An Adventure, Part I

Tym squirmed deeper in the tall grass to make sure there weren't any unnecessary rocks where he had chosen to lay. Satisfied, he laced his fingers carefully and placed them behind his head for a pillow. The blue sky was all he could see stretching out before him to infinity. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Birds were busy in the trees singing and flitering here and there on their bird business, and a few squirrels were fussing at the flying intrusion in a near-by tree. Which one was it? The one that had the squirrels? Tym didn't care to move to see. All he cared for was the sun warming his body and making it feel as if it were glowing.

Tym never told anyone, but sometimes, when he wasn't in the sun, he felt cold to his bones and frozen in his soul, or at least freezing.

Stretch, Yawn, Relax

Today is the first day we, Hubby and I, have had a relaxing day in forever it seems. Although the problems of life are surrounding us, today has found them all set aside. He mows the lawn in peace and I sit and go through sites I haven't visited in a while and prepare myself for the beginning of many stories and even a novel. With beginnings there are endings in sight, but I am not sad with them - in fact, I am looking forward to them.

Oh, check out this site http://www.strangehorizons.com/ - it is one of my favorites and I haven't had time to check it out lately. It is a good place, and somewhere I may be submitting something to soon.

Tomorrow - A Poem

Tomorrow
By Shane Stewart
copyright (c) 2005 Shane Stewart

Just give me tomorrow,
Not tonight,
Not today.
Just tomorrow.
That’s all I ask,
All I want,
All I need.
Tomorrow.
Promise me tomorrow
And I can guarantee
Today will pass away.
And all will be well.
Give me that.
Give me tomorrow,
And it will all be okay.
It’s not to much, is it?
Tomorrow isn’t that much,
Isn’t more than I can ask of you,
Is it?
You offered me today, after all.
Just let me swap.
Let me trade today
For tomorrow.
You can spare me tomorrow,
Surely.
Tomorrow isn’t so long to wait.
Just give me tomorrow,
Please.
Not tonight.
And not today.
Tomorrow.

Everything Costs Something

Have you noticed an uncomfortable trend lately? Everything costs something. It has been said, "The best things in life are free." I sat down and thought about this today.

Love is free, but it comes with a price. You pay for it by compromise, quietness, sometimes emotional suffering - it isn't always bad, of course, it has great rewards, but it does come with a price all the same.

Water used to be free, but we pay a water bill now, or go out and buy bottled water.

Satisfaction should be free, as in doing a good job in something, but you seem to be paying money for the materials to do the job with, or buying gas to get to the job to do something to be satisfied about.

Everything is give and take. Things come with a price. We may not have to pay in money all the time, but we have to pay in order to have a good life, or at least as good a life as we can have.

Sometimes, though, it would be nice not to have to worry about how much money is in the bank in order to pay the bills, or to make certain your spouse or honey is in a good mood so you don't have to worry about stepping on hidden toes and thus cause an argument.

Inspiration Words from Muhammad Ali

The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.

-- Muhammad Ali

A Cool On-Line Zine

Today, in getting back into the norm of a semi-normal day for me, I checked out www.ralan.com for possible places to submit my fiction and poetry and then checked out one of my favorite on-line zines, ALIEN SKIN which you can find here -

http://www.alienskinmag.com/

They are open to submissions and are a paying market. If you would like something entertaining to read check them out. If you have something you think they might be interested in - submit it to them. It isn't going to hurt, you know.

Speed Bummps

Have you ever noticed when you feel, sense you're about to come out of a pit that something always happens to throw you back into it, or pick you up and deposit you, without ceremony, into a brand new pit that looks remarkably like the old one? Well, this has happened to me and Hubby this week. All the bills are due, he isn't working, so that means relying on other means to pay the bills, which I have done as of today. Hubby isn't happy about that really. He has gotten quite fond of being the bread-winner of the family and when he isn't, well, he isn't a happy man. Besides this, the sewer line backed up today, so Hubby has a HORRIBLE mess to clean up in the bathroom. AND, someone stole my handicapped parking tag out of our van sometime within the past 36 hours.

Looking at all of this shows me things can be fixed and taken care of, but it is just almost more than people can abide sometimes, ya know? We can easily replace the parking permit/tag thing, we just have to get to the court house to do so. The bills are paid until the bills are due again (which is very close). Hubby is working temp jobs until he finds another permanent job, the problem is, choosing which one is right for him and more advantageous for us.

