Travelin'

 

We traveled through a sea of corn and soybean plants, the prow of our craft plowing the rolling waves of verdure. Mile after mile of lush growth surrounded us as far as the eye could see. To be honest, we couldn't see very far because the corn tended to be taller than the windows of the little white ship in which we sailed.

We were off to the Midwest, crossing Wyld-oming, a Nebrask, and the Wa of Io to traverse the mighty Mrs. Ippi into the Illinois country to Carthage and Nauvoo. We book-ended the tour with jails -- from which we were released on our good looks and charm (or perhaps encouraged to leave with all possible speed would be more accurate).

Everything was interesting, and the sites, along with the company, helped to remind me that there are more important things than concerts and cruises, shows and shops, and so forth. If families are forever, both family and forever deserve our attention in daily allotments. 

We had wild nights of pulse-pounding cribbage games--yes, we live life in the fast lane with no guard rail. Some were run-away affairs and others came down to crucial one point nail-bitters. For the record, I think I came out ahead at 4 wins to the 3 wins by the other players. I left my contact solution at a previous hotel, but our hotel that night at Keokuk was in the Walmart parking lot, so I was able to run over and pick up a small bottle 10 minutes before it closed. I had believed that Walmarts were open 24/7, but that one was closing at 11.

The stories in the car were a high point. The patriarch told of his motorcycle trip at 15 across Idaho into Wyoming, which included a rain storm, a flat tire, a broken spark plug, and an accidental death. There was the time he wore a girl's swimming suit, the incident of the blasting cap in the fireplace, and many more. We even got a few of the stories recorded.

On the ox-cart ride in Nauvoo, we learned that oxen pull so slowly that it may be faster to lay on one's belly and breaststroke across the prairie. The performing missionaries were particularly fun and we had a nice visit with a few of them after one of their performance. Unfortunately, we missed what was supposed to be the best performance that involved all 30 of them because it was moved back an hour and we were out of time. We took a wagon ride behind a team of Percherons and enjoyed the tour. If I have the choice to travel by ox or Percheron, unless it's to my death, I'll choose the latter. We visited Browning's gun shop and a few other places. All of the folks giving the tours were well informed and exemplary hosts for the brief time that we were their guests. The guide at Carthage jail enhanced the tale by walking through the motions in the upper room as he related the story of mob attack, the death of Hiram, wounding of John Taylor, and Joseph's shooting and falling from the window.

I made a command decision to take the detour to Missouri to see Liberty jail. We got there just before closing and the guide took pity on us to take us on the tour. Another win for our triple attack of good looks, wit, and charm -- or an example of the kindness of the folks who do those tours.

I was disappointed that Mound City, MO, doesn't actually contain any mound builder sites, and that I came so close to Cahokia without realizing it and going to see the place. Everything else has to go in the win category for this trip--except, I just remembered, for the breaded pork chop sandwich at the Casey's gas and convenience store in Nauvoo. There's a reason the item is entirely concealed in wrap; even the ketchup and swiss cheese I added could not redeem the hardened shingle between two slices of bun. On the other hand, the Nashville chicken wings at the Maverick station in Rock Springs, Wyoming had exactly the right amount of spice to make me want more. -- You can see that we patronized only the finest dining establishments. I particularly enjoyed some small powdered donuts of a brand with which I was not familiar from a gas station in Missouri where the clerk recognized the Boise State Bronco logo on the patriarch's hat. When we picked up a bag of a familiar brand of similar items the next day near Brigham City, Utah, the clerk congratulated us on our "healthy" breakfast choice. I stared into her green eyes and noted that we refused to compromise when it comes to nutrition.

Those are the highlights of the 2023 trip, our third annual celebration of sharing the same name.

Elizabeth Morris

 Interview with Elizabeth Morris

Author of:

The Blood of The Beast Series

Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.

My current work in progress is the third installment of my Blood of the Beast series. The title will be Return of the Ambush and will have the same characters as the previous books but also some new characters. My current book is my favorite to write so far and I’m looking forward to it’s release when the time comes.

Where did you get the idea for this book or series?

