Who Is Mistral Dawn?

Mistral Dawn is a thirty-something gal who has lived on both coasts of the US but somehow never in the middle. She currently resides in the Southeast US with her kitty cats (please spay or neuter! :-)) where she works as a hospital drudge and attends graduate school. Taken By The Huntsman is her first effort at writing fiction and if it is well received she has ideas for several more novels and short-stories in this series. Please feel free to visit her on FaceBook or drop her a line at mistralkdawn@gmail.com

Friday, June 30, 2017

#Interview With Trisha Sugarek!


Hey Everyone!! :-)

Trisha Sugarek is joining us here today to talk about her new book. Trisha, can you tell us about yourself and how many books you have written?

Trisha:  I have enjoyed a twenty year career writing stage plays, fiction, children’s books and poetry. In addition to a half a dozen full length plays, I expanded my body of work to include four children’s books, ten novels, of which seven are a series of true crime mysteries. I has written a collection of ten minute plays for the classroom. Most recently I created four journal/handbooks (instructional) for writers. My active blog encourages and helps other writers. I live in Savannah, Georgia with a ridgeback hound, Miss Molly and her little sister, Gracie, and their two cats, Fiona and Barcode. All were rescued and adopted.

Me: Sounds like you've been busy! ;-) What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?

Trisha: Video of Murder. Inspired by the other six books in the series of mine; World of Murder.

Me: Cool! What are you working on now?

Trisha:  As I just published Video of Murder, I am taking a small break until the next idea comes. 

Me:  Ah, vacations. Always a fun time. ;-)  What authors, or books, have influenced you?

Trisha: In poetry, my idols are Charles Bukowski and Robert Service. In fiction: Robyn Carr, JD Robb, Dean Koontz,Janet Macleod-Trotter (to name a few)

Me: Some great authors on that list! :-)  What are you reading now?

Trisha: I am reading several books for review purposes. I have built up a stable of authors who request my reviews.

Me: That's awesome! Reviews are an author's life's blood, so I'm sure they appreciate your reviews. :-)  For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?

Trisha: A murder occurs every day in the Big Apple. It follows that homicide detectives carry a caseload of three to seven cases, at all times. In this new thriller, Video of Murder, NYPD Homicide Detectives O’Roarke and Garcia investigate seven killings. They must enter the unknown world of the Tongs, the Chinese Mafia, when one of its members is beaten to death, sparking a string of retaliation-type homicides. At the same time they investigate the random murder of a cross country trucker only to be interrupted by a domestic disturbance case gone horribly wrong. A normal day in the life of a murder cop.

Me:  Sounds exciting! What is your favorite part of being an author?

Trisha: Re-writes and fans who give me feedback.

Me: Yes! Feedback from fans is awesome. Do you have a day job as well?

Trisha: No

Me: Lucky you! :-) What are the hardest and easiest parts about being a writer? 

Trisha: Easiest: The concept for the story. It comes to me and for that I am grateful. The World of Murder series started as a short stage play and has developed into a series of cozies that I am so proud of. Hardest: My saga, Song of the Yukon, was my most challenging and demanding story to tell. Set in Alaska in the 1920's, EVERYTHING had to be researched to be true to the times.

Me:  Yes, research can definitely take you down the rabbit hole. ;-) What genre do you place your book in?

Trisha:  True crime, contemporary, the City of New York

Me: Aww! As an ex-pat New Yorker, I have a soft spot for stories set there. ;-) Anything else you'd like to tell your readers?

Trisha: Aside from my writing, I (and my blog) are dedicated to encouraging other writers. I have written 30 tips on how to write Creatively (http://www.writeratplay.com/category/a-writers-take/) and created journals that include more tips on how to write. 

Me: That's wonderful! :-)  And so these fine folks here with us can find your writing, are there any links you'd like me to post?

Trisha:
http://www.writeratplay.com/category/a-writers-take/

https://www.amazon.com/Trisha-Sugarek/e/B002Y6EQ8K/



Me: Perfect! :-)  Thank you so much for stopping by today, Trisha. And thanks to all the rest of you amazing people for joining us! Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the latest in Mistral Dawn's Musings! ;-)


Thursday, June 29, 2017

#APC #Spotlight: The Hawkhurst Saga By Joshua Robertson!


Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got Joshua Robertson in my APC spotlight, today! Joshua is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and his dark fantasy horror novel, The Hawkhurst Saga, looks great! Here's the description:
Ten years ago, Argus Gunther escaped Hawkhurst, thinking he had left behind a desolate life and a forsaken name. Though, when he is lured back to complete a contract, Argus discovers he can't bury the past so easily. Pulled instantly into Hawkhurst's daunting political games, Argus is forced to navigate through his nightmares. Now, while in search for his freedom, he must decide whether or not there are worse fates than death.
Sound good?  If you think you'd like to give it a try, go ahead and grab your copy here:


Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)



Wednesday, June 28, 2017

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 574


Hey Everyone! :-)

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal


Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)
Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Five-Hundred-Seventy-Four:
Recently, my hominid-servant has made several mentions of taking the infant felid to be "fixed." As I previously explained in this journal, this "fixing," while a daunting prospect, has so many advantages that I can't help but endorse the idea. In spite of the tiny beast's youth, I believe that he would benefit from undergoing the procedure.

In an effort to ease the process for him, I have attempted to describe my experience and have offered to answer any questions he might have. Unfortunately, he remains either unwilling or unable to focus on serious topics of conversation, and instead used the opportunity to practice his pouncing skills on my tail.

Oh, no! Not the tail! ;-) You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. ;-) Happy reading, everyone!


Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Does The #Lion Sleep Tonight?


Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've been thinking about the way things have been going in politics, lately, and I wanted to share my thoughts with you. And hang on, because this will be a long one. Mostly, I'll be talking about US politics, because that's what I'm most familiar with, but I'll touch on elections in a couple of other countries too. I may be completely off base in my analysis of the international political situation because, frankly, I just don't know a whole lot about politics outside the United States. So, if you live in one of the countries I mention and you think I'm wrong, I'd be very interested in hearing a clarification from you in the comments. :-)

To me, it seems as if there are a couple of general trends that are on the upswing in politics. Namely, I think there's a trend towards economic populism that's on the rise, and I also think there's a trend towards nationalism and/or isolationism that's on the rise. In some ways, these two trends are competing with each other. But, in a way that I personally find disturbing, they also sometimes seem to combine to work together.

