IN THE BEGINNING . . .
. . . or at least, close to 40 years ago . . .
. . . Ed Ross created a storytelling character named Clementine Jones. The name was inspired by the title of the song, My Darling Clementine, about a "miner forty-niner" gold prospector in the old West.
Ed had been digging for Gold of a different kind in the Word of God. His zeal for the Bible and the richness of God's wisdom, goodness, and purposes that he found there compelled him to tell God's story through his alter ego, Clementine.
He grabbed a western hat, a couple of bandanas, a flannel shirt, jeans, boots, and a big old pix axe, then stippled a brown beard on his face. Speaking in a Texas drawl with a larger than life voice and wild antics, he entertained children at a party with outlandish tales of "snake wrasslin" and "tarantula soup" and how rich his life was because he struck it rich ". . . in the richest Goldmine in the world--the Bible."
Ed had been digging for Gold of a different kind in the Word of God. His zeal for the Bible and the richness of God's wisdom, goodness, and purposes that he found there compelled him to tell God's story through his alter ego, Clementine.
He grabbed a western hat, a couple of bandanas, a flannel shirt, jeans, boots, and a big old pix axe, then stippled a brown beard on his face. Speaking in a Texas drawl with a larger than life voice and wild antics, he entertained children at a party with outlandish tales of "snake wrasslin" and "tarantula soup" and how rich his life was because he struck it rich ". . . in the richest Goldmine in the world--the Bible."
Due to his job as manager of Bridgeton Christian Center Ministries at the time, he had connections with various churches and ministries throughout Southern New Jersey. This brought invitations for Clementine Jones to tell his Goldstrike stories about "God's love and livin' God's Way" at Family Nights, Rally Days, Children's Church, and main services throughout the region. His popularity grew and he became a much sought after chapel speaker in many of the Christian schools in the area for generations of kids.
Meanwhile, Miss Kathy was serving as children's pastor in a church in Charleston, South Carolina and created her own alter ego storytelling character: the outrageous Wanda Worldly. Miss Wanda stumbled into children's church on Resurrection Sunday 1991, with a rather bizarre take on what the Bible teaches and the way of Salvation. Thankfully, her 6 to 12 year olds were well versed in God's Word and "got Miss Wanda saved." From thenceforth, she was known as Wanda Wordwise.
Miss Wanda made appearances over the years at special church events in multiple states where Miss Kathy lived at the time, until her relocation in 2003 back to her hometown of Vineland, New Jersey. Where she met Ed . . .
And when Ed and Kathy married, Clementine and Wanda married, too!
Over the next two decades, Clementine and Wanda collaborated and expanded their storyworld with live performances throughout the area in churches, school chapels, and even--with a little twist--in public schools! In that venue, they created Literacy Awareness programs that had Clementine shouting, "Thar's GOLD in them thar BOOKS! YeeHAW!"
Meanwhile, Miss Kathy was serving as children's pastor in a church in Charleston, South Carolina and created her own alter ego storytelling character: the outrageous Wanda Worldly. Miss Wanda stumbled into children's church on Resurrection Sunday 1991, with a rather bizarre take on what the Bible teaches and the way of Salvation. Thankfully, her 6 to 12 year olds were well versed in God's Word and "got Miss Wanda saved." From thenceforth, she was known as Wanda Wordwise.
Miss Wanda made appearances over the years at special church events in multiple states where Miss Kathy lived at the time, until her relocation in 2003 back to her hometown of Vineland, New Jersey. Where she met Ed . . .
And when Ed and Kathy married, Clementine and Wanda married, too!
Over the next two decades, Clementine and Wanda collaborated and expanded their storyworld with live performances throughout the area in churches, school chapels, and even--with a little twist--in public schools! In that venue, they created Literacy Awareness programs that had Clementine shouting, "Thar's GOLD in them thar BOOKS! YeeHAW!"
One of their most epic projects was the Vacation Bible School Clementine's Fish Fry, a five part storyline performed over a week for smaller churches in the region that didn't have the volunteers for the typical VBS.
