Thaddeus Nowak's Blog: Thoughts and Observations, page 11

Weekend Sketching at Old Shawnee Town

First, let me apologize for my lack of recent posts. I’ve been so focused on getting book 5 done that I pretty much let my blog languish. The good news is that book 5 is going to the editor this week, so yeah!

So as part of my relaxing and doing things other than finishing up a manuscript, I decided to pick up a pencil and do some sketching (Sherri has been a big motivation in that).I used to draw all the time and Sherri and I actually got to know each other in an art class. It has been something I’ve missed sketching and I plan to do more as well as branch out into things I have not done before. Things like markers, watercolors, and digital media. Okay, the maps are digital, but I mean digital figure drawing.  I will have to see how easily I can adapt to sketching on the computer.

Anyway, because it was 70 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend (odd for the middle of winter in Kansas) we went out, plopped our butts on the ground, and spent about an hour drawing. The attached image is not a masterpiece, but it is the first thing I’ve really drawn in 15 years, so it will take a little while to get back into the process and it was not the easiest perspective to start off with.  The biggest challenge was that we were sitting on the ground and looking up, but from our angle, the roof over the porch was not visible either from the top or the bottom, just directly at the side.  I am glad I had an eraser for the number of times I had to tweak the angles.

Since I’ve scanned it in, I was thinking to try my hand at doing some digital coloring. If it comes out reasonably, I’ll share it.

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Paperless: Minimalism

I think it was more than twenty years ago that the idea of going paperless first surfaced in my head.  The thought that we could get everything scanned into the computer and that I could get rid of the stacks of receipts (saved just in case we ever needed to service something) or bills (so we could prove how long we lived somewhere) or school notes (because … well I must be a hoarder).

The concept was great, but in practice, getting out the scanner, placing a page down, letting the scanner slowly run back and forth, materialize the image, and then to save it (or add it to a multi-page document) took a very long time.  I could spend a few hours and only knock the dust off the stack of things to scan.  I was never going to succeed.

Last Wednesday that all changed.  My new ScanSnap IX500 arrived.  The scanner is a beast.  It scans both sides of the page in a single pass, kicks out 25 pages a minute, and dumps the output into PDFs for JPGs with ease.  We’ve ripped through what would have been several months worth of work using the old flatbed scanner in only a few hours.

I compared reviews with some other ones and based on the comments, I decided to go with this scanner.  The software is not perfect, especially with regard to picking filenames and the scanner is not cheap, but damn, it is worth every penny and I can live with the minor issues.

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Reader’s World – Small Business Saturday

If you are going to take part in the Thanksgiving shopping holiday, I have a suggestion for you: Buy some books!

This coming Saturday, 28 Nov 2015, Reader’s World in Lee’s Summit is having a Small Business Saturday event and there will be a number of local authors present during the day, including me.

It is a perfect chance to get some customized gifts for yourself or others (authors love to sign books).

I hope to see you there and have fun this holiday season, whatever you do.

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Writers of the Wheat

I am looking forward to the Writers of the Wheat Literary Festival taking place this coming weekend, 7 Nov 2015. It will be a gathering of a number of authors from across the state of Kansas and will take place at Wichita State University’s Rhatigan Student Center from 10 am to 3 pm in the 2nd-floor walkway.  The event is free to the public, so if you are in the area, you might want to check out the event.

It will be a good chance for people to meet a number of authors, talk about writing, publishing, and just have a good time. The authors present, including myself, will have our books available for purchase, but we have also each donated novels to a charity raffle that will benefit the Wichita Children’s Home.

The Wichita Children’s Home was Wichita’s first orphanage, founded in 1888. In 2013, they celebrated 125 years of service to the community. Since they were founded, the WCH has added a wide variety of services, including a 24-hour emergency shelter for teens in need. As a charity organization, they can always benefit from donations, so even if you cannot make it to the Literary Festival, check out their page and if you can help, they will appreciate it.

