Building, Or Buying, Bridges?

 

Hey Everyone!! 😊

I'm back, today, with another peek at Alyce's thoughts on 21st century USA. Enjoy! 😉

Excerpt from Answers from Alyce:

Why is it a cycle?" asked Yax. "What motivates some of your people to seek to disenfranchise others?"

I threw my hands up in the air. "Y'all really need to start listenin', ya know? It's always the same thing. The rallying cry might be different, but it's always the same thing. The people in power, those who have a lot of money, find ways to divide everyone else so we won't unite and force them to share their power and their money. It always boils down to that. Whether the powerful are yelling 'States' Rights!' or 'Anti-American!' or 'National Security!', it's always the same thing¾money and power and how to get away with hoarding them both."

"I understand that. What I find hard to believe is that so many of your people keep falling for it."

I shrugged. "Why? What could be easier? All they have to do is create privation and then tell those who are suffering that some other group of people who are suffering just as much, or more, is the cause of the suffering. Nothing could be simpler. People who are struggling are always going to be looking for someone to blame for their troubles. All those in power have to do is pick a convenient scapegoat and let nature take its course."

"It's that easy?" asked Squid-boy.

"Pretty much. Like I said, they've already got centuries' worth of resentments that have been simmering just under the surface to work with. All they have to do is stir the pot a bit, maybe turn up the heat, and bingo! Instant division."

"And it just keeps working? No one ever catches on?"

I glared at him. "You're repeating yourself, Squid-boy. Like I said, some people catch on. But they're usually not the ones who are shouting the loudest." I pointed at the exhibit of people marching. "This, here? This is where those in power start losing control of the fire they started."

"What do you mean?" asked Yax.

"Like I said, those in power want to keep the majority of the populace divided. They want us to not trust each other so that we won't work together against them. But they don't want civil unrest. Instability isn't good for business. If the people in power had their way, people would stay angry, resentful, and distrustful of others, but they would stay quiet about it. The people in power want the problems to stay in the shadows where no one talks about them. Because if everyone pretends they don't exist, then no one tries to solve them. And people just keep not trusting each other and the rich and powerful get to stay rich and powerful."

Squid-boy gestured at the display. "And this brings the problems into the open."

I nodded. "Exactly. This gets people talking about why folks are so upset they're marching in the street. It forces those in power to acknowledge there is a problem, though they generally try to pretend that what's wrong is something other than what's actually wrong, and at least pretend to try to fix it. If people keep marching and enough people start talking to each other and realizing we're all fighting the same fight, that's how alliances are made and coalitions are formed. And that's how real, meaningful change happens. But not without a lot of blood, sweat, and tears from the people who are marching."

"So, when it gets to this point, the powerful among your people try to change the narrative, pretend that what's wrong is actually something else?" asked Yax.

"Yeah, that's one way they try to silence people. Another is that." I pointed at the robots dressed as police. "Those in power will try to threaten people who advocate for change into silence, if they can."

"How do they do that? Aren't your law enforcement officials supposed to protect and serve the communities they police?"

I laughed. "You'd think so, right? I mean, that's what they have written on the sides of their cars, 'To Protect and Serve'." I rolled my eyes and patted the big alien on his shoulder. "And if you believe that, sugar, I've got a bridge to sell you, too."

Yax narrowed his eyes at me. "Bridge sales seem like a non sequitur to me, unless there's a connection I'm missing."

I shook my head. "No, darlin', I'm sorry. It's just an expression that means that someone is naïve if they believe something."

He crossed his massive arms over his chest. "I neither believe nor disbelieve. I'm simply collating information."

"I'd be interested in hearing about the provenance of an expression that equates bridges with naïveté," interjected Squid-boy.

Grinning, I shook my head. "'Always Curious', that should be your motto, sugar."

He executed a surprisingly graceful bow. "A sentiment I will be happy to be associated with, young human."

I curtsied in response and he clicked his beak at me. Turning back to Yax, I said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply you were naïve; I'm just getting frustrated because it seems like y'all keep asking me the same questions over and over."

He nodded and uncrossed his arms. "Apologies, as well. It's just a little hard to believe that so many of your people keep falling for the same tricks over and over again. It seems like, perhaps, they should be buying bridges."

I hee-hawed, slapping my thighs. Tears streaming from my eyes, I gasped, "Whoo, boy! Now ain't that the God's honest truth?"

"You still haven't explained the origin of that expression," reminded Squid-boy.

Wiping my face, I rolled my eyes. "You're not gonna let it go, are ya?"

He blinked at me. "Why would I when I wish to know the answer? Is it a secret?"

I sighed. "No. It's not a secret. It's just another little piece of American history that illustrates how terrible we can be to each other sometimes." Taking a deep breath, I gathered my thoughts. "After the Civil War, the war that made it so that people with darker skin couldn't be kept as slaves anymore, there was a period of expansion and development. A lot of really terrible things happened during this time, but a lot of amazing things happened, too.

"The people who had lived on the land before people from Europe came were pushed back to small, restricted areas and many of them were murdered if they didn't want to leave their homes. Their land was stolen from them and given to people with lighter skin to live on or build on. Railroads were built that spanned the continent, but they were built by people who were treated little better than slaves; poor people who worked in terrible conditions doing back-breaking work with no care or consideration for their well-being.

