S. Evan Townsend's Blog, page 91

Huskies Win

There's a tradition in college football, at least the the top FBS Divsion I level. That is, early in your season, usually the first game you play an FCS Division I team. These are teams from smaller schools who can't get into the FBS series.

Either that, or play Idaho.

The point is to give your team a game to work out the kinks, get some practice playing in a game (there's no pre-season in college football), and, it is hoped, get an early win.

That doesn't always work out for example, this year Portland State beat Washington State University in WSU's home opener. Oops.

The University of Washington Huskies for years never did this. They only played upper-level FBS teams.  But about five years ago they decided to start playing FCS teams.

Last week my beloved Huskies lost in a heart breaker to Boise State University.  BSU is not only an FBS team, but was ranked at #23 on the top 25 AP poll.  (They moved up to #20 after that game but since they lost this week to BYU, they may be dropping a bit.)

This week the Huskies played Sacramento State, an FCS team. I was wishing the whole time we could have played this game, first, then faced BSU. That's because our team looked much better and much more confident, especially as the second quarter started. True freshmen quarterback Jake Browning did much better, showed much better skill and confidence. A new star emerged, a kid called Gaskin who made three touchdowns.  By the middle of the third quarter, Husky coach Chris Petersen was putting in second-stringers.  The final score was 0-49.

If the Huskies had played this game first, then went to play BSU, they may have won instead of losing by 3 points when they were 13 point underdogs.

So this was a great confidence booster and a good way for Browning and this young team to get some much-needed practice. And while I'm glad to see the Huskies win, the fact it was an FCS team tempers the happiness.

Next week the Huskies take on Utah State at home.  While Utah State (USU?) is an FBS team, it's not considered a very good one. Looking for another win, but not one with an asterisk.

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Steven Spellman and Ben Willoughby

Today the Speculative Fiction Cantina is proud to welcome Steven Spellman and Ben Willoughby
Steven SpellmanSteven Spellman

You should never judge a book by its cover. As well, you should never judge a writer by his bio. With that being said, Steven Spellman is writer for readers who enjoy simply told stories, stories of lust, of deception, stories of redemption, of love. Stories of horrors beneath the waning moon, of joys beneath the rising sun. Stories of everything in between, to give the reader a fiction of adventure fit to distract from the facts of life if only for a moment. Born in East Orange, New Jersey, raised in North Carolina since infancy, Steven Spellman has been a drug dealer, a prisoner, an armed felon, a college student, a father, a husband, a sinner, a saint. Like everyone else Steven Spellman has worn many hats, but never any so well fitted as a writer. His ongoing struggle with life is a personification of the fact that You Should Never Judge a Book by its Cover; you may miss the whole story.

Steven's Books

Murder Beneath the Midnight Sun

The Virus

The Vanished

Steven's Links:

Website
Facebook
Twtter

Ben WilloughbyBen Willoughby

Ben Willoughby was born in the United States and, being a military brat, ended up seeing a lot of it (along with a foreign country or two). At a very young age, he found a love for reading. At the age of 12, he found a passion for writing. In his late 20's, he decided to pursue publishing many of the ideas and concepts he had developed over the years. He currently lives in the southeastern United States, with his loving wife and young daughter. When not writing or reading, he spends his spare time sketching and smoking his pipe.

Ben's Books


Gods on the Mountain (Paperback, Kindle)

"Raw Head" (Novelette)

Ben's Links

Website/ Blog
Twitter

From Today's Show: Space Elevator

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

The Activity "NO" List

Last week I talked about my "Movie 'NO' List." Today I'm going to tell you about my activity NO list. That is, things I refuse to do.

1) Camping. First of all, it's being outside and outside is sunburn (viz: Going to the Beach) and allergies (which are better after seven years of allergy shots, but why risk it). Not to mention bugs and other critters (spiders, snakes). I saw a meme on Facebook that was something to the affect of "Camping: paying a lot to live like a homeless person." We've had 50,000 years of human progress to get away from sleeping in dirt, why would I want to return to that? Sure you can see some pretty things, but can't I just watch them from inside my (climate-controlled) car?

