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In this edition:
- My Musings
- Mechhaven Missives
- Featured Promotions
- Featured Authors
My Musings
Over the last week or so, I’ve witnessed real-life episodes of Tom and Jerry in my backyard. One night around bedtime, I hear my beagle bay. This is a unique sound he only makes when he discovers some sort of critter that he’s locked on to by scent or sight. His partner in crime is a scruffy and tenacious mini-schnauzer. She makes a specific yip or bark when she finds something. When they both hit on the same thing, it spells trouble and they’ll chase whatever critter they find for hours if I let them.
Since this was at bedtime, I was tired and was ready to go to sleep. Also, I didn’t need them making a racket in the backyard and disturbing our neighbors, so I went outside to investigate. They zoomed around the backyard, trying to find whatever they were looking for. I could tell by their intensity they’d indeed seen something recently and knew it was still nearby. The last thing I needed was for them to catch the critter, because then I’d have to deal with getting it away from them and/or cleaning up any mess they made with it.
My mini-schnauzer honed in on one specific spot. By her stance and the way she wagged her tail, I knew she was on to something. She kept going back to a flat dolly type contraption that leaned against the house. I shone a flashlight on the area and saw nothing. Yet she was insistent. She forced her nose down and started pushing the dolly away from the house. Sure enough, about six inches above her head, a rat appeared! The funny things was, she still didn’t see it, but I did. It looked at me with pleading eyes, but I couldn’t help but laugh.
Finally, she noticed the critter and lunged for it. It got away and ran up the side of the house to the top of our patio, but it was stuck. It couldn’t go any further. Now, both dogs saw it and barked like crazy. This was not what I needed at bedtime.
The rat scaled side to side of our house, typical SoCal stucco, so lots of place for a little critter to grip. It moved side to side, trying to find somewhere to go. It finally ended up on a small ledge above my door. I could tell it was exhausted.
Great! Now I couldn’t open my door to get in AND the dogs were still going crazy. The rat looked at me with pleading eyes once again. It seemed like it was asking, “how are WE going to get out of this?”
I tried thinking of the best way to resolve this situation. If I opened the door, the rat could get inside the how. That’s a big nope. I didn’t have any sticks or other weapons on me, so I couldn’t take care of it myself. If I knocked it off the ledge, the entire process would start all over again. I eventually called one of my sons to open the side door and I distracted the dogs individually long enough to get them inside the garage and back into the house. It still took another fifteen minutes to settle them down enough to go to bed.
By morning the rat, thankfully, was gone. But that’s not the end of the story…
I'll tell you Part II and about a very costly mistake in two weeks!
Mechhaven Missives
- Good news! I'm 33% done with my first editing pass. So far I'm pleased with the story. I'd already done some edits on the earlier chapters, which explains why I could progress so quickly. I'll start getting to chapters I haven't pre-edited around 40%, so that will slow me down a bit.
- As I'm editing, I'm reorganizing the sequence of some chapters. This is to help keep the narrative focused and the pacing tight. So far, I'm digging the changes!
- I'll be hitting some inflection points soon as well... there are two subplots that need changes. The first needs to be expanded to create some more conflict and increase. The second needs to be streamlined, so it doesn't slow the story down. Fun times!
- My 2025 Show Schedule starts soon. Here are my current scheduled appearances. If you attend, stop by and say hello!
- WonderCon 2025 (Anaheim): March 28-March 30...I'll be at Small Press Booth #12.
- ComicCon Revolution Ontario: May 17-May 18th...I'll be in Artists Alley Table # TBD...
- Pasadena ComicCon: May 24th (postponed from January 13) Table #TBD
- AuthorNation RAVE (Las Vegas): November 7 Table #TBD
Featured Promotions
The authors in these promotions help promote each other's work. Please take a look. Who knows, maybe you'll discover your next favorite author!
There's just under a week left in this promotion.
KINDLE UNLIMITED Must Read Sci-Fi and Fantasy for February 2025
Featured Authors
This week's featured authors are Chris Turner and Jack Shilkaitis.
by
Chris Turner
Space rebel Jet Rusco has his hands full trying to deliver experimental tech to the rebels on Nebara. He has a job to do, but is unsure of the far-reaching implications of his services—is he one of the good guys or the bad guys?
The knot of the Collective tightens. With the help of a dodgy android, a rogue lieutenant and a vagabond thug, he faces off against impossible odds as military forces pile up on him.
Can he win this fight on a faraway frontier world?
by
Jack Shilkaitis
Commander Jerald Norim has always been ready for a challenge, but when a sudden attack forces him into command of the CSS Intrepid, he's faced with the ultimate test of leadership.
As enemy forces threaten the stability of his ship, Jerald must confront not only his enemies but also his own inner demons and the ghosts of his past.Set against the backdrop of a sprawling interstellar conflict, First Board is a gripping military science fiction tale that sets the stage for the Scions of Oth series.
Until next time, have fun and read a lot of books!
Greg Sorber
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