Coming October 1st!

Blackbirds First Flight slated!

MANY RIVERS HARBOR TO PUBLISH NEW ‘DARK’ ANTHOLOGY

ADA, OKLAHOMA—Many Rivers Harbor announces the publication of Blackbirds First Flight, an anthology of thrilling stories and chilling poems by new and established writers. The book will go on sale October 1, 2014, on Lulu.com and soon after on Amazon.com and other online retailers.

“Blackbirds First Flight is an anthology of stories and poetry with a dark, sensual twist,” said Pru Simmons, MRH associate editor. “The stories run the gambit from thrilling Gothic adventure to modern urban fantasy to fantastic encounters with the macabre. The poetry is uniformly excellent and tells dark stories of its own, many related to mythology.”

Simmons said the book might become an annual anthology. “We have had many inquiries about the book and its theme,” she said. “We definitely think there is an interest in dark, twisty fantasy that tells a satisfying story and follows traditional narrative arcs. We hope there will be another flight next year.”

The book will retail for $12. For more information on Blackbirds First Flight, readers can visit blackbirdsflights.blogspot.com.

The book features works from Stephen B. Bagley, Kent Bass, Wendy Blanton, Gail Henderson, Tamara Siler Jones, and Jean Schara.

Stephen B. Bagley wrote Tales from Bethlehem, Murder by Dewey Decimal, Murder by the Acre, Floozy and Other Stories, and EndlesS. His works have appeared in Creations 2014, Creations 2013, Creations 2012, ByLine Magazine, Free Star, Nautilus Magazine, OKMagazine, and other publications. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. He is a member of Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc.

Kent Bass enjoys writing and reading Gothic action/adventure stories. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business and from the University of Oklahoma, with a Master of Science in Accountancy. He and his family live in Dallas, Texas, where he works for the nation’s leading tax software company. He is a member of Ada Writers. Blackbirds First Flight is his first publication.

Wendy Blanton published three fantasy novels, The Dragon’s Lady, Rogue Pawn, and Sword and Scabbard under the pen name Elizabeth Joy with co-author Scott Carman. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Management from the University of Mount Olive and served in active duty for the United States Air Force for eight years. She is an apprentice bard and tells Celtic folk tales at Scottish Highland Games and other venues.

Gail Henderson collaborated with noted Oklahoma photographer Michael Duncan to produce Bare, a book of poetry and photography. Red Bird Woman, a collection of her poetry, was published in 2013. Her work has appeared in Creations 2014, Creations 2013, Creations 2012, and ByLine Magazine. She holds a Masters of Education in English and Social Studies from East Central University. She is a member of Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc.

Tamara Siler Jones is a wife, mom, writer, quilter, and cat-wrangler from rural Iowa. She has three novels in print/eBook (Ghosts in the Snow, winner of the Compton Crook Award for best first novel of the year in the Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror genre; Threads of Malice; and Valley of the Soul; all published by Bantam Books), two more books (Morgan’s Run and SPORE) being marketed in New York, three novels in progress, and a screenplay in first draft.

Jean Schara retired from a 28-year career in the United States Air Force in 2008 and took up residence in Texas. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland University College with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing and of the Troy State University with a Master of Science in Adult Education. She has had several book reviews published in the Air Power Journal and several articles published in Vision: A Resource for Writers.

ABOUT MANY RIVERS HARBOR

Many Rivers Harbors, a micropublishing company based in Oklahoma, is dedicated to helping authors publish and promote their books. For more information about MRH publications, visit MRH at manyriversharbor.blogspot.com or email at manyriversharbor@gmail.com.

Blackbirds

Blackbirds

In the end what we learned
was not what you taught
even though you warned
we would lose your love

You thought to teach us
fear of what was different
but we studied the strange
and accepted them unto us

You gave us prejudices of those
whose skin held different shades
but we married all colors
because we saw inside

You wanted us to worship
money and all it carries
but we left the good jobs
that ate away our souls

Your god wanted huge buildings
and self-serving prayers
but we met the God who created
an universe unbounded

In the end we lost your love
as you told us we would
but like a cloud of blackbirds
we had flown away years ago

Copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. No copying without express prior permission. Thank you for reading.

Author Speaks: Laura Eckroat

This week we talk with my friend and children's author Laura Eckroat.

Laura Eckroat was born and raised in Whiting, Indiana. She has lived in Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, and now lives in Fort Worth, Texas. She is married to Steven and has a daughter named Ashley. She also has a one-year old Anatolian Shepherd named Muffin, who was rescued by the Eckroats when she was 12 weeks old.

Laura is certified in Special Education and is an elementary school teacher. She teaches and volunteers at the Fort Worth Nature Center using her books to teach children about the beauty and wonder of nature; her workshops also teach children how to start a Science journal. She previously was a human resources manager and the general manager of an educational toy store. She is also a Chicago Bears football fan -- and will always be. Even though Dallas Cowboy Fans try to convert her!

1. Tell us how The Life of Bud,  your first book, came to be.
 After 10 years of working on this book, Bud was born. For the longest time, the name of the book was Bud, The Littlest Leaf. I could never figure out how to finish the book or figure out really what I wanted to say to pull it together. After going through a tough time after my dad passed away, the book came into full focus and I could see the whole book in my head. I worked for about four hours to finish the book. The book follows Bud, who is the bud of an oak tree, through his life, through the seasons. He sees amazing things, makes wonderful memories, is hurt and scared. This book is a great way to teach young readers about the life cycle and can also be used to gently talk to children and adults about losing a loved one.

2. A Simpler Time was your second book. What prompted you to write it?
I am a lover of all things Nature. I loved sharing that passion with my daughter Ashley when she was little. This book was my way of reliving those memories and sharing with other moms and children, that there is more to life than hanging out in front of the TV or your computer! Go out and see the beauty that is right out your door!

3. Your third and fourth books feature Muffin, a rescue dog. Tell us HER story.
I am a DOG person and will never be without one!  It was a SUPER HOT day in August of 2010. We decided it was time to add to our family. Steven scoured the internet looking at many shelter dogs. After a couple hours he called me over to the computer and said, "Look at this cutie!"

