Summer Rerun: The Camel from Setara's Genie

Still summer, still re-runrning. I kind of enjoyed writing about THE CAMEL, an extremely minor character in the book, "Setara's Genie."

The camel is known as the ship of the desert and is one of the most common draft animals in the middle east. A 1001 Arabian Nights style story like Setara's Genie must have a camel somewhere in the mix.

In one chapter, Setara is attempting to learn to ride a camel. She doesn't see the purpose since she had a perfectly wonderful horse, Nasreen.

We looking in from the outside know something Setara doesn't. A tradition of the Sultan of Semidor (the area in which Setara lives) says young girls coming to a marriageable age (sixteen) ride into the city on the back of a pure white camel. Sort of a Debutante Coming Out Party.

Setara doesn't add two plus two and realize that the ceremonial arrival marks her as a woman ready to be wed to some merchant or even the Sultan's son (who's in the market for a bride).

The spice girl, Najda, who is the listener to Abu Nuwas's tales about Setara, is in the same predicament. She's on the verge of a forced marriage to an old man. As a fourth wife, she knows she will not be treated very well by wives 1, 2, and 3. But she's stuck in a society which gives her no choice on her potential bridegroom.

This all comes back to the camel Setara must ride the camel to display herself as a possible member of some man's harem.

Excerpt

Setara screamed and flung herself from the saddle. “Ow! Ow! Stop! Whoa! Stop!” She dropped six feet, right on her tailbone, screamed again, and burst into tears. Setara’s faithful companion, Sheik, ran circles around her, alternately barking at the camel and whining at his mistress.

Dukak, the camel driver, rushed over and grabbed the dromedary’s reins. He tapped the big camel’s knee, and the beast obligingly folded its long legs. On his knees, the camel turned his head to face the crying girl. He drew his head back then snaked it forward, spitting a huge wad of cud between Setara’s shoulder blades.

“Mistress, you should wait for the camel to kneel. You fell from so high, no wonder you are hurt.” The camel driver pulled out a handkerchief and plucked the wad from her back.

Setara stopped crying and struggled to her feet. Dukak offered his hand, but she ignored him. She glared at the camel, which continued chewing his cud. “He stinks, too!”

“Are you injured?” Dukak’s brow furrowed with concern.

“Not much,” Setara said, rubbing her abused backside. “A horse is a much finer means of transportation, Dukak. I fail to see why I need to learn to ride a camel. They sway and bounce around too much and that saddle! Why is it made of wood, not padded leather?"

Dukak ignored her question and waved his hands as if fending her off. “It’s expected, Mistress Setara. Women must enter the sultan’s palace grounds on the back of a pure white camel. So it is written, and so it shall be.” Dukak spoke as if this explained it all.

“I won’t be going until next week, so I have plenty of time to learn how to ride later...much later.”

Dukak ignored her statement once more. He looked at the camel’s saddle, rubbing his chin in thought. “Perhaps I could modify a horse saddle to fit. It requires a much longer girth and padding to protect the camel’s back.”

“How about some padding to protect my...back?”

Dukak didn’t bother answering since he was busy measuring the camel for a new saddle.

Setara limped away in a dark mood. It was stupid to go through all this just for a ten-minute trip through the city streets. She didn’t want to meet the boring old Sultan of Semidor anyway. Setara sighed. She did look forward to seeing Hasib, the sultan’s flying horse, again, but she had no interest in the sultan...or his son. When she thought of Hasib, it reminded her of their grand adventure the last time they met. Fighting pirates and rescuing Hasib’s mate, Habiba. Setara thought fondly of the good times.

* * *

Setara's Genie is available in ebook and print formats on Amazon and on Smashwords in all ebook formats.

Pre-Order "Through Better & Worse"

By C.J. "Country" James, a contemporary western romance unlike any of those lightweight know-nothing-about-real-cowboys romances.

Getting a boot in the door almost costs Jake Jarvis his life.  It does cost him two hats, some jail time, and a whole bunch of money. 

But Dree won't see him for dust.

Guns, roses, and the flow of raw whiskey take them both Through Better & Worse.

Pre-Order Now. Available August 25th on Amazon.

Review coming soon on The Contrary Canadian Blog.

Excerpt - Chapter 1

Dree downshifted from fifth to fourth, but it wasn’t enough. Her old pickup just didn’t have enough guts to pull the hills, anymore. She dropped to third, losing momentum, and the truck’s speed stabilized at thirty-five. She put on her hazard lights.

Behind her, several cars came up fast and, after following for a minute, honked, then started weaving in and out across the center line, hoping for an opportunity to pass. One of the Aussie dogs sitting on the seat next to her whined and glanced back—Chip, the more timid one. Laddie, the more aggressive but smartest, got down on the floor. There wasn’t a turn-out where she could pull over to let the cars by on the narrow, two-lane highway, its asphalt crumbling at the edges of a non-existent shoulder, remnant snow berms still melting off over the steep drop-off into the ditch.

A semi passed going the other way, its wash buffeting the trailer enough that it swayed. White-knuckled, Dree fought the urge to over correct. She got to the crest and her pickup gained ground. She got it up to forty-five, then kept it there as she started the descent.

The cars behind her were piling up. Oncoming traffic was steady, though, and there was still no turn-out. There wouldn’t be until the bottom of the hill. Behind her, the line of cars was getting longer. And angrier, she guessed. Only half-a-mile to go to the bottom.

The oncoming traffic finally cleared.

In the rearview, she saw a fancy, black RAM crew cab dive out into the oncoming lane from three cars back. Ahead, a car came around a curve. Then two more, another semi behind them. “Omigod. You fool!”

The pickup roared past her.

