Words from Pep

An ether and ephemeral world

An ethereal and ephemeral world lay before me. Early morning light was diffused. Visibility, 200 feet at best. The sound of flowing water called me into the mist and as I drifted through the fog each breath inhaled a cold stream of humidity. Our first snow lay upon the grass and leaves, hung from the trees, and slipped off branches at the behest of gravity. . . . . . Gravity! Its LAW will not be violated. . . . . . At the edge of the river beneath the thin white layer, unknown to me laid a shed branch, slippery, without bark. The steep bank, lubrication of melting snow, and that inviolable LAW united to have their way. . . . . . The temporal area of my head hit first followed by the rest of my carcass. I will not repeat the words, motivated by pain that immediately filled the air. Thereupon, came the buzzing drowning out all other peaceful sounds of that sublime morning. A dark tunnel squeezed itself around my vision and my present level of consciousness was gone. . . . . . Flying into that tunnel came colors and light – iridescent and translucent, metallic and phosphorescent, each singing their personalities to the accompanying white-noise. . . . . . A shaking and trembling awakened me. My body was entering hypothermia and reacted by shivering violently. I must have been there a half hour, legs soaking up the cold river I had slipped into. I pulled myself higher onto the bank raising feet onto a stone to allow the water to drain from my boots. I had to get up, move, generate heat. As I stood, the change in circulation stabbed my attention to the side of my head. Everything seemed intact in spite of the pain. It was a half-mile to get back home, drink something warm. Working hard, climbing out of the river valley, the violent shivering stopped. Even my legs heated up. . . . . . Creation is not partial to our species. She does not play favorites or cut us any slack. “We live and move and have our being” humbly in the universe. The haunting beauty of this unforgettable morning could have been my last. Even so, I embrace the experience. I accept the pain. I will not hesitate to venture forth tomorrow or the next. I cherish in thanksgiving the opportunity for existence. Appreciation for the gift of life is expressed in its full use to the extent we are capable. Preservation and longevity is not its goal. . . . . . Pain and risk, pleasure and discovery are interwoven in the adventure. Your life awaits you.

www.theteacherwithin.com

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ONE WORLD  –  ONE FAMILY OF MAN  –  ONE CREATOR OF ALL

Moving through the mist of years gone by, the image draws closer to us, and soon will emerge from concealing haze. The answer will be clearly seen, November 30, 2013, 6pm, CST www.kdmccrite.com

(image credit) Dan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Book signing for Buzz Bernard!!

Author Buzz Bernard will be doing a book signing for his novel, SUPERCELL, from 2 – 4 p.m. Saturday, November 23, 2013 at Books For Less in the Mall of Georgia in Buford, Georgia http://www.mybfl.com/contact.php. SUPERCELL is book of the month for Books For Less. Bernard’s other novels, EYEWALL and PLAGUE will also be available. Get all three signed! www.buzzbernard.com

THE DESOLATE HEART DINNER PARTY

http://sidneyarcher.com/desolate-heart-dinner-party-part-1/

Part One

Granny Hodge sat apart from the rest of us.

This came as no surprise, knowing Granny as I do: Ancient, reclusive, suspicious. For her to join a dinner party, even as a silent observer, was something of an accomplishment. In truth, I am a little afraid of Granny. Wise and elderly she may be, but she is also deceitful. She guards her truth within her gnarled body and she masks her thoughts through rheumy eyes that see everything. She serves a dark master with grim success. Granny kept her watchful gaze on Hester Kyle.

Hester needed watching. Not because of her beauty, but because of her deviousness. Hester bore the luscious ripe beauty of a young Sophia Loren, and harbored an ugly self-serving heart. Given her background, the acts borne in Hester’s dark soul failed to surprise me.

I turned my attention from Hester’s shifty, greedy gaze of her surroundings to Granny. The old woman fingered the birthmark on the back of her hand and met my eyes. I knew she read my thoughts, and a cold hand wrapped around my heart.

Secrets to be revealed…

Find the key, unlock the book, reveal what has been hidden. November 30th, 2013, 6pm, the lock will be opened for you. www.kdmccrite.com

Chuck Walsh signs two book deal with Vinspire Publishing!

Chuck Walsh’s two novels, A Month of Tomorrows (to be republished 2014) and A Passage Back (release 2014) have been acquired by Vinspire Publishing www.vinspirepublishing.com .

