"A Tea Party" in A Tea Party & Other Strange Stories

Lulu - $2.99

Kindle Market - $2.99

Table of Contents, story #6:

A Tea Party

The cover story. Dan is young and believes in the goodness of all people. He is desperate to have an adventure to tell around the school lunch table, a real adventure. Suddenly one night, a girl dressed in rags carrying a doll appears in his back yard. Dan is a good kid. His first instinct is to help; however, sometimes our first instincts are wrong - dead wrong.

Even though I have a daughter of almost eight months, I still find girls and their attachment to dolls a bit creepy. Part of what I find creepy about dolls is that they look oh-so-human, but they can't talk. Instead, they stare with all-seeing eyes and listen with all-hearing ears. Despite the knowledge that dolls possess, they are helpless to act on what they know.

The girl in this story is more than she seems and so is the doll that she carries. The girl is trouble and the doll she carries knows. However, the doll can only blink when tipped just-so, a warning that poor Dan is unable to interpret.

OK, stay tuned for updates.

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (15)

Locked up in Minneapolis

What's Your English!

"The Return of Melanoplus spretus" in A Tea Party & Other Strange Stories

Lulu - $2.99

Kindle Market - $2.99

Table of Contents, story #5:

The Return of Melanoplus spretus

The North American Locust is back. Out of nowhere, a plague of locusts sweeps over Idaho. Perhaps, monocultures have provided the correct environmental conditions for their return. Regardless of the reason, they are hungry, and they stripping the land bare.

This story is my killer bug story. What could be worse than a wave of hungry locusts eating everything in their path. I have always liked nature horror movies. I have fond memories of watching movies about killer ants, killer bees, and killer fish with my father late at night. My father would get me out of bed after my mother had put my brother and me to sleep, and we would watch late night movies of all kinds. However, my favorite were the killer bug movies.

OK, stay tuned for updates.

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (14)

Locked up in Minneapolis

"The Frist Super" in A Tea Party & Other Strange Stories

Lulu - $2.99

Kindle Market - $2.99

Table of Contents, story #4:

The Frist Super

A gathering of aliens is underway. Dinner is being served, something special, something delicious.

Humans can't be the top of the food chain. People all over the world claim to have seen aliens and even been abducted. Perhaps, we are another species' cow and earth is the free range pasture. I had fun with this story. I tried to use as many of the fives senses as I could in describing this tasty meal.

OK, stay tuned for updates.

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (13)

Locked up in Minneapolis

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (12)

Locked Up in Minneapolis 

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (11)

Locked up in Minneapolis 

"Running of the Cows" in A Tea Party & Other Strange Stories

Lulu - $2.99

Kindle Market - $2.99

Table of Contents, story #3:

Running of the Cows

A reporter covers the construction of the wall that separates The United Startes and Mexico. He was simply assigned to get a firsthand accounting of what it was like to stand guard; however, he gets much more as a stampede of cows is set against the wall.

I like this story. I think that immigration is an important issue in this country and in Mexico and South America. I don't think putting up a wall between Mexico and The United States of America will do much good. I think that a wall will make the problem much worse. If you're worried that the collection of stories is only about immigration, don't fret. This is the last one, but it is a good one.

OK, stay tuned for updates.

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (10)

Locked up in Minneapolis

Yarnbomb & Caterpillar

"The Lilly Pad" in A Tea Party & Other Strange Stories

Lulu - $2.99

Kindle Market - $2.99

Table of Contents, story #2:

The Lilly Pad

Party! It is time to hit the clubs. A self-professed fairy-princess is dressed to kill and accompanied by her best-girls. However, this club isn't safe. It is run by a witch and haunted by a strange fly-eating creature.

This a fun story inspired in part by the Grimm story "The Frog King" and the Ke$ha song "We R Who We R." I had so much fun writing this story that I wrote a follow up to it, "The Sirens of the Chipped Plate" that also appears in book, but latter on.

OK, stay tuned for updates.