My heart melted when I saw her face and her name--Muffin. She was at a rescue facility in Springtown, Texas. Steven called the facility and learned they usually didn't see people on Sunday, but made an exception. When we got there, we saw a puppy that definitely needed a home. She was 12 weeks old and had already been in four homes. She barely weighed eight pounds, and most of her fur was missing from the back half of her body (she was malnourished and dehydrated). As I held her, she melted into my arms. When I did set her down for a moment, she walked over to the gate on the deck and get looking from me to the gate handle as if saying, "Let's go!"  Well ... she came home with us and we nursed her back to health!

When I came home, my Facebook post was Went Out To Get a Donut (I waited for a few moments) and then posted Came Home With a Muffin -- and posted her picture. I knew it had to be a book. While writing it, I started singing the lyrics, and the rest is history.

Muffin and I love going to rescue dog events and donate as much as we can to help other pups find their FURever homes.

4. Why do you write children's books?
I have stories in me that I want to share with children. I love reading to them and helping them realize reading and writing is a lot of fun.

5. You travel to many places to promote your books. How do you plan this?
I spend a lot of time marketing my books. I am honored when librarians, schools, book fairs, and author fairs invite me to come and share my passion. I truly don't plan events. When they are presented to me, I make them work!

6. What's a favorite story from one of your travels?
Hmm ... I have many interesting things happen: My first book signing had over 200 people attend and was celebrated on my daughter's 16th birthday; I was the grand marshal of my hometown's Easter Parade and also did a whole school book reading at my Elementary School and the principal that was there when I attended came back to introduce me; I've met the nephew of Andy Warhol; I was asked to give the commencement speech at my high school. But my very favorite thing is to see children's eyes light up as I read to them ... it truly never gets old!

7. How do you write? Computer, pencil, tablet? And what is your writing process?
I start a story in a journal. I have many story starts that probably will never become a book. When I do "feel" a book coming on, I begin writing in the journal, and there is a rough story. I then need COMPLETE silence and go into AUTHOR mode and type the story into the computer and if I can't think of a word or just the right word, I leave a blank or fill in the spot with several word choices, but I don't want to lose the momentum. I type and type until the entire book is out. I then do not look at it again for a few days. Once I'm refreshed, I'll look at the book again and then re work it.

Since the Muffin books are songs, I do write down words, but I also use QuickVoice on my iPhone and sing the tune and the words. It helps me with the cadence and rhythm. I also do NOT want to lose the tune that I've come up with, so it helps capture that as well.

8. From idea to completed book, how long does it take you?
The Life of Bud took 10 years! But Went Out To Get a Donut - Came Home With a Muffin took about a week.

A Simpler Time and What's In The Corner? A Muffin "Tail" each took a few months.

9. What's your current project?
I have a "sequel" to The Life of Bud in the works called Daisy, and I am working on Where's Muffin's Shadow? A Muffin "Tail" (a working title).

10. How can we learn more about you and your events?
There are many ways to find me: My website is The Books of Laura Eckroat, and I'm on Facebook at Life of Bud and Went Out To Get a Donut. People can email me HERE. And my books are available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Tate Publishing.

I am available for school visits, literacy nights, library visits, book clubs, and more.

I am a kindergarten teacher, also, and I believe every child should have access to new and wonderful books. I am raising money to purchase books from up and coming authors and donating the books to the KIDS NEED TO READ organization. You can contribute HERE! Please help this worthy cause.

Thanks for interviewing me!

Thanks, Laura, for participating! Read other Author Speaks at 51313 Harbor Street.

Author Speaks: Gail Henderson

Gail Henderson recently collaborated with noted Oklahoma photographer Michael Duncan to produce Bare, a newly released book of poetry and photography that explores the enigma of womanhood in the world. She wrote Red Bird Woman, a collection of her poetry published in 2013 under the name Gail Wood. She has been published in ByLine Magazine, Creations 2014, Creations 2013: 40 Ways to Look at Love, and Creations 2012. As a board member for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, she honors the memory of her sister who suffered from bipolar disorder. She holds a Masters of Education in English and Social Studies from East Central University, Ada, Oklahoma. She loves hiking, gardening, cooking, and life. She taught junior high and high school English for 14 years in the small rural school from which she graduated and served as federal programs administrator for the same school for eight years. She is a member of Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. and Ada Writers.

1. Your latest book Bare was released this year. It features your poetry and artistic nude photography. Tell us about how Bare came to be.

My brother-in-law, who is an amateur photographer, showed me pictures of a nude in rural Oklahoma settings. He wasn’t sure how I would react to them. They were beautiful and inspiring--so evocative of the feminine spirit--so the first words out of my mouth were “I want to write poems for these!” He came up with the idea of a book of photography with poems written specifically for each one. It was such a joyful project.

2. Red Bird Woman is the name of your first book, but it's also a name that your Native American husband gave to you. Tell us how that happened and why you identify with it.
Neil and I were hiking when we heard a cardinal. It sang a three-part song ending in what sounded like “woogie, woogie, woogie.” He turned to me, squeezed my cheeks three times while saying “woogie, woogie, woogie.” It was so spontaneous and funny that he christened me Ohoya Hoshe Homma (woman bird red in Choctaw), which translates into Red Bird Woman. Neil understands my connection with Nature. Now the red bird symbolizes that connection.

3. Why do you write poetry? 
I love playing with words, trying to find the best word or phrase to express a thought in a way that is pleasing to the ear and accessible to the mind. I’m not a good story teller so short stories and novels are difficult for me to write. Poems are everywhere. I don’t have to make anything up. I just translate little pieces of life into words.

4. Do you find certain favorite themes in your poetry?
My poetry is woman-oriented, personal. I love being a woman, and I love expressing all the heartache and joy that goes with it.

