Betty Adams's Blog, page 116

100+ Followers and Book Giveaway "Dying Embers"

Somewhat to this author's surprise the follower count on the Betty Adams Google + page has passed 100 subscribers. Meanwhile the Tumblr account for Betty Adams is approaching 100. In honor of those followers I will be having a series of book giveaways starting on Monday, January 30th. 
There will be three giveaways.
One for the 100+ followers on the Google + page. January 30th.
              -Winner will be drawn from a random number generator based on follower number. 
One for when my Tumblr page reaches 100+. 2nd Monday after the goal is reached. 
              -Winner will be drawn from a random number generator based on follower number.
And finally one for the "Dying Embers" Amazon page. Two weeks after the Tumblr drawing.
              -Winner will be selected at random from those who have left a review. 

​Thank you so much for all of your interest in my works. :) The attention keeps me writing. 

Going Batty

The high pitched scream that came from the next room led one to believe that a small but vocal cat was being electrocuted. Or possibly a tween had just gotten tickets to a Taylor Swift concert. I jumped to my feet and sprinted to the door.
"Is anybody hurt?" I demanded as there were neither cats nor tween girls in the house.
"Bat!" a voice yelled as a tangle of arms and legs swept down the stairs. "Where is the broom?"
"Are you bleeding?" I demanded.
"No. I'm fine. Bat! Broom!" the boy shouted out. 
"Why do you need the broom?" I asked. 
"For protection from the bat that is upstairs!" the boy insisted. 
"You found Batty?" I cried out eagerly. "He didn't die of hunger?"
The room fell silent as all eyes suddenly focused on my suspiciously. I grabbed the broom and gave my most innocent grin. 
"Batty?" Mom demanded dryly.
"I'll just go shoo him outside," I said quickly. "I got this."
​Hi jinks ensued. 

Looking Up

Winter is on the wane in the Northern Hemisphere. Yes, today was two minutes and four seconds longer than the one before. Sunset in Portland, Oregon for example was at exactly five in the afternoon. Seize the day and enjoy the moments of light. 

This is a Cat

This is a cat post. A cat post is a sneaky way of keeping blog readers placated when life events conspire to prevent a nice deep analytical post. 
Nice Kitty. His name is Fluffy by the way. 

Go out and Seize Life

Weather you are looking to write a compelling fight scene or simply making sure that the money maker that is your mind has a healthy body to live in martial arts is a great way to do that. 
Kung Fu is one way to go about getting into the martial arts. Results may vary and you don't get semi-levitation powers on the first day. 

Lights in the Sky

Next time it is clear go out and look at the sky. Really. Do it. It is a beautiful universe out there. 

First Contact

 Another wonderful illustration from the amazing artists at ERA-7.
This is Lefty Loosey, or Grabbing For You, depending on who you ask. His name gesture really doesn't lend itself to specific English words. 
​
So here is the deal. My new year's resolution is to self publish an anthology of short stories, unrelated to "Dying Embers". I will write all of the stories by the end of 2017 and will begin the publishing process on or before 2018. This is of course in addition to getting "Discovery" published through my current publisher. So we will see how this effort goes. 

​First Contact

"Mack! Mack! Mack!" Survey Corps Ranger Tommy Kim shouted breathlessly as he rushed up to the downed space craft. "Aliens! I saw aliens!"
Mack Dodge groaned and let his head fall back against the vessel. His hands flexed on the multitool he was using to pry open a jammed panel. 
"I am going to assume that you mean aliens other than our base supervisor or our fellow Corps Rangers?" Mack asked, wiggling out from under the ship. "Did you find your helmet?"
"Yes! No! I mean aliens!" Kim shouted as he staggered up to the ship and leaned against it. His battered purple space suit contrasted against the off white of the ship's hull. "You know! Real aliens."
Mack wiped the sweat and sand off of his hands slowly as he eyed his young partner and tried to parse his eager expression and excited words. It probably wasn't their rescue because firstly Mack hadn't called for rescue yet and secondly Kim had not been this excited over the Shatar when they were on the space station. He presumably wouldn't be terribly excited about them in a retrieval vessel. 
"So you saw a sentient alien that isn't a fellow Corps Ranger?" Mack guessed. 
Kim nodded, and then winced, lifting his hand up to gingerly probe at his neck. "I think it was an Undulate." He said, his enthusiasm rising again as he worked out the pain in his muscles. 
"Did you make contact?" Mack asked, his own interest piqued. He had yet to meet an Undulate. Their physiology didn't really lend itself to joining the Corps. "I didn't think there were any private teams on this world."
"Well he sort of made contact with me," Kim said sheepishly. "I laid down to rest - not that I'm hurt -" he quickly reassured Mack. "Just tired, and I felt something nudging my face. I sat up and he was right there. It looked like he had had been investigating my helmet..." Kim's voice trailed off and he blinked at the look Mack was giving him. Kim glanced down at his markedly helmet free hands. "Which I will go get, like I was supposed to, now, before he drags it off." Kim said quickly. 
He glanced up at Mack with a grin. "Come with me?" he asked. 

Go Get it With a Club

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club."
​Jack London

Life is the best inspiration for writing whether you are writing science fiction or romantic fantasy. 

Broody Protagonists

Today's inspiration comes from Tumblr. Basically from the fact that anyone who understands what the original meaning of 'broody' was and is has to snicker when some single, young, male protagonist is described as broody. 
​
Broody:
1 : being in a state of readiness to brood eggs that is characterized by cessation of laying and by marked changes in behavior and physiology broody hen> 

“marked changes in behavior and physiology”

Basically the hens go baby crazy and does nothing but dote on their babies and viciously attack anyone who gets near their precious babies. That is broody. The general consensus that the only male protagonist who this describes is Batman with his brood of Robins, or possibly Wolverine of Marvel fame. It was also concluded  that more truly broody male characters would not be a bad thing. 

Spelling Words

"This is why I hate Microsoft Word."
She stated it crisply and with the brick efficiency of grammar instructors everywhere. Her face was pinched as if some annoying insect had landed on her arm. The professor was commenting on the trend she had noted of her freshman University students not being able to spell very well. Spellcheck removed the need to go back and check words writers are unsure of and left their brains floppier than they otherwise might be. 
Whether it is the fault of automated spellchecking or not this author has noted that certain words are difficult to spell and the automated services don't seem to help too much. Therefore I am making a list of words that I use frequently and have trouble spelling.
So far it is thus. 


FamiliarEspeciallyKnowledgeRefrigeratorDefinitelyTechnology MillenniumAcknowledgement 

For some reason spellcheck just doesn’t like these words. 

​Are there any words that give you and your computer trouble?