2) Hunting. I have nothing against hunting or guns. In fact, I enjoy target shooting. But hunting is definitely out. First of all, it's outside (viz: Camping). Second of all, it's traipsing through the countryside looking for elusive animals. I don't know what it is, but I think my family was born with the "no-hunting-ability" gene. I can't remember a time when anyone in my family had a successful hunt. The few times I've gone hunting I've spent a day outside in the cold (hunting always seems to take place on cold days), a day I could have been indoors enjoying amenities such as central heat.

3) Fishing. Again, nothing against fishing if that's your thing. But, first of all, it's outside (see above). Second, it's boring. I went on a fishing trip once where we were fishing for sturgeon at the mouth of the Columbia River near Astoria, Oregon. (This was a business thing.) We were out there for 9 hours and caught four fish. Now you sort of have to wrestle sturgeon in (they're big) but if you figure 15 minutes of wrestling per fish, that's one hour of something interesting happening in 9 hours of fishing. So that's 8 hours of . . . nothing. And one of the people on the trip is an avid fisherperson and she said "That was one of the best days fishing I've ever had." Puleeze.

4) Going to the Beach. Again, outside. But since I sunburn in about 10 minutes (I'm not joking) I have to A) cover up a lot and be hot and/or B) wear greasy, smelly sunscreen and reapply about once an hour. And sand sticks to sunscreen. I hate it.

5) Yard Work/Gardening. Yes, it's outside. It's also the most boring, unrewarding work there is. Mow the lawn: it'll need it again in a week. Pull weeds, they'll grow back. Plant flowers, they'll die. Plant a garden, have tons of zucchini that you can't give away (why do people plant that stuff?). It's not that I don't like vegetables. I just prefer buying them than spending hours failing to grow them. Yes, if the zombie apocalypse comes, I'll starve to death because I don't hunt or garden. But I need to lose weight, anyway.

So there you have, the "no" activities list. What do you hate to do?

Huge, Colossal, Thirty-eight Author Halloween Giveaway!

A huge, colossal multi-author giveaway, the Dark Dreams Halloween Giveaway, via Rafflecopter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lots and lots of prizes and a grand prize of $175. Check it out! You can even win a signed copy of my novel Book of Death.

Huskies Lose . . . Barely

Yes, the game was Friday night, and, yes, this is Sunday morning. But this is the first chance I've had to write about it.

Going into Friday night's season opener game against the #23 ranked Boise State Broncos, the University of Washington Huskies were an unknown. They were, however 13 point underdogs. The biggest unknown for the Dawgs was who was going to be starting quarterback. It turned out to be true freshman Jake Browning who showed flashes of brilliance but also showed he needs some experience at the big show that is collegiate Division I football. Here's a kid, probably 18 years old, playing his first NCAA game in front of a huge hostile crowd, on blue turf, the a Husky front line decimated by players headed for the NFL.

There was added drama because the Washington coach, Chris Petersen, was a very successful coach at Boise State. One fan held up a sign that said "Beat Pete."

By the end of the first half, it looked pretty hopeless. The Husky defense was porous and the Husky offense couldn't move the ball. But the score was only 16 - 0.

The second half was much better for the Dawgs. The defense came alive and made sure the Broncos scored zero second-half points. The offence connected better but the team's only touchdown was a punt return. At the end of the fourth quarter, it was 16-13 and the Huskies had the ball close to the end zone.

Then the mistakes happened. A penalty pushed them back. Then two sacks in a row (the only Boise sacks of the game). Suddenly what looked like a possible game-winning touchdown turned into a hail-Mary, extra-long, game-tying field goal.

It barely missed, giving the Broncos the ball back with a few seconds left on the clock. They took a knee and ended the game.

As I posed on Facebook that evening, we were 13-point underdogs, we lost by three points. Not a horrible start, but not great.

The Huskies have a week to tighten up that defense and get it so Browning can connect and has some protection before they play Sacramento State at home.

The announcers for the game said Las Vegas has the Huskies winning 4.5 games this year. And do have a very tough road through the very competitive Pac-12. All of us fans are hoping Petersen can do for Washington what he did for Boise State. So far, it's not looking good. But, the upside is, this is a very young Husky team. Next year they will be better. They'd better be or Petersen might be looking for a job.

