Ray Stone's Blog: A blog for everyone, page 20
January 30, 2015
Blimey, what a word!
urticaria audio pron \er-tuh-KAIR-ee-uh\
Definition
noun
:hives
Examples
The first sign of the patient’s allergic reaction to the medication was an outbreak of urticaria.
“Chronic urticaria is common and can appear on any part of the body. Sunlight and heat can be triggers for some people, whereas cold is a trigger for others.” — Keith Roach, Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), October 14, 2014
Did You Know?
Hives can be caused by a number of things. It can be a reaction to a piece of food you ate, a new medication you took, or irritants in the air you’re breathing—or to wandering into a patch of nettles. Urticaria, the medical term for hives, points the finger at nettles, at least etymologically: it comes from the Latin word urtica, meaning “nettle.” Urtica itself is related to the Latin verb urere, meaning “to burn,” a nod to the stinging hairs many species of nettle possess.
January 29, 2015
A Golden Oldie Serial
Just Lucky I Guess – (M)
Written by: Mrellan
The deputy prosecutor’s voice droned like a minister giving a sermon. It didn’t penetrate Robert’s consciousness; he had heard this speech before. Robert stared at the dust particles in the beam of sunshine through the tall courthouse window and wondered why he called 911 when he saw the man grab the girl and force her into the car. In New York City stuff like that happened every day, he justified.
Robert rarely went out of his way for other people. Maybe the kid reminded him of Lucy, his daughter. The District Attorney said she would have been killed or worse. He wondered how different the last year would have been had he turned away from the window and gone about his own business.
Robert Wilson witnessed an act of revenge by the mob when he looked out his window while drinking his morning coffee. Six blocks from Robert’s apartment, the stupid thug ran into the back of a police car. The accident buckled the driver’s door and the cop realized this was his lucky day. He rescued the girl and got a special commendation just because he had been in the right place at the right time. The description of the girl was good and the terrified look on her face was a giveaway. It was a case of a kidnapping foiled and a happy conclusion for everybody but Robert.
The kidnapping was revenge for a mob killing. The mob boss ordered it personally and all the evidence pointed directly to him. The thug turned state’s evidence and gave all the details. A witness to a crime was the piece of evidence the police rarely got. The jury returned a guilty verdict in an hour. Now, the mob boss and the thug were going to Sing Sing and Robert had a price on his head.
The District Attorney offered him the witness protection program. All Robert Wilson wanted was to live his life and drink coffee while looking out the window of his apartment building. He had lost twenty pounds and half of his hair since this all began. He now lived in a safe house and had not worked for nearly a year.
Robert turned to his bodyguard/cop, Jack, “Did you ever wish you could undo something in your life? Why am I being punished for doing something that makes my mother proud and gave me headlines in the Times?”
Jack, a typical NYPD cop, who saw too much and had developed a tough, sarcastic attitude, replied, “Just lucky I guess.”
“I need to get a couple packs of cigarettes before we leave town. Oh, and let’s see if we can change my luck. Buy me a lotto ticket,” said Robert.
A few minutes later Robert lit the cigarette and used the quarter change to rub off the ticket. He almost threw the ticket in the trash bag in the cop car. Then he saw the three gold bars and the words, “Winner 10 MILLION DOLLARS.”
Mrellan Harahan (MT)
– See more at: http://www.thestorymint.com/serials/just-lucky-i-guess-m#sthash.XZv0pyha.dpuf
It’s only a word
Word of the Day – Mirrium Webster
disingenuous audio pron \dis-in-JEN-yuh-wuss\
Definition
adjective
lacking in candor; also : giving a false appearance of simple frankness : calculating
Examples
Be aware that their expressions of concern may in truth be disingenuous and self-serving.
“He said the group’s claims were wildly disingenuous and its objections politically and financially motivated.” — James L. Rosica, The Tampa Tribune, December 18, 2014
Did You Know?
