Pamela Schloesser Canepa's Blog, page 66

Why You Should Read “Seeing Through Sampson’s Eyes,” besides the .99 Special….

[image error]    1.  Seeing Through Sampson’s Eyes, the sci-fi novella, is just .99 in Kindle e-book until 9/30, and it is also still in Kindle Unlimited.  You can get it here for .99 or get it through Kindle Unlimited:  https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Through...

2.  This was my second novella, a tale of what Abrielle and Norrie, characters from my first published novella, decide to do to find what remains of their beloved Sampson.  It is, in that sense, a heartfelt novel.  Abrielle was the main character in my first novella, but Norrie, who grew up in that story, grew stronger and wanted to take over.

3.  Norrie, a twenty year old young woman, is along with her mom for the ride, but at some point, she veers off on her own.  There are many things she wants to learn, and there is a seriously empty spot in her life.  So, she does venture off on her own.  Norrie is fearless, independent, and very forward-thinking.  I had a heck of a lot of fun writing this character as a budding young woman who won’t take less than she deserves and even breaks a few rules that she feels are worth breaking.  All of this led to a more suspenseful story in this novella.

4.  Read the most recent review, a 5 star rating:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This reader actually read the articles I cited at the end!

“On a lighter note, I like the little snippets of the future world –where weddings are an ‘awe’ thing, pennies don’t exist, hover cars do, and, wait for it, cats are now extinct. ‘Curiosity killed the squirrel.’ Nice article in the end from macroevolution in which a cat gave birth to a squirrel. Fascinating!

This was an interesting/ intriguing read and I look forward to the next book in the series.”

5.  There are more fun things (that is, suspenseful situations) coming for Norrie in the future.  Read about her; I think you’ll love her!  She’s everything I wish I was at that age….  https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Through...

Society’s Tourniquet By Raymond Roy #FFFAW

I am proud to say my photo was featured in the Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers this week! There are many inspiring responses. Here is one writer’s take on the prompt!

goroyboy's Blog

Rattle Rattle, “spare change?” , “help a brother out”?

Pan handling, it’s not so bad. You never have to worry about making eye contact with anybody. Although the concrete IS hot in the summer and sucks the life’s blood out of you in the winter. My knees ache, and butt gets numb at times. Don’t have to worry about feet getting cold since I left those back in Afghanistan.

Hard concrete flashback: snapping in honing our marksmanship skills in the Marine Corps. The circle was asphalt, the rifle sling was tourniquet tight. We knelt facing a target, not firing, just developing muscle memory. Bam!! I saw stars as the DI slapped the rifle against my face, “tighten it up maggot”.

Bam!! Back to reality, a car backfires.

A long legged fur coat wearing high society type approaches the entrance to the high rise apartments with her fru-fru K9. She stops…

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Friday Fictioneers. What’s in the Bread? #flashfiction #amwriting

PHOTO PROMPT © Kelvin M. Knight

The first time Billy met Roma’s grandma,  he’d gone camping with Roma’s family.  They weren’t so tied up in work like Billy’s parents.

Even more a hippy than Roma’s mother, Grandma made homemade bread for the trip.

Roma’s dad cooked eggs on a skillet over the fire.  They used real butter on the bread.

“Wow!  This is good,” Billy exclaimed.

Roma agreed.

They went for a hike, and Billy saw his first sasquatch.

“He won’t hurt you,”  Roma announced.

“How do you know?”

“I’ve seen him.  Grandma’s talked to him.”

“Dude, what was in that bread?”  Billy asked.

“Love.”

*99 words*

Friday Fictioneers Rules:  Write a complete story in 100 words or less based on the photo prompt.  Give it a beginning, middle, and end.  Post the photo, and give credit for the photo to the contributor.  Share your store using the Inlinkz button, and visit and comment on others’ stories.  Friday Fictioneers is a blog challenge hosted weekly by Rochelle at https://rochellewisoff.com/

Thank you for taking the time to read my story!

 

 

Download this 24 pg., sci-fi short story, free! #scifi

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Follow this link to download my futuristic, sci-fi short story, Salamanca, Gutter Angel for free.

https://instafreebie.com/free/KKWjb

Salamanca is an eighteen-year-old who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in 2047. What sorts of trouble are impulsive kids getting into in the year 2047? Read to find out.  Is there any hope for the youth of tomorrow?

