Arthur C. Clarke 1917-2008

Science Fiction Writer Arthur C. Clarke Dies at Age of 90
By SPACE.com Staff

Science fiction writer, inventor and futurist Arthur C. Clarke has died, leaving fans bereft at the loss of his brilliance and creativity.

Clarke died early Wednesday after suffering from breathing problems, the Associated Press reported. He was 90 years old. He suffered from post-polio syndrome and was confined to a wheelchair toward the end of his life.

Clarke wrote more than 100 sci-fi books, including "2001: A Space Odyssey." He is credited with coming up with the idea for the communications satellite and predicting space travel before rockets were even test fired.

Early Life

Clarke was born to a family of farmers in Minehead, a town in Somerset, England.

He fed an early interest in science fiction with Amazing Stories (the world's first science-fiction magazine; it fell out of publication in 2005).

In the 1930s, he joined the British Interplanetary Society, which he chaired for two terms, and was active in SF fandom, where his self-promotional efforts earned him the nickname "Ego."

During World War 2, he trained users of the Ground Operated Approach Radar, the military ancestor to today's air traffic control systems, then completed a college degree (with honors) in physics and mathematics at King's College, London.

The road of gold

Since 1956, Clarke resided in Sri Lanka as the island nation's sole honorary citizen, engaging in underwater exploration and participating in the management of a diving tour company, Underwater Safaris. However, he was most familiar to global audiences as a futurist and advocate of technology and interplanetary exploration.

With Walter Cronkite, who would become a lifelong friend, he co-anchored CBS television coverage of the launches of Apollo 11, 12 and 15. Continuing his career in television, Clarke hosted such investigative programs as "Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World", "World of Strange Powers" and "Mysterious Universe".

Among his many honors, Clarke was one of only 17 writers ever named a Science Fiction Grand Master. In addition, he received the UNESCO Kalinga Award for advancing interest in science, as well as nominations for both an Academy Award nomination, for 2001 (shared with Stanley Kubrick), and a Nobel Peace Prize, for laying the conceptual groundwork for the creation of orbital communications satellites.

He served as a fellow at alma mater King's College.

He received both the Order of the British Empire (promoted to Commander of the British Empire in 1998) and the Vidya Jyothi, the highest honor bestowed by the Sri Lankan government.

He was most likely the only person to both appear on two Sri Lankan stamps -- commemorating the 50th anniversary of telecommunications in that country -- and to have an asteroid named in his honor.

On a more personal level, luminaries ranging from Carl Sagan, Alexei Leonov and Willy Ley to Wernher von Braun, Rupert Murdoch and Isaac Asimov called Clarke friend.

Service to science

With such an impressive resume, it would be easy to forget that Clarke's greatest significance was as one of the 20th century's great popularizers of scientific thought, especially through the medium of science fiction.

Combining a genuine optimism for humanity's future with visionary insight and an almost equally uncanny ability to explain difficult points of science, Clarke's body of genre work was likely one of the most significant in the 20th century.

As a futurist, he enjoyed such a level of success that he attributed the failure of humanity to build lunar colonies or send piloted missions to Jupiter to shortcomings on our part, not his.

Happily, many of his other significant predictions came true, although the prophecy may have worked at least partially to fulfill itself. In Rendezvous with Rama (1973), he created "Project Spaceguard," an organization dedicated to tracking asteroids likely to intersect with the Earth. When the real world caught up with him in 1996, its founders named it "Spaceguard" in homage.

Meanwhile, his science advocacy continued through such organizations as The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, which promotes the ideas and concerns of his life and work (especially space exploration, future studies and ocean conservation), the Arthur C. Clarke Institute For Modern Technologies at University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka, and the Arthur C. Clarke Award, given annually to outstanding British science fiction novels.

The Three Laws

Writer and critic George Zebrowski, a good friend of Clarke and a recognized expert on his work, once stated that Clarke's Three Laws are central to appreciating the man's work.

Not only are these aphorisms fundamental elements of Clarke's literary legacy, but some would argue that they comprise a valuable contribution to 20th-Century popular thought. They are:

1) When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. Corollary: When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

2) The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to venture beyond them into the impossible.

3) Any significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

The Third Law is widely quoted and appears in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations.

The global village

Clarke so relentlessly promoted the exploration of space, while celebrating cultural and geographic differences here on Earth, that he was called "our solar system's first regionalist."

Thanks to his deep love for his adopted Sri Lanka and its people, Clarke became a true citizen of the global village he helped to create. The international popularity of his work transcended political boundaries, allowing him to bridge the chasm between the U.S. space program, the Russians and his native United Kingdom throughout the Cold War era. How many men of the 20th century could count both Alexei Leonov and Walter Cronkite as friends?

Clarke's outspoken criticism of individual countries' tendency to nationalize the exploration of space showed that he still felt that the leap to other worlds was far too important -- if not too vast -- an undertaking to be constrained by concepts so transient as "nation-states."

He often seemed disappointed with us, but his fiction showed that he never wavered in his belief that the future would be a time of wonders, and that humanity, given time and common sense, would inevitably transcend the limits of gravity.

Legacy

In 2007, Clarke celebrated his 90th birthday.

"Sometimes I am asked how I would like to be remembered," Clarke said at the celebration. "I have had a diverse career as a writer, underwater explorer and space promoter. Of all these I would like to be remembered as a writer."

He listed three wishes on his birthday: for the world to embrace cleaner energy resources, for a lasting peace in his adopted home, Sri Lanka, and for evidence of extraterrestrial beings.

"I have always believed that we are not alone in this universe," Clarke said.

Humans are waiting until extraterrestrial beings "call us or give us a sign," he said. "We have no way of guessing when this might happen. I hope sooner rather than later."

Clumsy Monday

      Today I slipped off my diet and bought a cheeseburger and a full order of fries. As I was handing the money to the lady at the drive-in window, I dropped the bag and spilled all the fries into the floorboard. I was able to save the burger, though, so I still fell off my diet despite my clumsiness.
      When I got home, I picked up my floor mat and dumped the fries in the trash. Grease and bits of potato were still on the mat so I washed it off. My car smelled like French fries, so I found an air freshener and hung it up in my car, hoping that would disguise the odor. But it didn't. Instead, the air hangs heavy with the delicate scent of perfume and French fries. My car smells like a lady of the evening who works out of McDonalds. I drove to work with all my windows open.
      And that's about how my day went. I was always behind a beat or ahead a beat, but off nonetheless. Fortunately the day ended without me burning down the office or breaking a leg or anything other disaster. And this evening, I added another thousand words to Murder by the Acre. So the day ended well.
      How was your day? Anything exciting going on in your world? I'm sure enjoying the warmer weather and the sunlight. I'm also enjoying the John Adams mini-series on HBO. Worth watching.
      And now I'm going to call it a night. Take care.