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (9)

Locked up in Minneapolis

"Keeping Watch" in A Tea Party & Other Strange Stories

Lulu - $2.99

Kindle Market - $2.99

Table of Contents, story #1:

Keeping Watch

Haus works for immigration of an earth orbiting promise land. The wealthy do not live on earth, which has been sliced into corporate monocultures necessary to feed those living off-world. Those that live on earth want to leave. Little does Haus know, but his efforts to help those still living on earth with their applications has put him in immediate danger. 

There are many types of stories in the collection, but I wanted to start out with science fiction, some might call it space opera even. It is a fun story about class and racism. The themes should hit a little too close to home, despite the action taking place on a satellite.

OK, stay tuned for updates.

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (8)

Locked up in Minneapolis

A Tea Party & Other Strange Stories Cover Designer by Kristen Nelson

Lulu - $2.99

Kindle Market - $2.99

I want to lead off with not a story but with the bio of the amazing graphic designer that put the creepy ick into cover.

Kristen Nelson

Kristen Nelson is a graphic and web designer living in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  She received her Bachelor of Arts in Advertising from the University of St. Thomas.  She is currently taking classes at the University of Phoenix towards a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. 

Her cat, Pantalaimon, tends to keep her company through any design she creates and often helps out by laying in front of the computer as she works.  In her spare time, she enjoys playing games, cooking, and, of course, creating fun designs.   

To see more of Kristen Nelson’s work:  

Homepage - www.thekristinnelson.com

OK, stay tuned for updates.

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (7)

Locked up in Minneapolis

Holding Nature's Heart

It's Here! A Tea Party & Other Strange Stories

Lulu - $2.99

Kindle Market - $2.99

It has been fun to put together an eBook of my short fiction that was scattered around here and there and other places but mostly in issues of eFiction Magazine. Over the next few weeks, I plan on posting more about each of the thirteen stories collected in the book, but you don't have to wait for me to finish the marketing. You can buy the book now!

However, to wet your appetite, here is the marketing blurb that I wrote:

These thirteen strange stories will transport you to into worlds both unique and horrifyingly familiar. They range from a disco fairytale to a dystopian immigration office in space. What bindes these horrors together is a humanity desperately seeking hope, only to find a seemingly endless pit of terror and cruelty. If it is not man being cruel to his fellow man then it is man's cruelty toward the natural world that brings to life vengeful and forgotten monsters.

Fun right! OK, stay tuned for updates.

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (6)

Locked up in Minneapolis

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (5)

Locked up in Minneapolis

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (4)

Locked up in Minneapolis

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (3)

Locked up in Minneapolis

From "Peace and Sustainability Depend on the Spiritual and the Feminine" by Massoumeh Ebtekar

"The problem, it seems, is rooted mainly in both the quality of leadership and in the worldview of global decision makers. The major driving forces in today's world are material values of wealth, power, lust, and fame. Humanitarian incentives, including compassion and altruism and spiritual values, are in the dim and distant shadows. In addition to the low number if women in decision-making positions, there is general understanding that the lack of affection, love, and feminine attitudes in the governing world of affairs has led to an aggressive masculine grip over world affairs."

---
Ebtekar, Massoumeh. "Peace and Sustainability Depend on the Spiritual and the Feminine." Moral Ground. Kathleen Dean Moore & Michael P. Nelson. Ed. San Antonio, Texas: Trinity University Press, 2010. p.178. Print.

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (2)

Locked up in Minneapolis 

Locked up in Minneapolis 17 May 2012 (1)

Locked up in Minneapolis

iTunes go!

iTunes - $2.99

I've learned a new skill in self-publishing. It took seven tries, but I've successfully formated the ebook version of The Many Lives of Inez Wick so that it can be distributed to iTunes, and soon, Barnes & Nobles.  

The ebook is almost exactly the same book as the print version. The exception is that the author bio and cover artist bio sections did not make it into the final ebook version. I'm not sad about the absence of the  author bio, but I wish that Bob Lipski's cover artist page would have made the cut - something about the image used. Bob is great. You should vist his website: Uptown Girl.  

The bigest hurdle was making my TOC with NCX. Yup, I did not know what those were, but I do now. Here are links to the documents that helped:

• Lulu Book Creator Guide
• How to Publish an eBook with the Best Table of Contents

However, even after reading the guide and watching the video, it still took me a couple of tries. I've even, just now, discovered how to make good looking paragraphs, rather than just block styled paragraphs (perhaps for my next ebook venture).