If you’ve read my most recent novel, Detours in Time, you may recognize Salamanca as the sassy-mouthed girl with interesting body modification that our characters run into on their jaunt to the future.  This short story gives a little more of her background and just what turned this defensive, sassy girl into who she is.

 

We Are, a Haiku #amwriting

We Are, a Haiku

Hurricane Irma Aftermath

(c) 2017

We are resilient,

Surviving the storm’s effects,

We are Florida.

**I’d like to offer a genuine prayer for the hurricane victims in TX, those enduring fires in the Northwest, and victims of natural disaster all over the world. May your spirits rise you up until circumstances improve.** I was humbled by this woman enjoying her kayak in the flooded street my neighborhood. Her smile touched me.

God bless us all!

Seeking Solitude for the End of the World? Friday Fictioneers. #amwriting

PHOTO PROMPT © Danny Bowman

The end of the road is really not an end.  I embarked on this journey to find a final home in solitude.  Society was in shambles; natural disasters were abundant.

I packed necessities and a super strong tent.  Two flat tires later (I learned to change them myself), I had to rely on a friendly old native Arizona man when I ran out of gas. Darn cars,  I should’ve just walked.  Would I survive?

Now, I find a young fellow encamped over the hill, painting whatever he sees.

We will either be great friends, or I’m on the road again.

~The End~  (In a somewhat open ending…)

*A 100 word story.

**Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle at https://rochellewisoff.com/ and restarts every Friday with a new photo prompt.  Flash fiction stories are to be 100 words or less, with a beginning, middle, and an end.  Proper credit must be given to the owner of the photo.  Add your own by clicking the Inlinks button at the Sept. 1 post at rochellewisoff.com.  Thanks for visiting my blog!

 

 

Reviews coming in for #scifi novel, Detours in Time

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Detours in Time, my latest book about two friends and their time travel adventures/mishaps, now has 15 reviews on Amazon!  You can preview it at this Universal link: https://bookgoodies.com/a/B0711ZW6XF  The most recent was a four star review, which really brightened my day, since I have struggled with sinusitis for a good week now!  I even cancelled my plan to try a book signing this month.  

“You Call this a Vacation?” #amwriting Friday Fictioneers

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PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bulltot

 

“This used to be a hospital?”  Roma asked, pictures flashing through his head.

“Yes, in fact…” the guide continued.

“Big deal,”  Billy grunted.  He should’ve known better than to come all the way here with Roma and his hippy mother and foreign dad, from, where was it again?  To stay in a room with no cable t.v., no pool, no cell service…

“I love History!”  Roma jogged over to a tour guide in costume.

“Let me tell you the horrors of this inner chamber!” The man said, ghoulishly.

An hour later, Billy emerged from the building a converted History buff.

~100 words~

 

**Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle at https://rochellewisoff.com/ and restarts every Friday with a new photo prompt.  Flash fiction stories are to be 100 words or less, with a beginning, middle, and an end.  Proper credit must be given to the owner of the photo.  Add your own by clicking the Inlinks button at the Sept. 1 post at rochellewisoff.com.  Thanks for visiting my blog!

From Lost to Loved, now a permafree download on Amazon.com & Smashwords! #doglover #freeread

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If your adopted shelter dog could tell his story, what wonders or secrets might you learn? If you’ve ever wondered why your dog reacts with fear when the kitchen timer goes off or gets defensive when he meets a tall man, consider the origin story of Bixby. Read this tale of survival, hardship, hope, and kindness in unexpected places as Pamela imagines the long journey of his life before they found each other and he became part of her family.  (Partial blurb)…

Call it a labor of love, but I wanted to publish something with a clear lesson for younger readers. However, the fact is, readers of all ages can enjoy this story.  It is a free read, 25 pages long, written from the point of view of my beloved dog, Bixby.  It all came to mind as I was waiting on editors and beta-readers to proof my latest sci-fi manuscript.