5. Name a few poems you enjoy and tell us why.
My favorite poem is “Patterns” by Amy Lowell. I love the way it sounds, the images, the emotion it contains--I cry every time I read it aloud. Lowell squeezed so much into that poem. I am amazed every time I read it. Also, I love Shel Silverstein poetry. It’s musical, clever, and always has twisty endings! My children loved it when I read his poetry to them so I have good memories of his poems.

6. What is your writing process? Do you use a pen or computer?
I might jot ideas down on paper, but I mostly compose at a computer. It’s so handy to have an online thesaurus. I wish I could say I were disciplined and wrote everyday, but I take spells of writing --unless I have a particular project, then I can work more steadily. Sometimes it takes me 15 minutes to write a poem--that’s rare. Most of the time I struggle with the poem until I finally let go and let it be what it wants to be. That can take weeks, but a good poem always wins.

7. Many people are turned off by poetry. How can they be turned back on?
I’m turned off by so much of today’s poetry! A poem should make sense, not be an obscure accumulation of words that involves detective work and a hundred readings to understand it. If you are writing for the literati, be obscure and intellectual, but if you want to be read by the masses, make sure your poems are accessible and appeal to the emotions. I would never make it in New York City!

8. What do you want a reader to take away from or learn from your poetry?
First, I want my reader to say, “I get it!” It is important that a reader understand the poem at some level. Second, readers must like the way a poem sounds--the music--even if they can’t tell you why. It is not necessary for a reader to identify alliteration or metaphor to enjoy the result.

9. What has been the best writing advice for you?
Be concise. Use the best and fewest number of words.
And what has surprised you the most about the process of publishing a book?
When you have good friends helping you, it’s easy.

10. What will be your next writing project?
Right now, I am helping my husband write the story of his journey to receiving his Ph.D. For my own project, I’m not sure yet. I’ve learned not to force myself to establish specific writing goals. That doesn’t work well for me--it sets up too much pressure and causes my creative self to rebel. It comes from too many years of proposal writing and deadlines. I keep myself open to ideas. I’ll recognize the next project when the words “I want to write poems for that!” leap out of my mouth.

I am considering a poetry project about my baby sister who died eight years ago of a drug overdose. I miss her everyday and writing about her would keep her spirit alive. My heart will know when the time is right for this very personal project.

Thanks, Gail!

To learn more about Gail and her poetry, visit her website Red Bird Woman.

To read about more authors, visit Author Speaks at 51313 Harbor Street.

Author Speaks: Christy Bower

Christy Bower is the author of more than twenty books, including Christian nonfiction and youth fantasy fiction titles. She has a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies (2004) from Multnomah Biblical Seminary.

Christy lives in northwest Montana, where she considers Glacier National Park her backyard. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her cooking, cleaning, and doing mundane tasks. She says, “Being an author isn’t as glamorous as people seem to think.” And if you hang out with Christy very long, you’ll discover she’s a Star Wars geek and proud of it. She sat down and answered 10 questions for us.

1. What's your latest published book?
My first book, Abundant Life (2002), has been out of print for several years so in honor of publishing my 20th book (Bible Surveyor Handbook), I decided to give new life to my first book by making it available in electronic form for the first time. I republished it under a new title, Unstuck: Escape Spiritual Stagnation, Experience Abundant Life. Unstuck is for people who feel like they are doing all the right things as a Christian but they’re still not growing or they feel their relationship with God has flat lined.

2. Why do you write inspirational books?
Writing inspirational books comes from my heart. Faith defines my life, but I’ve struggled with my relationship with God over and over in different ways. People at church don’t talk about struggles like these, but I was pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels this way so I decided to speak out about overcoming these obstacles so I could help others who suffer in silence.

3. What are you working on now?
Right now I’m in the production stage of finishing Donkey Oatie’s Bushel of Fun Cookbook (now released) It’s a companion book to the Dragon Hollow trilogy, my youth fantasy fiction books for ages 9-12. Not everything I write has a Christian flavor. My youth fantasy fiction is just good clean fun that organically portrays virtues such as loyalty, courage, and forgiveness. They’re packed with action and plenty of humor.

I’m also working on editing my September release, Sweeter Than Chocolate: Developing a Healthy Addiction to God’s Word. And I’m finishing my Christian apocalyptic novel, Return of the Elves. I stay busy.

4. What’s your writing process?
As you can see, I work on several projects at once. I don’t know if other authors work that way or not. At any given time I have projects in the idea stage, planning, writing, revising, editing, and production (layout and design). I usually have five projects in the works so if I’m not in the mood for fiction, I can work on non-fiction. I write best at night, from 10 p.m.–2 a.m., but that can quickly become an all-nighter if I’m engrossed in my content and lose track of time.

My writing process revolves around self-awareness. I have bipolar disorder so I have manic swings in which I am highly creative and can generate lots of content. At other times things swing the other way and I’m mired in depression so it’s not a good time to write, but it is a good time to edit. To some degree that’s true for everyone: our brains operate in right-brain creativity and left-brain logic. Rather than trying to force creativity or analytical editing, I choose to shift to the type of project my brain is capable of at the moment.

5. Do you write with pencil, pen, computer, or tablet? What’s your favorite?
I generate first drafts with pen and paper. Sometimes pencil. I like how a pencil feels, but my hand gets tired faster. And I have good reason for using pen and paper, too. When you type at a keyboard and make a typing error, your brain shifts to left-brain analytical correction mode. Then your thoughts become more critical about the words you put on the page because your brain is analyzing. Writing by hand allows me to stay in my right-brain creative mode because I’m writing down words I will correct later on. It tells the left-brain, “It’s not your turn yet, but you’ll get your chance.” I actually plan to write a book on this next year.

6. What has been important advice to you in pursuing a writing career, and what advice would you give to a new writer?
The most important advice I received early on was: “Don’t fall in love with your own words.” The publishing committee will change your title, the editor will change your words, and entire chapters may fall on the editing room floor. Don’t be offended. The editor’s job is to make your message better. Why wouldn’t you want that?

