Unbelievable. A political comment.

Unbelievable! We’ve finally voted in a government after spending 300 million tax-dollars on the election. Now the opposition, who promised to work with this government and try to turn the economy around, decides they want to topple it. The Liberals, the NDP, and the Bloc Québécois want to form a coalition government. The Bloc, which is a party only in and for the province of Quebec, immediately puts conditions on this preposterous plan. They want more federal money for Quebec and government employees in Quebec are required to speak only French. Pardon me? Only French? And the rest of Canada has to speak French and English? But that is another subject.
What makes this planned coup almost laughable is the blatant transparency as to the reason: 30 million dollars. That is the money the government is not going to give to the political parties. In other words, this whole thing has nothing to do with the good of the people but only the good of the politicians.
One commentator on TV said, “This is Democracy at work.”
I would like to dispute that. Democracy was at work when the people of Canada spoke in the last election. And they clearly voted for the Conservative Party. If not for the Conservatives then for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. They didn’t want the Liberals, not the NDP, and certainly not the Bloc Québécois. I still can’t understand how a party that has no members in the rest of Canada can have fifty seats in the federal government.
The Bloc has no interest in Canada. Its only interest is the province of Quebec. In fact, that party wants to destroy Canada.
Overthrowing the government by a non-confidence vote now will put Canada on the same level as the so-called Banana Republics. It will wipe out the respect we have in the world that sees us a stable country.
Right now, we need stability to bring back confidence in the markets and in the economy of Canada and the rest of the world. The kind of behavior these political parties are showing is dangerous and irresponsible. It clearly shows that they don’t have any interest in the welfare of the citizens of this country but only care for themselves.
Since the Liberals, the NDP, the Bloc, and the Green Party rely on federal money because they don’t have any backers only means they are not popular and possibly not wanted by the majority of Canadians. That is Democracy at work.
We don’t need or want a government that gets into power by force. We are still living in a Democracy and we’d like to keep it that way, even though there are forces out there that want to change that. That worries me. Maybe we should have a closer look at the people who are behind this.
Just my opinion.

Time flies

Hard to believe this is the end of November. I went on my yearly deer hunting trip from November 8 to November 14. I can't say I was successful. I didn't see any deer from my stand. The area where we hunt is changing. Many trees have died because of the beavers that build dams and flood the land. There is a lot of swamp now where forest used to be.
The weather didn't co-operate either. It rained for a couple of days. It was much too warm for the hunt. Most of the deer were still on the surrounding farmland. They only come into the bush once it gets cold and the snow gets too high. No snow this year.
I had to re-build my stand this year. The wood was beginning to rot. The old one lasted 15 years. I guess that it not bad. I didn't build a new one, as I had planned, just fixed up the old one. It should be good for many more years, but I may have to build another one at another spot. I checked out the area where we hunt and I found a nice clearing that looks promising. But that will be next year. Let's not rush it.
Since I came back I managed to write a bit for my novel Epsilon, but progress is slow. Right now I am in an organizing and cleaning up mode. My garage needed to be cleaned out. It is beginning to look good now. I never realized how big it is. I took a few trips to the dump and threw out a lot of stuff. I've retired from my Electrical Business and there was a lot of stuff I thought I could use, but that is not going to happen anymore. Things like old panels, pieces of wire, boxes, screws, bolts. I found stuff I didn't know I had.
Hard to throw things out, but sometimes you have to make a decision. You know the old saying: If you haven't looked at it for three years you don't need it. Well, some of the stuff I had was older than that, much older. It's is in the dump now.

Coming soon

Just finished sending back the edited version of 'Orola, Warrior Priestess'. My editor culled quite a bit out of the original version to make it more marketable and to make certain it doesn't contain any material that is not approved by presently accepted moral guidelines. The stories have much erotic content. I wrote them years ago when I didn't worry about having them published.
Sometimes as writers we might go a little overboard and go past what is accepted by the 'Moral Police' and what isn't. That is fine when we write for our own amusement but not when it is intended to be published. Then out comes the editor's red pen, and that is okay with me. I believe the final result is a good book and I'm looking forward to its publication.
I have to thank my editor, Jane Carver, for spending so much time with the book and caring enough to make it a good read.
Actually, it contains seven short stories featuring Orola, but they are all connected, even though I wrote them in the span of about ten years. I wrote the last story first. Then I began writing more, following Orola on her journey across a planet filled with dangers until she ended up in the place described in the final story.
The first story 'The Kiir' was already published once by itself and once in the digest 'Midnight Raunch'.
I haven't done much otherwise with my writing. The novel I'm currently working on, 'Epsilon', has progressed to about 30,000 words. I've been too busy working in the yard and getting our property ready for the winter. Once the snow is on the ground and nothing else to do outside but shoveling snow I should be getting a bit more time to devote to my writing.

