911: A Day Worth Remembering

I remember that day. I was gathering items of clothing, placing them in a bag to take to goodwill. My daughter was with me, so little then, her fairy tale eyes saw no evil in the world. It was all about princesses and dress-up and barbie dolls. Dragon Tales was the episode of the morning.  Then I called my mother.
        "Are you watching the news?"
        I never watched the news that time of the day, but I switched channels and there it was: A burning tower. Shocked and unable to grasp what was happening, I became glued to the set, and to my friend and neighbor up the street whose husband was at that very time a pilot for USAir, on his way somewhere. I never witnessed such silence, stillness in the air.
        "Mommy, when are we leaving? Can we go to the park?"
        You know the rest of the story. My friend's plane landed, and he returned safely home a few days later. And we all went back to work, a little more fearfully.
         I knew in my heart that day that my children's world would never be the same. They continued to play as they always did not noticing the changes around them, or understanding the evilness behind the event.  And something sparked inside of me. An idea, a thought.
         It's not what people look like that defines a nation, it is how they live.
         It wasn't until a trip to Yellowstone National Park that I put that thought to words, and "The Yellow Stone" is the result. First published in 2006, "The Yellow Stone" is one of my many previously published short stories included in my anthology, SPECULATIVE JOURNEYS.
         To honor 911, I am having a FREE Kindle giveaway today and tomorrow. You may read "The Yellow Stone," as well as eleven other short stories there.
     
         This is a great nation we live in, and will continue to be.
   
         Get your FREE Kindle version of SPECULATIVE JOURNEYS by clicking on the title.

Excerpt from "Flight of the Hawk"

Gretchen met Phoeman at the immigration office five months before Sovereign Peterol came into power. He had been twelfth in line to see her among sixty-four passengers who arrived on Terrall from a foreign outpost. He wore baggy pants and a cropped shirt. His well-toned abdomen displayed a tattoo, which trailed down from his neck. Dark locks of hair dangled past his ears, and his digital eyes sparkled like black diamonds. His had been the fifth group of immigrants she had processed that morning. It was a tedious chore, and she did it with impatient indifference.
      She placed a new processing form on her desk as Phoeman approached. "Name."
     "Phoeman." His voice was deep and rich in dialect.
     "Last name, please."
     "Just Phoeman."
     She slid the form to him and offered him her ink pen. "Okay, funny man. Fill it out yourself. Have a seat. NEXT."

   
     

"Flight of the Hawk"

Gretchen Hawk lives in a world where artistic expression is banned, a world where dancer's legs are severed if they move to the wrong music, fingers amputated for playing the wrong note, hands chopped off if the brush stroke of the painter is not what the Sovereign commissions.  Consequences for the display of any type of artistic expression not conducive with the Sovereign's idea of a totalitarian society are severe, and Gretchen has the scars to prove it.

Unwilling to comply, Gretchen upholds her Guardians of Artisan Liberties ideals, and seeks out Shen Fouch, the last artisan who is still "whole." But when she finds him, she uncovers a deception that she and Fouch must fight together.

My short story, "Flight of the Hawk," will be published in SCHRODINGER'S MOUSE as a two part series. The first installment will be coming in October 2012, followed by "Flight of the Hawk's" dramatic conclusion in January 2013. It is a story about oppression and the miss use of political power, and one that is sure to live on in your mind long after you reach the end.

SCHRODINGER'S MOUSE is edited by Tim Rowe and Ann Stolinsky. Back issues can be found at amazon.com in Kindle format.

SHEPHERD'S FALL, By George R. Appelt Jr. -- A Book Review

The Gothic Victorian mansion located along the river bank is not your typical haunted house, and when Will Shepherd moves into it his life turns into a deadly, disturbing nightmare. But I would expect nothing less in this supernatural thriller, SHEPHERD'S FALL, written by George R. Appelt Jr. Scary stuff unnerves me, and rarely do I pick up such a book to read.  I have nightmares for days. Many times the story plot gets lost in the  gore.  But not so with SHEPHERD'S FALL, because Will Sheperd's life is entwined in the mysterious horrors entrenched in his new home.  I found myself unable to put it down.  From the first troubling scene early in the book to the last, the pages kept turning, enthralling me into the early morning hours. Sure, I did have a nightmare or two, and I slept with the lights on.  And I will never look at a Victorian house the same. Old houses have a history, but this one has a troubling, vengeful past that speaks to its occupants with death.

The protagonist, Will Shepherd, is a complex character with a rich back story whose new life is not what he thought it would be. Troubles at home, troubles at work, troubles with strangers, and make no mistake, his new Victorian house is the route of it all.  Reality fades as Will faces the horrors forced upon him, and when he sets out to uncover the secrets of his new home, the evil apparitions taunting him take deadly action.  The twisted spin at the end brings SHEPHERD'S FALL to a satisfying, rewarding conclusion.

SHEPHERD'S FALL, by George R. Appelt Jr. is published by Kismet and Company,  and is available in trade paperback and e-formats.

I highly recommend SHEPHERD'S FALL. But please, check to make sure your lights work before you turn the pages.

