The Mist of Time

(Photo by Lisa of Wearin' My Heart on My Sleeve


THE MIST OF TIME

Hugging the bark like a fine silk glove
The mist encircled the trees
Coating each branch with the careless moisture
Left over at the breaking of dawn

What beauty beholds the thirsty eyes
At this causal offering of nature's finest moment
Blurred and fuzzy like an old photograph
Whispering the essence of a time gone by

Why can't life be as simple as this
A beautiful second in a neverending world
Awash with memories and bathed in remembrances
Like the trees standing in the mist

Paranoia

PARANOIA

Storm clouds gather overhead
As early darkness descends
Bathing the world in an eerie glow
My paranoid emotions explode

Rustling branches seem to call my name
Causing shivers to run down my spine
Too scared to make a tiny move
My legs are frozen with fright

With every noise my imagination grows
Threatening to overtake me
No where to run, no where to go
Drowning in a sea of night

Crouching down beside the tree
My body bathed in sweat
I pray to God to make it through
Until the break of day

Eternity's Shadow

ETERNITY'S SHADOW

We stand together
Just we two
As twilight lengthens the horizon
We look so strange
Our elongated limbs
Shadowing the close cut lawn

But is it symbolic
Of our lives spent together
Our love does lengthen and grow
With each passing minute
Each passing day
Till eternity passes away

Book Signing

Here is our good friend, Earl Dean, at his first book signing for A TAILOR MAIDEN'S SECRET. Congratulations again, Earl!

Book Signing with Earl Dean

Congratulations Earl P. Dean on the publication of your first novel! Earl is a member of The Community of Mercer County Writers.



Mayfest 2009 Book Signing
Saturday, May 9th from noon - 4pm
Gratz Park in Lexington, Kentucky

Earl will be signing his new book, A TAILOR MAIDEN'S SECRET and you will be able to buy a copy of the book on Saturday, or you can order from Wasteland Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

To learn more about the Mayfest events, click here.

A TAILOR MAIDEN'S SECRET

"Arliane Donestica attends mid-school on a planet called Pooda, a forbidding world of the future so far removed from Earth in space and time that the old world exists as a mythical origin for the poodan progenitors.

The Poodan Youth for Unity, sponsored by Pooda's Elders, are chasing Arliane through her snowbound city at the request of the Elders, pressuring her about unspoken activities that might tie her to rebellion similar to her mother's. Activist and wife as well, Arliane's mother had died in a protest by explosion.

Were the Elders behind it? Read of a biological mystery, political strife and forbidden action to discover the answer in A TAILOR MAIDEN’S SECRET."

Earl Patrick Dean is a computer programmer working in Kentucky. He holds a BA degree from Transylvania University and graduate certificates from The Institute of Children’s Literature, and has attended the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning workshops on Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror and Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. He loves reading and collecting books, and writes mostly science fiction and fantasy stories.

Earl has published stories in SAY...WHAT’S THE COMBINATION?, MORNINGSTAR ANTHOLOGY and KENTUCKY BLUE.

The Long Shadows

(Photograph by Highlander)

THE LONG SHADOWS

The long shadows are settling across the meadow floor
Whispering the promises for the end of the day
Dodging and weaving over shrubbery and trees
As one last glance of vivid green grass is seen

What does the night hold when the shadows let go
And the darkness creeps upon the land
What undying pledge do the shadows now make
To get us through till the end

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Better or Worse

I recently had a friend ask me a simple question: Is life getting better or worse as you get older? Interesting questions ... I guess I have a mixed answer for this question.

I think my life is better because I'm older and wiser - I may not know all the answers, but I'm better prepared for finding the answers than I was when I was younger. My children are grown and they are 3 beautiful, healthy girls, so I guess I didn’t screw them up too much. The older two are planning weddings and the youngest is preparing for a summer at the Governor’s School of the Arts, so I am extremely proud of all three. And I have the prospect of grandchildren to look forward to.

My relationship with my wonderful hubby is even better because we have more time for each other. Over the past 25 years, our lives have been intertwined with love, work and parenthood, so it is great to get back to the relationship we had in the beginning, focusing on ourselves as a couple.

I am also retired from a job I hated (RN) and I'm now able to write more than ever - this has been a huge improvement for me. Granted, we don’t have the kind of money we used to and we are on a very tight budget, but my mental health is better, so this is a huge plus for the entire family.

On the other hand, some things in my life are worse. I'm not as fit and healthy as I was in my 20s - health issues seem to creep in every day. The society we live in is much worse over the past 20 years and this have impacted negatively on many aspects of life.

For the past four years, I’ve been living under the foggy cover of grief and it has been extremely hard to pull my life back together. I am nowhere near being back to the emotional state I was in four years ago, but I can say I’m better than I was six months ago and that is a baby step in the right direction.

I can say that I love my life! I may not be as active as I once was, but I am now able to pursue my dream of writing and this makes me a happy camper. My children are self-sufficient and leading happy, productive lives and this makes me a happy camper. My hubby has stuck with me through thick and thin, sickness and health, richer and poorer, and he still loves me unconditionally, and this makes me a happy camper.

Just because our lives are continually changing, doesn’t always mean they are changing for the worse. Sometimes changes are for the best … it is change that makes the world go ‘round.

What is a Plot??

Having trouble figuring out the plot of your next story or book idea? Bestselling advice and young adult fiction author Holly Lisle offers advice to beginning and advance readers on her website: Holly Lisle.




You can also sign-up for her newsletter and other online courses. And if you haven't read her newest young adult book THE RUBY KEY, Book #1 of the new MOON AND SUN series, it worth checking out!