The launch of my new Website

Well, I finally did it. I have a Website. I call it 'Herbert's World'. (Very imaginative, I know, since it is so close to Herbert's Place, but I think it is appropriate. I had so many ideas about what to call it, but I couldn't come up with anything better. It took me a couple of days to whip it into shape, but I found it quite easy to manage. It is not much different from a blog. In fact, I have another blog now as part of my website. Eventually, I will fade out this one with news from my writings and use it for different stuff, like discussing books and other things.
I invite you to check out my new site. Just click on 'Herbert's World' and it will take you there. Paste it into you Bookmarks so you can find it again for future visits. I'll be looking for you there. You won't find any flashing lights. The site is quite simple but functional. I'm happy with what I created. I like the option of many pages, something this blog doesn't have. It is easier to organize everything.
Should you visit, leave a comment on my new blog. There is even a picture of me there in 'About me', (no need to comment on that, though!)
See you there.

Comment by bionicperry on Mark of the Cobra

Thank you, bionicperry, for the comment. I appreciate it. Mark of the Cobra wasn't really rejected by my editor. Had I insisted, she would have published it, after a major edit, but she didn't care for the concept of the story. She didn't believe it was marketable in its present form. And I respected her view. Sometimes we have to listen to others, may they be editors or even readers.
I was disappointed, of course, not to see my hard work in print but, hey, I saw the 'error of my ways' and I move on.

Welcome Visitors

Hello visitors. Welcome to my blog and as usual when one of books is released I’ll give away a free copy of it (‘Outpost Epsilon’) to the first four who send me an e-mail to hegro@shaw.ca
I might even give away more, so don't let the number 'four' keep you from sending me an e-mail.
If you ask, I’ll also send you a free download of my anthology ‘Tapestry of Dreams’.

Mark of the Cobra

My novel Mark of the Cobra will not be published. At least not in its present form. My editor didn’t like it. According to her, it is not up to my usual ‘high standard’ as a writer. I don’t want to go into details about the reasons, but she is right. Therefore, I decided not to have it published. She gave me a lot of good suggestions and I will take her advice. She thinks it is basically a good story (a murder mystery), and I could make something better out of it. Alas, she is not the first person who didn’t care for the book. That is another reason I don’t want to see it published.
Right now, I would like to work on ‘Epsilon’. I am beginning to get a few ideas and the story is coming alive inside my head. All I need is the time to write.
I enjoy writing Science Fiction anyway more than contemporary novels. Maybe at a later date I will rewrite Mark of the Cobra, but it will be a different story. In the meantime, I’m waiting for ‘Outpost Epsilon’ to be published.

Hello

I am anxiously waiting for the release of ‘Mark of the Cobra’, my contemporary erotic thriller and the novelette ‘Outpost Epsilon’, the forerunner of the novel ‘Epsilon’, which I am currently working on.
Just for visiting, please send me an e-mail to hegro@shaw.ca and I will send you a copy of my first published novel ‘The Xandra, Daughter of the Dark’, Book One of the Xandra series. Should you already have that novel, feel free to ask for any of my other books. Just click on the cover and it will take you to the site to find out more about the book.
I’m not setting a limit to the number of visitors who will receive a copy. It depends how many are interested.