Halfway & speeding to the end

      A couple of people asked me why the halfway mark on Murder by the Acre was so significant to me, besides the obvious.
      Yeah, it was big deal to me. I finally felt that I would actually complete the book. Yes, I know I've talked about nothing other than writing the thing, but I had my doubts. Having to lose nearly 40,000 words made me sick. I honestly felt dizzy for a couple of days after I made that decision. Of course, the new rewritten material was much better than the old discarded material, but still I had doubts that the story would finally come together. Then I was truly sick most of January with the flu and lost days and days of writing time.
      But when I reached the halfway point, I could see the story to the end. I knew where it was going and (mostly) how we were going to get there. The characters and the story stepped up and began to fill my mind with new scenes with sharper dialogue and clearer action. So it was big deal when I crossed the halfway point on Friday.
      I gave myself Saturday off. No writing, no computing. Chores, errands, and getting out in the glorious sunshine filled my day. As I walked around my neighborhood or drove to Staples, my mind worked out new scenes. I found myself speaking lines of dialogue at the stoplight and acting out scenes while washing the dishes. Ryton was reaching out to me all the way to the real world.
      Anyway, it was a very good feeling. And I appreciate that I had my readers and friends on this blog to share it with. I confess that I miss getting to talk and share with other writers. Other than Jean, most other writers -- including my professional friends -- don't have much to say to me about my self-publishing efforts. They disapprove, of course. And the fact I'm making money off the first one and going to publish a second book seems to only increase their disdain.
      To paraphrase one of them: By devoting my time to self-publishing, I am stealing time from writing a book that a "real" publisher might buy. I tried to explain that 1) I haven't given up on traditional publishing and have two books (Darkness, Oklahoma and Dragons Gather) that will be finished and sent off to agents and publishers; 2) my self-publishing is making me money now, and now is when I need it; and 3) after all these long years of submitting and getting close and watching lesser writers make it because of luck and connections, I'm finally getting validation of my writing by readers. Murder by Dewey Decimal continues to sell online even though I have mostly stopped my publicity for it. It's received decent unsolicited reviews and sold to people as far away as Germany. No, it's not supporting me, and I've yet to make the money that most authors receive from their advances from traditional publishers, but I'm not complaining. Money is money, and the MBDD checks have helped pay for my diabetes medicine for several months.
      Even if it hadn't made money -- and thank the Good Lord, it has -- I learned a lot about publicity and what works and what doesn't. And the thrill of holding the book in my hands ranks right up there in my list of great moments.
      In June, there will be a second book in the series. Bernard's and Lisa's story will continue in Murder by the Acre. With this book, they've grown funnier and smarter, more like people I'd want to hang out with. Ryton itself wants its story -- its conflicts and successes, its quirky people with all their faults, feuds, and follies -- told. And I'm going to tell those stories for a while.
      Anyway, that's where I'm at now. Hope things are going well for you. Talk to you tomorrow.

50%

34,270 words

on Murder by the Acre.
Halfway to 68,500.
I am excited, pleased, and proud.
It's all downhill from here.

Sometime in June, folks,

there's going to be a book.

Life as it is

"I have lived nearly fifty years, and I have seen life as it is. Pain, misery, hunger ... cruelty beyond belief. I have heard the singing from taverns and the moans from bundles of filth on the streets. I have been a soldier and seen my comrades fall in battle ... or die more slowly under the lash in Africa. I have held them in my arms at the final moment. These were men who saw life as it is, yet they died despairing. No glory, no gallant last words ... only their eyes filled with confusion, whimpering the question, 'Why?' I do not think they asked why they were dying, but why they had lived. When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams -- this may be madness. To seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness, And maddest of all, to see life as it is, and not as it should be!"

From the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha

One post with paragraphs & photo

      One should post on one's blog occasionally if only to keep other ones' interested in one's blog, mustn't one? One must. And two should, too. But let's don't talk about three.
      I've been writing. Not always on Murder by the Acre, sorry to say, but writing nonetheless. And MBTA is getting words, too. It's just that Darkness, Oklahoma and Grave Tidings are giving me snippets of scenes so I've been jotting them down. I'm not developing those scenes yet because I have to keep focused on MBTA -- June's not that far away -- but I don't want to lose those scenes, either.
      Hey, another photo. The sky was wonderful today. So blue. But what we're looking at in this photo is the leaf buds on the tree. Spring is coming. The trees know it. I'm ready.



      Sunday I went to church, wrote, did housework, and napped. Monday was a terrible day at work. One of the worse ones I've ever had. Today was better. Of course, after yesterday, it would have had to work really hard to be worst. I try to use bad days to work to motivate me to write more and do more since I believe my writing is one way to eventually escape, but it's hard because I get so emotionally beat down that when I come home, I want to eat dinner and go to bed. Gotta try to do better than that.
      It's late now so I'm going to close. I hope things are going well for you. Night!

Saturday sky & MBTA excerpt

      Look at that blue sky. Isn't it incredible?




      Notice the red bird in this photo? I wish I had a camera with a telephoto lens.



      Not much to tell you about my Saturday. I spent it in housework, writing, errands, and so on. I'm about to start my diet AGAIN. I've got to lose this weight, that's all there is to it. More on that as I make my decisions about how to approach that.
      So I guess I'll close. Here's an excerpt from Murder by the Acre. In it, the wife of one of the victims confronts her husband's mistress. It was a surprise to both the characters and me.

      Excerpt from Chapter Four of Murder by the Acre. This is in raw form and hasn't been edited and might not appear in the book. Copyright 2008. No copying in any form permitted.

       "How can you parade yourself in public like this?" Melissa Nelson said, her voice low and angry as she approached their table. Gill Armstrong hurried behind her. "My husband is dead, and it's your fault!"
      Janice stared at Melissa in horror.
      "I'm so sorry," she said.
      "Melissa, don't do this," Gill Armstrong said, trying to take her arm. She shook him off.
      "Danny and I had our problems," Melissa said. "But he was still the father of our son. And he deserved better, you slut!"
      "I didn't kill --"
      "Even if you didn't, he wouldn't have been out there if he hadn't been meeting you!" Melissa's voice rose.
      The waiters and the other restaurant patrons were staring at the scene. Lisa looked at Bernard who looked as shocked as she was.
      "And don't think you're going to get any of his money!" Melissa said. "Everything he has belongs to my son now, and don't you ever try to get any of it!"
      Bernard rose. Gill Armstrong glanced at him.
      "Mrs. Nelson, this isn't good," Bernard said. "Why don't you go back to your table? We're about to leave."
      Melissa ignored him. "So just get yourself a lawyer. See what good it'll do you!"
      "Janice doesn't want any money," Lisa spoke up. "She had already broke it off with your husband."
      The older woman glared at Lisa. "Really? That whore was supposed to meet him at that house. Gill heard him talking to her."
      "Janice?" Lisa looked at Janice who didn't meet her eyes.
      "She also called my lawyer and told him that Danny had promised to leave me and that Danny was paying her rent on her office," Melissa said. "She said they had an 'oral' contract. She threatened to sue the estate." She turned to Janice. "Let me tell you this: I'll kill you before you get a red cent! Do you hear me? I'll kill you!"

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. No copying of any form without express written permission.

Gary Gygax 1938 - 2008

MILWAUKEE - Gary Gygax, who co-created the game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday, March 4, at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.

He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.

Gygax and co-creator Dave Arneson developed the fantasy role-playing game in 1974. It became one of the best-selling games ever and influenced video games, books and movies.

Gygax's wife said he always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans about how Dungeons & Dragons influenced their lives. Many would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, which is about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, she said.

"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gail Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters for themselves and describe their adventures with the help of complicated rules and unusually shaped dice.

The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that are still growing in popularity.

Gygax had been in declining health for several years but as recently as January he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons at their home, Gail Gygax said.

In addition to his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.

The last two

      I finished the last of my library books last night. Time to go back and reload. And today is my library's used book sale. I usually find some goodies there.
      Pontoon by Garrison Keillor was excellent, although I have noticed that his writing gets sadder and darker each book. But it's still lyrical and wise with just the right amount of physical comedy.
      I don't what to say about The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. It's a dark, horrific fantasy that reads like a fable for adults or maybe the Brothers Grimm before they were cleaned up. It's the story about a young boy whose mother passes away. Soon the books in his room are whispering to him, and he is having "fits" where he falls unconscious and sees glimpses of another world. Lured by the voice of his dead mother, he enters that world that is more nightmare than fantasy.
      It's definitely not a children's book even though our hero is a child. You meet a Snow White who is so horrible that the Seven Dwarfs try to poison her; a noble, tragic, gay knight who meets a terrible death on his quest to find his missing lover; wolf-men who like the taste of human flesh and intend to rule the world; insect-like Beasts who like the taste of any flesh; trees that weep blood and flowers that scream; a beautiful huntress in the woods who likes to make children into half-animal/half-human blends and then hunt them, kill them, and mount their heads on her walls; a villain who preys upon the weak with relish and has a terrible fate planned for your young hero; and so on.
      But the book also has moments of true heroism and courage. Our hero learns terrible and beautiful lessons about the pain and glory of life. It ends well, although it's not a happily ever after ending, but how life goes on even after world changing events. I do recommend it.
      And now I'll close. I still have writing of my own to do. Night!