The tendency for economic populism and nationalism to combine forces seems, to me, to have happened in three recent elections. First, there was Brexit, which, from what I understand, was in large part an example of the electorate saying "fuck you" to the establishment. If I understand the situation correctly, and as I said I very well may not, the Tory party in the UK has been using austerity measures to redistribute the wealth from the majority to the minority elite. They have privatized services which were once public, including the national health services, and they have made it harder for regular people to thrive.

The Tories have been able to do this, in large part, because the Labour Party took a neo-liberal turn a while back and stopped representing the workers of the UK. And, so, many people who used to vote Labour either stopped voting or voted for a different party. If I'm correct in this analysis, then it's very similar to what happened in the US, with the Republicans taking the role of the Tories and the Democrats taking the role of the Labour Party. But I'll get into that later.

So, if I'm right, then Brexit was a bunch of regular people looking at the establishment elite and saying, "Oh, yeah? How you like them apples?" combined with people who are genuinely bigoted and nationalistic, and who just want to keep immigrants out. But these are two very different kinds of voters. Being fed up with austerity economics and wanting fair treatment for the poor and middle class is not at all the same as believing you are somehow inherently superior to other people. Yes, it's possible for the same people to hold both political positions, but it certainly isn't a given. They are two entirely separate matters.

And I think the voters in the UK proved that many of them don't agree with a nationalistic ideology when they voted in such great numbers for the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn. They didn't give Mr. Corbyn the majority, but they did grow the party's influence rather substantially, if I'm correctly following the way the UK Parliamentary system works. I'll get into why I think there was some progress, even though it didn't go quite far enough, later.

To me, this election seems like an indication that Brexit was more of an instance of some people jumping on the bandwagon of isolationism because it seemed to be going in the same direction as populism at the time. Which is why, in my estimation, the tendency for these two trends to move together is dangerous. Because people who are taking an economic beating because the wealthy elite are cheating the system tend to get angry and frustrated. And angry, frustrated people don't always look carefully enough into what seems to be a solution. And sometimes that solution has strings attached that those people don't necessarily want to get tangled in.

Another recent election where, it seemed to me, there was an effort to combine nationalism with economic populism was in France. To be honest, I know even less about French politics than I do about UK politics, and I know almost nothing about UK politics. So, again, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about this. But, from my understanding, the race between Macron and Le Pen was another example of establishment vs anything-but-establishment.

Now, fortunately, the French people were savvy enough to see through the trap that a Le Pen Presidency would have been. And, from what I understand, Macron isn't quite as bad as the neo-liberal politicians in the US. But he's no Melenchon, either. Melenchon, like Corbyn and Bernie Sanders, did much better in the election than establishment wisdom would have suggested was possible, but he didn't quite make it over the tipping point. Again, I'll get to why I think truly populist candidates are falling just a little short of the mark, later.

Which brings us to the third recent example of this trend, the 2016 US Presidential election. Unfortunately, many of my fellow Americans weren't as wise as the French, and they allowed themselves to be taken in by an empty suit with some false promises. To be fair, as I mentioned before, things are a little worse here in the US than I think they are in much of Europe in terms of how the working class is treated. And the neo-liberal Democrats are a little farther to the right than I think the centrist parties in the UK and France are. Also, due to the way the US election system is set up and a decades-long, largely unopposed effort by the Republicans to gerrymander the voting districts in pretty much every single state, the actual will of the people as represented by the popular vote did not prevail in that election. But, still, it shouldn't have been a close enough race for those factors to have mattered as much as they did. In short, we should have known better.

To be perfectly clear, Donald Trump is absolutely not a populist in any way, shape, or form. But he ran as one in his Presidential campaign. Since taking office, Donald Trump has done nothing except raise taxes on the middle class, cut services for the poor, and fill his administration with Goldman Sachs executives, Big Oil tycoons, and pro-corporate lobbyists. He is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a populist. He's a conman who duped a large portion of the American electorate into thinking he cared about regular people and our problems, but his actions prove clearly that he couldn't give a shit less about average Americans.

What allowed the Cheeto In Chief to pass himself off as a populist was the fact that his opponent was Hillary Clinton, the poster child for the establishment status quo. Hillary Clinton, in the best of times, would be a horrible candidate. She's the co-founder of an American political dynasty that is synonymous with pro-corporate neo-liberalism and selling out the interests of the working class to benefit the donors. In the political climate of the 2016 election, she was a disaster. She had two things, and two things only, in her favor. First, and most importantly, she wasn't an inexperienced, ignorant, science-denying, openly bigoted, neo-fascist like Donald Trump. And, second, she would have been the first woman US President. Obviously, neither of those factors was enough to win her the election.

So what happened in the 2016 election that made Hillary Clinton so uniquely bad as a candidate? Well, quite a few things, actually. First, against all odds, the Republican Party put forth a candidate who was a true political outsider. Again, Donald Trump is absolutely not a populist, but he isn't a DC regular, either. He didn't have the blessing of the powers that be. Like Brexit, he was, and to a certain extent remains, a "fuck you" to the establishment elite. And like Brexit, the election of Donald Trump is very much a "cutting off their noses to spite their faces" by those who voted for him. Because Donald Trump is doing nothing good for the working class voters who were trying to send a message to those in power.

So how did this criminal joke of a candidate get to be President? Again, he ran against Hillary Clinton, who was despised by many before she even announced her candidacy for President. She has a long history of playing dirty politics and switching allegiances when someone gives her a big enough check. She then did herself no favors by refusing to declare a firm position on many important issues, and by taking the conservative position on the issues she did declare on.

And then there's the Democratic Socialist in the room, Bernie Sanders. Senator Sanders came way the hell out of left field (pun intended) and took the entire country, especially the political establishment, by surprise. You see, unlike Trump, Bernie is an actual populist. He has been fighting for the cause of working people for the last fifty years, in one capacity or another. And his arrival on the national political scene showed the American public what we've been missing. He showed us what a principled politician can do when they devote themselves to making our lives better. He showed us what we could have if we are willing to fight for it. And you know what? We liked what we saw.