Panicked, she jerked the wheel just in time to avoid collision with the black truck’s rear-end as its driver dove for safety, nearly clipping her. Her passenger side tires caught the pavement edge and gravel. The trailer yawed, pulling her pickup’s back-end sideways. She hit the trailer brakes and prayed, her grip ferocious, painful, on the wheel. They were going over. Chip joined Laddie on the floor.

But they didn’t go over. They steadied. She swore. Fought hysteria, red-darkness rising. And she cursed the black pickup for his stupidity. “Jackass!”

Summer Rerun: Excerpt from Eagle Quest

A quiet, little adventure book, "Eagle Quest" has some surprises, twists and turns for young readers who'd like some adventure and danger, but aren't really into blood-soaked gore fests generally passed off as tween and YA fiction. Nor is there any sex. Yeah, a couple of the kids kind of like each other, but they're not quite ready for the whole girlfriend-boyfriend thing. Mostly, it's about friends, trust, and kindness. Buying for your kids or grandkids, but want to be a little on the conservative side about what your 10 to 13 year old reads? "Eagle Quest" might be just the book for gifting to your kid or grandkid.

EAGLE QUEST

Fiona, Hap, Billy, and Mitch make an odd set of friends, as different from the usual high school crowd as they are from each other. Mitch, the oldest of the four, is a half-breed Native American, adopted by white parents.

Troubled that he doesn't know his tribe, he avidly studies Native American history and lore. Learning the nearby Bear Valley Wildlife Refuge is a bald eagle nesting site, he wants to add an eagle feather to his medicine bag and explore the refuge as a site for his Vision Quest, a Native American rite of passage.

He and his three friends get far more than an overnight campout as they encounter a black bear, an old man living in the refuge, and a pair of eagle poachers. Bringing the poachers to justice, they test their courage and gain confidence in themselves and each other.

Cover photo taken in Oregon by Coralie (http://www.MrsRoadRunner.com ), professional wildlife photographer.

Kindle (currently marked down by Amazon to $.99) and Print ($8.75) editions available at Amazon.com.

Excerpt

The kids walked through the last clumps of ferns and came out to the edge of the clearing. As Hap predicted, the massive trunk of a Douglas fir filled most of the clearing. Already partially disintegrated into rotted wood, it had obviously been there for years. Still, it was impressive with a diameter of four or five feet blocking the view to the far side of the clearing.

“Look at where the knot fell out of it,” Fiona said pointing toward one end where a squirrel’s bushy tail stuck out of a knothole. “Nice little home he’s got there.”

They scanned the length of the fallen giant searching for more bolt-holes for squirrels or whatever other small animals might have taken up residence. Fiona and Billy started across the clearing to take a closer look.

“Oh my God!” Fiona screamed as a huge, black head rose from the other side of the fallen tree.

“Shush, shush. Quiet or you’ll get his attention,” Black Crow whispered. “Let’s just back out of the clearing.” Billy and Fiona took his advice and backed away from the fallen log, carefully watching the bear’s head.

The large black bear heard them talking and began pulling itself up to the top of the tree trunk.

“Run!” Billy gasped and grabbed Fiona’s arm to pull her out of the clearing, but Black Crow didn’t move.

“No, no. Don’t run,” Hap hissed, “It’ll chase us.”

Hap, Fiona, and Billy backed out of the clearing, leaving Black Crow facing the bear alone. The three kids stopped several feet outside the clearing, looking back.

“Come on, Mitch,” Billy urged. “Get away while he’s still on the tree.”

However, Black Crow didn’t seem to hear him, or just didn’t pay attention. He just stood watching as the bear humped himself to the top of the tree trunk, then slid down the side closest to where the boy stood transfixed.

“We can’t leave him,” Billy whispered.

“Just what do you expect us to do?” Hap answered in the same low tone.

“I don’t know.”

The bear stood on all fours with his head raised as he sniffed the air. He moved his head side to side, seeking the source of the odor his keen nose detected–the smell of a human being.

Black Crow stood stock still, barely breathing. He watched as the bear took a step toward him. The bear continued waving his head back and forth, sniffing as he did. Black Crow thought the bear might not see him in the dappled light and shade of the clearing. Then the bear looked him straight in the eye.

Neither boy nor bear moved for long seconds. The bear took another step forward, and then another. Black Crow moved only his eyes left and right, but saw nothing in the clearing except himself and the bear. The bear was watching him.

The bear continued its slow approach until he was with a few feet of Black Crow. It reared up on his hind legs. Towering over the boy, the bear sniffed again. Black Crow saw the bear’s eyes raise from his own to look at something behind him. The boy thought the bear must have noticed the sounds the others made as they ran away through the trees.

The bear looked down again into Black Crow’s eyes. Black Crow thought he should avert his eyes, not look at the bear directly. He read somewhere a bear would consider looking into its eyes a threat. Yet he couldn’t wrench himself away from gazing into the deep, black eyes. Intelligent eyes, he thought. He felt the bear was considering him, measuring his strength and will. Black Crow knew, somehow, if he looked away, the bear would think less of him.

Finally, the black bear dropped again to all fours, turned around and walked away at a leisurely pace. At the edge of the clearing, he turned again and looked in Black Crow’s eyes. Then, impossibly, the huge creature disappeared like a puff of smoke dispersed by a breeze.

Black Crow knew with absolute certainty, as if a voice had spoken to him within his mind, the bear was his spirit brother.

He heard noises behind him and turned to see the three others slowly coming back into the clearing. He smiled. They hadn’t run. These were his true friends.

“Wow. That was amazing,” Billy gasped, “just totally, freaking amazing.”