Download “From Lost to Loved”  for free on Amazon Kindle in the U.S. at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073XTV2JF. (If not in U.S., it is priced equal to .99.  Use this link:  https://bookgoodies.com/a/B073XTV2JF ). Or you can find it on Smashwords free for your Nook or all other e-reader formats that could be useful on your laptop,etc.  Smashwords download link:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

“Heart-warming and moving, well-written!” -Smashwords reviewer

“We recommend it to dog-lovers everywhere!” -Amazon reviewer

Friends and fellow bloggers, I ask that you download this one for free and share a review on Amazon or Smashwords to show readers it is worth their time.  You can also give feedback here.  I am debating putting this one into paperback and what its uses could be for younger readers or charities.  Thanks for giving it a read!

 

 

 

Left:  Before coming home. Notice his facial expression: anxious, a little nervous, and unsure.  Right:  Comfortable at home, after being part of our family for several months.  The lighting is also brighter on the left than it is at home.

Watch RWISA Write Showcase, Linda Mims, an Author Discovered

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Please join me in welcoming author Linda Mims to my blog today for a sample of her writing!  Linda is a supportive, fellow member of Rave Reviews Book Club, and is also a member of Rave Writers International Society of Authors.  If you like futuristic sci-fi, check out her novel, The Neon Houses!

[image error] Linda Mims

You Take the Blue Pill, the Story Ends. You Take the Red Pill …

By Linda Mims

 I was sixteen when I first suspected that I might be the one. I’d seen people in my family striving for excellence all my life. My parents’ friends were creative types who often took time to quiz me about my goals and what I was doing to achieve them. I had been persistently pleading with a leader at my church who had the power to make one of my goals a reality.

 

This woman headed the Womens’ Ministry. Everything from church announcements to annual celebrations fell under her domain. I wanted to be the youth announcer on the weekly, hour-long radio broadcast that emanated from our church, but she was speaking a language that I didn’t understand.

 

“Take some speech lessons and come back to me.”

 

Where in the world was I going to get speech lessons and how would I pay for them? My family knew some people, and the house did overflow from Friday to Sunday with weekend guests, but that didn’t mean we had money. A party costs maybe $25 back then—especially if everybody brought food and drinks.

 

Bottom line, we didn’t have money for speech lessons. Still, I wasn’t going to give up. I was a spiritual youngster, even before I knew what spiritual meant. I told the Lord what I wanted and then forgot about it. While I was waiting, strange, but wonderful things were happening to me. I was voted vice president of my choir and I was chosen to deliver the Youth Day Address. Go figure!

 

One Friday evening, my mother received a phone call. The church maven and her assistant had gone on strike. I was too young to understand everything a strike entailed. I just knew that I was being asked to fill in as the main radio announcer for the broadcast; the very thing I’d wanted in the first place.  That broadcast went out to hundreds, maybe thousands in the Chicago listening area.

 

When she returned from her strike, Ms. Maven kept me on as a junior announcer and she became one of my most revered mentors. That was the year I discovered that I was tight with God. I could get a prayer through! Was I the one?

 

I’m every woman. It’s all in me

 

While in college a few years later, I watched a bold, beautiful young woman, with a voice as big as a brass saxophone, sing on a makeshift stage. It was an impromptu concert behind one of the lecture halls on my university campus. The day was balmy and the sun was bright. We shaded our eyes as we stared straight into the golden orb that bathed her in its light.

 

She looked like a woman and a child at the same time. She wore very few clothes. Just a band around her breasts, a pair of short shorts, ankle boots, and a tall feather stuck in the crown of one of the biggest afros I’d ever seen.

 

We were fascinated, and her voice held us captivated. After the performance, members of the group handed out bills that said their name was Rufus, featuring Chaka Khan. They would be performing at a local club that night.

 

We showed up to the club, but a multi-ethnic crowd had filled the place to capacity. You don’t need to ask for racial diversity once everybody realizes you have something we all desire. Anyway, we couldn’t get in. That day would be the first and only time I’d hear Chaka Khan sing for free. At the time, I wondered if she was also the one!

 

In 1978, Chaka Khan recorded her first solo album, Chaka. One song from that album would define the rest of my life. In it, she sang my truth! I’d always felt that I could do anything, but it wasn’t until Ms. Khan sang the words, that I knew how to describe what I’d always known.

 

“I’m every woman. It’s all in me. Anything you want done, baby, I do it naturally. I ain’t bragging, but I’m the one. Just ask me and it shall be done.”

 

I had a theme song!