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Rebecca Jaycox and Claudette Melanson

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are proud to welcome writers Rebecca Jaycox and Claudette Melanson
Rebecca JaycoxRebecca Jaycox

Rebecca Jaycox grew up in the tiny town of Berryman, which borders the Mark Twain National Forest and the Courtois River about 70 miles south of St. Louis. The beautiful landscape fed her imagination, and she began writing stories at age 10 and never stopped. Always seeking adventure, Rebecca moved to France after she graduated college with a journalism degree to teach English at a French high school. Bitten by the travel bug, she has recently visited Italy, Greece, Austria, Spain, and finally made it to her bucket-list destination of Istanbul last summer. Rebecca now lives in New York City with her husband, Gregory. She is the curator and program director of the YA Lit Series at the 92nd Street Y--one of New York's premier cultural centers. She enjoys reading and writing fantasy, urban fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction. The Other Inheritance is her first novel.

Rebecca's Book:

The Other Inheritance (Amazon, BN)

Rebecca's Links:

Website/Blog
Facebook
Twitter

Claudette MeansonClaudette Melanson

Claudette Melanson writes & edits in Kitchener, Ontario, with her husband Ron and four bun babies: Tegan, Pepper, Butters & Beckett. She graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English and an MA in Literature. She's wished to be a Vampire since age five. She hopes to one day work full time as an author, since there are many, many books living inside her head.

In her spare time she enjoys watching Japanese Anime and reading vampire stories....along with other great fiction. She is also very interested in good health and is an advocate of Ketogenic eating, using whole and natural foods. Her favorite foods are bulletproof coffee, cashew flour crust pizza and treats made with xylitol and almond, coconut or cashew flours.

Future dreams include writing many more books and spending more time with her son Jacob. Her biggest dream is to make Universal Halloween Horror Nights a yearly event with hubby and son. A Rabbit Rescue fanatic, she also hopes to help rescues all over the world save many innocent lives.

Claudette's Books:


Rising Tide: Dark Innocence

Undertow: Death’s Twilight


Minion

Claudette's Links:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Pintrest
LinkedIn
Tumbr
Wordpress
Tsu
Goodreads
Instagram
Book Likes
Book Gorilla Author Page

From today's show: Most Distant Galaxy Found

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

The Movie "NO" List

I like movies and I watch a lot of them on DVD/Blu-Ray through Netflix. I watch 3 every 2 weeks. This justifies the cost of Netflix but doesn't get me throttled . . . much.

Lately I've had the problem of keeping movies in my queue. They suck out as Netflix mails them to me, but very few new releases are being added. At one point I had 6 movies in my queue and  22 new releases in my "Saved Titles." I'm sure what's going to happen is in November and December a bunch of those movies will move up into the queue as they are released for Christmas sales.

So I've been adding a lot of old movies and classics and things just to keep that queue full (I recently added the four discs of the first season of Community).  The last movie I watched on a Netflix disc was How Green was My Valley from 1941. It's a classic, John Ford-directed film that won multiple Oscars. And I'm glad I saw it but it's not the kind of movie I'd want to see more than once.

Another problem I have is there are whole categories of films I refuse to watch. That's the movie "no" list. One, is horror, especially slasher films. I hate them. Two is chick flicks. I tell my wife "No movies were someone dies of natural causes." Another category is any movie with Meryl Streep.

These aren't hard and fast rules. I like the original Poltergeist. I've see The Cabin in the Woods but that was more a satire of slasher films. I've seen Still Alice and The Help (I don't think anyone dies in either of those). And I've seen Stuck on You where Ms. Streep had a cameo (so I didn't realize she was in it) and Adaptation because it was a movie about writing and Streep played against type, so I made an exception.

With those rules in mind, it's sometimes a challenge to keep my queue full. I watch a lot of classics. Ignoring Community, the movies in my queue were made 1959, 1942, 1958, 1939, 1967, 1943, 1949, 1966, and 1967. Oh, and 2015 (Mad Max: Fury Road just popped into my queue this morning for a 9/29 release date).

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Laura Enright and Chris Kennedy

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are proud to welcome Laura Enright and Chris Kennedy
Laura Enright

I was born in Chicago and have been interested in writing all my life.

My early inspirations were the works of H.G. Welles, Edgar Allen Poe, Frederick Pohl, Mike Royko, Harry Harrison and Douglas Adams to name a few. Some of my most treasured moments came upon the arrival of her orders from the Science Fiction Book Club which featured books that transported me to far off worlds and times. Early on, shows like Star Trek, Doctor Who, Max Headroom and Quantum Leap helped cement my love for science fiction and fantasy and encourage me to come up with tales of her own to tell.