Summer Reruns: Rune from Witches of Galdorheim

The Witches of Galdorheim: Spellslinger, Bad Spelling, Midnight Oil, Scotch Broom
A klutzy witch, a shaman's curse, a quest to save her family. Can Kat find her magic in time?
$2 each book or $3 for the Set at Amazon and Smashwords

*Spellslinger is free at Smashwords with the User Sets the Price Option

Rune

Kat, the main character of the Witches of Galdorheim series, can hardly leave home without her baby brother tagging along. True, he's not only be helpful, but has saved her butt more than once.

Did I mention Rune is half vampire? I know that sounds like a tired old paranormal trope these days, but I promise you it was my idea first. Matter of fact one publisher told me that it was impossible for someone to be fathered by a vampire and a human mother. I beg to differ.

C'mon! It's paranormal. If vamps can sparkle or hunt their own kind or team up with demons, then my boy can be half vampire. Books I've seen released in the last few of years have used the half-vamp to good advantage. Just to let all of you know, Rune was first conceived (haha) in 2007, so I'm pretty darn sure I got there first or darned near the beginning.

What does Rune look like? Actually, I picture Rune as a young Adam Lambert, but there just aren't many 12-year-olds around who can take on that drop-dead glam rocker look.

Rune shows up in many excerpts this month on my blog and on my hosts for the month.
Here's an excerpt from "Spellslinger," which takes place before the events in "Bad Spelling."

Excerpt from Spellslinger

“Aunt Thordis,” he called. Her office door behind the raised dais was closed, which usually meant ‛go away and leave me alone’.

This time, though, the door swung open and the tall, blonde witch came through. She glanced at Rune, and her lips twitched to an almost-smile. “Well, Rune, it looks like you’ve got something weird planned.” She walked across the platform to its edge, then floated to the floor. Thordis looked him up and down, put her hands on her hips, and snorted. “I do not believe, nephew, that we have any ranches close by.”

“Oh, this isn’t a cowboy outfit. I’m the lawman.” A shiny star appeared on his shirt over his heart saying “Sheriff Rune.”

The regal witch nodded slowly. “I see. What does that have to do with me?”

“I want to spell up a town like in the old west in the United States. It’s got to have some bad guys. Maybe some bandits or cattle rustlers.” He touched his Stetson. “I’m the good guy.”

“Again, why would this interest me in the slightest?”

“I’m not good enough at spellcasting yet to make a whole town.” Rune stuck his thumbs in his gun belt and said, with what he hoped was an authentic western drawl, “I’d be right pleased, ma’am, if’n you’d loan me some magic.”

“A whole town? Where exactly are you going to put this town?”

“Oh, outside the village dome. There’s that big glacier near the ice cave. That should be plenty of room. All I need is the street, a saloon, ‛cause that’s where the bad guys hang out, the sheriff’s office, a trading post, and some horses tied up outside the saloon.”

The corners of Thordis’s mouth turned down, and she heaved a deep sigh. “You’re not asking for much, are you?”

Rune pressed his palms together and donned his best begging face. “Pretty please.” Thordis may give him a hard time, but he knew deep down she loved him. He’d just have to wear her down.

Thordis shook her head, but said, “All right, but I’ll only give you two hours of booster magic.”

Rune grinned. “That’ll be plenty, Aunt Thordis. Thanks!”

With a quick spell, Thordis enhanced Rune’s magic for his project. When she finished, she grabbed his chin and leaned over him. “Stay out of trouble, boy. Indiscriminate use of magic can be dangerous.” Rune nodded his head vigorously, and she let him go.

Summer Reruns: The Judge from "Missing, Assumed Dead"

MISSING, ASSUMED DEAD
Prejudice, murder, insanity, suicide: Every small town has its secrets.
Buy the Ebook, Print, or Audio at Amazon
Buy the Audio Book at Audible.com (best price is through Amazon) or iTunes
Audio Samples on SoundCloud for all my books.

FEAR AND POWER

I didn't want to let the Judge rant on about his prejudices, so I'm covering for him. This is one mean, nasty old man. But one soft spot in his heart does him in.

In "Missing, Assumed Dead," a self-proclaimed 'judge' runs a small Justice Court (really only traffic court) in a tiny town in Southeast Oregon. He has appointed his nephew, George Leiper, de facto town police chief. Of  course, there is no police department, but George loves to wear the uniform and enjoy the comforts of his own office in the City Hall.

Nobody cares to oppose the Judge as long as he keeps his connection to the White Power groups away from Rosewood.

But that's not always the case. He brings the darkness of the Aryan Brotherhood right to the town's front door when he forces his daughter, Miranda, to marry one of the brotherhood, Cole Bristow. Mostly, the Judge want to get his daughter away from a Basque shepherd, Salvadore. When Salvadore disappears mysteriously, the town populace whispers behind closed doors, but don't dare cross the Judge with his connections to the White Power group.

Soon after bearing her daughter, Mirabel, Miranda commits suicide rather than remain married to Cole. The whole town worries, but fear keeps the secrets hidden.

The judge becomes the guardian of his granddaughter, but keeps her away from the rest of the town. Even her uncle admits that she's not right in the head. Something happened to her around the time Salvadore disappeared. What happened to Salvadore, and why is Mirabel insane? Is the Basque shepherd her father rather than Cole, Miranda's husband?

Here's an excerpt from the book that shows you a little about Judge Leiper.

The next morning, George drove up to the Vasco place. He didn’t see anything suspicious but wrote a note for Salvadore to contact him. When he hadn’t heard two days later, he went back. The note was still on the door. He walked around the shack but didn’t see anything except Salvadore’s walking stick, the shepherd’s crook, leaning against the tool shed door. He looked inside, but nothing seemed amiss.

Vasco rarely went anywhere without that stick. George went back to town, worried something might have happened to the old man. He decided to tell his uncle about it. As a Justice of the Peace, he had close contacts with the Sheriff’s Office.

