he buys a luxury 28 foot motorhome. Big enough for him to travel on his own and do nothing until he "finds himself." Problem is, he has never been camping. He and his wife enjoyed RV shows, but that is the only time he ever saw the inside of an RV.
How many things do you think can go wrong for somewone who has never camped or driven an RV? Oh, he bought the RV through a friend who was the cousin of the previous owner. Now, consider all the gizmos, gadgets, and controls in a modern motorhome. Then his first night on the road costs nearly $100. It is one rude awakening after another, made worse when his water tastes like a garden hose.
Is there a point to all this? Maybe. Try to do nothing for a few days, then you might begin to understand "The Wrong Way to do Nothing."
What are you working on?
Beyond Books -
So, where do you find inspiration for your next story? Some of my better stories (including "Thirstday Cognizance Brigade") have come while I was camping. Now, before you get too excited, I camp comfortably. I have backpacked as a Boy Scount and Scout leader. I even took my family camping with a big two room wall tent - we soon graduated to a pop-up, then a larger pop-up. My bride and I now enjoy vacationing in a small (18 foot) camper that is in reality a bedroom / kitchenette / dinette / bathroom on wheels.
We try to take our camper out three to four times a year. This year we returned to an old favorite campground, Morrow Mountain near Albemarle, NC. During the week this campground is relatively empty and I can pipe and we can do what we please. This past April our trip was cut short due to controlled burning by the NC Forest Service. The campground filled with smoke and we couldn't breathe. In early June we followed a friend's recommendation to visit Breaks Interstate Park on the Virginia / Kentucky border. LONG trip, made longer by GPS (stupid device), but the park is gorgeous. We even had a local deer supervise our setup. She munched tree leaves in the site next to ours then left as we finished. Views on the trails in this park are truly breathtaking. Our third trip of the year, end of June, took us to Watoga Forest in West Virginia. Once again, a bit of a drive, but well worth it. Christy (my bride) had seen Beartown State Park on Facebook, so that was our destination. The drive from the campground to Beartown was absolutely mesmerizing. Lush forests, deer, cooler temps ... it was like being in an enchanted forest. THEN we got to Beartown. This memorial park features a half-mile boardwalk winding through uncommon stone cliffs with equally uncommon undergrowth. Again, it was an enchanting walk and well worth the drive. West Virginia does have some of the most incredible forests.
We have one more trip on the books. This fall we will return to Hungry Mother, near Marion, Virginia. My dream for this trip is to record some piping in their ampitheatre. One of the wonderful things about having a bedroom on wheels is all the places it can go!
Tidbits of lost information
Last month I mentioned that I publish through Speurach Press, which is an imprint of The Silver Wreath. Both are avenues of independent publishing - some folks call it "self publishing." But, why would someone in their right mind go to all the trouble of developing TWO publishing outlets when there are so many other alternatives? The answer lies in the question. We will not discuss "in their right mind," but go straight to "alternatives."
I spent more than a year contacting agents to publish "Vrenessbith - Awakening." First thing I learned is unknown authors need an agent to get their work into the offices of commercial publishing houses. It took me a year to learn the more important element. Publishers decide what they want to publish and then tell agents. They want what is selling NOW and are not interested in risking $$ on what might sell tomorrow. So, agents in turn look to their authors to see who is writing what the publishes have asked for. Guess who does not write mainstream popular trendy content. I seriously considered trying to write what publishers wanted but then figured I'd end up like the Edsel - everything America wanted three years too late, after they wanted something else. No, I write what inspires me and hope that you - intelligent not-quite-mainstream readers will find it and enjoy the adventure!
I once had a poster on my wall that said, "What is right is not always popular. What is popular is not always right." I'd love to be "popular" but never if it means not doing / writing what is "right" for me.
Next month's featured book: Vrenessbith
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Copyright 2025 by E. Gale Buck
July 5,2025