Mutiny

                                                     

                         

                                                   

I’m not talking a ship’s mutiny or a revolution, but as every author will tell you, writing is a collective project. Many writers have Beta readers (other writers) who critique your manuscript as you continue working on it. I have my editor, who questions, prods and directs my work until it's the best it can be. Thank you, Patti O’Brien.

I knew what my "Roof Oasis Series" would be about before I typed the first word and that is because my science fiction/apocalyptic romance series is based on dreams that I’d been having since I was a child. For those of you who don’t know, I’m a psychic and many of my dreams come true.

The story was already formed inside my head and I just had to put it to paper. But, something happened on the way to publishing my first manuscript, "Beware the Harvesters." There was a mutiny.   

 

It wasn’t me or my editor who had edited my original manuscript that had second thoughts. No, it was one of my characters to be exact. Emele wasn’t ready to present herself, so she encouraged me to write off-shoots of the manuscript which I did as a weekly serial on my blog and later as a short story called Roof Oasis. My intention was to have Roof Oasis as part of our South Jersey Writer’s Group’s first anthology, “Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey. It was too long for the anthology and our editor Amy Hollinger asked me to wait for the second anthology, using two of my shorter stories instead.
                                                               

 

But Emele balked at being in an anthology. “Write a series,” she demanded.

Could I? Would it work? Would I eventually be able to tie in the first manuscript with the short story that had grown into two books? I've learned through experience that when I listened to my characters; gave them freedom to direct the story, the writing was better. I wrote and self-published the first two books of my "Roof Oasis Series" which include book one, "Roof Oasis", and book two, "Saving Solanda."
 

                                                       
From the very start of my writing "Roof Oasis", my characters began to voice their opinion as new people were added to the story. Each character that was added wanted the spotlight, which I tried to deliver, but it was never enough. There needed to be a second book and then a third, all the while, I was trying to give each character an opportunity to tell their story.            

 

With the second book, "Saving Solanda", which came out this summer, I found myself traveling back and forth from Earth to the three moons of Paleos in order for Lucy, Michael, Bird, Razhep, Potate and, last but not least, Patty the robot to tell their story. My editor loved how seamlessly the story flowed.

I am working on the third installment of the Roof Oasis Series, called "Beware the Harvesters" and yes this is the original manuscript. This time, Emele is ready to tell her story, but what she hadn’t foreseen is that her story is tied to Bird’s.

Emele isn’t sure if she wants to be dragged into a battle that is being fought in another solar system, but what she doesn’t know is that the enemy she is tracking down as a special agent is the same one that Lucy and Bird are fighting. Emele is not aware of her real identity. Not yet, anyway.

                                                              

 

My biggest nitpicker for book three is Patty. She wants more power. She has evolved from a plaything and protector of a child to a sentient being. She has evolved into more than just a robot and we can thank Princess Bird for this. Bird had changed Patty without my knowledge.               

 

I have my story outlined, but only to keep all the people, planets, demons, angels and aliens organized. I was updating my outline when Patty demanded that she have more say in book three. “I’m a robot!” I’m stronger and smarter than the others,” Patty pointed out.    

 

I promised Patty that I would try to better accommodate her needs in "Angels in the Mist", but I have this sinking feeling that she has other plans for book four.

Larry Blamire's Masterpiece: The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra

                                                        

Sometimes there is nothing good on television at 6:00 a.m. But sometimes, you just luck out and find a gem. I love B movies. I know when we think of B movies, we think: poorly made; bad acting; bad scenery, etc. etc. But, sometimes a B movie is freaking great. This is a repost of a blog I wrote in 2012.

                                                                   
My younger sister Lucy and I live on the east coast, but my mother and middle sister, Jane, live in Napa California. Lucy and I head out west once a year to visit. While there, my sister, Jane, plans a steady string of day trips to keep us pretty much out all day, every day. We had been at Jane’s house for almost two weeks and Lucy and I were wearing down from all the day trips.