 

You may not know the purpose, but know that there is a purpose

 

In The Matrix, one of my favorite movies of all time, there’s the scene where Morpheus gives Neo a choice between the red pill or the blue pill. Neo has been searching for information about the matrix. Morpheus has to convince Neo that he isn’t looking for the matrix, but what he’s really looking for is more. Morpheus believes that once Neo has answers to his questions, he will come to accept what Morpheus already knows. Neo is the one.

 

Being the one is about knowing that you want more. You want to change things. You may not know what your ultimate purpose is, but you know that there is a purpose. You’re so absolutely self-motivated and focused, that God himself delights in your purpose. I told you I’ve always been spiritual, so, I’ll say that I believe when God and the universe delight in your purpose, there’s no stopping you.

 

The Matrix is fiction, so let’s take a look at real-life people who wanted more. One such person was the late author, Janet Dailey. A prolific writer, Dailey thought she could write better than most of the romance writers she was reading. She knew she was the one. When people referred to her as “just a secretary” who writes romance novels, Dailey said the following, and I quote:

 

 “One of the things that to me is the biggest compliment any writer can get is hearing from the ones who say, ‘I used to think reading was boring until I picked up one of your books.’ ” 

 

Between 1974 and 2007, Janet Dailey sold over 300 million copies of more than 100 titles. Not bad for “just a secretary”.

 

Then, there was Steve Jobs. Steve dropped out of Reed College in Portland, Oregon after six months, but he stayed there and audited creative classes over the next 18 months. A course in calligraphy developed his love of typography. Apple and Macintosh computers would be the first to offer creative fonts, including calligraphy, for the consumer’s use.

 

Steve Jobs partnered with his friend, Steve Wozniak, to start Apple Computer, in the Jobs’ family garage. Steve Jobs said, “I want to put a ding in the universe”.

 

I guess he knew that he was the one!

 

Being the one comes with certain responsibilities

 

Many of you have already realized that you are the one; you just haven’t taken the red pill yet. When you’re ready, there are some responsibilities:

 

Toot your own horn
Don’t give up
Throw away false humility

 

First, toot your own horn! You can’t be afraid of appearing to be too much of a showoff. Waiting patiently for others to give you the rewards you so richly deserve, may yield nothing but hurt and disappointment. Individuals will slink away with your destiny in their greedy little hands without so much as a backwards glance for you.

 

A few times, I spoke too quietly in meetings or waited until it was too late to claim my own ideas that I’d shared with others in private. I watched, stunned, as another, bolder individual stole my idea, shouted it out, and received my praise. I had to wise up quickly and realize that there are differences in the way that leaders and achievers talk and present. First, leaders declare that they have something to say. Then, when everyone is focused, they speak. They make sure their ideas are credited.

 

Don’t give up, opportunity does knock more than once.

 

I’ve learned that opportunity knocks more than once. Heck, when you’re the one, you create opportunities. When one door closes, another door really does open. If you weren’t ready the first time, the truth is, you can keep reinventing yourself until your moment comes or until you’re tired of trying.

 

“Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.” —Steve Jobs

 

Throw away that false humility! It’s okay to hang back while you formulate your plan. Go ahead! Get the lay of the land. If you are confident in the knowledge that you can do anything, take as much time as you need. Just don’t overdo humble. That’s almost as bad as having too much pride.

 

It’s permissible to show pride in yourself and your accomplishments. The 21st Century is begging for your stories, calling for your experiences, and expecting you to step up and lead, in every way imaginable. Women like Oprah Winfrey—women like Taylor Swift—they are leading change with their out-of-the-box ideas and sweeping changes to the status quo.

 

Men like Barack Obama are stepping out of obscurity and into the Senate and the office of the President of the United States. Have the audacity to dream! Wear your mantle of distinction with pride. Step-up, speak-out! You are the one!

 

*Thank you for supporting this member along the WATCH “RWISA” WRITE Showcase Tour today!  We ask that if you have enjoyed this member’s writing, to please visit their Author Page on the RWISA site, where you can find more of their writing, along with their contact and social media links, if they’ve turned you into a fan.  WE ask that you also check out their books in the RWISA or RRBC catalogs.  Thanks, again for your support and we hope that you will follow each member along this amazing tour of talent!  Don’t forget to click the link below to learn more about this author:

Linda Mims RWISA Author Page