Here is an excerpt from ‘Outpost Epsilon’:

Outpost Epsilon
By
Herbert Grosshans

Chapter One

Terrex Stonewall shouldered his huge duffle bag, which held his meager possessions, and stepped from the shuttle onto the alien soil. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled the hot, humid air, registering unfamiliar scents and finding them not as unpleasant as he’d been told.
The door of the shuttle irised shut behind him, cutting off his way back should he change his mind about this new assignment, and he moved further away as the small shuttle lifted into the air. It rose then disappeared into the low hanging clouds.
Although he had been briefed, it still came as a surprise to see the giant mushrooms surrounding him. He walked slowly across the cleared area toward the enormous bubble that would be his home for the next year.
He knew what to expect.
Life on an outpost was not a holiday. Neither did it mean hardship, not usually. His job, as a scout for the Solar Union, would be to keep watch over this area of space and report any intrusion into the system.
They did not tell him why this particular outpost was so important. Epsilon happened to be the fourth planet in a solar system at the edge of controlled Human Space. There wasn’t much here, as far as Stonewall knew. Nothing anyone would want, unless you liked mushrooms.
The shrill cry of an animal hastened his steps toward the dome. Before he reached it, an opening appeared in the smooth surface of the bubble, and a man in the drab brown uniform of the Union stepped out.
“No canvassing allowed.” The man burst out laughing when he saw Stonewall’s perplexed expression. Holding out a hand, he said, “You must be Terrex Stonewall. I am William Peters. Welcome to Hell.”
“Hell?” Stonewall said. Then he nodded and grinned, suddenly aware of the wet fabric of his uniform clinging to his perspiring body. “It is damned hot.”
“Come inside.” The other man stepped back into the dome.
Stonewall followed him and stood silent for a moment, breathing in the cool air. Behind him, the door closed with a barely audible whoosh.
From the outside, the surface of the dome looked opaque, but standing inside, he could see the sky above and the forest of mushrooms as clearly as if the shell didn’t exist.
“Pretty clever,” he commented.
“It is. Don’t ask me how it’s done. I’m not a scientist. Something about bending the light waves.”
“You even have a garden,” Stonewall observed.
“That and more. Makes living on this hell-hole almost bearable.” Peters pointed to a squat building. “Those are our sleeping quarters. The kitchen and mess hall are over there. That ugly structure behind the kitchen houses the observation screens, computers and detection systems. Below it, underground, is the power grid. We call that building the Power-building.” He grinned. “Very original, don’t you agree? You’ll be spending most of your time in there.”
Stonewall saw a couple of figures moving around in the garden. Peters noticed his interest. “Don’t worry,” he said, laughing. “You won’t have to work in the garden. Those are work-drones. Robots.”
Stonewall grinned. “You had me worried there for a moment. I’m not a farmer.”
“Speaking of farmers,” Peters said, “there is the Chief right now. His name is…”
“Derrol Farmer. I know.” Stonewall smiled.
The tall man who came walking toward them, looked gaunt, like someone who hadn’t slept or eaten for days. “So, you’re the new guy,” he said with a grating voice, giving Stonewall a tight smile.
“The name’s Terrex Stonewall, sir.”
“I’m aware of that. Call me Chief. We are not that formal around here.” Farmer pointed at Stonewall’s duffel bag. “What did you bring with you? I hope all that stuff fits into your locker.” He stared at Peters. “Show him his bunk and introduce him to the others.”
Peters tipped his non-existent helmet in a sloppy salute. “Will do, Chief.”
Farmer turned and walked away.
“Is he always in this cheerful mood?” Stonewall asked when he was out of earshot.
Peters chuckled. “Not always. Today is one of his better days.” He punched Stonewall on the arm. “Come, I’ll show you to your executive suite.”
He took Stonewall to the dormitory and showed him his bunk. “Here we are. Your lavish quarters for the next year.” He grinned. “Just throw your stuff on the bed. You can stow it away later. It’s almost noon, but before we go for lunch, I want you to see your new workplace.”
When they entered the Power-building, Terrex smelled the sterile air, like the air in a hospital ward. “These instruments are quite delicate. They don’t like dust or temperature fluctuations. Better put on one of the lab coats.” Peters handed him a white coat. Then they walked down a short tunnel and through a door into a large room full of computers and electronic devices.
“Transmissions from the satellites circling Epsilon,” Peters said, pointing at the screens covering one wall. They displayed images of stars and empty space.
Only four of the computer terminals were occupied. One of the men looked up when Peters approached. “Hey, Peters,” he said. Glancing at Stonewall, he nodded. “The new guy?”
“Yep. Terrex Stonewall meet Ferd Prowler. He’s the supervisor on this shift. He’ll be your supervisor.”
“Hey, Stonewall,” Prowler said. “Welcome to Shithole. I hope you’ll be happy here.”
Stonewall smiled and lifted his hand. “Hey.”
Prowler’s expression turned serious, and he looked at Peters. “Better call the Chief. I’ve lost contact with Wong and Maisoneuve.”
“What the fuck are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I’ve lost contact with Wong and Maisoneuve, you dimwit. The beacon of the rover died an hours ago, and I can’t raise them on their personal comm. Haven’t been able for a couple of days now, but I thought maybe their comms were faulty. We’ve been having trouble with them for quite some time now. I didn’t think anything of it.”
“Fuck it!” Peters cursed again. “The Chief won’t be happy.” He grabbed Stonewall’s arm. “Come with me. Maybe your presence will keep him from executing me on the spot for being the bearer of bad news.”
“What happened?” Stonewall asked as he walked beside Peters.
“A few days ago we tracked an intruder into the system. A small ship of unknown origin. We got a fairly good image of it as it passed one of our surveillance drones. It traveled much too fast as it entered the ionosphere of this planet. And the angle was wrong, too. It crashed not far from here. We sent out two of our people to search for the ship and see if there were any survivors. They’ve been out there now for three days.”
He glanced at Stonewall. “This place might look peaceful and exotic with all those giant mushrooms, like a scene out of a fairy tale, but believe me, appearances are deceiving, literally. Danger lurks everywhere. On the ground and in the air. Even underground. You don’t want to be caught out there without a protective suit and a flash-rifle in each hand.”
Chief Farmer stayed surprisingly calm when Peters gave him the news. “We’ll have to send a team to find them,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “If anything happened to them, there’ll be hell to pay. Prowler should have notified me the minute he couldn’t contact them on their coms.”