                                                              

                                                               

This one particular morning Lucy and I awoke at 6:00 in the morning to get ready for lunch on the Napa Wine Train. We dragged ourselves out to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee while waiting for everyone to wake up. Lucy was surfing the cable guide to find something to watch until the caffeine took effect. She came across a movie called The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.                                                        

“Let’s watch this,” I said, not wanting to watch the news or infomercials that are usually on during that ungodly time of day. We did and we became instant fans of the film and the man who wrote and directed this science fiction gem, Mr. Larry Blamire.

The Film

The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra is a 20001 independent film that spoofs all those 1950 B movies that I grew up watching. Larry Blamire not only wrote the screenplay, but he directed the film and also had a part in the film.
                                                                 

                                                                  
He is a man of many talents. It stars Jennifer Blaire as Animala, Larry Blamire as Dr. Paul Armstrong, Fay Masterson as Betty Armstrong, Andrew Parks as Kro-Bar/Bammin, Susan McConnell as Lattis/Turgaso, Brian Howe as Dr. Roger Fleming, Dan Conroy as Ranger Brad, Robert Deveau as the Farmer and Darrin Reed as the mutant.

Plot

A scientist and his wife are searching for a meteorite that has crashed into the woods. This meteorite contains a rare element called atmosphereum. While searching for the meteorite, another scientist is asking a Ranger the location of Cadavra Cave. He’s looking for the lost skeleton.

Later that night, another meteorite crashes to earth and that is when the fun begins. We are introduced to two of the wackiest aliens to ever grace the big screen. Aliens Kro-Bar and Lattis from the planet Marva are stranded on earth with the ship’s pet mutant. They need the atmosphereum in order to return home. After disguising themselves as human, they are mistaken for the owners of a cabin. I’m still trying to figure out what the skeleton has to do with the story.                                                             

 

 

Fleming finds the alien’s device that morphed them into human shape and creates a helpmate from four different animals. Her name is Animala and she helps Fleming find the skeleton. From here on, the race is on when the aliens and Armstrong and his wife try to keep Fleming from resurrecting the Skeleton.

 

Conclusion

My sister Jane heard Lucy and me laughing out loud and she came out to investigate what had her two sisters so animated so very early in the morning. Plans to get an early start on the day’s events were forgotten as the three sisters watched The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. Like I said before, I’m a lover of B movies. Larry Blamire expertly kept his film true to the B movie formula, but with one great difference. He included his audience into the joke and it was amazing.
                                                              

I’ve learned that the actors were instructed to act weird to make the film even crazier than it was. The aliens played by Andrew Parks and Susan McConnell should have gotten some type of award for their performance...freaking funny!
                                                       

There is a sequel, The Lost Skeleton Returns Again, but I haven’t seen this. My bad and I hope to find it on Netflix if possible. If you want to see a great spoof on B movies, please watch this film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Angel's Wings Grand Opening

 

Next Saturday, on November 21rst, there will be a new shop opening in Burlington New Jersey. It is a Spiritual/Metaphysical shop that will also be offering Angel Card readings and psychic classes.
                                                          

There will lots of vendors there including, Steampunk Granny (me) I'll be selling the first two books of my science fiction/apocalyptic love story series "Roof Oasis"
                                                           

Check out On Angel's Wings Facebook site to see all the venders who will be there celebrating this new opening.

                                                                      

The Shop is located on 229 High Street in Burlington New Jersey. The store is open today, 12/14/2015. If you want to drop in and check out their items.
                                                      

Finding Yourself

                                                          

I’m not your typical granny and, my grandchildren are more comfortable introducing me to the music, literature and trends of their world faster than they will with their parents. That means that I am introduced to the world of art and fashion by my adult granddaughters and I get to drive my adult and teenaged grandsons around with Eminem blasting on the speakers while they talk martial arts, politics, and the Assassins Creed video game with me.
                          

What I found interesting is that I really understood what my grandkids were into with their music, fashion and outlook on life. You won’t be selling these kids the same crap that was sold to us. They are savvy about what’s going down both environmentally, economically and politically and I don’t think our religious leaders, our world leaders or the GOP understands this. They will come 2016.
                                                           

I like some of Eminem’s music, not all, but some. This young man has something to say and maybe we should listen. People are angrier than ever before. Families are falling apart. Drugs are one reason and missing fathers are another. Jobs are being sent overseas in order for Corporations to hide their income in foreign banks and, the music shows the desperation that is felt by the young.

