Let us give thanks to God for the great and fragil gift of FREEDOM which He has bestowed upon this nation. Let us never let its light go out of the World. God bless and keep you all.

Frances
Maranatha

What's Been Happening...

I have been some kind of busy since last posting, and am going to have to play catch-up. You know... with getting a new phone line to replace the one that the lightning melted. That's still not completely finished. We're going to have to talk to Ma Bell, aka AT&T, about finishing hooking up the new line and removing the temporary one. The new line had to be buried because of my all my trees. At least we got that far. Your guess is as good as mine to finishing the connection.

Also, the old power adaptor for the computer indeed did succumb to the effects of the lightning strike. Evidently the wires were so weaked that they simply broke... at the most inconvenient moment, of course. However, the Lord has provided, and all the bills are being paid. It's been keeping up with the e-mails and online communications which has been killing me. :-)

As for the Lord providing, my church has a crew of men who handle emergencies. They were my angels. Here they are, repairing the roof. Because of their unselfish generosity, I was able to afford it.

And look what a beautiful job that they did. This is Christian love in action. I cannot thank them enough. God bless them, and may we all learn from their example.

Due to recent current events, I've been applying my writing to other areas than to the Science Fiction Romance which is the book of my heart. Pray that I may be able to eventually return to my labor of love. The Supreme Poodle Pasha Zackery still rules, and his HaremKitty MaxiCat followes him everywhere... At the moment, it's my lap. With both of them and the computer, the lap's rather crowded.

Happy Writing and God be with you,

Frances

Writing to inform my friends of what is happening in our nation.

AWOL for the Last Couple of Weeks...

This is my "excuse for being AWOL for the last two weeks. I have been living in "interesting times", as the Chinese say.

First, the plumbing backed up, roots in the drains with accompanying exorbitant bill.

Next, lightening struck near the house, throwing all the breakers, overloaded the computer's adapter, discharging the computer's battery, frying the phone line and the computer's modem. I tried flipping the breakers. Nothing happened. Hence, called the electricians, who came and flipped them making them work and also leaving exorbitant bill. Why the circuits worked for them and not me... go figure.

Ordered new adaptor for computer. Wrong one came in. Called the manufacturer..."Why don't you try the old one again since it's been sitting for a week." Hey, it worked! But, no dial tone... modem fried. Modems in laptops can't be replaced because they are part of the mother board. (**&^#! Got new external modem, with its accompanying exorbitant bill. Worked in the shop. Got home and hitched 'er up. ERROR! Black screen of death. Called computer shop back. "We're sorry, but he's gone home for the weekend." (^%$#!

Took the computer and external modem back to the shop yesterday morning. Everything worked fine. I tell you that inanimate objects are out to get us!

Then after all that, a tree limb, weighing several tons, falls on my office/studio/carport, and I have that to repair and pay for.

The last 15 days have definitely been "interesting". If I disappear again, it's because I can't pay the phone bill. On top of that, I have over a thousand e-mails staring at me. As I told one of my friends, "This has been one of those time when I've thought of the verse in the Bible where it says, "In all things give thanks, for this is the will of Christ Jesus concerning you." Well, as I stood there looking at the destruction, I said, "God, I just want you to know that it's taking all the faith I've got to give thanks, so please show me something to be thankful about." I am so thankful that He has a sense of humor because lightening hasn't struck me....yet. LOL

"Interesting" sucks!

Non Illegitimati Carborundum!

Frances

Writing Science Fiction Romance

Real Love in a Real Future

2009 PRISM Awards...

The Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of RWA is pleased to announce the final placements in the 2009 Prism Contest.

Dark Paranormal:

First Place: Mona Lisa Craving by Sunny

Second Place: Immortals: The Redeeming by Jennifer Ashley

Third Place: Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden

Light Paranormal:

First Place: Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready

Second Place:La Vida Vampire by Nancy Haddock

Third Place: The Trouble with Moonlight by Donna MacMeans

Erotica:

First Place: Siren Singing by Isabo Kelly

Second Place:Carnal Desires by Crystal Jordan

Third Place: A Mermaid's Kiss by Joey W. Hill

Fantasy:

First Place: The Dragon Master by Allyson James

Second Place:Dragonborn by Jade Lee

Third Place: King of Sword & Sky by C.L. Wilson

Novella:

First Place: "Dark Nest" by Leanna Renee Hieber

Second Place: "Kung Fu Shoes!" by Jade Lee in These Boots were Made forStomping

Third Place: "The Spacetime Pool" by Catherine Asaro in Analog Science Factand Fiction magazine

Futuristic:

