I thought this book would be around fifty pages and concentrated on the eclipses that were visible in the United States. Was I ever wrong! Once I got started I found this trail of cosmic breadcrumbs that took me down the rabbit hole of over 300 pages worth! Have a peek at the back cover:
You’ve Been Warned. . .
Our ancestors didn’t understand why eclipses happened, but their meaning was clear: The gods were not happy. Ancient Greeks figured out the mechanics sufficiently to predict their occurrence.
Why bother if they were meaningless?
The “Enlightenment” threw anything unproven in a laboratory based on 18th Century science out the window as “myth and superstition,” such as astrology. If so, why did certain elite groups such as the Rosicrucians and Catholic Church continue to practice it? A devious move, perhaps, to keep this powerful tool out of the hands of the common man? Why else do they claim, “Millionaires don’t use astrology but billionaires do?”
Ignoring the truth doesn’t change the truth. The heavens still speak. The Holy Bible states the stars and planets were given “for times and for seasons.” God hasn’t changed and neither has His promise. Sadly, even churches no longer pay attention, but condemn astrology as “of the devil.”
How can God’s creations be from the devil? Who would say that other than the devil himself?
Biblical prophecies are corroborated by similar predictions from other religions and indigenous peoples. They’re coming to pass at an astounding rate, though the dumbed-down masses remain oblivious to their importance.
The Great American Eclipse in 2017 was visible from coast to coast. Its symbolism indicates a country divided. In October 2023 another solar eclipse path crossed the country with another coming in April 2024 that will cross them both.
What did the October 2023 eclipse tell us? Its path paralleled the U.S. Southern Border. Did it implicate the immigration crisis?
What will the total eclipse on April 8, 2024 deliver? The paths of all three form two ominous “Xs” on the United States. Do these figurative crosshairs indicate God has had enough?
Discover how these “signs in the heavens” predict the downfall of the United States as physicist and professional astrologer, Marcha “Whobeda” Fox, interprets their symbolism alongside subsequent events.
Buckle up, America. You ain’t see nothin’ yet.
Obviously, I took a sabbatical from writing fiction to go back to my training and experience as an astrologer to investigate what eclipses have to say. I found witnessing the 2017 total eclipse deeply troubling. I could understand why such events terrified our ancient ancestors. Later, I read that when an eclipse path crosses a country, it divides it.
And that’s exactly what happened.
Now, seven years later, we’re about to have the third eclipse path slash the U.S.A., which has never been in more precarious shape than it is right now. How can you look at this picture illustrating them without feeling in your gut that this can’t be good?
What seemed most ominous are those intersections, as if God and the Universe as X’ing out the U.S. Particularly, what’s going on in those locations?
The one in Southern Illinois is right on top of the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The one in Southwest Texas is not far from Eagle Pass, where the immigration crisis is hotter than ever.
The number of rare, celestial events between March – April 2024 is unprecedented. What are they telling us?
Find out what eclipses have been telling us all along.
Get your copy in hardback, paperback, or ebook format on Amazon.com at the affiliate links below.
There’s nothing more energizing than being a part of something that qualifies as a miracle. Back in October, my son-in-law, Jason Franciamore, took the first steps toward a dream he’d had for nine years. His story is worthy of a movie. Maybe some day we’ll work together on writing his biography, which could inspire so many.
Jason is someone who’s been through a crucible of consequences for foolish actions, yet ultimately came out of it refined. Nothing explains what a miracle this is better than his Facebook post on November 24, 2023, which was a repost of one from 2021:
“Wow now 7 years 7 months and 1 day! Living my dream with this company for sure!“
[post from April 2021]
“5 Years! Thank you to the arresting officer 5 years ago today, that didn’t “let me make it”. I’ll never forget the look on his face after he read me my rights. He said “sir do you understand?” With big ol’ watery eyes I looked into his and said “thank you.” I knew I needed to get clean and knew I needed help. Sure there are other avenues besides multiple felonies to get help, but not for me. I was so broken that I thought everyone would be disappointed in me if I asked for help. I couldn’t, I wouldn’t, I’d much rather play the victim one more time and not fully take responsibility again.
“As I was sitting in the back of the police car I just closed my eyes and told myself “today is the day, today I die so I can live again.”