Grump

      I am incredibly grumpy tonight. Tired of cold weather, my job, my life, the world. The usual list of whines and complaints. I'm tired of them, too.
      By the way, if I have to read one more essay, blog, article comparing Obama to Lincoln, I'm going to go ballistic. He isn't Lincoln. Clinton isn't Lincoln, either. Lincoln was the only Lincoln. Deal with it.
      I need a massage. Or time in a hot tub. Both. And time to not think. To disappear into Ryton without the real world intruding. Maybe to just disappear.
      Another aside, I'm tired to the point of violence of pseudo-intellectuals attempting to impress me with their knowledge of obscure Biblical facts or historical trivia or academic minutiae. If I'm eating lunch alone, it might be because I can't stand hearing about your dissertation one more freaking time. A dissertation that is so boring and dry that it could break the will of political prisoners.
      As I read this over, I realize it’s too grumpy. So I’m going to close and not subject you to any more of my bile. Have a good day tomorrow.

Reading & writing

      Besides writing, I've done a lot of reading these past couple of weeks. I've read: Thursday Next: First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde; Black Wind by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler; Tumbling Blocks by Earlene Fowler; The Sea of Trolls and The Land of the Silver Apples by Nancy Farmer; The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs; Classics for Pleasure by Michael Dirda; and How I Got Published edited by Ray White and Duane Lindsey. I have started Pontoon by Garrison Keillor and should finish it tonight or tomorrow. Then I'm going to read The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. All of these books are from my local library.
      I know it might seem strange to be reading so many books while writing as much as I am, but I find that I thirst for reading when I'm writing intensively. I can hardly bear to watch TV when I'm writing. Don't know why. I do, for the most part, avoid the genre I'm writing in. There's only one mystery in that group, and I was already familiar with Earlene Fowler's books and knew that I wouldn't pick up any of her style by reading it.
      Classics for Pleasure made me jealous of Michael Dirda -- he apparently has plenty of time to read hundreds of classics. I'd like that life. The book is a collection of essays in which he discusses many lesser known authors and writings that he thinks everyone should read. I added several of his suggestions to my future reading list.
      I also enjoyed both books by Nancy Farmer. She's a multiple Newbery Honor recipient and deservedly so. A good reading list would be all the Newbery Honor and Newbery Award books over the years. You will find many books that, even though they were written for children, hold wit and wisdom to astonish and delight any reader irregardless of age.
      I don't what to think about the Thursday Next book. This is the fifth book in the series, and I mostly enjoyed it. Enough that I'm going seek out the first four and read them in order. I think I might have enjoyed it more if I had done so.
      How I Got Published was full of inspiration and short of advice, other than to write and never give up. Still, I enjoyed the short essays by published authors detailing how they finally cracked the publishing code. Black Wind was enjoyable. One of the nice things about a Cussler book is that you get exactly what you expected to get. That's not a bad thing with an established author.
      Anyway, there wasn't a bad book among the lot so you might want to add them to your list. They all worth a read.
      Have a good night and great tomorrow. Talk to you then.

Real writing

      Murder by the Acre is shaping up nicely. The words are flowing again. Ryton is a little world, and I'm walking around in it and recording what's happening. I know that sounds weird, but that's how it feels, despite the fact I'm actually creating that little world.
      For instance tonight, I wrote other thousand words. I didn't expect to, but this new scene came along and kept my interest. I wanted to see what happened. This scene isn't in the outline I use or was anything I had thought about before other than a vague thought that Lisa and Bernard should have dinner with one of the suspects, the mistress of the murdered man. That's all I thought was going to happen, but then into the restaurant stepped the murdered man's wife and her maybe boyfriend, both suspects, too. Naturally the wife hates the mistress. An explosive combination. The scene isn't over, but I'm very curious about what's going to happen. When this happens -- when I feel like a reporter watching real events taking place -- I feel like a "real" writer.
      I realize that writing and MBTA seem to be only topics on my blog lately. Sorry, but that's what's occupying my attention. And will continue to for the time being, but I'll try to find a few things to keep the attention of those not writerly inclined.
      By the way, yesterday we had tornadoes in Oklahoma, then torrential rains, and today snow. If an earthquake happens tomorrow, I'm leaving the state.
      Anyway, I'm going to bed now. I had a bad day at work today, one of those days that motivate me to work on my writing so that someday it will let me leave there. Anyway, I'm going to call it a night and go to bed with a good book. Hope you have a great day tomorrow!

Sunny Sunday

      A very busy Sunday, which is odd for me. Well, odder. I was productive to a frightening degree. I got a lot of tasks done, including more words. We are now at 30,005 words on Murder by the Acre, officially 4,250 words behind where I wanted to be at the end of February. Not bad at all for losing all those weeks in January. MBTA should be ready to go to the proofers in May. We're still on track for the book to be published by the end of June.
      Of course, I have to polish it like crazy in May, particularly the first chapter, which I allowed a couple of friends to read. Apparently they weren't impressed as I haven't heard from them one way or another. Sigh. That's okay. I knew it wasn't ready, but I needed some strokes. That'll teach me.
      It's supposed to snow here tomorrow. I can't believe it. Two to four inches. It's raining and storming now, and Oklahoma experienced its first tornado of the season today. Weird weather, that's Oklahoma. When the wind comes sweeping down the plain, we really do mean it sweeps things along.
      Power just went out for a moment, so I think I'll close. Take care and have a great -- snow free -- day tomorrow. Night!

Normal Saturday

      Since I didn't really write today, I have no reason not to blog, other than the fact that I didn't do much. Well, nothing interesting. After you've fought off a pack of howling killer clowns a few times, you realize that people get tired of hearing you talk about it: "Blah blah blah killer clowns blah blah blah." Since I don't want to subject you to that, I'm trying to figure out something interesting to tell you.
      Let's see. Hmm. Well, I have a new neighbor. She's a vampire, but nice. A bit pale and there's a general sense of doom and decay around her, but as Mrs. Simmons said, we already have a bank officer on our block so we can surely stand a vampire as long as we remember to eat our garlic and never invite her into our houses, which is going to be a problem for block parties, but it can't be helped.
      And I'm being kind to the Mormon missionaries who wander by our street. When I see them, I think of FF, my roomie, Randal, and the other Mormons I have known. Despite that, I don't release the hounds anymore. They're nice young men and so brave to visit here again after that unfortunate incident with the tuba, goat, and Widow Jacobsen.
      The weather was really nice today. Sunshine, warm temperatures, a few white clouds in the sky with only the occasional alien visitation. I took a brief walk around the neighborhood and spoke with a few neighbors or poked them with sharp pointed sticks, depending on what they enjoy. It's days like these that make you glad you're alive or undead or a car salesman as the case may be.
      I spent the rest of the day doing laundry, typing a few words on Murder by the Acre, a bit of housework, washing my car, thwarting a few terrorists plots, napping, reading, filing, etc. The usual. I hope you had a good Saturday, and I hope to see you tomorrow here -- unless, of course, I write a whole bunch or win a lot of money or both. Night!

Short post again

Okay. No long post today. Writing all these words is taking all my time. Notice that we're a little over 29,000 at present. Not halfway yet, but getting there. Tomorrow I hope for another 1,000 words. Then I'll officially be just 4,000 words behind where I wanted to be at the end of February. Not bad for losing three weeks in January due to illness. So I'll have March and April to write 38,500 words. It will require commitment, but it's very doable, particularly if I get a few productive weekends. Anyway, what with errands and appointments and writing, that's what I did today. And probably what I'll do tomorrow. Take care. Night!

In brief

I've been writing like a madman on Murder by the Acre, so I haven't had any time to blog. I added a thousand words yesterday and another thousand today. I intend to write 1,500 keeper tomorrow. Anyway, I'm off tomorrow afternoon so I'll try to give you a nice long update then. Have a good night!

Looking up at the sky

      We haven't had any pictures of the sky lately. So here are some photos of the sky today.