I got the idea for this series from a dream. I had a dream that I was my main character shapeshifting into a tiger, and I started writing down ideas for a world of shapeshifters. I get a lot of influence from traveling and going on nature walks.

Do you write in more than one genre?

No, I stick to fantasy. I would like to attempt to write a romance book in the future as well as a children’s book.

Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention.

I believe that my strongest and most unique qualities in my writing is the dialogue. My editor says that the dialogue is the best part of my books and I agree with him. I like to have my characters talk as if they were normal humans even though they are half animal.

Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?

My whole personality is manifested into my main character Kira. She is me in a sense of who I want myself to be. She is strong, sincere and sarcastic which I strive to be like that. I like to put a variation of my personal history into my novels. I feel like if I write an emotional scene then it comes from the heart and makes the story feel more authentic.

What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?

I have Schizophrenia, a disorder where you have different types of hallucinations. I am medicated for it and I am doing well to manage it. I do sometimes hear voices (like my characters voices) and I believe that it helps my writing a little bit because I can get into the head of my characters easily.

Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why?

I am currently reading my friends book called The Wandering Order: Autumn Light by C. J. Hahne. I recommend it highly if you like fantasy worlds and fantastic world building. I love the story so far and I’m about halfway done with it.

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?

I recommend my second book Rise of the Rebels because there’s so much happening to the characters and one of my favorite and best emotional scenes happens in this book. I love what I did with the plot as well as the dialogue. My first book is good but I love my second book better.

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?

I recently participated in a book festival in my local town, and it was fantastic. I think it helped me boost sales and got more people interested in my books. I would love to do that again next year and maybe I’ll have my third book ready by then.

What question do you wish you would get asked more often?

I wish I would get asked “How do you develop your characters?” more often. I love good character development and I do a lot of research into animals and base their characteristics off of my characters.

Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?

“You’re losing it Kira. You’re a Tiger. You weren’t made to be locked up.” This quote from my second book is a good example of when my main character is going through something emotionally. Here she is locked up in a room and she’s talking to herself trying to figure out how to escape. I love that she realizes that she wasn’t made for cages and goes crazy. 

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Thanks to Elizabeth for participating in the interview.

My own update: I was interviewed at N3F in IONISPHERE MAGAZINE-- my interview starts on page 11 of the issue.

Also, my newsletter will include the second paragraph for the story started last month. I had some great submissions for the proposed second paragraph, so it wasn't an easy choice. You can sign up for my newsletter here to keep up on the continuing story and to contribute a paragraph of your own.
 

Pirate Rembrandt

 

 I wrote another short story this week, which has nothing to do with the picture above. My story is a stab at a humorous western horror story. I like the main characters enough that I may feature more stories with them--provided they survive. I finished under the word count, so I can go back and make corrections and perhaps add some helpful details.

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As for the image above, it was supposed to be a well known actor as a pirate done in the style of Rembrandt but it looks more like Rembrandt as a pirate, in my opinion. He seems to be a little disgusted. I can't tell whether his ire arises from being forced to sit for the painting or from the fact that he tortured the captain, officers, and women aboard the last prize, and they still refused to divulge anything of significant value.

"This is another fine mess you've gotten us into, Mr. Vermeer."

"Don't worry, Remmy, old boy, I've got a plan. The Spanish have ships absolutely loaded to the gills with treasure. We'll take the good ship and crew to the Caribbean, lay hands on a couple prizes loaded with doubloons and pieces of eight, maybe even  pieces of ten or twelve, and retire to our own island in the south seas. You can paint to your heart's delight."

"You almost persuade me to cut off an ear, but I think I'll work on perfecting my chiaroscuro techniques instead. As for you, do you think much about that girl with the pearl earring you tossed overboard?"

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Because I wrote a short story, I didn't get any writing done on book 6. I'm at an event in the tale that I had only vaguely foreseen, and I'm trying to work out how to write it--except I'm writing short stories instead. There's a satisfaction that comes with finishing a short story--like finishing a book--and it doesn't take so long to get from start to finish--especially as compared to a multi-book series.