“So from the outside looking in we have Jason that once again got into some trouble, but he wasn’t busted with a bunch of drugs, or needles, or really anything to do with drugs at all. I received a paraphernalia charge only for the drugs. I was always so careful to not get caught with drugs, but everything else had finally caught up to me.
“So back to not taking full responsibility. You see if I’m arrested I can go get clean locked up that’s what I so needed. I couldn’t do it out here, believe me I tried. I didn’t say that to anyone though, I just acted surprised when I didn’t have a bond and was facing 70 years in prison.
“Needless to say it got “real” real quick for me. I was so relieved to put an end to that life, but I didn’t realize that just not doing drugs doesn’t magically fix your life. In fact I felt probably the worst ever shortly afterwards. I mean I had no bond, meaning no matter how much money you had, there was no getting me out of jail. They were tired of messing with me. I’d already had x2 $10,000 cash bonds that had to be paid all in cash upfront and well that wasn’t a problem previously.
“You see, I was a “successful” addict; I mean in the eyes of “society’s success”. I think I made $312,000 at my job the 14 months I worked there. Yes the best I’d ever done, and they even paid my cash bond to get me out previously and didn’t ask any questions. They didn’t care what I did, they just wanted me at work. I ended up losing that job, I didn’t care I had money and I thought that’s all that mattered.
“So Jason was jammed up on some old charges and couldn’t get out. That was my story, it worked for the most part. However, my wife had some time to think, too. She was obviously tired of the “poor Jason” card being played and finally left me. Once again I placed blame everywhere else and played victim. Bottom line I knew 5 years ago today, I needed help. I asked the lord to show me the way. My prayers and I’m sure lots of others were being answered.
“I could have never imagined that my prayers being answered would first take me through hell.
“There is so much more to this story I could share for hours. Today, however, is about 5 years of not living under strain of addiction. Thank you, Lord for this, and thank you to all my family and friends for loving me through this journey.
“So for people that don’t know me personally. I lost everything 5 years ago because of everything I did during my 13 year run of active addiction. My testimony is powerful, I have graciously been blessed with the restoration of everything I had lost. It hasn’t been easy and my life is far from perfect; but I couldn’t ask for a better life than the one I’m living now.”
As a recovering addict, his passion is to help others walking that rough road to being clean. He has a tattoo that helped him, a clock face with the numbers replaced with the 12 letters of the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) motto, “Just For Today.”
His dream was to make a watch like that to help others as it did him–a watch that every time you looked at it, it reminded you to stay clean and on the road to recovery.
Thus, two months ago he applied for a registered trade mark for “Just for Today” in the timepiece category. That process, as most that involve the government, takes months, but its in progress and shows up in the U.S. Patent Office’s database.
He hired a local artist to design a logo and trademark. From that point on, he was off and running to catch his dream.
Since that time his company has grown to include an increasing number of inspirational clocks, “Wartime Hero” dog tags designed for those “fighting a battle that no one else can see,” and a plethora of coffee mugs with original quotes and inspirational phrases.
Jason preparing an acrylic print to be converted to a clock.
[UPDATE: Originally, Jason had a shop on Etsy, but for some literally unknown reason they suspended it and kept the money from his sales! This disreputable sales site has done this to at least 164 other vendors per the Etsy community forum. They won’t even tell you why, just arbitrarily shut you down. They’re just another scam like so many others on the web, victimizing their vendors at will, so beware. It was somewhat reassuring to find out he wasn’t alone in being attacked, yet disheartening to see more corruption disguised as a legitimate business.]
The Just for Today Timepieces official website is now online! There are lots of new products yet to be added that you’re sure to like. Clocks in various sizes and designs, many with “Just For Today” on the clock face. Other clocks have different sayings, such as “Time To Change.” Be sure to visit the website as well as the Just For Today Facebook page, where you’ll also find daily posts and updates. Follows and shares much appreciated!
Here are a few of the mugs currently available along with numerous others you can see soon on the official website.
While the company’s focus is on helping to support and inspire those in recovery, there are several items suitable for anyone. For example, other products include a collage frame that features an inspirational clock in one space with four others vacant for the customer to add his or own 4×6 photos. These have several different themes and sayings on the clock bezel to focus on subjects such as pets, genealogy, family vacations, wedding, your BFF, and missing someone special, to name just a few.
Custom work is welcome, but expect a delay while it’s produced.