But more and more writers are going independent today, so my advice would be: learn grammar and punctuation and keep learning it. Take a class at a community college. Take a class online. Or at least go through a grammar book. I read one book a year on grammar or punctuation. There are some fun ones on the market. You might even laugh and learn at the same time. Ongoing education is important for any writer, but even more so for a self-published writer. And don’t be afraid to hire an editor. I have.

7. What has been the most gratifying or most surprising result from your writing career so far?
Twice I have been named “Writer of the Year” by American Christian Writers (2007, 2011). These awards corresponded with the releases of my books by Discovery House Publishers, Devotion Explosion: Getting Real with God (2007) and Best Friends with God: Falling in Love with the God Who Loves You (2010), both of which have now gone into a fourth printing. I never dreamed my books would enjoy longevity and popularity. It has been an unexpected blessing.

8. You've written 20 books. What are some of their titles?
In addition to the books I’ve already mentioned, I have a series of 12 Crossword Bible Studies containing crossword puzzles for every chapter of the New Testament. And this year I released Bible Surveyor Handbook: A 15-Lesson Overview of the Entire Bible, which gives readers a basic understanding of what’s happening in the Bible. And, of course, there’s my Dragon Hollow trilogy: The Legend of Dragon Hollow, The Secret of the Sword, and The Rise of the Dragon King.

9. Which of your books is your favorite?
I have two. Grant me one non-fiction and one fiction.

Devotion Explosion has always felt like a book I was meant to write. The message of that book is important to me. It’s very freeing and I want others to experience that freedom in their relationship with God.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing the Dragon Hollow books because they are filled with puns, silly The Secret of the Sword was my favorite of the three because in writing it I had to solve some serious problems with how to get this boy to overthrow a usurper king and convince the people he was the rightful king. That took some thinking and I was pleased with how it came out. It has songs, humorous incidents, and hidden literary references. It’s like Christy unfiltered.

10. How can people learn more about your writing?
My website, Christy Bower, offers lots of free downloads, including sample chapters, resources for Christian growth, articles I’ve written for magazines, as well as downloadable extras to go with my books. But to stay up with the latest, you can receive a chapter a week in your inbox from one of my books. Sign up at HERE. Thanks for the thought-provoking questions.

Read about other authors at Author Speaks at 51313 Harbor Street.

The bloodsuckers of summer

It’s time for the sounds and smells of summer: barbecue, people splashing in pools, coconut suntan lotion, happy laughter, freshly mown lawns, all is happy, happy, happy as people rejoice in the sunlight—except for me, of course, since I’ve been hiding in my darkened house as soon as the flocks of mosquitoes started returning from whatever nightmarish place they spent the winter at.

Yes, I know that supposedly they lay eggs that somehow survive the winter’s cold, and those eggs hatch into larva, which grow up to suck blood and lay more eggs to survive the winter, but I don’t believe it. Have you ever seen a mosquito nest? Me, neither. What really happens is they follow the sun to torment South Americans. Mosquitoes live many years, and all of them speak fondly of me, their Promised Land of white, soft skin that conceals the most delicious and nourishing liquid.

Not all of the mosquitoes hunt me, of course. Half of the mosquitoes are male, which only feed on nectar and Big Macs. The blood suckers are all deadly, single-minded females. (They are called Hillarys and Palins by biologists.)

Even though I’ve purchased enough insecticide to permanently alter the DNA of my entire town and my downwind neighbors are threatening to file an EPA suit, the mosquitoes remain.

Naturally I started looking for solutions, including some home remedies, such as these:

1. Wipe yourself dry after your shower with a fabric softener sheet. This doesn’t seem to do anything, but I do smell Ocean Breeze Fresh.

2. Avon Skin So Soft. Many people swear by—and at—this lotion that supposedly functions as a safe insect repellent. Only result for me was that the mosquitoes would tell their friends, “There’s a strange seasoning on him, but underneath is pure scarlet goodness.”

3. Drink a lot of whiskey. My friend Renaldo uses this and was telling me that it works. I stared at him and noticed his arms were covered by bites. I pointed that out, and he said, “I know, but I don’t care.” Later he would collapse from blood loss, but not before hundreds of mosquitoes were unable to fly in a straight line.

4. Eat several cloves of raw garlic a day. This might work. It does keep people away from you, so maybe it will insects.

5. Catnip. Tuck a several twigs of catnip in your pockets and in your collar. This works. You have to run from the crazed cats, and the mosquitoes can’t keep up. Except in my case, I run from one flock of mosquitoes into another. So this doesn’t work; besides, I hate running. God wouldn’t have given us cars if He wanted us to run.

6. The Native Americans used to rub a combination of mud and rancid animal fat on their bodies. Alligator, raccoon, opossum, or bear fat was preferred. Let us know how this works out for you, okay?

7. Mix six drops each of the essential oils of catnip, citronella, lavender, neem, and black pepper into organic soy oil during the waning moon with a spoon made of willow—oh forget it.

Anyway, think of me as I wave at you from behind the sliding glass doors of my house. I may be as pale as the underbelly of a frog from the lack of sun, but come the first frost of fall, I’ll be back.

(Copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley. Excerpted from the forthcoming A Little Floozy. All rights reserved. No copying without express prior permission from the author and publisher. Thank you for reading.)

Library to host book signing for Ada Writers

ADA, OKLAHOMA – Ada Public Library will host a book signing for “Creations 2014,” the
newest anthology from Ada Writers, Thursday, June 19, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

The book will be available to purchase at the signing for $12 and is available now at Lulu.com, Amazon.com, and other online retailers. Later this month, it will be on sale at Karen’s Art & Framing, Inc., in downtown Ada.

“We’ll have most of our authors at the signing,” Ada Writers president Stephen B. Bagley said. “It will be a great time to get your anthology signed by the writers and to meet them and talk about writing.”

A limited amount of the previous anthologies will also be available at the signing, and there will be a table featuring books by group members, including three new books. “Don Perry will be there with his new young adult book ‘Little Texas on the Pecos,’” Bagley said. “Tom Yarbrough will be bringing his new inspirational book ‘Treasures of the Kingdom.’ And Gail Henderson will present her new poetry and photography book ‘Bare.’” Other authors featured will be Bagley, Kelley Benson, and Martha Rhynes.