Yeah, life has a way of throwing speed bumps in your path to slow you down. The trick is to keep moving, keep going forward. Hubby is pretty bummed by it all, and, actually, so am I, but it is up to me to remain positive and keep him going. I'm good at that usually. Hopefully I can continue to do that now.

Speed bumps - just slow down and it'll be OK.

1...2...3... Begin

I think it has been decided on how the new novel, the one for the wager, is going to begin. The characters are there, only not quite so fleshed out and ready for action. Oddly enough, this may be quite a fun book to write, and, I hope, read. It has elements of fun, furor, and saving the universe, not just to mention the world in an almost Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy sort of way. It didn't dawn on me this was occurring until I stepped back and looked hard at one of the main characters.

The extent of events is unknown to me at this point. Thankfully. I like to be surprised when writing with a very loose blueprint in my head of where the story needs to go, or I think it needs to go.

Also, the short story I've been working on forever is nearly finished. It will be out before the end of this month as I had hoped. Plus, I have that serial to put up here which is also bugging me to get parts written to it for here.

I have had a horrible reaction to the new medication I was beginning to take for my arthritis. It is called Mobic and has truly messed me up. I won't be taking it any more and really need to recoup from its horribleness. Hopefully tomorrow will see these side effects going away.

Simply and Wonderfully Amazed and Happy -- STICKERS!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SENT ME STICKERS!

It was a huge surprise today to find so many stickers in my mailbox from all of you who sent me stickers to help make me feel better. I truly need a book now to put them all in, at least the duplicates, because, well, less face it, I'm a sticker fiend! *insert drooling here* (wipes off keyboard)

Hubby says if anyone in the Lexington, Kentucky area is looking to employ a hardworking man, contact us.

Y'all want me to post a copy of his resume'?

Hick-Hop's Cowboy Troy

You knew it had to happen eventually - a blend of hip-hop and new country music. I knew it was going to happen, but I didn't think I was going to like. It began, of course, with Big & Rich country style whatever it is. Now we have Cowboy Troy and I love the style of music. It is the best of both worlds - hip-hop and country, new country. My only worry is this will become a fad and not a full music movement. Can't you imagine having the hick-hop category on the Country Music Awards?

A Normal Day

I must admit, Dear Readers, I have become quite accustomed to having the house to myself during the day and since Hubby has been home, well, things have not been ... normal feeling.

The dogs and I do not go playing through the house because Hubby (going to have to come up with a different name than "Hubby" eventually) is watching TV or playing X-Box, or on the telephone trying to find another job. We don't sit quietly and write for hours and let the imagination unwind in its own way (OK, I do the writing, but we all tend to generally "unwind"). We leave the cooking up to him, and, although I shouldn't, I tend to enjoy it. Recently, however, this has been necessary because I have been so far under-the-weather it hasn't been funny.

BUT - today I, we, have had the house to ourselves. We have played. We have music on and we have been writing. The dogs and I have played, gone outside and played, come back in the house and played. Everything has "normal" feel to it. Isn't it strange how we slip into patterns and don't even realize it?

Hubby is out working today. He has a small job that will at least let us buy food and pay a couple of those bills we need to get out of the way. I spoke to him earlier in the day and his voice was lighter than it has been for a few days and filled with an enthusiasm I have missed hearing. Even he has a pattern he misses - work.

Today, right now, we have everything in place, in its "normal" area and life feels good. Very good.

A Review by Eric S. Brown

Auch das Schone: A review

By

Eric S. Brown


Auch das Schone is NOT your typical science fiction novel. Published in 2001 by Silver Lake Books and written by Stephanie D. Weidner, it goes well beyond the boundaries of normal genre fiction. The book is set in the distant future of mankind long after contact with alien races has been made. One alien race of very human like beings, called Na’ Darie, after many problems and differences have formed an alliance with humanity and the book revolves around these the relationship between the Na’ Darie and the Humans as they are faced with a new war. Three aggressive alien races under the direction of a much more sinister force set out to destroy the human/Na’ Darie alliance.

The first arc of the book takes place on a world inhabited by both members of the alliance under the command of a female Earth Captain and a Na’ Darie diplomat from a high ranking Na’ Darie family. They struggle to find a way to protect the colony from the coming war but ultimately fail and are forced to flee into space, on the run from the entity who has brought the war to their doorstep.

It first glance one might think Auch das Schone was your typical intergalactic war tale but it isn’t. The book isn’t about the war or even the politics so much as it is about its characters. Much like the epic Babylon 5 TV series, Schone focuses on the people of its tale and evokes emotions very strongly in its readers. The characters grow and develop being far from the two dimensional cut-outs one normally sees in genre works. As I read this book, I laughed, cried, and simply could not put it down. The romantic aspects of the book are written in such a way that they appeal to the male reader as much as much the normal romance crowd and everyone will find a character that they relate too from Schone’s huge ensemble cast.

