Avis A Townsend

     In addition to my Arcadia books, I have had stories published in several anthologies, and I also self-published two books of my own, which are now off the shelves and looking for new publishers.

     Winter Mournings was my first published novel, and I received many nice reviews on it.  However, due to a conflict between me and the publisher, it was taken out of their inventory and I am now thinking of having it redone with Back Channel Press.  It is the story of Tom and Kathy, two people who think they will spend the rest of their lives alone, but are thrown together at their job, and they find they need each other more than their independence.  It will be published under a new name.  Stay tuned for details.  The sequel has begun as well.

     In September, 2004, my anthology was released by Heliographic Publishing. "Unconditional Love - Pet Tales by the Humans Who Love Them" was a collaboration between me and 17 other authors. We wrote about our pets, both past and present, and a photo or drawing accompanies each story. There were some funny stories, as well as inspirational and tear-jerking tales. Shortly after the book was released, however, Heliographica went out of business, so the book is no longer available.  I am now re-doing it, making it all of my stories, and it will be titled "A Lifetime with Pets."  All proceeds will go to my non-profit charity.

     "Forget Me Knots from the Front Porch" is an anthology of stories, all taken place on someone's porch.  My story, "Burning Memories of Dad's Easy Chair," tells of the first time my parents left me alone in the house.  My father's chair caught fire in the living room after he dropped his cigarette inside, and I had to shove it out onto the porch and then onto the lawn to keep the house from burning down.

     "Romancing the Soul" contains the story of my wonderful cat, Eli, who died after being killed by coyotes but reincarnated himself a couple of years later.  I still have the new Eli, and I don't let him outside the door.  My story is titled, appropriately, "Back with Eli."

     "The Rocking Chair Reader" contains my story, "Violets on the Hillside."  This story is a memoir about my grandmother who died when I was very young.  Her lawn in the springtime was always covered with violets, and when she died, my cousin took me for a drive to get away from my sad thoughts, and we found a hill covered with the lovely-scented flowers my grandmother always loved.

In Addition to The Above Books:

    THE DANCER is a short story available for purchase from Wild Rose Press.  It is the story of a man who takes his lady friend to a street fair, and leaves with a dancer who has enchanted him to his very core.  To find it, check out the Wild Rose Press online.

     I have had several on-line stories published, some of which you still might find at the following links:

http://www.loti.com/sixties_fashion/THE_WHIRL-SKIRTED_GLAMOUR_DRESS.htm

http://www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov/news/spring2006/mustang.html

     I have had several confessions stories published in True Confessions and similar magazines, and a story has just been accepted for I Confess #3, an anthology of stories put together by  Carol Ann Johnson.

     From my four years as working as social editor at the Lockport Union Sun & Journal, I won an award from the New York State Associated Press for my two-part column on discrimination.  My column, appropriately titled "Everybody's Column," ran every Friday for four years, and from it I acquired quite a fan base.

      I am currently working on a fictional story about the Seven Sutherland Sisters, a family from Cambria, New York, who made headlines in the late 1800's when they toured the country with the circus, selling hair products and singing.  Their hair was so long that it trailed across the floor, and they reaped the benefits of their tresses with their bogus hair products, going from rags to riches almost overnight.  Their lives were bizarre, and they spent their money extravagantly.  After unfortunate deaths of five sisters, the two remaining sisters died in poverty - one in a mental institution and one in the "poor house." 

       Their ghost is said to walk the property where they grew up, and for years golden horse shoes came to the surface when new owners plowed the fields.