Slow slow slow Saturday

      I have felt bad all day today. As a result, I haven't done much. A few errands, a bit of housework, a lot of sleeping. In fact, I want to go to sleep right now. Sigh. You can know I'm tired because Godzilla is on TV, and instead of watching it, I'm going to bed. I'm hoping a good night's sleep will help me get over this minor malady.
      Hey, that's cool. Spellcheck is working again. Anyway, I hope you had a good day and hope tomorrow will be better. Good night!

MBDD comes through

      Tuesday, I received a very nice surprise in the mail. As most of you know, I've spent the past several weeks ill. As a result, I haven't promoted Murder by Dewey Decimal any. In fact, I had sort of given up on selling any more of MBDD since Christmas was over. I thought I might sell more when Murder by the Acre comes out. Anyway, I received a small check in the mail from Lulu. With no promoting by me, without me hovering or worry, MBDD has continued to sell on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Buy.com and other online retailers. I was surprised and pleased. My little book is still selling. How about that?
      Anyway, I hope things are going well for you. I'm working the January family newsletter and should have it out this weekend. I should also finish my last audio critique of Jean's techno-thriller Twilight. And of course, I need a couple more thousand words for Murder by the Acre. And housework, laundry, paying bills, errands, etc. The usual.
      I think I’ll close now and get to bed a bit early. Take care and have a good tomorrow. Night!

Turn up the volume

This song fits my mood lately. And I like the video for some reason. Wonder what it could be.

Another 1,000

      I got another 1,000 words on Murder by the Acre today. Kinda wore out my writing muscles so I'm going to close now. Here's a brief video of my new robot. It dances on the table and then falls off. A lot like what humans do when they dance on tables. Night.

18,000

      It looks like I'm going to lose another 18,000 words from the old version of Murder by the Acre. Excuse me while I indulge in a bit of violent heaving. Remember when I said my murderer killed someone I wasn't expecting. Well, that someone -- surprise, surprise, surprise -- was all over the middle third of the old version of the book. When that person wasn't talking, people were talking about him/her. Sigh. So I thought, "Okay, I don't want to lose 18,000 words so I'll just un-kill the victim. I'll lose about 1,000 words that way, but not nearly a third of the old book."
      Problem solved. Right? RIGHT? No. The new version with that person dead is better than the old version. Much better, curse it all. It makes perfect sense that the murderer would eliminate that person. In fact, it was a flaw in the old version that the murderer never killed that person. Once my subconscious –- oh evil subconscious -- finally brought that to my attention, I realized that I couldn’t un-kill the victim. It’s a better story with that murder.
      So what does that mean? What? Well, it means that I’m just lazy and I just going to have to adjust to the fact that I’m going to have to rewrite most of the rest of the book, too. Whee. I can’t really express my despair at this other than with explosives.
      Okay. Fine. I can do that. Nothing worthwhile is easy. And the book can still come out in June, only a month later than my revised plan, without me killing myself to get it written. Or rewritten as the case may be. And I still may be able to use about 10,000 words from the old version so not all is lost.
      I’m okay with this. Really I am. Other than bouts of fury and sobbing, I’m fine. Oh, and the drinking. And the lovely fires I’m setting to relieve stress. But the word for me is fine. Let’s say it together: Fine. Fine. FINE!
      Otherwise, I’m fine. And the words are coming. We have over 25,000 keepers now. The goal is 500 words a day now. Two pages a day. Two keeper pages. I have a mad desire to laugh madly at this point.
      Oh, hey, I got a new robot. Yes, I did. I’ll try to post a video of it tomorrow. Something for you to look forward to. I’m always thinking of you, you know. You and you and you, but not you. I’m mad at you, you hussy. But you and you and you and you, too. All the rest of you, too.
      Have a great day tomorrow. And if tomorrow doesn’t come through for you, I want you to stand up proudly, reach out a hand, and grab tomorrow’s throat and choke the living crap out of it. Because we’re not going to have bad days anymore. And if we do, a lot of people are going to, too. I trust you understand where I’m coming from. I’m in the house with you. I’m right behind you. Can't you feel my breath on your neck?
      Night!

Saturday Evening

       Well, I got a lot done on the house -- not finished, of course -- but I struggled with Murder by the Acre. I can't seem to get in the flow. The story is there, I can see in my head, but getting onto paper -- or on the computer screen -- is like swimming upstream. Against a strong current. While pulling a boat. Sigh. It will come. I have faith. I've had this happen before, and if you keep writing -- and the story is there in the first place, and I think it is -- eventually the writing will flow again.
       Hey, is anyone else having trouble with spell check on Blogger? Mine hasn't worked for a couple of weeks now. I thought it was a Blogger bug, but if no one else is experiencing this, then it's my system. Let me know.
       By the way, I posted earlier today in case you're one of those people who only read the top post. And you know who you are.
       Frenzied Feline, Michelle and Kent did the Book 123 Meme that I tagged them with. (Kent answered his in the comments on the meme.) We're still waiting on Trixie and Jean.
      It rained most of the day here. And it was cold, but not cold enough to turn to ice. And that's the weather report today. I'm going to close now. Have a great tomorrow. Night!

Saturday Morn

      I'm spending today on Murder by the Acre and cleaning house. That's it. My kitchen is just about clean, then I'm going to start on the living room. When I break from cleaning house, I'm working on MBTA.
      It's wet and cold here. I'm tired of winter. Very tired of winter. Well, wait long enough, and summer will get here. It's raining right now. We need the rain so no complaining on that account.
      I'm amazed how cluttered my house has become over the past few days. It's going to take all day and then some to get it uncluttered. But it's productive. I'm determined to get my house -- and my life -- in order. Or at least in enough order that it doesn't interfere with what needs to be done.
      Now back to work. I'll be back later, I think. Have a great day.

Book meme 123

       Kirsten tagged me for a meme a couple of days ago, and I keep forgetting to post my answers. Here it is.

BOOK MEME 123

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)

       Your Own Worst Enemy by Kenneth W. Christian. The book is about adult underachievement and how to overcome it in our lives. I have found it to helpful in restarting my creative energies as well as dealing with some negative attitudes I have.

Find Page 123.

       Done. Well, that was easy. No, wait there's more.

Find the first 5 sentences.

       Also done, but I see there's still more to do.

Post the next 3 sentences.

       "In the contemplation stage you acknowledge that you have a problem and begin to consider what it is and whether you can change it. During contemplation you would still prefer not to have to change but begin to weigh the trade-offs of standing pat versus acting. You may alternate frequently between waiting to take action and resisting it, question your ability to change, and feel moody and irritable."

Tag 5 people.

       Let's see. Who will be tormented? I tag Trixie, Frenzied Feline, Michelle, Jean and Kent. Those without a blog may answer in the comments on this post. And remember this is Kristen's fault.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Wednesdaying again

      Have you noticed the word total for Murder by the Acre is increasing? Yes, slowly it's going up. I am determined that the word count will increase each day, even if it's only by a few words. The story is waking back up again. And this evening my murderer killed someone that I wasn't expecting to die. The murder surprised me greatly, but it makes sense that the murderer would kill that victim. I'm beginning to think my murderer may be a little crazy. Not the voices-in-my-head crazy, but other-people's-lives-mean-nothing crazy. Kinda like how a fifth-grade gym teacher views the world.
      I also updated the scrollies and the favorite quote. Did you notice? I posted a nude picture of me several entries back. Ha! Made you look. I also added some more links to the Science & Technology links. All were recommended in Don’t Know Much About The Universe by Kenneth C. Davis. The book is bit dated, but still has good info about cosmology.
      I’m still not healthy, dang it. I’m tired of being sick and tired. But I think I’m still improving, just not at the rate I want. Sigh. Besides taking vitamins, getting rest, staying hydrated, eating right … What else can you do to stay healthy? I read once that yak milk is good for you. Anyone have any yaks?
      How are you doing? Anything interesting going on in your world? I basically am going to work, coming home, typing a bit, and going to bed. Yeah, I’m living the wild life. Makes my head whirl.
      Well, I think it’s time for bed. I’m going to try to be posting more regularly. At least let you know that I’m still out here, still typing, still hoping, still dreaming, still being me. Have a great day tomorrow. Night!

