... the bell tolls

 My 45 year old and youngest daughter grew up with a nice girl who became a good wife and mother. The other day this girl succumbed to cancer. It's surreal losing people my children's age. The bell tolls for us all, randomly, age-wise. The older we grow the more we must toughen to it.

EndEarthers Cheap (the price)

I wanted to price my book at ten thousand bucks a copy. That way if it sold just a few copies I would be ahead of the game. Turned out they wouldn't let me. So I sulked a while but finally allowed their pricing instead of mine. $10.99 (extremely cheap) I think I may have made an awful mistake, but will have to give it time. Hopefully they know what they are doing.

Shadow Truths

 "Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and adventures are the shadow truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes and forgotten."

— Neil Gaiman

Bumblebee Should Not Be Able to Fly

 "According to the recognized, proven principles of aerodynamics, the bumblebee cannot fly because of the shape and weight of its body in relation to the total wing area. But the bumblebee doesn't know this, so it goes ahead and flies anyway.

A lovely myth, but the reality is different:

The basic principles of bumblebee flight, and insect flight generally, have been pretty well understood for many years. Somehow, though, the idea that bees "violate aerodynamic theory" got embedded in folklore.

The story was initially circulated in German technical universities in the 1930s. Supposedly during dinner a biologist asked an aerodynamics expert about insect flight. The aerodynamicist did a few calculations and found that, according to the accepted theory of the day, bumblebees didn't generate enough lift to fly. The biologist, delighted to have a chance to show up those arrogant SOBs in the hard sciences, promptly spread the story far and wide.

Once he sobered up, however, the aerodynamicist surely realized what the problem was--a faulty analogy between bees and conventional fixed-wing aircraft. Bees' wings are small relative to their bodies. If an airplane were built the same way, it'd never get off the ground. But bees aren't like airplanes, they're like helicopters. Their wings work on the same principle as helicopter blades--to be precise, "reverse-pitch semirotary helicopter blades," to quote one authority. A moving airfoil, whether it's a helicopter blade or a bee wing, generates a lot more lift than a stationary one.

The real challenge with bees wasn't figuring out the aerodynamics but the mechanics: specifically, how bees can move their wings so fast--roughly 200 beats per second, which is 10 or 20 times the firing rate of the nervous system. The trick apparently is that the bee's wing muscles (thorax muscles, actually) don't expand and contract so much as vibrate, like a rubber band. A nerve impulse comes along and twangs the muscle, much as you might pluck a guitar string, and it vibrates the wing up and down a few times until the next impulse comes along.

— Cecil Adams

Two Copies

 Now is the time for all good bibliophiles to purchase a few copies of EndEarthers. You will wear out one copy by re-reading and need the other for the bookshelf.

Are You Responsible?

 “Most people live in almost total darkness…people, millions of people whom you will never see, who don’t know you, never will know you, people who may try to kill you in the morning, live in a darkness which...if you have that funny terrible thing which every artist can recognize and no artist can define...you are responsible to those people to lighten, and it does not matter what happens to you. You are being used in the way a crab is useful, the way sand certainly has some function. It is impersonal. This force which you didn’t ask for, and this destiny which you must accept, is also your responsibility. And if you survive it, if you don’t cheat, if you don’t lie, it is not only, you know, your glory, your achievement, it is almost our only hope.”

–James Baldwin

a cracked egg

 a cracked egg the sun

spilled on the sky in haste

lovingly sopped up

Two More Reviews of EndEarthers

 More reviews of my book.

"Gut geschriebene und ungewöhnliche Geschichten. Ich finde das Buch sehr unterhaltsam und sehr gut zu lesen."

"So much packed into one book!!"

A Review of EndEarthers:

 I'm honored to be your first review. I'm so proud of you for finishing this.

Your writing has always been impeccable and chalked full of wonderful imagery and fabulous tales. Finally having your stories bound in a book is a real treasure.

I've only skimmed a little of this so far, and I love it. I'm truly excited to be able to finally read your stories in full and not just in small posts here and there.

I'll update this as I finish it, but I'm already completely sucked in!

Ban or Burn?

 The book they don't want you to read. Denny the Wizard takes you where the skeletons hide. Gregor the hamster size cockroach has a greater IQ than the best of us. The guillotine can't silence the select group of heads. Bombs nuclear fall. EndEarthers got it all.