"And there were other large, important construction projects, too. One of them was the Brooklyn Bridge, which was completed in the late 1800s. It was one of the first things that people immigrating to the US saw when they got off the boat from Ellis Island. And there were a lot of immigrants because the companies that were building so many things needed people to do the labor.

"At the time, many people from other parts of the world were convinced to go to the United States because it was advertised as 'The land of opportunity with streets that were paved with gold'. People came to America expecting a country of excess where everyone was rich and making money was easy, which resulted in a lot of disappointment."

"Why would anyone use gold to construct roads?" asked Squid-boy.

"What?"

He waved his arms around his head. "It's a very poor material for the purpose, gold. Soft and easily malformed by the weight of any conveyances that use the road, but still heavy and bulky to transport. So why use gold?"

I snorted. "They didn't. There were no roads paved with gold."

"But you said…"

I waved his words away. "I said that the US was advertised that way; I didn't say there was any truth in the advertising." Sighing, I rubbed my temples. "It was a metaphor meant to indicate that wealth was everywhere and easily attained but, of course, that wasn't the case. Still, plenty of people were fooled. A lot of immigrants came to the US expecting money and opportunities to just appear before them. There's still a perception around the world that the US is 'the land of opportunity', though not nearly as much as there used to be. And, at this point, the reality is that the 'American Dream' is more likely to be achieved by people living in Canada or Scandinavia than by anyone living in the US, so much of an oligarchy have we become.

"At the time the Brooklyn Bridge was built, things were different, but it still took a lot of hard work and good luck for someone coming to the US to make their fortune. And that was only true for people with lighter skin; people with darker skin hardly had any chance at all. But many of the people who had just arrived hadn't learned that yet. So, con artists would wait around the docks for the people who had just arrived. They'd pretend to be their friend and offer to show them around. And they'd point out the Brooklyn Bridge, which was large and impressive, and tell them it was for sale.

"You have to understand that many of these people didn't speak English very well and probably felt a bit lost and alone, in a new country with no friends or family or anything familiar. So, any friendly face, even if they were just pretending to be friendly, was welcome. Add to that, they were already predisposed to believe that it was easy to become rich in America, and it wasn't uncommon for them to fall for the scam. The con artist would take their money and tell them they had just bought the Brooklyn Bridge but, of course, they hadn't, and now they had no money either.

"It was something that happened often enough that it became a saying, 'If you believe something that's clearly untrue, then I'd like to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge, too'." I shrugged. "Like I said, not a nice story; preying on the vulnerable."

"That makes sense, though as you say, it's a sad story," said Squid-boy.

Yax grunted. "It's an interesting bit of your history, but we've gotten rather off topic. Can we get back to the exhibit?"

"Sure. As I was saying, the cops are supposed to protect and serve the community, but they're often a lever used by the powerful to control the rest of us so that we don't cause them too much trouble."

"Can you expand on that?"

Swallowing against a dry throat, I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah, sure. Any chance I could get some water, or something, though?"

Squid-boy blinked at me. "Of course."

He waddled over to a wall that looked the same as all the other walls to me and tapped on it. An opening appeared, and inside was a large cup. Squid-boy picked it up and started back towards me. I stepped forward to take it from him, when he swung the cup back and then forward, dumping the contents over my face and the front of my body.

"Hey!" I sputtered. "What was that for?"

"Didn't you wish to moisten your skin? The air on the station can be very drying."

Wiping the water out of my eyes, I glared at him. "I wanted some water to drink. I'm thirsty. Why in the pink and purple heck would I want to take a bath here?"

Squid-boy just stood there blinking at me.

"Well?"

"Apologies. Customs vary among species. I misunderstood your request."

Yax stepped forward, handing me a towel and a cup of water he must have gotten from the same opening in the wall.

Nodding to him, I said, "Thanks."

After I dried myself off the best that I could with the towel, I slung it over my shoulder and sipped the water. It was a bit warm and flat tasting, but it would do. Nodding again to Yax, I cocked an eyebrow at Squid-boy. "'Customs vary', huh? And y'all think my people are strange."

Squid-boy made a shrill squealing sound, but he was cut off by Yax's loud guffaws. The tall alien patted his colleague on the back of his large head. "She has us there, my friend. A good reminder; this whole project is just a matter of perspective."

The smaller alien snapped his beak at his taller companion. "The exhibits in this museum must meet a certain standard of irrationality and logical disconnect even when viewed from the standpoint of someone from their cultures of origin. That's the purpose of these interviews, after all."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "So, I'm here to justify my people to you? Who are you to judge us?"

He waved his arms at me. "We judge nothing and no one. We simply seek to accurately represent some of the cultural oddities that exist in the galaxy for the education and entertainment of our patrons. And you are not here to justify anything; there's no need for that. Your role is just to explain what is represented so that we can ascertain if we have correctly recreated it and if it does, in fact, fit our criteria or if there are variables we failed to consider that disqualify the events in question for our purposes."

I waved his explanation away. "Whatever. I'm not sure I believe you, but I'm not sure it matters, either. You're gonna think what you wanna think, just like everyone else. Let's just get this done."

"If it's any consolation, anyone who expressed any lack of respect for any of the cultures represented in this museum was terminated from the project. Our goal isn't to mock; it's to understand," said Yax.

