Overview — Rocky Farm Studio Books

My children’s stories tell both “true” and “might-be-true” historical and legendary tales. Contemporary stories usually spring from my personal life.

I use original paintings and photographic art to complement the stories so that young children can be exposed to different styles of illustration. (Nothing against cartoons or silly images!)

For age ranges 6 to 12, written in simple sentences, and with a young adult vocabulary, the stories can be read to younger children as well.

Most books can be read in five or six minutes, so they make an easy evening story time for children and their adults.

I study medieval and early American figures - some known, some mostly unknown. All have interesting stories or legends that have not been widely told, introducing children to the concept of times past; different societal conditions; places; cultures; and words.

Scientific factoids and more advanced information are often sneaked into the prose.

“Writing children’s books as a subversive activity” is a tempting mission statement. Without specifically writing anything beyond the simple story at hand, “seeds” are planted for future assimilation, avoiding commentary or a lesson-learning tone.

For adults—my debut novel, Sourland, is a retelling of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, which is considered one of the greatest gothic novels in the English canon. Sourland moves the time period 200 years later—and the setting 5,000 miles away, taking place between 1967 through 2002 on the Sourland Mountain of New Jersey.

Ismail al-Jazari, the Father of Robotics introduces children to the Islamic Golden Age, during which science, mathematics, mechanical technologies, economic development, and cultural works flourished.

The Colstoun Pear shows how ancient lore and superstitions can last through the centuries. A modern day posh event venue in Scotland displays pear decor in most every room - homage to this 700 year old family tale.

Sir James Tyrrell and The Horndon Worm implies that far-fetched legends of creatures like dragons might sometimes stem from a simple case of an escaped exotic animal, a Komodo Lizard for instance, brought from Sumatra by explorers, or other factual happenings of the times.

The Legend of Henry Sinclair hints at a possibility of pre-Columbian travel to North America, squelched by the politics of the day between the Venetians (Zeno brothers) and the Genoese (Columbus).

Zheng He, Chinese Muslim Explorer was a 14th century Chinese explorer of huge accomplishments, with a fleet of 3,000 ships. Each dwarfed any ship used by European explorers. The change of emperors during his time completely altered the course of China’s relationship with the rest of the world.

Elizabeth Key of Jamestown was written in honor of the New York Times’ 1619 Project. On the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery, the Project aims to “reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.” Elizabeth’s mother most likely arrived in America in 1619 along with her owner, Thomas Key. The evolution from indentured black and white servants to black slavery can be observed in Elizabeth’s story.

Isle of Devils is based on the historical wreck of the Jamestown-bound “Sea Venture” at Bermuda, which was known as the “Isle of Devils.” Samuel fearlessly researches the reason for the demonic sounds and debunks the stories told by Spanish sailors because they didn’t understand who or what was making the noises.

The Strongs, Master Masons documents the famous English family of masons and also connects the ancient practices of those craftsmen to the lodge members of today.

Bernard of Kuwait describes the harrowing journey of a cat from the cruel and often deadly practices of another culture’s treatment of what we consider dear pets to his loving forever home - a gentle and brief exposure to other aspects of the world.

Jenny’s Horse presents a problem for a young girl to solve if she is to have her horse, but Grandpa comes to the rescue with a little döstädning.

Real Friends and Their Children are little histories of the stuffed friends of an arborist; a CPA; a school principal; an art gallery owner; and even a loved one who is no longer with us, to name a few, told in the voices of their childhood stuffed animals.

Onesimus’s Vaccine is the true story of an African slave in Boston who had the knowledge of vaccinating against smallpox, which was told to his enslaver and a physician. The 1716 virus was sweeping through the town, but it was a hard sell to have anyone accept the new knowledge. The harder the men tried to convince people to accept the vaccination, the more the people condemned them. An anonymous bomb (Granado) was even thrown through the window of one of the proponents with a note, “COTTON MATHER, You Dog, Dam you; I’ll inoculate you with this, with a Pox to you.”