Clementine and Wanda handled all the teaching through story and provided churches with associated crafts and activities to reinforce the salvation and santification message that "Jesus cleans His fish after He catches them." The program had a smash finale where Clementine cleaned, gutted, fileted, and cooked a real fish in front of everyone to illustrate the point--then served it up for taste testing. Yum!
Ed always considered Fish Fry his "magnum opus," as he called it. His dream was to see close to four decades of biblical performance storytelling reformatted into chapter books for kids and families.
Clementine and Wanda handled all the teaching through story and provided churches with associated crafts and activities to reinforce the salvation and santification message that "Jesus cleans His fish after He catches them." The program had a smash finale where Clementine cleaned, gutted, fileted, and cooked a real fish in front of everyone to illustrate the point--then served it up for taste testing. Yum!
Ed always considered Fish Fry his "magnum opus," as he called it. His dream was to see close to four decades of biblical performance storytelling reformatted into chapter books for kids and families.
So, here we are now . . .
In the summer of 2021, Ed Ross was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of prostate cancer that put Pageant Wagon Publishing and Clementine Jones' projects on hiatus while Ed and Kathy battled a serpent like no other.
On September 19, 2022, Ed Ross graduated to Heaven and joy in His Lord Who had always been his true inspiration as a biblical storyteller. Ed took his calling and mandate from Psalm 78: Know the truth and tell the stories so their children can trust in God . . .
On September 19, 2022, Ed Ross graduated to Heaven and joy in His Lord Who had always been his true inspiration as a biblical storyteller. Ed took his calling and mandate from Psalm 78: Know the truth and tell the stories so their children can trust in God . . .
Listen, dear friends, to God’s truth, Bend your ears to what I tell you. I’m chewing on the morsel of a proverb; I’ll let you in on the sweet old truths--stories we heard from our fathers, counsel we learned at our mother’s knee. We’re not keeping this to ourselves, We’re passing it along to the next generation--God’s fame and fortune, The marvelous things he has done.
Psalm 78:1-7 MSG
Ed Ross never got to see his dream of Clementine Jones' stories reformatted into illustrated chapter books for children. But Miss Kathy knew that would be the first writing project to put her effots to in the wake of her dearest's homegoing.
In February 2023, Miss Kathy met with illustrator Ariel Allonardo to discuss the project. There were many stories to recreate in print, but because of the unique format on a two dimensional page without the three dimentional energy of live performance, entering the storyworld for this new incarnation of Clementine's stories required outside the box thinking--and much prayer.
Gold Nugget Chronicles is Born!
One morning, Miss Kathy woke with the title, GOLD NUGGET CHRONICLES, stirring in her spirit and began writing the outline for how the Clementine Jones' story series would progress. She set the storyworld in the already established Fable Springs Village, created in 2013 for her Fable Springs Parables picture books. Clementine's cabin would be located just across the river from the village in the woodland foothills of Goldstrike Mountain.
In February 2023, Miss Kathy met with illustrator Ariel Allonardo to discuss the project. There were many stories to recreate in print, but because of the unique format on a two dimensional page without the three dimentional energy of live performance, entering the storyworld for this new incarnation of Clementine's stories required outside the box thinking--and much prayer.
Gold Nugget Chronicles is Born!
One morning, Miss Kathy woke with the title, GOLD NUGGET CHRONICLES, stirring in her spirit and began writing the outline for how the Clementine Jones' story series would progress. She set the storyworld in the already established Fable Springs Village, created in 2013 for her Fable Springs Parables picture books. Clementine's cabin would be located just across the river from the village in the woodland foothills of Goldstrike Mountain.
Children need to experience storyworlds through the eyes of characters they can easily identify with.
Enter Ollie Quackenbush--a character Miss Kathy created around the time Wanda was born. Initially, Ollie was a little boy who discovered the Secret Place of hearing God's Word in his heart when he climbed into an abandoned treehouse.
Suddenly, all the pieces came together for how to create the chapter book series--adding the characters of a young family and children like the ones the books are targeted to. The legacy of the Clementine stories--the Gold Nugget Chronicles--could be passed onto a new generation in a place where Kingdom of God principles undergird each storyline and are both compelling and accessible on the printed page for children of all ages!