I smiled at him. "Well, sugar, a little more understanding in the universe can't be a bad thing."

He smiled back. "Exactly. And towards that end…"

Sighing, I grimaced. "Right, you wanted to know how the police are used to control people. Well…"

"It's a long story," the two of them chorused.

Laughing, I nodded. "It is, indeed, a long story."

"Please tell us this story."

"As I said, the people who are powerful fear that the rest of us will one day wake up to the fact that we can force them to share if we just work together. So, they use a lot of different strategies, some of which we've discussed, to keep us divided. But when people get too angry and start to take action, they'll try to use the police to disrupt any protests and bully the protesters into backing down."

"Are the police part of the ruling elite in your society?" asked Squid-boy.

I shook my head. "No. That's part of the genius of their strategy. Cops are just working stiffs, like the rest of us. Most of them are good people and they become police officers because they actually do want to help others and keep them safe. But the way the powerful have structured the legal system makes it almost inevitable that the police will end up at odds with the communities they're supposed to serve. And that means that regular people end up viewing cops as 'the enemy', and so cops end up returning the favor and viewing regular people as 'the enemy', too."

"When, in reality, it's the people who are pulling the strings who are the enemies of both groups," murmured Yax.

I pointed at him. "Bingo. That's it, exactly."

Want to read more about Alyce's thoughts on life in the United States? Grab your copy at the link below. Happy reading! 😊 

Answers from Alyce

Delicious #Summer Wrap #Recipe!

 

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Today, I thought I'd share an easy, tasty wrap idea.

Ingredients:
8 corn or flour tortillas
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups broccoli florets
1 20 oz package sliced button mushrooms
1 bell pepper seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped
1 cup cabbage chopped
2 onions chopped fine
1 brick extra firm tofu cubed
2 ears of corn
6 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup adobo sauce
2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin
2 cups unflavored hummus
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Grill or broil the corn until slightly blackened. Cool and then cut the kernels off the ears. Set the corn aside. Brush both sides of each tortilla with olive oil and heat them on the grill or in a skillet until they are toasted. Cool and spread one side of each tortilla liberally with hummus. Set aside

Put the onions in a skillet with the remaining olive oil and cook until they're translucent. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook them until the mushrooms wilt. Add the remaining vegetables, tofu, sauce, and seasonings and cook them until the vegetables start to soften, stirring often. Add the corn and remove it from the heat.

Spoon the vegetable mix into the tortillas and fold the tortillas into wraps. Serve warm or chilled. You can grill the bell peppers before adding them to the skillet to give your wraps a bit more of a charred flavor. Also, you can obviously replace any of the vegetables with others that you prefer. As always, I prefer my wraps without meat. But you can add cooked strips of steak or chicken to your wraps if you'd like. If you do, please make sure the meat is cooked thoroughly because food poisoning sucks.

Bon Appetit!

Different And Yet Not...

 

Hey Everyone!! 😊

Congratulations on once again making it to Friday!! To celebrate, I thought it might be fun to take a little peek at what the Fae are up to. Enjoy... 😉

Excerpt from Taken by the Huntsman:

Cassie blinked. It hit her how little she knew about the type of household in which she found herself. It seemed as if it might be more like a small city than a house. “How many people work here?”

“Well, that depends, dearie. Do you mean here in the house or do you mean in personal service to the master?”

Cassie thought about that, she hadn’t realized there was a distinction. “Either. Both, I guess.”

“Well, if you mean here in the house, then there are about 500 staff members and their families. If you mean total for all of the house and grounds, including security, then several thousand. Though, you’d have to ask Arthfael for a more accurate estimate. He’s the master’s steward and overseer when the master is not about. If you mean in personal service to the master, then I’m not sure even Arthfael would know. You’d likely need to ask the master himself, though I’m sure he’d tell you. They’re all your people now too, you know?”

Cassie was starting to feel dizzy. She was supposed to be responsible for thousands of people? And why did all these people serve the Erlking? Did they have a choice? Why did he need people beyond those he employed to care for his house and grounds to be beholden to him?

“Yes, thank you, he told me that I'm the mistress of his property now,” she replied to Maeve. “Why does he have people working for him who don’t work in the house or on the grounds?”

“Well, dearie, he needs things to supply the castle, doesn’t he? He allows some people to use his lands to grow crops in exchange for a share of their harvest every year. He owns the land that the nearest town is on, and he allows the shopkeepers to use it in exchange for supplying him with the goods he needs. He also offers all those people protection, which is no small thing here in Fairie, dearie. And, of course, there are the members of the Hunt; they’re all his people too.

“So all of those people want to serve him?”

“Well not all, dearie, there are a few who are about because they are being punished by the Hunt. But you won’t meet any of them here in the castle; he doesn’t allow criminals to work in his fortress.”

Cassie thought about all of that. It all sounded similar to the feudal system that used to exist in Europe. Was that a good method of government, she wondered? As she considered the matter, she had to conclude that it was probably as good a system as the people running it. Just like any other political structure. How "good" was the Erlking? Maeve certainly seemed happy enough.

“Do you like working for the Erlking, Maeve?”

Maeve looked at her new mistress in amazement. “Why, yes, dearie, of course! If I didn’t, I’d leave, wouldn’t I?”

