Ali Noel Vyain's Blog, page 51

Generic Tiny House

In my last post, I showed a picture of my porch. Now in this one, I will show you the inside before I moved in all of my stuff and decorated. My friend who helped me move took a few steps and then turned around to stare at me. He was shocked by how small my place is.

He told me rather sarcastically, “If you got drunk, you’d get lost in here.”

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photo taken by Ali Noel Vyain

This is the bathroom. It’s not large, but it’s not too small either. It features a bathtub/shower and a storage cabinet above the toilet.

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photo taken by Ali Noel Vyain

This is the kitchen. Plenty of storage space. Plenty big for cooking. Actually, it encourages me to cook. I usually cook at least one meal a day when I have time.

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Photo taken by Ali Noel Vyain

This is the breakfast bar. As you can see, Nuri and I were given gifts when we moved in. Nuri liked her can of wet food and the treats. The giant toy ball is not something she plays with. The cookies I can’t eat due to food allergies, so I gave them to my friend who helped us move in. He accepted them and probably ate them without question.

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photo taken by Ali Noel Vyain

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photo taken by Ali Noel Vyain

This is the closet. Yes, the water heater is in there and it does take up space, but I don’t have to worry about running out of hot water. Two shelves are included.

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photo taken by Ali Noel Vyain

And finally the bed. This is a captain’s bed. It’s built in like the breakfast bar. It has drawers. I’m not that tall, so I have to climb up to get into it when it’s time to sleep. You can also see the other side of the porch from this shot.

It’s tiny. About 288 square feet/88 square meters. By United States standards this is tiny. But it’s laid out well with enough division between the different areas of the apartment that it’s not too small for me. It has plenty of storage space. I couldn’t fill up all of the drawers and shelves even if I wanted to. I don’t have enough stuff and I won’t buy enough to make up for the lack.

I call it a generic tiny house. There’s not much character, but the floor plan is decent and there is plenty of storage space for whatever you may have. It’s not a bad way to introduce yourself to tiny living. I’ve had many people tell me I can’t afford it or I couldn’t handle it. They are doubtful as to a smaller place to live in.

Well, they are wrong. I will get into that in another post. But for now, this is an introduction to the generic tiny house. Next time I’ll show pictures of how I decorated and organized what I actually have. I did buy two pieces of furniture for myself and one for Nuri. I don’t think we need more than that.

I suppose one could add a small table and two chairs to the kitchen, but I like the empty space. I can dance in the kitchen whenever I feel like. Nuri watches without comment.

A Porch of My Own

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photo taken by Ali Noel Vyain

Last month for me was crazy. I was doing the July CampNaNoWriMo trying to keep up with my daily word count while I had to get ready to move with Nuri to a new place. Needless to say, I did manage to draft 100,000 words and we moved without any trouble.

We moved midway through July. Of course the day we moved in, I had to unpack. Not that there was that much to unpack and set up, but it still had to be done with Nuri alternating between inspecting and hiding. I also had to set up the electric bill in my name and get wifi for the new place.

Well, the electric company is very organized and upfront about what needs to be done. Plus, the electric company made it easy to set up an online account with them. I can check my bill and pay online. It’s quite convenient. I can’t complain. The only trouble was that I had to pay a deposit and I couldn’t do it at home. I went to a local store nearby and was able to pay the deposit using my iPad. I also got a few things I needed for the apartment right away.

Getting the wifi was much harder and it took two weeks before it was finally turned on. I’m glad it’s on now. I was able to do my online magazine without any trouble and catch up on 184 emails that I wasn’t getting… So, once I’ve caught up on my online work that was getting neglected, I finally settled in.

For the first time in my life, I have a porch of my own. I never had one that was actually mine. Sure I’ve lived in other places which had them, but it’s not the same. This is my place that I share with Nuri and not another human. I probably won’t decorate it or anything else, but I will enjoy that I have a little porch of my own.

Even the inside is good too. It’s the smallest apartment I’ve rented and it’s laid out well. But that is another post for another day. For now, there’s my porch that Nuri sometimes sees when I come home and she looks out the door. I keep reminding her there are cars around and that she has to be leashed if she goes outside. She stays inside and looks out the window whenever she wants.

