On the road again

 

 The season whispered that it would be wise to trade my Buttercup Rocinante, the steel steed, for the Rattlin' Battle Wagon, so I made the trip to begin the exchange. The morning of my departure carried a warning of colder weather to come. I shivered through the first hundred miles with the Craters of the Moon being the usual scenic high point of that portion of the trip. I did see another guy on a bike coming from the main gate there, and I thought he was headed in my direction, but I never saw him again. 

Fortunately, the trip was uneventful--as far as you know. I got to the mowing right away so I could watch a ball game with friends on Saturday morning. The game was more exciting that we cared for, but our team managed to hang on to an early lead. At 4-0, having beaten a ranked team last week, they earned a rank in the top 25 but were still underdogs in the match up against a 2-2 unranked team. Once again they overcame those odd odds to come out on top. 

Hoses and filters and vents and such filled the rest of the day--after I lent an expert hand (one finger, actually) to fitting a screen in place for my game-watching hosts. 

The big event came after a dinner of chicken wings - which happened to be the same thing I had for lunch - when I conferred with Les Freres Corses over the pinkish-purple (perhaps also known as lavender) game board. Federation men and the anomalous White Wizard beamed down to a village recently put to the torch; one of the buildings was still smoking. The surviving villagers were on the prowl, but a redshirt successfully won their confidence. The captain of the expedition had his face in a tricorder most of the time. It had been damaged by ion interference during beam down and he was determined to fix it. When he finally did get it working, he located the other life forms: Time Pirates (in Klingon garb). 

The Time Pirates terminated a villager. This did not endear them to the natives. One headed underground, pursued by several villagers. The other pirate wounded the persuasive redshirt-- who then beamed back to the ship--and met his end on the sword the other redshirt in the landing party. The odds at last caught up with the pirate in the catacombs, and he finally failed a challenge roll, coming face to fang with a nasty beasty in the gloomy corridors. It was a close encounter of the final kind for the pirate.

At that point, even though we had not yet determined who had torched the village, La Mere Corse had sounded the alarm and all Starfleet personnel and their wizard henchmen had to return to the ship to get ready for bed.

 

"Let him fire!" The debate heats up

 

"My opinions, even if I were the president of the United States, are neither important nor necessary." - Zachary Taylor

Fun Fact:

Henry Clay's 1850 Omnibus Bill for the admission of California as a free state; establishing territorial governments in Utah and New Mexico, leaving the question of slavery to those states to determine; establishing the border of Texas to exclude New Mexico; paying Texas' debts; not abolishing slavery in D.C. but prohibiting the slave trade there; and recognizing that Congress had no power to prohibit the slave trade between slave holding states, consumed months of debate in the Senate.

A variety of plans and amendments were presented. Some carved California into multiple states; some split Texas into two or more states. Only Clay's plan left Texas intact.

Clay received the support of Stephen Douglas, and Lewis Cass railed against the Southern Democrats and their desire for an effective veto over any legislation. Senator Tom Benton argued in support of admitting California--although he opposed the omnibus compromise bill as a concession to those who threatened seccession. Senator Foote seized the opportunity to ridicule Benton with veiled reference to his daughter eloping with John C. Fremont--and challenged Benton to a duel. The feud between Benton and Foote would later boil over on the Senate floor during debate. 

Foote decided to support the compromise, and Benton determined to sway the Senate against it or destroy it with amendments and prolonged debate. At one point Benton offered 9 amendments to the bill which would leave it a useless husk. The amendments were continually voted down, but Benton simply offered more of the same ilk.

Foote at last gained the floor to defend Clay and the bill; he repeated a claim that Benton had taken bribes. Benton leaped to his feet and came at Foote. The latter backed away and as Benton drew close, he drew a horse pistol from his vest. Vice-president Fillmore, presiding over the Senate, shouted for order, and senators dragged Benton away from Foote. He broke away from the holds, bearing on toward Foote again, who pointed the pistol at him.

