My Short Story ‘The Family Tree’

The stories in the anthology called “Masks, Facades, And Reveals” are all about hidden or secret identities. And this time I’m not only an author but also an illustrator.

Loving all kinds of spy stories, no matter if books or movies, I was keen on writing a story for this anthology. Thinking about what to write two things came to my mind, a conversation with a friend whose mother confessed a secret to her daughter on her deathbed and a book I read about the girls who worked on secret missions during World War II. I felt compelled to explore these narratives and their intersection.

“The Family Tree” is about Luca who visits his Great-Grandmother for lunch. But he doesn’t just come for lunch. He plans to interview his Nona. Surprised that Angelina doesn’t want to talk about her childhood, he starts to investigate on his own. What secrets will he find?

For this anthology I was not only an author but also an illustrator. It was fun to put these two illustrations together.

My thanks goes especially to our hard working editors (Gwen Tolios, Tauna Sonn-LeMarbe, Tim Yao, Cathy Goodman, Milda Willoughbyy) and all the other authors who worked equally hard to make this new book happen.

So, if you like to read about the hidden identity anthology, you can buy the book on Amazon or check it out on Good Reads.

Good Reads blurb:
What we show and don’t show to the world can be a delicate balance. Each mask on display is carefully painted, our facades built with focus, and our reveals calculated even if the consequences are not. From putting on airs for your parents to a sudden need for witness protection to discovering a grandparent’s past, enjoy these stories and poems from Chicago authors. Explore the lengths to which people can go in a charade to protect themselves and others. Watch what happens when secrets come to light.
This is a project of the Writing Journey, an a la carte writing community that operates in the cities and suburbs west of Chicago.

Amazon blurb:
What we show and don’t show to the world can be a delicate balance. Each mask on display is carefully painted, our facades built with focus, and our reveals calculated even if the consequences are not. From putting on airs for your parents to a sudden need for witness protection to discovering a grandparent’s past, enjoy these 40 stories and poems from Chicago authors.
Explore the lengths to which people can go in a charade to protect themselves and others. Watch what happens when secrets come to light.
Featuring stories and poems by:
Brian Cable, Bevan Das, Susan Ekins, Elaine J Fisher, Leslie Hatch Gail,
J. M. Guilfoyle, Liz SanFilippo Hall, R. Todd Hogan, Yolanda Huslig, S. Ellen J., Debra Kollar, Karen Stumm Limbrick, Barbara Lipkin, Keshia L. Nowden , Mary O’Brien Glatz , Timothy Paulson, Savannah Reynard, Lauren Rogers, Tauna Sonne-leMare,
Jennifer Stasinopoulos, Gwen Tolios, Annerose Walz, Esther S. Wiggin, Victoria Williams, Milda Willoughby, Gregory Wright, and Tim Yao
Edited by Gwen Tolios, Tauna Sonne-leMare, Tim Yao, Cathy Goodman, and Milda Willoughby.

Masks

• Temp Work by S. Ellen J.
• The Elephant in the Room by Timothy Paulson
• Masks That Faces Make by Tauna Sonne-leMare
• Chameleon by Yolanda Huslig
• Details, Details, Details by Elaine J Fisher
• Past, Present, and Future Ghosts by Tauna Sonne-leMare
• The Camping Site by Gregory Wright
• … But More Than That, a Father. by Victoria Williams
• The Cowbird’s Delight by Jennifer Stasinopoulos
• Better (choco)late than never by Lauren Rogers
• Callie and Ash by R. Todd Hogan
• The Legacy of a Superhero by Debra Kollar

Facades

• Twinkle, twinkle by Tim Yao
• The Scent of Hope by Savannah Reynard
• Sandcastle by Milda Willoughby
• Tranquil, But No Wilting Rose by Tauna Sonne-leMare
• Interstitial by Keshia L. Nowden
• The Cad by Susan Ekins
• Insomnia by Bevan Das
• Welcome Home by Lauren Rogers
• Him by Leslie Hatch Gail
• Becoming Gabriel by R. Todd Hogan
• The Broker of Secrets by Brian Cable
• The Janitor by Gregory Wright
• Sometimes a Princess by Liz SanFilippo Hall

Reveals

• Deadbeat by J. M. Guilfoyle
• The Bump by R. Todd Hogan
• Self Defense by Gwen Tolios
• Memento Mori by Mary O’Brien Glatz
• In a Dali Dream by Elaine J Fisher
• The Luckiest Block by Barbara Lipkin
• Death Comes a Courting by Elaine J Fisher
• The Root Cellar by Tauna Sonne-leMare
• Palimpsests by Mary O’Brien Glatz
• Dry Ice by Jennifer Stasinopoulos
• The Quest by Karen Stumm Limbrick
• On the Removal of Tribal Markings by Esther S. Wiggin
• I still believe by Tim Yao
• The Family Tree by Annerose Walz

The Writing Journey is a collaborative community of creative writers and artists (see writingjourney.org for more information). The full list of its anthologies is available at writingjourney.org/books.