Unfortunately, due to a number of circumstances, which I'll address shortly, Bernie didn't get the Democratic nomination. Which left Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as the only two candidates with a realistic chance of becoming President of the United States. And, again, that populist -- in this case faux-populist, but still -- trend combined with that nationalistic trend to put the Swamp Thing In Chief in the Oval Office. Because people who never would have voted for Trump on the basis of his nationalistic rhetoric were willing to give him a chance on the basis of his populist promises. Well, that, and the fact that voting for him was a big middle finger to the establishment. Which is why combining these two trends is so dangerous.

So, why didn't Bernie win the primary? Well, again, there were a number of reasons. First, is name recognition. Before the 2016 primary, Bernie was a relatively unknown Senator from Vermont. Unless you were extremely well-versed in American politics, you probably had no idea who he was. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, was a political juggernaut. Love her or hate her, everyone in America knew who she was. Former First Lady, former NY Senator, former Secretary of State, she had a long, well-known history in the political arena. And, at least in US politics, name recognition makes a big difference. A lot of people aren't all that well informed about politics, so when they vote, they just vote for the name they know.

Then there was money. Unlike Clinton, Senator Sanders didn't accept corporate or big-money donations, which meant he had a much smaller war chest when it came to campaigning. That didn't matter so much once people got to know who he is, but it did matter at the beginning of the primary.  The mainstream media compounded this problem by refusing to cover Bernie Sanders's campaign until the grassroots movement propelled him to such fame that to continue to ignore him would have been ludicrous. Even then, the mainstream political pundits did little more than disparage him. There were also some dirty tricks and, frankly, outright fraud committed by the Democratic Party leadership to help Hillary Clinton cheat her way to victory.

All these factors combined to make Bernie Sanders's path to the Democratic nomination virtually impossible. But, in spite of all those obstacles, he managed to win 23 states and 46% of the vote. Not bad for a man who almost no one knew about two years ago. So, how did that happen?

Well, that brings us back to those trends I mentioned, populism and nationalism. Now, Bernie is clearly not a nationalist, so he isn't riding that wave. But he is a populist. A real one. With a long track record both in and out of politics of fighting for regular people and against oppression by the powerful. And much of the American public, on one level or another, recognizes that and sees the value in it.

You see, as the title of this post implies, I think the electorate in America, and possibly in the other countries I mentioned as well, but I don't know, has been asleep. And now that giant, or that bear, or that lion, or whatever metaphor you'd like to use, is waking up. It's a slow process, and one that may reverse itself before it's over, but it's real and it's happening.

Like many animals that wake after a long hibernation, the voters of this country are a little discombobulated. We, as a group, are a bit confused, a tad disoriented, and a little clumsy as we stagger from our place of slumber. Because of this, we may stumble a bit. We may be a little slow to react. And we may be fooled into going in the wrong direction for a time. It's possible that we might even turn around and go back to sleep. It's a delicate, uncertain time. We're a nation in flux, which is a dangerous state of affairs when you're talking about a nuclear super power.

But, as of right now, we are woke and we are moving. That movement is happening in fits and starts, as is evidenced by the large but somewhat unfocused protest marches that have been occurring all over the nation; by the primary challenges to more and more establishment candidates, many of which have fallen short, but which are getting closer and closer to putting populists in public office, and some of which are even starting to pay dividends; and by the slow but growing dissatisfaction with the current administration as evidenced by the polls. At this point, real, meaningful change seems to hinge on getting all the disparate parts of this lumbering animal moving in the same direction in a coordinated manner.

And that, my friends, is where the danger lies. Bears are dangerous when they first wake up from hibernation. Why? Because they're hungry. Right now, people are realizing how badly they've been fucked over and they are angry. They're looking for someone to blame, which is probably why nationalism and populism seem to combine so easily. It would be really easy for a convenient scapegoat to become a focus for that anger. In fact, those in power would probably encourage such a trend, because it would take the pressure off them to actually change and enact policies that might cost the rich a few bucks, but would make life better for the majority of people.

As I see it, there are three possible places where the current political situation in the US might lead. The first, which I don't consider likely at this point, is for people to go back to sleep and for the status quo to be maintained. I don't think this is likely for a couple of reasons. I think there are too many people who are too angry for this to be a realistic expectation. But, more importantly, I think we've reached a tipping point where the status quo is no longer sustainable.

As has been a well-understood axiom in politics since Roman times, the secret to keeping a populace pacified is panem et circenses. As long as the majority of people are fed and entertained, they'll pretty much let the power structure do what it wants. Now, anyone who pays attention to US politics knows we've got the circuses more than covered. But the inequality in wealth distribution has gotten so pronounced that there are just too many people who either don't have enough bread or who are close enough to the margin that they fear not having enough bread. That's an untenable situation for any political system. In other words, something's gotta give.

Which brings us to the second option, war. This is where the scapegoating might come in. I'm not sure if this method of change would take the form of civil war or revolutionary war but, either way, I think it's a bad idea. The thing is, the anger that could boil over into war isn't bad in itself. It's justified. And if we are willing to be honest with ourselves about where the problems actually come from, it can be the fuel that we need to make the necessary changes. But we need to remember that fuel is, by its very nature, volatile, and so needs to be handled carefully and in a way that controls its effects. We don't want this bumbling beast to turn and start snapping at people just because they happen to be there. We need to be careful to channel our energy into non-violent methods of effecting change.

Whether or not we'll be successful in our efforts to direct the means by which we bring the needed changes about will depend on many factors, not the least of which is how those in power respond to the growing movement. If they try to lock this lion in a cage until it starves, chances are it will turn into a raging monster that rends the bars from their mooring and devours everyone in its path. That's a problem for many reasons, both moral and practical. Violent change is inherently unpredictable; you never know what the end result will look like. In order to build something stable and useful, you need to start from the ground up, with foundations. Godzilla rampaging through Tokyo, knocking things over, never built anything; he only caused destruction.

