Blog Archives

Scrambled

2/26/2015

I’ll take my brains scrambled, please. With a side of bacon. Can’t forget the bacon!

So I’ve been in the fog of writing my novel the past couple of weeks. It seems that once I hit the midway point, it starts rolling like a snowball down a hill, and the second half of the rough draft comes pouring out three times faster than the first. I suppose that’s my writing style, and I’m used to it. But I do have to say one thing: I’ve learned this week that living in your own little world has advantages. One is that when the rest of the world has gone crazy and you’re humming along oblivious to it all, you look like you really have your crap together and are on top of the world. And that’s particularly handy when people are freaking out over what turns out to be nothing. You look brilliant. Or psychic. Or both.

Case in point: I noticed a lot of chatter going on around me this past week. I’m a loner, so frankly I thought it was the normal day-to-day thing until I talked to my parents, and they asked if we could have lunch a day early this week because of weather. Then somebody on Twitter asked if we battened down the hatches and were ok, because the radar looked like we were under seige. Then somebody on Facebook mentioned cancelled and grounded flights. Then I see on a local news app that the Governor declared a State of Emergency for the weather. What weather, I thought. Sure, it’s colder than normal, and somebody upstairs forgot to turn off the faucet because it’s rained a lot lately, but is that bad? I wasn’t aware that rain was dangerous or fatal.

Turns out, there was a chance of a wintery mix because the temperatures dipped the past few days, and I did see a period of snow Tuesday morning while getting ready for work. It made a pretty picture, but didn’t stick. And there was some slushy, unidentifiable form of precipitation hit my windshield on the way home yesterday. But here’s the thing: it all turned back to rain. What’s more, the school district where Rick works had a two hour delay yesterday. They said black ice, but the pavement was dry when I came into work and when I went out to lunch. It didn’t get wet until it started raining again later in the day.

It turns out that the freeze line was in the counties above us, so we saw very little, and what we got amounted to a whole lot of soggy nothing.

The beauty of all of this is that I’ve written 9 chapters of Schism this week while everybody else was glued to the weather forecasts. In fact, I’m nearing the end of this second part of the trilogy. I’m planning the final 5 chapters, and if the Lord wills and creeks don’t rise, I hope to finish the rough draft by the middle of next week. Go me. I’ll be glad, too, because this story is starting to drive me bonkers. All these ideas flooding my brain is exhausting. I’ll be glad to have it done so I can take a break and then start working on Book 3 ofThe Earthside Trilogy. I have no idea how that will unfold, but then again I had no idea how Schism would unfold when I finished writing Fracture last October, but by golly it has and I’m almost done writing it. I have faith that Book 3 will come in the right time – and probably sooner than I’m ready, as is often the case. That too is alright. I write when the story is ready to be written. Me and my muse have figured out how to work it out well.

Sometimes fiction makes more sense than reality. It’s been one of those weeks, but it’s alright. As I said, being in your own little world has great advantages at times.

That’s all today. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.

Bye!

To Give Up, or Not to Give Up ...

2/22/2015

... Anything for Lent; that is the question. Or at least, it seems to be around these parts anyway. So, what's your take on it? Do you give up something for Lent? Do you do the alternative of taking up a new project, kind of like a 40 day "New Year's Resolution?" Or do you not observe it at all? The opinions are all over the map here. It's actually quite interesting.

Last year, I didn't give up anything for Lent. Oliver, our parakeet, died the week before it started, and I thought well heck, I've already given up enough. I made finishing the rough draft of Obsidian my project. I usually do that - if I'm working on a writing project (which I usually am), I set a goal for it's progress or completion during Lent. It works well. In fact, I'm doing it again. I hope to finish the rough draft of Schism by the end of the month. But this year, I did decide to give up something as well - that something being negativity in my attitude. Most of you know that I've been on a mission of how to find and bring more positive energy into my life for the past year. That search has revealed that there's a lot of negativity around me, and unfortunately it has seeped inside me, so it's time to purge! I really do want to improve and be more positive, and it's time for me to stop studying how to do it and start doing it. So here we go. I'm undergoing the process of changing my polarity, and I pray it sticks and that old habit is broken, gone, and doesn't come back!