“That’s what I found, Uncle, um, Judge. I think the old man mighta wandered off and got lost.”

Judge Leiper stared at his nephew with watery eyes, then pulled a big, white handkerchief from his suit pocket. He wiped the sweat from his pasty face, nearly as pale as the cloth.

“Don’t think there’s need to worry. He’s a tough old guy and knows those hills like the back of his hand.”

George hesitated to speak up to the judge, but he had to do his duty. “I’ll contact the sheriff and see if I can get them to come out to search for him.”

Narrowing his beady eyes, the judge’s voice went from friendly to mean. “Now, you don’t want to be bothering the sheriff. I said not to worry. I’ll take care of it.”

“But—”

The judge waved his hand at George. “You just forget about it. I’ll take care of it.”

Summer Reruns: A Farmer's Daughter Becomes a Warrior Princess

Today, I’m interviewing Faizah, the star of the novel, to find out a little more about her life and times.

(Marva) Keef haalak, Faizah?

(Faizah) Kowayyesah, Marva.

(Marva) Laww Smahti? Actually, Faizah, I don’t speak Arabic, so if you could indulge me by using English, I’d appreciate it.

(Faizah giggles) Min fadlik. No problem.

(Marva) You attend a small school run by Master Wafai. How did you start school when you’re from a poor family of low status?

(Faizah) Luck, I guess. When I was only five, my mother was giving birth. The delivery was difficult, and my mother was in great pain. My father sent my brother, Ali, to Master Wafai. He came, of course, and helped ease my mother’s birth pangs. Without him, she might have died. Unfortunately, my sister did not survive.

(Marva) I’m sorry to hear that. But you credit Master Wafai for saving your mother’s life. Is that what got you interested in the medicine he practices?

(Faizah) Indeed. I watched closely as he blended the pain killing mixture. Beid el djinn is the root of the mandrake plant. It stifles pain and helps a person to sleep. Too much, however, would kill. It’s the knowledge of which plants to use and how much I wanted to learn. Master Wafai watched me watching him. He asked my father’s permission for me to attend school to learn the healing arts. My father saw the wisdom of his daughter having this knowledge.

Laughs Of course, he doesn’t know that Master Wafai also taught me to read and write, mathematics, and some simple spells. Master Wafai says that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, which is why one pursues as much knowledge as possible. It leaves off being dangerous and, instead, becomes useful.

(Marva) Master Wafai is wise. How about Bahaar and Harib, your friends? How did they happen to go to Master Wafai’s school?

(Faizah) Bahaar was sent by his brother, Sayid. Since they have no parents, Sayid must leave the village for days at a time as he works for the caravan drivers. Being a good brother, he sought to keep his hot-headed little brother out of trouble by making him go to school. Harib’s father is wealthy, but he comes to school mostly because Bahaar and I are his friends.

(Marva) Was there a turning point in your search for Wafai?

(Faizah) Absolutely. Anahita, the goddess of wisdom, appeared to me and told me I had to lead the boys against an evil enemy.

(Marva) Wow. How does a farmer's daughter turn into a warrior leader?

(Faizah) I'm certain Anahita gave me strength and courage, but I was also prepared by my life. As a farmer's daughter, I was no stranger to hard work in the fields and at home. As a student of Wafai, I learned about the world beyond my own village. So, strength from work and wisdom from learning were already with me. Anahita gave me the confidence.

(Marva) Now that the adventures recounted in your book are through, what do you plan to do with yourself?

(Faizah) Master Wafai is staying with the Simurghs for awhile, so he encouraged me to continue my studies of the healing arts at the Temple of Anahita in Gamaal. After that, who knows?

(Marva) I wish you the best. Finally, can you tell us about the day Master Wafai went missing.

(Faizah) Perhaps reading about it in the words you have put down in the book with my name upon the cover is the best way to do that.

(Marva) Absolutely. Thanks for talking to me today.

Excerpt:

One by one, they stepped through the archway into the courtyard. The air hung heavy with the heat, and only the hum of insects broke the silence. The door into Wafai’s house hung open.

Faizah thought this strange. “He’d not leave the door open. It lets in the heat.”

Bahaar glanced around the courtyard. “You wait here. I’ll look.” He entered the house while the other three gathered under the palm tree for whatever relief its shade could provide. Faizah soon grew impatient; Bahaar was taking a long time inside. She was just about to go in after him when he appeared in the doorway.

“He’s not here, and everything’s a mess!”

“Should we wait outside for him?” Parvaiz asked. “What is the proper thing to do?”

“No, we can wait inside. He should be back soon,” Faizah replied. Bahaar stepped aside as she walked through the open door. Harib and Parvaiz followed close behind her.

“Goodness. It’s hotter in here than outside,” Faizah said, fanning her face. “Close the door, Harib. Maybe it will cool off some.”

Harib reached for the door string and gave it a tug. The top hinge broke free, and the door slumped across the opening.

Startled, Harib gasped, “Uh oh, I didn’t mean to break it!”

Parvaiz examined the hinges. “You didn’t. Someone already pulled the hinge right out of the wall.”

“Something’s definitely wrong here,” Harib voiced what they were all thinking. Master Wafai usually kept his home neat as a pin, but not today. Besides the broken door, someone had scattered Wafai’s possessions on the floor. The chair was askew from the table and the curtain partially pulled back from the alcove where he had his bed.

Harib continued, “Maybe he had to leave in a hurry. Maybe somebody got hurt or something.”

Faizah considered this and then answered slowly, “Maybe.” She pointed toward the shelf. “But he didn’t take his medicine bag. Let’s check with the neighbors. It’s possible someone saw him leave.”