Stop by Facebook today to say hello and become part of this amazing journey. His store on eBay will likewise be updated soon.
In case you’re not familiar with the song, “Kitten on the Keys,” given it dates back to 1921 and the period’s ragtime craze, here’s a link so you can enjoy it.
I sure wish I could play the piano like that! Amazing what trained fingers can do!
My keyboarding skills are directed toward the one attached to my computer. And I must say, I’m good at it. I learned to touch type when I was around 12 years old on an old manual typewriter. I always wanted to be a writer, so it made sense.
Later, after graduating high school and looking for a job, I did a timed writing on an IBM Selectric typewriter at an employment agency where I clocked 94 words per minutes for ten minutes with only two errors. I can even type while carrying on a conversation, which even amazes me. How can fingers operate independently from the conscious mind? Seriously, I could copy a document while talking to someone.
Maybe it’s my super power, who knows?
But that’s not what this blog is about. As always, I tend to digress.
After I moved from Texas to New York and was getting my computer set up again, I decided my keyboard looked a little grungy, so I should probably clean it. It looked as if there was some debris underneath, so I got out the toothpicks to see what I could dig out. It didn’t take long to discover there was a whole lot more lurking in there than expected.
At a certain point, the toothpicks were inadequate, so I got out a metal shish kabob skewer. I’m not sure how long it took me, but it was well over an hour, maybe two. By the time I was done, here’s what I had.
Okay, I’d had that keyboard for a long time, possibly a decade. My little furbaby, Ophelia, never actually slept on it like some cats do, since my computer hutch has a keyboard tray that tucked it away when I wasn’t using it. However, when I was at work typing away at lightning speed, Ophie would often sit on my lap or walk (or sleep) in front of the monitor, as any cat owner will find familiar.
I had no idea there was that much space under there.
Needless to say, the keyboard functions much better now for some reason.
I don’t know if this is a cautionary tale (cat tail, perhaps?) or a heads-up that you might want to see what’s hidden in yours. Somewhere to direct your next cleaning frenzy, if you’re prone to such things.
No telling what you’ll find.
Maybe the keyboard is that proverbial “safe place” where all those things you’ve secured over the years have disappeared? Unfortunately, all I found in mine was cat hair, though a few things in that “safe place” did show up after the move.
It’s hard to believe that over a year has passed since I’ve posted anything out here. It’s been quite a year, to say the least. To cut to the chase, I moved from Texas to New York earlier this year to be closer to family as well as get away from the Texas heat. Triple digit temperatures for most of the summer were just too much. I was born in New York state, so in many respects it was like going home.
Moving is never fun. And this was truly the move from Hell. I’d never hired a moving company before since my previous relocations had been achieved with a U-Haul with the help of family and friends. Moving over 1600 miles, however, was another story. And the people I hired to accomplish that were a complete scam operation that cost me thousands of dollars in items left behind that wouldn’t fit on the truck as well as goods lost somewhere in transit, also to the tune of thousands of dollars.
Being completely naive, I thought I was hiring a mover when in reality I was dealing with a moving broker. While they might provide the transportation, in most cases they’ll consign your move to another carrier. In my case, the ones who arrived to pick up my possessions were what they call Rogue Movers. Unprofessional is hardly adequate to describe them. They are scammers, pure and simple. Other words that come to mind are best left to your imagination.
My first mistake was not reading the booklet provided by the U.S. Government regarding what to expect with a legitimate move until after the fact. If you’re considering moving and doing so with a moving company, be smarter that I was and read it! Here’s a copy so you don’t have to hunt one down.
Of course the broker promised a litany of services. These included:
Professional Door to Door service.
Expert advice and guidance throughout the course of your move.
Disassembly of all standard furniture required for safe transportation.
Reassembly for all items disassembled by the movers on the day of pick-up.
Wrapping of all furniture with quilted moving blankets.
Itemized inventory indicating condition at the origin.
Loading & unloading of all goods.
All transportation, taxes, tolls, mileage, and fuel surcharges.
Standard cargo protection up to $10,000 based on 0.60 cents per lb per article; if selected at the time the estimate is prepared, the estimated cost of the full value protection option at varying deductible levels (these are only estimates and the actual cost is determined by your selection on the carriers bill of lading according to carriers tariff).
No charge for packing tape and moving pads.
No date change penalties if your request is made more than 7 business days before your originally scheduled pick-up date.