Today’s word has its roots in the slave-holding society of ancient Rome. Its ancestor ingenuus is a Latin adjective meaning “native” or “freeborn” (itself from gignere, meaning “to beget”). Ingenuus begot the English adjective ingenuous. That adjective originally meant “freeborn” (as in “ingenuous Roman subjects”) or “noble and honorable,” but it eventually came to mean “showing childlike innocence” or “lacking guile.” In the mid-17th century, English speakers combined the negative prefix dis- with ingenuous to create disingenuous, meaning “guileful” or “deceitful.”
January 28, 2015
The Word Today
Mirriam Webster – Word of the day
January 24
evitable audio pron \EV-uh-tuh-bul\
Share the Word of the Day
Definition
adjective
: capable of being avoided
Examples
The investigator determined that the accident was certainly evitable and would not have happened if the driver hadn’t been negligent.
“Books, journals, conventions, and electronic networks have made provincial isolation easily evitable….” — James Sledd, English Journal, November 1994
Did You Know?
British author T. S. Eliot once gave a lecture at Trinity College (Cambridge, England) in which he spoke about “the disintegration of the intellect” in 19th century Europe, saying, “The ‘disintegration’ of which I speak may be evitable or inevitable, good or bad; to draw its optimistic or pessimistic conclusions is an occupation for prophets . . . of whom I am not one.” Evitable, though not common, has been in English since the beginning of the 16th century; it’s often found paired with its opposite, inevitable, as in Eliot’s passage as well as in this self-reflection by Liverpool Echo writer Gary Bainbridge in March of 2014: “I have been thinking about my inevitable death, and decided I would like to make it a bit more evitable.” Both words were borrowed from similar Latin adjectives, which in turn are based on the verb evitare, which means “to avoid.”
Ray’s Smash List
Heart Wants What It Wants
By Jazmin Perez
“I felt like I know him, though, and I know his heart, and I know what he wouldn’t do to hurt me. But I didn’t realize that feeling so confident and feeling so great about myself and then it just be completely shattered by one thing. By something so stupid. But then you make me feel crazy. You make me feel like it’s my fault. I was in pain.” –Viola Angeles More
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Slip Gun (A Waxhachie Smith Western: Book 2)
By J.T. Edson
A special badge would make Waxahachie Smith marshal of Widow’s Creek, but it also made him the target of a stone-cold killer. Ex-Texas Ranger Smith had lost both his trigger fingers years back, and some folks said he was washed up as a gunfighter. Now Smith’s manhood and his life were on the line…a specially made slip gun was in his holster…and the town’s safety was in his hands. More
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August 27, 2015
Fiction » Historical » Western & American frontier
Published by Piccadilly Publishing
Published: Aug. 27, 2015
Words: 57,550
Language: English
ISBN: 9781310640360
Tags: the old west texas rangerswestern pulp fiction floating outfitjtedson waxahachie smith
About J.T. Edson
J.T. Edson brings to life the fierce and often bloody struggles of untamed West. His colorful characters are linked together by the binding power of the spirit of adventure — and hard work — that eventually won the West. With more than 25 million copies of his novels in print, J.T. Edson has proven to be one of the finest craftsmen
The Music of The Stars
Musician and teacher Helen Nordstrom is resuscitated from being in cryogenic sleep on board the Galactic Voyager. Helen quickly charms the shipboard population, but is aghast that there is absolutely no tradition of music performance on board. She changes all that. Then it is discovered that there is a planet dead ahead on their trajectory, which drives the Ship crazy with excitement. More
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August 15, 2015
Fiction » Science fiction » General
Fiction » Cultural & ethnic themes » Cultural interest, general
Published: Aug. 15, 2015
Words: 226,630
Language: English
ISBN: 9781311088413
Tags: violin musiclove and romance alternate lifestylescloning technology fictioncolonization of new worldsdiversity and toleranceart for survival gene replacementlife aboard a space vessel
About Kay Hemlock Brown
Kay Brown grew up in Western Pennsylvania, and is currently a part-time instructor at a small university in the northeast. She has been writing since she was in high school, and loves classical music, ballet, gymnastics, figure skating, the martial arts, tennis, and science fiction. (To be honest, she is an indifferent performer in any of these areas.)
The picture isn’t Kay. She is also paranoid about her privacy, which makes it very difficult to get to know her.