Sundaying

      Sorry to be gone. I’m still not up to my usual energy levels, but I’m doing better. I’ve been spending a lot of time working on a critique for a friend of mine. I was honored that Jean asked me to be first reader for her techno-thriller Twilight. I have a few quibbles that I’m going to share with her, but I think Jean has a good book there, and I’m looking forward to seeing it on the shelves someday soon.
      Today for lunch, I made a pot roast, skinny mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and a lettuce and tomato salad. It was really good. I don’t cook much these days. I got out of the habit of cooking and have been buying too much fast food. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to try to cook more. Home cooked food is usually healthier, costs less, and tastes better.
      I’m still having trouble with Murder by the Acre. Nothing I can’t work through, but it’s hard going at present. I have to keep working on it. I wanted to finish and publish it before summer rolls around. I’d like to spend my summer working on finishing Darkness, Oklahoma and Dragons Gather. Both are clamoring for attention. In between there, I’d like to publish Floozy & Other Stories. (DO and DG are both meant for regular publishers. At least, I want to try them there first. FOS is going to be self-published again.) And then I intend to write Murder by the Mile. Big plans, eh? We’ll see how it goes.
      I purchased a new video camera Saturday. I’ve been playing with it. I like it so far, but the battery life doesn’t seem to be very long. It takes a special battery so I’m going to look around to find an extra one. Surely someone sells one. Naturally, Walmart, where I purchased the camera, doesn’t.
      Well, I’m going to call it a night now. You have a great night and a wonderful tomorrow. Night!

Wednesdaying

      Wow. This meme really got around. Michelle, Jean, Frenzied Feline, Trixie, Erudite Redneck, and Jaime all answered the questions on their blogs. The only one who didn't answer them on his blog was Adam, who sent it to me as an email in the first place.
      Super Tuesday is over, of course. Who did you vote for? Looks like oldster McCain will be the Republican candidate unless holier Hucky can pull an upset. On the Demo side, it's anyone's guess. Votes will have to decide if they like Hillary's vague plans or Obama's empty slogans. Should be interesting in a stomach churning way.
      Last night I ran a mild fever and had a bout of nausea. Very annoying. I'm ready to be healthy again. I want my zip back. Need it back to complete all I have planned. I'd like to have several accomplishments to look back at when 2009. Which is only 11 months away. Yikes.
      I will pay off a small credit card next month. Then I will be left only with one credit card and my second and first mortgage. Oh, and the loan on the new bed I purchased. The loan on the bed should be paid off by August. The remaining credit card should be paid off in November. Then I'll start on my second mortgage and should have it done by November of 2009. Then the first mortgage by the end of 2010. At least that's the plan. We'll see how it works out. Money sure is annoying - well, not having money is annoying. I haven't tried it the other way.
      Holly Lisle is attempting to start her own publishing company. The planning of it makes my head hurt, particularly as I read the many conflicting comments. I think starting a business in these days is almost the ultimate in courage. Of course, she's known for being brave and paying forward. If anyone deserves success in the publishing world, she does. If you'd like to read her current plan, go here and see what you think. Does it sound interesting to you? Would you subscribe to it? Does serial fiction still have a place in the publishing world?
      I'm reading a very interesting book, Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement by Kenneth W. Christian. It's about how we fall into the trap of choosing a lesser life than what we're capable of. It also gives a plan for revitalizing our goals. I've found several of my bad habits in the book. I think there's a lot of wisdom in the book, and I'm hoping to use it to make some significant positive changes in my life.
      I was just thinking about my bed loan again. I could actually pay it off in April by pushing the payoff of my credit card back until December. I think I'll do that, and then by May, I'll only have the big credit card, second mortgage, and first mortgage left. I want to be out of debt.
      Well, it's late or it feels that way to me so I'm going to close. I hope you have a good night and a great day tomorrow. Take care.

Monday morning again

      Well, the Patriots lost the Super Bowl. But they played hard and the game was close so I'm not terribly disappointed. My favorite commercial was the one for Coke where the huge balloon characters battled it out for the bottle and Charlie Brown won. The funniest one was where Justin Timberlake got beat up for Pepsi Stuff. His repeated encounters with the mailbox post made me laugh out loud.
      I've been trying to restart Murder by the Acre. These weeks of sickness have really taken the wind out of my writing sails. I've got to get immersed in the story and characters again. I'm hoping I won't have any more delays this time. It's hard to get back into it after being gone so long.
      During all the recent nonstop coughing, hurricane-like sneezing, and projectile vomiting, I pulled a muscle on the right side of my chest. It's really quite painful, particularly when I raise or move my right arm. Been using a heating pad, Advil, and deep-heating rub. That helps, but I'll be glad when it's healed.
      Speaking of being ill, while I was at one of my doctor's visits, he prescribed a drug to settle my stomach. It's available as a pill or a topical rub. "Or, if you prefer, you can have it in a suppository," the doctor said. If I prefer? Are there actually people who say, "Yeah, man, I want a suppository! Wahoo!" I did fine with the rub and the pills, thank you very much.
      That was at my first visit to the doctor during my illness when I still had some spunk left in me. By the second visit, I was past caring. They took blood, gave me shots, poked swabs down my throat, collected other body fluids, thumped my chest, recorded my vital signs -- twice, etc., in an hour-long parade of medical procedures. I didn't ask any questions. For all I know, they were training new nurses on me. That would explain why one of the nurses told me that I wasn't pregnant after I peed on that stick.
      Otherwise, not much to tell you. I mentioned my get-up-and-go had got up and went some time ago. I got a postcard from it Saturday. Apparently it's left the country and is now living in Paris. I'm hoping it will return soon. Time to get ready for work. Talk to you later. Have a great day.

Super Bowl 42

      It's half time, and my team -- well, actually the team I'm cheering for since it's not like I'm on the team or own any of it -- is ahead. Yes, I'm rooting for the New England Patriots. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers just performed. Age has slowed them down some, but they still sounded good. The commercials don't seem to be as good as in the past. As always, the beer commercials are the best. I guess they spend the most money on them.
      Game is back on, but I'm going to finish this post before I return my attention to the action. I didn't do much this weekend. Napped, laundry, housework, MBTA, and worked on a critique of a novel for a friend of mine. I went out to eat with some friends of mine on Saturday night, and I had a good time visiting with Nancy, Nick, Kyra, TL, Melissa and Eric at Applebys. That was the first time I've been out since I got sick.
      I'm still not completely healthy. Have a lingering cough. And lack energy in a major way. I'm hoping that improves over the next few days. But I am much better than I was so I'm getting there.
      I'm going back to the game now. Hope things are going well for you. Have a great week! Night.

An email meme

Adam Huckeby sent this email meme to me this evening, and since I've done NOTHING except work and come home and nap and then sleep, I thought I'd share it with you. Please feel free to use it on your blog, too.

1. What is your occupation? I'm the office manager of a small insurance agency.
2. What color are your socks right now? White.
3. What are you listening to right now? The Tonight Show.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Toast and orange juice.
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes, but I don't enjoy it.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Striped.
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My sister.
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes.
9. How old are you today? 12 with occasional bouts of 15.
10. Favorite drink? Water or root beer or Sunkist.
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Football.
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes. Frequently.
13. Pets? Fish.
14. Favorite food? Hmm. Tacos. Or maybe roasted turkey breast with brown gravy.
15. Last movie you watched? Die Hard 4.
16. Favorite Day of the year? Christmas or whatever day around then that my family gathers.
17. What do you do to vent anger? Kill people and eat their livers. Just kidding. Mostly.
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? Microscope and BB gun.
19. What is your favorite season? Summer. SUMMER!
20. Hugs or kisses? It depends on who it is that is attempting to hug or kiss me. And depending on the person, I like both.
21. Cherry or Blueberry? Cherry.
22. When was the last time you cried? When my uncle passed away.
23. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes and some storage boxes.
24. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Crystal, I think. We've known each other since the fifth grade.
25. Favorite smells? A grilling steak and apple pie.
26. Who inspires you? People who pursue their dreams. But not those dreams about being naked in public.
27. What are you afraid of? I don't like spiders.
28. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? I rarely eat hamburgers, but when I do, they're plain.
29. Favorite car? Hybrids or electrics. I don't have either, but I'd like to.
30. Favorite cat breed? Uh, well, white ones, I guess. And they have to be alive. I don't like dead cats despite what my neighbors say.
31. Number of keys on your key ring? 8.
32. How many years at your current job? 15, God help me.
33. Favorite day of the week? Saturdays and Sundays.
34. How many states have you lived in? 1.
35. Do you think you're funny? Sometimes.