Sounds all well and good, right?
Yeah. Not exactly how it played out.
Until this trio of yahoos arrived on a Saturday at 4:30 pm, some 36 hours late, in an unmarked truck with no evidence of representing a legitimate moving company. They didn’t even have on T-shirts with the name of a company.
I was already a day late vacating my house to its new owner and everything was packed up. As sketchy as they were, I was between the proverbial rock and hard place. Furthermore, it was Saturday and by the time things started to fall apart the broker’s office in Ohio was closed.
There were no quilted blankets. They used a huge roll of plastic to cover most my furniture, until it ran out. That meant that many items, including my piano, were not protected at all.
An inventory of every piece, noting its condition, was supposed to be conducted. This didn’t happen. This was no doubt the most grievous of omissions. They said they’d do one when they got to the warehouse and I was stupid enough to believe them!
The cubic feet estimate from the broker was way off. If I’d read that booklet from the Feds I would have known right then something was wrong. They’re supposed to conduct a physical walk-through of your house to assess how much you have! A “virtual” survey is acceptable, which I assume would be going through every room, closet, garage, and shed with a video camera. That, of course, didn’t happen, either.
I don’t know what I was thinking, but at a certain point before the move I was certain the original estimate was too low, so I called. They increased it by some and assured me it would be fine.
It wasn’t.
Numerous items, such as everything in the garage including a wheelbarrow, lawnmower, fencing, and a plethora of other items wouldn’t fit in the 26-foot truck along with several furniture items such as my kitchen table and chairs, flat screen TV, framed artwork, a rollaway bed, small appliances galore, a metal firewood rack, ladders, furniture and piano dollies, and numerous other items too numerous to mention.
Artwork left behind for lack of room in the truck.
Some items were irreplaceable, such as genealogy research material and memorabilia from my 21 years working for NASA, which was removed from the shed, then abandoned on the garage floor, as well as a 36 x 48 hand-carved wooden sign from a business I had in Utah back in the 70s, to name a few.
Looking back, my only choice would have been to refuse to let these idiots touch my stuff and hunker down in a packed up house that I no longer owned until Monday, at which time I would contact the broker and rip him a new one for sending such a seedy, unprofessional bunch. Obviously, I didn’t. I was too stressed out by that point, and just wanted to get going.
Note that delays in arrival and placing you in this very situation is exactly what Rogue Mover/scammers do.
They finished loading around midnight and drove off with the majority of my earthly possessions. My daughter and I spent the night at a neighbors, then loaded up my two cats in the car and headed for New York. (The cross-country trip with the cats is worthy of a blog as well, which I’ll get to later.)
The drama I’d been through finding a house in New York was another debacle. I’d never bought a house sight-unseen before, but trusted my daughter and son-in-laws judgement. The sellers were more pieces of work who kept delaying closing since they were in the middle of divorce and one of them was living out of state. We heard that these sellers had backed out of a deal before, so you can bet that caused plenty of anxiety as well. We got to move in early, but what if they changed their mind? Fortunately, that all resolved, but this contributed substantially to my stress level. Another facet of many related to this move from hell.
As I had time to think about those insidious movers and read about cases of just such scams where people lost everything they owned, I was again in a panic. The broker deferred me to the pick up carrier, who didn’t answer their phone and eventually blocked us from even attempting to reach them.
Just under two weeks later I heard from the delivery driver who was due to arrive the next day with my goods. To explain, the idiots in Texas dumped my stuff in a warehouse where someone else (or maybe them, who knows?) loaded it up and drove it to a warehouse in Chicago where the delivery driver picked it up.
This is how using a moving broker works. You possessions are moved in stages by a variety of drivers/moving companies. You can imagine what a debacle this is when the items are not inventoried or identified with you in a proper manner. The only thing I found that had my name on it with my shipment was a hand-scribbled, barely legible note with my misspelled name and new address which was taped to the back of a chair.
The delivery driver was a decent guy, albeit Russian who spoke little English. Thank heaven for Google translate. He picked up my items in Chicago, worked alone, and was amazing how he wrestled things like my piano and numerous huge items off another 26-foot truck alone. (Even more interesting, on a personal note, he was actually a former Russian rocket scientist.)
Not only did he have a 26 foot truck just like the one that picked up my things, there were other items on it besides my own. It was obvious that if those idiots in Texas knew what they were doing that all my stuff should have fit!