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Owin #61 — A meeting in the kitchen

Check out the start of the series.

Photo ©Depositphotos.com / Oleksandr Minyaylo

The next morning, Owin gave D’mir a message for Arn and another for Arn to pass on to Denton. D’mir did not indicate how long it would take for the messages to be exchanged and Owin could tell it would be better if he did not ask. Instead, he returned to the barn where he and Gwen had cleared a small space in the loft. He expected the two of them would be spending a number of days in their self-imposed confinement and could not risk antagonizing the man who was sheltering them as well as providing their food.

To pass the time, Owin started teaching Gwen to speak Uvarian. When she had her fill of new words, he would switch to describing the effects of various poisons, how to make them, and how to counter their effects. Although she wanted to learn more fighting techniques, the confined space prohibited anything that involved large movements and Owin’s arm limited close contact training. Tain’s paste had helped, but only time would fully heal the gash.

As the days passed, Owin had worried that Gwen would become restless and become difficult to deal with at her young age. However, she continued to demonstrate her maturity and even after sixteen days, she had retained a better mental outlook than he had. A fact that had not been lost on Gwen.

Over the days, D’mir never warmed to them and had never bothered to visit them. Instead Boris, D’mir’s helper, had become responsible for their comfort and care. The looks that Boris and Gwen sometimes shared raised a protective urge in Owin, but D’mir kept Boris working hard and that meant the two never had any chance to be alone together.

Late on the sixteenth day, Boris climbed the ladder and called out to them as he made his way behind the pile of hay to where Owin and Gwen sat. “Sir, Ma’am,” he said, addressing them as he always did, “My Master has instructed me to bring you to the house.”

Owin could see an elevated energy in Boris’ movements. “What does he want?” Owin asked. Although his sword belt was not strapped around his waist, it was never more than a couple steps away just in case D’mir ever grew tired of them and summoned some of Denton’s people.

Boris smiled. “Sir, my Master’s brother has returned. He said you should bring all your things.”

Owin turned to see Gwen’s eyes wide. He nodded his head and Gwen quickly jumped into action, gathering their blankets and the few things that were not in their packs. Owin had always wanted to be ready to leave in a moment’s notice and had never let either of them leave anything out of their packs that they were not using.

Owin turned back to Boris. “Please tell D’mir we will be there shortly.”

Boris bowed his head. “Yes, Sir.” When he looked up, the boy added, “They have brought a lady with them. I do not know her name.”

Gwen nearly dropped the bag in her hand. “Mother?”

Owin raised his hand to silence Gwen. “Don’t jump to conclusions. Arn was not supposed to bring her here. It is likely someone else.”

Gwen nodded her head slowly and then gave up on folding the blankets and merely stuffed it into her pack. “I’m ready.”

Owin smiled and gave her a slight nod of his head despite the raised hairs on his neck and arms. This summons was not according to his plan and the change bothered him.

Gwen moved forward, shuffling Boris before her. After the young man had moved around the mound of hay and out of sight, Owin crossed over to the far corner of the loft and pulled back some hay to expose a loose board. He doubted they would be coming back to the loft and he wanted to gather their coin from the hidden cache.

With the bag of coins stuff into his pack, Owin followed after Gwen. He reached the ladder just as she had started down. He smiled at her as she looked up at him; she had moved slow enough for him to catch up to her and prevent the two of them from getting separated. Seeing him, her pace increased and they were soon outside the stuffy barn.

Owin took a deep breath to clear the dusty air from his lungs as he searched the area for threats. Over the last sixteen days, the two of them had only been outside the barn during the darkest part of the night and Owin had to work to remember what D’mir’s property looked like in the light. Not seeing anything out of place, he look at Boris.

“They are in the kitchen,” the young man said as he led the way.

Owin followed, shifting the pack onto his left shoulder so he could keep his right hand free in case he had to draw his sword. Gwen followed a step behind him, mirroring him, ready to draw her own weapons.