I know, it's not exactly what you think of when it comes to giving up stuff for Lent, but I've heard of others giving up bad things, so why not try it?

How about you? Any goals for this Lenten season, or just taking the journey through meditation as I did last year? Taking up good stuff? Giving up bad stuff? Or just living day to day the best you can? There are no right answers, so no worries. Give it some thought. I know it's about sacrifice, and what better to let go of than something that's doing you more harm than good anyway?

That's all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

A Growing Interest

2/19/2015

I’ve found a new interest in the past year: political mysteries and thrillers. No doubt, my trip to Washington D.C. last fall was the root of that one. I’ve watched both seasons of House of Cards, and eagerly anticipate Season 3 of the drama where Kevin Spacey plays a Senator from South Carolina that has risen to the Presidency. Rick is watching The Blacklist, and I’ve read several books centering on political drama and the fallout from wrong sides crossing in the wrong ways.

I have some limited experience with politics myself. I was in the SC State House plenty in 2010-2011 when the laws and regulations for my licensure programs were updated for that big move, and I learned a lot sitting in Senate and House subcommittee and committee meetings. It’s definitely a different world that most of us are used to. I know I went through a massive learning curve back in that day. Oh, I know the process now. I can tell you when a news report comes out about this committee or that committee doing whatever where it could go next (or not at all).School House Rock didn’t scratch the surface of how a bill really becomes a law, and my experience is just at the state level. Take it to federal, and it’s a much bigger – and more complicated - game.

I have to admit that watching and reading these political thrillers is fascinating. The webs they weave securing alliances, putting a positive spin on themselves, and quietly negating their opponents seems almost unreal – and yet, I know it’s based in plenty of reality. One thing’s for certain: in politics, there is no straight and narrow path. The world is a kaleidoscope of strategy and high stakes games were so much teeters on the edge of shifting just the right way. It makes for fascinating entertainment, but I wouldn’t want to live it. That would blow up my brain. I think it would blow up most of our brains. But I can see why people who play elaborate games to move up the chain or to get ahead are referred to as “playing politics,” because politics in our democratic society is a game above and beyond everything else. And a complicated one, at that.

And yet, I am venturing somewhat in this area with my own writing. One of the characters in The Earthside Trilogy is a senator heading a committee, and those scenes are the hardest ones for me to write. I can nail the science, create the mystery, headhop multiple characters, and interweave multiple plot lines – but once we get to Capitol Hill, I slow down and really have to work at those scenes, even though the politics are directly related to everything else. It’s funny. I can write about one species of aliens symbiotically joining with humans at the genetic level and another set of aliens hacking Earth from Alpha Centauri nearly five light years away easier than I can write a scene with politicians debating the passage of a bill. I’ve never been possessed by an alien. I’ve never had myself or my machines hacked by cyborgs. I have been in the State House watching the process of a bill becoming a law. And what I know is harder to write than what I don’t know. Talk about irony!

As I said, politics makes great fiction, but it’s not my kind of reality. So relax, NSA. I won’t be running for office or starting any grass roots campaigns. My hands are full with the simple life I have, and I’d like to keep it that way.

That’s all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.

Bye!

Happy Valentines Day

2/14/2015

Happy Valentines Day! I hope all of you are having an excellent day.

I must admit that Valentines Day is a mystery to me. It's always been a minor holiday to me - something only celebrated with those closest to me, but it seems that it's gotten bigger over the years. Or perhaps I didn't realize what a big deal it is to some. Last year, there was major chatter on the ice storm that had us shut down for three days around Valentines Day "disrupting so many plans." Seems that was a big problem for a lot of people. and yet others seemed to barely register it. Whichever the case, it had me wondering if I'd made a boo boo by not doing more, because it's always been low key to me. Rick assured me that I hadn't, and that it's perfectly acceptable to do it my own way. Well enough, but still it confuses me. Oh well. To some, Valentines Day is obvious a major holiday. To others, not so much.

