J. Michael Radcliffe's Blog, page 4

Update on ‘Bloodstone – The Guardian’s Curse’

It is just after Thanksgiving and I’m pleased to say the rough draft of ‘Bloodstone’ is complete.  I am now in the editing phase, which means the dreaded 3 R’s – Reading, Revising, Repeat.  That being said however, I still find designing cover art to be far more difficult than writing.  I spent about three weeks searching for ‘THE’ image that spoke to me.  I finally found the one above, which captures the image I had in my head (more or less).

The cover depicts the villain, Sava, Stealer of Souls, clutching the Bloodstone in her hand.  The energy within the orb is from the thousands of souls she has ripped from her victims.

If all goes well, I hope to have ‘Bloodstone’ uploaded to Amazon and Smashwords by the middle of December.

Update on 'Bloodstone – The Guardian's Curse'

It is just after Thanksgiving and I'm pleased to say the rough draft of 'Bloodstone' is complete.  I am now in the editing phase, which means the dreaded 3 R's – Reading, Revising, Repeat.  That being said however, I still find designing cover art to be far more difficult than writing.  I spent about three weeks searching for 'THE' image that spoke to me.  I finally found the one above, which captures the image I had in my head (more or less).

The cover depicts the villain, Sava, Stealer of Souls, clutching the Bloodstone in her hand.  The energy within the orb is from the thousands of souls she has ripped from her victims.

If all goes well, I hope to have 'Bloodstone' uploaded to Amazon and Smashwords by the middle of December.

An Unwelcome Visitor…

We just returned home last night after spending a week in Orlando, Florida where most of my life savings was surgically removed by specialists at a certain magical theme park.  It was late when we got in, so I didn't pay much attention when my daughter brought a sack downstairs, opened the garage and took it outside.

This morning, she told me about the mouse.  That's right, while we were 1,000 miles away visiting THE mouse, our house was invaded by one of his agents of evil.  She found the little fellow scurrying around the cat food bowl, apparently being batted around by our youngest cat, Mickey (I know, the irony…).

Now, our house is diligently patrolled by five cats.  So my question is, HOW did a mouse get in my house?  How did he manage to sneak by that many ferocious felines?  My only answer – an insider helped him.  Below I will provide you with a lineup of the suspects, making the case for each – after which I'll let you, my readers, decide the case based on the evidence at hand.

Cocoa – My strongest evidence against Cocoa?  She's evil.  Period.  This cat has the foulest temper of any feline I have ever known.  I suspect she ushered the mouse in through the back door under cover of darkness in order to watch the mayhem that would ensue, the entire time laughing her evil "mwa-ha-ha-ha" laugh…

 

 

 

 

Cookie - Cookie is next on the list of suspects.  Not as evil as Cocoa, she actually thinks we humans serve a purpose – namely feeding her.  She would never lower her standards to eat a mouse, but I can see her turning a blind eye and saying "whatever" when the vile little rodent asked to be let behind enemy lines.

 

Jasmine - Now Jasmine has a real ax to grind.  You see, she has been banished from the house and is no longer allowed upstairs, because when annoyed by the other cats, our kids, or the wind blowing the wrong way, she piddles.  Everywhere.  After scouring the upstairs and shampooing the carpet I have exiled her to the back deck.  Her motive?  Revenge pure and simple.  She escorted the rodent past the guard patrols hoping it would succeed in its murderous mission and catch me unawares.

 

 

Maddie - Now Maddie, our three legged cat, I would have thought above suspicion.  Normally a very sweet and affectionate cat, at first I could not find a motive.  But then it hit me – she too has a reason to be annoyed with us.  You see a few months ago, my wife brought home a starving kitten found at the local school.  Said kitten (Mickey) has since packed on the weight and considers Maddie to be his favorite chew toy.  Obviously this does not sit well with Maddie.  Her motive?  She planned to either (a) have the mouse kill Mickey in his sleep or (b) somehow pin the whole affair on Mickey and get him banished as well, so she can have some peace and quiet.