Owin followed Boris in through the back door and noticed several people standing inside the modest kitchen. D’mir, his wife Wina, and Arn stood facing the woman. Owin froze, unable to move or speak, even before Elsin turned to face him he had recognized her, but he could not understand why she would be here. The slap that hit his face broke his surprise, but he could not bring himself to react.

“You bastard! You bloody bastard!” Elsin’s voice filled the house. The second slap turned his head and could have been heard in the far bedroom.

“No, Mother!” Gwen shouted, rushing around Owin and pushing him back.

“Out of the way, Gwen. This man has ruined our lives!” Elsin’s chest heaved as she tried to push her daughter out of the way, but Gwen had grown stronger with all the traveling.

“Please, Mother, Owin saved our lives.” Gwen put her hands on her mother’s arms and slowly drew her mother’s attention. Gwen looked down at her mother’s hands and then slowly moved her own hands to brush her fingers over her mother’s. “Your hands are healed.”

Owin watched Elsin swallow. “I was held captive for countless days and weeks. At first I was too weak to do anything, but that man Denton healed my wounds. There was no washing for me to do, but they made me sew clothing once my hands and arm were well enough.” Elsin blinked back tears and she wrapped her arms around Gwen. “I thought I had lost you. I thought they would kill you. Those men overpowered me. I don’t remember what happened, just that I woke up and you were gone, your Grandma was dead, and Denton and Gina kept telling me that if the two of you did as you were told, they would free me.”

“I’m so sorry, Mother. I should never have done what I did,” Gwen sobbed, burying her face in her mother’s shoulder.

Elsin looked up and Owin saw the hate and anger in her eyes. He knew nothing he could say would change her mind. And she is probably right.

Gwen stepped back and looked at her mother’s face. “It’s not Owin’s fault. I stole a spoon. Owin had nothing to do with it.”

Elsin shook her head, not removing her eyes from Owin. “No, Gwen, it’s Owin’s fault. I should never have let him stay around. He was a bad influence.”

“No!” Gwen’s voice drew her mother’s attention back to her. “Father started it. I heard stories of his adventures and I never wanted to slave myself out to rich people. I wanted out of our life so bad I would do anything. I didn’t want to watch you slowly die and I was not going to end up with hands so bloody and cracked I couldn’t hold a spoon.”

“Gwen–”

“No, Mother. Owin didn’t cause me to do what I did. I did it because I’ve got my father in me. I want to see the world and live, not just exist. I want to be more than a laundress.” Gwen put her hands on her mother’s arms. “I love you, but I can’t go back to what we were.”

Owin swallowed. “Gwen, your mother is right, if I had not been around, you probably wouldn’t have heard half the stories you did.”

Gwen turned her head. “Owin, I started this. It was my decision to steal the spoon.” She wiped tears from her face with her shoulder. “It was my fault. I caused Grandmother to die and my Mother to almost get killed. Because of me, you almost died more than once. I won’t have her hating you because of me.” She wiped away more tears. “The two of you should love each other, not fight about what’s wrong with me.”

Owin opened his mouth to say something, but some of the anger in Elsin’s eyes had disappeared and he did not want to risk bringing it back.

Gwen turned back toward her mother. “I know you care for Owin, I’ve seen the way you look at him and how worried you always get when he doesn’t show up for some reason.” She turned back to Owin. “And you can’t fool me either. I know why you always stayed to take care of us.”

Elsin pulled Gwen closer and put her arms around her daughter. “Gwen, I don’t know. Owin and I are friends. He was your father’s best friend. I….”

Owin bit his lip. “Elsin, this is not something we have to decide right now.” He looked around the room and Arn, D’mir, Boris, and Wina stood in an uncomfortable silence.

Arn, seeing Owin’s gaze shift, cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Owin, but Elsin would not follow your instructions. I told her we were supposed to meet you somewhere else, but she would not have any of it and frankly, I wasn’t going to oppose her.”