My shipment is behind the driver, the items on the right not mine along with a bunch of things he offloaded shown below. So why didn’t all my stuff fit on the same size truck in Texas? Or was that much missing?Yes, the Russian driver unloaded all that stuff by himself!
It didn’t take long to notice some major items were missing. Like a solar generator worth approximately $3000. The side rails to my queen-size bed, which cost well over $300 to replace since they had to be custom made. Upon unpacking, more and more things that I know got loaded in Texas were missing. My 27″ computer monitor, my antique typewriter on which I wrote my first novel, an antique chair identical to the one the note was taped to, many awards I received during my 21 years working for NASA, and all sorts of other items.
Between what was left behind and lost in transit, losses amount to around $16,000. When I tried to file a claim with the Texas carrier’s insurance company, it was obvious beyond a doubt I’d been scammed when the insurance company said they never heard of them.
I have filed complaints with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA), attorneys general for both Texas and Ohio (where the broker is located), the Texas Department of Transportation, trucking organizations, and have yet to leave more reviews to warn people what is going on out there in the moving world. If you’ve had a similar experience, go to the FMCSA website, which has reporting information for them as well as various other agencies.
Fortunately, we love the house. For those of you who know I am single, you probably wonder what constitutes “we.” In another major change, I decided it was time due to my age and some mobility issues I’ve been having with a bad knee, that it was time to become a three-generation family with my youngest daughter, her husband, and three teenagers. Our house is an 1898 farmhouse on 2.7 acres in the Finger Lakes region of Western New York State.
Rural is an understatement. Our little town is adorable and tourist oriented with a few wineries. It doesn’t even have a traffic light anywhere, it’s so small. How cool is that? It does have a small grocery store, hardware store, and lots of restaurants with big stores about 25 miles away.
The house was empty for two years and required quite a bit of work to get it good to go. I’m still in the process of trying to get a garage built that the local building inspector will approve and various other projects, which will take us years to complete. But we love it, especially our wrap-around porch on which we spend a lot of time relaxing. I look forward to seeing fall colors again for the first time in years.
Our front yard facing a winding, mountain road.
I’m loving the cooler temperatures, so much green, regular rain, and the laid-back lifestyle. I don’t know if anything further will happen as far as compensation for my losses in the move, but I plan to pursue it as far as I can. I plan to hold the broker accountable for not vetting the rogue carrier he sent to orchestrate my move, which is likely to involve arbitration, so wish me luck.
This winter I plan to get back to writing and work with my coauthor, Pete Risingsun, to complete the Dead Horse Canyon trilogy, which was obviously delayed by this crazy year I’ve had.
So, if you’ve wondered where I’ve been, that’s at least part of my story and I’m sticking to it. If you plan to move anytime soon, please learn from my huge mistake. A legitimate moving company is definitely recommended. I think that the Pod concept is a good one, where you load up your stuff in one of them, lock it up, and it’s transported to your new digs.
Whatever you do, avoid brokers. The one I had, U.S. Interstate and Rail, somehow garnered lots of positive reviews. I suspect they’re fake, like all those jerks who want to be your friend on Facebook who reside in a cell phone in a bot farm. The one I’ll be leaving will certainly not be good.
EPILOGUE
As noted, I reported the broker and carrier to a plethora of places including FMCSA, Attorneys General, DMVs, and various professional trucking organizations. I received a report from the Texas DMV today which was satisfying, at least. Here’s what it said:
“I am an investigator with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV), Enforcement Division. We are charged with administrative regulatory enforcement of rules and regulations for household goods carriers, motor carriers and size/weight laws in Texas. We received your complaint, 100237573, filed with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) concerning your move from Burnet, Texas to Naples, New York, which saw your belongings loaded on April 29, 2023 and delivered on May 23, 2023 with numerous items missing, damaged items, left in Burnet, no inventory, and no moving documentation provided to you. Based on numerous complaints received prior to your complaint I went to the carrier’s location in Waco, Texas on August 24, 2023 and found it for lease. I witnessed a dumpster at the Waco location full of bags, carts, etc. I did confirm, through an obituary, that the owner, Tyler Thomas Ross, passed away on July 11, 2023, see attached PDF (https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/mcgregor-tx/tyler-ross-11367322).