“So you are allowed to leave if you want to?”

Maeve started to regard Cassie with some wariness. She couldn’t think of anything she had done to give offense to the human female, why was she implying that Maeve should leave? “Of course, mistress. But I love my job in the master’s household, and I don’t want to leave. Have I done something to make you think me unworthy of my position?”

Cassie realized Maeve thought she was threatening to fire her and she instantly felt sorry. She wasn’t used to having authority over other people, and she hadn’t thought how Maeve might interpret her questions. “No Maeve, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that I thought you should leave, I only wondered if you were being forced to stay here against your will. I don’t have any intention of firing anyone who wants to be here.”

Maeve looked at Cassie a moment longer and then patted her arm. “No harm done, then. The master wouldn’t keep me here if I didn’t want to stay. The Erlking is a good master. He isn’t given to beating his servants in fits of anger, he treats his people fairly, and when someone belongs to the Erlking other Fae do not threaten them. In all the years I’ve served here, I’ve never seen the master dismiss or discipline a person who didn’t deserve it.”

Cassie thought about that. The idea that an employer could beat an employee just because they were angry disturbed her. But, then, didn’t similar things happen in some of the places she had worked? Oh, none of her bosses had ever physically assaulted her, but some of their verbal assaults were nearly as hard to bear. And how many companies thought nothing of exposing their employees to danger and failing to protect, or even warn, them? Many bosses routinely harassed, bullied, browbeat, and otherwise abused their employees. And even though employees could theoretically leave, many people felt trapped because they needed employment to survive.

And, even though she personally had never been physically assaulted by one of her employers, she had certainly heard plenty of stories from her coworkers. Some bosses seemed to feel they had the right to touch their employees however, wherever, and whenever they pleased. And to fire any employee who had the temerity to object. Yes, theoretically there were legal protections in place for such abuses. But many employees, especially those in the lower-income strata as she had been, had neither the time nor the resources to pursue such avenues.

The laws always seemed to be structured to protect those with money against those without. And finding the "proof" that the courts wanted wasn’t always possible. What was an employee supposed to do? Tell their boss, "Wait just one moment before you grope me, so I can set up some recording equipment?" And, of course, anyone who dared to complain about, or expose, a dangerous situation would instantly become a target for reprisal. Cassie knew there were laws that ostensibly prevented such retaliation; she also knew there were plenty of ways for employers to get around such laws. No, the Fae's system might not be perfect, but neither was the one she was used to.

Want to learn more about the way the Fae do things? Grab your copy at the link below. Happy reading! 😊 

Taken by the Huntsman

#APC #Spotlight: The Dragon Dreamer By J.S. Burke! (8/26)

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got J.S. Burke in my APC spotlight, today! J.S. is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and her young adult, marine life, dragon, undersea adventure, first contact, fantasy, novel, The Dragon Dreamer, looks great! Here's the description:

A wounded dragon and an undersea misfit. 

Bullied as a worthless dreamer, Arak flies away on a dangerous quest and crashes at sea. A fearless shapeshifter octopus heals the young dragon, and an unexpected friendship begins. Arak returns to the dragon clan, but a terrible illness strikes. Then an undersea volcano erupts, which triggers a deadly chain of events! How can two misfits save the dragons?

If you think this sounds like something you might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

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

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 1353

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 Thirteen-Hundred-Fifty-Three:

During my excursion into the area outside my domicile, I was able to observe that there are numerous species of small, flying arthropods that are not present during the daylight hours. The sheer number and diversity astonished me, and I longed to spend months devoted to cataloging them all and studying their habits. However, I was only able to examine one at close proximity, as it landed on my nose, extended a long, thin proboscis, and sunk it into my skin. From what I could tell, its purpose was to extract and consume my blood.

Unfortunately, despite my fascination with this extraordinary encounter, I was left with a most unpleasant souvenir. A large, itchy bump has formed at the point of contact. I can only surmise it is a reaction by my immune system to some substance secreted by the strange creature.

I was so distracted by this development, in fact, that I failed to pay adequate attention to my surroundings. My inattention allowed my hominid-servant to catch up with me, and she scooped me up and returned me to my domicile before I could even begin to study any of the other nocturnal life in the area immediately outside my domicile.

Under most circumstances, I would have been most put out by her interference. But the aftereffects of my interaction with the flying creature were so disturbing, I actually welcomed the opportunity to return to the safety of my domicile.

Naturally, my hominid-servant then scolded me vociferously for my short adventure. But I simply ignored her, as I always do when she insists on vocalizing her irrationality. However, the bump remains to plague me with its incessant itching. I must admit, I believe, perhaps, in this one instance, my hominid-servant might have been correct. I should have stayed inside at night.

My, oh, my! Perhaps hominids are good for something. 😉 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!

Compromises...

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Here's a little bit more of the third installment in the Petri Dish Chronicles! As always, the disclaimer is that this is a draft and, as such, it's unedited and likely full of errors and is subject to revision, revamping, and being completely scrapped and rewritten. But, with that in mind, I'm reasonably satisfied with the basics of it, at least at the moment, or I wouldn't have bothered posting it. Enjoy! :-)

Excerpt from Shifting Paradigms:
Giving a slight nod, Vlad said, "That sounds as promising a plan as any, at this point." And, with that inscrutable declaration, he rose and gestured that Chessie and Daji should, as well. “I’ll entertain your friends while you make the attempt.”

