Mental Geysers

Why I Don’t Tweet

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:13:00 +0000

A cat ran onto the soccer pitch at Anfield (England) during the Liverpool v. Tottenham match. Stopped play for nearly five minutes. Twenty minutes later, announcer said that Cat already had a twitter account. Yup.

In fact, two hours later, it had at least two twitter accounts, and each had more than 3,000 fans.

How can I compete with THAT!? I can’t even hit 20 on my blog.

Black History Month 2

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:29:00 +0000

The American history that is often revealed to people for the first time during Black History Month, is particularly appealing. For me, I'm particularly in that history as it concerns the American West.

The Harlem Renaissance of the early 20th Century, is termed that because of the association of the Black-American art scene as flourished in Harlem, New York City. A recently published title from Routledge Publishing, shows that this was not an East Coast phenomena. the anthology, The Harlem Renaissance in the American West: The New Negro's Western Experience (New Directions in American History) show that artists, musicians, playwrights, club owners, and more in African American communities in the American West participated fully in the cultural renaissance.

My friend, historian Charlotte Hinger, has an entry in this book: "Black Renaissance in Helena and Laramie: Hatched on Top of the Rocky Mountains." Helena. My current residence. So wonderful to have this reference.

Another often-missed piece of history about blacks in the west is nicely told in Erich Martin Hicks' Rescue at Pine Ridge: Based on a True American Story. The book page states: ”Rescue at Pine Ridge is the story of the 9th Cavalry from its Congressional conception in 1866, to the rescue of the famed 7th Cavalry by the 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers.... The 7th Cavalry was entrapped again after the Little Big Horn Massacre, fourteen years later by the Lakota Nation, the day after the Wounded Knee Massacre. Only after enduring an all night forced-march in a snow blizzard, the 7th Cavalry are saved from sure annihilation by the 9th Cavalry Buffalo Solders." Hicks (unique in his own right) has written fascinating U.S. history. A movie is in the works.

Author/historian Troy D. Smith has his charismatic character, Alfred Mann, ending up with the Buffalo Soldiers in his powerful historical fiction title, Bound for the Promise-Land. This excellent book had been recently reprinted, and is also available as an ebook. It won a SPUR award in 2001.

These books will increase your knowledge of American History. Don't pass them up.

Click "Black History Month" in the labels of this page for more articles.

Poetry Sunday - 13

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:52:00 +0000

Cold War

A woman with an accent calls across my lawn
(her brittle voice sets my dog growling
talking to the neighbor on my other side,
sounding the same, these two different species
with their clipped hedges, and Chevrolets
with rebel flags on bumpers next to
Skoal stickers. To them I am alien,
tan skin, oval eyes, dark hair.
I step into the yard for the morning paper,
stanching their words.
Light eyes take bead on my movements.

On this suburban field the battle lines were drawn
years ago with their grandparents'
blood and most of my Native family buried
in snow; or by memories of plantations and cotton
black heads bent in rows--submissive, resenting;
poverty on all sides, lacerated
with obstinacy. By law
the conflict is ended; but some scars
can't be removed.

The dog's stacatto bark hurries me back
to a refuge of brick, shuttered windows,
walls shielded with feathers and leather and wood.
Tense, I call my children to eat WHEATIES:
"Breakfast of Champions;"
I teach them to greet the sun.
Fortified, they go to the front.

More poems by Kae

The Gauntlet Assassin - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:42:00 +0000

I downloaded the Kindle edition of L.J. Sellers' The Gauntlet Assassin after reading about it at an online book site. Mysteries always attract me, and this title combined mystery with another of my favorite genres--speculative fiction, in that the story takes place a few years in the future.

From book page:

The year is 2023 and ex-detective Lara Evans is working as a freelance paramedic in a bleak new world. She responds to an emergency call and is nearly killed when a shooter flees the home. Inside she finds the federal employment commissioner wounded, but she's able to save his life. The next day Lara leaves for the Gauntlet—a national competition of intense physical and mental challenges with high stakes for her home state. She spots the assailant lurking at the arena and soon after, she lands in deep trouble. Who is the mysterious killer and what is motivating him? Can Lara stop him, stay alive, and win the Gauntlet?

Lara Evans is a good character; we see her tough side, as well as her inner worries and fears. Her altruistic need to win the Gauntlet competition seemed a bit overdone, however—sort of Joan of Arc-ish. But her other strengths (physical and mental) kept me engaged.

Sellers did a good job of giving backstory and slowly merging it into Lara's side of the tale. I had no doubt it was all important, even if a bit obvious. An unexpected turn at the very end was a good touch.

The slightly-dystopian view of the future world was predictable—today's grievances extended and becoming global actuality. The government-adopted Reality show method of awarding grant money to states was an interesting twist that could have had more play. I kept wondering what other "events" were launched for other money distributions.

L.J. Sellers writes a well-paced story, with action and decent character depth. The Gauntlet Assassin adds to her collection of interesting novels. It's available in print and electronic editions.

February Is Black History Month

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:28:00 +0000

February is Black History Month, which began in 1926 as a weeklong celebration; Frederick Douglas was born in February, and so was Abraham Lincoln--both icons in African American History. Fifty years later, in 1976, the commemoration was extended to a month. African-American history and American history are so intertwined, you can't be celebrating one with out glorifying the other. The same is true with all the other "ethnic cultural celebrations."

