B.J. Hyman's Blog, page 8

“Fall”-ing into Another Season

I don’t know about you, but this time of year always gives me butterflies. I’m not sure if I connect the change from Summer to Fall to some particular memory or if I’m just in love with the whole process of changing from those super hot, bright days to the cool, crispness that comes in Autumn.

I always notice the shift in sunlight first. Then comes the lift of a cool breeze through the humidity of a late summer afternoon. By the time the first blush of color shifts through the leaves on the trees, I’m already sipping cider on the back porch in the dusk. It seems to me to be the best season of reflection before the bite of winter’s chill comes and chases us all inside to seek the warmth of a blanket.

I dream of that unmistakable crunch of dried acorns and leaves beneath my feet as I walk down a path in the woods.

And I feel inspired.

Does fall bring you to a new state of mind?

Ray Sharp: Title Wave

Hmmm…how could I use this one in my inspiration music for my book series? It feels like a frantic moment. What do you think?

Article About The Kids

This is an oldie but goodie written by my sister while she was a columnist for The Daily Corinthian in Corinth, MS.

It’s that time of year again where all of my friends on Facebook are sharing pictures of their kids heading back to school. My kids are furry or have a shell. They don’t go to school. They just eat, sleep, and give unconditional love like I’ve never known except from my beautiful parents.

God hasn’t blessed me with human children but I have 4 innocents that I love and care for daily.   This story is about how my 3rd pup, Sunny, came into the world and how my turtle came back to me after being released into the wild for a span of 2 years.

This story still gives me great joy!  As a quick side note, if you haven’t read my bio, my maiden name is Betty Jo Story, but you can call me Dr. Doolittle.

 

Paging Dr. Doolittle
By L.A. Story Houry
Staff Writer
            It is official. My sister, Betty Jo, is now Dr. Doolittle.
I could also picture her as Jim Carrey in the first “Ace Ventura – Pet Detective” film. She would call to her animals and they would all flock to her – perching on her outstretched arms and shoulders and nesting in her hair – as if she is a goddess and she will commune with them and sing Walt Disney movie musical tunes. The heavens will open up and beams of light will shine down on her example of perfect harmony between woman and beast.
It all began last week. My sister has two dogs – Serenity and Wrigley. Betty Jo’s black lab dog (a horse-sized animal), Serenity, went into labor. My sister played mid-wife from about 3:30 a.m. until late into the evening. The result was 12 puppies – seven girls and five boys.
Betty Jo cooed over how cute they all are. I have to agree. Most of them are black, like Serenity, but a two or three are brown and many of them have this slightly protruding lower lip that makes them look like they are pouting. Irresistibly precious!
 One of the puppies is a particularly spunky little boy who, from the moment he left the womb, he tried to run out of the pen. Even with his eyes closed, the rascal has made it out several times.
 The puppies have to nurse in shifts. The ones who are forced to wait tend to do funny things while they are hungry – like nurse on one of their litter mates’ tiny ears!
It was a miraculous weekend for Betty Jo, as she and her husband, Jim, have increased their family by 12. However, the miracle did not stop there.
A long time ago, my mother was mowing the lawn and a little turtle walked up to her. She almost ran over it with the mower, but spotted the tiny thing at the last minute. She knew Betty Jo was an animal lover and she picked up the turtle, which was only about the size of a quarter, and showed my sister.
Betty Jo fell in love! She called him Melville and raised him. She kept him for nine years as he grew past the size of a Big Mac and into almost the size of a half a bowling ball. Melville was not sure he was a turtle. He would chase Betty Jo’s dogs around the living room. He stretched his neck out to be stroked. For a turtle, he was pretty interesting.
However, two years ago, Betty Jo had to move from the sizeable house she was living in and knew she could no longer keep Melville. She took him down to our parent’s pond and tearfully set him free. Remember: this was two years ago.
Last weekend, the day after Serenity delivered the puppies; my mother was mowing the yard and called to Betty Jo. “Hey, look! I almost ran over that turtle! It’s a big one. Come look!”
Mom went about her mowing and Betty Jo looked at the turtle. As she approached, he did not draw up in his shell. He was walking away … until she started talking to him. “Hi, there,” she said. The turtle turned. He looked familiar. “Melville?” She asked, in disbelief. The turtle began moving faster toward her.
When she picked him up, he stretched out his neck for a stroke. “Melville?” She asked again. She turned him around – Melville had a telltale bump on the backside of his shell from the time someone had once dropped him many years ago. He had the same bump/scar. It was Melville! The prodigal turtle had come home! Her family is now increased by 13!
Miracles happen. Don’t ever doubt it. If anyone is paging Dr. Doolittle these days – I know where she lives.
(L.A. Story Houry is a fiction writer, poet and staff writer for the Daily Corinthian. She is a resident of Glen — where the puppies and turtles all roam — and the skies are not cloudy all day. Her column appears on Wednesdays.)