Suddenly, all the pieces came together for how to create the chapter book series--adding the characters of a young family and children like the ones the books are targeted to. The legacy of the Clementine stories--the Gold Nugget Chronicles--could be passed onto a new generation in a place where Kingdom of God principles undergird each storyline and are both compelling and accessible on the printed page for children of all ages!
BOOK 1: The Treehouse Treaty
When Ollie and his sister Fiona stumble onto an abandoned treehouse, they discover a mysterious box with Uncle Clementine's name on it. Old Uncle Clementine Jones, who struck it rich on Goldstrike Mountain, tells the most amazing stories. What is a box with his name on it doing in a broken down old treehouse?
To answer that question, Clementine promises to give Ollie the family inheritance in the box for his twelfth birthday if he will sign the Treehouse Treaty--a covenent agreement where Ollie promises to "guard with his life, steward carefully, and use wisely" the contents of the box no matter what it says. Ollie, his father, and Uncle Clem restore the treehouse to its former glory. He signs the treaty, takes the treaty pledge, and the Gold Nugget Chronicles are opened to him.
But Ollie feels foolish when it's not what expects. He thinks Uncle Clementine pranked him and walks away angry and discouraged. He breaks the treaty and leaves the restored treehouse empty with the valuable Gold Nugget Chronicles in danger of being lost--or worse!
What must Ollie discover to secure the Gold Nugget legacy that Clementine Jones gave him so it won't be lost? How can he fix things after he breaks the Treehouse Treaty? What does he learn about making choices and solving riddles? Is there really a Gold Mine Map in the Gold Nugget Chronicles?
When Ollie and his sister Fiona stumble onto an abandoned treehouse, they discover a mysterious box with Uncle Clementine's name on it. Old Uncle Clementine Jones, who struck it rich on Goldstrike Mountain, tells the most amazing stories. What is a box with his name on it doing in a broken down old treehouse?
To answer that question, Clementine promises to give Ollie the family inheritance in the box for his twelfth birthday if he will sign the Treehouse Treaty--a covenent agreement where Ollie promises to "guard with his life, steward carefully, and use wisely" the contents of the box no matter what it says. Ollie, his father, and Uncle Clem restore the treehouse to its former glory. He signs the treaty, takes the treaty pledge, and the Gold Nugget Chronicles are opened to him.
But Ollie feels foolish when it's not what expects. He thinks Uncle Clementine pranked him and walks away angry and discouraged. He breaks the treaty and leaves the restored treehouse empty with the valuable Gold Nugget Chronicles in danger of being lost--or worse!
What must Ollie discover to secure the Gold Nugget legacy that Clementine Jones gave him so it won't be lost? How can he fix things after he breaks the Treehouse Treaty? What does he learn about making choices and solving riddles? Is there really a Gold Mine Map in the Gold Nugget Chronicles?
Gold Nugget Chronicles
Book 1: The Treehouse Treaty
sets the stage for continued stories in the series such as:
The Skunk Stick Sacrifice in 2024
The Cabin Built on Sand in 2024
The Runaway Wagon in 2025
Fish Fry in 2025
and more!
BOOK LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 19, 2023
Chick-fil-A Cumberland Mall, Vineland, NJ
4:00pm-8:00pm featuring slide show and dramatized reading!
Booksigning with Miss Kathy and illustrator Ariel Allonardo
Books $12.99 each!
BONUS--Spirit and Truth Ministries of Vineland Soup Kitchen
receives 10% of all Chick-fil-A sales when you say,
"I'm here for Spirit and Gold Nugget Chronicles!"
Book 1: The Treehouse Treaty
sets the stage for continued stories in the series such as:
The Skunk Stick Sacrifice in 2024
The Cabin Built on Sand in 2024
The Runaway Wagon in 2025
Fish Fry in 2025
and more!
BOOK LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 19, 2023
Chick-fil-A Cumberland Mall, Vineland, NJ
4:00pm-8:00pm featuring slide show and dramatized reading!
Booksigning with Miss Kathy and illustrator Ariel Allonardo
Books $12.99 each!
BONUS--Spirit and Truth Ministries of Vineland Soup Kitchen
receives 10% of all Chick-fil-A sales when you say,
"I'm here for Spirit and Gold Nugget Chronicles!"