There are more questions, but I'm out of answers. Have a good night!

Tuesday turnaround

Hard day at work yesterday. It was busy, and my get-up-and-go got up and went a few days ago. I came home, flopped into my easy chair, and stayed put the rest of the night until bedtime. It will take a few days until I'm firing on all cylinders.

And I don't feel well this morning. I took some Advil and my diabetes meds so I'm hoping a turnaround is in order in the next few minutes. I'd like to crawl back in bed and sleep a few more hours. Well, I can do that this evening.

It's time to get ready for work. I hope you have a good day. Talk to you later, I hope.

Sunday

My house is a pit. I haven't felt able to clean it for two weeks. I wonder if I could just gather a few belongings and move somewhere else. Surely the new owners would dig out the clutter.

Still not well, but much better. I'm looking forward to work tomorrow -- not because I've fallen back in love with my job, but because I will be out in the world instead of huddled in this house.

Will spring ever come? I'm ready for sun and lots of it.

I sure appreciated everyone's prayers and comments of concern. They lifted my spirits during some particularly uncomfortable days. Thank you.

I added a new blog to the Blogs of Interest: Kristen's Now Or Never. Kristen is into yoga, tofu, libraries, Sudoku, marching bands, and many, many other nifty things. In other words, she's very cool. Check out her blog.

And now I'm going to go to bed. But here is an excerpt from Darkness, Oklahoma.

From Darkness, Oklahoma

What August Wicker hadn't told the others was that the man had said that the vampire would kill the Bone Queen. The man had said that Substance had Chosen August Wicker. Chosen?! A vampire?!

Even as injured as he had been, August had tried to argue. But the man insisted. "Substance Chose you for this task, and you will accomplish it," the man said before giving August other bag of healing blood. The man left soon after, leaving August with only a blurred impression of a tall man and the scent of a human.

But this was one time that Substance would be disappointed, August vowed silently. The Queen was a major power. She was stronger, faster, and more powerful than a vampire could ever be. In the ancient battle, she had been one of Void's mightiest warriors. She would crush August easily.

August sighed and shook his head. He would miss Darkness. This small Oklahoma town had given him a good life, but all things end. Nothing lasts forever.

And perhaps that also applied to vampires? August paused in his packing. How long did he intend to live? When would the years hang so heavy on his shoulders that he would be crushed? If he still believed he was young, why had he chosen the persona of August Wicker, an elderly librarian? He had told himself that he would attract less attention, but was that real reason?

In his long life, he had killed and tortured men and women. As a sup to his conscience, he had never killed children, but hadn't he left many as orphans? And in centuries past, that was often a death sentence. He could claim no great mercies in his life. He was what he was. He had chosen this life when confronted by death and passed over beyond death's domain. As long as he was wise.

So now he would run. Run into the shadows of another city or a new country. Carve a new territory, perhaps by displacing another vampire in a bloody war. He didn't want to do it, but he wasn't going to die. He would not pass into judgment. Darkness, Oklahoma was doomed, its inhabitants already dead. What did he care? In a hundred years, he would not remember their names.

Yet he sat on his bed for a long time, watching the shadows lengthen as regret curled around his bitter heart.

Copyright 2008 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.

Better

I'm better. Not well, but much better. Still coughing, but able to keep food and liquid down on my own. And my temp has been normal all day. So I think I've finally turned the corner. I'm going to try to go to work Monday. Things are looking up.

Being sick has sort of blown my Murder by the Acre schedule to pieces. But I can still put it out this year, probably close to when I wanted to. I'm not going to stress out about time lost. Things happen. All you can do is pick yourself up and forge on forward. And that's what I'm going to do.

And now I'm going to call it a night and go to bed. Yeah, I haven't done anything, but I'm still tired. Go figure. I hope that you're well and that life is treating you like it should. Hope to talk to you tomorrow. Night!

Update 2

Still sick. Doctors say that I'm doing as well as can be expected and that I have accept that it will take a while to recover. Still burning cough, temps down some but not normal, unrelenting nausea, lost 22 pounds since last Tuesday, hard way to do it. I have kept down food today so I'm hopeful. My stomach has shrunk, though. I'm still missing work. Not able to write or do much of anything. Anyway, that's it. Just have to endure until I beat this.

Update

Still very sick. Doctors throw drugs at me. I'm grateful for the drugs that knock me out. I can't remember ever being this sick. Days of unrelenting temps over 100. Aching all over. No sleep for three days due to the burning cough. My doctor told me that he was concerned. Like I'm not. Got a new drug yesterday day that finally lets me sleep. Actually it puts me out in about five minutes. I'm hoping that with rest, I will finally turn the corner on this. I appreciate the comments and prayers. Please keep the prayers coming.

Flu

My cough is the flu. Really sick. High temp, lots of ugly body fluids. Won't be back here for a while. Take care.

Been busy

      Sorry I've been away from the blog. I've been busy with Murder by the Acre. This weekend I finally made the horrible decision to discard almost all of the old material as written. That means I have to write about 40,000 words between now and March 30. I kinda feel sick about it. The old material will function as background and plot, but I don't think I will be able to fit in more than a couple thousand words.
      This is terribly depressing, but it had to be done. As I wrote the new material, I kept pushing the old material further away. I think I've known for a while that it wouldn't work, but I kept hoping that somehow I could plug it in and make it work. Well, it won't. Not and be a book I could be proud of. Not and be better than Murder by Dewey Decimal, which is what I'm angling for.
      I wrote Murder by Dewey Decimal almost 20 years ago. The book flowed out of me in a one long stream of plot and characters. When I updated it last year, it require almost no rewriting beyond some obvious errors and some rearranging to enhance the flow of the plot. MBTA was written soon after MBDD, but with MBTA, it was the first book that I had attempted to outline and plot. I didn't do such a good job with it. I spent pages of dialogue and exposition on Bernard and Lisa's relationship. I meandered around Ryton, describing the town and its inhabitants. The murders were like an afterthought instead of being front and center, and having two murderers muddied the plot until even I had trouble figuring out who did what and to who.
      Well, there it is. I have to rewrite MBTA. I'm going to write 40,000 words before March 30. That will be hard, but doable. The new material is "in the flow," and it's smarter, clearer, funnier, and sharper than the old. The old material has given me a firm background on which to base the book. So while I regret this -- to the point of feeling sick -- it's the best decision. And I can do it. NaNoWriMo taught me that.
      Anyway, that's what's going on with me. What's happening with you?

