Betty Adams's Blog, page 133

Alien Daze - McMenamin's UFO Festival - Day 1

Quite frankly our locals are stranger than the aliens. The aliens landed yesterday and what weird they didn't bring with them was there to meet them in the locals.  Updates will be coming as the story progresses. 

UFO Sighting Over Mcminnville, OR

Yes, this author spotted a genuine UFO hovering over the farmland outside of Mcminnville, OR last night. (5-11-2016)  At about 10:30 PST this author was driving home from McMinnville, OR when she spotted a light to high up to be a motor vehicle and too artificial and large to be a star. It was moving perpendicular to the highway a bit too slowly to be a plane but at first she thought nothing of it. It wasn't until she began to overtake the strange flying light that she realize that it was now hovering over the highway. The light coalesced into two searchlight like beacons, flanked on either side by green blinking lights. When she passed under the object (it was about fifty feet above her) it was clear that there was a triangle (approximately equilateral) of the green lights with the two white/yellow lights mounted on the side facing the direction the author had come from. The author immediately pulled over and grabbed her camera but the the object flew off over the opposite field. 
What was this strange flying object?
Why was it hovering over the highway?
Is it connected to the UFO festival that started the next afternoon? 
Why was it hovering so close to a billboard for a local winery? 
Do aliens come to earth for the alcohol? 
Is AUI (abducting under the influence) a ticketable offense? 
So many questions! The truth is out there, and this author will probably be looking for it next to the BBQ turkey leg truck at the festival today. 

THEY ARE HERE! McMinnville Alien Daze

Strange doings are afoot in McMinnville, OR. To those who are not in the know that is the site of the oldest, non-disproven UFO photo in the world. 
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If you believe the utterly respectable lady who took the photo this flying saucer was out buzzing her rabbit hutch in the mid-fifties. Several years ago the local town decided to cash in on this fame (apparently one turkey themed festival isn't enough) and started the Alien Daze festival and parade.  It is a hoot and a half and Betty Adams will be there handing out business cards and selling books! 

Overlooked Details - Locusts and Leaf Hoppers

When writing an alien world it is important to remember the details. For instance, does the ecosystem have the equivalent of locusts? While it is tempting to only focus on the "interesting" bits like who is in love with who and what the nobel in exile is doing depth of writing requires bits like the old peasant stepping out of its hut, squinting at the unnatural cloud gathering on the horizon, and proceeding to curse into the wind.  Alternatively there can be the equivalent of leaf hoppers. The young maid is striding through a field and pauses to twist her face into a grimace before violently shaking her feathers. Dozens of little blue-green specks fly out and she continues on her way. 

Sky Spots and Black Dots

The scientific community is all in a twitter because of the heavenly expanse they poetically call the sky. Apparently a small black dot will pass across the much bigger orange spot in the sky. #mercurytransit 
This is an excellent example of how creativity and cold hard math can come together to bring a scientifically observable even to life when it might not otherwise be very interesting to a non-scientist. A physicist can describe exactly what Mercury will be doing and a skillful artist can come up with a fascinating description of what is happening on the planet.Otherwise it is just a tiny dot on the sun. Does anyone know of any good Mercury themed art  out there today? 

Mothers in Fiction

From Lady Wildcow Ninsun (the mother of Gilgamesh), to the beautiful (and usually dead) mothers of the Brothers Grimm, to Sarabi of Disney's "The Lion King" mother's have always, and continue to, play a major roll in fiction. Given how much of a character's self is dependent on a mother for formation it is nearly impossible to tell a novel length story about a protagonist without referencing the mother in one form or another. The presence of the mother is so pivotal to characters that their absence (especially at an early age) is often the single defining driver of the story. Or at least a powerful secondary character. 
So here's to all the mothers out there. On behalf of all writers I apologize for killing you off for dramatic effect (but really it was necessary for the plot). 
#MothersDay

Einstein in a Football Tee

It is fairly safe to say that no author creates characters entirely from scratch. Every character is usually based on some aspect of someone. People watching in a public place is one way that. There is an endless stream of story fodder marching by and the author is for the most part unhampered by the actual facts of their lifer.
For instance; if an author wanted to say that that old man who walked by was Einstein, time traveling after faking his death and discovering the secret to it all, well that is just fine. He could even have developed a liking for a specific sports team to explain that shirt he is wearing. 

Hemingway and Simple Writing

As a scientist the need for long and complex words is clear to this author. When one botanist is attempting to communicate what they are seeing under the microscope to another the best way is often a sentence such as:
"No, it appears that the ovary is inferior and the involucre is petaloid."
Now to a botanist that is one of the simplest sentences you can expect to use in a day's work. the time you are saying:
"The four pointy thing is white and it's supposed to be green!"
it is usually time to pack it in and call it a day. But for the rest of life, and especially writing, you want to keep it simple. Like Hemingway short sentences and short words are key. 
​#AskALibrarian 

Science in Fiction - the Martian

The history of science fiction is positively littered with stories of the colonization of Mars. The concept  of landing an expedition on the red planet has been around since before the concept of a genre called science fiction.  "The Martian" is not unique in its presentation of accidental colonization either. But it is perhaps the best use of accepted science to bring the fictional endeavor to life. As a botanist myself this author was pleased to watch the main character struggle to survive using his skills. Only to be duly informed by his Alma Mater that his desperate attempts to live had resulted in colonization of Mars. The movie was a delightful taste of the of science fiction and I look forward to reading the book. (Which will be better of course.) 
#MayThe4thBeWithYou

More Business Cards

It is time. At the Convention last Sunday I went to give my card to a potential reader and pulled out this sad and battered thing that had no crisp professionalism left in it at all.  So I emailed my favorite printer and ordered up another batch of business cards. 
#Marketing  #OldSchool