Possible Book Promotion?

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The Violet Series Book 5: The Lunatics

Recently, I’ve had two different companies contact me about one of my latest books. Specically The Violet Series Book 5: The Lunatics. It’s not unusual to be contact by anyone related to my books. It’s a part of being a self published writer. Many people seem to think I will pay them for things that I can do myself.

It’s not easy to do everything all by myself, but I am running a business too. I do like to have complete creative control over what I do with my own books. It is time consuming. The pay isn’t that great. So, I have to work a regular job as well. It all adds up and I get tired and have to have plenty of rest and play time.

One thing I won’t pay for now is putting my books into print. I would prefer print on demand to save resources. That way only what people pay for will be printed. Print is more expensive than many may be aware of or even understand. Part of the expense lies in how much distribution you get in exchange for it.

So, I don’t put my books in print. I can set up the files without any trouble. It just takes time and energy. That’s why my books are just in electronic form. I don’t have to spend any money to release them into the world. I can get ISBNs for each one too. It’s free to widely distribute ebooks as I typically use Smashwords.

I still have strong mixed feelings about Amazon, so not all my books are available for Kindle. I wish they had a bulk uploader then Smashwords would take care of it for me. (Hint, hint, Amazon!) Which brings me to the two recent companies which have contacted me about The Lunatics, the fifth book in the Violet Series.

The first company claimed they found it on Amazon. It is not currently on Amazon. It is listed on Goodreads, which is owned by Amazon. Perhaps that is what they meant? They claimed due its quality and plot and it deserved to be promoted by them. This service is one which the writer can choose five readers per month to get a free Kindle edition of one of our books. There is a fee for this service.

Hmm. It costs money and they expect me to give away Kindle versions. Knowing me as I do, this doesn’t sound like a good idea. Besides, I can participate in Smashwords’ Summer/Winter sales and offer the first books of five different book series for free. There’s no cost to me either. Anyone can go to Smashwords during the month of July (sales ends Wednesday, August 1, 2019 at midnight Pacific Daylight Time) and download those books for free.

The other company contacted me about the same book. They want to promote this month. They do like the book’s description and the cover. Of course there is a fee for this service as well. I don’t know how well that will help.

My understanding of what I have to pay for is my computer equipment and home wifi. Beyond that, there are no have tos when it comes to spending money. I don’t know if these companies are reputable or if they can help me reach a wider audience than what I reach out to using Goodreads and LibraryThing for free.

I do not have any more information on them other than what they wrote to me and what is on their websites. I will not condemn them. I will thank them for the compliments on my book. However, if someone really wants to promote any of my books, perhaps it would be better to promote a whole book series or focus on the first book of a series rather than the fifth one? Otherwise, you can safely assume that I probably won’t be interested. Especially when I can’t justify paying you for something which may not boost book sales.

Epilogue

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

Silver Moon drove down the road as she enjoyed the scenery. White Lion was taking a nap on his bean bag chair. Black Wolf was reading a book on his tablet computer. Without any warning, sirens blared behind the trolley. Silver Moon saw the flashing lights and pulled over to the side of the road.

A police car stopped behind the trolley and an officer stepped out. Silver Moon opened the front doors.

“Ma’am, I’m afraid you’re driving a stolen vehicle.”

“What? I wasn’t aware of that.”

Black Wolf set his tablet down on the end table next to his bean bag chair. White Lion opened his eyes.

“Yes, I think I can prove it. Although, the old style manual driving is a giveaway. Trolleys don’t come with that. Please step off the trolley.”

Silver Moon stood up and walked off the trolley. Black Wolf sat still and listened. The officer walked to the front of the trolley and removed a panel to the engine. He looked inside.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. This is the missing trolley.”

“Look, some guy let me take the trolley for nothing. I didn’t ask any questions.”

“Why not? Why would someone give a trolley away for free? That never occurred to you?”

“No. At the time I needed to get out of my apartment because I couldn’t afford it anymore. I was distracted by bills I couldn’t pay.”

“Oh. You could be lying to me and just giving a sob story so I won’t arrest you.”

“Then whose trolley is it supposed to be?”

“It belongs to a Mr. Na’athan LeBleu.”