The cosmic question

      Over at Erudite Redneck's blog, an atheist wandered by and engaged the group in a discussion. After a hundred or so comments, I was inclined to join it. Here is what I wrote.
      Like a bear drawn out of his den, I will finally comment on this debate. I was lured out by the mention of physics, which as y'all know, I love the way some people love chocolate.
      However, this debate, to my disappointment, has no physics in it. Sigh. Since I'm already awake, I'll throw in and hope that if I can't inject clarity, I will at least not increase the muddiness of the water. I won't promise to reply to any comments, but I might, although if my past behavior is a good indicator of my future behavior, I won't.
      As I understand it, (the atheist) is asking Christians to prove there is a God of some sort. That question cuts both ways: (the atheist) could be asked to prove there isn't one. Either way, the answer is the same. You cannot prove the existence or non-existence of God in a concrete, scientific fashion. Many intangibles fall into this category. And since they can't be proved, it is certainly within rational limits to decide for yourself that they don't exist. I don't agree with that decision, but I can understand the reasoning behind it.
      Let's not fault science in this. Science isn't meant to prove or disprove matters of faith. This recent incursion into the religious arena is only because religion decided to insert itself into science. The scientists have responded in depressingly like fashion to the attacks that zealots have inflicted on their ranks. This is not to say that science is blameless. Many scientists' obvious contempt for religion only infuriates their opponents. I well remember my college biology profession telling my entire class that "Evolution proves there is no God." Why, no, that's not what evolution proves. That's not what it was meant to prove. You can use it in that way, but it demeans the science involved. Science is supposed to be about facts, not beliefs. But science is done by people, and every person carries a burden of beliefs. Those beliefs influence science. Science, however, tries to be -- and mostly is -- a self-correcting process. New knowledge informs previous theories, and the theories are adjusted. Sometimes this adjustment takes years because scientists like to hold on to cherished beliefs as much as the next person, but the process is unrelenting, unforgiving, and uncaring in its progress. Eventually a new, better theory results.
      Frankly, the battle between science and religion is a poor use of time for both sides. People will believe what they choose to believe and then find the reasons to justify that belief, despite all evidence to the contrary. Humans have always been that way, and I don't see us changing any time soon. All that really happens when science and religion clash is that a lot of rhetoric is generated; both sides get to score dubious points; the worst among us insult people of differing beliefs; etc. That doesn't mean that people can't or shouldn't share how they view the world, but as soon as voices are raised and potshots are hurled, it's simply not productive. There are people who make it their hobby to generate noise and fury. I generally find them to be a waste of breath and often think their bodies should be painfully recycled into the earth.
      As most of you know, I love science and the church equally. I am a cantankerous Christian, a Southern Baptist with Pentecostal roots with a toe in Buddhism. I am also a rational Christian, if you can fit your mind around that concept. How this translates into behavior is as follows: To pray for healing and to use doctors. To believe God created the heavens and to accept the latest findings about how the cosmos formed. To acknowledge the limits of faith as well the boundaries of science. To remain grateful for the gift of intellect and the gift of life in which to use it. To believe that life is too precious to waste since we will be dead infinitely longer than we will be alive, and while we know there is an afterlife, we also know that we won't be here on earth to help those around us.
      I am quite sure this all sounds too depressingly adult. It's much more fun to wave our arms around wildly and claim the earth is 6,000 years old or that the dinosaurs were killed by the Flood or that string theory proves the nonexistence -- or existence -- of God or that God is merely a higher dimensional being (as per Flatland) or that cargo cults are a good analogy for all religious behavior, and so on and so on.
      For me, it comes down to this: I know that God exists. He loves me. He sent His Son to die for me. Amazingly and wonderfully, He found me worthy of such a sacrifice. I wish and pray more people had that belief. I think they would be happier if they did. But they have the right not to, and I will not gainsay that. I only require that they grant me the same indulgence as I grant them.

MBTA update

      Another 1,000 words for Murder by the Acre today. This is all new material. That's the good news. The bad news is that more of the old material isn't going to fit now. I'm going to have to write another 25,000 or so new words to accommodate the changes in the plot. Sigh. But that's okay. I'm excited and pleased by the changes; they greatly improve the novel. So I'm still on track.
      I haven't forgotten the seven people who posted reviews on Amazon and Barnes & Noble of Murder by Dewey Decimal. I promised them the first chapter of MBTA. I haven't sent it yet because of all the changes the rewrite is making throughout the book. When the first chapter is in a final or close to final form, I'll be mailing it.
      I was surprised to recently learn that my little self-published book has earned me more royalties than the traditional published book of a friend of mine. And she has over 20 books published. Don't get excited: I'm not J.K. Rowling yet. I'm not even Bubba Rowling, her poor backwoods cousin. I won't be quitting my job any time soon.
      And my friend has made a lot more money from her books than I have because she received advances from her traditional publisher. (Her last advance was $30,000 dollars, of which her agent received 15 percent.) So why are her royalties so small? First, before she receives royalties, she has to "earn" back her advance. Second, most of her older books are no longer available, but they can't be reprinted unless the publisher chooses to do so. (This is one advantage that MBDD and MBTA will have over traditionally published books. I can keep them available to sell for as long as I like.) And third ... no, wait, there isn't a third reason. Yes, there is. Third, writers' royalty percentages are poor. My friend told me that she's looking at acquiring the rights for some of her earlier books so that she would have the option to self-publish them if she chose.
      Speaking of MBTA, I wrote a new character into the book this evening. He came out of the ether and added a wonderful complexity to the mystery. This is when writing is fun, when it surprises me, too.
      That's all the time I have tonight. Hope things are going well for you. Oh, I'm also posting on the Great Slimdown. Stop by there and join us in our pursuit of health and weight loss.
      Good night!

Still alive

      Yes, I'm still alive, Roen. I've been very busy with Murder by the Acre. If you've been watching the progress meter to the left, you can see that I've added 5,000 words to the total over the past few days. That's old and new material. I intend to have MBTA at least at the 50 percent point by the end of January. That's 34,225 words total before the end of the month. I have over 20,000 now. I think I will be able to do it. Then I will have February and March to produce the last half and to polish like mad. At least that's the plan.
      Anyway, I haven't had much time to do anything else. And won't until I get MBTA published. I also have to work on the January family newsletter sometime in here. Not enough hours in the day, you know.
      Hope you're doing well. Will try to be back tomorrow. Maybe with an excerpt. Good night.

A change in plans

      We had a great surprise this weekend: Mikey came to visit. We didn't know he was going to join us until Saturday afternoon. I had spent the morning doing a lot of housework and filing, expecting to spend the evening working on Murder by the Acre. Instead, I spent it with the marvelous Mikey. We had a good time. He's a wonderful little boy.
      This put me a bit behind on my schedule, but I don't regret it. Mikey will always take priority over the projects. Right now, he needs me. Someday he'll be a teenager, and then I'll be lucky if he will even acknowledge me! Or maybe not. He's fairly attached to me, thank God. And me to him.
      I've been using the recumbent bike regularly. Sort of overdid it yesterday and paid for it with soreness today, but I'll be more careful in the future. I like using the bike. Well, not as much as I like being lazy, but I can tolerate it much better than the treadmill. So I feel somewhat more confident about my weight loss goals.
      I've been surprised by the number of people who are hostile to New Year's Resolutions. I think they must approach it differently than me. Apparently when they stumble, they give up. When I stumble, I get up and then keep going. The thing is, if we never start, there is no chance at all that we will ever get to where we want to go. So we have to start. And keep going when we stumble. Yes, I will probably not achieve all the goals set by my Resolutions. I might not achieve any of them. But if I don't try, I can guarantee that I never will.
      I hope your first weekend in 2008 went well. How are you doing? Most everyone isn't posting much on their blogs so the news is sparse. I will be attempting to post daily, but no promises. I have to finish work on MBTA each day before I can post. Anyway, have a great week!