 

 

Mickey - Mickey is last on my list because I could not come up with a strong motive, other than this: a mouse would be a cool chew toy.  I can see him sneaking the little bugger in just so he could have a live action chase, and he was found at the seen of the crime by my daughter.  Alas, the only witness (the mouse) was released into a nearby field and refuses to testify…

 

 

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Cat-tales

I have decided if there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as a cat.  They do as they please and care little for the opinions of others (much like dragons).  As you can see above, Mickey (the new recruit) is apparently narcoleptic – one minute playing and jumping, the next passed out asleep.  In this case, he plopped over mid-strike clawing at my son's shoe.

And then there is Cookie – fickle is an understatement.  Cookie believes humans exist for two reasons – food and amusement.  And food again.  She has taken to circling the kitchen like a shark whenever anyone is cooking.  If said person is foolish enough to open the refrigerator, she STRIKES like a cobra and in a flash jumps onto one of the lower shelves (usually behind the soda cans).  As you can see below, she then hunkers down and refuses to budge until you go get a can of catfood to lure her out.

An Update on the New Recruit…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About three weeks ago my wife saved a starving kitten that had been found locked in a tool shed at school during sweltering 100 degree weather.  When she brought him home, you could see his ribs and backbone – I doubt he would have survived much longer.

I am pleased to report Mickey (yes, named after the mouse…) has made a full recovery.  As the newest recruit in my wife's every growing cat army, he has survived basic training and is now ready for advanced training under the watchful eye of my dragon, Idris.

He is a ball of energy when awake and has decided his favorite pastime is to pounce on our three-legged cat, Maddie, and pretend she is a chew toy.

He eats like a horse and has developed a slightly rounded belly – which sways to and fro when he walks.  Based on the size of his ears, feet and tail, I'm guessing he will grow to the size of a small panther…

The New Recruit

After rather challenging day at work, I arrived home and began my usual routine of decompressing from the day's events.  While removing my tie I was greeted by my loving wife of almost eighteen years.  With a bounce in her step and a lovely smile on her lips, she embraced me and asked about my day.

Granted, I should have been suspicious at this point, but I was tired – in Star Trek parlance, my shields were down.

My second hint came when she said "I have a story for you about something that happened today."

*Yellow Alert* At this point, my eyebrow arched and I took half a step back.  "Really?" I said somewhat guardedly.

Her next words, uttered with a coy look and somewhat sheepish smile, were "I brought home a kitten…"

*Red Alert*  Now I was fully awake and paying attention – my shields were now up.  Thinking of the four cats that already diligently patrol our home, I uttered the first words that came to mind:  "You didn't…"

She then proceeded to explain that a young kitten had been found in the storage shed at the school where she teaches.  The poor little cat had been trapped for at least two days in sweltering 96 degree Kentucky heat.  He was starving – you can see his ribs and backbone – and wouldn't have lasted much longer.

So my wife, loving soul that she is, took him in and brought him home.  He is a very affectionate cat and seems quite happy to have a cool place to stay and plenty of food and water.  The kids have named him "Mickey" in honor of his large ears and to pay tribute to our annual excursions to Disney.  (Yes, I know the irony – a cat named after a mouse…)

So Mickey is now settling in as the newest conscript in my wife's ever-growing cat army.  Cocoa, Cookie and Jasmine do not approve and are skulking around the back deck plotting his demise.  Maddie, our three-legged cat, is more accepting, though cautious.

Idris, my dragon, has said little on the topic, choosing instead to remain aloof.  Judging by his toothy smirk however, I think he plans on training our new recruit himself.

The Naming

The submission period for suggesting a name for my writing companion has now closed.  My thanks to those of you who submitted names.  I will send you the coupon code for your free copy of 'Beyond the Veil Anthology' via email.

Shown below is a list of all the names submitted this past week (in no particular order):

Benito
Idris
Lorca
Mercy
Misericordia
Kaviru
Gavin
Valdemar
Sir Dragonet

After reviewing the list, the dragon has agreed to share his closely guarded secret.  He reluctantly admits that his name is indeed:
                                                           
IDRIS
.
'Idris' is his true dragon name, something most dragons are loathe to share with the inferior races such as humans, elves, etc.  (Note:  That last comment was from Idris, not me.  I personally don't consider us to be an inferior race, but who am I to argue with a dragon.)
His human given 'nickname' is:
.