In 2005 Potomac Publishers, as part of their Most Wanted series, published my Chicago’s Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Murderous Mobsters, Midway Monsters, and Windy City Oddities.

In 2010 Potomac asked her to write another book in the series so she offered them Vampires’ Most Wanted: The Top Ten Book of Bloodthirsty Biters, Stake-wielding Slayers, and Other Undead Oddities (in keeping with the fiction series she was also working on featuring a vampire chef in modern day Chicago). The book was published in 2011.

I’ve been heard on the radio, conducted author talks and appeared in the Southern Kentucky Book Fair in 2012.

Other notable writing assignments included a weekly guest review for the show “House” during its fifth season which appeared on the Sun-Times/Pioneer Press Entertaining Ideas media blog. I also moderated a monthly online book chat for that news organization for which I wrote blog pieces that corresponded with chosen books and appeared on the Pioneer Pageturners blog site.

To Touch the Sun, the first novel in my Chicago Vampire Series was published in February by Dagda Publishers and is available in paperback and Kindle formats on Amazon. The sequel, Ujaali, is due out soon.

Laura's books:

Chicago’s Most Wanted: The Top Ten Book of Murderous Mobsters, Midway Monsters and Windy-City Oddities

Vampires’ Most Wanted: The Top Ten Book of Bloodthirsty Biters, Stake-wielding Slayers, and Other Undead Oddities

To Touch the Sun

Laura's Links:

Webpage
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Pintrest

Chris KennedyChris Kennedy

A bestselling Science Fiction/Fantasy author and speaker, Chris Kennedy is a former naval aviator with over 3,000 hours flying attack and reconnaissance aircraft. Chris is currently works as an Instructional Systems Designer for the Navy.

Chris' full length novels include the "Occupied Seattle" military fiction duology, the "Theogony" science fiction trilogy and the "War for Dominance" fantasy trilogy. Chris has also published the nonfiction book "Indie Publishing for Profit: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Onto the Shelves." Chris is currently working on The Search for Gram, the fourth book set in the Theogony
universe.

Chris's Books:
Can’t Look Back
Terra Stands Alone
When the Gods Aren’t Gods
Chris's Links:
Webpage Facebook Twitter
From today's show: Early asteroid detection system started.
Listen to this show at 6:00 P.M. ET / 3:00 P.M. PT or in archive here.

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Chess Desalls and Kevin M. Kraft

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are proud to welcome Chess Desalls and Kevin M. Kraft
Chess DesallsChess Desalls

Chess Desalls recently authored the first two installments of the YA time travel series, "The Call to Search Everywhen." She's a longtime reader of fantasy and sci-fi novels, particularly classics and young adult fiction. When she's not reading or writing, she enjoys traveling and trying to stay in tune on her flute.

Chess's Books:


Travel Glasses (The Call to Search Everywhen #1)

Insight Kindling (The Call to Search Everywhen #2)

Chess's Links:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Tumblr
Instagram
Pintrest
Goodreads

Kevin M. Kraft

Kevin M. Kraft has been an avid writer from early childhood, growing up in upstate New York. He is an award-winning author whose short story The Last Samaritan took the Kansas City Network of Christian Writers’ FICTION AWARD in 1995. His short fiction has appeared in a number of anthologies. He is also a multi-award-winning screenwriter, director, producer and CEO of T E K Productions in Kansas City, Missouri, where he lives with his wife and four children. He is a singer/songwriter, guitarist and founder of the annual Kansas City Cigar Box Guitar Festival.

Kevin's Books:

S: A Contemporary Religious Fantasy

Momo

The W-Crew

Kevin's Links:

Website
Facebook
Twitter

From today's show: Cubesat to hunt for water on the Moon.

Listen to this show at 6:00 PM PT / 3:00 PM PT live or in archive here.