“At this point, the TxDMV is unable to contact any individuals associated with the carrier that can assist with your complaint and appears the carrier is no longer in operation after the death of the owner. Unfortunately, there is nothing more the TxDMV can do to assist with the complaint. We will update your complaint with FMCSA letting them know of our findings.”
I must be a bad person because I have to admit that I laughed, especially since I literally prayed that the perpetrators would burn in hell. Karma is, indeed, a bitch. Apparently I wasn’t the only person that was scammed since the investigation took place before I even filed my report. I found out from the TX DMV investigator that there were 16 complaints against the company, which had only been in business since October 2022. No telling how many people didn’t bother to report them.
The owner was in his early 20s so this begs the question of how he died? I wonder if there is someone out there that I should thank. I guess I’m more vindictive than I care to admit, but it’s satisfying to know they won’t be scamming anyone else anytime soon. My curiosity got the better of me and a subsequent internet search indicated that Tyler Thomas Ross hanged himself in jail after being arrested on July 3, 2023, then died July 11 as a result of his injuries. His family apparently attempted to make it look as if he died from a motorcycle accident since someone with the same name did so a year before. My next task is to find out why he was in the slammer. It’s pretty likely it was for theft and multiple moving scams.
Meanwhile, I still have the broker, U.S. Interstate and Rail, in my sights for not properly vetting those crooks. The more evidence I find showing Ross’s criminal activity, the better my chances at winning something through arbitration. Wish me luck.
Robin Wall Kemmerer is uniquely qualified to pen this tome. Not only is she a member of the Potawatomi tribe, she also earned a PhD in botany. Her insights from both perspectives are priceless. These pages are filled with thoughts and wisdom entirely different from the white man’s view of life. Rather than being the superior being, Indigenous people see themselves as part of a greater whole.
Everything is alive in some way, whether vegetable, animal, or mineral. When Indigenous people speak of “all my relations” they are not just referring to other humans. The concept of land ownership was incomprehensible to them, making it easy to fall prey to it being virtually stolen. The Creator had given it to the people millennia before. It belonged to everyone.
She recounted the tragic story often told of Indigenous peoples being driven from their land to desolate places no one else wanted…
Dill is one of my favorite herbs. When a friend of mine saw this caterpillar munching on it, he was surprised I didn’t have a problem with it. Why? Because that little guy or girl (sorry, it didn’t tell me how s/he identifies) will eventually become an absolutely beautiful black swallowtail butterfly!
And better yet, it will be a pollinator! Which is something I need in my garden, since there aren’t many bees these days.
This one is far from alone. At last count, I saw about 9 of them on that same plant. I’ll pick some dill and put it in the freezer for now, then plant more after these hungry caterpillars metamorphose to their final winged stage.
I must admit, I was not as compassionate toward the harlequin beetles devastating my broccoli, pretty though they may be. But they were not going to give anything back, either!
Not everyone believes in prophecy. Of course, the test of a true prophet versus someone with a vivid imagination is whether or not their predictions come true. In many cases, the speaker does not live long enough to see whether it does or not, but if others recorded what they said, in due time the truth will be known.
Native Americans have run the gamut of emotions from outrage to grief toward the white man’s life style and attitude toward Mother Earth. According to the Holy Bible, man was given “dominion” over the Earth. A word that suggests he could do as he pleased with all it contains and justifies exploiting it for his own gain.
However, in view of the current state of the planet, was that an accurate translation of the Creator’s intent?
Much was edited out of that sacred tome because it didn’t fit the understanding of…
The purpose of words is to convey meaning. How they’re spelled, how they sound differs tremendously. Sometimes they convey the same meaning, such as for a cat or dog. Others are unique and can’t be translated into another language, especially if they’re based on cultural context.
When immigrants come to a country, they assimilate better if they learn the host language. This is not simply a matter of getting along better in society. It integrates them into the culture. America became a “melting pot” as immigrants came from a multitude of foreign nations, then were united in a common language, i.e. English, even if they maintained their ethnic traditions.
When Europeans came to the American continent they encountered indigenous peoples whose languages were entirely foreign. While there’s a similarity in etymology and syntax among Latin-based languages (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, etc.), those spoken by Native Americans (which were several)…
My deep involvement researching and writing the Dead Horse Canyon series with Pete Risingsun has consumed my time to the point I’ve neglected my other books, particularly the Star Trails Tetralogy series. I was thinking about that the other day and realized that was unfortunate because those books relate so strongly to what is going on around the world these days.