However you celebrate it, I hope you have a good one. At least the winter weather held off this year. They're talking winter weather, but it's not until Monday night through Wednesday. We got groceries today to beat the rush on the grocery stores. They aren't forecasting accumulation yet, but just the mention of it will be enough to start a rush to the stores tomorrow and Monday. I was banking on other people being busy with Valentines Day to make my trip today, and it paid off. Plus, it's done now. Hooray!

In closing, I'd like to share another sample chapter of Schism with you. I've written about a third of the novel, and it's coming along well. Winter weather or not, I hope to keep it rolling next week. Until then, enjoy this sample and have a wonderful weekend.

Bye!

“Do you really expect this Council to believe there is not only an alien presence on Earth, but another species preparing to attack us?” President Nigel Turay asked in his elegant African accent. He waved his hand at the screens floating around Galen in the center of the room, where the World Council sat in tiered circles around his presentation module.

“The proof is right here,” Galen said, waving his arm around the screens. “You can’t deny that we’ve never seen anything like this throughout all of human history. We have energy readings and transmissions that we are one hundred percent certain did not originate on planet Earth.”

“Furthermore, the remenants of the probe that delivered the virus that caused the nanotech failure was composed of a metal that isn’t on the periodic table of elements,” Brandon added, walking to Galen’s side. “We can’t even bring it to Earth! It’s in storage on the Southern Hemisphere Space Station going through further tests.”

“I’m inclined to agree with President Turay,” Olivia Bancroft of the Eurpoean Alliance said. “I agree that the information you’ve presented is fascinating, but what’s to say this isn’t an elaborate hoax generated by the Eastern factions to keep the West out of the war?”

“We all know the West has been secretly contributing to the war for five years,” Galen said. “That much was revealed and proven nearly seven weeks ago at the Congressional Hearing in Washington D.C. where the alien presence was revealed and confirmed.”

“And if the aliens knew it, I’m willing to bet that the Eastern Factions were aware of it as well,” Brandon said. “It wouldn’t make a difference.”

“Perhaps the purpose of this was to draw the Western participation out, then,” Presndent Turay said, “and to scare them from further or more overt involvement.”

“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” President Gilcrest from the United States said, his face flaring red as he gripped the work station in front of him. “Come on, people. Open your eyes! It was our own combined satellite systems that we got this data from. There were no politics at play in the gathering of this data. Science is the one area where there is no war!”

“So you say,” Vice-President Chang said from the Oriental Alliance desk, “but we all know that the Soviets are the world’s best digital manipulators. What’s to say they didn’t create this ruse to scare us into a cease-fire? They did just join the war, after all.”

“There is nothing on Earth that could generate this,” Galen said. “That’s what we’ve just proven to you! There are no systems. There are no elements. There is no DNA or biology or geology or physiology or psychology that can explain this. We’ve had our first contact with alien life in Washington D.C., and there are more coming, perhaps with less noble intentions.”

“There’s much to be desired of the intentions of these first aliens you claim are already here, if what you say is true,” Vice-President Chang objected. “Healing, and then killing, and then taking over peoples’ minds? That’s worse subterfuge than we’ve seen from any enemy in the Eastern Factions, and yet you call them savior and friend, after they killed how many thousands of your own people?”

“And then you aid this war, and call us the villains?” Ikhtar Moussidium said from the Eastern Coalition desk. “We begged you to aid in keeping this from becoming a war, and yet now we talk about befriending aliens? I find this insulting!”

“That’s assuming the aliens are even real, and that your factions didn’t invent it to bring us here now to talk about a cease fire!” Olivia said.

The chamber erupted in chatter as people jumped from their desks, engaged in private debated throughout the room. Galen rubbed his head, looking at Brandon.

“I can’t believe it. We brought them everything they need, and still they don’t believe us.”

