Sunday, November 28, 2010

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

The Barrel

As the sky brightened and the streets became more visible, Jon's fear grew. he was gasping with relief when he turned into the last narrow street before his destination. He broke into a jog and with a last sprint ducked into the tiny gap between two decrepit buildings. It was as black as full night here still, the buildings leaned in on each other, resting as it were, propping each other up at the eaves. Jon pushed his way deeper between them and settled back in to wait for Giant. The hard part was over, he thought.

He was wrong. The weeks of waiting in Lily’s room had made him terribly impatient to be moving. Every minute seemed to drag an hour and he found himself counting his breaths. Forcing himself to stop, he was counting his heartbeats a minute later. He could feel his heart beating strongly and the rush of blood in his ears rang in the early morning silence.

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker Chapter Ten

Saturday, November 27, 2010

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter Nine

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter Nine
Jon begins his escape from the city. The worst is yet to come!Click the link above to read, and find links to earlier chapters.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter 8

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter 8
Here is the link to Chapter 8 of 'The Tale Of Jon Handshaker'.

Chapter Eight

Lily

"Jon, get up! We have to get these clothes off you!" Lily's voice was frantic. Somehow, it cut through Jon's weakness, and he crawled up to his knees. He began poking clumsily at his clothes, until she slapped his hands away. With the quick skill of years of practice, she stripped him of every stitch. He moved only enough to get the remains of his pants off, then lay back down.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Thursday, November 18, 2010

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter Six

Chapter six is now up on HubPages.
Jon On-The-Run woke from bad dreams. Dreams of rebellion and war, fire and death. He was happy to be awake, even as he came to remember where he was, and why. Billy was filling one lamp from the tin of whale oil, and had lit the other. It was his cursing burnt fingers that had woken Jon. He wondered if that had been the source of his fiery dreams, that or the smell of smoke still in the tunnel. Or was it the memory of what he had seen above?

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter 5

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of my on-line sci-fi novel is now up on HubPages. Click the link above to read. If you missed the first chapters, there is a link at the top of that page that will take you to chapter one.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter Four

Here is chapter four on my on-line science fiction/fantasy novel. Click the link above to read.
...Fire covered the walls and floor. On the stairs opposite a few boys and servants crouched helpless. On the floor, smothered in flame, were piles, shapeless except for an outstretched hand or foot. In the open doorway to the outside was a line of men. Not throwing water or plunging in to pull out victims, but standing ready with red swords and spears. Red from the fire? Or blood. One of the men pointed at the open door and at Jon, and a javelin flew. Jon stumbled back into darkness.

Monday, November 15, 2010

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter Three

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter Three
Chapter three, Parade Of Fools, is now published on line.

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter Three

Click here to go to chapter one.

Chapter Three

Parade Of Fools

The long night of physical labor gave Jon plenty of time to think. The future was clear. He would have to put up with this Handshaker business for a long time, perhaps even right up till he took his final, royal, name. That was always the last name. Young as he was, Jon was all too aware of his rapidly approaching and quite inevitable end.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter Two

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter Two

Here is chapter two of my new fantasy/science fiction novel, published on HubPages. Click the link above to read, or find the link to chapter one.

Frugal Living, Money Saving Tip #4

Frugal Living, Money Saving Tip #4
Make your own charcoal for grilling, at home. It's easy, and save money. Click on the link above for my article. Thanks

Friday, November 12, 2010

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter One

The Tale Of Jon Handshaker, Chapter One
The first chapter of my new novel is up on HubPages. Clicking the link above will take you there. I plan to publish more chapters at fairly short intervals. Thanks.

Jon Lamb was having little luck. He had fished the shallow, cold, mountain creeks of the Reservation Lands for trout and grayling, but he was new to this city and to the wide, slow rivers that encompassed it.

The Festival of the Dog Star, the first sighting of the summer star over the horizon, was one of four given over for purification. People, public spirited, or simply ever mindful of their neighbors' eyes, were diligently cleaning their homes, shops, and streets. They burned richly scented pine boughs in hopes of warding off the summer fevers, brought on by insects and the heavy, humid air. Jon was playing hooky.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Frugal Living, Money Saving Tip #11

Frugal Living, Money Saving Tip #11
How to save hundreds of dollars a year on shopping bills. Stores are stealing your money. Click the link above to read. Tips for reading your receipt.

Chainsaw Dreams

Chainsaw Dreams
Little things can make your day. Things that just, work, right.
Click the link above to read my Chainsaw Dreams.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Male And Female Parenting Styles, Mom, Dad and Two Girls

Male And Female Parenting Styles, Mom, Dad and Two Girls
A pop psychology lesson on parenting sons and daughters successfully, depending on whether you are a mom dealing with a daughter, or a dad a son. When to give orders, and when to make requests.