On publishing a book

 

 You can spend a year or even longer writing a book. When you finally get it ready to be read by the public there are dozens of ways to make it available. You can look for an agent and if you connect with one you still might be rejected or else wait for years to get a publisher. Or you can go the free route, as I did. Wherever you look there are people trying to get you to pay them for the work you did. You can spend a great deal of money just for a cover. Or you can do what I did, which was design my own cover. I don't mind if you laugh at it. I love it. I found a publisher that makes its money by publishing for free and then taking a cut of the royalties. This book is a collection of stories that I consider the overall best work I have done.

To purchase EndEarthes

 To get it from Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/endearthers-charles-turner/1146117365?ean=9798227384607

PREVIEW

EndEarthers

Six story collection

QUIET BENEATH THE MOON

Denny, aging 60s activist, has his solitude shattered  by his running mate of old, Doc Ramos. Doc tries to steal Denny’s car. After he dies from bad drugs, Nellie Ramos, Doc’s sister, visits then stays. Along with Denny’s gay twin Danny and friend Karma, they endure out of control weather and a coup on the Federal Government, led by Andrew Spud as their world disintegrates.

OVER HERE

Until now America’s wars have been fought “over there.” 

FROM THE TUMBREL FELL

Talking heads..

THE CHIMPANZEE

A rescued lab animal tests its new freedom. It harbors enough resentment that it seeks to be the first animal in history to get back more than some of its own against the humans.

TEAPOT’S EMPIRE

 Edgar Jost is visited in his fertility clinic by his secretive friend Teapot (Teague Potsworth), who has come to show off his greatest achievement. He displays a creature that is a wide blend of DNA in the form of a hamster-sized cockroach. The cockroach becomes 1/3 parent of Ulysses, an exceptional lad.

THE CENSUS TAKER

Jarzeed, census taker for the Galactic Federation, travels with his companion and pilot Starkey. They land on a planet that is likely Earth, a thousand years in the future.   

 

 

James Joyce

 James Joyce

was as unyielding in his thoughts as I. Browsing in bookstores often had me pausing at names of artists I had information they were important. When I found Portrait I immediately knew it was for me. Empathetic and ready for more, I found a few poems and then Dubliners. Totally receptive when I opened Ulysses, I read until somewhere in Bloom's early chapters and then couldn't proceed. The empathy felt for Joyce remained. In the 60s I watched the film of Ulysses that featured Milo Oshea. After a few more failed beginnings I finally dove into it and read it straight through as if it were Mickey Spillane. Between this reading and seeing the film I developed a good understanding of the overall structure of Ulysses. Over the years I have read articles and revisited the novel in part to enjoy the language and in part to increase my knowledge of the more difficult pieces. When in New York I saw a film of Finnegan's Wake. While it was interesting, and had subtitles, in the end I realized I hadn't the mental strength to take on the book. I have read parts of it, but never set out to conquer it. As I wrote at the beginning, I have much empathy for Joyce. Understanding of the man? Just a bit.

Posting my rap

 I rap Carter's Little Liver Pills

My sound gon cure all a your ills
Don't drop yo pants down your knees
Cause you trips eva time you flees
Gonna recall what this here rhyme is for
Five minutes before you wise up to the score
I gum the old ladies behind they necks
Cause I can't remember how to gain they sex
I got the courage and strength of my moves
Long as my walker ain't caught in no grooves
Stand back and admire my stuff
Don't get in the way you ain't tough
Slap you upside your lame understanding
That's all folks cause now I'm landing

Dark Tales From the Dystopia of Now

 It is my conviction that the Earth is spiraling to destruction, that it is a human-made catastrophe, and that it may be irreversible, even if we take drastic action now. That I could be wrong is barely given credence in my latest stories. EndEarthers will be my so-called masterwork. A few of my scenarios hold out a slight bit of hope. Not comfortable ones. We shall see.   

And so my book

 My new book is still taking shape. I write dark stories about the human condition. 

Title: ENDEARTHERS

Stories: 

Quiet Beneath the Moon - a love story set in the dystopian time of NOW

Henry's War - war breaches the shores of America

Teapot's Roaches - a unique scenario that could revive the dying Earth

William S Burroughs

 “All of my work is directed against those who are bent on blowing up the planet.” —William S. Burroughs

My current novella is complete

 I believe I am finished writing Quiet Beneath the Moon. I plan to push it as a love story set in the final stage of our devolution where life or extinction hangs in the balance. I don't expect any publishers to want it but I intend to ask anyway.