And that leads us to the third option, peaceful political revolution, which is the outcome I favor. How do we make this happen? Well, first, we resist the impulse to choose easy scapegoats. There may be specific individuals who are culpable for some of the problems in our society, but it's really the system that needs to be changed. The people involved are mainly just a byproduct of the corrupt system. That doesn't mean that we don't punish criminals, but we do so as a civilized society, with due process, courts, and trials. Not as a howling lynch mob.

Keeping in mind that it's the system that is the real problem, it becomes easier to focus our efforts to effect change. We need to put principled people who want to help their fellow citizens in positions where they will be able to make changes to the system to fix it. That's not a fast process. It's not showy or dramatic. But it will work if we are persistent and organized. And the end result will be a lot more useful to us than a smoldering ruin.

The practical side of that is elections. First, primary elections, then general. We need to take this lurching animal and help it find its balance. Then, once we've gotten ourselves organized, we need to focus on specific policies and elect candidates who support the policies we want. The establishment will fight us on this, so we've got to use our justifiable anger to fuel our determination to win, but not allow it to ignite and cause us damage. That will take discipline and strength of character, but I have enough faith in the American people that I think we can do it.

Remember, there are a lot more of us nobodies than there are rich and powerful people. If we work together and stand up for each other, one election at a time, we can change the face of politics in this country. Quite literally. And by doing so we can win the fight without ever having to fight the war. Now doesn't that seem like a goal worth organizing behind?

Peace!







Monday, June 26, 2017

Something Worth Watching?


Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share. This is mainly for my American friends. This week, the Senate Republicans are going to try to force through their healthcare reform. Or rather, their deathcare reform. If you or anyone you care about has any type of medical issue or concern, you really need to watch the two videos below. If you want to protect your and your loved ones' access to healthcare, then think about calling your Senators and telling them not to support this legislation.

To reach them, just dial (202) 224-3121; press 1; say your state or enter your zip code; press 1; and then choose which Senator to speak to. You should speak to them both, so just choose one and then hang up and repeat the process to speak to the other. If enough people call, even the staunchest Republican will hesitate to go against the will of the people. We can stop this, but it will take us working together to do it. Remember, these people work for us; it's time we reminded them of that fact. Be polite but make sure they're clear on where you stand.







Sunday, June 25, 2017

Lemon Rice Salad #Recipe - #Savory!


Hey Everyone!! :-)

Today I'm going to share a recipe for a savory lemon rice salad, and next week I'll share the sweet version with you. Enjoy! ;-)

Ingredients:
2 cups rice (your favorite variety)
4 cups water or vegetable stock (adjust amount according to directions for variety of rice)
1 cup cooked orzo pasta (optional)
4 lemons zested and juiced
2 cups milk
1 tbsp sriracha
1 bell pepper seeded and chopped
1 zucchini or yellow summer squash diced
1 cup carrot shreds
1 cup fresh basil leaves chopped or torn
1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
2 tbsps cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the lemon zest to the water or stock and prepare your favorite variety of rice according to the directions for that type of rice. Cool completely, preferably overnight. Mix the rice with the pasta (optional) and vegetables/herbs until ingredients are evenly distributed.

Pour the milk into a separate, microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and add the sriracha, salt and pepper, and cornstarch and whisk together. Allow mixture to cool and add the lemon juice, whisking to combine. Pour over rice and vegetables and stir to evenly distribute. Serve chilled.

This is a nice, refreshing salad that is delicious on a hot summer evening. Obviously, you can replace any of the vegetables with others that you prefer. Also, adding some chopped, toasted pine nuts or pecans gives the salad a nice crunch.

Bon Appetit! :-)


Saturday, June 24, 2017

Better Than The #Beach #Summer #Giveaway! $130 #Cash #Grand #Prize! #Free To #Enter!


Hey Everyone!! :-)

There's a new giveaway for spring!  Please take a moment to check out the Better Than The Beach Summer Giveaway!!  There are lots of awesome books and prizes!! :-)  It's free to enter, there are over 100 prizes, and the grand prize is $130 cash payable through PayPal!! :-)  Now isn't that worth taking a few minutes to check out? ;-)   Here are all the details:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  And don't forget to check back tomorrow for the next installment of Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)




Friday, June 23, 2017

The #Best Way To #Start The Day! ;-)


Hey Everyone!!

This is for those of you who have emailed asking me if Chessie would get her chance at romance. And, just so you know, Intrinsic Connections is now out and you can grab your copy at your favorite online book retailer and read all about Chessie's dalliance. ;-)

Excerpt from Intrinsic Connections, book 2 of the Petri Dish Chronicles:
She shivered as she remembered how it had felt, feeling him moving in and out of her body at the same time she could feel what it felt like to him to be clutched deep inside her velvety warmth.

The liquid heat of their ecstasy had burst over them both with mind-numbing intensity. To be honest, Chessie hadn't been sure if she had cum once or several times. Suffice it to say, they had both needed more than one damp towel to clean up with before they had been able to return to the bed to sleep.

Chessie's body responded to the memories, and she became lost in the sensations. So, it startled her when a furred grip enfolded her length. She looked up into Daji's crystal blue eyes and smiled. Eyes like that should look cold, but all she saw in them as she raised her hand to cup his cheek was incredible heat. His gaze seared her and she shivered.

"Good morning."

"Good morning," he answered as he leaned down to kiss her.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

#APC #Spotlight: When I Grow Up, I Want to Be Myself: Wigu By A. Cole!


Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got Ashley Chambliss in my APC spotlight, today!  Ashley is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and her children's fiction novel, When I Grow Up, I Want To Be Myself: Wigu, looks like an adorable story with a wonderful, positive message that celebrates diversity and tolerance! Here's the description:
My story titled "When I Grow Up, I Want to Be Myself" was inspired by myself and many other little girls who struggle to stay unique in a world where most people look and think alike. Naya, the main character is an eight year old girl who feels ashamed that she is not prepared for her class' career day. She has a realization that although she does not know what she wants to be when she grows up, she knows the type of person she wants to be. This book celebrates diversity, uniqueness, fearlessness, and individualism
If you think this sounds like something a munchkin in your life might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:


Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)



Wednesday, June 21, 2017

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 571


Hey Everyone! :-)

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal


Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)
Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Five-Hundred-Seventy-One:
My hominid-servant seems to have decided, for reasons unknown, that it is necessary to rearrange the furniture in my domicile. She has spent the last several days moving things and utilizing unreasonably loud machines to clean the floor space under their previous positions. This disruption has made it impossible to continue my studies. Even the small avians that frequent the area outside the portals in my domicile seem to find the noise off-putting. And they aren't confined in a small space with it!