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Dr. Robert J. Newton and Gloria Amendola

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are proud to welcome Dr. Robert J. Newton and Gloria Amendola
Dr. Robert J. NewtonDr. Robert J. Newton

Dr. Newton graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 1968 with a B.A. in Speech and English. His studies concentrated on General Semantics, linguistics, syllogistic logic and English composition. He earned his Juris Doctorate in Law from American College of Law in 1975. Dr. Newton operated an award winning landscape design and installation company for forty years and operated two organic farms. He was a “Certified Channel” for the Tibetan Foundation and has certifications in Etheric Healing, Reiki, Sound Signature Healing, Sage Experience Encounter Group facilitation,  Magnetic Acupuncture, Theta Healing and Theta Consciousness Reprogramming and Healing. Dr. Newton was a Christian Science healer for two decades and he received a doctorate in Natural Healing (Naturopathic medicine) in 1991 from Clayton School of Natural Healing. Dr. Newton is a third level Asclepiad, a Tai Chi master and has been initiated into the highest levels of Kriya Kundalini Pranayam. He uses alternative therapies to treat cancer, AIDS and Crohn’s Disease, through Theta Healing protocols, including Theta Consciousness Reprogramming.  Dr. Newton does remote healing for all sorts of physical and emotional problems. He also works as a motivational speaker, life success coach and relationship counselor. Additionally, he helps companies to become more efficient and profitable so they can pay their employees more money.


Dr. Newton is the author of “Pathways to God: Experiencing the Energies of the Living God in Your Everyday Life”, “A Map to Healing and Your Essential Divinity Through Theta Consciousness”, “The Hidden Codes of God” and the soon to be released, “Beyond The Mists of Time”. Dr. Newton has lectures on theta healing, sacred sexuality, immortality protocols, and mind reprogramming in classes he teaches and speaking engagements including The Conscious Life Expo, The Psi Symposium, The Science and Non Duality Conference and The Knowphest. His website is www.drrobertnewton.com  and www.greatmotivationaltalks.com


Robert's Book:

Beyond the Mists of Time: When Trees Ruled the Earth



Robert's Link:

Website

Gloria Amendola

Gloria Amendola is an author and intuitive with a passion for esoteric knowledge and dream language. Gloria likes to find the truth of things hidden beneath the surface. She travels internationally and speaks to audiences about the Holy Grail Mysteries and their connection to the secret destiny of America.

Amendola is a trained group facilitator. In her teaching circles, she blends the western tradition of research and evidence with the eastern path of meditation and going within for answers. She was trained in many modalities and works with a variety of cutting-edge disciplines in her practice. Gloria helps people understand history from an alternate perspective, putting the pieces together so that people can explore new possibilities and practices on their spiritual path. She is also a seasoned shamanic drummer and Reiki Master.

Amendola has written original scripts for theater that have been produced nationally.

A few years ago she changed course and began writing novels. Her publisher calls them esoteric thrillers! There are five books in the TOWER series. Two are done, with three more to come. And she promises they will lead to an unexpected and shocking conclusion!

Amendola has also written two hybrid non-fiction/channeled books called Mary Magdalene: Revelations from a First Century Avatar [Volumes I and II]. Though they are small in page number, they are big in esoteric knowledge and energetic effect.

Gloria’s travels have brought her to sacred sites worldwide to experience these powerful landscape temples firsthand. And they have changed her - from the inside out! She is a modern day Templar in the OSMTH Order. Her commandery is in Rennes le Chateau, France.  It's dedicated to Marie Madeleine, which is a perfect fit for her.

She follows in the footsteps of the enigmatic Knights Templar, walking where they walked, gathering impressions from the traces they left behind. Gloria has learned that where they walked, so too the ancients walked. Initiates of the Mysteries have gathered in these sacred sites worldwide for many reasons, reasons we are just beginning to understand. They left us an extraordinary legacy, one that could be decoded when we were ready to comprehend its true nature. And thankfully that time has come!

Amendola is fascinated by the revelations the Ancient Ones. They have seeded her dreams and imprinted her cellular memory, all the while waiting for her to awaken to this vast repository of knowledge and healing energy within her.


She listened to the whispers of the Ancient Ones along the way. Yet it was a struggle to accept their profound and arcane teachings since they were so different than anything she had known before. But in her eventual acceptance, Amendola discovered a whole new world of possibilities. Her work is a reflection of those possibilities and of the complexity of the grail quest into that extraordinary repository of knowledge she calls the Well of Memories...

Gloria's Books:

The Tower and the Dream: Awakening to the Call

The Tower and the Land: Awakening to the Light (The Towers Book 2)

Gloria's Link:

Website

From today's show: NASA Funds Far-Out Projects.

Listen to this show at 6:00 PM PT / 3:00 PM PT live or in archive here.