Resolutions Revisited

The first major leg in the American holiday season is over and my family survived. Food was cooked, family joined us for a meal and we were able to spend time with our loved ones. I am not much of a fan of the holidays but I think this one went rather well.

So now that this is out of the way, it is time to get back to writing and to share some good news.

January is normally the time where we review our New Year’s resolutions and see how we did. I can’t wait that long. I am too excited.

I had four goals for 2012. I posted them so that if I failed to complete them everyone could ridicule me. A little bit of pressure always helps your motivation, after all. In case you don’t remember, here they are again.

1. I want to be published by someone else, magazine, anthology or traditional publishing. Just so long as they selected my work instead of me publishing it.

2. I want to write a novel length book.

3. I want to find or build a peer review and critique group in my area.

4. I want to be paid for a piece of fiction.

This may not have been a big list to accomplish, but I thought they were goals that could be achieved while still setting a bar above where I was. At the point where I selected those four items, I had been writing for four months. I had nothing to show for those four months besides a few stories that nobody had accepted and a self published novella, I wouldn’t call that more than a start.

Now, I am proud to say that after eleven months, I have checked off every one of those items. I finished the first draft of my first novel, tentatively titled “Double Occupancy”, and it is in the drawer waiting for me to begin the second draft. I have mentioned the variety of stories that I have had selected for publication over the last year as they happened and I have found a critique group on-line as well as one that meets monthly near my home. Finally, I have been paid by one of the collections that I have been included in.

Now, I have a month to figure out what to shoot for next year.

L. E. White

Home Sweet Home

People always say silly things about inanimate objects. For example, “if these walls could talk” or “the walls have ears” or things like that.

Boy wouldn’t those people freak out if they knew that the walls don’t need ears to ear. Those same people would shit plaid kittens if they knew that the walls can talk.

Walls, you see, are something that was created. Everything that is created has a soul of its own, a little spark of the divine that was put there by the hands that created it. That is the real reason why people claim that there are haunted houses. That little bit of soul got charged enough to be seen by regular, normal people.

I hated my father. He was an arrogant, stupid prick that liked to bully his family and take advantage of other people. After my mother passed away, he got drunk and had sex with my girlfriend at my graduation party. Sure, she was a whore to have done it but he was my dad, and I think that makes what he did worse than what she did.

My father built our house. He was always proud of that fact, maybe because it was a cute little house and maybe because it was the only thing that he ever did right in his life. I don’t know and I don’t care. The important thing is that he built it, which means that a little piece of his soul is in the walls.

That is why I still live here. That is why I make sure and do all the terrible things that he hated in this house. I want to be sure that every drop of blood and every ounce of pain that I cause, he gets to experience in some way. I never watch football, I only play music he hated, the walls are painted in bright pastel colors, I let my queer friends have sex parties in the upstairs and I let a doctor who lost his license perform illegal abortions in the basement. I even bury the bodies of my victims in the flowerbeds.

I guess I could just burn the house down. Put an end to him and the last remaining piece of his spirit that I could find, but the truth is that I don’t want to.

I prefer knowing that I get to torture him a little bit more every day.

Eventually, these walls will talk, they will have finally taken as much as the house’s soul can take and they will begin to tell people what I have done here. When they do, I will set the house on fire and stand outside, listening to it scream.

Carnage: After the End

I have been waiting for this for a while. My favorite story so far is in print and I am so excited that I could almost squee.

Almost, to do that is a little bit girly.

My story, “Rock Garden”, will be included in volume two of “Carnage: After the End”. Both volumes are now available in electronic and hard copy from Sirens Call Publications through Amazon, Createspace and Smashwords.

I would love to tell you how great these books are and to explain the concepts to you but the wonderful members of Sirens Call have already done that. Here is what they said.

Carnage: After the End – Volume 1

The Apocalypse has come, leaving in its wake small pockets of survivors battling to stay alive; each carving out a new beginning for mankind.

The ten stories in Carnage: After the End – Volume 1 are the terrifyingly harsh and brutal realities those survivors must face. Each one takes us to a place where humanity’s stragglers are forced to battle with enemies outside of their control; mutant beasts, groups of depraved and desperate people, and the terrifying threat of a dwindling food supply. Their fight for survival gets even more difficult as they search among the tatters of civilization for the will to carry on.