Friday, November 5, 2010

On The Proper Training Of Young Women

On The Proper Training Of Young Women
My thoughts on raising strong and self-confident daughters. Click on the link to read.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

How To Repair a Cracked or Broken Axe Handle

How To Repair a Cracked or Broken Axe Handle
Learn how to use simple home items to repair anything made of wood, handles, tools, table legs, anything. I published this on HubPages. Click the link above to read the article.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Tips For Treating Eczema, Home Remedies That Work

Tips For Treating Eczema, Home Remedies That Work
Tips For Treating Eczema, Home Remedies That Work
Eczema can be successfully treated with home remedies. Some work better than others. Click the link above to see my article on HubPages.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

IQ And The Economy. Be Kind To Stupid People.

IQ And The Economy. Be Kind To Stupid People.
Our government stacks the deck against the most vulnerable among us, the stupid. Click the link above to read my article on HubPages.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Self Sabotage

Self Sabotage
An article I wrote on self-sabotage, how your attitude at work can make you poor. Your attitude towards your writing can hold you back from getting published.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Winter Is Coming. Fimbul Winter. Are You Ready?


Winter Is Coming. Fimbul Winter. Are You Ready?

Ready for an especially cold winter this year? The La Nina phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean always leads to very cold winters, and this year's La Nina is the strongest in a century. The link above leads to my article, published on HubPages, with some unusual tips for saving money on home heating this winter.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Frugal Living, Money Saving Tip #10

Frugal Living, Money Saving Tip #10
How to make yogurt. It's simple and cheap.
Published on HubPages.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

I Am A Dog

I Am A Dog: "Share this page ..."
An article I wrote for Hubpages, on my religious beliefs. Call me crazy, it's dangerous territory.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Write Your Hub Right

Write Your Hub Right
I have been writing on HubPages recently, and have become concerned that many of the writers there don't know the basic rules of spelling and grammar, so I wrote this post as a simple guide to improving their skills. Click through to read.

Thanks.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Monster Hunter International

Monster Hunter International

A review of 'Monster Hunter International', by Larry Correia. On HubPages. Click over to read.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Guru.com 2

Finished the job and got paid. Guru works for writers.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Guru.com

Signed up for Guru.com a few weeks ago. I have been watching and learning.

This week I put in my first bids for writing projects, not really expecting to be chosen due to my inexperience.

Well! Got picked the first day for a tiny little writing contract. A single letter to the editor, for $25. Took me about an hour to do. Actually it took two hours, but one of them was figuring how to set up the escrow account and navigate the sign-up process.

It was easy, and Guru does a very good, no, excellent job of leading you through it.

The money was deposited in escrow, I wrote the letter and forwarded it. Now just wait to see how the buyer likes it. If she does, then the money will be released and I come out with about $20.

I have bid on several other, larger projects, but not heard anything up or down yet.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Editing

Finished a hundred-page edit for a writing friend tonight. Hard work, and I am glad it is done. But satisfying. I like to believe I improved the final product beyond just fixing errors. She told me to go ahead and add or delete as I saw fit, so I did. Cut a lot, added a bit here and there. It is still 99%-plus her work, but tighter and smoother.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Eden's Rat Partial to Agent!

I posted my query and first few pages on YALITCHAT a while back, and an agent asked to see a partial manuscript! I am excited, even though odds are it will be rejected. The agency deals more with other genres than Fantasy. But I am simply happy to be in the running for one of the few slots open.

It's a start, a morale-booster.

Freelance Jobs

Been looking into freelance job sites recently, Guru and IFreeLance.com. Looks interesting. I'd love to get into editing and proofreading for pay. Currently I do proofing for free for selected people.

It's fun, in a strange way. Some people do puzzles or memorize sports trivia. I like to wrestle with the intricacies of sentence structure, grammar and word choice.

July Jobs

Got a lot done in July, renovated my bathroom, which turned out to be a bigger task than I had thought. Sanded, primed, sanded again, put on a top-coat, was dissatisfied, sanded again, painted again.

It looks pretty good, and a lot better than before. The previous owner (a bank) had simply painted over the cracks and loose paint, so it looked like crap.

Still have to get the bathtub faucet to stop leaking behind the spout. I am about ready to call a plumber. I hate that, this should be a really easy fix, but it just isn't going. I can not stop that little drip, and it leaks behind the wall and down onto the ceiling of the room below.

Also refinished three tables. Two are solid cherry, and they look great. I took off the old, ugly, heavy varnish, sanded and finished with pure linseed oil. Why anyone would use varnish or any thick, colored finish on cherry I can not imagine.