Beginning Again.....

 It's been another long while. Almost feels like starting all over again. I was actually shocked to see the date of the last post that I finished and posted. Way too long....

For anyone who's been wondering - I am still here, and am still writing. Though I have only a handful of people waiting on the third installment of the Society in the Shadow of Civilization, I'm really not trying to pull a GRRM on you. OSAS is coming, just not before winter. I'm aiming for before this time next year. If life would only cooperate.

So much has happened, I could write a novel about it, though I don't think it would be very interesting. Mostly, it's been dealing with loss, and strangely enough for a writer, losing people leaves me at a loss for words. 

Slowly, painfully, the words are returning, and I am putting them down again. I have nothing new for you just yet, but, I'm working on it. In the meantime, I'm going to get back to writing here more often again, and will continue sharing chapters of Quest as I continue rewriting it.

Wait a minute, there is something sort of new - The Shadow Watcher and A Shadow in Doubt are now available as audiobooks through Amazon and Audible. I'm working on the paperbacks as well.

For now, that is all I have. I hope all is well with you Dear Reader, and wish you a beautiful day, night or some time in the between....

Roari

Midnight Ramble: In the Heat of....

... the hot, sweaty, panting dog days and tortured, sleepless nights of Summer. Now throw some pandemic in there and slap on a mask. It makes for a lousy few months, doesn't it?

I'm sorry, where did my manners go? Good evening, Dear Reader! I hope you'll forgive my moodiness. I only love summer when I'm near water, and this year has been the driest of my entire life. It's been hot too, with no end to the triple digit days in the ten day forecast. I hope things are a little more tolerable where you are.

Where April Went...

April was a busy month for me again, mostly in all areas of life other than writing. Though, I'm making some progress there, too....

Midnight Rambling: Inspiration. Motivation. Purpose.

When I start writing a story, I don't think at all about themes. Characters and crazy plots, sure. But, themes? Those work their way into the story along the way. 

There are probably more underlying themes in my Society in the Shadow of Civilization series than even I realize. Some are more subtle than others. Maybe too subtle.

On the surface, it's a roller coaster of emotions following a woman who finds out nothing about her life is what she thought it was, and her journey to finding her place in both the real world, and another time. It's also a tale of time-crossed lovers. But, there's more to it than that.... 

Happy Thanksgiving!

via GIPHY

To Sum It Up....

It's over. Finally. And, while the outcome may not be what many of us expected, I know we must look forward.

This quote from Cast Away came to mind today, and I thought it particularly appropriate. It sums up my feelings in the wee hours this morning pretty well. Honestly, it sums up my feelings from day one of this election cycle.

Marking the Milestone

Before Sam Met The Shadow Watcher....

(This post is part of The Shadow Watcher, ten years later, read along...)

Monday marks ten years since the day Sam and her Shadow Watcher first met. For those who wish to join me, I'll be re-reading chapters from The Shadow Watcher and A Shadow in Doubt on their corresponding tenth anniversaries, and posting along the way. 

To set the mood, I'm sharing the original Prologue from The Shadow Watcher, since it's since been taken out. It's some of Sam's backstory, and I wound up working most of it in to the first chapters instead. Still, it gives a hint of what her mindset was, before everything changes....   

For the Love of Thor

It's been just over a week now since our mighty Thor moved on to Valhalla. This big guy was starting to show signs of hip trouble, and last Thursday he was suddenly paralyzed. Somehow, he injured his spine. I can't even begin to explain how much my heart hurt for him. (Oh, that face!) Yet, he remained our brave, strong Beastie Boy right up to the end.

Society (in the Shadow of Civilization) Talk

I've been on a break from the Society since A Shadow in Doubt. Mostly. The timelines, the hopping, the Fore Shadows, and the events unfolding were making my head spin. I have scenes, little bits and pieces, scattered about all over six hundred and seventy some-odd years now. Sometimes the best way for me to stitch the pieces together is to step away and come back later, with a fresh perspective.

So, I wrote something else for NaNoWriMo again this year, then let my brain turn into jelly for most of December. Now, it's eight days into January. Time to get it back together!

Wrapping up 2015 with a Few of My Favorite Things

One the many things my best friend (henceforth to be known as M) and I share is an unhealthy attachment to cats. M's cat, Michonne, had kittens in November, so she had the opportunity for these adorable Christmas kitty pics! (We might have to use them for Christmas cards next year!)