They filed out through the courtyard and turned left into the lane. The inn three doors down showed the only signs of activity, so they headed there. The public room was dark and cool after the stifling heat outside. The four friends clustered just inside the door while their eyes adjusted to the dim light. Bahaar carefully latched the door behind them to keep out the heat.

“What do you kids want?” Faluj, the innkeeper asked when they entered.

Harib stepped forward to do the talking. His father’s status in the village guaranteed Faluj would pay more attention to him than any of the others.

After salaaming to show his respect, Harib told the innkeeper, “We’re looking for Master Wafai. We were supposed to have lessons from him this afternoon, but he’s not at home, and his door is broken. We’re worried. Do you know anything?” he asked.

Faluj rubbed his stubbled chin for a moment in thought. “There may be no connection, but some mountain nomads came in here last night. I overheard one of them say their chieftain’s son was sick.” He shrugged, “Maybe they wanted Wafai to treat him.”

“Possibly,” Bahaar agreed, “but it doesn’t look like he left voluntarily.”

“That’s right.” Faizah didn’t try to hide the concern in her voice. “His medicine bag was still on the shelf. He wouldn’t go to treat someone without his potions.”

The four exchanged worried glances. There might be some innocent explanation for all of this, but it didn’t look good. What could have happened to their teacher?

* * *

FAIZAH'S DESTINY

The gods are at war and only a farmer’s daughter can save the world from Armageddon.

Blurb:

The village magician has gone missing. His four pupils think he has left a clue to his whereabouts in the Magicalis Bestialis--the book of magical creatures. They must seek the help of the elusive Simurgh, the mythical birds who know all the secrets of the universe.

However, this is not an easy camping trip into the mountains. Spirits, gods, and demons confront the four friends, who are not aware they’re being set up by otherworldly forces for a much larger task.

A farmer’s daughter, Faizah is chosen to lead the humans in the battle. She must persuade a slave, an orphan, and a rich merchant’s son to join in the battle on the side of good. Although divided by Dev, the evil god of war, the teens must band together to find the Simurgh, rescue their teacher, and stave off Armageddon.

Available at:
Amazon in both ebook and print.
In all ebook formats at Smashwords.

Bucking the System

I repriced my ebooks on Amazon from $1.00 to $3.00. The concept of the x.99 pricing was to subliminally suggest the item was cheaper by a buck when it was only cheaper by a penny. I decided to "buck" the system. I'll work on the print books next.

Witches of Galdorheim Series (3-Volume Book)

   Bad Spelling

   Midnight Oil

   Scotch Broom

   Spellslinger

Faizah's Destiny

Setara's Genie

Missing, Assumed Dead

Eagle Quest

First Duty

Ultimate Duty

Tales of a Texas Boy

Mixed Bag Short Story Collection

Mixed Bag II: Supersized












  Lemons and Other Kid Tales
(Now Free on Smashwords)

  Fish Story: A Three Story Sampler
(Free on KindleUnlimited)

Oh, Right! About Those Audio Books

Time to mention the audio books again. Write a comment and get a free one of your choice. You already missed your chance to get them for $1.99 each. You snooze, you lose. But don't snooze now. Here's your chance to get a freebie.

See all my audio books on audible.com 

Spellslinger on audio - Listen on SoundCloud Free!

Audible 

Amazon  Ebook $.99

iTunes

Slide show on YouTube

Bad Spelling - Book 1 of Witches of Galdorheim

Listen to free snips on SoundCloud

Amazon

Audible

iTunes 

Midnight Oil - Book 2 of Witches of Galdorheim

Audible  

Amazon 

Itunes

Slide show on YouTube

Scotch Broom - Book 3 of Witches of Galdorheim.

Audible 

Amazon

iTunes

Tales of a Texas Boy
Amazon
Audible 

iTunes 

Missing, Assumed Dead

Audible 

Amazon 

iTunes

Review of The Desperate Case of the Diamond Chip

The Desperate Case of the Diamond Chip by Pendred Noyce
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

See that cell phone sitting next to you like a 24-hour a day nanny? Your iPad, computer, laptop, even your flat screen TV?

None of those things were around in 1967 when the computer chip (integrated circuit) was created by Robert Noyce (and some other guys). But it didn't just appear out of thin air.

This is where "The Desperate Case of the Diamond Chip" fills in the history of the invention ranging all the way back to Mendeleev's creation of the first Periodic Table in the 19th Century. Discovery built upon discovery in a lightning fast journey from "what's an atom?" through to your multiple electronic devices.

I mention Robert Noyce particularly because he was the father of author, Pendred Noyce. It must make her proud her father was in the thick of discovery, working at the top electronics companies in Silicon Valley.

Anyway, that's not about the book, which is about the journey explored by Mae and Clinton, two school kids looking for a science project. They had a little help from a future organization named G.A.S.--Galactic Academy of Science--which provide them with a time machine allowing them to go into the past to talk to famous people for brief periods.

Beginning with Doctor Mendeleev (remember the Periodic Table?), Nils Bohr who refined the elements table and figured out the makeup of atoms, and the brilliant scientists, John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, Robert Shockley (a major jerk, but no dummy), and Robert Noyce who joined with others to build Intel, the largest chip manufacturer in the world. I'll bet your computer has an Intel Inside sticker on it.

Since my own computer background began shortly after the beginning of Intel, I was delighted that I was "there" when it all happened. Like many others, we just couldn't conceive how far the technology would go. But what we were doing would have been impossible without those who came before. Well, we know how far in 2015, but what's ahead of us in 2050, 2100, and onward? I wish I could be a member of G.A.S. so I could find out.

The G.A.S. series are always a delight to read. Meant for kids, the books will aid parents to keep up with their children as the new discoveries occur. And you can learn all about zombies (in another of the G.A.S. series).