Owin smiled. “Elsin can be quite persuasive.”

“Too bad I could not persuade the two of you to be more sensible,” she said, not releasing Gwen.

Arn shrugged, but continued to look at Owin. “I gave Denton your message about you finishing the job and your demands for Elsin to be freed. I would say Denton wasn’t happy at first, but word’s come back that Ravigar is getting the blame for something, so whatever you did, it seemed to work.” Arn glanced to his brother and then back to Owin. “Denton said you and Gavin were always a threat that he actually feared and from what I saw, I know I don’t want to face you down.”

Owin relaxed a little seeing Arn’s calm posture. “I never wanted to be part of this and I don’t plan to be pulled back in. I hope you made Denton understand that.”

Arn smiled. “Denton will do what he wants, but he gave Elsin into my care and told me to deliver her to you. So I guess that is as close to being free as you can get.”

Owin turned to Elsin and noticed a glimmer of hope in her eyes. “Arn agreed to take you to Duin Point in Uvar. Since you are here, I think he’ll take Gwen and me as well,” Owin glanced over to Arn.

“You saved my life,” Arn said, “it is out of my way, but I’ve arranged to sell some things along the way and Uvar has some valuable spices I can unload back here. Assuming you can help on the way, I can see fit to make room for you two.”

Owin turned back to Elsin. “I can set you and Gwen up there,” he saw Gwen’s body tighten in her Mother’s arms. “If you want me to stay after we get there, I will. If not, I’ll respect that.”

Elsin’s eyes filled with tears and she reached out to Owin with her right hand while she kept Gwen held tight with her left. “I want you to stay. I’ve always wanted you to stay.”

Owin stepped closer and allowed himself to be drawn into their hug as Gwen turned to wrap her arm around him as well as her mother. “Thank you,” he said.

 

Thank you for reading this web series. I have had fun with it and I hope you have enjoyed it as well. For now, I will let Owin, Elsin, and Gwen sail off in search of a new place to live.

Thanks,

Thaddeus

 

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Movie Review: The Martian

Last week I went to see The Martian, which was the movie based on the book by Andy Weir. As I mentioned in my review of the book, I really loved the story. It is science with a sarcastic attitude—a mix that struck a chord with me.

For the movie, I think Matt Damon did an excellent job as Mark Watney. It was a very believable portrayal of the character. I could see him truly as a man stuck on the surface of Mars trying to find a way to survive against the odds.

This is truly a story that kept me wondering how he could live and the greatest part was that it took intelligence, cunning, and wits to overcome the obstacles. The foe (nature) could not be overcome by brawn and extra fire power. Bringing a truckload of macho was going to save his life. It is refreshing to see that play out both in print and on the screen and for so many people to embrace it.

Let me say this early, I think the movie is 5 out of 5 stars, so definitely go see it. However, I did have a couple of gripes which come purely from having read the book first—which if you have not read yet, go get a copy and start reading it now…or at least as soon as you are done reading this post.

My gripe is that they removed some of the science from the movie. Sure, runtime will necessitate quite a bit of what was removed and I am okay with that. However, I think there were places where they could have left in a little more of the science. It would have been easy to drop a few more voice-over statements from Watney’s log in a couple of scenes and I think not only could most people have embraced a few additional bits of science, but that it would make for an even more powerful story.

Don’t get me wrong, there was science in the movie and I was very happy to see it. In fact, I don’t know if this is a testament for how well the movie was done, or a commentary on our society, but the last week or so, I’ve been seeing comments (mostly poking fun) at people who either believe or have asked if this was based on a true story.

Perhaps the problem is a mix of both. The movie was done with realistic physics, lots of scientific reasoning, and complex problem-solving—which made it seem more realistic than many other dramas that make it to the screen. Couple that with an education system that has lost a bit of focus on the sciences and I can see how some people might be led to believe it was based on a true story.