I've attempted to express my dissatisfaction with this state of affairs. But, as usual, my hominid-servant seems incapable of comprehending even the simplest of statements. The infant felid has taken a more direct approach in his efforts to obstruct this activity. He has made it a habit to sit on the objects my hominid-servant is intent on relocating and to walk between her feet as she carries heavy objects from one place to another.

I must admit, his attempt to communicate effectively with my hominid-servant has been valiant, taking his life in his paws as he has, but ultimately ineffective. Due to his small size, his weight is negligible and my hominid-servant simply picks him up with the furniture or relocates him to an alternative perch. His efforts to hinder her locomotion have proven even less effectual, as she reacts with irritation and has even gone so far as to lock him in the small box she uses to express her displeasure with our behavior.

Since it seems my hominid-servant will not be dissuaded from this endeavor, I have decided to absent myself from the site in which her activities are most concentrated. It is my hope that this will facilitate a swift completion to her self-appointed task, and return my domicile to a state of tranquility as quickly as possible.


Hominids! No respect for felid sensibilities! ;-) You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. ;-) Happy reading, everyone!


Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Questions, Scans, And Probes... ;-)


Hey Everyone! :-)

While I've been working on getting Intrinsic Connections ready to share with you all, I've also continued the new story I told you about. Today, I thought I'd share some of the most probing questions with you. ;-)  Enjoy!


Excerpt from Sci-fi Satire Story:
While he was occupied, I looked around the room some more. It really did look like a doctor's office. "I don't suppose you'd like to tell me what in tarnation is going on?"

"Explanations will be forthcoming momentarily. For now, just be assured you will not be harmed. Please climb up on the table so that I may complete a health scan."

"A what, now?"

"A health scan. We must be assured that you harbor no pathogenic microbes or parasites."

I quirked an eyebrow at him. "Is this the part where you probe me?"

That gargling noise again. "I beg your pardon, 'probe' you? My dear young human, I can assure you that the scan does not involve any 'probing' whatsoever. It is simply a scanning light that runs across your body and eradicates any disease-causing organisms so that you do not infect the entire quadrant."

"Quadrant of what?"

"Of the galaxy, of course. What else?"

"Well, how the heck should I know, buddy? Ya'll grabbed me when I was just minding my own business and brought me God only knows where, what am I supposed to think? You sure this doesn't involve any probing?"

Squid-boy's arms waved around his head for a few seconds and his beak snapped open and closed a few times, making a clicking sound that was loud in the quiet room. "Humans! Every single time we interview one of you, it's always the same thing. What is it with your species and your preoccupation with probing? What reason could you possibly imagine we would have for wanting to stick items into your orifices?"

I couldn't help but grin at that. He was right, we humans are a mite obsessed with "probing," though, generally speaking, it doesn't involve being kidnapped by a flashing light and a conversation with a talking squid. But, hey, to each their own, who am I to judge?




Monday, June 19, 2017

Something Worth Watching?


Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share.  I thought this was worth thinking about. Take a couple minutes to watch this video, and then keep it in mind next time you need to decide who to vote for and what kind of legislation you should pressure your elected representatives to pass.




Sunday, June 18, 2017

#June2017 #IndieBooksBeSeen #Indie #Author #Books #Monthly #BookReview!


Hey Everyone!! :-)

That's right! It's the 18th again, so I'm back with my #IndieBooksBeSeen monthly indie book review. Enjoy! :-)

Fairy Dust: Bedtime Tale #1 by WJ Scott:

When life is full of trouble, sometimes the only solution is a little magic. That's what little Evelyn discovers when she allows the traveling entertainer Farran to draw her away from her sorrow and show her there are still good things in the world...even if they might be hidden.

Overall, this was a cute story. The illustrations were adorable and the plot fast-paced and sweet. It's short, perfect for a bedtime story, and light-hearted. My only complaint is that there were several shifts in the story that happened abruptly, which gave it a jerky quality. These may have been done deliberately in an attempt to give the imagination of the reader room to play, and if it had just happened once I would have dismissed it as such. But it happened several times over the course of a very short book. Still, it's a nice story for young children, so four stars.




Saturday, June 17, 2017

#NewRelease #Announcement: Intrinsic Connections!


Hey Everyone!!

Yep! That's right! It's here! ;-) Enjoy!

Excerpt from Intrinsic Connections, book 2 of the Petri Dish Chronicles:

Chapter One

Dust and grit swirled around Petri as she lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the harsh glare of the star that the planet she was currently on orbited. In truth, it was one of three stars, but by far the largest. The other two had nearly burned themselves out and were well on their way to becoming black dwarves. They did little more than light the night sky enough for most beings to navigate easily. It was rarely completely dark on this world.

Which was good, she reflected as she gazed out across the desolate landscape, since the remaining star made daytime travel difficult. It dried the lone planet that circled it and its older sisters to a world-spanning desert and created convection currents in the atmosphere strong enough to ensure that the parched soil remained suspended in a perpetual, whirling cloud. That is, when the dirt wasn't busy coating anyone hapless enough to be out in it.

Sighing, Petri raised the scarf she wore to protect her airways over her mouth and nose and stepped away from the building she had just exited. It had been almost three days since she had been outside its walls, and she half-expected that her friends would have left her here. It was what they wanted, after all.

Thinking about Chessie and Sadaka, Petri grimaced. She wasn't being fair to them. They just wanted her to stop arguing with Daji so much. Which made sense, considering that they only lived by his good graces. Still, he made her so angry sometimes she couldn't help lashing out. Sighing again as a nearly overwhelming exhaustion washed over her despite the way she had just glutted herself and her power, Petri remembered how frustrated she was the last time she saw him. That had been right before she had stalked off his ship in a fit of temper. Sometimes she thought he was deliberately refusing to try to understand her point of view.