Jumping to her feet, Petri grabbed Chessie’s wrist. "No!”

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Vlad responded, “Per Dish, as long as we are working towards a common goal, I have no incentive to harm your friends.”

“I won't let you separate us.”

“It’s okay, hun. You need to concentrate, so it makes sense if we take off for a while."

Petri clutched her friend’s wrist harder but never took her eyes off Vlad. Setting her mouth in a thin line, she shook her head once sharply.

The enigmatic entity returned her stare for a moment before saying, “As you wish. We will remain within this room, but we will move to the far end of the room so as not to disturb your efforts."

“Your word? You won’t take them out of my sight or put up any barriers between us?”

“You have my word that while you are meditating and attempting to form a connection to the rainbow, I will not remove your friends from your sight or make any attempt to deny you access to each other.” 

Knowing that was as good as she was going to get under the circumstances, Petri nodded. “Okay.”

Light, Easy Tomato Sauce #Recipe!

 

Hey Everyone!! :-)

This is a really easy, light tomato sauce you can throw together in a few minutes to serve over pasta. It only takes a few minutes, so you won't be stuck standing over a hot stove for long in the summer heat.

Ingredients:
4-5 tomatoes chopped (about 3-4 cups total volume)
1 yellow summer squash or zucchini chopped
1 20oz sliced button mushrooms
2-3 onions chopped fine
7-8 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
1/2 cup water (if needed)
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the onions, salt and pepper, and olive oil to a deep-sided skillet and saute until the onions are translucent. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and zucchini or squash and cook until the vegetables are soft. Add the tomatoes and water (if more liquid is needed) and stir together. Simmer for a couple of minutes until the tomatoes start to break down. Stir in the basil and then remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in the parsley and serve over your favorite cooked pasta.

Buon Appetito!

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 1351

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 Thirteen-Hundred-Fifty-One:

As I said previously, a serendipitous circumstance allowed me the opportunity that I have been seeking for quite some time to escape my domicile during the hours when the local star is below the horizon at the coordinates where I am stationed on this planet. An unfamiliar hominid came to my door and knocked until my hominid-servant opened the door to investigate. Since I am never averse to taking advantage of good fortune, I quickly availed myself of the open door and made good on the chance to advance my research.

Unfortunately, my hominid-servant’s reactions are nearly as quick as my own, and she was soon after me and determined to return me to domicile. Despite her best efforts, I was able to evade capture long enough to perform some preliminary studies. I will detail my findings, sparse as they are, in my next entry, however, as I find I am suffering the ill-effects of my encounter with one creature, in particular, and the resulting itching in my nose is most distracting. Thoth-out!

Oh! An attack on DPCIL! 😉 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!

#APC #Spotlight: The Song Of Forgetfulness A Sci-Fi Dystopian Adventure Series By Nicola McDonagh!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got Nicola McDonagh in my APC spotlight, today! Nicola is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and her dystopian, genetic engineering, science fiction, adventure, series, The Song of Forgetfulness, looks great! Here's the description:

An invisible enemy wants to destroy mankind.

Only one girl with a secret power can stop them. But there’s a problem. She doesn’t know how to use her special force.

With crazed fanatics, fiendish monks, and savage wildmen on her trail, intent on using her ability for evil, Adara must seek out allies if she is to save the world.

But who can she trust?

As war rages and her brother taken by force, Adara has no option but to put her faith in strangers and mutants.

Will they help? Or will they betray her?

Find out in this thrilling sci-fi, dystopian adventure.

 If you think this sounds like something you might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

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

#August2021 #IndieBooksBeSeen #Indie #Author #Books #Monthly #BookReview!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

It's the 18th again, so time for my #IndieBooksBeSeen monthly indie author book review!! Enjoy! :-)

The Deadfall (Gods of Earth Book 1) by Lilly Black:

Be careful what you wish for is a warning we've all heard before, and one common to fairy tales the world over, but rarely do ill-considered wishes have as wide-sweeping consequences as Dani, Liana, Olivia, and June's wishes do. After a night of partying, their decision to "play along" with the fortune-teller they chanced upon had far more devastating results than they ever could have imagined. Will this twisted fairy story have a happy ending? You'll have to read to find out!

Romance meets post-apocalyptic horror, The Deadfall is a truly unique take on an age-old story. Without giving away too many spoilers, I can say that readers will be repeatedly surprised and entertained by the interesting characters and plot twists they encounter within these pages. And only those with willpower of iron will be able to put it down before the end. Five stars.

Cycles Of Oppression...

 

Hey Everyone!! 

I thought it might be fun to get this week going with another peek at Alyce's thoughts on these United States. Enjoy... 😉

Excerpt from Answers from Alyce:

"But you have a democratic form of government. Why don't people just vote out those who oppress them?"

"Oh, sugar, did you ever hit the nail on the head."

"What?" asked Squid-boy.

I waved it away. "Nothing. It's just an expression. I mean, you asked the right question. And the answer is tied up in why the rich want to keep the poor divided. That's why. Because if they united and voted together as a block, they could get the corrupt politicians out of office and replace them with some who would represent the interests of the majority. But by stirring up all the little conflicts that divide people, the rich keep that from happening."