She also likes dogs, cats and birds, and hates spiders. She hasn’t quite made up her mind about rabbits. All that stupidity looks like an act to her. Kay has been adopted by a Beagle cross (who belongs to a friend), and she has become a slave to this doggie. Okay, that’s enough information for the present.
Read Kay Hemlock Brown’s Smashwords Intervie
Charlefor and the Wazhazhe
Series: , Book 1
It is 1787 and Charlefor, a French-Canadian trapper, blood brother of the mighty Osage tribe, in an area later to be known as the U.S. states of Missouri and Arkansas convinces Spain to ally with the Osage to force Britain out of the area before they can attempt to conquer and control the region. More
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June 17, 2015
Series: , Book 1
Fiction » Historical » Western & American frontier
Published: June 17, 2015
Words: 14,740
Language: English
ISBN: 9781310915390
About Charlie Hubacek
Charlie Hubacek has always had an insatiable urge to write since he was eight years old after hearing stories his father would tell about a little man who allegedly could only be found in the nearby woods beyond the family farm house. This imaginary being, named Jonathon, made his home in a hollow tree and was the caretaker of the woods, animals, plants and all things in this small wooded area of northeast Oklahoma. Hubacek has plans to one day to retell these stories in a children’s book format entitled, The Little Man Who Lived in the Woods.
Although nearly always a student of history, when he attended The School of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, MO, (a small private liberal arts college in southwest Missouri) he majored in mass media/English, where he was a student writer for the college public relations department and served as an associate and later editor of the student magazine.
Following his departure from formal education, he was employed for many years with a number of weekly newspapers in southwest Missouri working in retail advertising, a feature writer and operations manager.
Into the High Ute Country is his first full length novel to originally be published as an eBook, with a soft cover edition soon to follow. A second fictional novel, Charlefor and the Wazhazhe, will be released in the near future also as an eBook and print on demand soft cover edition.
His character subjects are loosely based on his own experiences as an incurable addict of wandering the country and wondering about what ever may lie around the next corner. The short stories in particular deal with 15 years living as a tramp, a hobo if you will, traveling, living, experiencing life on the road from the mid-west to the west coast on to the gulf coast and then north to Alaska.
Authors that have had a major influence on his life could be none other than personalities as Edward Abbey, Jack London, Louis L’Amour, Jory Sherman, James A. Michener and Henry David Thoreau.
He was born in Kansas City, MO in 1957, raised in southwest Missouri, where his heart remains, but currently lives in Colorado Springs, CO.
Read Charlie Hubacek’s Smashwords Interview
The Invisible Man
By 180g
A book by H. G. Wells. It’s a really good book and I recommend you buy it.
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June 16, 2015
Fiction » Science fiction » General
Published: June 16, 2015
Words: 48,610
Language: English
Strange Worlds Stories: Volume 1
By Hank Quense
This book contains eight works of short fiction. All are filled with humor and satire. Six of the stories are reprints and two are new. The stories lampoon first contact incidents, vigilantes. Shakespeare, Lord of the Rings and other subjects popular with fantasy and scifi writers.More
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June 15, 2015
Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories
Published: June 15, 2015
Words: 50,360
Language: English
ISBN: 9780985779177
Tags: scifi humor fantasy satireshakespeare first contactrobin hood lone rangermaid marian zarro
About Hank Quense
I write humorous fantasy and science fiction along with an occasional article on fiction writing. I live with wife Pat in Bergenfield, NJ. We have two daughters and five grandchildren.
To date, I have over three dozen stories and articles published. My novel Fool’s Gold is a sci-fi retelling of the ancient Rhinegold myth. Tunnel Vision, a collection of twenty previously published stories is available in ebook and print formats. I’m working on a trilogy that is a blend of fantasy and science fiction, another collection of stories and a fantasy novel and a non-fiction book on self-marketing for authors.
My nonfiction work includes a ebook on fiction writing: Build A Better Story.