This year's theme is Black Women in American Culture and History. Goodness, that's a lot to cover in one month! Many events and online places have American History information as it pertains to African Americans. Community events can also be found at various locations. Nike (yes, the shoe company) has a special Black History Month collection. Ah, marketing—anything to grab a sale.

Whatever

Here's your American History: Yesterday (1 February) was "Freedom Day" the 147th anniversary of the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery; tomorrow (3 February) is the 142nd anniversary of the ratification of the 15th Amendment (voting rights for black men--with conditions, of course).

Throughout this month, as a writer and book reviewer, I'll post about some titles that are pertinent—starting with my own, of course.[chuckle]
The Adventures of Elizabeth Fortune takes place in 1870 when the 15th Amendment was ratified. The feisty woman protagonist fits well into this year's Black History theme.
On Promised Land, set in the 1830s, has a rather gutsy gal, too.

William Loren Katz has many authoritative titles about Blacks in the West. His Black Women in the Old West has nearly become a classic with school librarians.

Leave a note about the online sites and book titles you like for this month.

More later.

Poetry Sunday - 12

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +0000

Self Portrait

Pen
replicator of my words
I have heard it said you are mighty
yet flimsy are the words
sketched by my nascent hand
Perhaps it's the wielding thought
which quells the powerful sword
Hence I, adolescent,
can parry only
a jackknife.

© Kae Cheatham
All Rights Reserved

More poems by Kae

The Dead Man - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:06:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, author Joel Goldman offered the Kindle edition of The Dead Man (Jack Davis Thrillers) for free and I grabbed a copy, hoping for a good mystery. I didn't let the "thriller" tag deter me (I often avoid thrillers) and read through the grisly prologue with growing interest.

Here's the story overview from the GoodReads book page (the Amazon page was filled with hype, and not much about the actual story):

Milo Harper wants former FBI agent Jack Davis' help. People in Harper's study of the human brain are starting to die--and dying exactly in the very ways they have dreamed...Harper wants Jack to get to the truth and counter lawsuits aimed at the foundation. But when Jack investigates, the truth explodes: a serial killer is lurking inside one of the most advanced research facilities in the world. For Jack, the case will shatter illusions, raise ghosts, and take him onto both sides of the law--and into the path of a murderer's terrifying rage...

This is the second of the Jack Davis Thrillers, but I wasn't too lost on Jack's life without having read the first. Goldman put in backstory when his protagonist was triggered to memories. At first, when this happened during a fairly active scene, it seemed intrusive, but I got used to the style.

All the characters were well-drawn and believable; the "thriller" aspects (blood, gore, graphic violence) wasn't too much to bear, and the story resolutions were effective. That's resolutions--plural--because protagonist Jack Davis has relationship issues to deal with, as well as his odd health condition, and his forced retirement from the FBI.

A lot going on, here. Most was handled well, although the ventures into the points of view of other characters didn't seem necessary, and a few scenes really gave away too much. But then, from the cover and the prologue, I had determined the perp early on. I read along, learning more about Jack and wondering when he would pickup on the clues.

In all, since it had few editing and formatting glitches, The Dead Man was a satisfactory read from a competent writer.

Joel Goldman at Goodreads
Joel Goldman's web site

For more of Kae's book reviews Click here.

On Promised Land - Thank You

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:27:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who downloaded On Promised Land. There are now hundreds of people who might never have heard of me who will read and, hopefully, want to read my other titles. :-)

If you did download this title, I would appreciate a review and/or comment at Goodreads and Amazon.

Thanks also to Kindle Author for posting about this and other free books. Indies working together benefits us all. Of course, I've downloaded many of the free titles from this site, and my TBR pile has quadrupled. What fun!

On Promised Land Free ebook

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:54:00 +0000

It's the last day of the free for all for On Promised Land. This morning, at 8AM MST, the title was listed #16 of free kindle historical books. That's pleasing. I had the fear I was throwing a party and no one would come.

A few people have wondered about the Charles Bingsley section of the book. It's his letter home from where he's stationed in Florida with the Army. It comes after Tru and his family are captured and shackled to a boat to go West. I'm using Charles as a time bridge in the story. The next Seminole section starts more than a year later. The letter is also as a way to tell what is happening in the rest of the country—information my Seminole characters wouldn't know about.

The letter format works well for that, since in the 19th century, letters were usually long, flowery, and detailed. Letter recipients expected this...no "Hi. Wish you were here" type thing. Most people didn't have a the chance to travel and experience anything new, so they counted on letters from their trekking family and friends to tell them about other places. Charles is from a fairly affluent family, and I use him to refer to politics of the day as well as life style. Here's a sample.

...Needless to say, the conditions here at Fort Brooke haven't improved. This seep called Florida continues to be infested with mosquitoes and torrid heat. Occasional storms often threaten to heave us inland even though we're protected by this natural quay. The three months I've been here feel like a lifetime! Would that I had been assigned to Col. Fremont's exploration of the Western lands. His scout, Carson, is said to be quite knowledgeable. Imagine the wonders they will encounter! By now they should be well across the Mississippi River and moving into the Great American Desert. (That I dream of dryness is only natural, when the very air here seethes with liquid.) But, alas, I am stuck here, patiently scribing the particulars about these pathetic heathens who keep straggling in to this abominable fort...

I've written three other of his letters and currently have him in Yerba Linda (San Francisco) when the gold rush is starting. It's fun to write these letter. I think they give a balance to the whole by offering current affairs in a broader and different view from those of my main characters. I guess Charles is a main character in that I've had to think him through as thoroughly as the others—know his family, his personality, his ambitions and foibles.