However, that still does not make me want to water it down, if anything, I think taking it to the next level and adding the extra science back could expose more people to what science is about and make them excited to learn.

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Lansing Fall Festival

Saturday, 10 Oct 2015, I will be at Lansing’s Fall Festival, location 7. It looks to be a nice day and there will be quite a few vendors and even a stage.

If you are in the area, come out and see some of the vendors.

It runs from 10 am to 4 pm on the Angel Falls Trail located behind St. Francis de Sales Church, 900 Ida St, Lansing, KS 66043.

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Owin #60 — A place to stay

Check out the start of the series.

Photo ©Depositphotos.com / Oleksandr Minyaylo

Gwen fixed a quick meal that helped Owin feel a little life and energy return to his body. After they had eaten, Tain leaned toward Owin. “You got any money?”

Owin nodded his head slowly. “A little. Why?”

Tain got up and went over to his cold box and dug around to the back of the small chest before he pulled out a small ceramic jar with a wax covered top. He put the jar on the table and pushed it toward Owin. “Not sure you’d trust me, but if you want the jar, I’ll sell it for a crown. You’ve been in the business long enough to know what it is.”

Owin raised his eyebrows. The price Tain demanded, while a lot of money, was actually inexpensive if the jar contained what Tain was implying. Owin bit his lower lip as he considered his options. A priest would cost me a lot more than that, but with a priest I wouldn’t have to trust the ointment he’s hinting is in the jar. “Where’d you get something like this?”

“It’s an old recipe. A woman I know grew up far to the north. They…let’s say, things are different up there. She knows how to make things that the priests don’t like us to have. But the priests won’t heal just anyone.” Tain sat back down, keeping his one good eye on Owin. “The stuff’s a little old and I don’t expect to need it any time soon. So I can either sell it to you cheap or let it go to waste.”

Owin nodded his head. He did not fully trust Tain, but in something like this, most people in their line of work maintained a sense of honor. A sad, sick honor, Owin thought. Cut my throat while I sleep or put poison in my food, but you won’t kill me when offering aid–unless you were hired to do it or really hate me. Good honest honor. “Alright, you’ve got a deal.”

Gwen slid back her chair and dragged the bag sitting on the floor closer. She routed around and then sat up, placing a stack of coins on the table.

Owin smiled at her.

“Done,” Tain said, sliding the coins off the table and into his hand.

Owin felt his head growing lighter again and pushed his chair back before he grew any weaker. Gwen grabbed the ceramic jar and gathered their belongings. “Thank you for breakfast.” It would not do good to thank him for the ointment.

“We should…” Gwen started and trailed off as Owin stopped her with a look.

Owin could tell Gwen wanted to repeat their misdirection of staying in town. It had been said once, saying it twice would tell Tain that it was a lie. “We’ve used enough of your time, Tain, we’ll let you get back to your day,” he said and then turned toward the door.

Tain did not bother to see them out of his home, but Owin still initially headed back toward the walled part of Solva. Only when they were well away from Tain’s home did he turn Gwen back to the east and away from the city. She’ll learn how to drop the right level of hint in time.

 

It took them a long while and the sun was well into the sky by the time they were out of sight of any buildings or homes. When they had a break in the traffic along the road, Owin took them into an area of taller grasses where they could be obscured from the road. He slid to the ground and leaned his head back against one of their bags of supplies.

“You okay, Owin?” Gwen immediately asked.

He shook his head and spoke, but did not open his eyes. “I’m exhausted. My arm hurts and I need to sleep.”

“Should I put what’s in the jar on your arm?”

Owin forced his eyes open. He looked down at his arm and the bloody bandage wrapped around it. “I’ll have to trust him,” he finally said, knowing the wound needed tending or it would only get worse and eventually kill him. “I’m going to pass out, but if you can put a heavy dose of it on my arm, that would be great.”