Brandon shook his head. “Kalea is right. Human beings are very good at deceiving themselves into believing what they want to believe.”

“Yes they are,” a voice said behind them. They turned to see Aaron Martin, the Austrailan head of the Pacific Oceanic Alliance, standing with them in the center of the room. The room silenced as they realized that Aaron’s voice has resonated above all the others in the room. He laughed.

“It’s right here. They gave you everything, and still you don’t believe. Well, let’s see you refuse the inevitable. Behold, the proof you seek,” he touched Galen’s computer, wiping out all of the windows and replacing it with one large window that rose in the center of the room. A soft grey light rose to reveal a bald, grey head peering at them with black eyes.

“Greetings, people of Earth. We do not come in subterfuge, as the other aliens did who overtook your own people. We come openly to say that we know who you are, that we know where you are, and that we know how we can combine our forces to evolve into a greater people. We can help you purge the current alien threat you are undergoing. We can help you end your pointless war. We can give you the technology you need to evolve. We can make you one of us, and in integrating your biology with our technology, we can help both of our races evolve to the next level of existence.”

“But time is of the essence. You are harboring a malevenont race that has caused great harm to both of us, and that will not be tolerated. You have seen how we are able to manipulate your systems and machines, even from light years away. We will help you purge this threat and take the next step into the inevitable evolution of man. But we will not tolerate moving forward into that future until our mutual threat is destroyed. “

“We are coming. We are, in fact, already there. Your world will be our own and will be purified for a mutually beneficial existence. Prepare for our coming, and make your decision on the alien threat, for once and for all.”

The screen went blank to a silent room.

Aaron stared around the room, his eyes glowing red. “You heard the master’s words. They are out there, and they are coming.” He touched Galen’s computer, sending sparks from it as the lights dimmed. “Make your decision. But don’t use these worthless machines to do it. Make it on your own.”

Ding Dong, The Drama's Gone

2/12/2015

All is quiet in the realm. I’m learning the new half of my job, and things are going well. In fact, it’s a smaller and more laid back area, so I’m actually having to learn to relax and that it’s ok to take things slower if I need to. That’s directly the opposite of my nature, so it’s an adjustment for me. But it’s alright. Obviously, I need to learn to let go and to be more patient with myself, with things, with all of it. I can see where this is a personal change that can benefit me in every area of life, and I’m willing to make the adjustment. Who in their right mind would argue dialing down the frantic activity anyway?

Work on Schism is also rolling along. I’ve written about a third of the rough draft for that novel. I did stall out last week with the work move and meetings, but I’m back on it this week and very happy to see it coming along (and to be writing again). Rick and I are getting over the colds that hit us late last week. Family and the birds are doing well. The taxes are filed, the house is clean, chores and errands are done, the chip in my windshield from the rock that hit it last week is fixed, and the bills are paid. Things are going well, which is the exact opposite of how life has been for the past couple of years. In other words, life is rolling along and is boring.

I’ll not only take it, but I thank God for it every day. What a tremendous relief! I’m so happy that things are settling down. Boring is good. Boring is what I’ve longed for and wished for and prayed for over the past two years, and I’m so glad to see it delivered that I embrace the monotony. Ding, dong, the drama’s gone, and it can stay right in whatever black hole sucked it up. I’m extremely happy and grateful for how things have worked out so far, and it looks like it’s all going in a great direction.

It’s interesting. I hear people say we need the bad times because we forget to praise God and give thanks in the good times. I most certainly have not forgotten. I am grateful that things are better every day. I remember every day that He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world, because the way things have worked out (and settled down) proves it. And I believe keeping that sense of gratitude is the key to keeping life on the right track. Yes, bad things happen. You have to work through them, but you don’t have to be defined or bound by them. It can and will turn around if you open your eyes to the truth that things are always in motion, and work with the good that you can find even in the toughest of times. Deep ponderings, maybe, but that’s part of gratitude – remembering where you’ve been and what you learned from it to move forward in wisdom.