Again, this is the last day (through 12 midnight PST) to get your free copy of On Promised Land. Let me know if the letter element is good or bad. This is an ongoing project, and feedback is welcome (reviews on the Goodreads and Amazon page, too).

To get your copy of On Promised Land, click here.

Kindle book Free For All - Two Days

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:49:00 +0000

This is the first day of a 2-day Free For All of On Promised Land. It will be free for all Kindle users on 15 and 16 January--in honor of Martin Luther King Day.

On Promised Land is all about Freedom. It begins in 1841 in the Everglades. Tru and Tall Deer, their extended families, and Seminole friends and neighbors are on the run when the American forces extend their pursuit of Seminoles. The Treaty of Camp Moultrie (1823) had promised that the land south of Okeechobee would forever be for the Seminole people—a reservation. Tru and Tall Deer lived south, on the reservation land. But the Indian Removal Act in 1830, stated that all Indian people would be removed from the eastern states and settled in the West. The reservation land in Florida was finally negotiated away with the Treaty of Payne's Landing (1832). This treaty allowed only three years for all the Seminoles to relocate.

The isolated people in the "everglades" knew little about this, and fought to remain in the land they knew and loved. The blacks, some free some slaved, who lived along side the Seminoles also fought with them. Many owned property, had farms and livestock. And mostly, they had a freedom that was being threatened by the forced move West, and also by slavers who considered any black a runaway.

After evasion, and skirmishes, Tru, Tall Deer, their extended families and Seminole friends and neighbors are captured, and moved West to Indian Territory. During the hardships at Fort Gibson, the young couple don't lose their belief for each other or their culture and, in 1842, find a place to settle away from the turmoil of the fort.

This story is bracketed with annotated history timelines, and there's also a selected bibliography.

Poetry Sunday - 11

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:43:00 +0000

January

Clear days are short with sun-
light snow is soft
in the air at night
JackRabbit whistles shrilly
for his mate a sharp sound
against the black sky.
Stark
in white cover
he beats the hardened snow
with strong feet.

© Kae Cheatham
All rights reserved

Free eBook and Where it Started

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Yes, it's free. For two days,
15 – 16 January 2012, at Amazon.

On Promised Land is a story about the Blacks who lived with, fought with, and were moved West in the 1830s with the Seminoles of Florida. I have developed the extended family of Tru and Tall Deer Campos, caught in the turmoil, with hopes of portraying the determination and dangers of the times.

I first became interested in the history of Black Seminoles many years ago. I was traveling with my children to a Western Writers of America (WWA) convention. We were tent camping, and after a rainy, muddy night, we needed to do some laundry. I found a nice coin laundry in Wewoka, Oklahoma, the capitol for Western Seminoles. Near to the laundry was a museum, and of course, I had to go in.

It was orderly and informative, and I realized that the Blacks, free and slaved, who lived with the Seminoles had a fascinating history in Indian Territory. My interest was noted by the museum's curator. When I mentioned WWA and that I was a writer (I think one of my children sprung this tidbit of information), he became enthused, and encouraged me to create a story about the Black Seminoles. When we left to get our laundry, my tote bag contained several pamphlets and references.

But how to fashion this story? Up to that time, most of my published works were for YA readers; I attempted a story from that angle, but the more I read and studied, the more I wanted to write an adult novel for this subject. I collected books and information, and made several attempts at a manuscript.

A year or so later, I received a telephone call from a New York publishing house. (Now wasn't I wide-eyed and giddy!) The editor said she had gotten my name from a mutual WWA colleague ; he had recommended me for a project the house had in mind. They wanted a novel about Blacks in the West, to show the struggles, the fortitude, et cetera, and present information that, to a great degree, hadn't been given at that time. We talked at length, and I committed to sending a proposal, synopsis and fifty or so pages. I went immediately to information on Black Seminoles. It seemed the perfect subject for what this New York house had in mind.

Alas—I was so mistaken. I sent a professional proposal, synopsis, and the opening chapters, only to be told that my subject was too obscure. "No one's ever heard of this," the editor told me. I wanted to quip, "Isn't that the point?", but kept my professional demeanor and tried to fathom what she really wanted. I presented another idea about the free blacks who traveled the Oregon Trail in the 1840s. That didn't fly, either. The editor finally became more specific: "1870s. Ex-slaves settling on Western plains with their new freedom..." (Thinks me: Little House on the Prairie in black face).

I was done. My interests in western history pretty much end at 1870. I thanked her for considering my work. My writing was commended and my resume "would be kept on file." I never heard from them again.

But there I was with an outline, the research nearly complete, several chapters written about Blacks in Indian Territory during 1840-1865. I shopped my proposal to several other publishers, even had agent representation, but the story didn't fit into any publishing needs.

And here I am, still with a partial...a novella of the early years...On Promised Land. Will I finish this saga? The story of Tru and Tall Deer doesn't reach a moderate conclusion until 1865. I've written into the 1850s. Occasionally I look at the historical data and I'm overwhelmed. I like to write about people first, and set them into an historical landscape. The events of those years, particularly 1850 – 1862 are so volatile and convoluted, I cannot yet make it become background and not overshadow my characters.

At the end of the e-book On Promised Land, I have listed the history that follows where my novella ends. I have also added a selected bibliography. On Promised Land is in the Kindle Select program, which means it's always free for Kindle Prime members. But on 15 and 16 January 2012, On Promised Land will be free to anyone with a Kindle, Kindle App or using Kindle Cloud.