Black Wolf stepped off the trolley. “Sir, I’m Na’athan LeBleu and I never knew I owed a trolley. If it is my trolley, then I will drop all charges against this lady.”

The officer stared at him. “Now, this is going too far. How can you prove who you say you?”

“You can scan my fingerprints.” Black Wolf held up his right hand.

“I see. Then come with me. Lady, stay put.”

“Okay.” Silver Moon walked around to the door to check on White Lion. She saw him standing on the stairwell. “Stay put, little one. I don’t want to leave you behind.”

White Lion blinked.

The officer lead Black Wolf to the car where Black Wolf sat down as the officer put his hand on the scanner. It quickly scanned his fingerprints. The officer and Black Wolf watched the computer screen as it went through the files to come up with a match. It came up with a match for Na’athan LeBleu.

“Well, this case is just gone off the deep end. You are who you say you are, so the trolley is yours.”

“Milady told you the truth about how she ended up with the trolley.”

“Yes, well, you better contact the lawyer about this. I can drop the charges for now, but he will need to hear about this to keep them dropped.”

“I will do that.”

They both got out of the car. Black Wolf walked over to Silver Moon and smiled at her.

The officer followed and turned to her. “I do apologize. The trolley is with its rightful owner and I can’t do anything when he doesn’t want to press charges against you, so you’re free to go now.”

Silver Moon nodded and the officer went back to his car. He drove off.

White Lion tried to walk past Silver Moon to get off the trolley. She put her arms out and picked him up. “No, dear, we’re leaving together. I can’t leave you somewhere by yourself. Do you want us to separated?”

“No.” He sighed as she carried him back on the trolley.

Funny

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

Funny

how things

can change,

especially,

when we

make the changes.

Making Plans

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

White Lion was outside on a cool, breezy day, running around the trolley. Silver Moon suggested he’d run a caucus race to get rid of his excess energy. He was laughing and enjoying himself.

She was sitting at the table drinking a mug of tea. Black Wolf was sitting across from her drinking a mug of coffee. “Milady, the trolley is wearing out. Have you considered my offer?”

“Oh, you mean take White Lion and go live with you at your house?”

“Yes, as my wife.”

“Hmm.” She took a sip of her tea. “Yes, I’ve considered it. It’s insanity.”

He smiled. “So what? You told me becoming a traveling bard was insane.”

“Yes, I did say that.”

“It worked out fairly well for you.”

“Yes, it has. Now I know there are people who will buy my books because they like what I write.”

“Now, how about another insane option.”

“Well, I want to have a baby with you.”

“What?”

“I want you to be the father of the only child I carry.”

He gaped at her. “I don’t know how to take care of children.”

“I do and you can learn.”

“Perhaps we should get married first, then I know you can get quality healthcare while you’re pregnant.”

“You’re not saying, ‘No,’ to me?”

“I can’t say no to you. I would feel better if I didn’t have to worry about your health while you’re pregnant.”

“I want a midwife. I want to have a water birth. I want my baby to swim.”

“Okay. Fine, whatever you want.”

White Lion jumped onto the trolley. He was breathing hard. “I’m getting tired now! I have to stop and sit down.” He plopped down on a bean bag chair. Silver Moon and Black Wolf smiled.

“If I marry you, will you keep cleaning?”

“Yes, I will keep honoring that agreement. I don’t think I can learn to cook now, even if I wanted to. Besides, you’re cooking is healthy and tasty.”

“Alright, but I want my rights respected. No one will give me away because I’m a person, not a piece of property.”

“Ahhh, is that part of the problem?”

“Yes.”

“I know you’re a person and the ceremony that my people use does treat women like people. No worries.”

“Good.”

White Lion looked at them. “What? What have you two agreed to this time?”

“We’re getting married finally.”

“And we’re going to have a child as well.”

“That, too. White Lion, I’ll be your papa and you’ll get a sibling.”

White Lion’s eyes got all round. “What? What does that mean?”

“Dear, it means you will officially have two parents and eventually, a brother or a sister. There’ll be four of us in the Unicorn family.”

“OH!”

Werewolf

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

One uses powder

and one does not.

One relishes

the warmth of

the turning at

sunset.

One does not,

and yet is also

a wolf

under the

full moon.