Salsa Recipe

Three more weeks and Summer is finished. Fall starts in September. Time to harvest and store food for the winter. These days with all the different food scares one feels more and more inclined to grow vegetables in the garden. I’ve had a garden for years. Yes, it is a lot of work but it is well worth the trouble. Vegetables taste so much better and they are safer. No pesticides and other dangers to worry about. There is nothing better than a slice of homegrown tomato on a sandwich. Mind you, you need to put a slice of ham on the sandwich and that is where the problem arises. The Listeriosis found in packaged meats and sausages which caused the deaths and illness of so many people across the country makes me think twice about that slice of ham or sausage. Now it is so much more attractive to buy fresh meat and sausage from a local butcher than packages from a grocery store.
But let’s come back to the homegrown stuff. My pepper and tomato plants have produced well this year and I made some Salsa today. There are so many recipes out there. This is my own version and it tastes great.

Chop:
5 - quarts ripe tomatoes
3 - hot peppers (Hungarian banana peppers)
7 - large sweet peppers
3 - medium sized onions
5 - tablespoons fresh parsley (finely chopped)
3 - leaves fresh basil (finely chopped)
2 - teaspoons fresh Oregano (finely chopped)
3 - cloves garlic (crushed)
1 - tablespoon salt
Juice of 1 lime


Boil tomatoes for about 15 minutes in a large pot (6 quarts minimum). Remove most of the liquid to decrease cooking time. Dip a ladle into the boiling tomato pulp and let the foam run into the ladle. Don’t discard the liquid. Save it to make tomato soup.
Add the rest of the ingredients.
Boil for 30 minutes on medium heat, then simmer on medium low until thick, stirring frequently. (Total cooking time about 60 minutes or more, depending on how much liquid is in the pot). Don’t overcook, otherwise Salsa will turn to mush.
Cool and put into freezer containers, freeze, but don’t forget to leave out one container for immediate consumption.
Enjoy.

Notes: This recipe makes a mild Salsa. If you want a hotter Salsa, add more hot peppers or add some hot sauce. All of the ingredients are approximate amounts.

Here is a recipe for Tomato soup:

Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2 cups of liquid from the tomatoes
Salt to taste (if needed)
Preparation:
In heavy saucepan, heat oil and cook onions and garlic until tender. Add the tomato liquid, seasonings, stock, and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain through a fine strainer.
In clean saucepan, melt butter and add flour; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the tomato soup; cook and stir until thickened. Add remaining mixture, cook and stir with wire whisk until soup is hot and slightly thickened. Stir in orange zest and serve.

Here is the link to Tapestry of Dreams. And here is the cover.

