Phyllis Moore's Blog, page 4

Crimson’s Challenge: One Little Flower

This is my photo answering Crimson’s Creative Challenge.

Sunday Stills: Blue Skies

I took this photo in early spring just as trees were beginning to bloom. The white birch and blue sky fit perfectly with Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge: #Blue is My World.

Two Days to a Free Ebook

In honor of my birthday on July 15, I am giving you a birthday present, a free ebook of Pegasus Colony the first book of People of Akiane Trilogy. This is the second post on my free ebook, here is the link to the introduction post.

Chapter 1 of Pegasus Colony

It was to be Earth’s greatest achievement, establishing the first galactic colony in the Pegasus Constellation. Using folded space technology, World Space Coalition sent three spaceships, WSC Eagle, WSC Hawk, and WSC Falcon, to transport 2,035 settlers to their new home planet, Akiane. 

I named the ships after three majestic raptors birds because I wanted WSC ships to be known for their strength, dominance, and nobility. 

Eagle was to be the first to land on Akiane until a friend reminded me of another ship named Eagle that was the first to land on the Moon. I didn’t want to confuse the two, but I didn’t want to change WSC Eagle’s name either therefore, I changed her destiny. 

Chapter 1 introduces each ship as it reaches its destination and shows you its fate. 

Here is WSC Eagle’s story:

Chapter 1 Part 1

Captain Richard Fortner of WSC Eagle Log Entry

Folded space is a success. It only took twelve years to travel twenty-seven light-years to the planet Akiane within the Pegasus Constellation.

We have been in orbit for nine days and are running tests and sending probes to explore the planet and star.

One probe orbits this system’s star and has been recording its activity for the past few days. We have witnessed some astonishing coronal mass ejections, larger than anything Earth’s sun can produce, but then it is also larger than our Sun. Eruptions from the huge star have set off a series of plasma waves 30 million meters high, traveling millions of kilometers across the physical surface of the star in a matter of seconds.

The planet was quiet when we first arrived, but as the giant gas planet approaches, many volcanoes are suddenly active.

Akiane and the gas planet the size of Saturn orbit their star elliptically. Every eleven years their orbits cross. We have arrived in time to study the phenomenon. Those back at WSC Moon Base will be delighted with this new data.

Captain Fortner’s Office

The captain’s office door unceremoniously flew open. 

“Captain!” the first mate called.

“Computer, stop and close.” The holographic computer screen disappeared. “Yes, Commander?”

“We’ve lost control.” The commander’s usual calm demeanor had crumbled. She slouched in the doorway, worry lines etched her young face, and her hands trembled.

The captain tensed. “Lost control of what?” he asked.

“All of it, Sir.” Her voice shook. “Everything. We’ve lost the ship.”

Captain Fortner stared at her. “How is that possible?” he asked weakly.

“I  . . .” Before she could answer, the ship swayed.

Like an old eighteenth century windjammer, Eagle gently creaked and groaned.

The commander looked up and around for the source of the noise. “A spaceship does  not make those kinds of noises,” she said. Tears of fear rolled down her cheeks.

“Commander, control yourself,” the captain said.

The creaks and groans became louder.

She was right. Something was wrong; whatever was happening, it was not normal. Captain Fortner’s head pounded with anxiety. His wife and children were on board.

He should be with them right now to calm their fears, but the ship and crew came first. They always did.

Eagle tilted.

The first mate lost her footing and disappeared behind the wall. Captain Fortner gripped the armrests of his chair.

The ship tilted in the opposite direction. The commander slid past the doorway.

Eagle seemed to twist in awkward angles, then dropped several meters. It happened with such force, Fortner lost his grip and hit the ceiling. When Eagle righted herself, Fortner dropped belly first onto his desk with a “Humph.”

He heard the impenetrable glass in the bridge observatory window crack. The window in his office did the same.

His thoughts turned to his wife and children. There would be no goodbyes. He could not save his ship nor say goodbye to his crew.

In the next instant, everything flipped upside down.

Screams came from the bridge as people were tossed about like rag dolls.

The captain’s shoulder dislocated as he slammed back into the ceiling. Eagle tilted to one side. Fortner slid toward the window in his office. Bits of glass disappeared as they were sucked out. Oxygen whistled as it escaped into space.

The window twisted. Fortner felt his blood start to boil as the vacuum of space invaded his office.

He was not with his family or his crew. It was just him and his ship and she had failed him.

WSC Eagle exploded.

