S. Evan Townsend's Blog, page 92
August 12, 2015
Canadian Rockies Part Five
It's time for the fifth and final installment of pictures from my Canadian Rockies vacation.
In part one we has pictures from lovely Lake Louise. Part two we were in the Banff area. Part three we drove into Jasper National Park. And in part four, we rode a gondola up to 7,500 feet to view the mountains.
Today we are going to visit Waterton Lakes National Park. This is just north of Glacier National Park in Montana. Together the two parts form the Glacier-Waterton Peace Park.
It was still a beautiful day when we arrived and this was the view from our room's balcony:
That's Upper Waterton Lake (there's three lakes, this is the largest).
The next day started out clear but later got cloudy. We went to the north end of Cameron Lake which extends into Montana:
(The snowy ridge is in Montana.)
Then we went to Red Rocks Canyon, which did have red rocks but wasn't much of a canyon:
The next day the weather really socked in the morning with rain and clouds. But we went on the MV International down Upper Waterton Lake to the American side.
On the trip back, however, the weather cleared and it was beautiful And I got sunburned.
Finally that day we went to Cameron Falls which is just outside the town of Waterton:
I like how the water plays over the sloping layers.
The next day we took the long drive home.
In part one we has pictures from lovely Lake Louise. Part two we were in the Banff area. Part three we drove into Jasper National Park. And in part four, we rode a gondola up to 7,500 feet to view the mountains.
Today we are going to visit Waterton Lakes National Park. This is just north of Glacier National Park in Montana. Together the two parts form the Glacier-Waterton Peace Park.
It was still a beautiful day when we arrived and this was the view from our room's balcony:
That's Upper Waterton Lake (there's three lakes, this is the largest).The next day started out clear but later got cloudy. We went to the north end of Cameron Lake which extends into Montana:
(The snowy ridge is in Montana.)
Then we went to Red Rocks Canyon, which did have red rocks but wasn't much of a canyon:
The next day the weather really socked in the morning with rain and clouds. But we went on the MV International down Upper Waterton Lake to the American side.
On the trip back, however, the weather cleared and it was beautiful And I got sunburned.
Finally that day we went to Cameron Falls which is just outside the town of Waterton:
I like how the water plays over the sloping layers.
The next day we took the long drive home.
August 10, 2015
Always Do Your Best
Back when I worked in the corporate world, I noticed something that wasn't very pleasant. You could do your job perfectly day in and day out, without any comment or feedback from your superiors or peers. But screw up once, and suddenly everyone noticed.And it's the same way with writing. You may write a brilliant novel full of joy, pathos, philosophy, feeling, and adventure. But everyone's going to notice the one typo on page 347. (Which is why editing is so important.)
One thing I hate is picking up one of my published novels and finding an error such as a typo. I hate just a little less finding a sentence I could have written better.
That is why you need to always practice your craft. In everything you do, write it the best you can. Even if it's a Facebook update, write it well. I cringe when I see people who call themselves writers making stupid mistakes in Facebook posts or Twitter updates. How can you write a novel when you don't bother with the difference between "to" and "too"?
Now, I'm the typo king. So I have lots of people proofread my work, including myself (but I'm also a lousy proofreader because I see the word I think should be there).
We all want to write and write well. But if you let small mistakes slip by, it will undermine your credibility and, in some cases, simply make people reject your work. Perfection is impossible, but do your best. Always do your best. Even if you make a mistake, you know you did your best and you don't have to feel guilty about being lazy.
If you truly care about your craft, and your craft is writing, then do you best in all things you write. Write it well, make sure you use proper grammar and punctuation.
And please, remember the difference between "to" and "too."
August 7, 2015
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Hope Schenk-de Michele and Paul Marquez
Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are proud to welcome co-writers Hope Schenk-de Michele and Paul Marquez
Hope Schenk-de MicheleHope Schenk-de Michele and Paul Marquez have been best friends and television producing partners for more than four decades. They both grew up in Los Angeles, California and share a passion for mystery and science fiction. This passion lead them to create the forever young and beautiful daughter of darkness, Lucinda. To assist in bringing Lucinda's story into the literary world, they enlisted the help of New York Times best-selling science fiction and fantasy author Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff. Maya is the author of more than a dozen novels, and the co-author of The Last Jedi: Star Wars (Star Wars: Coruscant Nights - 
Paul MarquezLegends). All three reside in California.Their book:
Devil’s Daughter (Lucinda’s Pawnshop, #1) Amazon, BN, The Booknook, Bird Street Books.Their Links:
Website
YouTube
Goodreads
From today's show: Planetary Resources Launches First Satellite.
Listen to this show at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT or in archive here.
August 4, 2015
Release Day: Treasure of the Black Hole
Today is the day! The Kindle version of
Treasure of the Black Hole
is out. This is the first novel in a planned three-book series called "Treasures of Space." Book two is in beta reads, now.Here's the blurb:
The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of . . .