January 26, 2015
Maggie an Danny – Ken Burns
One of the most exciting things about serials is the differences in style, characterisation and mood that the ten authors bring to the story. One never knows what is coming next except that the story and plot remain the same. Here we have Ken Burns who is a life force unto himself. His characters always take on a new lease of life and we always see another side to their persona. Ken’s chapters stand out simply because he can convey his own feelings about a character through the storyteller’s mouth but as a third person. Try doing that and you will see it is not as easy as it seems. Read and enjoy this chapter and listen to the ‘storytellers’ sometimes sarcastic slant on life. I love this.
Chapter 4
Written by: Ken Burns
Dr Stone’s ponytail is dirty and hangs down his out of shape back. Maggie sees middle aged men with ponytails or their cousin “the goatee” as stupid. It makes them look like idiots.
“Just get a good hair job!”She laughs to herself as he blabs out more boring facts in order impress her.
This is a situation where she keeps the inside line to herself. The less you say, the less you become involved in an emotional event.
“No. All he said was can you adopt me?”
Maggie is a fan to lying in TV production just to get her way. The truth now needs to lie low.
“Thanks,” Dr Stone says quietly as he puts his hand on her knee as he kisses her goodbye on the cheek.
”Just stay close to him and let me know if anything changes. He’s a unique case. Worth making a documentary about I think.”
“Yeah. Good idea,” replies Maggie to Morgan. To herself she says “I am not going to do that to Danny you idiot! I know how ruthless TV can be!”
She wipes the kiss off her cheek with the cuff of her blue linen shirt. That is just more washing to do she sighs to herself but looks forward to getting away for the weekend to Lake Michigan.
Danny can’t stand Dr Stone so feigns being a nutcase by banging his head against the wall in order to get attention.
This makes his forehead bleed and delivers a nasty headache.
Maggie is walking toward the front door as Danny catches her by the shoulder then spins her around.
‘They’re munters if they think I can’t talk,” he whispers into Maggie’s hot ear as the mean nurse carries on up the ward with sedatives on a tray.
“She’s Nurse Cratched from One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest,’ laughs Danny in an incredibly appealing way.
Maggie flushes, being this close to the hidden truth.
‘The less you say, the more you get on with life so it doesn’t become an issue,” adds Danny.
“That’s why I’m a frickin’ genius!”
Maggie is constantly involved in a tense, unpredictable situation with live TV but has never been this close to reality in her life.
Senses create your memories. They are embedded in your brain so feeling familiar or comfortable with a situation is a process of recall.
Maggie can’t find common ground she has with Danny but in no way feels insecure with him.
***
Dr Stone punches and kicks the filing cabinet against the wall after feeling insulted having been turned down by Maggie. He hasn’t been rejected by a nurse before, considering his status in the organisation so why this time?
From the top of the cabinet files fall to the floor so he kneels down to sort them out. He finds an unopened envelope with Danny’s name on it so tears it open and stares at Danny’s birth certificate.
http://www.thestorymint.com/serials/maggie-and-danny
Word of the day – increase your wordpower
January 25
Constellate
constellate audio pron \KAHN-stuh-layt\
Definition
verb
1 : to unite in a cluster
2 : to set or adorn with or as if with constellations
Examples
“The members of the family seemed destined to constellate around a table, held by the gravity of our affection for each other.” — Elsa M. Bowman, Christian Science Monitor, July 11, 1996
“The band is currently a three-piece, led by guitar-wielding singer Brett Kerr, 24, of North Muskegon. The group originally constellated around his songwriting in 2009.” — Lou Jeannot, Muskegon (Michigan) Chronicle, July 1, 2010
Did You Know?
It’s plain that constellate is related to constellation, and, indeed, things that “constellate” (or “are constellated”) cluster together like stars in a constellation. Both words derive ultimately from the Latin word for “star,” which is stella. Constellation (which came to us by way of Middle French from Late Latin constellation-, constellatio) entered the language first—it dates to at least the 14th century. Constellate didn’t appear until a full 300 years later.
from Mirrium Webster
January 24, 2015
My feet are under the table
Would you believe this photo was taken on December 26th. The last seven weeks have already been talked about and all the bad or difficult problems aired. So now for the good side of moving to Cyprus and I don’t just mean that good looking dish on the rocks.