First Place: Shades of Dark by Linnea Sinclair

Second Place:Fallen by Claire Delacroix

Third Place: Moonstruck by Susan Grant

Time Travel:

First Place: Twist by Colby Hodge

Second Place:A Sexy Time of It by Cara Summers

Third Place: Madman's Dance by Jana G. Oliver

Young Adult:

First Place: Sleepless by Terri Clark

Second Place:CHOSEN: A House of Night Novel by P.C. Cast

Third Place: Cave of Terror by Amber Dawn Bell

Best First Book:

La Vida Vampire by Nancy Haddock

Best of the Best:

The Dragon Master by Jennifer Ashley w/a Allyson James

Congratulations to all who placed, and a big thank you to all who entered,all who judged, and to the FF&P board for making it all possible.

Jennette Heikes & Theresa Kovian,

FF&P Prism Contest Coordinators

******

And congratulations to all of my friends who won, and who have been such an encouragement for my writing. Thank you. I hope that I can get to know the rest of you soon. You did well.

Frances

Writing Science Fiction Romance

Real Love in a Real Future

My Secret Garden – July 2009

How doth my garden grow? Until day before yesterday... it didn’t! Don't take this picture seriously. I just loved the kitschyness of it.


After a spring of rain, rain, rain, jungle, jungle, jungle, we’ve gone for over two months with less than ½ inch of water from heaven...which we have now gotten... yes, day before yesterday! Flowers, basically, had stopped; and, their leaves wilted and turned brown. Even the grass stopped growing, and I haven’t had to mow in weeks. Last night it poured and we're expecting more later. Hurrah! Just so long as it doesn't storm violently. Such are the vagaries of summer gardens of the Deep South. If we can't eat it, and it isn’t watered by God, it doesn’t grow. On my hill...it is root hog or die.


Except...we did water the vegetable garden which my roommate and I planted in my patio. I have success to report in this department. Well, qualified success. The Supreme Poodle Pasha Zackery, MaxieHaremKitty, and catnip have done their work. They have been ferocious defenders of the growing larder (they both like lasanga). This year, the deer haven’t gotten fat at our table’s expense. Houston, we have tomatoes. The watermelon, squash, cucumber and eggplant have been busts. Never made it off the launch pad. But there have been other problems in our organic garden.



First, it was the roly-polies. They are those tiny grey crustaceans which roll up into a ball when you touch them and are supposed to clean up dead leaves. Except, they decided that tiny new plants, dianthus in particular, were gourmet provinder! Sorry, the dianthus had to go... and the roly-polies returned to their proper duties.


Next, it has been the Tomato Horn Worms. They’re about the size of your little finger, and are truly voracious


MONSTERS. My roommate calls them the “pedophiles of the garden”. She says Horn Worms like ‘em “young and tender”. Yes, I know, vulgar, but she did give me permission to use the phrase. It isn’t a patch on what she really said the morning she found the top growth eaten off of all our tomato plants, so thank your lucky stars for my tender sensibilities in not repeating her exact words. Picking these worms off the plants over several days and spraying the plants with a Pears soap solution did the trick. The plants are now recovering and continuing to produce. We hear that pure diatomaceous earth works on both roly-polies and horn worms. Oh, well, next year!


Last night we had the first real rain since May. Everything has perked back up. The cashmere bouquet and summer phlox are no longer wilted, but are beginning to bloom again. The confederate jasmine has also started blooming once more. The daylilies are all rebloomers, but will take some time to recover. The next flowers to bloom on my garden calendar are the Philippine Lilies and the Naked Lady Lilies. I’ll post pictures as they open.


Happy writing, happy gardening,



Frances

Gardening and Writing Science Fiction Romance
Real Love in a Real Future

P.S. I haven't forgotten about History, Part III!

I'm Guest Blogging...Come for a Visit!

If you've never been to The Galaxy Express, you're in for a treat. Heather Massey has created the absolutely, greatest spot on the web for Science Fiction Romance fans to get the latest news and to simply have fun.

I'm going to be guest blogging at The Galaxy Express, tomorrow, Sunday, July 12. Please stop in for a visit. Heather asked me to blog on "Parallel Universe", and she is having some awesome articles from terrific bloggers.

Actually, she named the week of guest blogging "Parallel Universe"; but, being the literal clone of my mother, I took her at her word and wrote on...you guessed it..."Parallel Universes." *G*

Happy reading and writing,
　
Frances Drake

Writing Science Fiction Romance

Real Love in a Real Future

Happy Fourth of July, 2009...

This has been around for some time, but it is always worth remembering. Thank you American Liberty Alliance for reminding me. Remember that clicking on the picture will give you the full size.