"Let him fire!" Benton cried, tearing open his coat and shirt to bare his chest. "Let the assassin fire!"

Other senators pried the gun free and locked it in Foot's desk. Naturally, Benton, who had initiated the appearance of a physical attack, raged that a pistol had been brought to assassinate him, and Foote's protestations of possessing the pistol for defense only went unheeded. A committee formed later to investigate the incident did absolve Foote of wrong doing, finding he had drawn the pistol in self-defense.

The above was gleaned from several chapters of Fergus Bordewich's America's Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen Douglas and the Compromise that Preserved the Union.

 _________________

Well, sometimes the chickens come home to roost - and that can be a good thing. I've recently submitted 3 short stories for publication and yesterday I learned that the third one was accepted for publication. That's three stories in a row with notices coming in three successive weeks. The competition was said by the editor to be particularly fierce for this third publication, and I'm ecstatic that my story made the cut. I do have a fourth story submitted and another that needs editing before I submit it.

I've started writing an adventure novel for boys. The idea didn't spark my interest when the call for submissions first came, but I finally decided that I am uniquely qualified to write great adventure books for boys. First, I have been (and always will be) a boy, having started at a very young age. I knew a lot of boys growing up. Not only did I read a lot of old adventure books as a boy, I now write adventure in various genres. My writing may be at its best when creating and relating exciting action and boundless adventure. In fact, last week, one of my readers shared a similar observation and noted that my use of historical themes and strange creatures hits the bull's eye. I'll cop to that charge.

Wiggly Worm Trail

 

There are many trails in life. Some we choose of our own volition while others we discover by fortunate circumstance or its opposite. I selected two trails this week that I had not tried before from the All Trails app. First, although no one told me to go there, I nevertheless went to Hell's Half Acre Loop Northbound trail and took my bride with me. It was an easy, paved trail that we walked twice and which featured this kind of scenery:

I don't know what this plant is called, but it has a smell that makes me think of honey.

Saturday, we drove out to the Wiggly Worm trail. The thing about the drive to it was that the map and directions took us to a point where we made a left turn and I was supposed to then make another left turn immediately. I didn't suspect the second left turn direction until forty or fifty feet beyond the turning point when the left turn at 0 feet notice disappeared and the view was blocked, so I couldn't see the trail head. Instead of indicating that my destination was fifty feet to the rear, the directions sent me on a three mile loop to return to the spot where I hadn't turned left. Hardly the best use of time and gas.

The trail was a pleasant foot path for the entire climb and weaving back and forth about 48 times to gradually climb up the bowl-like hillside. At one end, junipers offered some shade, but the rest of the trail was in full sun. Each trck across the face of the hill was nearly level with the turns at each end bringing most of the elevation change. The trail hit a dirt road at the top which formed the return part of the loop. The rough and dusty road didn't provide as nearly a pleasant experience as the narrow foot path. My wife got some pictures but she didn't send me any that didn't have one of both of us in them, so I won't post any of those.

The trails were two great hikes. The sidewalk through the lave field was easy going with a couple steep stairways. The Wiggly Worm was easy to moderate and provided a nice view of Pocatello and the surrounding area for miles beyond.

Daniel Webster's Speech of 1850

 Before I get to some of the stirring quotes from Daniel Webster, let me share some stirring news of my own. I doubt it will be quoted like Webster, Clay, and Calhoun, but it's almost as meaningful for me. I signed a contract yesterday for the publication of another one of my short stories. I finished and submitted it last month. It will come out in an anthology early next month, and I''ll be sure to post a cover picture and link.

In addition, I'm about to finish another short story and submit it for consideration. I'm down to the final thousand words. I had a wrestle before the computer screen about how to construct a satisfying ending from the materials I brought to the project through the telling of the story to the two-thirds point. From that point the story must reach an exciting confrontation, which was already in progress, and resolve the tension the unanswered questions and conflict created. It's always the latter that is tougher to handle. It's easy to create questions, uncertainty, and tension. Resolving that is where too many stories and story tellers fall short. For further info, check out my posts on my writing philosophy of The Trauma, The Drama, and The Dream, or my presentation on the subject.

