My book EndEarthers

 It gets many responses. Most have been favorable. I got one DNF (did not finish) and one three stars on Amazon. But this one response makes every second I've spent writing worth it. 

Hi Charles! I just wanted to reach out and share that I just had a mental breakdown that caused me to be in the psych ward for the past 6 days (just got out yesterday). While I was in there, I finally had time to read again, so I read your book EndEarthers as a means of distraction from my thoughts and it really helped a lot. It also helps that it's so far a really great read and I wish more people with your perspective wrote as well. So I just want to thank you for writing it because it helped me stay sane.

Musk's 13th Child.

 This is evocative of the process Teapot used on his roaches in EndEarthers (Teapot's Empire).

Spacer: The Last of the Species

This morning I wrote the last sentence of a first draft. This one is a tale of a man five years alone after the final world war. The ETs waiting to inherit the planet are stymied because Spacer won't die. Their creed forbids taking over until he is gone. Another catch: They are not allowed to kill him. An ET representative comes down to see what he can do about it. Spacer is roughly modeled after Charles Bukowski with notable exceptions at the beginning. He and a dog that he fears live in partnership scavenging the city. Ten and a half thousand words at this point. Editing will likely be rough, not because of mistakes but because quite a few passages need restructuring.  

Turner On Writing

You can ignore this voice of the not-formally educated if you like. I left the system as I was about to turn sixteen. I was a reader all of my life until my eyes became too weak. My knowledge of grammar and my understanding of words are based on what I picked up from various authors, not Strunk and White. When I edit a story, I read as one reads any author, looking for the flow, stumbling on errors, and cluttered language. I do this as often as necessary. I opt for simple words because ornate paragraphs confuse me and cause me to lose interest. Also, simplicity makes editing easier. When I wrote my last book I wrote as I normally speak, then cleaned up overly sloppy portions, while retaining my original voice. My subject matter rarely calls for research, making the simple simpler. Lastly, I use the free version of Grammarly, which is overly intrusive, but it helps the way a thesaurus and a dictionary help. Grammarly can screw up a sentence if you don't watch it carefully. Lastly, I write what I want to write. If it sells, great. If not - Well, it may be discovered and made use of in some future I am not a part of. Good luck if you too are a writer.   

SNOW SNOW GLORIOUS SNOW

 27 degrees, flakes on the ground.

My dog runs in the snow.

Frank the cat is hiding somehow.

Don't know where he would choose to go

Snow snow, Houston snow

What did we do, it abuses so

Snow snow f**k the glorious snow

The 1950 version

 This is how Highway 61 Revisited might sound if recorded in 1950.

Butter and Salt

 My favorite cooking utensil is my cast iron skillet. For years I struggled to keep it seasoned. Lately I discovered via Youtube that the answer is olive oil and salt. I didn't want to use up what olive oil I had on hand. Since the skillet often has a residue of butter, I substituted that for olive oil. Works like a charm. Just heat the skillet, put in some butter and salt and scrub it down, using no other ingredient. Wipe it out. I doubt if any system is perfect, but I'm satisfied with the results I get.

A DOG NAMED RINGO

 Protect your pet they said. If you are cold they are cold, they said. So it's in the thirties and the heat is on. So where's the dog? Out running the yard. Came in for a quick snack, held it in his mouth and went to the door to be let out. I told the shelter when we adopted he would mostly stay indoors. Not this dog. He lives in the yard. I make him sleep indoors but he would stay outside if I let him. ?????????

Ringo is a Shepherd mix, the only dog I have had with ears that stand up. His original owner may have kept him tied in the yard. Something has made him occasionally whistle, as though a rope or choke chain was yanked too hard or perhaps running until the rope checked his speed. He is independent; if you tell him to do something he doesn't do it unless he wants to or gets bribed with a snack. But he has separation anxiety as exhibited each time I unlock the gate and leave the yard. He does seem to love me because during his indoor time he hangs close and naps near my feet.