Which One?

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

(Lora is one of the many people who has sent me messages after reading my poetry. She had a dilemma that I thought was easy to understand. —Silver Moon Unicorn)

Lora was fast asleep and dreaming away. She still missed her sister and parents. She tossed and turned as she saw them in her dream. Her parents were fighting a werewolf while she hid. She was shaking. She covered her mouth so she wouldn’t scream. The werewolf killed her parents mercilessly and then left. Then Lora was in the woods walking. She stopped when she found her sister’s body. She had been raped and brutally murdered as were the other women.

The scene shifted again. She was in a parking lot. This time she saw a werewolf jump out of a car right through the closed window. Glass scattered on the pavement as the werewolf ran right past her. Then she just knew. Beyond any doubt. That werewolf was her best friend. Was he the one who was raping and murdering the women in town? Or was he like the poor werewolf who was harmless, but still afraid? Was he the same werewolf who murdered her parents and her sister? But she had known him since they were kids. Was he even capable of attacking women like that? She woke up drenched in sweat. She hugged her legs. She couldn’t get back to sleep knowing he was in the next room.

Remembering the Lost Brother

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

(This is a story from the planet of Venus in its early days. A small colony just struggling to survive away from the home planet of Earth. —Silver Moon Unicorn.)

She was a mere child again and lying in bed, afraid to sleep because that man was in the house again. Gerri knew it wasn’t her father. In fact, she wasn’t sure who her father was.

She heard Ryan get up to go to the bathroom. It wasn’t unusual. Still, that man was in the house and Gerri knew that she should be quiet, lest he found her. But Ryan had to go and there was no way to hold it for long. He tried to run back to his room before he came out of the bathroom, but it was too late. Gerri heard the man grab her brother and drag him outside. Why wasn’t their mother doing anything about it?

Gerri clenched her rabbit tighter as she tried to block out her brother’s screams. They only got louder and louder. Gerri sat up and never let go of her rabbit. Tears streamed down her cheeks because she knew what was happening and she wondered where her mother was and why she didn’t intervene. It was her son. It was her son.

Gerri got out of her bed and walked over to her bedroom door. She opened the door slowly and peered out into the hallway. It was completely quiet by that time. Seeing no one, she ventured out into the hall. Carefully and still holding onto her rabbit, she made her way to her mother’s room. As she walked, she could see blood on the floor. She trembled and she kept walking. Finally, she reached her mother’s room and opened the door. It was dead quiet. Was her mother even alive? She kept walking to the bed where her mother was clearing lying and found that indeed, her mother was still breathing and crying softly.

The mother didn’t notice Gerri’s approach since the child was so quiet. “Mommy, are you alright? Why didn’t you help Ryan?”

“Gerri, go back to your room. We can’t do anything for Ryan. He knew better than to leave his room while my client was here. Just go back to your room before something happens to you as well.”

Gerri hesitated and listened for the man. It was still eerily quiet. She walked out of the room and back into the hallway. The blood was still there. She walked passed her room and over to the fresher. There was more blood, but no sign of the man or her brother. She kept walking until she reached the stairs. There she stopped and listened for any sign of life in the house. It wasn’t long before she heard the man shouting unintelligibly and then a door slammed. She heard him stomp away from the house. Once the man was gone, she ran down the stairs to look for Ryan. She found him and almost tripped over him at the bottom of the stairs. He was bleeding badly and Gerri couldn’t help but to cry uncontrollably at the sight.

“Gerri, you found me. I couldn’t hold it, so I took the chance. Little Sis, just take care because I know you will do good someday and you will make things right. Just don’t give up on yourself.”

“Ryan, what should I do?”

“Just be patient, your hard years are coming. This is just the beginning.”

“But, Ryan, you’re hurt, shouldn’t I stop the bleeding?”

“No, don’t bother. It’s too late for me, but not for you.”

“No, Ryan, I don’t want to lose you!”

Ryan chuckled. “And here I thought you hated me for hiding your rabbit where you couldn’t reach.”

“I don’t hate you, but I was really upset about not being able to get my rabbit. Then you gave him back to me.”