A Month of Tomorrows, which was previous published by the now defunct Mitchell Morris Publishing and on the market for 15 months, is about to get revamped and re-released! A Month of Tomorrows rose to the Top 10 on Amazon’s bestseller list for Historical Fiction and was critically acclaimed by readers, authors, and editors. It is based on the true story of Walsh’s uncle, Rubin Stout, a decorated WWII war hero who orchestrated the restoration of the Ville Verde Monument in 1987 in Luzon, Philippines. The monument, designed to honor fallen soldiers in the final battle of the Philippines (of which Stout fought), was desecrated after its erection in 1945. The book is a fictional memoir of Samuel Gable (based on Stout) dictated to a local journalist who gains much more than a story from one of the most amazing men of our “greatest generation,” but rather intimate details of war, love, and tragedy few have ever experienced.

A Month of Tomorrows is deep in prose, and is character and scene driven. Though it is a page-turner, each word, sentence, and paragraph play a vital part to the story. As one reader stated, “Reading A Month of Tomorrows was like eating the sweetest, most juicy apple. I wanted to savor each bite, and was saddened when it came to an end.” Having garnered five-star reviews across the board, we are looking forward to seeing it there again and again.

A Passage Back is a story choices. We’ve all heard the phrase, “If you had the chance to go back in time, knowing then what you know now, would you?” Well, in A Passage Back, Chase Watson does just that. This book is a heart-warming, touching journey to a time of nostalgia as he revisits his childhood in the 1970’s, if only for a short while. It is sure to make the reader laugh, cry, and perhaps long for simpler days. A fast, page-turning novel in which Chase goes back in time after an accident that occurred the day of his mother’s funeral, he is once again twelve years old, knowing full well that he is actually a middle-age man caught up in some crazy dream. He not only makes the most of being with his young and healthy mother, as well as getting the chance to be a kid again, but he battles the dilemma to play God by preventing the death of his childhood friend. He also attempts to break his father of his drinking ways in order to bring peace to the family wrought with strife and heartache. Chase finds out nostalgia can be painful and the past sometimes should not be changed.

Loiacono Literary Agency is honored to represent Chuck and all his works. Walsh has written and we are seeking publication for Shadows on Iron Mountain and its sequel Backwoods Justice, which take the evil doings in the backwoods of Tennessee to a new level, and A Splintered Dream, the story of Cape Jeffers, a small town hero whose lifelong dream to play for the New York Yankees was shattered after enduring a life-altering tragedy.

Chuck Walsh is a graduate of the University of South Carolina. He discovered a passion for writing in 2004 and, since then, he has written human-interest articles for a dozen publications and co-authored Faces of Freedom (featured on Sean Hannity’s book list), which recognizes the noble lives of U.S. soldiers who died while fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A Profound interview with Stephen Doster – The Dan O’Brien Project

If you have ever wondered what being a writer was like or the true meaning of literature, read on…

www.sdoster.com  www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com  Goodreads  Amazon Author Central

From KD McCrite…what lies behind this door will surprise you….

What lies beyond this door will surprise you. Prepare for the answer to be revealed Saturday evening, November 30, 2013, 6 p.m. CST.

Holidays and Thrillers, how can we combine the two concepts to up the ante in our writing? By Buzz Bernard

Buzz Bernard participates in International Thriller Writers roundtable discussion MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18

102 Volunteers refurbishing an LCS-102

A Visit to WWII Naval Ship LCS-102

Here is what your 102 volunteers are doing at Mare Island.

http://vimeo.com/4924735

Oscar Russell, one of the contributors in Forgotten Heroes of WWII (release date November 2014, Taylor Trade) The Amphib Sailor, served aboard an LCS-102 during WWII. You can only imagine what it was really like working, living, sleeping and fighting in open waters on such a craft. 72 men were stationed on board at any given deployment. If you ever saw In Harm’s Way or Midway, they collaborated with the US Navy and used many of the original ships. You get a sense of what it must have been like. He also was aboard an LCT (A) (pictured below) during the Normandy invasion. This craft carried two tanks which ran off ramps onto the beach. One had a bulldozer front for clearing booby traps, making it safe for troops to cross the sand. You will have to get Forgotten Heroes and read the whole story. Russell served on two fronts: European and Pacific; a rare event. I admire him and all those who serve(d) greatly.