One Rose Bud

Four Days to an Ebook Giveaway

July 15 is my birthday. It is not an important year, just an average getting-one-older year. In a more positive light, this is another year in which I will grow wiser and more mature. Ha. 

More importantly, I am sharing my birthday with you by giving away my ebook Pegasus Colony, the first book in my People of Akiane Trilogy. 

The giveaway is on Amazon. The dates are July 13 to July 17, with my birthday smack in the middle of the giveaway.

Leading up to the Amazon Promotional Giveaway, I’ll post about the book to charm you into downloading your free ebook come July 13. 

Enjoy. 

New Fiscal Year

July is the start of the new business fiscal year. Last July 2022, I decided to organize my life. In the past, I had no idea what I had done with my time and I was slow to meet goals.

Getting Started I decided to time what I did throughout the day. No, I did not mark every 15 minutes. I am not that organized. I marked my day in sections of what I did.

I recorded the time when I got up, then recorded the day by phases. Sometimes it was a group of little tasks. I used initials, such as BF, MB, EM, BR, EX, O&A for things like breakfast or emails. Other times, I worked on a project, such as writing, social media, friends, marketing, or Toastmaster speech.  

Many people decorate their planners with stickers making them look like works of art. My stickers cluttered my journal. I used pencils until I established a pattern, then I added colored ink pens. Example: Pink is for storytelling. Blue is for social media and time with friends and family.  

Goal Setting I used to keep goals stored in my head and would frequently forget something. I used notepads and stuck them everywhere to remind me. There were so many I forgot to read them.

I wrote ALL my goals in last year’s planner, but there were too many of them, and every goal had a long list attached to it.

Example: My list of writing goals, editing, plot next book idea, working on collection of short stories that will become a book. When I came up with a new idea, I’d think on it for a while, write it down, then try to find time to flesh it out. There were always so many directions for me to go in that nothing got done.

Fiscal Year 2023-2024 New year, new planner, with last year’s experience to build on. I still use pencils, easier to erase mistakes. I still use colored pens, easier to see what I’ve accomplished.

A friend recently asked me, “What do you want to do most?” That stumped me. “I want to work on everything all at once.” But then nothing gets done. Because of my friend, I have prioritized my goal list and will work on one project at a time.

Writing and Exercise Top of the list will always be writing science fiction & fantasy books and exercise. I have only one writing goal this month to finish editing a project I am working on. I have returned to the gym and am building strength and endurance.

Social Media and Friends I am usually on social media when I get around to it. My new goal is to have a set schedule as to when I’m online. Still working on the schedule.

There is the joy of being with family and friends. They might appear to be low on the list, but they are not. I make a point to call and/or get together with people regularly.

I work in the morning and visit in the afternoons. Or I run errands or do household chores in the afternoons.

House hold goals: hire a maid and cook, but until then …

As a member of Toastmasters, I have been lax in giving speeches. My goal is to give one speech a month. I gave a speech last month. My next speech is on July 11. I need to set a schedule for writing and practicing my speeches. But there are only so many hours in a day and I’m running out of hours. I’ll think on it later.

Marketing I am split on marketing. I enjoy it to the point of forgetting to write. When I write, I easily forget to market. 

Marketing goal: hire someone else to market for me. Until then …

Speaking of Marketing

July 15 is my birthday. For this year’s celebration, I’m promoting an Amazon ebook giveaway, more on the giveaway in my next post.

Looking Forward I am still working on schedules and goals, but I feel more secure about my future. I will continue to adjust and improve. I have no doubt more goals will appear. Nevertheless I am confident that this year will be more productive.  

My Rose Garden

In a previous post, New Growth, I wrote about how one rose stalk started sprouting leaves. I decided to encourage the growth. I placed the stalk in water and put it on the window stool. Almost two months later, I now have three stalks with sprouting leaves and a few small roots.

Since I started, I’ve learned to take the stalks out of direct sunlight and put them in an area with indirect sunlight. I should change the water once a week so it does not become dirty. And, I should cut the leaves off so all the stalks’ energy goes toward making roots. I’m not ready to cut the sprouts off just yet.

As you can see, each future rose bush has a separate container near the window with a lacy curtain so the cuttings are out of direct light.

CFFC – Fun Photo

With my brother MIke’s permission, here is his entry for this week’s CFFC – Fun Photo of his cat Cassie.

Cee’s Flower of the Day: A Close Up

Here is my flower of the day in response to Cee’s Flower of the Day.

A Painting for Weekend Sky #105

This post is my response to Hammad Rias’s Weekend Sky Challenge. Here is a painting I did of a photograph my brother took out his backyard.