I resolve

      Ordinarily I'd post my New Year's resolutions on January 1, but I've been busy and didn't have a clear picture on what I wanted to resolve. Anyway, here they are, some with comments.
      1. Write and publish Murder by the Acre. Of course, you knew that. If you check the sidebar, you'll be able to track my progress as I edit old material and write new material. I lost about a third of the book when I decided to split one murderer off to create the plot for another book. So far, the new plot is going along well, and I'm going to be able to use a fair amount of what I had already written with some minor changes. I will need to write about 20,000 words of new material to finish the book and bring it to the length of Murder by Dewey Decimal.
      I am on track to finish it by the end of March. In April, it will go to my proofreaders: ETC, Frenzied Feline, Jean, Crystal, and a couple of other people that I intend to rope into reading it. May will be for rewriting, corrections, formatting, and copy-editing. June will be proof copies and publishing on Lulu. The process has changed, and it's now more complicated to get the book to the online retailers, but I hope it will be at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., sometime in November. At least, that's the plan. We'll see how it goes.
      Other writing sub-resolutions are:
      I. Edit and publish Floozy & Other Stories. (My collection of humor pieces.)
      II. Edit and publish Unending. (My almost complete collection of poems. I don't own the rights to some of my poems published by various magazines, but I own most of them.)
      III. Finish Darkness, Oklahoma and get it off to an agent and/or publisher.
      IV. Finish Dragons Gather and get it off to an agent and/or publisher.
      V. Continue to publish and impove the monthly family newsletter.
      VI. Continue to publish and improve 51313 Harbor Street.
      VII. Finish the plays Figments and Queen of the Boardroom, and get them produced somewhere, and then sent off to a publisher.
      If I get even half of these done this year, it will be a good year.
      2. Lose weight. This has to be done. To that end, I purchased a recumbent bike Wednesday. I used it Thursday night, after my roomie put it together (thanks, ETC) and this morning. My legs feel ... terrible. Sigh. And I didn't do that much. I'm going to try to use the bike at least twice a day. I just realized that losing weight also deserves its own sub-resolutions. They are:
      A. Ride my recumbent bike twice a day.
      B. Eat more salads and low calorie meals.
      C. Control portion size. Smaller, smaller, smaller.
      D. Drink more water. Lots more.
      E. Limit sweets of any sort. This will definitely help my diabetes.
      F. Eat more veggies. Lots more.
      G. Cook more and eat out less.
      H. Get more sleep. Lack of sleep has been shown to increase weight gain as well as cause other health problems.
      I. Understand that it will take at least a couple of years (or more) for me to lose this weight. It's not going to be easy to lose weight, but when I do, the rewards will be great.
      J. Remember that I've not failed until I give up, and be kind to myself when I slip up.
      Probably there will be others, but those will do for now.
      3. Continue my debt reduction plan. I have an annoucement concerning that: I officially paid off another credit card today! I called, and my payment had processed and my balance is zero. I feel a great sense of accomplishment on that. Now I have only one card left to pay off, and I should -- God willing -- pay it off by September or October of this year. Of course, there's still the first and second mortgage on my house, but they are decreasing each month, and I plan to pay off the second mortgage in late 2009. Slowly but surely, I'm getting there.
      I owe a lot of this to Dave Ramsey. His books and website gave me the belief that I could actually get out debt. So far, so good.
      4. To feed the spiritual side of me. Peace of mind and comfort and security in my beliefs have always been hard for me. I'm a worrier. I fret. I've spent a lifetime doing this. Time to change. To dance more. To laugh more. To pray more. To care more. To love more. To be more.
      Well, these should mean I'll have a very busy year. I'm looking forward to it. Have a great day.

New cover for MBTA

      Due to substantial changes in Murder by the Acre, the front cover had to change. Here's the current one. I can't say for sure that it might not change again, but I don't think it will.



      The "noose" cover, by the way, will be used, but for the third book in the series. I think.
      MBTA is my main focus now and will be for the next three months (at least). I'll be posting more excerpts as I put the book in order.
      Hope things are going well for you. Talk with you tomorrow. Good night!

2nd MBTA excerpt

Excerpt from Murder by the Acre

       Although DeMatt Real Estate and Auction closed at six, light still shone through the windows. Mrs. Roberta DeMatt had gone home, but found her house too quiet and too empty after the events of the day. As she always did when she was upset, she went down to her the office and tried to make a dent in the ever-present pile of paperwork on her desk.
      Alex used to say that the paperwork bred at night, she remembered. She resolutely turned from that memory. Her husband had been dead for five years, but thinking of him could still bring a sorrow crushing down on her. He wouldn’t want that, she thought. Alex would want me to go on with my life.
      And she had tried hard to do that, attending every civic club she could fit in her schedule, teaching a Sunday school class of teenagers, working to make DeMatt Real Estate the number one real estate in Ryton. And we’re close, Alex, she thought. I wish you were here to see it all. It’s not worth it without you. None of it is.
      She closed her eyes, but the tears came anyway. It was going to be a lonely night. She gave fleeting consideration to calling a couple of friends, but she knew they were getting tired of her sorrow after five years.
      And who can blame them, she thought. I know I’m tired of it. Everyone told her that she just needed time, but how much time was enough, she wondered. When do I get to stop hurting? When does my life go on? When do I get to be happy again?
      Wearily, she laid her head down on her desk. She knew she should go home and get some rest. It had been such a terrible day. Poor Danny Nelson. And the horrible way she had acted to Lisa and Bernard. She had called the library to apologize to Bernard, but the girl who answered told her that Bernard would not be back until tomorrow. I’ve probably lost that sale, she thought. I’ll send them both a letter of apology first thing in the morning. And call them, too. Maybe they’ll understand.
      She had been on edge for days. Ever since she found those papers. She grimaced. What was she going to do? She knew what she should do, but so many families would be affected. And they would blame the one who brought the whole thing down. Could she live with ignoring the whole matter? She had already pulled her listings, but was that enough? And when it all fell apart -- as it eventually would -- wouldn't that indicate that she had known?
      Oh, how she wished she had never gone there. Why did this have to fall on her? She longed for Alex. He would have known what to do. He had always known the wisest thing to do.
      Suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck rose. Her heart pounded painfully as she realized someone was in her office. Someone was standing at the door. She didn’t want to move; if she didn’t look, maybe no one would be there.
      Slowly she raised her head. She registered the barrel of a shotgun, and she thought fleetingly of her precious husband before the thunder roared.

Copyright 2007 Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.

See the previous Murder by the Acre excerpt here.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Worn

       Been a hectic past few days, both physically and emotionally. The gray days are wearing on me. Work is wearing on me. I'm just worn. Can't seem to get enough sleep these days. Oh well, that's life, don't you know? Can't let the black dog take anything without a fight.
      Sometimes as I look around at other people, I wonder if they have this constant battle to get out of bed, go to work, keep moving. Some of them seem like they've never been touched. Maybe they hide it better. Maybe they don't whine. Maybe they're better than me. Maybe they can drown on swamp water. Slowly.
      Heh. I can always count on the contrary part of me to kick my butt when I need it. It rises up and looks around and says, "Hey, get up. Don't let them see you falter. Make them sweat, buddy boy. We're a match for anything. Anything." I can't tell if it's stubborn or stupid. Probably both.
      Going to call it a night now. Hope life is treating you well. If it's not, smile as you reach out, grab it by the throat and choke the living crap out of it. Night!

The day after Christmas

      I hope you had a good Christmas. I did. Of course, it was busy and hectic, but I also had some time to nap and relax. A good balance for once.
      I've had two of my regular readers mention that they just happened to find the 12 Posts of Christmas Eve by chance. If you're unaware, I posted 12 posts on Christmas Eve. The Posts include poems, Tales from Bethlehem, humor, songs (including me singing!) and more. You can scroll down and find them. They are titled 7.1 through 7.12.
      Well, Trixie tagged me with a meme so here's mine.

Rules
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are my Five Facts:
      1. I only do memes for friends because I generally dislike memes. I don't mind them occasionally, but too many people use them to avoid real communication. And also, I never think my answers are all that interesting. I live a fairly boring life.
      2. I have determined that I will live with hunger if that what it takes for me to lose weight. I'm sick of looking at me in the mirror and seeing this huge stranger. That persons isn't the me I see in my mind. For many years I didn't have mirrors in my house because I didn't like to see me. I've decided to stop being afraid of what I see there.
      3. I miss working with the theater group, but not the back-biting and bickering. I had wonderful casts, and I enjoyed directing the shows. That I miss, but not enough to go back.
      4. Of my possessions, I think I like my computer best, but probably wouldn't if I didn't have Net access. I mostly use it for email and news.
      5. I want an XBox 360. I can't justify spending the money on it, I have no other video game machines, it would waste my time, but I still want it.
      Trixie's Bonus Question: Why did I name my blog 51313 Harbor Street?
       Well, the 51313 you'll have to figure out on your own, but Harbor is because I wanted to convey that my blog was a safe, comforting place to drop by, and Street because I wanted to convey that it was busy.
      And now who to tag? I choose:
Crystal at Remnant
Gloria at Wry Words
Adam Huckeby at Adam Huckeby
Rain at Rainy Day Wonderings
Jean at Rantings and Ravings of an Insane Writer

      Don't blame me for this me. It's all Trixie's fault.

To all

Merry Christmas!