Two days. Download this history story, and I would appreciate some feedback that might aide me in completing the saga.

Pure - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:39:00 +0000

My copy of PURE came from the publishers through netgalley.com

I read a lot of Science Fiction, but dystopian stories aren't usually the ones I choose. I often find them a bit overwhelming with their dismal view of the future. Of course, that's what dystopian stories are about, but many of them focus more on this wrecked and depressing future than on the characters. I like a character-driven story. The titles I've read that give me the characters I can care about have been by Octavia Butler and Paolo Bacigalupi. I'm sure more authors would meet my criteria, but I haven't found them...until now. I've added Juilianna Baggott to this list.

From the Goodreads book page:

"Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost--how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers...to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small.

This overview of Pure snagged my attention, and the character of Pressia pulled me in to her story of surviving a fractured and disturbing world, where odd wraiths can attack from underground, where finding food and water is a hopeful consideration, and where deformities are the norm...deformities such as Pressia's where the doll she was holding when Detonations happened is now permanently fused to her hand. Her physical change is nothing compared to other people. Her grandfather has a fan lodged in his throat that whirrs as he breathes. Her friend, Bradwell, has birds embedded on his back—still alive and living through him. Everyone has some odd alteration...Except for the Pures

The Pures have become nearly mythical, even though everyone can look up to where they live in a massive hermetically-sealed Dome. That thriving mini city is home to people without deformities, without starvation and attacks by Groupies (a multi-fused people gang). A place some wish they could get to, while other want it destroyed.

When Pressia meets the Pure, Partridge, who was driven out of the Dome by his need to find his mother, she learns new things about herself and the blasted world around her. How she assimilates her new knowledge is deftly told. Her emotions, often conflicting, about Pures and the Before, are realistic and heart-wrenching. Partridge, too, is a fascinating character. Through him and another Pure, Lyda, life within the Dome is presented not just as a camera-view of this future place, but with the emotional needs of the characters.

Baggott is noted for her excellent YA fiction, and while the major characters of Pure are in their youth, the story and writing offer excellence for anyone. Although I noted a few plot line conundrums, I won't mention them because 1) they were small and would also be Spoilers, and 2) I was reading an ARC--these aspects in the final book might be different.

Without reservation, I recommended Pure as a fascinating, well written story. It's also the first book in a series. I look forward to the next.

Too Much Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:50:00 +0000

I'm reading three books right now. I don't usually stack them like this. It just sort of happened...mostly because two of them are whimsical stories—both SciFi, in a way: Empringham's The Afternet and Hotel Carousel by S.H. Hughes. The third title is The Dead Man (Jack Davis Thrillers), by Joel Goldman—a mystery.

I'll finish the mystery before the other two, even though I started the SFs a few days earlier. I like witty pieces, but for me, humor is like sitting down for dinner and finding that every course is cake. Neither my sweet tooth, nor my funny bone can take too much at one time. Since all three titles are well-written, I know none of them will end up on my dnf list.

Dead Heroes – Planet History

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:59:00 +0000

World building in science fiction adds interest and originality. Check out the history of the people in Dead Heroes. The future world, New Esrii, is heavily locked to its past.

In 2800 years since the ancestors of New Esrii left old Earth, their existence had never been in as much peril as it was now. Not when they were ostracized from Earth to become only the third colony in space; not when they were shunted aside by the Space Population Regulation Committee (SPRC).
When Earth's moon was damaged; communication from SPRC dwindled. A few colonies turned to New Esrii's ancestors for advice, suggestions, because those people, then living on the satellite cluster system they called ESR-II, had been thriving on their own for many decades. After eight years, not a single colony science center could even get a whisper of activity on Earth. The nine colonies, reluctantly surmised that Earth as a governing force, as a home base and seat of humanity, might be gone. The ancestors of New Esrii had predicted this and their prescience made them more outcast, as if their certainty of doom had caused it....

Read the full history the Web site

Next Project is History

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:48:00 +0000

No, the project isn't finished; it's an historical fiction novel.

Since I was pretty successful in getting the Science Fiction Dead Heroes completed when I got serious in November, I'm thinking I can do that again. Hey. Why not? I know authors who write whole books in a month...and January had 31 days.

This is an 1830s story that, as with the SF manuscript, I have partially finished. It's an OOP title, first published a few decades ago, but my writing abilities and style have improved greatly since then and I've decided the writing needs an overhaul. I hope to get up the eBook in February, with a print version coming later in the year.

I'll have updates and maybe excerpts on this blog. Working title: Hammer Come Down.

Readers Choices

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:31:00 +0000

The Goodreads Readers' Choices have been announced. (No--none of my books are on the lists.) And while I like the categories they've made (horror wasn't competing with paranormal fantasy, for instance), I can't figure why Mystery and Thriller are still lumped into the same boat. For me, Mystery could be broken down a lot: cozies and police procedural, are two levels that are so different, it would be hard to compare a title of one to that of the other. And then to have Thrillers (which I avoid) in there. Oh, wow.

I'm certain avid readers of other genre have their concerns, too. It's just that Mysteries are the types of books I most read.

Poetry Sunday - 10

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 10:21:00 +0000

I Want To Be A Weaver

I have a loom, fretted

with tangled thoughts. I comb and cull

the strongest threads and imagine

unique designs—

rich arabesques!

They are fringed by despair--

tatters of previous efforts.

More poems by Kae

Why should I continue, indignant at my failures?
Yet what to do with these endless skeins?