There is one song of Eminem’s that I particularly like called Lose Yourself. Now I am going to use parts of the song to make a point on how Eminem is actually encouraging his fans to go beyond what they've been dealt in this life.
                                                          

The song was released as the first single from the soundtrack to his 2002 movie 8 Mile which was directed by Curtis Hanson and stars Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy and Mekhi Phifer. The film is about rap and about trying to make it in a world that looks down on people who don’t fit the mold. Here is information on both the film and the song.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_Mile_(film)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lose_Yourself

I recently was at an event in New Jersey for the Pennsauken High School on careers. I had the opportunity to meet with and chat with some pretty amazing young people. They know what they want to do.They want to make the world a better place. I apologized to each and every one of them for the mess my generation and their parents' generation left for them to clean up. How do we expect our children to grow up to be honorable when Congress members behave so badly. How do we expect our children to think peacefully, when world leaders and our very own Congress members want to jump into every war that comes down the road?
                                                         

Our children will need to find their way in a confusing and angry world. Should they even try? I think you'll be surprised by how smart our future generation is.

Eminem from Lose Yourself:

Look, if you had, one shot, or one opportunity
to seize everything you ever wanted. In one moment
would you capture it, or just let it slip?
Yo

I spoke with young men and women who want to save the world, but many of them don't have money for college. The major reason being that America's middle class has been dismantled by greed. And, let's be really honest about this; the price of attending college is a nightmare for both the middle class and the poor. Shame on us! Are these kids giving up? Has our greed foiled these young people who are our future and our only hope?

Hell no! Most of the kids I spoke to said that they will find a way to attend a college. A lot of them are joining the military because they want to serve our nation and in return, get a good education. I have two grandsons in the military now doing the same thing. Jimmy is in the U.S. Marine Corps and when he gets out, he wants to be a State Trooper. Josh is in the U.S. Navy and when he gets out, he wants to work for Elon Musk and Space X.

I told each and every one of these students to never allow anyone to destroy their dreams and hopes for a better world. I also told them that everything is possible if you believe in yourself. We are not losing ourselves. We are finding ourselves.

I'll end this post with another part of Eminem's song that I hold as my mantra and I will share it with all my readers to claim, no matter what age you are. I'll go one step further and say that it's never too late to take that shot; to live the dream; to heal the earth. Yo!

Eminem from Lose Yourself:

You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime (yo)

Here is the video with lyrics included.
 

Fargo S02 E02: Before the Law

                                                        

I’ve already told you my opinion of Fargo and why I think it’s one of the best dramas on television. I’m going to watch this show and do short reviews for all my friends. Enjoy!

Wives

We pick up where we left off on the end of episode one. Poor Ed Blumquist is so in love with his pretty wife that he’s even willing to go against his own conscience and civic duty: don’t call the cops; don’t let anyone know how the car got damaged; clean up the blood; get rid of the body.        

We don’t know much about their marriage except that Ed wasn’t getting any loving between the sheets and, if he did, it was only when he begged for it. Peggy looks like a girl who is comfortable telling lies. She tells Ed, she hit a deer when he heard movement in the garage. She stole toilet paper from her boss. Those lies are going to trip her up. Peggy may think she has everything under control, but she’s out of her league with Mama Gerhardt.                               

Floyd Gerhardt is a smart woman, certainly smarter than the three boys she gave birth to. She is very involved with her husband’s business and I’m guessing she knows the location of several bodies. She’s tough. With hubby out of commission because of a stroke, Floyd has to keep on top of things and that means speaking to her business associates and the Kansas City Mafia who wants to take over.                                        

Her son, Dodd, has no respect for women. He should move to Iran.  He has a bad temper and even disrespects his 19-year-old daughter, saying she’s too young to learn the family business. Floyd, bless her heart, reminds Dodd that girls grow up to be women who change little boys’ diapers. The meaning is not lost on Dodd.