In a world where society has collapsed and terror lurks around every corner, no one can be trusted and nothing can be taken for granted.

Hell has invaded and happy endings are a thing of the past…

Contributing Authors in Volume 1 include:

Kimberly A. Bettes, Shane Cashman, Shane R. Collins, Laura Diamond, Rodney James Galley, Michael Griffin, Russell Linton, Adam Millard, Christofer Nigro, and Julianne Snow.

Carnage: After the End – Volume 2

Hell has invaded Earth and happy endings are a thing long since forgotten.

The ten stories in Carnage: After the End – Volume 2 tell of the frighteningly horrific and cruel lives the survivors must face. Each one takes us to a place where humanity’s stragglers are forced to battle for their very existence against their own grim reality; creatures from different worlds or times, individuals or groups of miscreants who feed on the fear of the weak, and even the terrifying threat of unknown bacterial organisms. Their will to go on diminishing among the tatters of the civilization they once knew.

In a world where society has collapsed and terror lurks around every corner, no one can be trusted and nothing can be taken for granted.

The Apocalypse has come, leaving in its wake small pockets of survivors battling to stay alive; each carving out a new beginning for mankind…

Contributing Authors in Volume 2 include:

Angel D. Callido, Charlie Fish, Harper Hull, Magda Knight, Jason Lairamore, Harry Manners, Zachary O’Shea, Wednesday Silverwood, Adrian Tchaikovsky, and L.E. White.

See what I mean? Those are some great blurbs. I couldn’t have done it better.

While I personally believe that everyone needs a copy of volume two. I do want to point out that both volumes should be equally fantastic. All of the stories are independent. We didn’t share anything other than an apocalypse. So pick up a copy and tell us what you think. I would love to know.

Here are all the links for both volumes.

Volume 1

Createspace, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Smashwords

Volume 2 – (HINT, Buy this one. It’s where my story is!)

Createspace, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Smashwords

Since I did so much promotion, I will keep the rest of my news for another week. I have also started laying out a little bit of history and world building for a new idea. This weeks story is part of the creation myth from that world. I would love to know what you think of it.

L. E. White.

In the Beginning

In the days after the gods were born, they made war upon each other out of boredom and this clashing filled the realms with chaos. Nothing could live in this and the gods were alone.

The mother of all looked upon her children’s squabbles and laughed with joy at their efforts. She was so taken by them that she raised her voice in song, but her children ceased to fight and instead listened to their mother. Smiles shone upon their faces and these smiles also brought the mother of all joy. Being so filled with joy, she raised her voice higher, and in doing so, the mother spun the magic of creation into her song. From this first song, the worlds were born, and the gods looked upon them with wonder.

The gods watched the worlds, and sang songs of their own. They created the Peoples and the animals and the plants. Water and wind; fire and life came from their songs and the people worshiped the gods. This made them happy, and their happiness filled the mother with joy.

The people of the world listened to the songs of the gods and knew the magic that was there. They raised their own voices, seeking to mimic the gods and work their magic. Their songs were not sung with the voice of power. They were not perfect and as such, they did not create great things or bring happiness to the world. The tiny, wretched songs brought terrible things down. Shadow and death and sickness and fear now walked the land.

Some of the gods were angered by this. They sung dirges and dark songs that cursed the Peoples of the world and took away the power of their songs. Magic left the hands of the Peoples and they despaired.

Metea, the sun, felt sorry for the Peoples, and as he traveled around the world, watching them, he smiled upon them and sang a warm and loving song. His song warmed the world and chased the shadows away. He was seen to be the greatest of the gods and the Peoples loved him.

As Metea travelled, he heard the singing of Mora the maid. She sang her song, not to work magic, but to express her joy at the feeling of the light upon her skin. Metea fell in love with her and her songs, so he blessed her voice with magic. He taught her to sing good songs and he loved her until Kron, time and passing, took her to the after lands.

The children of Metea and Mora were also blessed with the power of voice, and they spread their songs among all of the Peoples.

Time passed and the world changed. Some of the gods stopped singing and others sang more. The children of Metea and Mora spread among the world and their children spread even more. All things passed and the gods dispersed. The Peoples live on in the world and their songs are all that remain of the magic of creation that brought our world from the darkness. Until one of the line was born with a dark voice.