When private detective Rick Bailey is hired by the exotically beautiful and outrageously wealthy Princess Nora, he thinks it'll be easy money. Escaping from her rebellion-torn kingdom, the princess has lost her handmaiden, Lores: the only person who knows how to find the hidden royal jewels.
But when his search for the equally lovely Lores turns deadly, Bailey realizes that there is more to this case than it first seemed. When someone tries to kill him, he discovers that the roots of evil run deep.
With his own set of values and sense of honor, Bailey must keep one step ahead of murderous mobsters, secret government operatives, and a genetically enhanced Lores as he races across the galaxy in search of the truth. The only things he knows he can trust are his eight-foot-tall ladybug-like girl Friday and a powerful weapon that responds to his thoughts.
Will Bailey find the treasure of the black hole in time and will he survive long enough to discover why it is something worth killing for?
Get your Kindle version today. The paperback will be coming soon.
The Canadian Rockies, Part Four: the Gondola
In part one of our Canadian Rockies adventure, we were at Lake Louise. In part two we drove around Banff. And in part three we drove up toward Jasper.
Today we're going to have pictures from our gondola trip up Lake Louise Ski Resort.
You ascend to 7,500 feet in the gondola. You can go up by ski lift chair by my wife wasn't comfortable doing that (and to be honest, I wasn't either, really).
Here's picture of one of the gondolas descending along with some ski chairs.
But the trip is worth it and these pictures don't due it justice. This was the nicest day we were in the Lake Louise area and the weather was beautiful.
You can see amazing mountains and Lake Louise from that height. Here's Lake Louise:
But the mountains are just gorgeous.
After being up there for about an hour, we rode the gondola back down. On the way down we saw a grizzly bear and were glad we were up in the air. Unfortunately, we couldn't get a picture of the bear.
We returned to the lodge.
Then we got in our car and drove to Waterton Lakes National Park. That'll be part five.
Today we're going to have pictures from our gondola trip up Lake Louise Ski Resort.
You ascend to 7,500 feet in the gondola. You can go up by ski lift chair by my wife wasn't comfortable doing that (and to be honest, I wasn't either, really).
Here's picture of one of the gondolas descending along with some ski chairs.
But the trip is worth it and these pictures don't due it justice. This was the nicest day we were in the Lake Louise area and the weather was beautiful.
You can see amazing mountains and Lake Louise from that height. Here's Lake Louise:
But the mountains are just gorgeous.
After being up there for about an hour, we rode the gondola back down. On the way down we saw a grizzly bear and were glad we were up in the air. Unfortunately, we couldn't get a picture of the bear.
We returned to the lodge.
Then we got in our car and drove to Waterton Lakes National Park. That'll be part five.
July 31, 2015
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Stephen Schwertley and Tom Lucas
Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are please to welcome Stephen Schwertley and Tom Lucas
Stephen SchwertleyStephen SchwertleyA graduate of Arizona State University with a B.S. in Biology, Schwertley early beginning’s were as a salesman in the medical equipment industry, progressing to a National Award winning salesman in the reprographic, semiconductor, automotive software marketplaces. As Schwertley’s professional career blossomed, he achieved positions as National Sales Manager MGI Systems, Director of Sales for BL-Systems, and National Account Manager for Kwik-Way Products, Inc. Schwertley is known for his is quirky sense of humor that permeates his life. Schwertley lives in Cave Creek, Arizona with his wife Joy and their two Yorkies Jack and Foxy.
Stephen's Book
Enemy in the Heartland
Stephen's Links
Website
Tom LucasTom LucasTom Lucas was born and raised in Detroit, and although currently enjoying the lack of snow and ice in Florida, remains a son of the post-industrial apocalypse.
He is a college professor, author, blogger, poet, book reviewer, and spoken word performer.
Tom has been published in Writer's Digest, The South End, The Oakland Press, The Macomb Daily, Orbit, Anthropomorphic, and U. Magazine. He has also been featured in literary journals such as The Write Place at the Write Time, Graffiti Rag, F*cked Up Fairy Tales, and Dark Fire Fiction. As a staunch supporter of spoken word he has performed on the Lollapalooza stage as well as guest spots on CIMX, WDET, and WJR.
He has shorts appearing in the upcoming anthologies: They Did It For The Money and Southern Haunts III.
Tom's Books
Pax Titanus
Leather to the Corinthians
Tom's Links
Website/Blog
Google+
Email List (signups get a free story)
From today's show: Mini Glider on Mars
Listen to today's show at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT or in archive here.
July 30, 2015
The Canadian Rockies Part Three: Driving North
In Part One of this series, we had pictures of Lake Louise. In Part Two, we drove around the Banff area. Thenwe headed north toward (but not to) Jasper.
The second full day we were in the Canadian Rockies, we decided to go north into Jasper National Park. It was a rainy, cloudy day. But that didn't stop us from halting our progress to take pictures.
I don't remember the names of this lake:
We got as far north as the Columbia Ice Fields.
Heading south again, we stopped at the Saskatoon Crossing where I took this picture:
In part Four: the Gondola Ride!