Stopping suddenly, she looked around again and realized the swirling dirt had disoriented her and she was going in the wrong direction. She peered through the haze trying to discern enough landmarks to make her way back to where she hoped the Ruba would still be waiting for her. It wasn't easy, since there were several large, low-lying buildings in the small township, and they all looked the same; low to the ground, with no sharp edges, and coated in the ubiquitous pale gray sand. Most structures only had their entrances above ground, as the constant erosion from the airborne grit wore down anything built on the surface.

The shipyard was similarly underground, with a landing panel that was only exposed to the elements long enough for ships to land on and take off from it. The rest of the time, the landing strip was sheltered beneath a structure that was indistinguishable from half a dozen similar buildings in the area. Huffing, Petri acknowledged that the planet was named appropriately.

It was called Sheol, after an ancient human mythological afterlife full of shadowy souls who ate clay and lacked self-awareness. Petri couldn't remember all the details of the myth; devoting time and attention to learning extraneous trivia was still a new concept for her and she hadn't quite mastered it. But what she did recall certainly seemed to describe this planet with astonishing accuracy. Even down to the lack of sentience in the local residents.

She couldn't blame them; this place was deadly dull, and she'd go brain-dead too if she had to spend a week here, never mind years. That was why she couldn't understand Daji's motivations and determination to leave Chessie, Sadaka, and her on a planet like this. The thought of it was enough to set her temper off again and start a cold ball of panic building in her stomach.

Petri could understand him wanting his ship back. They took up space and it cost money to feed them. That was one of the reasons she spent so much time in the building she had just left; a local bar and flophouse, where a new dolly was a novelty and much welcomed by the locals. Even after she gave the owner of the establishment his cut, her pockets jingled with hard currency, evidence of her popularity. She intended to give it to Daji to cover at least part of the cost of their passage and board.

But what she found maddening was that every time she suggested a planet for him to leave them on, he rejected it. Petri wanted a developed, well-populated world; one with cities that were big enough for her and her friends to lose themselves in. As a trader, Daji traveled to a variety of planets, many of which would satisfy Petri's criteria.

But the kind of world that Petri was thinking about inevitably had a sophisticated bureaucracy with reams of laws regarding who could immigrate to their worlds, what background information was required from applicants, and extensive health testing and communicable disease prevention precautions. It was the health and disease testing that was the sticking point for Daji.

Chessie had the diddling skills to create new profiles and backgrounds for the three of them that would satisfy the bureaucrats, and Daji had no problem with that type of rule breaking because, as he said, it didn't endanger anyone. But he insisted the health and disease tests couldn't be faked.

The tests were no problem for Chessie or Sadaka. As humans, they would sail right through without so much as raised eyebrow from any of the medics. But as a human/Arcanum hybrid, Petri couldn't allow her DNA to be scrutinized by anyone in authority. If she did, she would at best be executed, and at worst be turned into a research specimen.

She shuddered at the thought. One scientist on Upworld had discovered her secret and she'd had the misfortune of spending a few hours in his custody. She still had nightmares from the experience.

Daji's solution to that problem was a world like Sheol, a backwater, sparsely populated planet that lacked the resources and bureaucracy of the more developed systems. On such worlds, there were often few, if any, laws regarding who could immigrate or what standards they had to meet. The only problem was, a planet like that was Petri's own personal idea of Hell.

The idea of being stuck in a place like this made her skin crawl. She had no idea how to survive on a world with as few people as this one had. Yeah, since she was new she had attracted a lot of business over the last couple of days. Novelty went at a premium in such places. But she wouldn't be a curiosity for long, and then what?

Would she be able to make enough as a dolly on such a world to survive? Because she didn't know how to do anything else. Chessie had her diddling skills, but how much demand for those could there be on a planet that lacked even a central global network? Hell, this place still ran on a cobbled together system built off satellites! Petri had lost track of the number of times the lights and air filters failed over the last couple of days thanks to the finicky power grid that was the best the local government could afford.

And what about Sadaka? The girl needed to be in school, and the educational opportunities in such a place were limited at best. In all likelihood, the child would grow up to work in whatever industry had necessitated that a settlement be founded on the world they settled on. Here, that meant she would grow up to be a miner, working in dangerous conditions to extract the rare mineral, trefoil, that was used to make the shielding in spaceship hulls. She would rarely be allowed out of the mines; her life would be lived in darkness, breathing recycled air. That wasn't what Petri wanted for the kid she had come to feel responsible for.

Worst of all, what if the people here discovered Petri's secret? A thrill of terror ran down her spine. There was no place to run. No crowd to hide in. If anyone ever suspected what she was and she was trapped on a planet like this, she would be dead.

Petri had tried to reason with Daji. First, she had argued that Chessie and Sadaka could go through the health screenings, if he insisted, and that she, herself, was in perfect health. She couldn't bring disease to a planet because she wasn't sick. He had insisted there was no way for her to know for sure that she didn't have some latent infection, and that it wasn't just other people's safety he was concerned for. Every world had its own diseases, and part of the screening process involved inoculating new arrivals against whatever endemic diseases were in residence.

He had pointed out that given where she and her friends had lived, they might have been exposed to any number of microbes and toxins and that, when combined with the microflora of a new world, might turn lethal. And that was especially true of her with her hybrid physiology. The only way to ensure everyone's safety was to go through the immigration health protocols.

There hadn't really been any way for Petri to argue the point with him; no one, least of all her, knew what surprises her unique biology held. So, she had shifted the conversation to the fact that planets like Sheol didn't have the resources to combat new diseases the way more developed worlds did. That by coming to a place like this, she would put people in more danger, not less. That was when the conversation had devolved into a shouting match.

Daji had started babbling about something called "population density" and how it affected the way "emerging infections" spread and whether they took hold in a population or burned out. Apparently, the more people there were living in close quarters, the more likely a new disease would be to infect and kill new people. At least, that's what she thought the gist of his lecture had been about. It had been over Petri's head and she had felt stupid for not understanding something he obviously considered common knowledge. It made her angry, and she had stormed out and gone in search of a decent meal for her power.