Kansas City Mafia

Mike Milligan and the Kitchen brothers have to be both one of the funniest and scariest killers I’ve ever seen on the screen. Mike (Bokeem Woodbine) is a smooth talking young man, but his smooth tongue only softens the intended threats.
                                                           

 
Maybe, it’s the way Mike smiles as he’s handing out options that show just how dangerous this man is. His encounter with Sheriff Larson is outright scary, but luckily Larson understands what the smile means. I love Mike’s Afro hairstyle and disco clothing. The Kitchen brothers, who are obviously twins, never speak. They don’t have to. They’re busy scaring you to death with their silence and big guns.

Conclusion

While Ed puts his butchering skills to work making Rye-burger-meat, Lou stops at the Waffle Hut with his cancer-stricken wife, Betsy and little Molly, who is already proving to be a good observer. She finds a balloon that leads to mom finding Rye’s gun; the gun that killed the people at the Waffle Hut.          

The gun has Rye’s prints on it. Now, we have three separate teams looking for Rye. Lou and Hank the story’s protagonists are like sitting ducks in a pond filled with sharks, but they are smart law men who take their time putting the clues together.

This show, even with the gore and horror of dealing with gangsters, is easy on the mind. The scenery is a stunning contrast to the blood that drips on the floor of the butcher shop as Ed, his mind numb and probably regretting his choice of life partner, grinds Rye into the industrial size meat grinder. What I’m especially enjoying about this season is the use of the split-screen that shows what each character is doing at that same moment.

Loving Fargo on FX

                                                        

Unlike the big disappointment I had with HBO's True Detective’s second season, Fargo’s second season  on FX hit the ground, running leaving us breathless and in shock. I had the opportunity to watch the first three episodes on Halloween and I’m so happy that I did. On Fargo, we have our bad guys, the good guys and, a few good people who do dumb-ass stuff that makes them just as scary as the bad guys. The acting and script are superb, which makes it such a pleasure to return to good ole Fargo, North Dakota.
                                              

Waiting for Dutch S02 E01

The show opens with a snippet of film called Massacre at Sioux Falls. There are bodies everywhere; those of soldiers and Native Americans alike. Then we jump to a scene of Jimmy Carter speaking on television. It’s 1979 and there is a gas shortage. The Gerhardt family is North Dakota’s version of the Sopranos led by Otto (Michael Hogan), his wife Floyd (Jean Smart) and their three sons, Dodd (Jeffrey Donavan), Bear (Angus Sampson) and Rye (Kieran Culkin). People are afraid of this family and rightly so. They are cold-blooded killers who control trucking distribution for the entire Northern Midwest and, they fear no one, not even the law.

                                                           

 

We also have our good guys Officers Hank Larsson (Ted Danson) and Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson) who eventually have to tangle with this crime family when the youngest son gets in trouble. There is one character that carries over from season one and that is Lou Solverson, who in season one played the diner-owning father of Deputy Molly Solverson, originally played by Keith Carradine. In this prequel, Patrick Wilson is playing the younger version of Lou when he was a Minnesota State Trooper who recently returned home from the war in Vietnam.
 

Rye, the youngest of the Gerhardt sons, wants a little more power than he’s given by his brother Dodd but that’s not going to happen anytime soon, especially because Rye owes Dodd money. A trip to Watson’s typewriter store promises some income with a newer self-correcting typewriter, but owner Skip (Mike Bradecich) needs a judge to forgive his case on back taxes in order to get the funding to purchase the stock. If Rye can accomplish changing the judge’s opinion, then he can get the money Skip owes him to pay Dodd. It’s the ultimate shell game.
                                                 

     

When Rye’s plans to talk to the lady judge go very, very wrong (I mean who carry’s bug spray in their purse?) Rye gets into a shootout. Now, this is why Fargo rocks! Once outside the diner, Rye is distracted by a UFO causing him to be hit by a car driven by Peggy Blumquist (Kristin Dunst). Does she stop? Does she call the police or an ambulance? No! She drives home with Rye stuck in her windshield.
                                                         

 

When her husband, Ed (Jesse Plemons) comes home from his job at Bud’s Meat Shop in Luverne, he’s wondering what the racket is in the garage. Peggy lies and says she hit a deer. Surprise! Rye is alive; badly injured, but alive. In an act of self-defense from a knife wielding Rye, Ed is forced to kill Rye.
                                                       

The fact that Peggy calmly drove home and made dinner gives a hint to her character. She’s the most dangerous kind of narcissist and we know from the get go that poor Ed is going to suffer.
 