Wreathed by mad envy

I examine tapestries profuse with color,

certain I too can blend and bind

an intricate cloth.

Back at work,

I touch the shuttle. It spews

frayed lines clogged in knots.

Everything I do is green.

Book Picks 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 09:15:00 +0000

I must admit, when I signed on for the Goodreads Reader's Challenge, I didn't think I would achieve my 51 book goal. But I did! I even exceeded it by a small bit.

Here are the top ten titles I really liked (in my read order, not order of preference). Many of them I've reviewed on this blog or at GoodReads; the title link will take you there.

Married to Bhutan memoir
Hypothermia mystery
Bone and Jewel Creatures fantasy
Wading Home contemporary
Keeper of Lost Causes mystery
The Sixth Discipline Sci Fi
Power Ballads short stories
A Witness Above mystery
The Only Witness mystery
Patrick Patterson and the World of Others SciFi

Dead Heroes – Excerpt 5

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 08:05:00 +0000

This excerpt is the introduction of the fourth major character in the Science Fiction book Dead Heroes. It's live now for Kindle. Free for Kindle Prime members. Print edition coming early next year.

In the inner sector
Commander Gerren Simsun stood very still and studied the data banks. Nothing seemed amiss. Gerren and his Chief Medical Officer had been the last to enter the timeholds—those cylinders of stasis. The doctor had seen to Gerren's comfort, set dials and checked calibrations. As the CMO closed himself away, Gerren had used his telekinesis and easily changed his own wake up settings. So now he was out of the coffin-like pod. Just as the other times he had done this, neither the computers or the robotic attendants in the timehold bay had reacted to his early emergence.
His crew and those on the other ships would remain in stasis for most of the trip—nearly two months—until this fleet of five ships reached the space station and readied for the critical traverse of the solar fault.
Silent corridors. Only steady, faint vibrations of the motors and mechanisms sounded. Gerren bypassed the lift and cautiously opened a hatchway that would allow him access to the upper levels. On every deep space flight, he had avoided long-term stasis, yet he still expected an alarm to sound—something to announce that he wasn't where he was supposed to be. Years of being under surveillance had taken its toll, although the last decade had not been as insistent as the previous fifteen. He would, nonetheless, check everything.
An effective command comes from a broad base of knowledge, Edgar had taught him.
Gerren had said those words to the head of government, Supreme Wills Ruchina, before he departed to the ship. He wasn't certain why they had come to him. It had been years since Gerren thought of Edgar Jahn. But now he clearly remembered the symmetrical face, swarthy skin and chiseled features. Edgar's eyes, under smoothly arched brows, were the shade of quiet lagoons.
"You must be a reasonable person, Gerren," Edgar had instructed him. "No matter what you learn or how it makes you feel, always analyze actions. Don't merely react to your emotions."
He had been "reasonable" ever since Edgar left without him. Died, Gerren had eventually been told, but he felt something else had happened and that he was somehow responsible for Edgar's disappearance. So he had been reasonable, with no more outbursts like the one before Edgar seemed to vanish; he was "reasonable" and acquiesced to everything the former Supreme, Tyus Derkson, expected of him. Derkson always told him he would be a great leader. Derkson had groomed him to be such and Gerren was already the Supreme elect; he would be installed as the fourth Supreme of Yiven when he returned from this important expedition. Gerren's deep thoughts, however, weren't on the government position he would have. This expedition fulfilled his longtime hopes to one day go back to the outer sector. He needed answers about his parents: the mother he didn't remember, and the father who never tried to get him back. Even Edgar had left him. Gerren had to find out why.
A sheen of perspiration marked his hairline when he finally exited the shaft at bridge level. He strode down the hall and stopped at a service panel. From the back of the compartment he withdrew a small scanner he had secreted there; he closed the panel and proceeded to his door. This scanner was his own device, set to locate any surveillance bugs that other units would miss. He wasn't sure what to do if the scan proved his room was, even now, monitored. He tabbed the scan switch.
The door was clean.
Once inside, he moved around the three-room suite searching out any snoopers that might have been activated after he left for the timehold. Nothing. He gave a wry smile, relishing these coming months when he wouldn't have to pose, pretend, or be "reasonable." Other deep space flights he had commanded hadn't afforded him nearly so much time to be completely on his own.
He carried the scanner with him, left the room and walked along a short hallway to the command bridge where he strolled among the banks of various colored sensors, dials, screens and work stations, checking for bugs along the way. Nothing. Gerren chuckled and activated the forward visuals. Deep space seemed to have form, with caverns of blackness stretching from one weak force to another; it encompassed huge voids of unstructured matter. Misty comet tails, cascades of bright dots, and points of light pierced the distance and grew steadily larger as the ship rushed along. He was a master scholar in astrophysics, yet he marveled at the binding energies and pulsating rhythms that held the galaxy together, as if groups of matter were hooked to the rays that streamed from the sun. Revolving. Running their patterns in time.
He could faintly make out the distinctive coloration of the solar fault and looked beyond that, wondering which bright star was Tal. Soon that vagrant body would be concurrent with their own sun. Yiven would be in an aphelion position and would experience few effects, but the outer-sector planets would be between both suns. He couldn't imagine how the outer sector people would survive the heat, the loss of crops and the years of discomfort from the effect of two suns. He still wasn't certain why or how Tyus Derkson had made negotiations with the outer sector. An exchange of grain for that phenomenal fuel, tocris, was the official word. True, the Yivenese could use tocris. The small stockpile that had been stored in the original city pods had long since been depleted, and nucleonic propulsion utilized in spacecrafts was costly. Having tocris would be good. Toward that end, the ships' interiors had been altered to carry the huge amounts of grain they were trading. He had helped to design the system that would discharge the grain and then be reversed to take in the crystalline ore from the outer-sector stockpiles.