Schone is a book that has real meaning which can be applied to the reader’s daily life and leaves one asking questions which linger long after the final page is turned. I should say however that the book is not strong on military action but it has enough to convincing and moves along quickly even without it. All in all, I highly recommend this book as a MUST read from any fan of the SF genre, people looking for something deeper than normal genre fare, and anyone who likes epic tales of love and loss.

The book is available on Amazon.com, Fictionwise.com, and of course from Silver Lake Books.

A Wish, by H.A. Handy

A Wish
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2005 by H.A. Handy

If I had a wish to make
Guaranteed of its fulfillment
What risk would I take?
Or would any risk be taken?
Would I wish for perfect health for myself or another?
Would I wish for unending wealth so cold would pass over us in the winter?
Would I require world peace so that none would take a life
From north, south, west or east?
In that moment would I ask for the rejuvenation and health needed for you
Making living for you a joy and not a task?
If one good wish could ever be used with promise of it happening
I’m not sure for what to ask, because so much could we lose.
Each moment requires a decision,
Forcing us our free will to use;
And there, within ourselves, lies the division.
So, please, don’t give me that question to decide:
I could be selfish, or self-less;
Either way, part of me would hide.
###

What would you do?

Under the Tuscan Sun, movie version

In the past few days it seems I have watched more television than I've watched in ages! Of course this is true because I've been "fasting" from the television for Lent, but being ill and not feeling well almost requires the mind to take a vacation so it can do more important things like help get the body well than to think and come up with all kinds of scenarios and work on writing stories. It has been a loooonnnnngggg time since I have been in this particular condition and I find it nostalgic in a way as well as unpleasant. I love to watch television and going to the movies as is, but when it is almost impossible to do anything else, well, that almost takes the fun out of it.

One of the movies I did watch during this time, and more than once, was Under the Tuscan Sun which was based off of Frances Mayes' memoir by the same name. As most of you know, I read the book after seeing the movie and was amazed to discover just how different the two of them - movie and book - truly are. The book is filled with Frances Mayes' struggles with renovating a Tuscan villa with her husband and the movie is about a "character" with the same name who discovers herself and her life while going through some of the same things in the renovation project as the real Frances Mayes did, but on a more entertaining level. The book is simply non-fiction, while the movie is nothing but fiction, and a lovely entertaining story filled with such hope.

Yes, I know I've mentioned this movie before here in The News and I have referred to it often, but it has been a while since I have permitted myself the luxury of falling into a movie so completely I am in it with my imagination. Being sick does help this particular ability I must admit, but it doesn't make it happen all the time.

Still, Under the Tuscan Sun has been most interesting and filled with entertainment for me. Audrey Wells, writer of the screen story, did an excellent job by taking something that happened and put a wonderful spin on it. I would have been upset normally at discovering all of the screen story (the movie) was fiction, but the acting, directing, and sets worked so well I had no cause to be upset. It was nothing more than an idea brought to life of the novel, and it didn't have to be made realistic to make it work. This time I can easily see how "based on a real occurrence" is nothing more than a nice way of saying "Hey, I read this book and really loved it! The things that happened to this couple was amusing and everything just leapt at me with such vividness I couldn't help thinking what if all of this happened to a divorcee and thus this particular story was born. Hope you like it."

Oh, yes, and I admit this is a "girlie" movie as Hubby says. It reaches out and touches women who are over 18 who have lived a bit and kind of have a clue as to what is out there in the world, and who have discovered a life despite bad things happening to them. If you like "girlie" movies and want a good movie just to sit back and relax with, I highly recommend Under the Tuscan Sun starring Diane Lane as the fiction version of Frances. It is absolutely wonderful!

Mayfair Moments

Today was a coolish (below 80*F) and absolutely beautiful. Some friends wanted to go to the Mayfair at one of the smaller local colleges here in town, so Hubby and I decided to walk down there and meet them and look over everything as well.

Of course, when I say "walk" I mean move from point A to point B without the use of a gasoline powered vehicle. For Hubby this means his feet. For me, this means my nifty electric powered wheelchair.

Nothing out of the way happened in our walk down to Mayfest. It was peaceful and Hubby kept up a good quick pace. I didn't really enjoy that people there wasn't time to really be able to notice the houses we were passing, or look in the faces of the people who were out walking as well, but we had people to meet and I understood the urgency.