"But, surely, there must be enough people who don't fall for this type of manipulation coupled with the people who are victims of it that they could still form a majority," said Yax.

I nodded. "In a lot of places, there are. But, like I said, the people in power aren't stupid. They've put up barriers to keep a lot of the people who would vote against them from being able to vote."

"How?" asked Squid-boy.

"Well, it goes back to our history, again, and gets pretty complicated."

He gestured with one of his arms for me to continue.

Closing my eyes, I gathered my thoughts. "When the country was founded, it was only light skinned, land-owning men who could vote. But, as time went on, more people got the right to vote¾light skinned men who didn't own land, darker skinned men, and then finally women. It's actually been less than a hundred years since women got the right to vote. But just because people have the right to vote, that doesn't mean it's easy.

"First you have to register to vote, which is one place that those in power can put up obstacles. In the past they've had 'poll taxes,' which were fees you had to pay in order to register to vote. Now, that's illegal, but they have other tricks. Part of the Jim Crow laws I was telling you about earlier were things like 'reading tests' and 'civics tests' that people had to pass in order to vote. People would have to either read a passage or answer some basic questions about our government. It sounds good in theory, but the people who ran the registration offices would cheat to allow only the people they wanted to vote to register.

"People with lighter skin would be given simple, basic sentences to read or asked questions that were common knowledge, like who was the first President of our country. But people with darker colored skin would be given long, complicated things to read that were often in languages other than English. Or they'd be asked much harder, esoteric questions, like what do articles III and V of the Constitution of the United States establish? There's an answer, but unless someone is a Constitutional scholar, they probably won't know what that answer is. It was a sneaky way to prevent people with darker skin from being able to vote."

"Is this still going on?" asked Yax.

I wagged my hand back and forth. "Yes and no. It's not going on in that form, anymore, because those kinds of things have been made illegal. But there are other things that are happening that are done for the same reason and have the same effect. They're a bit more subtle, though."

"What things?" asked Squid-boy.

"Well, for one thing, there're voter ID laws. It varies from place to place, but some of the laws are just blatant attempts to keep people who are poor, who are often also people with darker skin, from voting."

"These laws require one to have identification in order to vote?" asked Squid-boy.

I nodded. "Yep. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it?"

He blinked at me. "It does. But I have the feeling that something about these laws is not what it seems at first glance."

"Yep, you got that right, Squid-boy. First, the laws generally specify only certain IDs that will be accepted. Usually, they are things like a driver's license that most upper and middle-income people have. But people who are poor, especially if they live in an urban area with mass transportation systems, might not have that type of ID. Add to that the fact that the IDs are often expensive and can only be obtained at certain designated facilities, which are often not located in or near neighborhoods where poor people live, and you have a real barrier for people who don't have a lot of money. Also, the facilities where these IDs can be obtained are only open during the hours that most people work, so if someone needs one they generally have to take time away from their job to get it.

"Which means if a poor person from one of these neighborhoods wants to vote, they have to take time off work, which might get them fired; travel on mass transit, possibly for hours; stand in line, possibly for hours; pay more money than they likely have; and then travel all the way back to their home. So, it's not really surprising that many of these people decide it's just easier not to vote, is it?"

Yax shook his head. "No, that's not surprising, at all. Inevitable, really."

I nodded. "Yep. And then there're the laws in some places that forbid people who have been convicted of a crime from voting. Like I already told you, there are a lot of laws that deliberately target poor people and people with darker skin, so those populations are disproportionately affected by restrictions like this. And you also have to take into account the fact that election days are always on Tuesdays, which is the middle of the work week for most people, and waiting in line to vote can take hours in some places. Especially in places where poor people live."

"So, the people who are least likely to have flexibility in their job schedules or bosses who will be understanding if they are late to work or have to leave early, have to figure out some way to get to their polling places, which can be quite a distance from where they live and work, before the voting closes and without it resulting in them getting fired. Because most of those people are one or two paychecks away from being homeless, so they can't afford to risk losing their jobs. Oh, and they also have to figure out how to make sure their family gets their dinner and is taken care of while they're stuck standing in line for hours."

Squid-boy stood staring at nothing for a few heartbeats. It seemed like he was thinking, so I waited for him to speak. After a while, he blinked, drew himself up to his full height, and then bent forward. "This makes sense¾in an odd, irrational way¾young human. Perhaps it all ties into the next exhibit we want to show you."

 I craned my neck. "What exhibit?"

"Over here," called Yax, who had wandered deeper into the room.

I followed the sound of his voice and found him standing next to an exhibit that showed a group of robots holding signs and…dancing?

"What in the pink and purple heck…?"

The tall alien waved at the display. "Pay no attention to the 'droids' movements. It's just more maintenance routines to make sure their movement programming is working. Please just focus on the rest of the exhibit."

I did as he asked. The setting was a city street. The robots closest to me were, as I said, holding signs. They were dressed like regular civilians you might find anywhere in modern America. Farther down the street there were more robots, but they were dressed like police and carrying plastic shields and dangerous-looking batons. I knew what this was supposed to be.

Sighing, I nodded and said, "Yes, this ties into it, but it's a bit of a long story to get there."

"In what way?" asked Yax.