“I’m glad you don’t hate me. Gerri, don’t ever give up on yourself.” Ryan remained quiet as he breathed his last breaths. Gerri was crying so hard that she hyperventilated and eventually passed out.

The Long Train Ride

The Strange & Unusual Universe of Silver Moon Unicorn

(This is a tale about a young woman growing up on the small colony of Eris, in the Earth solar system. —Silver Moon Unicorn)

Anastasia had been on the train for two weeks now and she was wondering when she would arrive at the small town she had chosen. Finally, the trained slowed down and entered another airlock. The conductor informed her that they had indeed finally arrived at the very town she requested. He helped her with her suitcase and off of the train.

The train only waited a few minutes after Anastasia was off with her only suitcase and hat in her hand. The conductor said, “Goodbye and good luck, young lady.”

“Thank you, sir.” Anastasia smiled back at him as the train slowly left the platform. She watched the train leave before she went any further. Finally, she was alone on the platform. It was dark in the dome with the lights at the lowest setting for night. Then, she picked up her suitcase and walked off the platform. It didn’t take her long to find a hotel or a boarding house—one was directly across from the station. She lugged her suitcase to the boarding house and walked all the way to the front desk.

A middle-aged woman was standing there and smiled at the young woman. “Well, good evening to you, young miss. It’s not everyday that we get visitors to this little town. It’s like the world has forgotten us.”

“Good evening. Do you have a room available?”

“Why, yes we do. And it’s almost supper time here. Are you hungry?”

“Yes, I am, but I would like to get my suitcase in a room first.”

The older woman spun around to grab a key and quickly spun back towards Anastasia. “This room will be perfect for you. Just follow me. Oh, would you like help with your suitcase?”

“Oh, no, I’m fine, thank you.”

The desk clerk nodded her head. “Right this way.” She led Anastasia up to her room and opened the door. Anastasia looked around and then set her suitcase on the bed. Then she followed the older woman to the dinning hall.

“I hope you will be comfortable here. It’s been so long since anyone has been here, that I’m afraid my family has forgotten how to serve customers. Many people sometimes just stop by for one night and then take off the next day.”

Anastasia didn’t say anything since she was hungry and tired from her long train ride. The older woman set her down at a table and handed her a menu. It didn’t take Anastasia long to order and then the older woman went to straight to the kitchen to order her daughter to fix the meal for their guest.

“Oh, mama, you mean there’s a visitor to these parts?”

“Yes, she’s right out there in the dinning room. Please hurry and don’t ruin her meal. She’s really tired, so I suspect she’ll want to get to bed as soon as she’s done.”

“Yes, mama.” The daughter went right to work and completed the meal in record time, along with what the rest of the family needed to eat. The older woman served Anastasia her dinner and then left to eat dinner with her family.

“Well, dear do you think it’s the woman that Samuel was referring to? She does have long brown hair and green eyes.”

“Perhaps, but I don’t think we should ask her. The poor dear is tired. Let’s just let her finish her dinner and go to bed for the night. I’m sure there will be plenty of time for questions tomorrow.” She took some more morsels of food. “Although, I have to say it does seem a bit odd for a woman her age to be traveling out alone, but I guess the war has changed some of our young women.”

“That’s right, mama. I don’t want to have to raise children and do all the housework by myself. I’d rather have a husband like papa who works with his wife.”

Her parents laughed. “You’re silly, but I’d have to say it’s nice to work along side with my husband. Otherwise, I think I would have divorced him years ago.” She smiled like a cat.

“Dear, you can’t mean that.” He dropped his fork.

His wife giggled. “No, I’m glad you were okay with me helping you out with our boarding house all this time. Otherwise, I think I would have married someone else. No don’t you fret, I’ve been very happy that I did marry you.”

Once they were finished, the daughter began to wash all the dishes. Her mother went to check on Anastasia and found that the young woman was just finishing up her meal. “Are you ready to just sleep for the night?”

“Oh, yes, thank you. I think I can find my way to my room.”

“Ok, dear. If you need any help, just call me. Either myself or one of the family members will be near the front desk.”

Anastasia nodded and walked to her room. Once there, she took a bath in the bathroom and then got her nightgown on. She laid down on the bed exhausted as she never was before in her life and was soon fast asleep cuddling with her teddy bear.