Hello All! Our Cover Art Contest is now in full swing! There are 23 covers in the running this time. Make sure you cast your votes for your favorites. For more information and dates, read below. So, what did you all think of last week's Story Fodder? This week, we have a combination of history and personal experience once again from a time period a bit closer to home. I would love to know if you end up using any of these in one of your stories!
QUARTERLY COVER ART CONTEST: Voting goes through November 8 (Voting is FREE). You can vote for your favorite once per day on our website. The winner will be announced on November 13 in our Newsletter.
This Contest is Sponsored by Author Jessica Bertrand (jessicabertrand.com) and Finding God in Anime Devotional for Otakus (@findinggodinanime).
At one point in my life, I was REALLY into learning all I could about my family tree. This is because I have some Serbian descent, and I was wondering what that looked like in context with the story I am about to share. All of the following information has either been passed down to me by family members or obtained using family tree data. All of the following story is true to the best of my knowledge.
I want to start with the Serbs of Croatia, an Eastern Orthodox Minority that, though emphatic that they are Serbian, have existed in Croatia since possibly the Middle Ages. This people group grew over the centuries by fleeing war and persecution in their home country. Mary and her husband were part of this Orthodox Minority in the midst of WWI. After the war rocked Europe, a mass emigration to the United States began. Several young men from their small community were sent first to see if they would be able to obtain jobs in the new country, whose language they did not speak. After arriving in New York, they headed southwest and settled in Ohio. Many of whom began work in the mills, and some returned to their roots as humble subsistence farmers. Now with the scene set, this is where Mary's story begins.
A newly married young woman with a child on the way, her whole life consisting of the close-knit hum of her small farming community. Married women in babushkas tended the animals and small children of the community, making bread from scratch and drinking dandelion tea together at the midday meal. All while the men worked the fields with plows and oxen, in hopes that their crops of maize and barley would be plentiful that year. All of which was set aside on "The Lord's Day" for a time of worship and quiet prayer. Almost every family had a son or grandson who had traveled to the "land of opportunity", and her husband was contemplating taking the trip himself. Mary worried about what life would be like without her husband to protect her, but they were poor and only had enough money from last year's harvest for one steamboat ticket across the ocean. In a surprising move, her husband wanted to let their child decide whether he would cross the ocean or not. He would send Mary and their unborn child on the perilous 2-week journey with an ultimatum, "If you have a son, I will join you in America. If you have a daughter, I will live out my days in Croatia. Do what you will." I don't know if Mary had a choice in the matter, but I do know that the journey was a difficult one for her. She became very ill in the cramped quarters of the lower deck, and many of the other passengers at that level died of illness before reaching the harbor in New York.
I have looked through all the records during that time period, and though I found some women who were listed as Mary or Marie, I was unable to confirm which woman was my Great, Great Grandmother because her original surname did not survive. At that time, an unaccompanied pregnant woman was not allowed to disembark a vessel without a man to vouch for her. This man was her husband's best friend and had come over on an earlier voyage. He was a farmer and had land enough to support Mary while they waited for her husband. Was he distressed when Mary told him of her husband's ultimatum? I do not know, but I do know that she gave birth to a baby girl whom she named Mary, and eventually Mary the elder married the Best Friend of her husband, who loved her deeply. After her illness on the voyage across the sea, Mary the elder was always sickly, but her new husband cared for her as if she were a precious jewel. Mary the younger would not receive more than a 3rd grade education due to caring for her mother, but would later meet a man named Arthur, a gentleman farmer who had a laugh and personality so infectious that decades after his passing, any who spoke of him could not help but smile in his remembrance. After Mary the elder passed, the Best Friend, Mary the younger, Arthur, and their two sons would all live on a farm together, raising hogs and plowing fields, earning the living the ground and the good Lord had given them.
This Story Fodder is based on both 1910s immigration history as well as my own family history. Do you feel inspired? If so, let me know via email or in the comments.
May your day be bright and your reading be epic! ~ Amy Lynn McConahy, Clean Fiction Publisher
REMINDER: We cannot continue to publish our magazine without your help! Please consider either becoming an advertiser, supporting Clean Fiction on Patreon, or directly supporting us with a Yearly Subscription (for as little as $10/year!).
Our Advertising Deadline is November 15th for the Winter Edition 2025.