End of August

Time for a bit of an update. Not much has happened lately and I can't believe that August is almost coming to an end. I’m busy with domestic chores and hardly did any writing, except for doing an edit for Mark of the Cobra, which is due to come out soon, I hope. There were a few things I needed to change. I approved a cover for Outpost Epsilon, which is also on the list of releases.
My other books have fallen back in sales at Fiction Wise. It’s like anything else. Unless you advertise constantly, the customers (readers) move on to other stores (authors).
My Science Fiction novel Epsilon is not going anywhere either. I wrote some background stuff. Introduced a couple more characters, but I don’t really know where I’m going with it. My mind just isn’t with the story. Sometimes that happens. Mark of the Cobra took me a long time to write because there always seemed to be another story that wanted to be written. I hope Epsilon isn’t one of them. I really like the world I created there. The novelette Outpost Epsilon is a forerunner of the novel. I’m torn if I should write in some erotic scenes or leave them out. I’m kinda getting tired of writing erotica. Maybe I’m getting old. Maybe I wrote too many erotic novels. I don’t know.
I wish I knew if my readers buy my books because they are Science Fiction or because of the erotica. One of my stories ‘For Love of Arilee’ is part of the digest Sweet Challenge. It contained no erotica. Just a sweet love story set in the World of the Xandra. I don’t believe the digest sold that well.

Tapestry of Dreams is alive and well

Tapestry of Dreams, my Anthology of eight stories ranging from vampires to time travel, is available now from MSFiction. Just follow the link. Click on Tapestry of Dreams.
Thanks for visiting. Send me an e-mail to hegro@shaw.ca and I’ll send you a free download of ‘Seeds of Chaos’, Eden’s Gate.

Tapestry of Dreams and a few other things

I’m still waiting for TAPESTRY OF DREAMS to be downloaded to the Midnight Showcase Fiction site, but so far, it hasn’t happened. Probably because of the tropical storm in Texas. That is where Mae Powers, my copy editor, lives. She sent me the copy for one last look-over on Monday, but my eyes were going blurry from writing all day (my blog, postings on the different groups, and some other stuff). I never got a chance to check it out for a last minute edit. So if there are still any mistakes in the finished product, I’ll have to live with it.
I went through a couple of my released novels and, to my unpleasant surprise, I found many mistakes. Even though the novels were checked over to death by me and then again by my editors, mistakes still slipped through. I’m talking about typing errors. I can only hope my readers are forgiving and not nit picking. There are always those.
That, of course, is the reality of life. Plenty of people find great pleasure in hurting others, either physically or mentally. Writing a nasty review seems to give some people a high. No writer makes a mistake on purpose. Most of us want to create a perfect piece of work. Unfortunately, life is not perfect. Sometimes you just have to overlook mistakes. To err is to be human. (I know it is a cliché, but it is the truth).
Then again, I admit, if a novel is riddled with too many errors it can be distracting, unless one is blessed with a mind that connects the dots and ignores misspelled words.
Too many errors spell: SLOPPY or HASTE. It is natural for a writer to have his (or her) work published as soon as it is finished. We can’t wait to have other people read the product of our dreaming minds. It is a fault most of us suffer from. Therefore, if you do find a mistake, don’t be too critical. Be forgiving and enjoy the story. After all, that is my purpose. To give my readers a few hours of escape from reality. So, forget about everyday life, forget about rules and conventional customs, sit back, relax and dream.
Stardogs Two has slipped to number 11 position at Fiction Wise. I’m losing hope for the number one spot. There were just too many releases last week and the readers have only so much money to spend. Maybe they like Erotic Romance better than Erotic Science Fiction, I don’t know.
I’ve noticed that M/M and F/F stories are selling well. I don’t write that kind of stuff. If I write Erotica, it is M/F, that’s it. My characters might be aliens, but males are attracted to females and females to males. The way nature intended. It may not be politically correct these days, but, hey, that’s the way I feel. I make no apologies. Same goes for using words like ‘server’ instead of ‘waitress’, or ‘flight attendant’ instead of ‘stewardess’. If it’s a man, I will say so by using the word ‘waiter’ and ‘steward’. Why should I limit myself to certain words just to satisfy those kooks who feel insulted every time somebody says or writes things that don’t fit into their little world, when the English language is so rich and colorful. The words are there. Therefore I use them. It’s like telling a painter he (or she) can only use certain colors.
Another thing that drives me up a wall is when a writer can’t make up his/her mind if he/she should use ‘he’ or ‘she‘. He/she might come up with a solution to please everyone, like using ‘he’ in one paragraph and ‘she’ in the next. Or ‘he/she’. That’s when I want to shout: MAKE UP YOUR FRIGGEN MIND! Use EITHER, but not this crazy jumping around! It makes me dizzy. Again, it may not be politically correct, but it only makes common sense.
Okay, I vented again. Just a little.