This is the third year that Ada Writers has produced an anthology. “Each year we’ve gained new authors,” Bagley said. “This year, we feature poems, essays, short stories, memoirs, and book excerpts from 17 local and area writers. Five of the authors have never been published in our anthology before.”

Authors will read from their works at the signing, Bagley said. “And we will have cookies. We can’t have a reading without cookies. It’s one of our traditions now.”

The local and area anthology authors include: Stephen B. Bagley, Kelley Benson, Eric Collier, Stacey Foster, Gail Henderson, Mel Hutt, Sterling Jacobs, Ken Lewis, Rick Litchfield, Don Perry, Martha Rhynes, James Sanders, Anna Tynsky, Joanne Verbridge, Tim Wilson, Tom Yarbrough, and Loretta Yin.

Ada Writers meets the second and fourth Saturday of each month at 11 a.m. in an upstairs meeting room at the Ada Public Library, 124 South Rennie. New writers are always welcome. For more information about the anthology and the writing group, please visit AdaWriters.blogspot.com.

Things We Learn

Things We Learn

People we love will hurt us the most
but we will love them anyway
People we want to love us won’t
but they will love other people
Children break our hearts repeatedly
but people will continue to have them
God doesn’t answer our prayers
but we won’t listen when He says no
Life carries sorrow and strife
but we hold onto hope for better days
We learn things we don’t want
but we call this knowledge wisdom

Each night we fall in restless sleep
And we get up each day and go on
Flowers bloom, trees grow green,
and leaves fall before the snow
Love is always truly unexpected
and it brings its blessed problems
Children choose their surprising paths
and their journeys head toward light
We love who our heart loves
and love cannot be wasted in this life
We hold tight the things we cherish
and our lives are finally fulfilled

Copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. Thanks for reading!

A little night music

Another one of my music nights. Just listening to unfamiliar music on my computer. Unfamiliar because I haven't played the songs in months. I have thousands of songs on my hard drive, so naturally some aren't played much.

Mostly sweet, melancholy music. Violins and acoustic guitars. Quiet songs to fill up the empty places in my soul. Fill them up so nothing else can reside there.

Dan Fogelberg, Indigo Girls, Alexi Murdoch, Ed Sheeran, Rob Thomas... Talented singers with great gifts.

Do you have music nights? Or do you like your nights so still that the stars finally speak to fill the silence? Do you walk the fields at night and gaze up at the sky where the moon hangs like a ripe peach? Or do you gratefully close your eyes and fall into sleep until the sun dawns?

Whatever helps you to be filled with peace, that's what you should do. That's what I'm trying to do as I listen to a little night music.

Z is for Zeitgeist

I had read Zeitgeist before, but never really understood what it means. It's "the spirit of the age; trend or thought in a period," according to my faithful Websters New World Dictionary. The Roaring Twenties, the Swinging Sixties...and so on are a good example of attempts to read the Zeitgeist of an age.

I wondered what my decades would be called. I wonder what your decades would be called. I hope all the adjectives are good...Terrific Thirties, Fine Forties, Fabulous Fifties...but if not, it's never too late to change. Yeah, it's a cliche, but it's one I'm working on believing.

And this is the end of the April Blogging A-Z Challenge. I finished late, but I finished despite being ill. And I'm feeling better as we head into the warmer parts of the year. Maybe this will be my Super Summer. I hope it's yours.

Y is for yappers

Do you have yappers in your life? Not those little dogs that nip at your heels, but similar. No, I'm talking about people who nip at your dreams and your plans, who are unable to support anyone because they know better. I've certainly had them in my life, and the energy they sap from me is discouraging. They're the more visible form of The Levelers.

The Levelers want to bring you down. They want you to give up, to wallow in your failures, and to never achieve anything. They use all sorts of things: The Yappers, The Backbiters, The Naysayers, The Overbearers ... but the most dangerous thing they do is use your own insecurity against you. They make the price of failure seem too terrible to pay. "It's safe, better, easier," they whisper, "to never try. Go watch TV. There's a new reality show to watch. Just sit down, and soon nothing will matter."

And they're right. If you allow them to level you, to stop your dreams, then eventually nothing will matter. Don't let them do it! Stand up, get out, start moving, be the person you always dreamed you should be. Kick the Yappers to the curb, face the Backbiters, have more Yeas than they have Nays, tell the Overbearers to back off ... but most of all, believe in yourself.

Believe in yourself. And don't worry about failure. You're going to fail. Everyone fails many times, but all you have to do is succeed one more time than you fail to be a success. And yes, I'm preaching to me, too.

I got a yapper problem myself, but I'm going to overcome them. Aren't you?

X is for xanthic

"The girl with the xanthic hair" doesn't sound as good as "the girl with the golden hair" or even "the girl with the yellow hair." Xanthic, of course, means "yellow or yellowish," according to the first meaning in my Webster's New World Dictionary. Yes, I still have a print dictionary. I find it more useful and more complete than the online versions. Also, sometimes I like to browse for new words. A book is perfect for browsing.

I wonder sometimes why people don't enjoy the feel of a book. Yes, I know about your Kindle and all its dubious wonders, but it's not the same. Books have a certain heft, a certain smell ... maybe even a bit of magic in them. I do know books can survive for centuries. Your Kindle won't. Not because Kindles are bad, but because tech changes. File formats change. And electronics corrode.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe four centuries from now, someone will find your Kindle in a corner and fire that baby up and read the entire Twilight series and start retching uncontrollably.

But I doubt it.

W is for water

I've been told that our previous wars were about oil. Nothing is that simple. All wars have a multitude of causes, many of which we don't know or can only guess at. But I think the wars of the future will be fought over water.

It's already happening. L.A. is out of water so it eyes the water of surrounding communities and states and tries to get it. Texas and Oklahoma have battled over water rights for years. The prairie states are taking water out of aquifers faster than it can be replenished. My own town is attempting to gather support for building a lake for water for when our wells go dry.