QUARTERLY COVER ART CONTEST: Voting goes through November 8 (Voting is FREE). You can vote for your favorite once per day on our website. The winner will be announced on November 13 in our Newsletter.
This Contest is Sponsored by Author Jessica Bertrand (jessicabertrand.com) and Finding God in Anime Devotional for Otakus (@findinggodinanime).
Vote for Your Favorite: https://www.sunsetvalleycreations.com...
WINDOWS INTO THE MULTIVERSE WRITING CONTEST: There is ONE MORE DAY to submit your Micro-Story! Don't miss out!
This Contest is Sponsored by the Strangers & Aliens Podcast (StrangersAndAliens.com).
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STORY FODDER by Amy Lynn McConahy
At one point in my life, I was REALLY into learning all I could about my family tree. This is because I have some Serbian descent, and I was wondering what that looked like in context with the story I am about to share. All of the following information has either been passed down to me by family members or obtained using family tree data. All of the following story is true to the best of my knowledge.
I want to start with the Serbs of Croatia, an Eastern Orthodox Minority that, though emphatic that they are Serbian, have existed in Croatia since possibly the Middle Ages. This people group grew over the centuries by fleeing war and persecution in their home country. Mary and her husband were part of this Orthodox Minority in the midst of WWI. After the war rocked Europe, a mass emigration to the United States began. Several young men from their small community were sent first to see if they would be able to obtain jobs in the new country, whose language they did not speak. After arriving in New York, they headed southwest and settled in Ohio. Many of whom began work in the mills, and some returned to their roots as humble subsistence farmers. Now with the scene set, this is where Mary's story begins.
A newly married young woman with a child on the way, her whole life consisting of the close-knit hum of her small farming community. Married women in babushkas tended the animals and small children of the community, making bread from scratch and drinking dandelion tea together at the midday meal. All while the men worked the fields with plows and oxen, in hopes that their crops of maize and barley would be plentiful that year. All of which was set aside on "The Lord's Day" for a time of worship and quiet prayer. Almost every family had a son or grandson who had traveled to the "land of opportunity", and her husband was contemplating taking the trip himself. Mary worried about what life would be like without her husband to protect her, but they were poor and only had enough money from last year's harvest for one steamboat ticket across the ocean. In a surprising move, her husband wanted to let their child decide whether he would cross the ocean or not. He would send Mary and their unborn child on the perilous 2-week journey with an ultimatum, "If you have a son, I will join you in America. If you have a daughter, I will live out my days in Croatia. Do what you will." I don't know if Mary had a choice in the matter, but I do know that the journey was a difficult one for her. She became very ill in the cramped quarters of the lower deck, and many of the other passengers at that level died of illness before reaching the harbor in New York.
I have looked through all the records during that time period, and though I found some women who were listed as Mary or Marie, I was unable to confirm which woman was my Great, Great Grandmother because her original surname did not survive. At that time, an unaccompanied pregnant woman was not allowed to disembark a vessel without a man to vouch for her. This man was her husband's best friend and had come over on an earlier voyage. He was a farmer and had land enough to support Mary while they waited for her husband. Was he distressed when Mary told him of her husband's ultimatum? I do not know, but I do know that she gave birth to a baby girl whom she named Mary, and eventually Mary the elder married the Best Friend of her husband, who loved her deeply. After her illness on the voyage across the sea, Mary the elder was always sickly, but her new husband cared for her as if she were a precious jewel. Mary the younger would not receive more than a 3rd grade education due to caring for her mother, but would later meet a man named Arthur, a gentleman farmer who had a laugh and personality so infectious that decades after his passing, any who spoke of him could not help but smile in his remembrance. After Mary the elder passed, the Best Friend, Mary the younger, Arthur, and their two sons would all live on a farm together, raising hogs and plowing fields, earning the living the ground and the good Lord had given them.
This Story Fodder is based on both 1910s immigration history as well as my own family history. Do you feel inspired? If so, let me know via email or in the comments.
May your day be bright and your reading be epic!
~ Amy Lynn McConahy, Clean Fiction Publisher
REMINDER: We cannot continue to publish our magazine without your help! Please consider either becoming an advertiser, supporting Clean Fiction on Patreon, or directly supporting us with a Yearly Subscription (for as little as $10/year!).
Our Advertising Deadline is November 15th for the Winter Edition 2025.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter HERE! (https://www.sunsetvalleycreations.com...)