General

I haven't been here for a while. It seems that I don't get around to blogging very often. I've been reviewing some of my previous writings and finding that I've changed, or at least my writing has changed. One, probably shouldn't look back and compare with what they are doing today. I'm also getting ready to submit my new book in the Adventures of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat. It's complete and ready to go. If anybody needs to have any photos retouched or altered I'd suggest using myphotofixed. com.

Climate Change

It's a well known fact that humans cause climate change on earth. Therefore, because climate change exists it proves that humans inhabit the planet earth. This correlation between mankind and earth's climate change is true and we only have to consult Al Gore to prove it. Recente climate change also exists on a number of other bodies in the Solar System, such as Mars, Io, Europa, Titan, and Triton. This, therefore, also proves that Martians exist, as do Ioians, Europians, Titanians, and Tritonians. I don't know about Venusians. It's difficult to determine if climate change actually occurs on Venus with its dense atmosphere. Isn't it amazing that leading science minds, such as Al Gore's, have managed to prove that intelligent life exist on at least one other planet and a number of moons in the Solar System. Who would have been able to imagine such an occurrence from the simple study of Earth and its mankind caused climate change. I think that this should qualify someone for a Nobel prize. Any takers?

New Book, The Logging Town

I've finished the new book and completed all of the illustrations. If anybody wants to see more a chapter of it let me know. I could post it on my web page. The book has a lot of illustrations.
I'm attempting to reduce my five page synopsis to a couple of pages. It's harder than writing the book to start with.
I've also completed a number of additional illustrations for my "witch" book. I've got about half a dozen to go. A few of them are going to be difficult.

The Logging Town

My third book, The Logging Town, in the Adventures of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat is scheduled to be released on October 1 of this year. This will make it ready for Christmas. This book added to the other two out to make a good package for children who love to read. I've been spending the last few days attempting to devise a method to keep the head from destroying my tomato plants. I've ended up putting a shade over them. I'll know in the next few days if it's doing any good. The heat here in Texas is becoming unbearable. June is normally our month of rain, so far we haven't had any in San Antonio. When we water, which can be only once per week, the yard soaks it up. The next afternoon the ground is still suffering. I think the water is running down into all of the cracks in the ground.

Witches and Castles

I spent a part of this past weekend drawing a castle. It took awhile to get the perspective right. I hope to spend some of this weekend drawing three portraits of witches. I also need to complete my drawing of five witches dancing around a cauldron. Oh, well somebody has to do it. On a totally diffent note, I've started getting tomatoes out of my garden.

Lab Reports, Writing, Superman

I'm thinking about adding to my writing by doing some lab reports. I need to do something else in addition to what I'm doing. I roughed out a concept yesterday for a new science fiction book. I hope to find time to start it in the next few weeks. I've completely redone my flyer for my book, "Astronaut Training." I've added a lot more info to it but have run into a size constraint. It's, as always, a balance between what you want to do and what you can do. I'm going to stay away from the new Superman Movie. It is UnAmerican as the phrase "Truth, Justice, and the American Way," has been altered to remove the American part. I'll to purchase or watch the movie.

Science Fiction, Future writing

My garden is growing. The tomato plants are getting close to being three feet tall. Hopefully I'll remember to water them. I've spent some time today working on the illustrations for my book about witches, "The Land of G'lop." I've finished seven of them, roughed out one, and have only ten to fifteen more to do. As slow as I'm working that's a couple of months work. Oh, well they'll get done when I can get them done. I'm waiting for the third book in, "The Adventures of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat" to get back from the editor. I've also redone my flyers. I've put more info on them, perhaps too much. I'd still like to get some more interest in my full length science fiction novels. I need to have some success so that I'll have time to do more writing. I have the third book in my trilogy to do. It's going to be about five hundred or so pages long. I've got it all laid out and know in what direction I want to go but I don't want to start it as it's going to be somewhat complex. There are going to be a lot of characters and settings in it as the action moves farther out into space--both known and unknown. Maybe they'll go looking for God, or at least what could be God.

Finished Third Book in Cosmic Cat Collection

I've finished my third book in the "Adventures of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat," collection. This one takes the trio to a logging town. Where they suffer through many adventures as they explore the town and its surrounding attractions. It's over a hundred pages long with twenty-seven illustrations. It will be around 200 hundred pages long when it's reduced to its publishing size. I don't know whether I should start on the next one or go back to the book on witches I'm working on. I need to do about ten to fifteen illustrations to finish it. The text is basically done. I also took some time to put flowers in one of the beds in front of the house. I'll do another one this Thursday if nothing else comes up.