 

 Fun Fact:

I'm currently reading Fergus M. Bordewich's book America's Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen A. Douglas and the Compromise the Preserved the Union. The quotes below are from the Congressional Record as given in the book. So far, this book is excellent. It presents a fascinating account of the men and circumstances surrounding the Congressional debates of 1850 concerning the admission of Texas, and states from the territory gained in the war with Mexico. The slavery issue yawned like a great gulf that separated the factions in congress and threatened to divide the nation. After Henry Clay had presented his 8 point proposal for a compromise, and it had been debated and denounced by the extreme wings of the major factions. Daniel Webster spoke for four hours in support of the proposed compromise in a way that only he could do. It made him enemies all around and did not resolve the matter. Here are a few portions of it:

“In all such disputes, there will sometimes be found men with whom everything is absolute; absolutely right, or absolutely wrong. They deal with morals as with mathematics; and they think what is right may be distinguished from what is wrong with the precision of an algebraic equation. They have, therefore, none too much charity towards others who differ from them. They are apt, too, to think that nothing is good but what is perfect, and that there are no compromises or modifications to be made in consideration of difference of opinion or in deference to other men’s judgment. If their perspicacious judgment enables them to detect a spot on the face of the sun, they think that a good reason why the sun should be struck down from heaven. They prefer the chance of running into utter darkness to living in heavenly light, if that heavenly light be not absolutely without any imperfection.”

“I hear with distress and anguish the word ‘secession... Secession! Peaceable secession! Who is so foolish, I beg everyone’s pardon, as to expect to see any such thing? Who sees these states, now revolving in harmony around a common centre, and expects to see them quit their places and fly off without convulsion, may look the next hour to see heavenly bodies rush from their spheres, and jostle against each other in the realms of space, without causing the wreck of the universe. Peaceable secession is an utter impossibility. Is the great Constitution under which we live, covering the whole country, is it to be thawed and melted away by secession, as the snows on the mountain melt under the influence of a vernal sun, disappear almost unobserved, and run off? No, sir! No, sir! I will not state what might produce the disruption of the Union; but, sir, I see as plainly as I see the sun in heaven what that disruption itself must produce; I see that it must produce war. “Peaceable secession! Where is the line to be drawn? What states are to secede? What is to remain American? What am I to be? An American no longer? Am I to become a sectional man, a local man, a separatist, with no country in common with the gentlemen who sit around me here, or who fill the other house of Congress? Heaven forbid! Where is the flag of the republic to remain? Where is the eagle still to tower? Or is he to cower, and shrink, and fall to the ground? What is to become of the army? What is to become of the Navy? What is to become of the public lands? How is each of the thirty states to defend itself? To break up this great government! To dismember this glorious country! To astonish Europe with an act of folly such as Europe for two centuries has never beheld in any government or any people! No, sir! No, sir! There will be no secession!”

"[L]et us come out into the light of day. Let us not be pigmies in a case that calls for men. Let us make our generation one of the strongest and brightest links in that golden chain which is destined, I fondly believe, to grapple the people of all the states to this Constitution for ages to come.”

______________________

There are few things that ring so true with regard to modern problems as the wise words of earlier statesmen. Unfortunately, those on opposite sides both attempt to bend those words to serve their own cause. Compromise held the nation together until those sectional divisions finally burst the frail seams of the agreement. Eventually--especially when one side's positions become more and more extreme, running away from the middle ground rather than toward a compromise position, the rift must open and swallow both progress and the hopes for a peaceful solution. 

Speaking of solutions to difficult questions: Check out Truth in Flames for some lively debate about independence amid fire and fury.