Putting the Blues into Words

Music, like all art forms, transcends us to places where our minds can wander and our hearts can cry.  It compels us to listen to voices that would otherwise go unheard.  It is there when we shop, drive, work, and in our minds when we think.  We've all had a tune we couldn't get out of our head, or lyrics we couldn't forget.  I like all kinds of music: jazz, classical, classic rock, international and the blues, and I've often speculated on the reason why I always go back to the blues.  What is it with that genre of music that stirs me?  Perhaps it's the ailing voices of the singers who sound as though they are ready to break down and cry, or maybe it's the relentless wail of the guitar that quakes in agony.  What ever it is, one thing is for certain.  The blues is a genuine crying of the soul that makes you shudder with empathy.  Its raw emotion punches you in the gut with a pain that's hard to forget.  

As a writer, it is my job to evoke a feeling, stir something within the reader that makes them sit back and contemplate their own fears, hopes and dreams.  Unlike the blues musician who accomplishes this task through auditory senses, a writer does this subtly, quietly, through invitation only.  Words in a book are only perceived by those willing to turn the pages.

Writing is a journey, and sometimes a painful one.  The ups and downs of the publishing world has ensured a tough battle for most of us.  But for many writers the majority of the pain comes in the form of the words we write, and every writer will tell you that a little bit of them seeps into each story, intentional or not.  The experiences we gather through the years feeds us, makes us stronger and more resilient.  For good or bad, our pasts shaped who we are, and our stories are reflections of the lives we've led.  Like a blues musician, the emotions a writer evokes should stab you in the heart and make you bleed.

As a writer, I embrace any hardships I've lived through, for it planted empathy in by soul and inspired my words.  Without those experiences, I wouldn't be me.

Music is the language of our soul, and the written word is the voice of our outpourings, the passions, hopes and tears of our souls.

Enjoy the youtube videos of B. B. King, Amy Winehouse, Tracy Chapman and Joe Bonamassa below.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2kEx5BLoC4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJAfLE39ZZ8&ob=av2e

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDAQm2qWnYw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgXSomPE_FY&feature=related

Space and Time

When I look up at the sky on a clear night, a zillion stars twinkle in the black sky.  I can't help but to imagine all the stars with all the planets that may have life similar to our own here on Earth.  We as humans can not be that arrogant to think we are alone, or unique.  Unique?  Blaaa!  There's nothing unique about us.  We are but a speck, nothing more than a tiny dot in the center of the milky way galaxy which is itself a mere mention among millions.

The nearest star to our solar system is Proxima Centauri 4.2 light years away.  Thanks to the old TV show, Lost in Space, the Centauri system, Alpha Centauri in particular, became a household name.  Times have changed since then, but the reality of reaching that system is still no where near our future.

But this is my world, and I like to pretend.  If a ship travels to Proxima Centauri at a speed of 10% light speed, it should take about 40 years to get there.  Probably more, giving the fact that the ship must slow down considerably if it were going to make a safe landing.  Forty years is a long time.  The average person will probably not make the trip.  Because of the education and training, most astronauts do not fly until they are well into their 40s.  Perhaps we could put the occupants of the ship in some kind of stasis.
And then the problem of fuel arrises.   Hmm.

When writing science fiction, two things are clear.  Number one, the story is not true.  Number two, the science must be real, or extrapolated from current hypothesis or data that makes it plausible in the future.

I would like to hear your thoughts and ideas on space travel.  How would you like to tour the universe in the future?

Feel'n Like a Number, or What Defines a Writer

I remember the day I walked through my college campus for the first time.  I was one of thousands, a speck among the masses, just a number.  The huge campus swallowed me up, but somehow I rose from its depths a survivor packed with knowledge and a drive that hasn't faltered yet.  The memories I took with me, and the lessons I learned have taught me never to give in.

Or, give up.

Being a writer has its glory.  It's great when someone actually reads what you write and LIKES it.  It's even better when the story gets published and you see your work in print, wondering how many sets of eyes will read it.  I am one of thousands of writers out there waiting to be read, understood, or seen as something more than a number.  Yes, there are thousands of us.

Sounds familiar, just like the old days.

When friend and fellow writer, George Appelt Jr., came to critique announcing the upcoming publication of his first novel, we were all very happy for him having read his humorous work through the years.  It was about time.   Kismet and Company, a new small press publishing company, will do the honors.  Seems to be the way to go these days since the big publishing companies slam the door in your face far too often.  They just won't let you play the game.  I wonder who let them make the rules in the first place.

Hum now.  Think about that.  There's something unique among artists.   Regardless if you are a writer, musician, painter or dancer, we as artists are steered by our own visions.  Since when did we ever follow somebody else's rules?  If there was a rule to be broken, I always found a way to break it, or bend it according to how it better suited my brain.

We writers might just be a number, a speck among the thousands, another name on your bookshelf, but we are all unique, because we are artists who never fall flat on ideas, imagination or rules to break.

So, what defines a writer, or any artist for that matter?  The desire to create our own rules to the game with the talent, imagination and drive that's embedded so deeply within us that our numbers are irrelevant.

I've come to know many local writers through the years, and their talents are a testimony of just how diverse the artist can be.  Find out for yourself by supporting the local writer.  Books by Cate Masters,  Susan Gourley, Mike Silvestri, Jon Sprunk, Dennis Royer, Don Helin fill my bookshelves.  What authors fill yours?  If you haven't read their work, check them out.  And don't forget about George's upcoming novel, Shepherd's Fall, coming out soon!

And don't forget to get a copy of SPECULATIVE JOURNEYS, an anthology of my previously published short stories.
 --Support your local writer.