Major changes to my current story

 Major structural changes. I made the chapters longer, cutting the count from twenty plus to twelve. Moved the prologue into one of the chapters so that a reader will not feel slapped in the face with it before they get any story.

About Clones in Fiction

 Many people use "clone" when they actually mean something else. A cloned human would have to grow from infancy same as any child, yet in many stories they appear as duplicates of someone.

Latest project.

 Doing a total makeover of a short story from a few years ago. It was titled A GLEAM OF METAL, I think. I have several that I believe I can do better now.

The EndEarthers is about 45,000 words. I am thinking about going full book length by adding this and a few other stories.

I love this.

 

Quoting Toni Morrison

 “Characters are like ghosts. They have nothing on their minds but themselves and aren’t interested in anything but themselves. You can’t let them write your book for you.” —Toni Morrison

Elmore Leonard on Writing

 1. Never open a book with weather:

If it’s only to create atmosphere, and not a character’s reaction to the weather, you don’t want to go on too long. The reader is apt to leaf ahead looking for people.



2. Avoid prologues:
They can be annoying, especially a prologue following an introduction that comes after a foreword.



3. Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue:
The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in. But said is far less intrusive than grumbled, gasped, cautioned, lied.



4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said”:
… he admonished gravely. To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange.



5. Keep your exclamation points under control:
You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.



6. Never use the words “suddenly” or “all hell broke loose”:
This rule doesn’t require an explanation. I have noticed that writers who use “suddenly” tend to exercise less control in the application of exclamation points.




7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly:
Once you start spelling words in dialogue phonetically and loading the page with apostrophes, you won’t be able to stop.



8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters:
In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” what do the “American and the girl with him” look like? “She had taken off her hat and put it on the table.” That’s the only reference to a physical description in the story, and yet we see the couple and know them by their tones of voice, with not one adverb in sight.



9. Don’t go into great detail describing places and things:
You don’t want descriptions that bring the action, the flow of the story, to a standstill.



10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.
My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.

Query

 I've seen lots of query letters and what helps is to have word count, title, genre and comparable titles at the very beginning of the letter.

Story Lengths

 The publishing industry has a loose set of guidelines that define writing based on length:

- Micro-Fiction: <100 words - Flash Fiction: 100-1K words - Short Story: 1K-7,500 words - Novelette: 7,500 - 20K words - Novella: 20K - 50K words - Novel: 50K-100K words - Epic: 110K+ words

My work on Vocal

My stories have been added to Vocal. Drop in and browse. Give a few of the stories "likes." 

He said/she said

 https://thewritepractice.com/a-critical-dont-for-writing-dialogue/

Elmore Leonard said, Never use any word other than “said” as dialogue tags. Why? Try reading the above out loud. The “he exclaimed” and “he admonished” and “she cried” become like a child saying your name over and over. Distracting.

The word “said,” though, is easily ignored. You want the attention focused on the dialogue, not your clever use of verbs. In many cases, it’s good to change up word choice. You don’t want to use “quintessential” or “luminescence” too many times. “Said” is a major exception. Let us tune it out. Please.

Besides, does “exclaimed” or even “whispered” really change how you read the dialogue? Instead, show the emotion with an action. Like this:

“I hate you,” she exclaimed she said, hurling her French book at him. The corner struck him just under the eye. A bright red mark began to rise on his skin.

Books like Twilight can misuse dialogue tags like this because the plot will suck a reader in deep enough they will ignore the distraction.

But just because Stephanie Meyer can do it, doesn’t mean you can.

The Great Gatsby

 After posting A POSSE FOR TEXAS RED yesterday, I began a story about a poor man, inspired by but in no way reflective of THE GREAT GATSBY.

The latest projects

 involve a portrait of my mother and a third Mexican Red story.

As a young man I had my western heroes, mostly in the movies. But my favorite one of all never made it to film that I am aware of. It's Max Brand's Silvertip. I think I read the whole series but it's also possible I missed a few. In my own way, Mexican Red is a tribute to Max Brand and Silvertip. Not a copy by any means. Silvertip was straight-arrow all the way. Red is an outlaw who often does good things. Silvertip may be an inch or two higher than Red, but physically Red is his match. All fun writing. 

I had been letting this blog languish

 Feeding my other three blogs sort of left this, the original one, in the lurch. I will try to do better by it in the future.