I look forward to reading the entire series. Even us old folks can learn a thing or two. Put on your thinking cap and dive in.

View all my reviews

Tales of a Texas Boy Excerpt #15

TALES OF A TEXAS BOY

Frank Norfleet - Detective

Oil became big business in Texas. Confidence men came with the wildcatters and sometimes regular folk fell for some scheme or other. When it happened, it was nice to have a real detective as a friend.

Mr. Norfleet was an important man in many ways; he was the first foreman of the Spade Ranch, started up his own ranch, raised racehorses, and was a darn good detective. The FBI even gave him a special award for bringin’ in all sorts of lawbreakers. His specialty was confidence men, because that’s what got him started as a detective.

In 1919, Mr. Norfleet was back east and got taken in by a gang claiming to be mule brokers. He was told he could make good money in the cotton business, but he had to put up a lot of money, near forty-five thousand dollars. Well, he was a successful rancher, so he had that kind of money to invest. The con man and his partners ran off with the money and left Mr. Norfleet high and dry.

He did not take well to bein’ gypped, so he went after the men. He followed them all over the country, even into Canada and Mexico. He wore disguises to help him meet up with other bad men to get information. Eventually, he found all of the men; three in California, one in Salt Lake City, and the last two in Georgia. Catchin’ those crooks made him famous and a lot of folks started comin’ to him for help. He had a reputation of always gettin’ his man, just like the Texas Rangers. He even wrote a book about it, Pa said. Pa tol’ me the story, but he says never to bring it up to Mr. Norfleet, as it was a raw spot for him.

Pa knew him because Pa was a good horse doctor. He’d gone down to the Norfleet Ranch and helped out when a sickness was takin’ the horses. Pa managed to save a few of Mr. Norfleet’s racehorses and that not only made Pa some money, but also made the two of them good friends.

Now, Pa needed a favor back. He’d wrote a letter to Mr. Norfleet and was invited to come down to the ranch to lay out the whole story. So, that’s how come we were driving over a hundred miles: to get help from one of the best detectives at findin’ grifters, swindlers, and all-round no-goods.

* * *

Read the rest of the story and more in Tales of a Texas Boy.

Tales of a Texas Boy is available in Large Print on Amazon. It's also in ebook format on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. And if your father has vision issues beyond the help of large print (as my father did), the audio book is available at audible.com.

Tales of a Texas Boy Excerpt #14

TALES OF A TEXAS BOY

One Fine Dog

It was about a quarter mile across the pasture, so we’d have to walk on over to get them movin’. Pete, Mr. Braddock’s dog, would do most of the work, but even a real good sheepdog couldn’t move the whole flock all by hisself. And, we’d need to cut our own outta the flock.

First, we’d have to figure out which were our ewes. We’d docked their ears with our mark, but you had to get close enough to read it. Since the ewes were skittish right after lambing, jest like moms everywhere, they worried about their young’uns. We were countin’ on motherly love to help us match the lambs belonging to our ewes.

Finally, Pa and Mr. Braddock were done talkin’, so we commenced to walk across the pasture. Pete knew what was up so he took off runnin’ toward the flock. The ground was still spongy with the spring rains, so it was hard goin’ for us. We squished along as best we could. I began to get the idea this wasn’t goin’ to be so easy after all.

Pete was near the flock by now and he started barkin’ up a storm.

“What’s got into him? He knows better’n that,” Mr. Braddock said with a puzzled look.

Then I saw what was gettin’ Pete so riled up. I pointed up and Pa’s and Mr. Braddock’s eyes followed where I was pointin’. A big golden eagle was soarin’ above the herd. He was circling round so it was clear he was lookin’ to take a lamb. The sheep got wind of him and started to get excited.

A flock of sheep on the move is like a school of fish. The front ewe turns one way and the whole bunch of them turn with her just like they were readin’ her mind. It’s quite a sight to behold. First they swarmed one way, then Pete came up to the flank and turned them the other. They were weavin’ back and forth across the field with Pete doin’ his durndest to head them toward the pens. We were helpin’ as much as we could with our boots stuck in the mud as they were.

Suddenly, the eagle nosed down and dove right for the sheep. He disappeared in the middle of ‘em, but you could see where he’d gone ‘cause the sheep at that spot were not only runnin’, but now they started jumpin’. So, if you can picture this, there’s this big wave of wooly sheep zigzaggin’ across the field with the middle of the flock eruptin’ like a wooly geyser. I didn’t know they could jump that high. I started to runnin’ for the flock to see if’n I could chase off the eagle, but the durned muddy ground tripped me up. I felt flat on my face after only a couple of steps. All I could do is watch.

The eagle took off again and he held a lamb in his claws. This near gave Pete a fit. After all, this was his bunch of sheep and no eagle was goin’ to take even one! Pete leaped up on the backs of the flock and jumped from sheep to sheep to get to the middle. The eagle was strugglin’ to hold on to the lamb, but hadn’t got much altitude; it was more than he could carry off easy. When Pete reached the middle of the sheep geyser, he jumped up himself and grabbed the lamb’s leg. Well, that was just too much for the eagle, so he let go of the lamb and took off.

Pete and the lamb came down and disappeared in the sheep wave. We just watched as there wasn’t a thing we could do.

The sheep started to slow down since the eagle was gone and pretty soon, Pete popped up in the middle of the flock and jumped out just like he’d jumped in.

“I ain’t never seen anything like that before,” Pa said, shakin’ his head.

* * *

Read the rest of the story and more in Tales of a Texas Boy.

Tales of a Texas Boy is available in Large Print on Amazon. It's also in ebook format on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. And if your father has vision issues beyond the help of large print (as my father did), the audio book is available at audible.com.