Just for fun, these are some pictures from that day when Serenity had her puppies and those adorable protruding little lips!

Peter Gabriel: Red Rain

This song is leading me to new places on Lightning: The Book of Luke and Gina and also the short story Captive: The Story of Reuben in the Hole. Peter Gabriel has such an amazing voice anyway.  Listen and read the lyrics below.  Can you guess where the story is going?

 

Lyrics:

“Red Rain”

red rain is coming down

red rain

red rain is pouring down

pouring down all over me

I am standing up at the water’s edge in my dream

I cannot make a single sound as you scream

it can’t be that cold, the ground is still warm to touch

this place is so quiet, sensing that storm

red rain is coming down

red rain

red rain is pouring down

pouring down all over me

well I’ve seen them buried in a sheltered place in this town

they tell you that this rain can sting, and look down

there is no blood around see no sign of pain

hay ay ay no pain

seeing no red at all, see no rain

red rain is coming down

red rain

red rain is pouring down

pouring down all over me

red rain

putting the pressure on much harder now

to return again and again

just let the red rain splash you

let the rain fall on your skin

I come to you defenses down

with the trust of a child

red rain is coming down

red rain

red rain is pouring down

pouring down all over me

and I can’t watch any more

no more denial

it’s so hard to lay down in all of this

red rain is coming down

red rain is pouring down

red rain is coming down all over me

I see it

red rain is coming down

red rain is pouring down

red rain is coming down all over me

I’m bathing in it

red rain coming down

red rain is coming down

red rain is coming down all over me

I’m begging you

red rain coming down

red rain coming down

red rain coming down

red rain coming down

over me in the red red sea

over me

over me

red rain

Writer(s): Peter Gabriel

Copyright: Real World Music Ltd., Emi Blackwood Music Inc. O.B.O. Real World Music Ltd.

Rush: Losing It

Another song for your listening pleasure!  This is really another song that I’d put on the DAY ZERO series soundtrack. Rush is on their R40 tour right now and have played this song live on a couple of occasions much to the excitement of their fans. As a kind of neat aside, Peter Dinklage of Game of Thrones (among MANY other films and tv series fame)has a violin playing brother, Jonathan, who got to play with them on one of these performances recently.  Very cool!

 

Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas: Demons

This is one of those great songs that I can definitely write to.  I’m currently working on a short story in my Day Zero series called CAPTIVE.  For those who have read the first book, it’s the story of what happens to Reuben down in the hole he has been thrown in at the end.  The haunting, but almost perky, quality of this song reminds me of Reuben’s mind. He takes a delight in the horrible ministrations he thinks up. There is definitely a demon in his soul.

Enjoy!!

First Television Interview (Part 2)

Here’s part two of my interview on WCBI’s Mid-Morning with Aundrea.

 

First Interview (Part 1)

I realized I didn’t post the first interview I did on Mid-Morning with Aundrea.  Here’s part one.

 

New Television Interview

Here’s the interview my sister and fellow author, LA Story, and I had this last week. It was so cool to have my sister with me!

 

Special Sale on the Digital Version!!

In honor of my Mid-Morning with Aundrea appearance today, from Wednesday at 8 am PST until Sunday night at 11 PST, the digital version of DAY ZERO is only .99!!  How can you beat that!? Literally YEARS of work for .99! Yeah. I love you guys.