S. Evan Townsend's Blog, page 53

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Joshua C. Chadd and Nancy Fulton

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are pleased to welcome writers Joshua C. Chadd and Nancy Fulton.
Joshua C. ChaddJoshua C. Chadd

Joshua is a Jesus Freak and follower of the Way. As an adventurous nerd, he loves the outdoors and when he’s not found high in the mountains of Alaska, he can be observed living on the rolling plains of eastern Montana with his wife, guns and two katanas. He has a passion for all things imaginary and finds inspiration in the wilderness, away from all the distractions of life. Some of his other passions include hunting, shooting, board and video games, hard rock, movies, reading and The Walking Dead.

Joshua's Books:


Outbreak

Battleborn

Wolf Pack (preorder)

Joshua's Links:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Goodreads


Nancy FultonNancy Fulton

Nancy Fulton is a writer/producer living and working in Los Angeles. When she's not drafting screenplays or running events for the group of 25,000+ writers, screenwriters, and producers she supports, she is writing the kind of novels and graphic novels she likes to read.

She has a wonderful husband, three great kids, a barky dog, and two cats who demand food 4 times a day.

Nancy's Books:

Fortunate Monsters
Nine of Diamonds
Dining with the Dead
Nancy's Links:
Website Blog Facebook Twitter
From today's program: Too Much Antimatter Hits Earth.
Listen to today's program at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT, or in archive here.

The 1972 Great Daylight Fireball

The 1972 Great Daylight FireballTime once again for the 30-day blogging challenge that I'm doing in 30 weeks (approximately).

The next prompt is "draw anything." Drawing is one talent I do not have. So we'll go on to the next, "Describe any significant memories of your childhood."

I talked about a very early memory here.

I talked about a traumatic memory here. (Okay, it wasn't that traumatic.)

Here's an interesting memory. My older brother and sister and I (I am the youngest of three) used to "canal surf." Hey, it was Idaho, you found entertainment were you could. We took a piece of plywood and covered it with carpet. The wood was sawn so that one end was narrower than the other. To the narrow end a hole was drilled and a rope put through it. Two other holes were drilled in the narrow end and a rope looped through them so that a person standing on the board could hold the rope.

Then we'd go to a bridge over an irrigation canal. You tied the far end of the rope connected to the front of the board to the bridge and put the board in the water. Due to the current of the canal, the board would float on the surface, skimming it. You jump off the bridge and grab the board as the current carried you by. Stand up on the board and you're canal surfing. You could go side to side by shifting your weight or dive the board under the water by putting a foot on the front of the board. The challenge was to go deep but not so deep that you got swept of the board by the current. I could almost get to my knees.

Also, I had very bad eyesight and wore thick glasses. This made it difficult for me to see anything at distance (near-sighted).

So, on August 10, 1972 (I was 12 years old) we decided to go canal surfing. I was on the board and not wearing my glasses when I heard what sounded like a low-flying jet. I looked up to see a white contrail in the sky. And I thought it was a low-flying jet. Which I thought was cool and regretted not having my glasses on to see it. It must have been about 2:30 in the afternoon.

When I got out of the water, my brother and sister told me it wasn't a jet, but a fireball. I really regretted not having my glasses on then.

It turned out to be the 1972 Great Daylight Fireball. Here's a Wikipedia article about it. Here's video of it shot from Wyoming.

I didn't realize what it was until they talked about it in my astronomy class at the University of Washington in circa 1980. And I realized that's what I saw.

Do you have any significant childhood memories? Let me know in the comments below.

Final AP College Football Poll

The final college football AP poll came out yesterday after Monday's CFP championship game where #4 Alabama beat #3 Georgia to become the national champion of FBS college football.

In the final poll, Alabama was, no surprise, #1, with Georgia #2.

How did the Pac-12 do and specifically the University of Washington Huskies? Well, every team in the Pac-12, except Utah, lost their bowl game. So those that were ranked dropped in the polls. USC is the highest ranked Pac-12 team at #12 (down from #8). Then the Huskies are at #16 (down from #12). At one point they were ranked #5.

Last year the Huskies were #4 at the end of the season.

Stanford from #15 to #20. And Washington State, who was ranked every week and once as high as #8, went from #21 to dropping off the top 25.

So the Pac-12 didn't do well this year in bowl games. Next year will be interesting. And it's always fun.

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Raquel Byrnes and James W. McAllister

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are pleased to welcome writers Raquel Byrnes and James W. McAllister.
Raquel ByrnesRaquel Byrnes

Raquel Byrnes writes across several genres including YA Steampunk, Fantasy, and Gothic Mystery. Critically acclaimed for her edge-of-your-seat stories with complex characters and heart pounding thrills, she is always looking for another adventure in which to partake. When she's not writing she can be seen geeking out over sci-fi movies, reading anything she can get her hands on, and having arguments about the television series Firefly in coffee shops. She lives in Southern California with her husband, six kids, and various reptiles.

Raquel's Books:


The Tremblers 

Mechanica & Mayhem (Free Download) 

Secrets at Crescent Point

Raquel's Links:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Tumblr

James W. McAllisterJames W. McAllister

My name is James Warren McAllister.  I am a Registered Respiratory Therapist living near Syracuse in Central New York State. Currently I am employed in Healthcare Accreditation. I have extensive experience in both the hospital and the home care aspects of Respiratory Care, including management in both settings.

I have been interested in science fiction since reading the Lensmen Series of books by E. E. "Doc" Smith in Junior High School. TV shows like Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and Babylon 5 along with movies such as Robinson Crusoe on Mars and Star Wars further peaked my interest in the genre.

My first novel, The Best Laid Plans, has been selected as a Runner-Up in the 2013 MARSocial Author of the Year Competition.