That’s all today. Take care. Have a happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.

Bye!

Something to Blog About

2/8/2015

I'm having one of those days when I'd like to blog, but I can't think of anything to blog about. Oh, there's plenty going on in the world. I could start with the plenty of negative out there, and tell you how disappointed I am in Brian Williams for embellishing his role on the Nightly News. I don't watch it often, but when I do, I respected him.

I could rail about the evils of ISIS. That definitely is a problem. Frankly, we need to quit fighting each other and get on that thing. Or about the measles, and ask why, oh why, would people not want immunizations. I mean, you aren't stepping on a college campus without them, so if you want to set them up for the future, then this is one of those inconvenient trappings of success. Or about the recent murder/suicide shooting of a professor at my alma mater last Thursday (the University of South Carolina). I could tell you about Rick's cold that he came down with just in time for the weekend - the joy of working in a school, which is second only to medical facilities in terms of carrying germs. There's plenty wrong with the world, and those are conversations we could have all day.

Or I could bounce in my chair over the positives. I can tell you about excitement over my recent work transition and learning new things. I could go on about the fantastic breakthrough idea I had for Schism and The Earthside Trilogy, and the research I've done so I can start writing again this week. I could tell you how happy, relieved, and energetic I feel from both the work changes and the writing inspiration, and how those things alone have given me a new perspective and a joy I didn't expect, but have found to be a wonderful surprise. I could chatter about my excitement over Better Call Saul and the return of House of Cards later this month on Netflix. I could tell you about the great reminders and inspiration I'm getting from reading The Chronological Bible and Simple Abundance again as my daily readings this year. I could go on about how adorable Zack and Chloe are and how they get in my cashmere sweaters and don't want to take their precious little feet out of them. I could go on about the great turn the weather took this weekend to give us a nice, sunny, warm break before turning cool and rainy again tomorrow. I could tell you how relieved I am that the taxes are filed and the house is clean, that my calendar looks better than it has in a very long time, that the family is doing great, and that things are rolling along without any adventure, which is quite alright with us, thank you very much.

Then again, I think I've covered it. And to me, it looks like the good outweighs the bad. In fact, it seems that the bad is on a larger scale "in the world around us" realm, while things within the realm are pretty good. Well heck yes, I'll take that, and thanks be to God! I'm very happy and grateful to see our lives taking a turn for the better. It's a welcome relief.

That's all today. I hope things are going well in your world. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

Habits

2/6/2015

One thing about change is that it forces you to come to terms with your habits. You don’t realize how much of your daily routine is habit, until things are shaken up and you have to change it. In fact, I didn’t realize it myself until I found myself exhausted and stressed out around mid-week, despite the fact that my overall workload this week has been lighter than usual. It took a while for me to realize that the stress had more to do with mental fatigue over having to think about everything I was doing again than the actual amount of work I was doing. You’d think that since I kept half of my previous workload and changed the other half, then only half of my habits would change – but it’s not tit for tat. I already know that my entire daily routine will probably shift in the interest of doing things most efficiently.

It’s alright. In fact, the truth is that it’s probably best for us to ask ourselves why we do things the way we do them from time to time whether we face a change or not, just to make sure we’re operating the best we can. We usually don’t do this (after all, if it isn’t broke, then why fix it?) and when we do, it’s usually minor changes that we make. That’s alright, because sometimes the smallest things have the biggest impact.

And truthfully, other people are probably more aware of our habits than we are ourselves. That is, after all, what a habit is – something we do unconsciously because we’ve learned it works. We don’t notice it ourselves until we get to a point where it doesn’t work, and then we wonder why – like what’s been happening to me this week. The game has changed, and so the game plan must change too.

It’s alright. It’s good to learn new things, and frankly I’m glad for the opportunity. I did realize going in that it would be a learning curve, but I hadn’t thought about how it would change my day to day routine. And because of processing all of this, I haven’t worked on my novel at all this week. I guess the day job wins this week! Hey, it’s all good. I know the inspiration will come back, and these changes may be just what I need to give the novel (and even the whole trilogy) just what it needs to really pop. I’m a big believer in all things working together for good, so I know that this will. Still, though, I am tired and so glad it's the weekend. Definitely a TGIF today!