It's worse overseas. Yes, we can make the desert bloom, but should we? And don't the people who live there have a right to water?

Most people don't realize that we have yet to come up with an affordable solution for making ocean water safe to drink. We can do it, but it costs a lot, and it uses a lot of energy, particularly as we pollute the ocean. We humans are incredibly short-sighted. We leave the problems for our descendants to solve. They will curse us.

And we will deserve every single curse.

V is for viper

Ever know someone like this: viper tongue and not afraid to use it. Supremely confident of their right to cut someone down to size with the appropriately vicious comment. Never do they imagine that they're busy removing a mote from their victim's eye while ignoring the huge pole in theirs. It takes a special kind of smallness to speak without kindness. To lay waste just because you can. It took me so many years to realize that being kind was the true power. Any pig can be snarky and smug. Any lout can be loud and mean.

But to be kind ... to try to look beyond a person's faults and mistakes and find their good qualities ... to be more than lip service to the idea of compassion ... that's hard. That's what we should strive for. It's not as much fun, it's not as smart, it's not smug, it's not as ego boosting ... but it's how we humans could be if we were willing to work on it. If we were willing to bend.

If kindness wasn't such a bad taste on our viper lips.

U is for undying

Undying: Poems of Fantasy & Science Fiction is a book of poetry that I've been working on sometimes. When I finish 100 poems or so, I will publish it. My take on it was to tell the stories of as many traditional monsters as I can, but only if I can cast their stories in a new light or at least an unfamiliar one.

What follow is the title poem. It's still a work in progress, but I thought I would share it with you.

Undying

You cannot imagine
the things I have seen,
the loves I have lost.
Empires all fall.
Kings rot into dust.
But I remain.

Shall I tell you of
Alannah’s auburn hair
and pale sweet body?
Or of fiery Elizabeth
who rode white horses
across the verdant moors?

And what of Helene,
witty and bright with
a body made for sin?
A hundred or more Janes,
A multitude of Marys,
A handful of Opals.

I loved them all.
I gave them wonders.
I watched them die.
Love did not save
Renee from plague,
or Teresa from war.

A few learned my secret.
They begged me
for the blood kiss.
I denied their pleas;
humans must burn
bright then die.

Teresa understood.
Ume fled in fear.
Vivian tried to slay me.
Yet I live on,
four thousand years
more or less,

Searching for anything
-- anything at all --
worth dying for.
Empty I travel
until a woman
stirs my passion.

Zola, this is what it means
to love a creature,
untouched by time.
Love me while you live,
and I will still love you
after dust covers your eyes.

Copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. No copying without express permission of the author and publisher. From the forthcoming Undying: Poems of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Thank you for reading.

T is for torrent

Torrent

Your love on me lies
sunbright glistening
on the waters of
my cascading soul
as it tumbles through
the lichen-covered
rocks of pain and hope.

And sometimes you ask
why I love only
you as if rivers
could possibly choose
the paths of their journeys
to the sun-touched sea.

Copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. No copying without express permission of the author and publisher. This poem was published in a slightly different form in EndlesS, copyright 2008 by Many Rivers Harbor.

S is for "Sex and the Single Novelist"

Sex and the Single Novelist

A fantasy novel I’m working on is as much a love story as an adventure story. My characters have a couple of scenes where they indulge in a bit of kissing and hugging. I wanted the scenes to seem romantic and charming. I do neither of those well in my writing (I do them fine in real life, thank you for asking) so I thought research was needed.

I went to my local library, waited until right before closing, and then checked out 10 modern romance novels, including several historical romances. I explained to the clerk I was only doing research. She cleverly concealed her avid interest in what I was saying by yawning widely.

I took the books home and opened one. I was pretty sure I’d know the plots of the book: girl meets boy, he treats her badly, they fight the whole book, and then they fall into bed as the last page is turned.

Man, I’m out of date. They fall into bed a lot sooner and more often these days. Many times. The rest of the plot is still the same, but they’re doing the naughty and doing it with a lot of detail. A lot of detail. Of course, they don't use clinical terms to describe the sex – apparently that would kill the mood – instead we are treated to phrases (and I didn't make up any of these) like "his throbbing man-shaft of pleasure iron," "her snow white, silky soft nursing mounds," and one that I had to read twice to fully appreciate its complete awfulness: "her undulating cavern of velvet passion."

Cavern? My gosh, how big is this woman? Do they give tours? Is her last name Carlsbad? And that undulating can’t be good. She needs to see a doctor and fast. As for the “pleasure iron,” I showed that part of the book to a friend of mine, and she said, “Ouch.” Then she borrowed the book and hasn’t returned it to me yet.

And the way they talk during sex. Something like this: "'She spread her arms wide and cried out, 'I cannot wait! Take me now. Fill my senses with your savage love. Let me fly among the heavens. Let us soar to the stars above, my love, and we will shine among the hosts.'" Look, lady, he’s not the space shuttle.

But instead of running away from this madwoman, he draws closer and says, "Yes, my love! We will outshine the stars! We will blaze like a fiery comet on its journey to the illuminating sun!"

Later on, she would awaken to discover he had stayed awake all night staring at her “pure alabaster body softly gleaming in the moonlight.” Rather than being creeped out, she felt all warm and fuzzy to know he had watched her drool and snore all night.

The historical novels followed the same plot, although they had more pirates and sword fights. The women are all cold and haughty, but hiding a burning passion. They only need a handsome rogue for their passion to be finally released. Luckily enough, the men are handsome rogues, but need the love of a good woman to realize that they always wanted to live in the suburbs and have several children who will carry on their family name (since they are actually the wayward sons of dukes or princes, but never accountants or lawyers).

This is not to say that they were badly written books. At least three of the books kept me reading as the writer cleverly found ways to tweak the conventions that confine a romance novelist. And two of the books were even intentionally funny. Don’t think I’m picking on romance novels.

But I was shocked by the graphic nature of the books. As I read them over and over and over ... and over and over, I kept wondering what’s this world coming to? And these were at the public library. Not in a brown paper wrapper or anything.