The second full day we were in the Canadian Rockies, we decided to go north into Jasper National Park. It was a rainy, cloudy day. But that didn't stop us from halting our progress to take pictures.
I don't remember the names of this lake:
We got as far north as the Columbia Ice Fields.
Heading south again, we stopped at the Saskatoon Crossing where I took this picture:
In part Four: the Gondola Ride!
July 27, 2015
The Canadian Rockies Part Two: Driving Around
In Part One of this series, we had pictures of the lovely Lake Louise. But Lake Louise was right outside my hotel window.
On this trip we also did a lot of driving around to see sights. In fact, during the whole trip we put 1,589 miles on our car. Of course, that included driving there and driving back.
As I stated in Part One, the weather was not ideal, often cloudy and sometimes rainy. Occasionally this gave a nice picture with low clouds against the mountains. But often it did not.
The first day we first went to Moraine Lake which is near Lake Louise. It looked pretty despite the low clouds:
After that, we took a drive down the Bow River Parkway which went the Lake Louise to Banff. And I snapped this picture:
Banff was touristy and crowded and I wasn't very impressed. So we drove out to Lake Minnewanka and I took this picture:
(You may note I didn't even bother to get out of the car.)
We returned to the hotel because it started raining and I snapped another picture of Lake Louise:
In Part Three I'll show pictures from out journey into Jasper National Park.
On this trip we also did a lot of driving around to see sights. In fact, during the whole trip we put 1,589 miles on our car. Of course, that included driving there and driving back.
As I stated in Part One, the weather was not ideal, often cloudy and sometimes rainy. Occasionally this gave a nice picture with low clouds against the mountains. But often it did not.
The first day we first went to Moraine Lake which is near Lake Louise. It looked pretty despite the low clouds:
After that, we took a drive down the Bow River Parkway which went the Lake Louise to Banff. And I snapped this picture:
Banff was touristy and crowded and I wasn't very impressed. So we drove out to Lake Minnewanka and I took this picture:
(You may note I didn't even bother to get out of the car.)
We returned to the hotel because it started raining and I snapped another picture of Lake Louise:
In Part Three I'll show pictures from out journey into Jasper National Park.
July 24, 2015
The Speculative Fiction Cantina with S. A. Bolich and Michael Cantwell
Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are proud to welcome S. A. Bolich and Michael Cantwell
S. A. Bolich
S. A. Bolich is a full time freelancer with seven books currently in print and four more due out soon in her “Fate’s Arrow” high fantasy series. Her first published short story earned an honorable mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror; her first novel, Firedancer, was a finalist for the 2013 EPIC Award for Fantasy. A native of Washington state, she resides there again after serving six years in Germany as a regular army military intelligence officer. She graduated summa cum laude from college with a degree in history, which she confesses was greatly aided by devouring historical fiction of every era and kind through her formative years. Since then she has taught web design, trained horses, spent a few hectic and thoroughly enjoyable years volunteering with the United States Pony Clubs (kids and horses, oh, my!), worked in global marketing and project management, and finally managed a long-overdue escape from corporate world to write.
S. A.'s Books:
Delver
The Mark of God
Out of the Vaults
S. A.'s Links:
Website
Blog
Michael CantwellMichael CantwellMichael Cantwell, CCIM (1958-present) is an author and commercial real estate agent in Florida as well as a published photographer. He was born in Ft. Campbell KY, raised in Trenton, NJ, graduated college at LaSalle University in Philadelphia, PA. He now resides in Palm Beach County, Florida. He is married with three children and one dog. He loves music and is a Miami Marlins, Dolphins, Panthers and Heat fan. He has served on many board of directors and volunteered many hours as a coach for baseball and basketball as well as for Junior Achievement in many schools around South Florida.
Michael's Books:
Soul Directive
Fortunate Soul
Presidential Shadows
Michael's Links:
Website Blog Facebook Twitter
From today's show: We are all living in a hologram
Listen to this show at 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT or in archive here.
July 23, 2015
The Canadian Rockies Part One: Lake Louise
I spent the last week in the Canadian Rockies. This is a part of Canada north of Montana. It is renown for its beautiful scenery.
We first stayed at Lake Louise and when we arrived, this was the view out our window:
As you can see, low, gray clouds diminished the beauty of the view. But still, it was very nice to look over Lake Louise to the Victoria Glacier.
The weather varied but the last day we were there, the say we left, I woke up to this:
The glacier is pink because it's reflecting the sunrise.
Later I went down to the water's edge to take this picture:
I was so glad we got at least one day of nice weather.
More Canadian Rockies pictures to come.
We first stayed at Lake Louise and when we arrived, this was the view out our window:
As you can see, low, gray clouds diminished the beauty of the view. But still, it was very nice to look over Lake Louise to the Victoria Glacier.
The weather varied but the last day we were there, the say we left, I woke up to this:
The glacier is pink because it's reflecting the sunrise.
Later I went down to the water's edge to take this picture:
I was so glad we got at least one day of nice weather.
More Canadian Rockies pictures to come.