Science Fiction Author

I've finished writing my third novel in "The Adventures of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat." I'm now working to clean up the drawings and merge them into a single whole. As soon as this is done I'll send it out to couple readers working as my editors. I've also spent the last few days putting my garden together. Mostly tomatoes and bell peppers with a few added egg plants. I spent most of today putting a new hot water heater in my Mother-in-laws house. I'll finish the garden, hopefully, tomorrow and get back to my writing and marketing my completed works.

Getting Published

The hardest thing is not actually writing a book, it's getting it pulished. It's necessary, with the present state of our society, that every effort be taken to put our works in the hands of readers. The more people that are exposed to our work the more likely it is that it will be successful. It does almost no good to spend a lot of time attemped to get a work published by submitting it to publishers or agents. It's first necessary to establish a name for ourself in the local area. If we can sell enough locally the work will be noticed and sold nationally. It's just setting the time aside to dedicate to its selling that is difficult. We just have to do it.

Section of new book

I thought I'd post a short section of a book I'm getting ready to submit for publication. I seem to have a case of "rewritise." Everytime I look at one my writtings I want to improve it. At some point I'm going to have to be able to say, "It's finished."

It took them a half hour to get to the falls but they had to stop and talk before they reached this point as the noise of the falls would prevent them from hearing each other. “When we get outside of the valley you two,” Joseph said as he looked alternately at Cephas and Jael, go up the trail where the trees come together and set up the net. We'll get in the bushes along the way and observe our young hunters as they approach. If we decide they should be captured I'll whistle like this. If they’re not to be captured Adina will jump out, making a lot of noise and run down the hill. She’ll slip as she runs along the narrow path above the deep water below the falls, where the surface of the water isn’t smooth. The path turns and will hide her from them. She’ll scream and fall into the water. She’ll stay under and swim behind the waterfall and wait for us. Hopefully the young men will think she has drowned and will go home.”
They managed to get into position before the two hunters could get past them.
As the young men came abreast of the bushes Adina, Jabin and her father were hiding in she jumped out before her father could stop her. She did this quickly and bumped into Abram, knocking him down. Shad attempted to leap over Abram to grab her, but in his haste to catch her he knocking Abram down, just as he was starting to get up. This resulted in both hunters being piled on top of each other on the ground. This gave Adina over a hundred feet head start.
“Well Jabin it's apparent that she didn’t take a liking to them,” Joseph said matter-of-factly.
“Yes, but it’s sort of strange for her to decide so abruptly and risk so much by almost getting caught. She doesn’t always seem to have good judgment," Jabin said.
"Let's wait and see what she has to say," Joseph replied.
Following a fruitless search for Adina the two hunters left the area. Everybody else stayed where they were until they left. When all was clear the men left the bushes and started towards the waterfall where they met Adina as she walked towards them from the direction of the waterfall.
"Adina, you have long been known as a woman of quick decisions but did you have to reject the two young men so rapidly,” Joseph said. “Did they have the wrong color hair or something? Perhaps they had the wrong type of clothes on?" This was asked with more than a bit of sarcasm in his voice. His daughter had disappointed him. He truly wanted her to accept one of the young men as her mate. He wanted her to take over as head of the group; he knew Jabin really wasn’t capable of running the valley and city properly, at least in his opinion.
"Father you saw what I did and yet you saw not,” Adina said. “While we were setting up our trap for the young men I got to thinking what would we do with two of them? Won’t their group come looking for them? It would be a catastrophic blow to them to have two young men missing at the same time. Also they appeared to be heading directly towards our eastern entrance. Even though the entrance to our valley is hidden behind the waterfall they could find it if they looked hard enough. I do like the looks of one of them. I’d be prepared to accept either one. I think we had better try and lure just one of them here. I don't know how we're going to do it yet, but I think we should discuss ways. I’m sorry to have messed up your capture but I feel it may be best this way.”
"Yes, your reasoning is sound, but you should have let us handle scaring them away," her father replied.
"If I'd have let you scare them away they would have found out something about our group. It’s best they only saw me and they think I'm dead.”