Why, By the Light of the
Moon?
Who doesn’t love the
moon and its mystic lure? Although I based my series on a foundation of
Christian faith, I added depth and richness by including stories and myths.
Here’s how the moon came to play a vital role...
Ruby Moon: It all started with a
real red moon, a bag of garbage, and a hot, sticky July night twenty years ago.
I stayed up late reading one evening. Before I went to bed, I remembered the
garbage I’d placed on the deck. (Out in the country, where we live, one does
not leave garbage out; the local wildlife will have a hayday.)
After marking where I’d
left off in my book, I swung the front door open, picked up the hefty bag of
garbage, and tottered to the dumpster. The damp night air told of a coming
storm. I looked up to check the sky and gasped at what I saw. The sight was so
surreal; I dropped the bag of garbage with a splat and started, incredulously,
at a full red moon, hanging over the top of the tree line to the west of
our home. Prickles on my arms erupted, and I immediately wanted to write about
that moment. And so I did...
After depositing the
garbage, I ran back to the house, sat in my favorite chair, took up my pen and
notebook, and began. I paired the moon sighting with a story of a young woman
who accidentally kills someone she cares for. Ruby Moon and Jenay’s
story also sprang from a true story of a friend who played a part in a real
accidental death.
In the novel I play off
the image of the moon through Jenay’s love of nature and the heritage she
bears—Ojibwe. Her Ojibwe aunt, Maang-ikwe or Loon-woman, tells Jenay truth
through tales, some of which include the moon. Most of my stories I tell
through Maang-ikwe are pure fiction, but in truth many Native American cultures
charted their lives by the cycles of the moon.
There is a moon in
June/July called the Strawberry Moon, not only because the moon can appear red
during these months, but also because the wild strawberries ripen then.
Blue Moon: the second book in my
series came from the idea of something rare, like a blue moon. The saying goes,
“Once in a Blue Moon”, which actually references a month that contains two full
moons and is a rather rare occurrence.
I had wanted the title
to be “Once in a Blue Moon”, originally, but being the second book, I figured I
might confuse readers. So, I went with simply Blue Moon, representing
something rare and true: friendship, love, and forgiveness.
A tale of sibling rifts,
challenged friendships, and second chance loves formed on the page, and Vanessa
and Valerie’s story came to life in Blue Moon.
Silver Moon: the third book in the
series came to me on an autumn day, while I sat by my favorite fishing hole in
a backwater slough of the Red Cedar River. Evening approached, and I watched my
husband, backlit by the setting sun, casting his fishing line, hoping for a
bite. I could just make out the faint, silver outline of the moon in the sky.
As I lowered my gaze to the eddy of swirling water in front of me, where the
current and the stagnant water of the slough met, I thought of what it would be
like to be submerged in that chilly, temtuous liquid. Then the first scene of
Silver Moon spilled out of my imagination. While leaf boats floated by and
migrating geese honked overhead, I pecked out the words on my iPad, and Silver
Moon was born.
Excerpt from Silver
Moon:
Oshki listened and looked up at the
moon smiling down on them. His thoughts drifted from the priest’s words to a
tale his great aunt had told him when he was a child. Maang-ikwe’s mellow and
slightly nasal voice spilled out the story in his memory . . .
“Now there was Moon whom
Gitchi-manidoo made. Moon looked down from heaven. He liked to watch de life of
men, but he sad not to gaganoozah,
talk, with man. Gitchi-manidoo knew Moon could not talk men’s talk, so he
thought of way. He asked Moon question.
“‘Moon, you tired of always being de
same color?’ Moon say, ‘’Eya,’ yes. Moon not think of that before, but he tired
of gray. So Gitchi-manidoo gave him gift.”
“What did the moon get?” Oshki widened
his eyes and asked. The firelight of the hearth danced behind them.
“Moon’s maker say to him, ‘I give you
red, orange, blue, gold, and silver to dress in.’
“Moon pleased, but he ask, ‘How I know
which color to put on?’
“Gitchi-manidoo tell him, ‘Sun will
tell you.’ So . . . Moon listens for Sun and its light to tell him when to
dress in a different color.”
“Does the moon have a favorite color?”
Oshki asked.
“Perhaps.”
“Is the moon happy wearing different colors?”
Maang-ikwe smiled at him. “It is just so, ingozis. Moon is happy, he
wear color so Anishinaabe know when to do certain
things.” “Like what?”
“Harvest and thanks. Planting and
protect. Joy and laughter. Sorrow and tears.”
Oshki was puzzled. He had an
inclination of what she meant, for the moon glowed orange often at harvest
time, and he had seen it look golden and full every once in a while. Oshki
couldn’t remember seeing the other colors, though.
“Will I see all the colors of the
moon? Will the moon tell me when to do these things?” Oshki watched his great
aunt. He loved her stories, but he often did not understand them.
Maang-ikwe paused and gazed at him so
hard it almost hurt. He wanted to turn away but didn’t.
“What is it?” he finally got up the
courage to ask her.
“Ingozis, my son. I see a silver moon.” Maang-ikwe placed
a shaky hand on his chin.
“What will a silver moon tell me?”
Oshki’s brows puckered together.
She hesitated, sighed, and trailed
down the curve of his smooth boy cheek with her wrinkled finger. “Silver a
metal that chases away maji-manidoo,
bad spirits. The light of de silver moon a cleansing light. It save you from
bad things and help you remember Gitchi-manidoo, who protects.”
Maang-ikwe’s hand hovered a few
seconds longer at Oshki’s cheek, then she dropped it back into her lap and
turned her head to the low, flickering flames.
Oshki looked at his aunt’s profile and
wondered when he would see this moon and what he would need protecting from . .
.
Thank you so much for reading!
You can learn more about
me and my books at jennyknipfer.com
Jenny lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Ken and their pet Yorkie, Ruby. She is also a mom and loves being a grandma. She enjoys many creative pursuits but finds writing the most fulfilling.
Jenny’s education background stems from psychology, music, and cultural missions. She spent many years as a librarian in a local public library but recently switched to using her skills as a floral designer in a retail flower shop. She is now retired from work due to disability.
She authored and performed a self-published musical CD entitled, Scrapbook of a Closet Poet. Jenny acquires joy in the journey as an author. Ruby Moon, the first title in her historical fiction series: By the Light of the Moon, earned a five star rating from Readers' Favorite. Her books are available in eBook and paperback formats through Amazon and Ingramspark.
Jenny holds membership in the: Historical Novel Society, Wisconsin Writers Association, and Midwest Independent Booksellers Association.
Jenny’s favorite place to relax is by the western shore of Lake Superior, where her novel series is set.
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