Fosae had a deep, rumbling voice and he wanted greatness. He wasn’t happy with his power and he desired to become a god. He wanted to make the world in his way and to force everyone to worship him. He sang hymns and dirges that called to dark things that lived in the shadows. He sang songs of loss that brought the monstrous Leeli from the frozen wastes. He waged war upon the Peoples.

Forsea caught many, and then had the Leeli kill them all while he sang a dark song. He used death to raise himself up and Forsea took over the storms. With clouds and rain, thunder and lightning, Forsea went to war with Metea.

The storms and clouds have fought with the suns warm light ever since. Every time the sun comes out, the clouds move to hide the world from its sight. Every time it rains, the sun burns through the clouds and warms the world while casting rainbows through the sky. They are at war, and will be until the day when another great song spinner will come and take up sides. A voice of power will be born to the Peoples and that voice will turn the tide of the war.

Indiana Property Tax Informatoin

I recently discovered something about our state property taxes that concerned me so I decided to pass this along to whoever it might affect. Since my blog posts also appear on Facebook, I am hoping that it spreads locally.

It seems that the state of Indiana has required all property owners to re-apply for their homestead tax exemptions this year. My wife discovered this when she went in to pay our taxes this year.

None of the paperwork that was mailed out tells you this is a requirement this year. A notice was printed in the local paper but if you don’t subscribe you might have missed it. If you are unsure of needing to do this, please check. Failing to re-apply will cause an increase in your taxes when you lose the homestead exemption.

Thought you should know
L. E. White

Time to talk about food

The wife and I are big fans of trying new things to eat and of trying to find new ways to make the same things. There is no consistent type or style of cooking in our house. That being said, our kids friends have said how much they like coming over for dinner and how great it is.

It is better when the wife cooks but I try.

The most recent attempt that I have made is steak with a Chimichurri sauce.

For everyone who doesn’t know what this is, there is a little bit of back story that goes along with it. As the cookbook that I used explained it. Argentina may be the only country in the world that eats more beef than the USA. That being said, this steak sauce is supposed to be the top choice for flavoring beef at their tables. It is light and spicy in a way that is different than the typical A1 or Worcestershire that I have been raised with. The description that I read suggested that it was also a healthier option than the off the shelf sauces. I don’t know if it is true or not but I also don’t care. Only the taste matters in our house right now and this sauce was a hit. The recipe was simple.

Water

Red Wine Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

Red Pepper

Garlic

Parsley

Just that simple. The red pepper gives the sauce a kick. Used sparingly, this made the steaks we cooked some of the best we have ever fixed. Everyone loved them.

Take some time and look this up. You can find the specific recipe that I followed in my favorite cook book. Cook This, Not That.

L. E. White

Review of Sherlock

I am a bit behind in entertainment. I don’t typically go to the opening of anything and I avoid a lot of the news. I don’t even have television coming into my home. We watch things off of the net and have eliminated the satellite bill. Hulu, YouTube and Amazon Prime are my friends.

Sometimes, this means that I find out about things late. “Sherlock”, from the BBC is one of those things. This is a wonderful and entertaining show that I would highly recommend.

While a number of the story elements have been changed to deal with modern times, I have to say that I was impressed with how often they manage to stick to elements of the original stories. This made things very familiar and also made it a lot easier for me to fall for the show.

If you are looking for something new to watch, I would recommend “Sherlock”. You won’t have to be a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to appreciate it and if you are a fanm you won’t come away feeling that it has ruined your enjoyment of those classic tales.

One thing that does require mentioning. There are only three episodes for each season and each one is fairly long. I didn’t have a problem with this but if you have a short attention span it could be a turn off.

L. E. White

In the Eye of the Beholder

The chisel, to remove rough chunks until the shape can be seen; the rasp, to scrape away the chisel marks and reveal the lines of what is to come, and sand paper, to gently take away the last remnants of my work and leave only the natural beauty of the dryad in the wood.

I showed you every piece. I labored for weeks to bring out the beauty in the trees, only to have you laugh in my face.

At my love.

Now, I will use these same tools to bring out the beauty that I see inside of you.