"Well, people aren't marching just because of the laws that make it difficult for them to vote. It's more of a 'one thing leads to another' situation."

"Being denied the ability to help choose one's government isn't sufficient reason to protest for your people?" asked Squid-boy.

I rubbed my temples. "It is. But it also isn't. Like I said, it's a long story. You have to understand everything in its historical context. The anger and resentment that are coming to a head now have been building for centuries."

"Centuries!" exclaimed Squid-boy. "Why has it taken so long for people to take action?" 

I rolled my eyes. "It hasn't. Haven't y'all been listening to what I've been sayin'? This is part of an ongoing struggle. People have been fighting this fight for generations. There have been changes, victories, but there has also been regression. Every time people start to think that maybe the fight is over, that, just maybe, true equality is within sight, other people with their own agendas organize and push back against the progress that has been made. The details are always slightly different, voter ID laws instead of poll taxes and the like, but the results are ultimately the same. And those who want justice are forced to fight for it again. It's a cycle."

Want to find out what else Alyce has to say? Grab your copy at the link below. Happy reading! 😊

Answers from Alyce

#Summertime Soup #Recipe!

 

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I don't know about you but, even in the summer, sometimes I just need a nice, comforting bowl of soup. This one is light enough for even a warm evening and is one of my favorites. :-)

Ingredients:
6 cups vegetable stock
1-2 red onion(s) chopped
1 tomato diced
1 bunch collard greens or kale, ribs removed and leaves chopped
2 tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic minced
3/4 cup unsalted peanut butter (your favorite kind)
1/2 cup tomato paste
3 tbsp sriracha
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup peanuts chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the onion and olive oil in a soup pot and saute it until it becomes translucent. Add the stock, ginger, garlic, and salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes, or so. In a separate bowl, mix the peanut butter and tomato paste. Add 1-2 cups of the hot stock to the bowl. Whisk the mixture together until it's smooth, then pour all the contents of the bowl into the soup pot and mix well. Stir in the collard greens, tomato, and sriracha. Simmer for another 15 minutes, or so, stirring often.

This soup can be served over cooked rice, quinoa, or pasta if you’d like, or it can be eaten on its own. Top it with the chopped peanuts to add some crunch. Also, obviously, you can adjust the amount of sriracha to your preferred heat level. Some shredded carrots added with the collard greens adds a nice sweetness and some cooked chickpeas or kidney beans can give the soup more substance if you're looking for something heartier.

Bon Appetit!

A Little Slap And Tickle... 😉

 

Hey Everyone!! 😊

Happy Friday! Since we've all survived another week, I thought it might be nice to celebrate a little. Or, at least, to take a peek at how the Fae celebrate. 😉 Enjoy...

Excerpt from Bound by the Summer Prince:

Uaine used his grip on his Anamchara’s hair to steer her over to the bed.  Bending her over the foot of the bed, he pressed the upper part of her body onto the mattress while leaving her feet on the floor.  Kicking her legs apart to spread them, he said, “Don’t move.”

Roni felt the moisture from her pussy start to trickle down her thighs as her lover lifted her robe up and arranged it over her back. He laid his hand on her ass, and its warmth seemed to penetrate to every fiber of her being. As he massaged her ass cheeks, she leaned into his hand and moaned.

Smack! His hand came down across her behind and she yelped. As she pushed up from the bed, another blow landed followed by a sharp command, “Stay down!” Over and over his hand met her ass. At first it created a pleasant tingling that went to her pussy, but soon the pain began to register. She was just considering using her safeword when he stopped, and massaged her battered flesh.

“Do not move or speak unless I give you permission. Do you understand?”

She nodded against the bed.

“Good.”  Uaine stepped back and looked at his mate, careful to remain out of her line of sight.

The silence in the room seemed to grow as Roni lay half on the bed.  She wasn’t sure if the prince was still present; the Fae often moved so softly she did not hear them enter or exit a room.  After several minutes, the uncertainty got to her and she stood up from the bed to see if he was still there.

Turning her head, she barely caught a glimpse of a blur as he moved faster than her eyes could track.  Suddenly, he was behind her, one hand gripped firmly in her hair at the base of her skull and the other arm wrapped around her arms and waist pinning her to his body.  Gasping at how abruptly she had been yanked off of her feet, she struggled against his hold.

His grip was like an iron band around her middle, she could feel the restrained strength in his body and it made her hot. Moaning, she relaxed against him and allowed her curves to melt into the firmness of his chest.

Leaning down, Uaine licked her ear and whispered, “You don’t listen very well, do you?”

Nearly panting with need, she writhed in his grasp. She could feel how hard his cock was against her ass, and how it jumped when she moved. “You wouldn’t really want me to, would you?”

Want to find out if Roni's listening skills improve? Grab your copy at the link below. Happy reading! 😊 

Bound by the Summer Prince

#APC #Spotlight: Sex, Blood, Rock 'N' Roll, and Vampyr: A Vampire Rock Star Romance By K. M. McFarland!