Holiday Wishes....

'Tis the season, Dear Reader!

Wonder

Hidden messages, plain, in sight,

Whisper, Here, true magic thrives.

Nature beckons, See Earth with open eyes,

And Wander, unraveling its Mystery

While marveling, with Wonder,

At what Miracles appear in the ordinary.

Thank you for reading! I hope you're having a beautiful day, night, or sometime in the between....

Roari

Yes, sometimes it does.

"When it rains it pours."

This Morton Salt Girl mug once belonged to my father's mother. I didn't really know her, but I do remember the visit to Chicago when she gave me this mug and its sister, an old locket with my brother's baby pictures in it and a tiny little metal box, which I keep the locket in.

On days, like today, when it seems nothing is going right, I'll drink my green tea from one of the mugs, and remember I'm only here because she persevered through much more difficult times. I'm eternally thankful she did. She raised her four children and two foster children during/post WWII, and could only buy as much salt or sugar as her ration books would allow. Dad also mentioned something about a Victory Garden once.... Anyway, it helps me keep things in perspective.

When it rains, it may pour, but I will always try to find a rainbow after the storm.

I hope you're having a beautiful day, night, or sometime in the between....
~Roari

The Novica Christmas Parade

The Christmas Parade was last night, and I missed it! It's not always easy to get down there for these things, especially when I make so many other trips down for family events during the holidays. Hopefully we'll make it next year.

Novica is based on my hometown. It's not an exact replica, though one commonality is the annual Christmas Parade, traditionally held the first Saturday of December. And, because Sam loves her hometown as much I do, and the timing was right, the parade made its way into A Shadow in Doubt. Since I missed out on the festivities this year, I decided I'd share Sam's version of the '06 parade with you....  

Heavy Hearts in San Bernardino

Posted by ABC7 on Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Dozens of families are going through what no one ever should have to, again. Hundreds of others are dealing with the emotional scars of what they witnessed yesterday, possibly for the rest of their lives. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the horrific events in San Bernardino

November News: Aliens and an Interview

November? Already? Where did this year go? It's day six of NaNoWriMo, but only my third day of writing. I'm close to hitting par for day three though, and I'm about to dive back in...after I write a quick post...

The idea for this year's attempt came to me a while ago. All I really did with it was write some notes about the two main characters, and a few paragraphs of a scene. Then I tucked it away in my treasure trove of story sparks,

Character Spotlight: Adjatay - Keeper of the Tree

(Spoilers, maybe? Be warned....)

Sam first meets Adjatay in The Shadow Watcher, and visits him again in A Shadow in Doubt. Though Adja's appearances are brief, he is a key figure as the keeper of the Flamella tree.

According to www.babynamespedia.com, the name Adjatay is of Cameroon/African origin, meaning prince". It was meant to be; in my head, Michael called him Adja, before I even started looking for names. 

Adja was taken in by the Society in the Shadow of Civilization in the mid-eighteenth century, and in recognizing the purity of his soul, he became a sort of spiritual center for Samuel, and later Sam. It takes a special kind of person to live alone in the jungle for more than a century, without going bananas.

Staring at the Stars

Orion Nebula

Today was my father's birthday, he would have turned seventy-eight. It's been over fourteen years, but, I still miss him every day. Tonight I spent some time watching the clouds dance around the stars.

Between summer camping trips and many weekends at one spot or another along Colorado River, we spent countless hours staring up at the sky. He taught us how to read a star map, and used the big, extra-bright flashlight to point out the constellations. I've always been fond of Orion, probably because it's one of the few that shines through the light pollution back home.

Just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you today, Dad. Love you always.


Photo courtesy of user WikiImages at Pixabay.com 

#SundayLinkParty - Writers Helping Writers

Look at Twitter, Facebook, any social media platform, or anywhere else on the internet, and you'll find hundreds of thousands of writers. One might think we're all extremely social, and perfectly comfortable talking about ourselves and our work. Some of us are, I'm sure, but, not me. I know I'm not the only one.

Writing, in all forms, is a personal process. All writers have their own quirks. Some need music, others need silence. Some need chocolate, others need the rumble in their stomach. Some need coffee, I need Pepsi. It's when the writing is done, when we have to come out of our caves and share our work with the world, many of us struggle with facing our fears.