James's Books:


Staged Fright

Rods

The Turret

James's Links:

Website
Facebook
Twitter

From Today's Program: A Privately Funded Mission to Find Life.

Listen to today's program at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT, or in archive here.

Favorite Fictional Characters

It's time once again for the "30 day blogging challenge" that I'm doing in approximately 30 weeks (depending on how many I skip).

This week's prompt: "Your favorite fictional characters."

I was having a hard time with this one. Captain Kirk? Maybe. Spock? Definitely. Gandalf from Lord of the Rings? Oh, yes.

Side note: One thing I loved about the Lord of the Rings movies was that to me they got Gandalf exactly right. Ian McKellen played Gandalf perfectly.

Then I realized, I could choose fictional characters I wrote. Such as Michael Vaughan from  Agent of Artifice (and other "Adept Series" novels), or Titus Chumba (A/K/A Rick Bailey) from the "Treasures of Space" series ( Treasure of the Black Hole , Treasure of the Pirate Planet , and Treasure of the Rogue Moon ).

Side note: Michael Vaughn is in or mentioned in four of the five "Adept Series" novels. The only one he's not in is The Terror of Tombstone because he hasn't been born, yet (the novel is set in 1881 and Vaughn was born in 1927).

But probably my favorite of all the characters I've written is Charlene "Charlie" Jones from Rock Killer . She probably wouldn't think that because I put her in some awful situations (no spoilers). But she comes through with strength and tenacity. For a while during and after writing Rock Killer, I was in love with her. Or at least infatuated with her.

What's your favorite fictional character. Let me know below in the comments.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Huskies are 10-3 to End the Season

Yesterday the University of Washington Huskies played Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl. They lost. At first it was looking like a blow out as Penn State scored 14 unanswered points. But during the second half the Husky offense finally was able to move the ball and brought the score to a seven-point deficit. But they were never able to overcome that. The final score was 28-35. This will bring the Huskies down in the final AP to 25 football poll.

In bowl games, the Pac-12 was only 1-8, with Utah beating West Virginia. This has me wondering if the Pac-12 is a weak conference because anytime lately our good teams play outside the conference, including conference winner USC, we lose (USC was demolished by Ohio State).

Next year the Huskies open their season playing Auburn in Atlanta. Auburn is no Rutgers. Auburn is ranked #7 in the CFP rankings and #7 in the AP top 25 college football poll. They are playing in the Peach Bowl on New Years Day against UCF (University of Central Florida). To win that game the Dawgs will have to be as good as they can be in their first game. To say I'm worried is an understatement.

Back to this year. I've mentioned a few times the criteria I came up with for a "good" Husky season back when they sucked. Those are:

Had at least an 8-4 record (went 10-2 in the regular season)Beat Oregon (yes)Beat WSU (yes)Went to a good bowl and won it. (yes, but lost)
Well, they did all but the last one. They went to a good bowl, but they didn't win it. So overall they did pretty good and I should be happy. And I am happy. This is so much better than the days of barely making a 6-6 season and going to a bowl. This is so much better than 2008 when we went 0-12 (the only Pac-10/12 team to do so).

So now the lucky hat and the Husky flag get put away until Sept 1, 2018 when we play the Auburn Tigers.

Oh, and the Seattle Seahawk's last regular season game is today. If they lose they won't make the playoffs for the first time in a long time. If they win and Atlanta loses to North Carolina, they will make a wild card slot. Is it bad I kind of hope they lose so I don't have to watch anymore Seahawks football?

A Speculative Fiction Cantina Replay with Parker J Cole and K. T. Conte

Today on a Speculative Fiction Cantina replay we are pleased to welcome writers Parker J Cole and K. T. Conte.
Parker J ColeParker J Cole and also writing as Parker Payne

Parker J. Cole is an author, speaker, radio host and executive of PJC Media with an obsession for the Lord, Star Trek, K-dramas, anime, romance books, old movies, speculative fiction, and knitting. A former Mountain Dew and marshmallow addict, she writes to fill the void the sugar left behind. Find out any and everything about her at parkerjcole.com. Or just ask.

Parker's Works:

Druid’s Spear (writing as Parker Payne)

The Cure 

"Godforsaken" (short story)

Parker's Links:

Website
Blog
Twitter
BlogTalkRadio


K. T. ConteK. T. Conte

K.T. Conte is a lover of books, people and all things wild and crazy. She received her B.A. in English from Boston College and her law degree from Suffolk University Law School. While she has and continues to be a licensed attorney, her first love has always been books from the tender age of 2. Originally from Massachusetts, K.T. currently lives in New York City with the monsters in the closet, her husband Everett, a couple of building fairies and her dog, Champ.

K.T.'s Book:

Awoke: The Want Series

K.T.'s Links:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter

From Today's Program: An Inflatable Habitat Orbiting the Moon.

Listen to today's replay at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT, or in archive here.

Love

Back to the 30-day blogging challenge (except I'm doing it in approximately 30 weeks).

The next prompt is: "Your definition of love."

Well, the best definition of love I've ever come across is Robert Heinlein's:

Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.

Love is an interesting thing. The Greeks had names for four types of love:

Éros which is sexual love (probably the root of the word "erotica").

Philia which is brotherly love (like Philadelphia is the city of Brotherly Love). Or the love between two friends.

Storge is the least mentioned of these, and is the love of parents for their children.

And finally, agápe love which is unconditional love.

I think for an "love" relationship, there has to be a bit of each of those (except storge). Especially agápe. You needs to be friends with your lover, you need sexual attraction (at least until you're, oh, 80), and you need unconditional love.

What is your definition of love? Let me know in the comments below.

Season's Greetings

Merry Christmas!