Fiction Wise sales update

Just checked Fiction Wise. I am happy to report that ‘Stardogs 2’ has moved from yesterday’s position 46 to number 9 in sales. ‘Stardogs 1’ has moved from 35 to 14. ‘Cliffs of Time’ is at 23, Beyond the Stars digest with my story ‘Time Flares’ at number 24. ‘Orion, the Hunt’ at 27. Things are looking gooood.
Stardogs 1 reached only the number 2 spot in December 2007. Never got to number one. Maybe Stardogs 2 will make it. One can hope.

Stardogs Two and other releases

My latest books are finally available from Fiction Wise. Stardogs Two was at number 46 in sales last time I checked. Midnight Showcase Fiction put quite a number of new releases on the Fiction Wise site. My book will have a hard time competing with them all. We’ll see, if Stardogs Two manages to move into the ten top positions. I hope so.
My other titles are Cliffs of Time, Orion--the Hunt, and my novella Time Flares, which is part of the digest Beyond the Stars. Fiction Wise is not a money maker for us, but it gets us exposure to more readers. We prefer that our readers buy our books from Midnight Showcase Fiction The links to all of my books are listed on the sidebar.
Anyone visiting for the first time, I bid you welcome. Stay a while and check out my blog. As stated in one of my last posts, if you are interested, send me an e-mail at hegro@shaw.ca and I will send you a copy of my story ‘Gin and Tonic’. It is not available anymore, but maybe soon it will be again as part of another digest. The first two who send me an e-mail will get a free download of 'Tapestry of Dreams' as soon as it is released. Please, ask for it.
I just renewed my contracts for the stories ‘The Anniversary Gift’ (my very first published story) and ‘Remember me next Christmas’. They will be published either individually or as part of a digest this year still.
Tapestry of Dreams should be released soon. The cover looks good.