One of the most amazing things about Cyprus is the air. It is clean and for the most part free from a lot of pollution. The main reason we moved up into 
the hills was to be above the humidity level during summer and still enjoy the heat as well as a wonderful breeze. The food is fresh too and most of the fruit and vegetables are grown locally. We have eaten in a few small tavernas and restaurants so far and have had some wonderful meals. What makes this an attractive place to live is the sheer beauty of the island and the warm and very (sometimes over friendly) people. The men have a great way of touching another man on the shoulder in a friendly gesture accompanied with a smile. They love to talk and are always ready to help with advice. In the village that we live just outside, there is a very close knit community.After visiting the local shop , bank or the mayor’s office a few times everyone knows who you are and where you live. Smiles crease their faces as they hear one saying good day in Greek. They appreciate that we are trying to belong. All women, on the other hand are hugged by the men. We have one special place we like to eat and the owner, Costas, always greets us with hugs. He has taught me how to play Back Gammon, a game that all Greek and Turkish men play, sometimes with a lot of shouting and excited spectators.
We have bought a small car since being here and I have got used to the winding mountain road and tight corners that I climb up to Kathikas, out home. At first I found it hard to 
look over the side of the road as I suffer badly with vertigo but after getting used to the road I now whizz up and down. It’s quite exciting and the views from the road are breathtaking. On a clear day and that is most days, I can see the Mediterranean some two miles away from my upstairs studio.
My studio is now almost complete and I will be pleased to hang my pictures and get writing again. I found a framer in Chlorakas with whom I have struck up a great friendship. His family were involved in the troubles during the fifties and sixties. A relation was hanged by the British as a terrorist. His story is fascinating and Andros has asked me to write a historical record for him. I look forward to sitting with him and meeting his family over coffee.
So now we are settling in and looking forward to our first summer. Mrellan may well be visiting America looking up and staying with some old friends. I remember how hot it was the last time I was here and that means hotter than Malta. I love the heat and the idea of working the morning and then spending time in the pool with a cold beer appeals to me. Next week I start work with a young Indian writer who has written a book and wantsw help editing. This is a challenge for me and I look forward to it plus the start of editing my own book, Amber, Amber on the wall.
Will write again soon. Raymond
January 22, 2015
Amazon words of wisdom but not for me.
Last year I had a problem logging into my amazon KDP account so I wrote a letter to Amazon asking for help. The letter they sent did not help, as I explained in my letter to them (at the foot of this post). So guess what? They sent me the same letter again. Eventually my publicist Irene got me out of trouble. Amazon unfortunately are so big that most letters sent out to poor writers like me who do not understand how the hell a computer works – we just want to write, not change the freaking universe – are computer generated. I actually wonder if anyone reads our letters. The point is Amazon need to stop thinking about profit and spend a little money from their vast coffers in having a team of techs actually able to talk to us. Some departments do – at a cost of E3 a minute. I think it’s about time we buggered up their system just to let them know what it’s like our end. Does anyone know a really good hacker?
Here is the letter I was sent. This is great advice technically but the idiots didn’t understand that I could not take the advice because I could not log out of the offending page.
Hello Raymond,
Thanks for taking the time to write to us. I'm really sorry to hear about this issue with the access to your account and I apologize for any inconvenience.
I certainly understand that there are times when it may be easier to discuss issues over the phone. Unfortunately, we’re only able to correspond with you about this matter by email.
So, for you to log in to your account, you need to first go to https://kdp.amazon.com, this will redirect you to our log in page. After this, on the right side, you'll be able to see a yellow button that says "Sign in" and by clicking it, it will ask you for your email address and password.
After that, Ray, if you don't see any changes or if you're still not able to enter, we want to make sure that the problem isn't with the browser, because sometimes the browser stores old data from the website and it can give trouble when using it, so I would like to ask you to try deleting your cache and cookies to see if this resolves the problem.
Also, try using a different browser, it could be Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, and if you're already using one of the browsers listed before, check if you're using the latest version. You can get the Latest version on the links below:
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/upgrade.html
http://support.google.com/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95414
Remember to restart your computer after the installation of any software.