Elizabeth Lavender

 

 Interview with Elizabeth Lavender

Author of The Sunspear Series

 Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.  I am currently writing the fourth book in my sci-fi/fantasy series.  The series already includes The Spinning of Deception, Deception’s Hold, and Shadowed Bonds.  The fourth book continues with sunspearbearer Dante’s and The Girl’s desperate fight against the Black Dragon. 

Where did you get the idea for this book or series?  I enjoy sci-fi and fantasy as well as psychological/suspense thrillers.  The sci-fi universe has a Star Wars feel to it, because that’s my favorite sci-fi.  I also always liked Star Trek. I enjoy the earlier ones in the timeline (the ones with Captain Kirk and Captain Archer) more than the later ones. They seemed more personable/relatable to me. Then there was a sci-fi series I loved as a kid. It was called Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. It was one of my earliest introductions to the sci-fi world, and I loved the characters. The heroes were relatable as well, even though they had cool ships and technology. I’ve always loved the Lord of the Rings Series, so just the epic fantasy feel to the Sunspear Series came from that.  The earliest fantasy series that I fell in love with was The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, starring the Assistant Pig-Keeper who, one battle at a time, becomes more than he thought possible. I’m also a big fan of the works of Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker, so the concept of this whole other unseen battlefield that comes into play is something that is prominent throughout their work.   I’ve made that battlefield as great a role in my series as the sunspear/air battles that one expects from a Fantasy/sci-fi struggle.  Then there’s the novel Les Misérables.  It has to be one of my favorite books of all time.  It’s a story of grace and redemption to a convict who ends up spending 19 years in jail for stealing a loaf of bread.  The themes of grace, redemption, and sacrifice that are threaded throughout the series were directly inspired by Victor Hugo’s heart-wrenching tale.  Another favorite is The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s about a young naïve hardworking sailor who’s wrongly imprisoned.  While in prison, with the help from another prisoner, he pieces together how he ended up in prison, and upon escaping carefully plots out and carries out revenge on all those responsible for his imprisonment.  Only at the end, does he realize he went too far, but it’s too late.  The book inspired several parts of my story.  It includes the way he changed personalities, once he began carrying out his revenge.  The meticulous fashion he implemented it is reflected in a couple of major characters and storylines.  The Sunspear story is a rich culmination of all those influences, and the story began taking shape over twenty years ago in my mind.  There was finally a point that I had to tell the story.

Do you write in more than one genre? The Sunspear Series is my first time in the author’s seat, and it’s sci-fi/fantasy.  At this time, I’m only writing in this genre.  Once I’m done with this series (which could take some time as I’m only halfway through, if even that), then I’d go where the next story takes me just like I did this one.  I wouldn’t be surprised if I stayed in the same genre as I enjoy this genre, but I’m open to others. Like I said, I go where the story and characters lead.

 Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention. One of the things that make my writing unique is the different blend of elements that are found in the story and the characters. It has its feet in sci-fi and fantasy, but it delves into this whole world that explores the psychological demons that the characters find manifest on their battlefields.  It adds another level to the storyline, one that I feel like makes it richer and in some places darker. It also gives the characters the chance to challenge truths that cause the reader to look at the battlefields in a new way too.  Of course, it still has all the thrill that any reader needs to have in an epic story that captures you.

Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?  I’m a counselor by trade and that experience and training has helped me carve the story in many places.  The internal battlefields that the characters face sometimes are played out countless times in people’s lives. They may look different on the surface, but it’s not.  There are a number of personal struggles that come down to knowing who we truly are, rather than believing the lies we are told about ourselves.  Because of the rather unique perspective I come at it at times, my characters go in surprising directions and they delve deeper into places that aren’t given as much attention usually.   Also, there are a couple of preferences I admit to giving my characters that do have my personal touch. For example, the girl’s love of being near water, the late hours they keep, and the enjoyment of tea by a couple of them directly point back to me.

