24 May 2022

What Fired Me Up to Write a Fireworks Story


Shortly before July 4th last year, I posted this on my Facebook page:

One day I am going to write a story in which someone who sets off fireworks in a suburban neighborhood, not giving a crap about the animals he's scaring, gets what's coming. And I won't feel bad at all. 
 
Sincerely,
 
The mom of a freaked-out dog
 
Boy, did the responses pour in. I got 145 likes, 29 loves, 47 hugs, and a smattering of other emojis. The comments were just as enthusiastic. Here's just a handful:
  • PLEASE please write that story!
  • Also endorsed by moms of small children, fire marshals, ER staff, those with PTSD. Please do something to those who sell the fireworks also . . . 
  • I'm happy to consult on this one! People here are also very concerned about their horses being frightened by them. Apparently several were injured last year
  • And I would read that book and recommend it to everyone I know. My poor boy Paddy has not left my side for hours now. 
  • You’d get lots of support from those of us in California who are sniffing for wild-fire smoke after every very illegal bang.
  • This has always been my least favorite holiday simply because of the loud noise and the fear and confusion it causes to animals, pets and wildlife both. Then there are the accidents to humans and fire potential.
Buoyed by the 100+ comments, I decided to write a story addressing the impact of fireworks. Then I saw a call for stories for an upcoming anthology to be titled Low Down Dirty Vote Volume 3: The Color of My Vote. Authors were asked to submit stories involving voting and color. We were giving wide latitude in how we interpreted the theme. As you may imagine, I thought of fireworks. They come in all kinds of colors. People who shoot them off frequently say they're being patriotic (red, white, and blue). People who don't like their impact see red. People who sell them want green. There were many more color associations I could make. Yes, I thought, a story involving fireworks could be a good fit.
 
Then I had to work in a voting aspect. Maybe, I thought, a city council could be about to vote on a proposal to bar residents from shooting off fireworks. I created a main character, a teenage girl, who is desperate for the ban to pass because of how fireworks set off in her neighborhood scare her dog, Bailey. The vote is expected to be close, and she has a friend whose neighbor is on the city council, so they decide to try to push him to vote their way ... with an unconventional approach.
 
Now it's almost a year later, and Memorial Dayanother holiday associated with fireworksis right around the corner. It's the perfect time for Low Down Dirty Vote Volume 3 to have been published. And I'm delighted the book includes my story "For Bailey." It's not the straight-on revenge story some people were hoping for, but it does address the effects fireworks can have on veterans with PTSD, firefighters, the environment, wildlife, and, especially, pets. I should add that I do not endorse any real-life crimes against people who set off fireworks or sell them. But I do like using fiction to try to open some eyes to the impact fireworks can have while offering an entertaining tale at the same time.
 
The anthology is out in trade paperback and ebook. It includes 22 stories of crime and suspense, ranging from comic to tragic and from cozy to noir. You'll also find a few stories involving science fiction, horror, and fantasy. The publisher is donating all the proceeds to Democracy Docket, an organization fighting voter suppression in the United States.

Here are the authors with stories in the book, in order of story appearance:

David Corbett, Faye Snowden, Eric Beetner, Sarah M. Chen, Gabriel Valjan, Jackie Ross Flaum, David Hagerty, Thomas Pluck, Katharina Gerlach, Stephen Buehler, Ember Randall, Camille Minichino, Patricia (Pat) E. Canterbury, James McCrone, Ann Parker, Miguel Alfonso Ramos, Misty Sol, DJ Tyrer, Anshritha, Bev Vincent, Barb Goffman, and Travis Richardson
.

You can order a paper copy of the book through many indie bookstores. Click here to find some near you. If you prefer Amazon (paper or ebook), click here. Paper copies are also available through Barnes and Noble. Click here for them.

The anthology supports a worthy cause, so I hope you'll consider picking up a copy. I also hope you enjoy my story and you and your loved ones (human and furry) don't suffer too much from the effects of fireworks this summer.

16 comments:

  1. Congratulations and best of luck with the anthology

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  2. I hate fireworks season on the first of the year and then again on July 4. While it was always bad, last year it escalated by a factor of ten. They were going off everywhere around us. Dogs were going crazy and for good reason. Absolutely horrible and I dread the upcoming night.

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    Replies
    1. I'm sorry, Kevin. I wish people were more thoughtful about how their actions affect others.

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  3. Looking forward to LDDV3. Fireworks are illegal in my city, which unfortunately doesn't stop the idiots. A firefighter friend tells me none of them can have a day off on July 4.

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    Replies
    1. Grrr on behalf of your firefighter friend. I hope you enjoy the book.

      Delete
  4. It is truly amazing how many people don't care about the gun-shot noise of fireworks. Not only for animals (and I do love animals) but also for people with PTSD, dementia, etc. Thanks for being an advocate for our animals, Barb - and congrats on the anthology!

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Mel. You and I are on the same wavelength. And thanks about the anthology!

      Delete
  5. Brava! St. Charles forbids fireworks, but allows the big tents in which they are sold -- such a dangerous hypocrisy! I've ordered the book and can hardly wait to settle in with it.
    Mary G. https://storytellermary.wordpress.com (not anonymous)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is strange that they'd allow the sale of something they forbid the use of. Anyway, I hope you love the book, Mary! Thanks for ordering it.

      Delete
  6. I don't recall what they were called, but for a time a percussive firework would be inserted amid the colorful sprays. It was literally a flash-bang, a bright white moon-sized flash followed by a terrible boom that made the heart thud. I'm happy those are a thing of the past.

    But… here in Florida, inebriated celebrants would shoot off their guns. That practice dropped off when a man was killed by a bullet that experts said might have been fired as much as a mile away. Fun Florida.

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  7. Your passion for justice resonates on every page of this story! Love it!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Mysti. And thanks for publishing the story and the book and for all your efforts to support democracy!

      Delete

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