The Brightstars are living in a dystopian world where the only way they’ll survive is through ingenuity and determination. The fact that they’re separated increases the issues, making the kids assume responsibilities they normally would not have to worry about.
The Star Trails Tetralogy series can be read in any order, but it’s better to start with Volume 1, “Beyond the Hidden Sky.”
The entire environment is hostile with lethal weather extremes plus their father is a political prisoner for the bulk of the story.
The science in these stories is based on fact with the expected sci-fi extrapolations, which in today’s world are rapidly becoming reality. That was a major challenge, to keep ahead of technology. At this point, much of what’s represented in these stories is now available, with the possible exception of their psi-linked cell phone equivalents, but I’m sure that’s on the way.
Nonetheless, those who enjoy these stories the most are young people in the “nerd” category, i.e. love science and engineering. And that is exactly the audience for which they were written! As a youth, I loved science and was always disappointed that science fiction didn’t have much real science included. Thus, these are the books I would have loved to read. Like they say, if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself. So if you know a child with strong reading skills and an interest in how the world works, I’m sure they’d enjoy this series.
Fighting for what’s right isn’t easy.
The favorite character throughout the series for many fans is Thyron, the telepathic walking plant. He’s the star of book 5, “The Terra Debacle: Prisoners at Area 51.” This story has a lot of botany in it as NASA scientist, Gabe Greenley, investigates Thyron and what makes him tick.
Everyone loves Thyron, the flora pedis telepathis (telepathic walking plant).
Best of all, this entire series is available in audiobook form narrated by Hollywood actor, T.W. Ashworth! So if your young person is not into reading but loves to listen, that option is also available.
The entire series is available in audiobook format narrated by T. W. Ashworth.
Much about these stories is a reflection of our own planet right now. They can serve as an example of how to handle bad situations and the importance of science in engineering when it’s a matter of survival.
No greater compliment for an author than a reader who wants to enjoy your book(s) more than once!
I know, I’ve been a bad blogger lately. That’s what happens when you have four websites (five, including this one), four Facebook pages, two Twitter accounts, and an Instagram account with no personal assistant to keep up with them all. <sigh>
As you can see, Book 2 in the Dead Horse Canyon series is now out. Yay! Getting that book written and out the door took far longer than expected. This year has been a humdinger for everyone. I’ve been healthy, but all the background noise from a messed-up planet had me distracted enough it was hard to focus.
Another concern, which may sound crazy, is that I was worried about whether this sequel to “The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon: Cheyenne Spirits” would be as good as the book that started it all. That one won three awards, which was more humbling than anything. It was a hard act to follow.
So far the feedback indicates that Book 2, “Return to Dead Horse Canyon: Grandfather Spirits” is another page turner.
Whew!
I have to admit when a brand new fan contacted me wanting to pre-order Book 3 that it made my day. On the other hand, it was terrifying! Maintaining the quality now expected is a big responsibility!
As far as Book 3 is concerned, the good news is that it’s drafted, but that was written before I connected with my coauthor, Pete, so it requires intense collaboration. Hopefully, we’ll get it out next year. And I think it should be as good as the others, if not better, as it wraps up this story. It has some really cool, surprising stuff in there. 😉
As an introvert, I’m lousy at promoting my books. I also had it drummed into my head as a kid that it was rude to brag. It just doesn’t feel right to go out there and self-promote as shamelessly as required to get attention. I like making promotional material and especially videos. Speaking of which, here’s the trailer for Book 2.
I’ll try to be more diligent in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, be sure to follow me on my Facebook author page and on Instagram (@startrailssaga). I’m not on Twitter as much these days since Hootsuite upped their rates over 500%, something I was going to rant about here, but clearly never did.
If you’re looking for presents, please remember me for any readers on your list. Between the Dead Horse Canyon books, which are mystery/thrillers; the Star Trails Tetralogy, which is hard science fiction that’s perfect for kids interested in science and engineering; and weird stuff for that person has everything like astrology or family history, I’ve got something for everyone. Search on “Marcha Fox” in the book category on Amazon and they all come up, plus some that I did cover or editorial work on, as well as a few others for which I have no clue, but you get the idea.
Marcha's Two-Cents Worth 