Shadow Child: Tales of the Georgia Coast

by Stephen Doster

Can a place hold a memory? Do actions of the past have sway over what happens in the future? Do memories create magic, or does the magic create memories? Step into a world where magic and mystery combine, where the past blends with the present and events beyond belief unfold. Then realize it could really In a state called Georgia. Step into Shadow Child's world, a collection of seventeen stories, sixteen fiction and one non, following the history of Georgia from 400 years ago to today, where the land tells a story of joy, sorrow, pain, and triumph; where anything can happen in the hearts that beat on it and are buried in it.

340 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2012

About the author

I was born in England to a mother who served as a WAFF on eight RAF fighter stations during World War II and a father who served as a navigator in the Pacific during that war on the USS Taylor, a Fletcher class destroyer that earned nine battle stars. Much to my good fortune, our family relocated first to Alabama, then Georgia, where I grew up on a small barrier island off the Georgia coast. St. Simons (now a resort area) is a low-country boil of clashing cultures. Timucua Indians, Spanish missionaries, English settlers, slaves and plantation owners, Confederate and Union soldiers, and Saltwater Geechee have all taken their turns on its stage, supplanting one another as lords and masters of the island. St. Simons is now the domain of middle and upper class families, though one trailer park still survives. Evidence of the area's past still abounds, and from it I draw much of the inspiration for plots and characters.

The island I grew up on happens to be on the 31st Parallel north of the Equator, which includes the geographic area below Savannah, north of the Georgia-Florida border, and everything east and west of that. Down on the 31st and 32nd Parallels, you're in the Deep South of the "Deep South". Look at all the writers who come from those strips, and don't surprised if you start to see some similarities in their works. It has to do with their shared history, the geography, and the people who inhabit those realms. Many of the early Georgia settlers traveled directly west to settle regions in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. They took their histories and their stories with them. Part of the Southern writer's job is to resurrect those stories and their histories in creating new works. It's recycling of the highest order.

I have a business degree from the University of Georgia and a masters from Vanderbilt University where I work.

Reviews

[JudyAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories focus on the times of St. Simons Island from the first settlers in Spanish missions through modern times. The ongoing linking catalyst is the bell that first rang out over wild country and at the end, graced a local church.

The stories began with a common thread, including the bell and a blend of paranormal incidents, with historical references at the appropriate moment in time that reminded me of some of James Michener's books. About half-way through, it seemed the shadow theme faded and the remainder were Georgia incidents with a couple, especially the end that had the bell thread. The arrangement sort of lost me.

Each story is artfully told with some humor, some angst and good description and history. Perhaps best read as short stories of Georgia without trying to figure out the purpose and connection of the title and the shadows. Read one and put it aside for awhile, then go back and enjoy a story. Kiss the Rim was one of my favorites, but the clever Father Carlos would make a nice next door neighbor.

Historical fiction without excess profanity and no erotica. No fluff.

[Jeanie Loiacono · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Child-Ta...

Can a place hold a memory? Do actions of the past have sway over what happens in the future? Do memories create magic, or does the magic create memories? Step into a world where magic and mystery combine, where the past blends with the present and events beyond belief unfold. Then realize it could really happen: In a state called Georgia. Step into Shadow Child’s world, a collection of seventeen stories, sixteen fiction and one non, following the history of Georgia from 400 years ago to today, where the land tells a story of joy, sorrow, pain, and triumph; where anything can happen in the hearts that beat on it and are buried in it.

[Information Officer · Rating 4 out of 5]

superb!!

This is a wonderful read if you have an interest in the history of the Golden Isles of Georgia.Doster is a great story teller and all these tales are based on fact or local legends.There is so much interesting and very important history that transpired in this area of the world.Doster does a wonderful job of bringing it to light.I would also highly recommend "Lord Baltimore" by Steven Doster.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful historical fiction read. Its narrative storytelling centers around coastal Georgia and spans history from 1597 to 2014. The stories are interwoven with a beautiful twist at the end.