Hey Everyone!! 😊

I've got Karen McFarland in my APC spotlight, today! Karen is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and her vampire, rockstar, urban fantasy, paranormal romance novel, Sex Blood Rock n' Roll and Vampyr, looks great! Here's the description:

Hiding in the dark shadows of New Orleans, Quinn Forrester is doing a great job of concealing his identity as an ageless vampire. The successful eighties rock star has reinvented himself as his son to explain not aging. When the opening of an art gallery brings his former band member, Jeff West, to town, Quinn fears his secret could be exposed. A beautiful artist with a connection to Jeff and a secret obsession with vampires unknowingly leads Jeff to Quinn the night she wanders into his Bourbon Street nightclub, Vampyr. Chaos results as Jeff inches closer to the truth. Will Jeff put the pieces together and uncover Quinn is their band's long-lost frontman? Will he discover Quinn is hiding something darker than he ever thought possible in this compelling steamy character-driven story? An entertaining and fun read. A rock star romance with a bite.

 If you think this sounds like something you might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! 😊

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 1350

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 Thirteen-Hundred-Fifty:

Success! A serendipitous circumstance allowed to me successfully escape my domicile, albeit briefly, during the hours after the local star dipped below the horizon at the coordinates on this planet where I am stationed. An unknown hominid knocked on the door of my domicile, which caused my hominid-servant to open it.

This is not an unusual occurrence during the daylight hours; however, it is almost unheard of during the later hours of the day. So rare is such an event that it did not even occur to me to implement a plan of waiting in hopes of using such a happenstance to my benefit.

But life surprises us, sometimes, and being my normal, vigilant self, I was able to take advantage of the situation when opportunity literally came knocking. Unfortunately, my hominid-servant did not allow me much time to conduct my research. Still, some is better than none.

I will now rest and recover from the excitement. Once I have properly composed myself, I will provide a more complete report along with my findings. But, for now, Thoth-out.

A victory for the furry people! 😉 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!

Alternative Proposals...

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Here's a little bit more of the third installment in the Petri Dish Chronicles! As always, the disclaimer is that this is a draft and, as such, it's unedited and likely full of errors and is subject to revision, revamping, and being completely scrapped and rewritten. But, with that in mind, I'm reasonably satisfied with the basics of it, at least at the moment, or I wouldn't have bothered posting it. Enjoy! :-)

Excerpt from Shifting Paradigms:
Petri returned the hard look to the strange being who was threatening the people she loved. And in a tone cold enough to rival the vacuum of space, she said, “The last people who tried something like that almost ended up dead themselves.”

The temperature of the smile Vlad was giving her seemed to rise by several degrees, and Petri thought she saw a glint of humor in his eyes. “Yes. As I said, that was mentioned.” Another shrug. "And I'm sure we'd all prefer to avoid such dramatics. Towards that end, do you have any suggestions on how to proceed?”

Maintaining her cold stare, Petri responded, “That’s what I asked you.”

“Ah, but you didn't like my suggestion. So, I ask again, do you have an alternative in mind?”

Allowing her gaze to finally drift, Petri shook her head. “Not really. I can feel the energy, but I can’t connect to it. Not the way I would with a living mind. I could try meditating, I guess. The way the Arcanum showed me. Relax into the patterns around me. Maybe that will help.” She shrugged. “But I don’t know."

 

Quick And Easy Pasta Salad #Recipe!

 

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Today, I thought I'd share one of my favorite pasta salad recipes with you. Enjoy! :-)

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked and cooled bow-tie (or your favorite shape) pasta
2-3 tomatoes chopped
1 zucchini chopped
1 20oz can sliced black olives drained
1-2 bell peppers (any color) seeded and chopped
1 chili pepper seeded and chopped (optional)
1 cucumber chopped
1 cup chopped spinach or kale
1 cup shredded carrots
1 20oz can kidney beans drained
1/2 cup chopped or shredded fresh basil
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
5 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the pasta, vegetables, and beans in a large bowl and toss them to distribute evenly. In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, dried herbs, salt and pepper, and garlic. Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables and toss them until evenly coated. Serve chilled.

If you're in a hurry, you can use bottled Italian dressing instead of making your own, but it tends to be a bit salty. Also, obviously, you can eliminate or substitute any of the vegetables with whichever vegetables you prefer.

Bon Appetit!

#Animal #Rescuer's #Guide To #Staying ( #Relatively ) #Sane! #Free! 😊

 

Hey Everyone!! 😊

Just a reminder, for those who haven't checked it out yet, I've collected all my animal rescue/care posts together and published them as a small book.  If you'd like, you can download the book for free from Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, Kobo, and iTunes.

Amazon

Smashwords

iTunes

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Thanks for stopping in today, and don't forget to check back tomorrow for the next installment of Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)

#APC #Spotlight: Cigerets, Guns & Beer By Phillip T. Stevens!

Hey Everyone!! 😊

I've got Phillip Stevens in my APC spotlight, today! Phillip is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and his mystery, suspense, thriller, action/adventure novel, Cigerets, Guns & Beer, looks great! Here's the description:

Dodd breaks up a convenience store robbery when his car breaks down in Sweet Water Falls, Texas. What’s the thanks he gets? The sheriff won’t let him leave, the car lot can’t find the parts and everybody wants him for something—sales pitch, church membership, and even stud pony.

But most of all, it seems a family named Dodd were shot down robbing the bank in 1949 and the half million they stole remains missing. Everyone thinks Dodd returned to dig up the loot and no one intends to let him leave until he finds it—along with (or so the legends go) a long lost flying saucer.

 If you think this sounds like something you might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! 😊