Time for Another Excerpt. Here's #13

Excerpt from Tales of a Texas Boy

THE LUCK BROTHERS

Fred and Frank Luck were identical twin brothers. They co-owned the farm inherited when their Pa died. Trouble was, those two hated each other somethin' fierce.

Pa turned to me and says, “Wanna go for a drive, Eddie?”

“Sure, Pa.” It was fine with me as I’d been cleanin’ out the chicken yard and anything’d be better than that chore.

Pa and I pushed the Model A out of the barn and cranked her up. We jumped in and proceeded up the road to the Luck’s farm.

It didn’t take but a half hour to drive the six miles. When we were gettin’ close, we heard the sound of a shotgun firin’ off. As we pulled off onto the road leadin’ up to the Luck’s house, we heard shoutin’ as well.

Pa looked at me and says, “Be sure to watch close and be ready to duck down behind the truck.”

It made me a little nervous. It was well known Fred and Frank would go at each other just about anyplace they happened to be. Once, they both spent a night in jail when they got into a fist fight at the General Store. The Sheriff didn’t much care which one started it, so he just let them both spend the night in the pokey. He let ‘em out early enough to go take care of the livestock and didn’t do anything else.

Now, they pretty much kept their fightin’ at home. Most often they’d just flail at each other for awhile and then one or t’other would go off in a huff. Hearin’ gunfire made me think the feud was only gettin’ worse.

When we get up to the farmyard, we saw Frank, or maybe it was Fred, standin’ by the corral kind of hid behind a post and he was firin’ off shotgun blasts toward the granary. We could see the wood splinter as he fired. I glimpsed the other one, most likely Fred, around the side of the building.

“Frank, you cut that out!” Pa shouted.

“I ain’t Frank, Mr. Perkins,” the shotgun holder answered back.

“Well, then, Fred, you cut that out.”

“But, Mr. Perkins, that no-good brother o’ mine called me a dirty lowdown skunk. I can’t rightly take it without answerin’!”

Pa motioned to me to stand behind the truck bed and I went round as quick as I could. Pa started walkin’ slow toward Fred movin’ his hands in a placatin’ way.

“Well, I’m sure you two can work it out if’n you’ll just put the gun away, Fred.”

Then, Pa calls out louder. “Frank, come on out.”

“No sirree! I ain’t crazy, Mr. Perkins. That idiot will just shoot me if’n I come out,” Frank yelled, peekin’ round the corner of the granary.

While the talkin’ was goin’ on, Pa kept gettin’ closer to Fred until he was an arm’s reach away. He grabbed the double barrel of the shotgun and snatched it away and tossed the gun behind him about ten feet.

“All right, Frank, you can come out now. Fred doesn’t have the shotgun anymore.”

Frank come out slow from behind the buildin’ lookin’ hard to make sure what Pa said was the truth. When he seen Fred didn’t have the gun, he walked on over. He gets up a couple of feet away and he lunged out at Fred and grabbed him round the neck.

The brothers fell down on the ground and started wrestlin’ and screamin’ some pretty bad words.

“You low-down weasel!” Bam! Frank smacked Fred right in the eye.

“You yellow-bellied hornswoggler!” Whap! Fred hit him right back.

Pa stood there a bit with his hands on his hips. He looked to be ponderin’ whether or not to separate them. Finally, he bent down and grabbed both the Lucks by their collars and hauled them right up on their feet. My jaw dropped as I didn’t think Pa had it in him. He held ‘em both at arms length until they quit strugglin’, then he let them go.

* * *

Read the rest of the story and more in Tales of a Texas Boy.

Tales of a Texas Boy is available in Large Print on Amazon. It's also in ebook format on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. And if your father has vision issues beyond the help of large print (as my father did), the audio book is available at audible.com.

Prices Reduced for Most Books

Ebooks from #free to $2.99 (most are .99 and $1.99) at Amazon and Smashwords. Note that the Smashwords price also applies at all Smashwords distributors such as Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Scribd, etc. Coupons available for half price on several books. See the page Ebooks with Coupon Discounts.

Witches of Galdorheim Series $1.99 each (boxed set $2.99)
Smashwords             Amazon
   Bad Spelling           Bad Spelling
   Midnight Oil            Midnight Oil
   Scotch Broom         Scotch Broom
   Spellslinger             Spellslinger  $0.99

The Tales of Abu Nuwas Series $1.99 each
Smashwords             Amazon
  Faizah's Destiny      Faizah's Destiny

  Setara's Genie          Setara's Genie

Mystery/Adventure $0.99 each
Smashwords                       Amazon
  Missing, Assumed Dead    Missing, Assumed Dead (Adult)
  Eagle Quest                        Eagle Quest (Teen Adventure)

Science Fiction
Smashwords                       Amazon
  First Duty                          First Duty $0.99
  Ultimate Duty                   Ultimate Duty $1.99

Miscellaneous
Smashwords                       Amazon
  Tales of a Texas Boy         Tales of a Texas Boy $1.99
  Mixed Bag Collection        Mixed Bag Collection $0.99
  Mixed Bag II: Supersized  Mixed Bag II: Supersized $1.99








On Kindle for $0.99 and free in the Kindle Unlimited Program for now:

  Lemons and Other Kid Tales $0.99
  Lemons and Other Kid Tales Free at Smashwords


Fish Story: A Three Story Sampler $0.99 on Amazon only.

I Put the #Free in Freedom

For the 4th of July, I've freed some books from those nasty old prices. Here's what's #free from July 3rd through July 5th.

On Amazon:

Fish Story: A Three Story Sampler
Three short stories from the collection, "Mixed Bag II: Supersized." 
Fish Story - Colonists to a distant planet find salvation in a fish. 
The Vision - Charlie can't get terrifying images out of his head, but why? 
Chilpequin 22 Miles - The bartender is big and hairy. Could it be? Nah, it couldn't. Could it?