But, it is done. I've converted the print book into a sexy ebook. 

Happy Reading!

TED: Stefano Mancuso: The roots of plant intelligence

This is amazing.

I knew plants were smart and more alive than we give them credit. It just goes to show that a simple principel that I know holds true: life feeds on life, and this is necessary.

"The Man with Two Hearts in His Ribcage" by Max Hrabal

This is fun story. An American ex-patriot, from the Twin Cities, is living in China after some unspecified war that ravaged the world. It seems that The United States suffered the brunt of the war of which I wish there were more details.

The war is discussed in minimal hushed tones, over drinks, and as pillow-talk. However, there are no details. It is simply known that the war was bad for everyone, especially the Americans.

Beyond the war, the main character is searching for something to help him make sense of his post war life, the scar on his chest, and the death of his brother. His search begins in a pickup bar where wealthy women pickup men and pay them for sex.

(An aside: Many stories start in bars, too many for my taste. However, if a story must start in a bar, please let it start in a pickup bar where wealthy women pickup men and pay them for sex. Nice!)

The question that I am left with, at the of the story, is did he find what he was looking for? Or did he simply reside himself in not knowing? It is a good ending. Everyone searches for something, perhaps purpose, and how many truly find that something that can give our lives meaning.

What if the search is the meaning?

If that is true, please let it start in a pickup bar where wealthy women pickup men and pay them for sex.

---
Yup! I have a story in Cifiscape Vol II. I'm just trying to get the word out about the anthology.

Find My Work at Art-A-Whirl May 18 - 20

Cifiscape Vol. I

Cifiscape Vol. II

The Many Lives of Inez Wick
Art-A-Whirl Special - $10.00
Print - $14.00
ebook - $2.99

If you live in Minneapolis' Northeast district, you live for Art-AWhirl - the annual festival in which artists open their studios to the public.

Todd Wardrope is one of those artists. He owns and runs a successful small film production company, TWVS. 

TWVS - Studio 222
Thorp. Building
1618 Central Ave NE

This year, besides getting to see what Todd has been producing, he is also hosting an indy table of local books. I'm not privy to all the titles, but I know four of them. Of those four, three have my fiction in them. 

The Many Lives of Inez Wick - my short story collection featuring Inez Wick, the eco-heroine and monkeywrenching polluter watchdog.  

Cifiscape Vol. I: The Twin Cities - includes my short story "What's For Dinner" about a woman who changes her life by following Michael Pollen's three food rules.

Cifiscape Vol. II: The Twin Cities - includes my short story "Lethal Options" that tells the story of good man who pick a horrible future for mankind in which redneck cannibals take over the state fair grounds in St. Paul because it is the only one that he felt was hopeful. 

The fourth book, that I know will be on the table, is Blameless Mouth by Jessica Fox-Wilson. It is a wonderful book of poetry, some of which were inspired by fairytales, but all of which explore the theme of hunger.

Frack What?

Natural Gas may be the cleanest of all fosil fuels, but it is still a fosil fuel that when burned emits greenhouse gasses (Natural Gas).

We need to be about the business of finding and developing alternatives to fosil fuels. We need to stop wasting time and money on exploiting and emitting carbon.

There are other reasons, good reasons, not to frack (Josh Fox). However, I would like to put forward an empathic reason: we are pumping harmful chemicals and water into Earth - the ground we tread upon, our mother - and blow cracks into her body in order to pump out her life force. Why must we be a species of death and destruction?

Anyway, this rant is inspired by the May 21st issue of Time. In the Sustainable Business, which must mean to keep business going and not to sustain the environment, section is Walsh's article, "The Golden Age: Could Europe and China's fracking forays remake global energy?"

Yes, fracking is newly popular.
Yes, we can get years of natural gas
Yes, there is money to be made.

However, the real question is should we frack?

The answer is, no. Fracking is to the Earth as is Looting the neighbor's house to pay for another hit of crack.

We are junkies. Yes, we are. We are addicted to the ease of economic growth promised and supported by consumption of fosil fuels.