The cool temperature of the ship began to chill him. No need for heat when the crew wasn't about. He returned to his quarters and pulled out of the thin body suit he had donned before entering the timehold. He took a quick shower, ridding the chalky sensor-heightening film from his body. Stepping out, he grabbed a towel, but when he flipped it open he stared at the embroidery in the center:
Long Sleep, something is amiss.
Security officers wouldn't have recognized the Yivenese glyphs, but Gerren knew several aborigine dialects. Long Sleep was the name Yivenese used for him because of the decades he had spent in the timehold. He dropped the towel and opened another. Nothing there—just a towel. He checked another: it had decorative swirls, but no glyphs. With the water cooling on his skin, he examined his bedding. Nothing. Returning to the bathroom, he unfolded the towel with the message. While drying with another, he studied the glyphs, as if some answer would appear.
Why this message? Who initiated it?
Senator Elite Marta Tovich flashed to his thoughts. Respected by old and young alike, she had been an honored attendee at the launch facility before Gerren went to the ship. And she had said something to him...No...She had communicated something: Timaht give you courage to endure. As he did then, he thought, Timaht?
Was that strange event related to this Yivenese message secreted in a towel?
He pulled into gray leggings and a turtleneck, and as he slipped on his shipboard boots, he thought he saw a flicker of green at his desk. He went there and studied the console that monitored bridge functions. He had developed the small unit for ship commanders. The system was standard issue on all ships. Nothing showed now. Perhaps he had imagined it—his innate paranoia creating problems where there were none.
An effective command comes from a broad base of knowledge.
"I don't want this mission to go awry because of lack of information."
He headed to the bridge to do a complete check of the ship's systems.

Planning for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:00:00 +0000

We're coming up on a new calendar year, and I'm a firm believer that effective marketing takes a whole lot of planning. Do you do the New Year's Resolution thing? Here are some things to consider.

From a post at GITProductions

If you have a new title in the works, or back listed books that need to be pumped, get your marketing for the entire year planned now. Begin with lists of where and why your titles would have value and generate interest. Include online sites and also the brick-and-mortar world.

Online, book events can be lucrative, from joining blog carnivals, giving interviews, and promotional coupons. It's essential to determine the sites best for your title (and if you have several titles, the sites could be different for each). If your title has a historical or holiday connection, don't wait until a few weeks before the optimum date to line up an interview or promotion; set it up months in advance....

Read the rest here

Poetry Sunday – 9

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 12:10:00 +0000

New World

more poems by Kae

In the circus a man
is caught between two displays:
aerialists and gymnasts fill spotlights
with daring. He is expected
to join one show
or the other, yet
he is dressed in safari clothes
and has no cats to tame.
He feels unskilled for high
wire, and glances at acrobatics
with dismay. Viewers scowl;
disdain skims the air.
From the shadows he grabs hoops
and attempts to juggle. Everyone
laughs, thinking:
He's a clown

Dead Heroes - It's Live!

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:57:00 +0000

Book sales are all about Marketing, so Here it goes

The Science Fiction Novel
DEAD HEROES
is now live at Amazon

E-book only

You don't have a Kindle?

That's OK. You can read it while online with Kindle Cloud, or download an APP for PC, smartphones, tablets, and iPod.

Dead Heroes is FREE for Kindle Prime subscribers.

Print edition coming early in 2012.

What's this Speculative Fiction story about?

Generations of government duplicity concerning genetic manipulation have led to segregation and brought a vitalistic culture to the brink of civil war.

A full synopsis is on the Amazon page

Be one of the first to read and review this book.