Update and a few thoughts on writing

It’s been a month since my last post. Nothing much has happened except I’ve been battling this stubborn cold for a month. Summer colds are the worst to get rid off. My garden is growing well. Unless the weather turns nasty, like hail or strong winds, I should have a nice crop of tomatoes and peppers. Even my onions are getting large. The beans are also growing and so is the corn. I’ve planted corn only once, years ago, and it didn’t do well. I’m hoping this year it will have cobs we can eat.
The basil plant I thought was frozen out, did actually make it. It is growing. Basil is great in tomato sauces and even makes a nice tasting tea.
We have this little jackrabbit in the yard. He’s as cute as a button and not shy at all. First, he ate the tops of my red beets and the lettuce. When I put a fence around the bed, he began munching on my Swiss chard. Now I covered that with wire. I tried to chase him, but he runs circles around me and just looks at me. Even though I’m a hunter, I don’t want to hurt him. After all, he’s part of the yard and almost a pet.
I’m feeding the wild birds. We get many of the North American Finches. They are so beautiful with their bright yellow and black colors. We set up one of those tubes and fill them with Niger seeds. They love those, but the birds go to the other feeders also. Strange how some birds are. The females all get along, but the males won’t tolerate another one on the feeder. We have a few sparrows. Not as many as in the winter. Years ago, we used to have more. Maybe there are people in the neighborhood who feed them better food? Birds can be fussy; we know that from our Canary. He has his preferences.
Last week I sent away the final edit on ‘Tapestry of Dreams’. It should be released soon from Midnight Showcase Fiction.
When I have some spare time, I write on my new novel ‘Epsilon’. So far, I’ve written about 8,000 words. I have some ideas in my head but I don’t really know yet where I’m going. Can’t seem to get into it. There are always other things demanding my attention. I still have to fix some errors in my other novels and novellas scheduled for publishing this year. ‘Outpost Epsilon’ is one of them. It is next on the list. And then comes ‘Mark of the Cobra’. I read them again, found many mistakes, fixed them on the printed paper, but now I still have to do it on the computer. It all takes time.
When you write for your own entertainment, it doesn’t really matter if the grammar is correct. You don’t worry if you have the commas in the right place, if you used the proper words to describe something, if you misspelled a word, or if you use adverbs and adjectives correctly. Who cares about point of view, passive voice, past tense or present tense, or even being politically correct. It is the story that is important, nothing else. That all changes when you write for the public. Some readers will take a story apart and will painstakingly look for errors. That is a fact of life for a writer, and in a way, you can’t blame the reader, who spends money on the book. The reader expects an entertaining story but also one that is free of errors.
It should be easy to have a book without errors considering that our computers have a built-in spell checker, right? Well, it isn’t that easy. To trust the spell checker is like trusting a blind man to take you across a floating bridge without a railing and a bunch of boards missing. Maybe that is not a good analog but it’s the only one that pops into my head. A spell checker will never find the wrong words. Mine always tells me not to end a sentence with a preposition, not to start one with ‘but’ or ‘and’. Totally wrong. You are allowed to do both.
Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to have my stories published electronically. There certainly is no monetary reward. I could use my time better to just keep on writing and not worry about getting everything right.
Ah, here comes the clincher. Ego for one thing. It is nice to have my name in print. It also is nice to have my stories read by others and, hopefully, enjoyed. It also forces me to be disciplined and not become sloppy. Writing for me is not just a way to pass my free time and let my mind roam in realms of fantasy. It helped me to become more fluent in the use of the English language, helped me to learn new words, helped me to see, for instance, when to use ‘I’ or ‘me’. I am always surprised how many people don’t know the difference, even public speakers who should know better.
For me writing correctly is a challenge and it keeps my mind sharp and active. Very important as I grow older.
And there is always the hope, that some day my books will be discovered by more people and maybe, just maybe, one of them will become a worldwide bestseller. (If I am already dreaming, it might as well be big).
In the meantime I keep putting my fantasies into words and share them with you, my faithful readers, hoping you enjoy them as much as I. If you find a mistake, don’t be too harsh. It was not done intentionally or out of sloppiness. Sometimes our minds ignore them, even if our tired eyes notice them.

Time Flares

My novella 'Time Flares' is out. It is one of the stories in the digest 'Beyond the Stars'. Available now from Midnight Showcase Fiction. This is my second time travel story. The last one was 'Cliffs of Time'.

Welcome Visitors

I hope you like what you see. Stick around for a while and check out my postings. Since it is almost summer and just for visiting I'll send you a free download of my story 'Gin and Tonic', originally published in the digest 'Summer Heat'. It is no longer available because some of the other authors didn't renew their contract. Hopefully, it will soon be available again in a different digest. Be the first one to read it. Send me an e-mail and ask for it. My address is hegro@shaw.ca

An Intruder?

What is this? An intruder looking through the window? Well, it's a Luna Moth. I took this picture in Ontario. I tried to photograph it from the front, but the picture didn't turn out. It is hard to get a clear picture through glass, especially at night. The Luna Moth looks like an angel from the back and like a devil from the front. Kinda scary. For more information on the Luna Moth click on the link.

Hello Spring

It looks as if Spring is finally here to stay. Just look at the chokecherry tree. There’ll be a lot of chokecherries this year but we won’t get any. The birds are pretty quick gobbling them up. My garden is growing nicely, even though we had a bit of frost May 26 and some of my plants did get a touch of freezer burn. I lost my only basil plant. Maybe I’ll buy a new one. I usually buy the tomatoes and the peppers, the rest I seed. The beans and radishes are popping out of the ground and I hope the rabbits don’t show up to nibble on the beans. As cute as those little critters are, they can ruin a garden in no time.
I can’t believe it is already June 3. Where is the time going? Not much time left for our summer. We can get frost sometimes in September. My plants better hurry up. I need those peppers and tomatoes so I can make Salsa. I planted 2 hot Hungarian Peppers this year to give the Salsa a bit of a bite.
My book ‘Tapestry of Dreams’ still isn’t available but I hope it won’t be long now. The new Midnight Showcase site isn’t quite finished yet. However my books can be found there and are ready to be bought.
Click on the links or on the book covers.