Real sustainable business would not plunder the natural world for yet another limited resource, even if by limited, we mean generations.

---
Walsh, Bryan. "The Golden Age: Could Europe and China's fracking forays remake global energy?" Sustainable Business. Time. 21 May 2012. pp. 47 - 48

"Zombielzebub: Hell's Invasion" by John Beckmann

I don't really know what to make of Beckmann's art. Yes, there are zombies. I get zombies. I even understand that they are going on with live as if they were still living, attempting normalcy.

However, I like my monsters to be monsters. I'm tried of the monster is oh-so-human motif. Monsters should be killers rather than misunderstood versions of humanity at its worst. Humanity is scary enough that it doesn't need help.

Still, the art work well done and gruesome. Just because I'm sick of zombies doesn't mean Beckmann's art is not good. On the contrary, the black and white drawings are horrific and fun, well worth a good look.

---
Yup! I have a story in Cifiscape Vol II. I'm just trying to get the word out about the anthology.

Gay Marriage should be Legalized

I'm with the President.

"President Obama - Gay Marriage: 'Gay Couples Should Be Able to Get Married' - ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE" on YouTube

From "Evening Falls on the Maladaptive Ape" by Robert Michael Pyle

"But I doubt very much that the culture we know will long persist, absent truly radical changes in the way it works. We are the maladaptive ape at twilight. Evolution will mock our tardy rage."

---
Pyle, Robert Michael. "Evening Falls on the Maladaptive Ape." Moral Ground. Kathleen Dean Moore & Michael P. Nelson. Ed. San Antonio, Texas: Trinity University Press, 2010. p. 128. Print.

From "Heirloom Chile Peppers and Climate Change" by Gary Paul Nabhan

"Of course, we will lose more than a few pods of peppers here and there should such trends continue. We will lose not only farms, but farmers as well. We will lose not only culinary traditions, but entire American cultures as we know them today. We will have lived through the final rupture between our sense of place and our sense of taste."

---
Nabhan, Gary Paul. "Heirloom Chile Peppers and Climate Change." Moral Ground. Kathleen Dean Moore & Michael P. Nelson. Ed. San Antonio, Texas: Trinity University Press, 2010. p. 117. Print.

"Amos Was Here" by Doug Donley

Wow! I loved reading this one. I guess the saying, saved the best for last, rings true with Cifiscape Vol II.

(It is true, yes. I have not yet read all of the stories. I like to skip around as titles catch my eye.)

"Amos Was Here" is an inspiring story about how one person can make a difference in the life of a community. I've been trying to write such a story for a while. Now, I believe that I've found a good model.

The story begins with speculation as to the origin of mysterious graffiti that appears at the scene of benevolent work. Then, the narrator tells one possible myth. The myth is of a community organizer who has adopted the alias Amos, after his favorite Biblical prophet. He does his good work from a barbers' pulpit.

What I liked the most about this story was the mixture of secular activism and religious. I'm not religious, but I enjoyed the sermon posing as a story, very much. It was done, I think, seamlessly.

Instead of a call to God, in my writing, I call for environmental action. I know my writing can seem thinly contrived skeletons only wearing the skin of story as a delivery device for my ecological message. Thus, I learned something about writing from Donley's story - it is possible to teach and entertain.

Thank you, Donley.

---
Yup! I have a story in Cifiscape Vol II. I'm just trying to get the word out about the anthology.

Eat Yummy Bugs!

Today, while folding diapers, Nora and I watched a couple of TedTalks on Netflix.

My favorite so far is "Marcel Dicke: Why not eat insects?", which you can view on YouTube.

When I taught Environmental Science, I gave almost the same lecture about the value of insects to world economies and as a vital source of protein. However, Marcel Dicke is a much better spokesperson.

"Little Hawk" by Erica Lindquist & Aron Christensen

OK! I'm not sure why "Little Hawk" is in the anthology. The story is set on a planet other than Earth and seems to have nothing to do with The Twin Cities. I'm a fan of Erica Lindquist & Aron Christensen's writing, but it seems, well, out of place.