WWIII

 WWIII is the backdrop for a new tale. Henry's family is all gone, taken by successive pandemics. He lives in an American city victimized by repeated missile and drone strikes. Some of the great cities are no more. Nuked. Everywhere there are any military installations around the globe and beyond is war. The story begins with Henry sifting through the rubble of a supermarket and finding an unlabeled can, overlooked by preceding scavengers. He finds himself in a struggle with a boy, who wants that even more than Henry needs it.

There is no schedule for when it may appear in my blog of free stories. 

Invaders from Twarr

The version of Invaders From the Shadow Planets of Twarr that I posted on my free blog is not just hard to read; it is in need of some fresh editing. That I have undertaken. When it gets done I will simply switch the new post for the older one. 

A new Mexican Red tale will be added to my Free Stories blog this weekend.

 This short story was fun to write. I hope to do more with this character again.

Quiet Desperation

 The mass of men lead it. I suppose Thoreau meant that quote for women also. Quiet Desperation is the title of the latest tale I am unfolding. It may take a week or two to post it.

HUNTING WASSELNORF

 That's the new shortie. Perhaps half done. About an expedition to get a specimen for a museum on a foreign planet gone wrong.

Latest

 Working on Larry Donovan's Tongue. A fun read. The title derives from Donovan's Brain, a story by Kurt Siodmak. The tale itself is something else. 

Newest short story

 My newest story has no title as yet. It tells us what happens after death, in case anybody has been wondering.

Going through old files

 found The Wooden Angels. It wandered through concepts as I put it down, ending with a confused piece. I still like the concept, so am rewriting it.

Took time away

 I had a short story to capture before it could escape, so left off  Moloch Eaters for now. This one ought to be finished by week end. It's a touching story about marital indifference and bouts of resentment.  

Despair & Bananas

 Putting together a collection for Amazon publication. DESPAIR AND BANANAS. The human condition, a touch of the fantastic - What could go wrong?

Not much to report.

 The Moloch Eaters has been monopolizing my time these days. Here's hoping it will materialize in full in a matter of months, not years.

About The Moloch Eaters

 On my Free Stories blog there is a short story titled The Moloch Eaters. It is actually an outtake of a longer story I am currently at work on. This will take a while to get finished. Not that many read my work and no one awards words of encouragement, but I do what I do. As the Zen master once taught his Zen to the stones since nobody listened to him, I bestow my words on the internet. 

Today I should finish re-editing Beyond the Dark Water.

 I've streamlined the narrative somewhat, plus added new points to bolster the reader's understanding of situations. It should be available on my Free Stories blog this evening or tomorrow.

The Black Rose Writing edition went out of print and the rights have reverted to me.

CDs.

 I found more. This stuff will keep me busy for a good while.

New Access to Old CD Files

My last desktop couldn't access CDs I made of certain files. Instead it treated them as new discs to be formatted for receiving files. So they languished in a box, thought to be useless. Yesterday my wife wanted to get the box they were in out of the way. Just out of curiosity I put one in and opened it. There was Ebeneezer's Ghost and some I had forgotten altogether. To me, priceless. 

On "Beyond the Dark Water"

I originally set out to write my full life story when I began this piece. Then eventually edited it down to exclude mention of most of my brothers and sisters, who mostly are still alive and whom I did not wish to antagonize or argue with. Left with a much-shortened version, I grafted it onto a fictional tale of an adventure with my long-dead brother, who in it visits from the grave. The autobiographical material is all true. The ghost _? Well, I was asleep one night less than a year after his death and I was aware that he crawled into the bed to sleep alongside of me. I felt his warmth until shortly before awakening. I had to dismiss it as but a dream -

What is your favorite music

Beginning when I was a child and working to the present, my favorite artists have been

Hank Williams
Harry Belafonte
Jerry Lee Lewis
Little Richard
Peggy Lee
Don Gibson
Buddy Holly
Bob Dylan
Donovan Leitch
The Beatles
Phil Ochs
Leonard Cohen
John Lennon (solo)
George Jones

Of course, that list is partial. It could expand a hundredfold. But Ave Maria is my favorite song of all time.

Right now - - -

I discovered a ms. that I started about five years ago. Story concerning a man who runs a book store and plies customers with free goodies and coffee. So, I'm resurrecting that one, but already doing a new read-through of Mexican Red.