If none of the procedures listed above seem to work, Raymond, please contact us back and attach a screenshot of the issue so we can check into this further. I'm providing a link below with some steps on how to take a screenshot:
http://www.take-a-screenshot.org
You can send the screenshot by replying to this email or to the email address below:
kdp-support@amazon.com
Please keep in mind that you can contact us at any time and if you have any inquiries or comments, we'll be more than happy to hear them!
I hope this helps and thanks for publishing with Amazon KDP!
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---- Original message: ----
CUSTOMER: Raymond Stone
COMM ID:
EMAIL: ray@raystoneauthor.com
DATE: 09/08/14 05:37:18 PDT
COMMENTS: You keep sending me the wrong instructions regarding getting to my bookshelf. You tell me to go to the top left hand corner of the page and log out. The page I have is the one with the cartoon that instructs the reader how to publish. I cannot get past this page. There is no log out button on this page. There is a log in but when I click on that nothing happens. How can I log out and refresh the log in procedure if I can’t get off of this page. Please do NOT send the same silly instructions. Give me a phone number so I can talk to a non-robotic machine. I have four books published with you and a fifth on the way. THIS IS SERIOUS. Please help in a more constructive way. Thank you so much.
Mystery/Crime serial starter from Roseyn
The Story Mint serials are becoming very popular as more and more talented writers join the ranks. There are now at least four serials being published at one time and each chapter per serial is posted individually as it is finished. With an ever increasing audience around the world it is inevitable that agents, publishers and screenwriters are part of the audience. Already there are several bloggers and reviewers who have read and published critiques on books written by at least six Story Mint writers. Go read this latest excellent starter by ROSEYN.
Missing Pieces
Written by: roseyn
The envelope arrived like every other.
Always on a Sunday, shoved beneath the door.
Always accompanied with three sharp, loud knocks.
Max Hogan lifted his eyelids and immediately wished he hadn’t.
The early morning sun streamed from the uncovered windows of his small apartment causing him to wince. His throat felt rough, parched as if it had lain in the open desert for days, his bronzed skin hot and damp from the already rising humidity.
Worst of all was his head.
He could swear a herd of sadistic elephants was stampeding through it.
Max blinked several times before scanning his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was his faded, green sofa. He was slumped in it, leaning against its tattered but solid armrest. In his hand was a semi-full glass of whisky. On the floor, beside some fishing magazines, two remotes and a container of half-eaten Chinese take-out, stood a bottle of Jim Beam… completely empty.
Max leant sideways, abandoning his glass on the floor. His dog tags, the only remaining memento of his military days, slid across his bare chest. He straightened up, rubbed the dark fuzz on his face and wondered why he wasn’t comfortably comatose in his bed instead.
The answer came with his next ragged breath.
It was Sunday.
He instantly stood, waited for a sudden wave of dizziness to subside, then hitched up his Garfield boxers and staggered to the door.
Approximately a metre from it lay a white, unmarked envelope.
Max grinned, sensed his rising anticipation urge him onward. He dropped to his haunches, picked up the envelope and ripped it open. He shook the contents into his palm and was immediately disappointed.
There was only one this time.
A photograph.
Unevenly trimmed like all the others.
He carried it to the sun-bathed window and lifted it to the light, carefully studying it.
The photograph was of a woman.
She was pretty in an elfin kind of way with her wild, red hair and overly large, green eyes. But it was the look in those eyes that interested Max more.
She was frightened, extremely so.
He crossed the floor to a square, plastic table. On it lay many ‘unevenly trimmed’ photographs, some connecting with each other… some not.
Like a jigsaw puzzle.
For six weeks, someone had been sending them to Max. Who or why, he didn’t know. He could’ve rung the police… perhaps should’ve.
But he had found the entire caper too fascinating.
It wasn’t difficult to slot in the new piece, just above the slim figure rigidly positioned on a short, wooden jetty.
Max bent forward. Using his finger, he trailed the woman’s line of sight to an old boatshed. He collected a nearby magnifying glass and studied the shed, finally stopping at its half-opened door.
His breath slammed still.
Was he seeing things?
He checked and rechecked from every possible angle.
Until there was no doubt.
Standing inside the shed, amongst the darkened shadows… was the unmistakeable shape of a man.
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