Dead Heroes – Excerpt 4

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:56:00 +0000

Sol was still above the ragged peaks of the Forclatt range as Zaya Glen left the small service port near the mountains. She waved goodbye to some colleagues, smiling over the progress they had made as she stepped into her vehicle. She was the director of this vivarium, its very presence testimony to her perseverance. When she had submitted the proposal for large facility a year ago, opposition was rife: "Why keep alive these creatures when we have their DNA and RNA in the computers," argued many. "Four centuries of cloning have given us every delectable meat or poultry to be conceived."
"Storage banks will be subject to the energy demands that we can't fully predict," Zaya had argued. "Our computer system is equally susceptible to possible failures—" "None of our systems have failed in more than eight centuries!"
"We have not been thus aligned for the Tal Apex since our current accomplishments have been in place. We can't be so arrogant as to overlook all possibilities!" Zaya had stressed.
The word "arrogant" had brought several reprimands from older scholars, but her cherished mentor, Master Scholar Elite, Sage Lanj Gamion, had joined her argument and won over General Assembly members ambivalent to the discussion. The vivarium was established, with Zaya as its head.
With the hovercraft on automatic, she took time to glean dust from her hair before fashioning it into a long braid that she looped and pinned into two circles on the back of her head.
"Send to Paul," she spoke to her personal unit. She fastened the unit to the console and maximized the screen. Paul Berklin, her Life Partner, answered, his face on the screen showing a reserved smile. "Some problems at the vivarium," she said. "I'll be at my office later than I thought—to get month-end updates done for my classes."
"So no family dinner this evening," he said with reproof.
"I'll try to get there—"
"Actually, we've already eaten: myself, Tammir, and Sinoa."
"Oh. Well...I expect to wrap up here in the next hour or so," she said. "See you all then."
"Sinoa's off to meet friends—going to hear Sage Gamion, I believe."
Zaya hid her dismay: They had planned for this to be a family outing—all of them going to the park together.
"Tammir and I decided to stay here and watch it on the tel. Shall I save you a copy?" Paul continued.
"Yes...That would be nice. Thank you."
"All right. See you later." The conversation ended, leaving Zaya with Paul's slight frown.
I must spend more time with my family.
Dust billowed behind the craft, creating a thin haze on the barren landscape. She stared out to where the vehicle lights highlighted gaping cracks. They wandered like old wrinkles across the orange face of New Esrii. Enormous white flowers of the dosan, native to Gari's Desert, now blotched the grasslands, pushing to the edges of the counties Two and Four. And it might get worse. She gave a worried sigh and looked up, unable to see Berant, but hoping the work there to build protection around that volatile asteroid was proceeding as well as her own project.
A small device above her right rib cage vibrated. Surprised, she sat back, but let it tremble a bit longer. She hadn't expected any contact until after the meeting of the General Assembly. Finally, with a touch she quieted the device and opened her compac. After entering several codes on various encrypted pages, she read the Hurist message: Mtg 2mor 0700, at HQ. H.P.
The Hurist. A legendary facet of New Esrii culture. The Hurist motto was To Perpetuate True Insight and Cultural Integrity. Certainly a statement with which Zaya agreed. She had attended some lectures back when she was in Prep, and a few times while she studied at Varsity and then Seminary. Tomorrow would be her fourth meeting with the group leadership, having been asked to join them after the previous County Two representative, a retired scholar Zaya had studied with fifteen years ago, expired. She had sent condolences to the family, not realizing that the man's death would create this opportunity for her.
That wasn't the only persuasion for her involvement. Six of the current eleven commanders had found mental focus on a single phrase in one column in the more than fifty-three billion books in the Hall of Memories. Zaya had awakened one morning with the image in her head; she told her counselor about it and the woman told her what she had seen—the passage in the old Sights. "I have found someone who can read the writing," she told Zaya at a follow-up visit. She gave her a printed copy of the quote: There will be a time when the our citizens will not be of one world; when the life forms will vary, but mind energies will flag. Beware the infiltrators! They will sap rationality from the masses and be hard to cull from the norm. From them will come a crisis far greater than we fear from Tal.
At that time, six months ago, Zaya couldn't imagine a crisis worse than Tal's passage.
Then three days ago had come information from the deep space satellite, Izmir II, showing a flotilla on apparent trajectory to the inner sector space station that had been placed there centuries ago, but, because of Tal, abandoned for nearly a generation. Zaya always thought the information from Izmir II fed directly to the General Assembly mainframe; she wondered how the Hurists obtained it, and the information it had sent was curious.
"Warships!" the aged Punataa had declared after setting up a conference call to the Hurist commanders. A Master Scholar Elite in two fields, and a Sage in metaphysical interpretation, Punataa was the oldest of the Hurist Coalition leadership. "They're going to attack us during the Tal Apex."
"Attack? Why ever would they do that?" Majreed Burda asked. Conjecture had heightened, including Master Scholar Elite Tandra Licafol's suggestion that the Yivenese must have associates on New Esrii helping them. "The war armada comes from without—outside our sector," she insisted, referring to the passage that had pulled Zaya, Majreed Burda and four others to the group leadership. "And anarchists are within our society aiding them."
"Licafol, you've gone from a dubious threat, to a possible war, and now you suggest anarchy?" Master Scholar Sandor Vhutan said.
"The General Assembly will address this possible war fleet, as you call it, Master Punataa," M.S. Daiten Chang put in. "Nothing for us to do until after the General Assembly meeting. Once we see what course the GA lays out, we'll know where to intercede and how we can best enhance the proceedings."
Zaya and five others had agreed with Chang.
And now, although no reason given for this sudden call (high priority and at headquarters, no less), she wondered if new information had been found, and this would be on the agenda. Tomorrow at 0700, she thought.
Consternation settled in. She had planned to have breakfast with her oldest child, Dannel, who was returning to planet after thirteen days. That would be early. If she changed their meeting place, perhaps she could still.

Learn the history of New Esrii at the Web site
Release date: 24 December 2011
Dead Heroes - a Sci-Fi story of death...and life.

Bound For the Promise-Land – Review

noreply@blogger.com (Kae) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:59:00 +0000

I purchased the electronic edition of Bound For the Promise-Land after seeing it mentioned several times in a Facebook Western Authors group. The positive comments there were not misplaced.

The story (cobbled from two different Goodreads book pages):

"Freedom is not a place you run to…Freedom is a place in your soul." These words sum up the life long quest of ex-slave Alfred Mann as he pursues the dream of equality in a world not of his making. From fugitive to Medal of Honor winner, Mann carries on to rise above the ignorance and intolerance of those who seek to bring him down; somehow gaining strength from the unimaginable losses he suffers and his own self doubt.
From the shackles of slavery to the smoky battlefields of the Civil War, from Reconstruction South to Northern race riots to fighting Indians on the Western Plains, Alfred proves to the world and to himself that he is a man.

The first-person protagonist of Alfred Mann came through with great believability, both his actions and his emotions; the many battle scenes were portrayed with gut wrenching intensity. They were very well written. This book is deserving of the 2001 SPUR Award it received [paperback edition], and I'm glad it is now available for e-books.