SHIMMERSCALE
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Of regal bearing and extremely prideful, Idris does not suffer fools lightly.  He is highly intelligent and reads voraciously.  He considers himself an expert on many things, writing included.  I personally think he's a bit harsh when critiquing my writing, but that's a story for another blog…
.

Name that dragon!

Those of you that read my blog last week know that during my trip to Washington D.C. I was fortunate enough to make a new friend.  My new writing companion is an enigmatic green dragon, perched atop a stack of books.

The dragon called out to me from his display case (he called it a 'prison'… a bit over dramatic if you ask me…), and after paying the exorbitant ransom, I liberated him from his captors and brought him to his new home.  He now supervises my writing, providing editorial advice and the occasional snide remark if my dialogue doesn't suit him.

Despite our new found partnership however, I have a problem.  He has thus far refused to tell me his name.  I have asked repeatedly and he simply chuckles at me, wisps of smoke curling up from his nostrils.  A regal little beast, this dragon definitely has attitude.

So I have come up with the following solution: solicit names from everyone visiting this blog.  Any and all names will be taken into consideration, so if you have a name you would like to submit, please use the 'contact' form below (so I can send you your coupon code) and feel free to leave a comment too!  I will post a list of all the names submitted at the end of the promotion.

I will take suggestions until Sunday, June 19th.  At the end of that time, I will (hopefully) announce my writing companion's name.

Everyone submitting a name suggestion will receive a coupon-code to download a FREE copy of 'Beyond the Veil Anthology' from Smashwords, whether my companion is successfully named or not!

Hopefully one of the names submitted will earn my dragon's approval!

*I would like to thank Andrew Bill, the artist that created my winged friend.  His sculpture 'Tender is the Knight' is available from his website at http://www.andrewbill.com.

*Disclaimer:  Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites have no liability in this promotion.  This promotion is the sole responsibility of the author.  Also, I do not nor will I ever share a visitor's email address with anyone – your privacy is important!

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Here there be dragons…

Last week I made a whirlwind trip to Washington D.C. for some sightseeing along with 50 or so 14 year olds.  Yes, I will admit to temporary insanity.  That being said however, I did enjoy touring our capitol and visiting the museums.  Along my travels, I was privileged to make a new acquaintance – a dragon.

Now before you call the men with the big nets to take me away, let me clarify.  I met my new writing companion when we took the group to Medieval Times in Baltimore.  Now, I have always liked dragons – ever since I was a socially inept geek in school I have loved to read fantasy novels, particularly those with dragons.  But when I saw this one in the display case, he spoke to me.  I can't explain it, but his voice called out and said:

"Finally!  Do you realize just how long you've kept me waiting?  Now get me out of this dratted display case and take me to my home."

Not being one to argue with a dragon, I promptly shelled out the exorbitant price (ransom, I believe the dragon called it) and took my new friend home.  He has not yet told me his name, but I feel certain he will, once he trusts me.  For now however, he stands a watchful guard next to my computer perched atop his stack of books, supervising and editing my thoughts as I type.

Life's simple pleasures…

Sitting on our back deck on a lovely Sunday morning, laptop perched precariously on my legs as I try to type and sip my cup of tea, I'm struck by how wonderful it is to enjoy the simple things.  Pardon me for waxing philosophical – maybe it's the cool morning air since the thunderstorm passed through earlier, or maybe it's the birds chirping and the smell of honeysuckle.  Either way, my blog post today is short and to the point – stop, slow down, and enjoy.  Life's journey is far too fast – we blink and we're old.  So stop whatever you are doing, log off the computer and go tell someone that you love them, then go out and enjoy the day.

Tradescantia a.k.a. spiderwort in bloom

This is a lesson difficult to learn and heaven knows I'm the world's worst.  I need to learn from our three-legged cat, Maddie.  As you can see in the photo below, she knows how to enjoy the simpler things in life.  Happiness is a pile of warm towels…

Happy cat surrounded by freshly laundered towels