That was another reason she had been so short-tempered. With her new-found control, she had been able to feed from Daji on a regular basis without draining too much of his energy and endangering him. It was enough to sustain her and keep her power from getting out of control, but feeding in such a way left her feeling constantly hungry. The fact that Daji shared his food with them, and she had enough to eat for the first time in her life helped, but it wasn't enough. She needed to feed her power.

Knowing that her stay on this planet would be short and that she wouldn't be feeding on any of her clients here more than once, she'd had no qualms about feeding deeply from them. The first few may have felt a little tired and in need of a good night's sleep and a meal when they left her, but nothing worse than that. After she had taken the edge off her hunger, the rest wouldn't have felt even that much of a drain. And they all left completely satisfied with her services.

Being fed on by Petri made her prey feel amazing. Daji described it to her as an orgasm that touched every cell in his body and left him floating for hours. And being full again felt just as incredible to Petri. After the last couple of days, her body sang with her power and she felt like she might just have the energy to tackle all the reading Daji and Chessie wanted her to do.

Having time and resources to devote to anything other than getting the basics needed for survival was a new state of affairs for Petri. Her entire life before this had been devoted to getting enough money to put food in her belly, a roof over her head, and protecting herself from those who wanted to take what little she had. Now, she had leisure time and Daji and Chessie were determined to help her fill it.

Chessie lived with her father as a child, and so had a little more security than Petri in her early years. Since she hadn't had to scramble to survive, she'd had the opportunity to learn to use the rainbow. Those skills eventually developed to make her into the diddler she was now, but she had also learned to enjoy learning. She didn't have any formal education, almost no one did in Under City, but she had learned how to research and find things out for herself. Now, she was determined to help Petri learn as well. And Daji cheered her on.

It wasn't just Petri they were after; they both gave Sadaka a mountain of data to process, as well. But the little girl was incredibly smart and took to the education like fur to a Paka. She delighted in telling Petri about what she learned, which only made Petri feel even worse about her own abilities.

Because of her power, Petri had trouble focusing in the virtual world and controlling her surroundings enough to navigate through the material Chessie and Daji determined to be most critical. And the weird resonance that existed between her power and the digital environment made it extremely hard for Petri to concentrate. Not being able to fuel her power properly had only exacerbated the problem.

Sighing, Petri pushed those thoughts aside. Her power was now fully sated, and it was time she found out if she was stranded on this hellish world. She didn't think so. Daji might have been angry enough to leave her, but she knew that Chessie would never abandon her. Still, if he had incapacitated the older woman in some way, it was possible Petri would have to find another way back to civilization.

After studying the town for a few more minutes, Petri thought she had the right building identified. Ducking her head against the ever-present wind, she hurried to find out if she still had a ride.



Friday, June 16, 2017

Finally, A Good Cop When You Need One


Hey Everyone!

I thought I'd share a little snippet from Captivated By The Winter King with you, today. With all the bad press cops seem to get, often with good reason, I thought it wouldn't hurt to remember that there are an awful lot of good cops too, who only want to help people.  Sheriff Gabe Chesterfield is a fictional character, but, as always, there's some truth in this fiction. Enjoy! :-)

Excerpt from Captivated By The Winter King:
The criminals he had arrested over the years had been motivated by different things. Some of the motivations Gabe could sympathize with. When people felt driven to crime because of poverty or addiction, he often felt bad for them. If possible, he tried to help them or to get them the help they needed. When someone only committed a crime because of a bad situation they were powerless to get themselves out of, they almost always chose a better path if given an alternative. Gabe considered it part of his job to help the citizens he was charged with protecting to find those alternatives if he could.

Then there were the less sympathetic reasons. The reasons people who were self-involved, selfish, and entitled had. They were so convinced of their own superiority, they thought that everyone else in the world should see it too. These people expected to be deferred to, obeyed, and to always get their own way. Anytime that failed to happen, they would get angry. Anyone who challenged, or even questioned, them was the enemy. And enemies always needed to be destroyed. Gabe had found himself in the role of enemy to people like that with alarming regularity, but none of them had yet been able to destroy him.

Yes, Gabe had a lot of experience dealing with a lot of different people and his gut feelings about them were often correct. He was always meticulous in his investigations, but it was rare for him to be proven wrong in the end. Every instinct he had screamed that Erik Daniel Montgomery, III was an abusive asshole who either drove his fiance away or murdered her.

The fact that the car she had rented had been found empty except for a few drops of her blood, and that the great man himself kept returning to the scene of her supposed accident made his cop-senses tingle. It was clear the vehicle had been crashed, but he hadn't found any trees in the vicinity with damage to match that on the car. So how had it gotten there?

Mr. Montgomery didn't seem interested in answering any of Gabe's questions, which only made him more suspicious. The night he had called the police, Mr. Montgomery had been insistent that Kathryn Graham, the woman he had lived with for twelve years, had suddenly, with no explanation, stolen from him and absconded. What she had stolen, the man had been less clear about. When Gabe had pressed him, he had admitted that nothing was missing, but he still didn't know where she was.

Being concerned about a family member who was missing without an explanation was something that Gabe could sympathize with. Calling the police and reporting that person as a thief was not. Then there was the bloody clothing that Mr. Montgomery declined to explain. Gabe had pointed out that Ms. Graham was an adult and, as such, could leave whenever she chose and go wherever she pleased. That was the point when Mr. Montgomery had stopped speaking to him and the phone calls had started.

Calls came into the Sheriff's Office from all over New England and even from some of the powers that be in Florida. Gabe had thanked all those important men for their concern and assured them that his office would investigate the disappearance of Ms. Graham with the same vigor that they would use to investigate the disappearance of any suspected victim of domestic violence. That had been enough to put an end to the phone calls.


Captivated by the Winter King





Thursday, June 15, 2017

#APC #Spotlight: The Wandering #Star By A.L Mengel!


Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got Andy Mengel in my APC spotlight, today! Andy is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and his alien-invasion, first-contact sci-fi novel, The Wandering Star, looks great! Here's the description:
It's far into the future.
The Earth's rotation has stopped and the Sun is dying.
The Oceans have shifted towards the Poles, flooding all of the cities to the North. The cities in the South have been punished with a blistering, relentless Sun in a vast, dry, deserted landscape.
The survivors have learned to adapt to months of deadly heat, living in darkness beneath the Earth in underground cities.

A scout comes unexpectedly to the colony - near death, he spends his first days in a coma, as rumors surface of a "habitable zone". As supplies near depletion, the colonists argue - Who will journey to the zone? And what message is the scout trying to deliver?
Experience a Journey into the Cosmos with A.L. Mengel in his Science Fiction storytelling debut. A novel which inhabits post-apocalyptic worlds, and soars into the Celestial Heavens, the story explores the sought-after answers that have fascinated the human race for millennia: Are we alone? Or are we guided by another force?
about him?
Sound good?  If you think you'd like to give it a try, go ahead and grab your copy here:


Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)



Wednesday, June 14, 2017

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 567


Hey Everyone! :-)

Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal


Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)
Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Five-Hundred-Sixty-Seven:
I am gratified to note that the infant felid is as baffled as I by my hominid-servant's propensity for starting each day by immersing herself beneath a stream of running water. What attraction such behavior could have for any creature with an ounce of sense of self-preservation is beyond me. And, apparently, the tiny pest shares my confusion.

Today, he spent quite a bit of time observing this ritual and examining the basin in which my hominid-servant performs it, after she had vacated it. He did not seem to reach any conclusions, either. Heartened by this apparent interest in systematic discovery, I attempted to share with him the testing I have done on the makeup of the basin itself and the contents of the water.

The basin appears to be made of some form of ceramic coated in a colored enamel. I wasn't able to get a more precise reading without damaging the surface of the basin, but there doesn't appear to be anything present in its composition that would affect my hominid-servant's ability to protect herself. Likewise, the water contains the sort of trace elements, minerals, and sediment that one would expect, but nothing that could be expected to have a psychoactive effect on hominid biology. Findings which make my hominid-servant's actions all the more inexplicable.

Unfortunately, the infant felid's new-found scientific curiosity did not extend to such minutia, and he abandoned me mid-lecture. Still, I consider this a hopeful development and will proceed in my attempts to recruit the small creature with more optimism than I previously held.


Those hominids sure are confusing! ;-) You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. ;-) Happy reading, everyone!


Tuesday, June 13, 2017

#Fantasy, Then And Now...


Hey Everyone!! :-)

Today, I'd like to talk about a changing trend I've noticed in fantasy fiction that I think is pretty interesting. Up front, I don't consider it a matter of "right" or "wrong" because it's fiction, so the only things it really makes sense to talk about are style and taste. Also, I'm only talking about "popular" or "mainstream" fantasy fiction, not underground, cult, or fan fiction, which has always been more diverse and complicated. Also, before people start sending me a pack of emails pointing out exceptions, yes, I know. There are always exceptions. I'm just talking about a general trend. ;-) But I'd love to hear if any of you have noticed something similar or if you think I'm just completely off base. :-)

In older fantasy fiction, older meaning early to mid 20th century, there tended to be clear "good guys" and "bad guys." A couple good examples of this were stories like Lord Of The Rings and the classic Superman and Batman comics and shows. The twists and turns in the plots of those stories mostly came from good guys turning out to be bad guys in disguise or vice versa. Or, at most, a good guy struggling against a dark or selfish impulse all the while knowing what the "right" thing to do was. Or a bad guy being redeemed by love or a kind act.

But, for the most part, there were always clearly delineated lines between good and bad/right and wrong. And everyone always knew which side they should be cheering for. Star Wars was another good example of this, and I think part of the reason the second, prequel, trilogy didn't "click" as well with the public is because it was made when the shift to the new trend was happening and George Lucus kind of tried to incorporate both styles, which just doesn't work at all.

The new trend, as I see it, is for fantasy fiction to try to more closely mirror real life in its characters' personalities and interactions. Instead of having two clearly delineated "sides," there are multiple viewpoints and who belongs where is flexible and dynamic. Instead of always knowing what is "right" and either choosing to do it or not do it, characters are more like real people in that they struggle to figure out what they should do based on biases, an incomplete set of facts, and a continuously shifting environment.

"Heroes" in this new type of fantasy are generally deeply flawed, sometimes even making a vice out of what would normally be a virtue by taking it to an unreasonable extreme. And "villains" are usually sympathetic on some level, with complex backgrounds and motivations that explain, if not justify, their behavior.

In the final analysis, there may not even be a "good" side and a "bad" side, but just a story about a bunch of people muddling through a series of situations not knowing what will happen next or if they're making good choices, but just trying to survive. And some of them do and some of them don't, and which is which seems to be largely based on chance and circumstance. And at the end, no one is where they expected to be, very few plans have come to fruition, and there isn't really a clear "winner" or an obvious, overarching goal that has been achieved. It's just a story about a bunch of people, their struggles, how they reacted to the situations they found themselves in, and what happened to them.

If there is a "right" side and a "wrong" side, they generally don't become clear until the end, and even then are debatable based on which character's point of view you find most sympathetic. The newer stories seem to try to highlight all the shades of gray that are to be found in life, and how temperament and life experience can color most situations even further. The point, generally speaking, seems to be that, in the final analysis, while there still may be those who are selfish or cruel, many of a person's choices are dictated by their circumstance, and most people just try to do the best that they can. Good examples of this kind of story are Game Of Thrones, American Gods, and The Walking Dead.

Personally, I think the shift is fascinating, and I'm interested to see where it goes. Since fiction, to one extent or another, is always a reflection of the author's experiences and perception of reality, if I'm correct about this trend then that would seem to suggest that we may be in the middle of a sea-change as a society. I'm not really sure what, exactly, it says about our culture, but I'd love to hear an analysis of it by the psychological community as well as historians, in case any of you have come across any discussion of this phenomenon in the professional literature and want to leave a link in the comments. I'd also love to hear what you think, so feel free to let me know in the comments. :-)

Peace!