Happy Mother’s Day 2016

Solos pt 2 by Ariel (as Orisoni)

The more I ponder it, the more I realize the moms of the Star Wars Galaxy have it pretty rough.  I respect and appreciate all the mothers toiling to raise their kids right; whether from Tatooine, Alderaan, Toledo, or Alhambra.

If it wasn’t for the moms of the world, I may not be posting anything…since I noticed May 2015 was the last time I made a post. A lot of time has passed by, and much ha happened to me. I am quite different now than a year ago, though I seek to improve myself with each passing year: but this is about moms, not me.

Biological; surrogate; adoptive; or spiritual. It is not what is in one’s DNA but in the person’s heart.

Lastly, it is not about the good times, but the day-to-day.  Mothers make the hardest choices and suffer the loudest breaks of the heart when doing what feels the most right, despite what the best answer is.

Confrontation by Injured Dreams

Happy Mother’s Day 2015

This goes out to all the moms out there…

The ones who can be called…

…as well as the ones who can only manifest in a vision.

If you can dial your mother, feel lucky – and then make that call.  If you can visit her; make the call, and then surprise her by showing up.

Anakin once flew all the way from Naboo to Tatooine just to show his mom how much he cared.  And people call him a sith whiny bad guy.  If she’s less than a tank of gas away, go for it!

If you haven’t seen the original post, give it a look here…

Another Game on my Radar…

There’s a new game being talked about and it really cleans house.  Literally.  It’s called Sunset; brought to you by Belgium-based developer Tale of Tales.

Explosions; unrest in the streets; the verge of anarchy.  And where are you?  Inside an opulent dwelling…where your mission is to keep the domicile tidy.

Would I play this?  You bet!  I’d follow all the directions on the sticky notes.

Check out this trailer and hit the jump to learn a tad more about all this seemingly-mundane gameplay (which I would rather downplay because it’s just the way I am).

Monster Attack Anthology Available Now

This is the cover of Monster Attack: Gruesome Tales.  It is the anthology where I my short story Affliction was accepted.  Not only is it available in the digital format, but a paperback is available via Amazon – and maybe some other places.

Honestly, my story is a bit more than a short.  It probably approaches a novella; since I lost count of words…oh, around the 8,000 mark.  To learn more about my contribution and the anthology availability, read on…

New Story Written: Look Down

Look Down – short story

Instead of doing what I was supposed to be working on this month, I decided to mess around with writing a short story when a couple of different thoughts collided into my head.  Idea one was something to do with hair color, and idea two was a line I thought I heard from a song which got stuck in my head.  So I sat down and banged out this little story.

This is a story concerning a man who passes a woman on a sidewalk.  I can boil it down to a single sentence.  Turning to a musical analogy, Look Down is more of a guitar solo rather than a fully-formed song.  It’s a bit interesting; and I made a lackadaisical attempt to make it sound like a certain musical act.  I don’t feel like directly saying who, but I suddenly feel like I shouldn’t be playing marbles with a certain guy from their song collection.

Read the story now, and comment here or on the site about it if you wish.  It’s free!

Haunted Tales Anthology Available Now

This is the cover of the anthology Haunted Tales: stories from beyond the grave.  This is where my story The Haunted Hoagie can be found in print.  You kids and your digital readers can buy the virtual copy, but an actual physical book is available [at least] on Amazon.

My story is not as spine-tingling as the book’s title might lead you to believe…unless you are the type to throw food out a week before those dates printed on the packaging – then grip your socks it terror!

I decided to leave a whole slew of links; since everyone has their own purchasing preferences.  Keep reading…

2014 in review: Oh, my BLOG…

Before an official close can be made to 2014, I have to present the facts and figures related to my blog.  This is a great breakdown which showcases all of the (minor?) achievements related to this blog.

Did you think I should have gotten more attention?  You need to take the word to the virtual streets and tell your pals to come check this place out.

Here is an example:  My most-commented posts ended up as a two-way tie.  The bad news?  Only two comments in those.  Hopefully that is enough motivation to make you all speak up a bit more.  No need to be afraid to post your thoughts.  If someone gives you a hard time, I’ll delete or silence those negative types.  Say what you want concerning me…but I won’t let anyone abuse or attack any of my fans.  That’s my word.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,100 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 35 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Yet Another Anthology Acceptance

The above clip is from another anthology acceptance I garnered…from the same person compiling my “monster” story.  I cannot say much yet, but I will let you see a couple images below.  More to come…

Another Anthology Acceptance

Above is a clip from the upcoming anthology I have been accepted into.  I am pretty thrilled about it; so I had to share the news.

This is the second acceptance I’ve had this year.  The estimated release is December or January (I think).  I shall give more details closer to the actual release date…such as what the anthology is about and how to get a look at it.

I’m unsure if it will be strictly digital or if a physical edition is in the works as well.  I’ll share what I know when I know it.

another submission off

Two short stories have been sent off  – and I have no clue what the actual reception of them will be.  I happened across some information about some anthologies looking for submissions.  I queried someone, and got a positive response…asking me to submit my stories.

I don’t know a whole lot, but I figured it can’t hurt to post some news that someone is interested about something I wrote.   When I learn more, I promise to share – including which stories…if used.

Submission = Book to Come?

Some quick news…

I finished and submitted a short story for something scheduled to be released (hopefully) by the end of the year.  Here’s what I know I can reveal…  I had to write the story based off an introduction given to me; which was less than a few hundred words.  My job was to write what happens next.

With no idea how everything is intended to come together to become a full-length publication, I did get this response…

“I’m definitely including your work in the book so no worries there. I’m hoping for a late Dec or early Jan release. I’ll keep you posted as things progress further. Thank you for your participation and great contribution towards this book, it is much appreciated.“

When things get closer, or more decided, I’ll share the details…same as the title.  I did make the cover myself – for no particular reason.  Here’s a look at the original concept for the cover:

More to come, hopefully…

Am I Supposed to be Writing..?

Nanowrimo 2014 will be engulfing me soon enough.  I haven’t set eyes on my notes since December of 2013 but I have faith the scribblings are in one of the two writing boxes I have at hand.

For people wondering what I’ll write…the image above is a vague idea.  If anyone read my book from last year and wanted more; I’m still quite inclined work on the continuation.  I won’t call it a sequel, but I still look at the endeavor as a complete book.

The image came about when I was lightly dared to draw in unison with another person.  The sketch was done on a small sheet of notebook paper.  I gave it a little pizazz via some image manipulation.   Here’s what it started as…

This is a hopeful sign I am easing back into the blog.  Like the Pere Ubu track; Something’s gotta give…

Abject Abeyance

ab·ject

adjective \ˈab-ˌjekt\

: extremely bad or severe

1 :  sunk to or existing in a low state or condition 

2 a:  cast down in spirit :  servile, spiritless

   b:  showing hopelessness or resignation 

The title sums up the moment.  High points eclipsed by other moments.  I hope the next post will be more positive.  Where I’ll be; or what I will be doing at that point is not something I can foresee.

Currently I’m in a holding pattern.  Hopefully the stick pulls back and I can gain enough altitude to appear as I was flying six months ago — or even two.

Giving any further details feels trivial at this time.

For anyone out there supporting my writing, or me as who I am, I am much appreciative.  As always, and as B&J, I thank you for your support.