Paul Edmondson

Living in the city of Salford left little to pursue my love of nature, other than through my imagination, books and the local park. So, my most cherished memories are family trips made to the countryside. During the summer, we would especially travel to Derbyshire, where we would take many walks around the Peak District National Park. I recall fresh air, wide expansive countryside and mountains, heather and trees, fast-flowing rivers, miles and miles of rough-stone walls, and all that wildlife. Treasured memories.

From a very young age, I have been an avid reader of books, with quite an eclectic taste, ranging from biographies to sci-fi to thrillers to historical fiction. Likewise, I seem to have always owned a camera and carried one with me whenever I have travelled.

Since retiring I started writing, especially poetry. I attended Creative Writing courses and various writing workshops which really developed my writing passion.

With more spare time now, I also have had the opportunity to move from “point-and-shoot” photography to obtaining a DSLR camera and technically learning how to use the camera, and to develop and print my own photos, using Adobe software. I mainly take landscapes and wildlife photos, so this easily merges with my love of nature.

Writing the historical fiction Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya allowed me the opportunity to fuse these two passions.

I was born only a few miles from Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United football club. I was regularly brought to the ground by my father and older brothers to watch domestic and European matches. So, by the time I became a teenager, I was already obsessed with Manchester United.

Learn the “craft” of taking photographs; understand your camera and lenses intimately; learn how to compose a photograph, understand the light. Develop your own particular style or niche, whether that be with landscapes, wildlife, streetlife, portraiture, weddings, fashion etc. You then need to build a portfolio and put yourself out there; develop marketing materials, social platforms and networks; get references and referrals. Pursue your dream.

It’s been a pleasure and honour to be one of the founding members of the Waterford Writers group. Along with two friends and fellow writers (Tom Mullane and Dominic McGuigan), we set up the group in April 2018. With rapid growth, we reached 20 members, with regular attendance of 16-18 people twice a month (before Covid-19 restrictions – we now meet via video conferencing). Within this relatively short time frame, we presented our works in public forums such as Poetry Ireland Day, Culture Night and benefit concerts in conjunction with Waterford Local Radio (WLR fm). Several members have published their own books during this period and the group successfully published its own Waterford Writers Anthology in late 2019.

For me, it has been a great experience and learning curve, to help set up this group and to work with so many enthusiastic and talented writers – poetry, fiction, short story, essays, memoir. Learning so much more at every meeting in such an encouraging and safe environment.

The favourite poem of mine in the Waterford Writers Anthology has to be the poem I wrote for my youngest daughter, Imogen:

YOUR NAME, THE TIME, THE LENGTH, THE WEIGHT
For Imogen

With laughter on her lips, eyes,
She hands me our cord-clamped baby,
Head cupped like a soft-shell egg.
Small, sallow body, slightly bloodied.
I orbit the delivery room.

My daughter lifts her first voice,
A cry – more a whimper,
A spring breeze crazy with light
That shines through me.

Cradling you, my daughter, to my chest,
The nurse leads me to another room to record
Your name, the time, the length, the weight.

I scan the landscape of your eyes, nose, lips, ears.
You, helpless, absolute, rare.

Your hands uncrumple, new buds
Bursting into blossom.
You, my daughter, unaware
Of spring’s promise.
You, a lodestone in my arms.
What things should you definitely do or see when you visit Yosemite National Park?

This is such a difficult question to answer – there are so many wonderful sights! Inevitably, my observations are coloured by a photographer’s eye. It also depends on the time of year. In the fall (autumn), then it is essential to catch the changing colours of the aspens, dogwoods, oaks and other trees, so a trip to Lee Vining Canyon or Rush Creek in mid to late October is a must. Also in Yosemite Valley itself, take any of the walks along the Merced River. The colours are spectacular.

In spring (late May into June), the waterfalls are flowing with snowmelt, so this is a great time to photograph them. In the valley see Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Fall, Ribbon Fall and hike to Vernal and Nevada Falls. If you want to see rainbows at the falls, then time your visit so that the sun is behind you when facing the falls.

For incredible vistas, take in Tunnel View, Valley View, Cathedral Beach, Sentinel Bridge, and take a trip out to Washburn Point, Olmsted Point and Glacier Point for amazing views over the valley and Sierras.

There are whole books dedicated to this subject, so I am only giving the merest snippets!

For me, it was fundamental to have visited the location for the setting of the book. I did not go to Yosemite with the intention of writing Great Spirit of Yosemite. I visited the location twice – in the fall of 2014 and spring of 2016 – both times photographic vacations. I always take a notebook with me, jotting down the names of the locations and sights, and other interesting facts I pick up. I not only like to capture the scenery, but also to immerse myself in the location and absorb its spirit. One such photograph I took was of the Three Brothers in Yosemite Valley. Research led me to understand that the Three Brothers were named in memory of three sons of an Indian Chief called Tenaya. Chief Tenaya and his people lived in the valley prior to the Gold Rush and the Mariposa War of 1850/51.

I then used archival material to further research all that led up to the Mariposa War and the fate of Chief Tenaya and his people (Ahwahneechees). This research was vital and thoroughly absorbing. I then started to put together a series of poems and prose pieces connecting this history and legends to the photographs I had taken and places I had seen. Eventually, with a lot fictional embellishment I converted all these written pieces into a longer historical novel.

I do not think I could have completed this book without an enormous and deep feeling of respect for the Ahwahneechee people, their way of life and the tragic fate that befell them at the hands of the white settlers who invaded their lands.

I started to write the initial outlines and shorter pieces during the summer of 2016. It evolved into a novel format over the next couple of years, working on-and-off with the concept. I “prospected” for publishers in the USA during the earlier part of 2019. I was delighted when Atmosphere Press offered me a contract to publish the book in August 2019. After getting excellent editorial advice, I re-vamped the book, which took until the end of 2019. Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya was published in June 2020.

I tend to want to include every last detail and get side-tracked into areas that are not relevant to the written piece. I need to be much more disciplined and succinct if I am to hold the reader.

Since retiring, investing time into activities that I could not find time for during my working life. This, of course, includes writing and photography, but putting family-time above all else is so important to me.

My favourite character from the book is the main character, Chief Tenaya. I found him brave, wily and big-hearted. He had a singular devotion to his family and people and put their interests way above his own personal needs and dangers.

I am reading David Attenborough’s A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future. He has witnessed and recorded the decline in the loss of the planet’s natural diversity and the consequences of this decline on ourselves and the world we share. It is a call from this renowned and respected naturalist to act and restore natural balance to the precious world we inhabit. It has taken billions of years for the earth to develop our life-support systems, which are now rapidly breaking down due to actions of our species. David Attenborough’s vision is to restore biodiversity balance, in order to unravel earth’s crisis that we have created, to become a species in harmony with life on earth. We all have a part to play, individually and collectively.

The Waterford Writers group are planning to publish a second Anthology in 2021 and I hope to have some pieces included in that book.

For quite a number of years, I have been exploring the shoreline of the River Suir and coast of Co. Waterford, taking many, many photographs and writing some poems and picking up various anecdotes about the area, which I may explore further. I have been posting some of the photos on my Facebook page but, at this moment, I have no plans to assemble and publish. Who knows? I’m just enjoying the ride for the moment!

I first came across AllAuthor through internet searches. AllAuthor provides a great service for authors. They are really professional and, at the same time, so approachable and responsive. I found, for a debut author especially, that their service and support is second-to-none. Authors can create personal profiles and gain access to a wide variety of marketing tools and to other authors. It feels very much like a partnership!