Conclusion

Fargo did what True Detective didn’t do in their second season. It kept the formula the same. Why change what doesn’t need fixing. With the Coen brothers, Ethan and Joe at the helm and, Noah Hawley as the writer/executive producer/showrunner, Fargo remains an award-winning series.

                                                              

What Peggy doesn’t know is that Otto has had a stroke and the Kansas City Mafia is coming to town to take over the Gerhardt operation by force. The Gerhardt’s are going to be looking for their youngest and so will the police who investigate the diner killings.
                                                     

Her husband has Rye in the freezer for now, but they’ll have to get rid of the body and soon. The ground is frozen solid, so burying the evidence is out of the question. Oh, did I mention that Ed is a butcher?
                                               

The show comes on every Monday at 10 p.m. on FX. Watch it!

Miracles, Here and Now

                                                         

Do you believe in miracles? What exactly are miracles and do you have to be Christian to witness one?

Definition of Miracle: an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human and natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause: a work of GOD; a wonder.

Origin: from the Latin miraculum “object of wonder”

Miracles do exist and they are experienced around the globe by many cultures and religions, so I’m sorry to break the news to all you Christians out there, but GOD doesn’t play favorites with HIS creations and miracles have been reported before the time of Christ.

There are people who don’t believe in miracles, or don’t understand the true meaning of the word. They rely entirely on what science tells them, which is kind of funny since I’ve always felt that science reveals the hidden miracles that surround our daily lives.

Although I have disconnected myself from organized religion in order to strengthen my connection to GOD, I not only believe in miracles, but have experienced a few during my lifetime. When you have psychic abilities, you are aware of so much that goes unseen or unnoticed in this hectic world.

                                                               
The Christian will point to Jesus and his many miracles to defend their belief that miracles are real. The non-believer claims that Jesus’s miracles can be scientifically explained. Yeah, we know more about the world around us thanks to science, but science can’t explain how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, or how he healed the blind.

Why don’t we see more miracles today?

Maybe, we’re looking in the wrong places. We are the miracles, along with everything that exists in the universe. When GOD gave the command “BE” the universe, planets, stars, and life itself, began to evolve all over the place. Earth at one time was a most uninhabitable place to be, but thanks to GOD, who is the original universal scientist, evolution happened and here we are! Now that’s what I call a miracle. The fact that we haven’t blown up this planet is another miracle.

Recently, this 2013 video was all over Facebook about a miraculous event that involved a horrendous accident that caused a young girl to be trapped in her car. The rescue workers were unable to cut her away from the wreckage. She was dying until she was saved by a stranger who prayed over her. The rescue workers claimed this mysterious man appeared from no where and, after the workers were able to finally free the girl, he was gone.



Now, the story was listed as a miracle and it should be. People working together to help each other is always a miracle, especially, since it is so easy to walk away. Later, a priest admitted to being that mysterious stranger. Why didn't he stay around? Why did he leave so quickly? Does this diminish the miracle of that girl surviving the accident?




No! A miracle is a miracle! But, maybe we should be honest on what a miracle is and, how often it occurs. We, and I am speaking about every woman, man, child, animal, plant, the earth, the planets, the stars; you get where I'm going, right? Everything that has been created from the beginning of time to whenever the Creator decides to close shop, are all connected by a universal force that is stronger than all of us put together. This force binds us together and when we look out for each other, care for each other, protect each other, miracles happen.

If you want to find angels, you don't need to look far. They are here with us. We need to stop hating each other long enough to see them. They watch over us, sure, but we have this thing called free will. It is a double-edged sword. The angels will step in when we allow them to, but most of the time; we don't.

We can make our own miracles happen, every day. We only need to care! Jesus cared, yeah he was the son of GOD, but he cared about us and, he did many miracles. So, here is my plan. Instead of looking for miracles, we are all going to make miracles happen. We can do it. We are part of the universal force.