Still, reading those books was informative and helpful. I learned what phrases I will not be using in my book. In fact, I think the characters in my fantasy novel will have to content themselves with shaking hands and exchanging meaningful glances. Any more than that could cause undulating, and none of us want that. I don’t think we do. Do we?

Excerpted from Floozy & Other Stories, copyright 2010 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. No copying without express permission from the publisher and author. Thank you for reading.

R is for rebellion

I've always been a rebel. Oh, not the tattooed, partying, leather jacket on a motorcycle rebel. Not the Goth or the druggie or the Emo. Not the easy ones. I'm the contrary one.

You tell me that I can't do it. You tell me that I'm unworthy. You tell me that I can't beat you. You tell me that I can't touch you. You tell me that I shouldn't even try. And something cold and bleak rises up in me, looks at you from behind my eyes, smiles grimly, and says silently, "Watch me. Just you watch me."

There's real rebellion behind that. I don't like being told no when I know I'm right. I won't stand for it. And that rebellion, that desire to make my own choices and live my life my own mistake-filled way, has pushed me to do things that I would have thought I lacked the courage for. I have danced where angels fear to tread, God help me.

Rebellion has pushed me into things I shouldn't have done. What wisdom I have has been paid for with wounds and scars. I've often wanted to be different. To be willing to go along with popular opinion on religion, civil rights, sexual freedom, environmentalism, technology, philosophy, just the sheer act of living ... why couldn't I make it easier on me? Why?

I don't know. And at this stage in my life, I'm not sure the answer matters. I have this hard core in me, the place where my morals and standards reside. It has been rocked many times, but it still stands. It refuses to bow, to change, to be easy.

There are worse ways to be. Worse ways to live. What I am, I am. I can be content with that. I will have to be. I don't how to be anyone else.

Happy Easter!

Easter is about beginnings. It seemed like the end, but it turned out to be a beginning. No one knew the world would change. No one could see that far ahead. Good Friday starts in pain and ends in death. Easter starts in death and ends in life and joy. I hope your day is filled with love and peace and the calm assurance that we don't end at death and we will rise to greet a new glorious day.

Creationsong

So sang the Host:
Be, spider and bird,
Be, wolf and whale,
Be, mite and giant,
Be, all things that fly,
All things that crawl,
And all things between, be!

Be, cherub and seraph,
Be, man and woman,
Be, lamb and lion,
Be, all things that are fierce,
All things that are gentle,
And all things that are both, be!

Be, love and hate,
Be, sorrow and joy,
Be, envy and generosity,
Be, all things that move the heart,
All things that still the soul,
And all things that renew the spirit, be!

Be, all things that were,
Be, all things that will be,
Be, all things that could be,
Be, all things that will not be,
Let all things be!
Be!

Copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. No copying without express permission of the author and publisher. This poem was published in a different form in EndlesS, copyright 2008 by Many Rivers Harbor.

Q is for quiet

Sometimes I need quiet. The world presses against me, threatens to drown me. The world is too loud, too fast, too confusing, too mean, too much. So I seek a quiet, dark place to sit. Sit and breathe. Alone away from people with their agendas and desires.

I've found that a lot of creative people seek solitude at times. For most of us, we crave it. I've known a few people who say they can write in the middle of a busy intersection. I am impressed by their powers of concentration, but I couldn't do it. I need a certain amount of calm.

I do play music when I write. But it needs to be music I know well so that I can ignore it. Or so that it can fall below my level of attention if that makes sense. I am conscious of it somewhat. Fast songs make me write faster; slower pieces slow me down. Sad songs and dramatic songs likewise influence my mood.

For each of my books, I had a soundtrack. Mostly fast, upbeat music, but slower, darker songs for the murder mysteries. I can use music to set the mood for the book, be it inspirational, holiday, mystery, and so on.

I used to wonder what pens other authors used, and then I wondered what computers and what word processing programs. Now, I wonder what music they use. Or do they require only the blessed quiet? I can understand that.

P is for passion

Passion

If I could, I would seduce you
into poetry. I would run
feathery words over the bare
shoulders of your muse, touch gently
the moist secret places of your
metaphors, delicately brush
your lips with similes and plunge
rhythm and rhyme into your soul.

I would take you past the threshold
where passion and structure meet, where
one image means the difference
'tween indifference and glory.
If I could, I would do these things
and do them long and do them well
until when you heard poetry,
you would gasp, don’t stop oh don’t stop.

Copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. No copying without express permission of the author and publisher. This poem was published in a different form in EndlesS, copyright 2008 by Many Rivers Harbor.

O is for open

I think it's hard to be open about our feelings. At least I find it to be so. I don't know why. Just an innate sense of caution, I think. Too many experiences of sharing and having it used against me. I often tell people what I think they want me to feel, which I sometimes do feel, but not as strongly as they want me to -- or really, as strongly as I think they want me to.

We spend most of our lives hoping to find that special someone with whom we can be completely honest and yet he/she will still love us anyway. Most of us never find him/her. That's just the way life is. It's not so much that Mr./Miss Right isn't out there, but we get tired and settle for Mr. He'll-Do or Miss I-Could-Do-Worse.

You might think that what I wrote sounds depressing, but I have seen many wonderful, long-lived marriages built between He'll-Do and I-Could-Do-Worse. In fact, some of these marriages grow, and they end up being Mr. and Mrs. Exactly Right. So there is plenty of hope in the world yet for romance. Don't give up. And every now and then, try a bit of openness. You might be pleasantly surprised by what happens next.

N is for nothing

I actually wanted to leave this post blank -- nothing, you see, but then it occurred to me that I could write something and then hide it by making the font the same color as the background, and the reader -- you as it turns out -- could only read it by highlighting the text. If you think of doing that. Which will surprise and please me if you do. Do let me know in the comments. That would be awesome.

M is for muse

Other writers talk a lot about their muses. "Oh, my muse is silent." "My muse is so fickle." "My muse torments me so."

