Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Far Future Tales on Tamut - Sci-Fi WEP Challenge

Happy Year's End - Spacer Celebration!!
Morgan's Early Life on Tamut

Image from an observatory


STAR DATE: 13001, 13th month Galactic Calendar

It's Spacer Celebration time! That's the way most Tamutians celebrate the end of the year - what the ancient ones called Christmas and the New Year. Now it's one year end holiday.


There's no jolly fat old man that distributes toys, candy and other frivolous stuff. Most kids don't even know the old stories like I do. Mother gave me three books from the Terran archives, before she was declared missing:  'The Mouse before Christmas', 'A Grinch saves the Day', and 'Stockings on the Mantel'.

I hate this time of year.  I never get to go to the Tamutian End of the Year celebration. Uncle doesn't approve of it.  Just one - why can't I go to just one? 

Our Tamutian forefathers wanted us to appreciate our own beginnings and revere our Spacer ancestors, the old time space captains who came on the original colony ship to settle here. Spacer Joe looked like that old comic book hero Flash Gordon. A kid can relate to a spacer who came from an old world to discover a new planet. With laser guns, and a fast starship, Spacer Joe beats a flying chariot pulled by reindeer, whatever they were. If the colonists brought reindeer with them on the mother
ship, they must have eaten them or maybe they just died. Tamut didn't have any, we knew that for sure.

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Dak, my best friend, called me and asked if I could go with him to the celebration this year. He told me about the laser light show, and the rockets exploding for the new year. There were copies of the antique spacer ships on display and real-life space pilots to talk to.

"It's one of the biggest shows for kids. We would have a great time and my dad said you could stay over one night, if you were allowed to.  Please, please try. Maybe this time he'll soften up."

"I'll ask, but Uncle never lets me do anything." My stomach churned. 

"But, this is our history. He's got to let you go. He doesn't have to do anything, my parents will take care of us."

I knocked on the library door; I knew Uncle liked to read in the evenings. I want to go to that Spacer Celebration so bad I could taste it.

It didn't matter. Uncle's way was the only way. He wouldn't listen to me


"Uncle said no, Dak. His exact words were, 'Morgan, you have better things to do than waste time watching rockets explode'."

Yeah, like what? Study?"

My friend went with another school mate of ours.

Just you wait, Uncle, I'll find some way to get off this planet.  Just like my parents did. . .one day it will happen. When the stars call, you have to listen. 

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Ten years later, I did just that. 

HAPPY YEAR'S END!

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WC = 494

Observatory Images

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DECEMBER 16-19: WEP Challenge



1000 words or less in your choice of Flash Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction, Playscripts, Artwork, and Photography

For this challenge, we want you to give your favorite celebration a Science Fiction twist. This month's judge is Alex J. Cavanaugh, author of the Cassa Series and 'Dragon of the Stars'.


Take us out of this world with a story told in whatever mode you prefer: fiction or non-fiction, poems, photography, artwork.  For links to more stories and details about the WEP challenges, see the WEP Page: Write, Edit, Publish Thanks to the host bloggers: Denise Covey and Yolanda Renee.

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Can you imagine what a few centuries could change in our society? Do you like what you envision? Would we still have stress? What do you think?


Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and I'll respond! Thanks for dropping by! And don't forget to check the WEP Challenge page for other stories.

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Sunday, December 13, 2015

French Quarter Nocturne by R. Yeomans - A Review

How do you fix something once it's broken? Piece by piece.


Roland Yeomans' novel, 'French Quarter Nocturne'

FRENCH QUARTER NOCTURNE

A city devastated, law and order tossed to the gutter, and citizens abused by thugs - this is what faced the two men who wanted to make things right, or at least as right as they could be. As the men survey the damage, the shadows from the edge of the darkness start to become annoying, hovering like vultures waiting to pounce. 

Muddy stains marked the sides of houses, while children's toys and dead bodies floated among the debris flung inward by Katrina. The only hope for the people in this part of the city is Sam McCord and Father Renfield. When Sam tries to help the people in need, he is rebuffed initially by some who have become bitter waiting for relief from Washington. They were left without water, food or adequate shelter until the government and its associated relief groups were shamed into doing what should have been done immediately. 

This is the setting in which French Quarter Nocturne takes place. It tells a tale woven of the things most of us didn't see when Katrina came to town in New Orleans. News trucks couldn't get into many of the areas, and those who did know what was happening turned a blind eye.

Roland has captured that feeling of loss, of the fear of the helpless and the weak in a city which the water tried to claw back. . .and the one man who was brave enough to take some action. This book will hold your attention as it reminds us you must never assume that the powers that be (in reality, not fiction) will be there when you need them. Recommended reading if you like paranormal stories set in interesting locales, with history based elements.

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The Author - Roland Yeomans
Roland's Blog - Writing in the Crosshairs



This prolific author has many titles to entice you. The formats are Kindle e-books, Audio, and some print titles. Check his blog page and see what might appeal to you. I like the New Orleans and the Egyptian stories, but I have read much of Roland's work, and he never fails to teach me something about mythology, American Native legends and history. 

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Have you read any of Roland's work? Do you have a favorite novel? Which characters do you like? Do you like New Orleans history? 

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here, and I'll respond. Thanks for dropping by!

Be sure to come back on December 16th to read my WEP entry (Write, Edit, Publish). The theme for December is Out of this world Christmas stories (Science Fiction). 

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Reference:

Roland's Blog, Writing in the Crosshairs,

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