Red Emma’s

About DOWNEYOSHUN: Sally Osterhoff is a genius. When she grows up, she wants to be a mathematician, a teacher, and a carpenter; and she plans to swim in the 1968 and 1972 olympics.

Her mother has other ideas, and will emotionally and physically abuse Sally to fit them. After all, she only wants what is best for her child. But between her father trying his best, the family next door who practically adopts her, and her Aunt & Uncle down in Ocean City where she spends her summers, Sally just might have the support and love she needs to make all of her dreams come true.

Set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights struggles, the Vietnam War, and the early Feminist movement, the story explores the power of found family, and how unconditional love can come from the least expected places. DOWNEYOSHUN is a not-always-sentimental vacation to the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘and ‘70s. Bring your swimsuit.

About THE DECEIVED ONES:

Displaced by the Russian invasion, Vira, carrying little but her precious viola da gamba, is a refugee in the Uniting for Ukraine program. When she is physically attacked soon after her arrival in the United States, the terrifying experience prompts her to hide in plain sight by passing as her twin, Sevastyan, until he is able to join her.

Orson has been commissioned to write an opera for The Twelfth Night Festival, but he is suffering from composer’s block. Not only that, his muse, Isabella, has inexplicably withdrawn from all performing. During a chance meeting, Orson discovers the extraordinary musical talent of Vira, now passing as Sevastyan, and it gives him the jolt of inspiration he needs. Hoping that Isabella will be as intrigued as he is, Orson sends “Sevastyan” as his emissary to persuade Isabella to sing in his opera.

Vira’s deception incites a hilarious myriad of misconceptions, resulting in a tangled love quadrangle which becomes even more convoluted when the real Sevastyan comes looking for his sister.

Art Young is a Baltimore born U.S. Navy / Vietnam / Agent Orange veteran and cancer survivor. He was once “with it” as a carny in a traveling gadget show, and has worked as a fire extinguishing systems installer and serviceman, route delivery sales for a brewery, flexographic press operator, licensed boiler plant engineer, and story teller. He much prefers the last. DOWNEYOSHUN is his debut novel.

Judith Krummeck has written the memoirs BEYOND THE BAOBAB and OLD NEW WORLDS; has a screenplay, PHILIDA_ _in development; and has been published in several online and local publications. Judith holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Baltimore and a BA in Drama. Her experiences as an immigrant, as a symphony music host, and as a student of Shakespeare are reflected in THE DECEIVED ONES.