Once there we met up with our friends and I hoped we would have a leisurely time, but I still kept feeling rushed. Each new dog that came up to make friends I adored, but then I was called upon to hurry and told "You cannot pet EVERY single dog you meet here!" So, I passed by one very large chocolate lab who had bright eyes and was already wagging his tale as I neared. We both sort of drooped after passing by each other. Then, at the booths, there was also a rushing feeling. It made me sad deep down inside.

Am I so much a child these things not being able to happen in such a quiet way hurt my feelings? Or, am I just expecting to experience too much out of these things and no one else is ready to do that?

Writing Places

In this recuperative stage I'm in, I have discovered a beautiful place in the back yard to write. It is a nice large space shaded by the mulberry tree and surrounded by honeysuckle bushes. Birds are every where and their different songs reach out and up with such fuss and glee it is impossible to feel sad there. An old card table is my writing table and there is enough space behind me in the shade for the dogs to stretch and relax in the shade with me.

This space is half-hidden and oh so delectable. Here you can easily see an English garden in the imagination, Victorian houses, or far distant shores populated with elves, dwarves, and humans, and monsters of every sort. Not only that, but the sky lends itself to calling forth the imagination and summoning up images of distant planets and "what ifs" of immense magnitude.

Yes, I love this "writing spot."

For Those Interested

Hello Dear Readers, this is to let you know I, your Editor, am still alive and am feeling better. If all goes well, you will be hearing more from me throughout the weeks ahead, now that I'm on my feet, sort of.

Thank you for the kind emails some of you have sent my way and the well wishes. They have truly been appreciated and adored. It is good to know some things I've written have made a positive impact and entertained you.

Thank you, also for keeping an interest in The News. I'm not well, but I'm better, and I can't express just how much I am relieved to be even remotely a little better.

The Editor

One of Cheyenne's Favorite Poems

Cheyenne again.

The editor is making a speedy recovery, and she expects to ba back on Wednesaday.

In the meantime, here is one of my favorite poems to tide everyone over.

The Conquerer Worm

Lo! 'tis a gala night
Within the lonesome latter years!
An angel throng, bewinged, bedight
In veils, and drowned in tears,
Sit in a theatre, to see
A play of hopes and fears,
While the orchestra breathes fitfully
The music of the spheres.

Mimes, in the form of God on high,
Mutter and mumble low,
And hither and thither fly-
Mere puppets they, who come and go
At bidding of vast formless things
That shift the scenery to and fro,
Flapping from out their Condor wings
Invisible Woe!

That motley drama- oh, be sure
It shall not be forgot!
With its Phantom chased for evermore,
By a crowd that seize it not,
Through a circle that ever returneth in
To the self-same spot,
And much of Madness, and more of Sin,
And Horror the soul of the plot.

But see, amid the mimic rout
A crawling shape intrude!
A blood-red thing that writhes from out
The scenic solitude!
It writhes!- it writhes!- with mortal pangs
The mimes become its food,
And seraphs sob at vermin fangs
In human gore imbued.

Out- out are the lights- out all!
And, over each quivering form,
The curtain, a funeral pall,
Comes down with the rush of a storm,
While the angels, all pallid and wan,
Uprising, unveiling, affirm
That the play is the tragedy, "Man,"
And its hero the Conqueror Worm.

--Edgar Allen Poe

Cheyenne Again

The editor expresses her heartfelt apologies for not being here today, but her potassium was very low on Wednesday and she passed out for a while.

A five hour while.

She lives, and she is getting better. She is no longer weak as a mewling kitten (her words) but she's far from tossing tellephone poles (my words). Any good wishes are appreciated.

I'll be back early next week with an update on her condition and somehing else - a post of some sort, although I don't rightly know what kind of post. But I'm sure I'll think of something.

One of the Editor's favorite poems

Ode

We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams.
World-losers and world-forsakers,
Upon whom the pale moon gleams;
Yet we are the movers and shakers,
Of the world forever, it seems.

With wonderful deathless ditties
We build up the world's great cities,
And out of a fabulous story
We fashion an empire's glory:
One man with a dream, at pleasure,
Shall go forth and conquer a crown;
And three with a new song's measure
Can trample an empire down.

We, in the ages lying
In the buried past of the earth,
Built Nineveh with our sighing,
And Babel itself with our mirth;
And o'erthrew them with prophesying
To the old of the new world's worth;
For each age is a dream that is dying,
Or one that is coming to birth.

-- Arthur O'Shaughnessy