That’s all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday and a wonderful weekend.

Bye!

Simply Accepting

2/2/2015

So I posted something on Facebook Saturday about not being afraid to be yourself. It was inspired in one part by something I recently remembered from my early days writing, and in another part by reading Simple Abundance - A Daybook of Comfort and Joy. I know, it probably sounds counter-intuitive to read a devotional book that's 20 years old, and written by somebody who's life has imploded since that time. Still, it was powerfully transforming to me when I first read it 15 years ago, and surprisingly I'm a month into it and I'm finding advice that I've read in more recent works on the power of positive thinking and bringing more positive energy into your life. The work itself may be dated, but I'm finding that the advice in it most certainly is not. And I still believe that finding the courage of being yourself is one of the most important things we can do. It's not just for 20 somethings finding their way in the world - it's for all of us, no matter where we are in life.

The post generated some comments and discussion, but I'm afraid that it might have been misinterpreted as either accusing others of being fake, or of encouraging people to be radical non-conformist. I certainly didn't mean either of those things. I simply meant to point out that I still see too many people afraid to be themselves, and this simply isn't going to fly in our ever-changing world. Life is moving at a faster pace than ever, but rather than eliminating the problem, I fear it's compounding it. Once upon a time, there were pretty clear "norms" that we were expected to conform to in order to "fit in." Now there's such a camphoney of voices coming at us all the time and from all angles, that sometimes we don't know what exactly it is that we're supposed to conform to. And you can't escape it, either. Once upon a time, your home was sacred. Now with the Internet and social media, you can have those voices infiltrate you through your cell phone! The pressure is mounting from too many angles, and I think that's the exact reason why we need to make finding ourselves and accepting our authenticity a priority.

One thing I said in that post was that when I started writing and publishing a decade ago, a lot of people thought I'd totally lost it. They couldn't understand why I would want to do something like writing a book. There was very little support, but writing and publishing a book was something that I wanted to do so badly that I did it anyway, despite the lack of encouragement at the best of times and heavy rejection, criticism, and ridicule the rest of the time. Things like Simple Abundance encouraged me to shut out the voices to find what I truly wanted and to pursue it. Lo and behold, one book led to more published works, and then the ebook wave hit and now here we are at a place where people expect me to be working on a novel at any given point in time, and the question going from "why write and publish?" to "what are you writing and when will you publish again?"

The point: Accept yourself, and others will accept you. They may not always understand you, encourage you, or even "get it," but they know that this is you, and respect it. Because everybody can sniff out a fake - they know when you're putting on a mask, and while they may play along, they don't really respect it. They just look for ways to keep playing you.

I think what I hoped to accomplish with that post was to encourage people to accept who they are, and not be ashamed of it. If you want to write a book, write a book. If you prefer sci-fi and fantasy to reality TV, romance, and erotica, then proudly like and share Game of Thrones, Arrow, and The Flash every week. If you hate wearing dresses, then wear pants instead. If you watched the Superbowl just for the commercials (like I did), then just admit that you didn't care for the game, but the Heisenberg "Sorta Greg" Esurance commercial cracked you up. Let them roll their eyes, or snort, or whatever. But I'll bet next year they remember to ask you which commercial was a winner instead of your take on the game! I'm not saying to chuck your manners. You do still need to remember your please and thank you, and you do need to adhere to the rules of where you choose to live or work. But those rules almost always leave room for personal expression, so take advantage of it. So be yourself, be proud of it, and give others a chance to get used to the real you. Take it from a girl that's most definitely not girly: people may be shocked at first, but you'd be surprised at how quickly they get used they get to weird every now and then, and how many doors it can open that you never knew were there. Who knows? More people may agree with you than you imagined!

That's all today. Take care and have a great week.

Bye!