Anyway, the story is good. It reminds me of The Karate Kid. The title character is bullied by bigger kids until he decides to get revenge. However, before he does something stupid, like join a rival gang, an elderly martial arts expert helps put Little Hawk on a more honorable path.

What I like about this writing duo is their character work. They take the time to engage readers with lovable people. Readers can clearly empathize with Little Hawk and his mother. I wanted Little Hawk to fight back and win.

Despite the lack of synergy with The Twin Cities theme, the story is well worth reading.

---
Yup! I have a story in Cifiscape Vol II. I'm just trying to get the word out about the anthology.

Dreaming of a Doctoral Program in Environmental Ethics

So, I've been reading Moral Ground, a book of essays that establishes a moral imperative for environmental action. The essays cover nothing that I haven't read elsewhere, however, these essays do move me more than reading and studying how nature works. I've always wished that that while earning my Bachelor's degree that I would have focused more in the sciences. Instead, I put all of my eggs into writing. Live and learn, aka, Who needs an English Major?

While my daughter naps (she still needs me to sleep), I dream of an environment focused graduate degree. Today, I found the program (in Texas?). The University of Northern Texas has seven specialists in its Philosophy and Religion program - seven. Thus, I started to gather my, mentally, my application materials and formulate my statement of purpose.

However, when I wake up from dreaming, I remind myself that I have an M.F.A in Writing, and I really want to write fiction and poetry. Most of my fiction is environmental in theme. I am doing the good work. I don't need to spend more money to certify what I already know, which is what another degree would ultimately do for me. I've read widely. I've researched widely. I am an environmental writer.      

Yet, now that my school has eliminated its general education department, I will likely not find another school that will allow me to teach environmental science, and thus squeak out a living by doing the good work. I can still teach English and Literature. I can still use environmental leaning stories, poetry and drama as source material in those classes. I must keep reminding myself that I don't need more education - that more education is just more escapism - that I just need to leveralge what I know and the opportunities that I already have to do the good work (raising the awareness of others).   

Steps that I will take:

1) Finish Reading Moral Ground (and posting quotes)

2) Build an Environmental Writing course to pitch to The Loft

3) Start writing again with a keen focus on Environmental issues

4) Organise an Environmental Reading group

5) Be mindful and thankful for the soil between my toes 

"Fearful Symmetry" The X-Files

I'm up to episode 18 of season 2 of The X-Files, "Fearful Symmetry," in which an animal liberation organization plays a key role.

I love it!

From "You Choose" by Derrick Jensen

"Those who come after - presuming anyone survives - are going to wonder what the fuck was wrong with us that we didn't do whatever it takes - and I mean whatever it takes - to stop industrial capitalism from killing the plant."

---
Jensen, Derrick. "You Choose." Moral Ground. Kathleen Dean Moore & Michael P. Nelson. Ed. San Antonio, Texas: Trinity University Press, 2010. p. 64. Print.

From "Steering the Earth Toward Our Children's Future" by John Paul II and the Ecumenical Patriarch His Holiness Bartholomew I

"At the beginning of history,  man and woman sinned by disobeying God and rejecting His design for creation. Among the results of this first sin was the destruction of the original harmony of creation. If we examine carefully the social and environmental crisis which the world is facing, we must conclude that we are still betraying the mandate God has given us: to be stewards called collaborate with God in watching over creation in holiness and wisdom."

---
John Paul II and the Ecumenical Patriarch His Holiness Bartholomew I. "Steering the Earth Toward Our Children's Future." Moral Ground. Kathleen Dean Moore & Michael P. Nelson. Ed. San Antonio, Texas: Trinity University Press, 2010. p. 52. Print.

From "Keepers of Life" by Oren Lyons

"And downstream, downstream in this River of Life, our children will pay for our selfishness, for our greed, and for our lack of vision."

---
Lyons, Oren. "Keepers of Life." Moral Ground. Kathleen Dean Moore & Michael P. Nelson. Ed. San Antonio, Texas: Trinity University Press, 2010. p. 43 - 44. Print.

