Ancient Nautical Folklore is at the Heart of The Jonah Collector

Remember Jonah from the Bible? Jonah in the New Testament was sent on a mission by his god, but he is hesitant. As a result, Jonah was swallowed by a large whale (sea creature), but then spat out. After his journey into the belly of the beast (Hero's Journey), he returned to his original calling, to deliver god's judgement to an ancient city.

This narrative correlates to the Hero's Journey. When the hero entered the unknown world, he was undergoing a transformation from who he was to who he will be. He is tested. Once he was victorious over his foe, or circumstances, the hero could bring the life-saving elixir to the world.

Over time, the symbol of Jonah morphed into meaning the weakest link and bad luck to a sailing crew. This switch to a dark definition of Jonah was emphasized on the paranormal show, The Holzer Files: Phantom Crew of Season 1, Episode 5. 

The team investigates the ghost ship USS Constellation and tries to find the source of its endless spirit sightings over the centuries. They may have gotten more than they bargained for when one investigator realises he's been bitten out of nowhere.

Here's a snippet of that case:

The paranormal team soon learned that the entire non-living crew targets a living person as a weak person to be labeled their Jonah. That gave the ghosts the right to push anyone off the USS Constellation as they so choose.

The Jonah Collector is much more than literary, lyrical prose, but a chance to see the real life drama of sailors in an easily digestible form. Instead of using an evil captain and crew, this paranormal-nautical story surrounds a dark mermaid, who collects the souls of sailors, namely Jonahs. The rhyme scheme of the prose pieces adds intensity to the drama.

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About The Jonah Collector

In this epic tale, we discover that in his youth, Captain Christopher Houston was once a Jonah. The weakest link on a ship endangers the entire crew. As such, he was tossed into the Locker, then saved by a mermaid. She wants revenge on him for annulling the contract. She went after his son. Now, Houston has a choice: save his son or himself. Will he be the next victim of The Jonah Collector?

Life is tough when you are the weakest link.

The Jonah Collector Release Day and Book Event

Literary, lyrical prose in the form of nautical narrative is: The Jonah Collector. 

Inspired by the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Jonah Collector offers something new to the seafaring, mermaid, and pirate genres. The tale is about a sea captain whose days are bogged down by regret, stress, and homesickness. 

Captain Christopher Houston is a seafaring man. He lives on the sea. He is the best ship captain in the world. He is also deceased. 

In this epic tale, we discover that in his youth, Captain Houston committed a heinous crime. He lied about his age to get onboard a ship because his father had died. The young man wanted to support his mother by earning a wage. Unfortunately, he was too inexperienced. He found himself labeled a Jonah, the weakest link, and forced to walk the plank. 

As his ship sailed away, the ocean took him down to the Locker. In the Depths, a beautiful mermaid made him a deal. Captain Houston did not understand the contract that saved his life, and was later able to nullify the mermaid's evil intent because he was not of age to consent to such an agreement. 

Years had passed since his encounter. Something inside of him stirred. He knew that his youthful mistake was about to catch up with his present. 

Unbeknownst to him, the mermaid, Aetheshella, devised a scheme to lure Christopher back to her through fate. She went after his son. Now, Captain Houston has a choice: save his son or himself. 

Will he be the next victim of The Jonah Collector?

A Novelist Idea newsletter is hosting the Ignite Your Imagination: The Jonah Collector Release Party on June 23, 2023.

If you love the sea, sailing, and stories, then The Jonah Collector is a short fiction odyssey created for you.

 

 

Visit Undawnted's dedicated page for information about The Jonah Collector.

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A Novelist Idea [now Undawntable] Newsletter will be having a release party with prizes and trivia, plus Subscribers receive Early Access to purchase the e-Book. Be sure you are a Subscriber, because this is a Member's Only event.

This year's program is the: Hint of the Divine, in which participants learn the archetypes found in human culture, and storytelling.

Bring depth to your writing.

Join our Creative Tribe. 

Learn. Grow. Master... with Undawnted.

The Official Kick-Off to Summer 2023

June 21, 2023 marks the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.  

For the longest day of the year, Undawnted will begin the festivities with a WordCrafter Blog Tour for the poetry book, Small Wonders, by Kaye Lynne Booth. 

Then A Novelist Newsletter will drop its quarterly update, as well as throw a bash for The Jonah Collector Release Party on June 23rd!

It's a full week here on Undawnted.

Be sure to become a Subscriber to A Novelist Idea and our YouTube Channel for great seasonal programming and entertainment.

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A writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, Ms. Mullan has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs as well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet. Currently, DL Mullan shares her knowledge via A Novelist Idea Newsletter. If you too want to become a Fearless Phile, then subscribe to her newsletter on Substack.

Her innovative style teaches writers how to reach their creative potential, and write more effectively.

Learn. Grow. Master… with Undawnted.

 

 

The Jonah Collector is Set for June 2023 Release

As an homage to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Jonah Collector is a lyrical prose, seafaring narrative set in the 1700s. 

Captain Christopher Houston is a seafaring man. He lives on the sea. He is the best ship captain in the world. He is also deceased. 

In this epic tale, we discover that in his youth, Captain Houston committed a heinous crime. He lied about his age to get onboard a ship because his father had died. The young man wanted to support his mother by earning a wage. Unfortunately, he was too inexperienced. He found himself labeled a Jonah, the weakest link, and forced to walk the plank. 

As his ship sailed away, the ocean took him down to the Locker. In the Depths, a beautiful mermaid made him a deal. Captain Houston did not understand the contract that saved his life, and was later able to nullify the mermaid's evil intent because he was not of age to consent to such an agreement. 

Years had passed since his encounter. Something inside of him stirred. He knew that his youthful mistake was about to catch up with his present. 

Unbeknownst to him, the mermaid, Aetheshella, devised a scheme to lure Christopher back to her through fate. She went after his son. Now, Captain Houston has a choice: save his son or himself. 

Will he be the next victim of The Jonah Collector? 

This short story will be released on June 23, 2023.

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A Novelist Idea Newsletter will be having a release party with prizes and trivia, plus Subscribers receive Early Access to purchase the e-Book. Be sure you are a Subscriber, because this is a Member's Only event.

This year's program is the: Hint of the Divine, in which participants learn the archetypes found in human culture, and storytelling.

Bring depth to your writing.

Join our Creative Tribe. 

Learn. Grow. Master... with Undawnted.

 

 

 

The Jonah Collector has been Submitted for Competition

I did not have a nautical story to tell...

...but some seafaring characters had a story to tell through me. 

*****

Imagination is fearless, and at times that open doorway into the magical and mystical swings the other way. Instead of the creator tapping into that creative force; the force taps into the creator. That is what happened with The Jonah Collector. 

I had zero plans of writing and submitting a story for this anthology. I researched. I doodled. Nothing came to me, so I moved on, but the universe did not. One morning at the beginning of September, I woke up with characters, a plot line, and a beginning rhyme! 

In the coming days, I wrote out the lyrical prose piece: The Jonah Collector. Based in nautical lore and actual ship lingo, this short story is beyond creative. 

One of the character's namesake is from my genealogy too. That is in keeping with my Legacy Universe theme of honoring my ancestors in my writings. 

When I finished the first draft, I was blown away. I edited, polished, and then submitted the piece on September 13, 2022, my grandmother's 119th birthday. 

Such synergy!

If the short story is accepted, A Novelist Idea Newsletter is having a party... when the anthology is released in 2023.

If the short story is not accepted, A Novelist Idea Newsletter will still have a party... when I release the publication sometime in 2023.

No matter what: it's party time!

Have a great and wonderful day.