StanleyWheeler

 The movie review is further down. First, in the good news/bad news of the week, one of my short stories--a special favorite of one of my Skirmish Team beta readers--was rejected by an editor. That's the bad news. A different story, was accepted to an anthology, and I've returned the signed contract. That's good news. Another story has been tentatively accepted, depending on whether the editor is able to group it coherently with the others under consideration for that anthology. That's also good news, and I really enjoyed writing that particular story as I did a mash-up of the requested theme with something else that was on my mind. I think that leaves one other story still under consideration, but I think it's actually a stronger tale than the story that was already accepted--of course, there are always lots of variables and what other stories have been submitted to a particular publication will affect the decisions. In other news, I did battle with car dealers thi...

 Fun Fact: General Wolfe is in the middle After the campaigning of 1758, Brigadier James Wolfe believed he had a Ticket to Ride and returned to England of his own volition, much to the surprise of William Pitt who had sent orders for Wolfe to stay in America only like Yesterday . Pitt didn't dwell on Wolfe's improper return because he had decided on an expedition up the St. Lawrence and wanted the redheaded general to lead it. In the meantime, Wolfe became reacquainted with Katherine Lowther, with whom he opened up a can of Love Me Do . When he sailed from Portsmouth February 14, 1759 aboard the Neptune , he carried the new rank of major general, a small portrait of the lady, and, in response to his plea to Please Please Me , her promise of marriage on his return. Wolfe commanded 9,000 men with brigadiers John, Paul, George, and Ringo, Robert Monckton, James Murray, and George Townshend. Wolfe was the youngest by 6 months. Before the expedition to Quebec was over, all three br...

  Interview with Alexander R Davis Author of Omeron: The Hero’s Chronicle, and more Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.                 I’m working on a series. It’s about what is means to be a hero, not just having a bigger stick than the next guy or some hidden talent, but who someone must be as a person to become a hero. The only problem is that an objectively terrible human being is chosen for the task. It’s a fantasy adventure that will have some romance as the series goes on.   Where did you get the idea for this book or series?                 It started to form when the big superhero kick started with marvel. I love heroes and it made me wonder if there is more to heroes than their powers. So, I decided to write a fantasy novel about that very thing.   Do you write in more than on...

 I see that Prime has a new Marlowe movie out. I chose to watch the 1969 movie of the same title directed by Paul Bogart, written by Raymond Chandler and Stirling Silliphant, starring James Garner, Gayle Hunnicutt, Carroll O'Connor, and Rita Moreno. Jackie Coogan, William Daniels, Bruce Lee, and Kenneth Tobey are among the others I recognized in the film. Marlowe has a problem. Orfamay wants him to find her brother. He gets a lead that takes him to a fleabag hotel. He doesn't find the brother, but he does find Jackie Coogan with a bad toupee.  Coogan says he'll give him information if he gets any. As Marlowe leaves the hotel, he discovers that the clerk acquired a new piercing while Marlowe was upstairs--an ice pick in the brain. Marlowe returns Orfamay's $55 retainer. She's insistent, but Marlowe sends her on her way.  At this point, or maybe after the next part, Marlowe gets a visit from Bruce Lee. Lee does some minor remodeling on Marlowe's office and offers ...

 Fun Fact: Abercromby had his brief and ill-fated Iliad at Carillon in 1758. General Amherst was set to make another attempt at it in 1759. After beginning construction on Fort George--to replace Fort William Henry--Amherst had assembled 10,000 men to embark on Lake George in July. The clash between Amherst's 10,000 and Charles de Bourlamaque's garrison of 3,000 at Fort Carillon is difficult to describe--mostly because there was no clash. The French commander and his troops slipped away as the British approached, leaving only 400 men to decorate and plan the welcome party for Amherst.  (Portrait of Jeffery Amherst by Joshua Reynolds) The British occupied the trenches and hauled up six 24 pounders to RSVP for the reception. Just before midnight on July 26, the party began with a bang--an explosion even. The last of the garrison had departed via Lake Champlain, but being no slouches at party planning, they had left a fuse burning slowly to the fort's ample powder magazine. ...