On Smashwords:

Lemons and Other Kids Tales (always free)
Three stories for kids of all ages.
LEMONS: Karen is horse crazy. One day, it seems like everything is going wrong. She's determined to make lemonade out of the lemons.
ONE FINE DOG: Pete, the sheep dog, knows his business is to protect his flock. He'll do anything to make sure the sheep are safe. 
A PRACTICAL CAT: Boots is living the good life, but the Bigs won't let her out!

Eagle Quest

Fiona, Hap, Billy, and Mitch make an odd set of friends, as different from the usual junior high school crowd as they are from each other. When Mitch, a half-breed Indian, decides to check out Bear Valley as a site for his Vision Quest, the other three accompany him. It turns out to be more than an overnight camping trip as the friends encounter a bear, an old man, and poachers.

First Duty
Nyra Hutchings, a young woman born into a life of servitude on a repressive factory planet, is desperate for a different life. When she's accepted into the Space Service, run by the organization that enslaves her planet, she discovers the truth behind generations of rebellion. Now, she must decide what to believe, where her first duty lies, and fight for more than her life against impossible odds.

Missing, Assumed Dead
When Kameron McBride receives notice she’s the last living relative of a missing man she’s never even heard of, the last thing she wants to do is head to some half-baked Oregon town to settle his affairs. 

En route, she runs afoul of a couple of hillbillies in an accident that doesn’t seem . . . accidental. Kam has to reveal the town's secrets before she ends up missing, assumed dead herself.

Mixed Bag
A little science fiction, a bit of fantasy, plenty of humor, and some really shocking horror. These are tales to suit any mood. All stories in this book were previously published in on-line or print publications. 

Spellslinger (Book 0 of The Witches of Galdorheim)
What does a teenage half-warlock, half-vampire do to have fun? Why build an old west town on a glacier in the Arctic. There he can play at being the good guy sheriff up against mean old Black Bart.

That things will go horribly wrong is a given. But how does Rune get into and out of the predicament?

Happy Fathers Day from Tales of a Texas Boy

I hope you've enjoyed the excerpts from Tales of a Texas Boy. There are more stories in the book you might also like to read (along with the rest of the excerpted stories). Find them all on this blog over the last couple of weeks.

So, this is Fathers Day and the last day of the free ebook copy of Texas Boy. If you haven't got your copy yet, hustle on over to Smashwords and use coupon code HL34RL for your free ebook.

It's still not too late to buy the Large Print paperback at Amazon. So you're a couple of days late with the Father's Day gift. No problem. Your dad will probably be surprised you remembered him at all. Poor dads. They always get edged out after Mother's Day.

So, here are the links for  Tales of a Texas Boy.

**** EBOOK IS FREE AT SMASHWORDS WITH COUPON HL34R 

UNTIL JUNE 21st!****

Tales of a Texas Boy is available in Large Print on Amazon. It's also in ebook format on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. And if your father has vision issues beyond the help of large print (as my father did), the audio book is available at audible.com.

Excerpt #12 - Tales of a Texas Boy

Excerpt from Tales of a Texas Boy

The Cattle Drive

I seen the dust cloud down the road, so naturally I jumped up to the top rail of the fence to get a better look. It took about ten minutes before I could make out a couple of drovers was pushin’ a small herd up the road. By then, Pa come over to find out why I wasn’t doin’ my chores. The two of us were standin’ on the fence rail, peerin’ down the road. Ma came out of the house, but she stayed up on the porch with her hand shadin’ her eyes.

When we saw it was a herd, Pa shook his head and grinned.

“I ain’t seen that for some years,” he said.

Well, what could we do but wait for the drovers to come on up to the gate? After all, we was the only place close by and knew these fellas would need some water, at the least, and maybe a meal to go with it.

Ma went back in the house and when I saw the little puff of smoke from the chimney, I knew she was already firin’ up the stove. The angle of the sun over the barn told me it was ‘bout four. It was close enough to suppertime I hoped the herd would have to stop for the night.

With us bein’ fifteen miles from town and six miles by road to the nearest neighbor, I’d be pretty excited we were gettin’ any kind of visitors, but a cattle herd, that was almost too much to ask for.
I jumped off the fence like a lightnin’ bolt and headed for the corral. Old Sam was closest so I grabbed a rope and threw it round his neck for reins. Sam’s really easy, so I didn’t bother with a bridle and ridin’ bareback is second nature to me. It took a little shufflin’ to convince Sam to sidle over by the fence so I could get on. After all, he’s near sixteen hands and I’m not very tall. Pa saw what I was doin’ and nodded to me. I was gonna ask before I lit out, but he beat me to it.

Sam and me trotted down the road. I was bouncin’ and grinnin’ so hard my teeth kept clackin’ together. We met the front of the herd a quarter mile later and my jaw just near dropped off my face. I couldn’t believe what I was seein’ so I shut my mouth again and looked really hard.

Yep, I’m here to tell ya and ya know I don’t lie. Every last animal in the herd was a bull. This puzzled me no end, as much as it puzzles you to hear it. Course, the herd was no more ‘n twenty Hereford bulls, but . . .well, I can’t think of what that would be. Mostly herds are made up of steers and cows. Bulls ain’t usually included as they cause troubles wantin’ at the cows and all.

Read the rest of the story and more in Tales of a Texas Boy.

**** EBOOK IS FREE AT SMASHWORDS WITH COUPON HL34R 

UNTIL JUNE 21st!****

Tales of a Texas Boy is available in Large Print on Amazon. It's also in ebook format on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. And if your father has vision issues beyond the help of large print (as my father did), the audio book is available at audible.com.