Two Frogs and a Chicken

Interview with Horror Author Florence Ann Marlowe

Florence Ann Marlowe

If you follow my blog, you know that Florence Ann Marlowe sent me a thank you letter for a review, back when I was doing those as The Soulless Machine Review, that I wrote in 2008. It was a nice letter. Thus, I was thinking, "Oh! I need to know more about her. Her story was crazy and freaky." Well, here is what I found out:

Aaron M. Wilson (me): I really only know one of your stories well, "Periods" published and aired via Pseudopod in 2008. What other stories would you like to highlight?

Florence Ann Marlowe: One of my favorite stories that was published is "Turkey Day" which was printed by Macabre Cadaver. It's a funny little twist on Thanksgiving, I guess. Another would be "Moon Drops" which was published by Wiley Writers Ezine last year. That one was my first and only, so far, werewolf story.

Macabre Cadaver

AW: "Periods" was a horror story, very disturbing. What was your inspiration for a story about the vampiric drinking of menstrual blood?

FM: Well, the vampire bit came later - I actually started to write about the horrific experience of an overzealous menstrual flow that only women are familiar with and then thought how that would be a vampire's wet dream. I know it's disgusting, but it really is a disgusting experience.

AW: What draws you to write horror?

FM: Ever since I was a little kid I loved anything spooky, weird or morbid. I'm a true blooded coward! I'm seriously afraid of the dark. But there is just something delicious about that creepy feeling running down your spine when you hear something truly terrifying. I think I started writing scary stories around the age of six.

AW: When you write, do you write for a market? I guess I'm asking, which comes frist, the market or the story? How do you pick your markets?

FM: The story definitely comes first. I get an idea and I have to write it down. I'm working on two novels and three short stories right now. I just have to see how these things work out. I love my characters and really enjoy writing the stories. Afterwards I scout around the market place and see who might want which one of my stories the most and send it out.

AW: What has been your greatest writing success to date?

Reflux

FM: I've been really lucky with my writing. I've been submitting stories since 2008. "Periods" was my first story sold. I've had eight stories published since then. I guess, my greatest success has been with Miranda and Rycke Foreman, editors of 69 Flavors of Paranoia. They published my short story, "Peanuts Inside" which was then selected for their anthology book, Reflux. Recently they asked if they could reprint the story for an upcoming webzine, FinalGirl.com and discuss the story during an interview. That felt incredibly good.

AW: When do you write?

FM: Any chance I get. Anytime I get close enough to my computer or my laptop or even a pad of paper, I write.

AW: What gets in the way of your writing?

FM: I had surgery on my left leg last year and I've been in a wheelchair since then. Late afternoons I'm forced to lie down with my feet up. I usually sit at my desk until the legs start complaining and then I have to rest. Sometimes, I don't listen to my legs and then they can be very vindictive.

AW: Describe your writing space?

FM: I recently converted a spare room in my house into an "office." I have a couple of old desks in a corner where my computer sits and a file cabinet, a book case and a futon. Unfortunately I'm surrounded by bags and boxes of books. One day I'll make this place look organized.

AW: What is your favorite book that you turn to for inspiration?

FM: I don't think I have a favorite book. One of my favorite books is "To Kill A Mockingbird." I'm a big fan of Stephen King, Peter Straub and Neil Gaimen. I think their books have really inspired me since I was a kid.

AW: Do you have a favorite point of view from which you write?

FM: I rarely write in the first person. I just started two stories that are in the first person, so I guess I favor third person omnipresent. I like to see a story from all sides. I like the reader to know things that the main character may not know.

AW: Anything else that you would like to add in closing?

FM: Just that this has been a great experience and I thank you so much for the opportunity! If anyone wants to read any of my published fiction you can find links to these stories at my rinky-dink website: Florence Ann Marlowe

FlatPak in the Garden

From "The Fate of Creation Is the Fate of Humanity" by O. E. Wilson

"According to archaeological evidence, we strayed from Nature with the beginning of civilization roughly ten thousand years ago. That quantum leap beguiled us with an illusion of freedom from the world that had given us birth."

---
Wilson, O. E. "The Fate of Creation Is the Fate of Humanity." Moral Ground. Kathleen Dean Moore & Michael P. Nelson. Ed. San Antonio, Texas: Trinity University Press, 2010. p. 21. Print.