He leaned his head back as Gwen removed the bandage. Her slight intake of breath told him how bad it looked. A few moments later he felt an intense burning as she pushed the thick paste into the wound. He bit his lip, drawing blood, but the pain of the wound quickly subsided and faded into nothing as his arm became numb.

His eyes were still closed and he felt himself drifting off as Gwen started to re-wrap his arm. He did not have a chance to give Gwen any instructions.

 

Owin eventually woke and they continued walking away from Solva, but night had come before they reached the small town of Little Bern. Once in the small town, it did not take long to find the house of Arn’s brother. Exhausted again, Owin knocked on the door despite the late hour.

“What is it?” D’mir asked when the large man finally opened the door. The blacksmith straightened when he met Owin’s eyes. “You never sent word you needed anything made.”

Owin nodded his head in agreement. “It turned out that we didn’t need anything. Instead of the grapple, would it be possible to instead take up shelter in your barn for a few days? We want to get word to your brother and need a place to stay while we wait for him.”

D’mir’s frown grew heavier. “I am not an inn. I don’t rent out rooms.”

“We are not asking for anything in particular and would stay out of your way. We’ll even pay for our food if that would help. I was just hoping to find someplace quite to remain out of sight for a few days.”

“It could be a while before word might get to Arn,” D’mir said. “I don’t know that I want to get involved.”

Owin nodded his head slowly. “Do you know of someplace we could stay in secret?” Owin leaned to the side, allowing the light from inside D’mir’s house to shine on Gwen, who stood just to the side and behind Owin.

D’mir’s lips quirked and he looked up to meet Owin’s eyes. “Fine. The two of you can stay in my barn, but stay out of sight and out of the way.”

“Thank you,” Owin said. “I will give you a message for Arn in the morning. Hopefully, Arn can relay it to Denton.” Owin considered probing further to see if D’mir knew anything of Arn’s rumored special means of communication, but he did not want to risk losing their place to stay. If D’mir knew anything, or had picked up on Owin’s desire to know, the man gave no indication.

“Follow me,” D’mir said, stepping out of his home, “I’ll take you to the barn.”

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Great bookstore! – Reader’s World

Lee’s Summit is a bit of a drive for myself, but yesterday I stopped in Reader’s World of Lee’s Summit for a book signing of a fellow author, James Young (check out his new book Collisions of the Damned, an alternate history story set in WWII).

I kind of geek-out for bookstores, but I really enjoyed this store. I bought several books and my wife found a couple of gifts that she’s going to give later this year. In addition to books, they have games, toys, and other small nick-nacks. They often have events and local authors in for book signings (hint, hint, I will be scheduling one there at some point).

If you are in the area, it is definitely a good place to check out. Plus, they are carrying my series and have a couple sets of autographed books on their shelves.

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Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit

I have just started watching some anime. I will admit that when I was younger, I never saw the appeal, preferring more westernized cartoons to the eastern style of animation. Recently, I have started to change my mind and have grown to appreciate the style.

To that end, I’ve been trying out new things on Netflix, which now has flooded by channel with lots of suggestions and recommendations. Not everything has appealed to my interest (some has just been too superficial when it comes to the characters and stories). However, other things have caught my interest, such as Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. I will say that so far (only 4 episodes in) I am finding this story and characters to have some real depth.

The main character is Balsa, a spear-wielding warrior who is cunning and dedicated to her charges. (You might already understand why I find this series interesting.) She is hired to protect Chagum, a young boy who is the second prince of the Imperial Family and is inhabited by water spirit.

Based on Wikipedia, the anime was based on the first book in a series of Japanese fantasy novels by Nahoko Uehashi. The novel also appears to have been translated into English back in 2008.

It is still early in my watching to know for sure, but if the series continues on as it has, I think I will really like it. I’ll give a more detailed review once I am done watching the series. And if I do like it, I will have to see if I can hunt up a copy of the book.

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