I haven't given this book five stars for personal reasons. Troy D. Smith is an American History scholar, and I consider myself that, too (although I don't have a .PhD). My knowledge of the events Smith wrote about is firmly in place, so I found myself flipping through some of the book thinking, 'Yep. I knew that.' The history was excellently portrayed, but, for me, I often felt I was getting too much history.

But this brings up another "problem"—not with Smith's writing or his characterizations, but with a caveat placed in the front matter by this publisher: "...the events and occurrences were invented in the mind and imagination of the author..." This line is a disservice to readers and to Smith. Many of the events actually did happen; several of the personages were real 19th Century people. Someone not well versed in American History should be made aware of that. Smith's mind and imagination eloquently placed his protagonist, Alfred Mann, in the events and had him interacting with American personalities such as Black Jack Pershing, Benjamin Greirson, Victorio and others. This is not easy to pull off. Bravo, Dr. Smith!

And on this same note, I would have appreciated an Addend with suggested reading, and/or an Author's note that would tell which events and people were from actual history. This is a fairly common practice with authors of historical fiction, myself included. The information would be great for high school students and other "young" readers of American History.

So is this a picky little thing I mention? Dunno. Might be just me. And that's what reviews are all about.
Final comment: excellent book. Read it!

Mental Geysers

Why I Don’t Tweet

Black History Month 2

Click "Black History Month" in the labels of this page for more articles.

Poetry Sunday - 13

Cold War

More poems by Kae

The Gauntlet Assassin - Review

February Is Black History Month

Poetry Sunday - 12

Self Portrait

Penreplicator of my wordsI have heard it said you are mightyyet flimsy are the wordssketched by my nascent hand Perhaps it's the wielding thoughtwhich quells the powerful swordHence I, adolescent, can parry only a jackknife.

© Kae CheathamAll Rights Reserved

More poems by Kae

The Dead Man - Review

For more of Kae's book reviews Click here.

On Promised Land - Thank You

On Promised Land Free ebook

To get your copy of On Promised Land, click here.

Kindle book Free For All - Two Days

Poetry Sunday - 11

January

© Kae CheathamAll rights reserved

Free eBook and Where it Started

Yes, it's free. For two days,15 – 16 January 2012, at Amazon.

Pure - Review

My copy of PURE came from the publishers through netgalley.com

Too Much Cake

Dead Heroes – Planet History

Read the full history the Web site

Next Project is History

Readers Choices

Poetry Sunday - 10

I Want To Be A Weaver

I have a loom, fretted

with tangled thoughts. I comb and cull

the strongest threads and imagine

unique designs—

rich arabesques!

They are fringed by despair--

tatters of previous efforts.

More poems by Kae

Why should I continue, indignant at my failures? Yet what to do with these endless skeins?

Wreathed by mad envy

I examine tapestries profuse with color,

certain I too can blend and bind

an intricate cloth.

Back at work,

I touch the shuttle. It spews

frayed lines clogged in knots.

Everything I do is green.

© 2009 Kae Cheatham

Book Picks 2011

Married to Bhutan memoirHypothermia mysteryBone and Jewel Creatures fantasyWading Home contemporaryKeeper of Lost Causes mysteryThe Sixth Discipline Sci FiPower Ballads short storiesA Witness Above mysteryThe Only Witness mysteryPatrick Patterson and the World of Others SciFi

Dead Heroes – Excerpt 5

This excerpt is the introduction of the fourth major character in the Science Fiction book Dead Heroes. It's live now for Kindle. Free for Kindle Prime members. Print edition coming early next year.

Planning for 2012

From a post at GITProductions

Read the rest here

Poetry Sunday – 9

New World

more poems by Kae

© 2011 Kae Cheatham

Dead Heroes - It's Live!

Book sales are all about Marketing, so Here it goes

The Science Fiction Novel DEAD HEROES is now live at Amazon

You don't have a Kindle?

That's OK. You can read it while online with Kindle Cloud, or download an APP for PC, smartphones, tablets, and iPod.

Dead Heroes is FREE for Kindle Prime subscribers.

Print edition coming early in 2012.

What's this Speculative Fiction story about?

Generations of government duplicity concerning genetic manipulation have led to segregation and brought a vitalistic culture to the brink of civil war.

Be one of the first to read and review this book.

Dead Heroes – Excerpt 4

Learn the history of New Esrii at the Web siteRelease date: 24 December 2011Dead Heroes - a Sci-Fi story of death...and life.

Bound For the Promise-Land – Review

Pen
replicator of my words
I have heard it said you are mighty
yet flimsy are the words
sketched by my nascent hand
Perhaps it's the wielding thought
which quells the powerful sword
Hence I, adolescent,
can parry only
a jackknife.

© Kae Cheatham
All Rights Reserved

© Kae Cheatham
All rights reserved

Yes, it's free. For two days,
15 – 16 January 2012, at Amazon.

Why should I continue, indignant at my failures?
Yet what to do with these endless skeins?

Married to Bhutan memoir
Hypothermia mystery
Bone and Jewel Creatures fantasy
Wading Home contemporary
Keeper of Lost Causes mystery
The Sixth Discipline Sci Fi
Power Ballads short stories
A Witness Above mystery
The Only Witness mystery
Patrick Patterson and the World of Others SciFi

The Science Fiction Novel
DEAD HEROES
is now live at Amazon

Learn the history of New Esrii at the Web site
Release date: 24 December 2011
Dead Heroes - a Sci-Fi story of death...and life.