Listen, I won't date someone that abuses me, and I for sure am not going to let my muse do so. If your muse isn't treating you right, then kick it out. Get a new one.

Maybe your muse is a bun-haired, ruler on the knuckles, prim, proper spinster who purses her lips and glares cuttingly every time you show a bit of spirit. Or maybe it's a brooding, sullen, shirt with floppy cuffs, dark eyed brute who stays in his garret except when he ventures out to down a glass of absinthe at the local bohemian cafe.

Here's what you do: While she's at the local temperance league meeting, pack her bags, put them on the porch, shut and lock the door. As for the brute, while he's sipping his absinthe, gather his flea-infested belongings, stick them in a bag, and throw them in the front yard. Then call an exterminator to spray his room.

My point is that you're the boss. Don't let your muse kick you around. And if you take a firm hand with it, you just might find that the spinster has always wanted to let her hair down and go dancing, and that your brute loves sunshine and flowers and sometimes sings happy songs.

L is for Linger

Linger

I dreamed of you last night.
We laughed as we walked through
a park. Our children played
near, calling for us to watch
them slide fast or swing high.

I dreamed of you last night.
Your hazel eyes followed
me. A smile touched your lips.
I could not resist them.
You tasted like cinnamon.

I dreamed of you last night.
Our breaths mingled as our
bodies joined. You cried my
name and shuddered as did
I. Then you turned away.

I dreamed of you last night.
I wandered through a house
empty of your presence,
footsteps echoing, air
quiet, still, and cold.

The children live with you.
I never taste your lips.
We have turned away.
Our love is still and cold, but
I dreamed of you last night.

Copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. No copying without express permission of the author and publisher. This poem was published in a different form in EndlesS, copyright 2008 by Many Rivers Harbor.

K is for kiwi

One of my favorite fruits is kiwi. Love the tangy flavor. Hard to peel,

but worth it. I usually cut it in half and then use a spoon to scoop out the middle. Good stuff. The artificial flavoring never really tastes like a kiwi. That's why I avoid strawberry-kiwi soda. That and the excessive sugar.

Excessive sugar is found in so many things these days. I'm amazed how many foods that you wouldn't expect to be sweetened are loaded with the stuff. There is mounting evidence that excessive sugar is the culprit in many diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc., and of course, the dreaded lard hiney.  I've been trying to cut back on my sugar, but I do fall of the wagon sometimes. It's hard to avoid and hard to give up.

We are all addicted to sugar, baby, and don't you forget it.

J is for Jumping Jack Flash

I watched Jumping Jack Flash on TV a few years ago. Loved Whoopi Goldberg in it. It's not a five star movie, but it's at least three star inching toward a four star. Whoopi has rarely found roles worthy of her talent.

However, I got the movie the other day and decided to re-watched. Since it was on DVD and not on the TV, none of the obscenities were edited out. Wow. That's why I downgraded it from a four star to a three star. I think of obscenities as seasoning on a meal. Too much and the meal is ruined. Mostly because the vulgarities start to lose their power. Eventually a four-letter word becomes meaningless through repetition.

A lot of writers do that: pepper their works with so many "shocking" words that the words lose all meaning. Especially if they use them as adjectives. A "f-ing good time" is the vulgar equivalent of saying a "very good time." Most people know to not use "very" because it is basically meaningless. Eventually, the overuse of the "f-word" empties the word of its shock value.

Use vulgarities to good effect if you're going to use them. Otherwise, they're bankrupt language. Worse than that, they're lazy language.

I is for Ignatius

Recently, I went to a Treasures of the Church Exposition at the local Catholic Church. After an interesting lecture, we were allowed to actually touch 164 relics of the church associated with various Saints and the Holy Family.

We were supposed to find our personal Saint. Being a Baptist, none of the Saints "spoke" to me as the lecturing Father said they might, but I did find two that appealed to me.

First, Saint Ignatius of Antioch. I liked that he was a writer, and I loved the sound of his name. Ignatius. It rolls off my tongue. His feast is October 17. He was a convert from paganism and succeeded St. Peter as the bishop of the church at Antioch, Syria. He was the first writer to use the term "Catholic Church" and wrote a series of encouraging letters to churches while on a long journey to Rome as a captive. In Rome, he was thrown to wild animals around 107. (As you read the information card that was by each relic, you learned that only a handful of the Saints died of natural causes. The vast majority of them died in terrible and often horribly creative ways at the hands of various rulers and empires.)

St. Ignatius is quoted as saying, "No earthly pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire."

The second saint I found is St. Lucy. We'll talk about her when "L" comes up, and I liked her not because of her name, but because she is the patron saint of authors and writers. Even as a Baptist, I think having a patron saint for my writing is a good thing.

If you'd like to learn more about these relics, visit the Treasures of the Church website.

H is for hush

HUSH

These are the stories
we’re not supposed to tell
old twisted stories
you’re not supposed to know
dirty family secrets
not seen in scrapbooks–

Blush over bruises 
glasses cover black eyes 
Shame pushed into her soul 

No nightlight in dark room 
hands tearing away his breath 
and his little boy clothes 

Finger down her throat 
can’t get it all out 
can’t be perfect 

Always outside looking in 
never more than a joke 
sweet cold razor on wrists 

Hospital bed that they whisper 
he deserves for loving those 
who should be shunned 

Wrong skin color can’t change 
wrong accent can’t hide 
wrong life can’t be lived 

These are the stories
that don’t get told
the old tired stories
that no one wants to hear

Don’t look back (let your tongue be silent) 
Don’t make waves (don’t rock our family) 
Don’t embarrass us (get on with your life)
Get over it or get out (we don't want to know)
Forget what you can’t change (forget, forget, forget)
Swallow the words (even if you have to choke)

But these are the stories
that sometimes get told...
and the world ends
and the family shatters
and we all fall down

but we get up–
we rise up and we fly
–how we fly! –
into the endless sky

Copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. No copying without express permission of the author and publisher. This poem was published in a different form in EndlesS, copyright 2008 by Many Rivers Harbor.