 What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?  I tend to focus more on keeping my characters on the move to deal with the next confrontation or battling whatever internal crisis has made its way out to create new havoc for them.  My time is spent more on the character’s thoughts, feelings, dialogue, and actions.  So, you won’t find long descriptions of the surroundings of my characters, like their quarters or every inch of the ship, etc.  It’s just never been my writing style.  My descriptions are usually directly related to the situation at the time or a later time it will become clear how it tied in.  There are also places that the reader is purposely given sparse description or it even feels like there’s gaps in what happened.  This is done on purpose as there are certain things that cannot be revealed until later in the series, but pieces are given throughout the series to be bridged together at the proper time.

Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why? That is beyond difficult.  For an older series, it would have to be The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander.  That was the first fantasy series I fell in love with, and I’ve always felt like it was seriously underrated.  I loved everyone in it from the assistant pig keeper to the princess to the bard. It had the epic fantasy storyline of fighting an evil army to keep a land from being overcome.  There was the band of unlikely heroes and the wonderful banter between them.  Then I couldn’t ever forget Taran the Assistant Pig Keeper, the unlikely hero, who dreamed of being more than his station said was ever possible.  Yet when he began to see what it looked like, past his idealized image, it was sobering.  However, that was the point he was finally ready.     When I think current, it’s impossible.  I tend towards indie authors. One of my favorites include Helen Garraway’s Sentinal Series.  It showcases a rich epic fantasy world with an incredible hero (the captain) that you’ll fall in love with from the beginning and with an equally captivating supporting cast.

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?  I have written and published the first three books in my Sunspear series.  They include The Spinning of Deception, Deception’s Hold, and Shadowed Bonds. I’m in the process of writing the fourth book in the series. I can’t pin it down to one as all the books are part of the same series.

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?  I think it was simple the decision to write the story down.  I’ve had the story in my head since high school, and as time went on more and more of the story spun itself together. Once I starting penning it down, it wrote itself because so much of it was already there.  Of course, I think a lot of this has to do with perspective.  How does a person measure a successful writing career? What are they doing it for?  For one person that’s measured in a certain number of books sold or amount made, and I understand that measurement.  For me, those certainly help encourage me to write, but it’s not why I write and it wouldn’t cause me to stop writing one day.  I write because I want to tell this story, because I simply believe it’s worth telling and enjoy doing it. 

 What question do you wish you would get asked more often? What do you want readers to experience or take away from your books?  I want them to experience an amazing read, to leave their world for a little while, and enter mine for a time. While with me, I want my world to capture them, my characters to become living and breathing to them, and for Dante’s and The Girl’s fight to become their own for a bit. I want them invested in the journey with these spear-bearers and their friends.  In essence it’s the hope of every author when a reader picks up their story, the desire for the reader to fall in love with our world, our characters as much as we have.  As readers continue in the journey, I want them to be inspired and encouraged in their own journey to press on even when the battlefield of life is harsh and feels overwhelming. As one has stated so well, “Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” (G. K. Chesterton). That what our stories do. They are imbedded with truth and hope for us to discover on our own. Those unearthed treasures are shaped by own world and struggles. However, they give us the courage to face and conquer the dragons, the Dark Lords of our world.

Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?  Between two of my characters, beginning in book 2, there is a reference repeated between them (like a promise to each other).  It is, “Between us is a bond that cannot be broken.”   There are many bonds explored in the series, some quite destructive.  However, this is one of the exceptions in the series and it’s an incredible bond being built.  Yet it doesn’t come easy.  It’s a bond that stretched to it’s limit many times and put through the fire, but it refuses to be broken.

 _____________________

Thanks to Elizabeth for participating.

This week in writing: My short story featuring the bristle-headed frogmen and the Empress' light infantry is nearly at the half-way mark. The tension has reached the breaking point and the second half should be a desperate fight to survive by our narrator. Will he be able to solve the riddle that will be the difference between life and death? I can't wait to find out.

Sign up for my regular newsletter here.