As we go into Independence Day weekend, it's important to remember the sacrifice behind this great and Historic day.

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over his home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The Redcoats jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on theprotection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

***************

Whatever you're doing this weekend, be that a Tea Party (click here for a location near you) or just time with friends and family... remember the sacrifice our founding fathers made. The American Liberty Alliance wishes you a very safe and Happy Independence Day!

For Liberty,

Eric OdomExecutive Director American Liberty Alliance

***************

My post on History, Part III will be online next week.

Frances

History, Part II

One of the more enjoyable things that I did, last week, was to cross index what I was reading about the ancient Mesopotamian empires with timeline reference books and the Bible. It's a really cool exercise, and I got a far better insight into the people and events which I had only read about in...well, let’s not go there.



Case in point: During the week, I also watched the movie, the 300. I know, you’re snickering because it’s based on a comic book; but, it is “sort of” about real events in a real time. Besides, it was fun. So cut me some slack already. I’ll admit it. I was enjoying the eye candy. However, I also happened to remember something that I hadn’t thought of for many years, and wouldn’t have now if it weren’t for the cross indexing which I’d been doing.

Did you ever wonder why Xerxes, King of the Persian Empire, went after those poor little Greeks? There is always a reason. Stop and think about it, and while you’re at it, check out the crazy costume. Think that the real Xerxes would’ve been caught dead in that get up? I don’t think so. LOL

Anyway, Xerxes had the world by the tail. He had the best of everything: money, power, taxes, trade routes, taxes, people, taxes, lands, money. You get the picture. Why would he ever go half way across the world to mess with some mean, freedom loving, hairy, smelly Greek savages, who hadn’t been out of their caves for more than a few weeks by Persian standards. The Greeks had nothing which the Persians needed or even really wanted. So far, I haven’t found where history gives us sufficient reason for the wealthy, urbane Xerxes to whoop up on the Greek hillbillies. This simply never made sense to me. The economics of supplying his army, by itself, gives me a headache.

So I decided to play my favorite game, “What If?” What reason could possibly pull Xerxes out of his cities and palaces and make him go to a far off land to attack some nobodies? But first, I had to get inside Xerxes’ brain.

When I started connecting the dots from my various reference books, and linked them to what I was finding in the Bible, I came up with what I think might be a plausible reason for a potentate to suddenly travel a great distance just to beat up on a bunch of squabbling rustics.

I think that it would make a pretty good plot point for a novel.

“To be continued,” she said laughing maniacally. *VEG*

Come back for a visit, and happy reading and writing,

Frances

Writing Science Fiction Romance

Real Love in a Real Future

Sick Computers... Life Without Them and History, Part I

First let me tell you why I've been AWOL. My computer had been giving me fits for two months; and after first consulting the phone company and having all my lines checked; then, calling the manufacturer and running tests; it was concluded that the baby had to go to the doctor. My hard drive was failing very s.l..0...w....l.....y. Good news! We got to it in time. No data was lost. I still have all of my research and my Work in Progress, undamaged.

Whatever would I do with myself while the baby was in the 'puter hospital?

I had fun! Obviously, I worked on my research for my Science Fiction Romance WIP by studying ancient Sumer, Assyria, and Babylonia. My primary interests were their laws and customs and how I could adapt them to the alien culture which I have been creating. Did you know that they have found the world’s oldest joke book in one of the Sumerian libraries? As you can tell, I'm easily diverted. Six thousand year old jokes, from a civilization, foreign in both time and space, and humor still revolved around the digestive tract and sex. The same tasteless jokes that eleven year olds are still telling. Who’d a thunk it? Technology changes. People don't. Or have they?

Happy imagining. Life Without Them and History, Part II coming soon. Now, I only have about a thousand e-mails to catch up on. ARRRGH!

Frances

Writing Science Fiction Romance

Real Love in a Real Future

How Doth My Secret... Jungle Grow?

Err, ah, I meant my garden... It’s supposed to be a garden? Isn’t it?

June is the month of unbridled growth in the US Deep South and I can’t keep up with it! Never have, and probably never will. I might as well face facts. The grass is going to remain above my knees this month. Perhaps I can catch up next month.

The overwhelming color in my garden is VIRULENT JUNGLE GREEN! Of course there are other colors too. Lots of other colors! I have many aims in my garden: twelve months of bloom; gaudy color; good smell; feed the birds; feed the butterflies; and above all... be able to survive without any effort from me!

Remember that if you want to see a larger version of any of the pictures, simply click on the picture.

New Gold Lantana attracts butterflies and humming birds. Be careful of lantanas, because the berries are extremely poisonous. This variety has almost no berries. It was developed at Mississippi State University and exceptionally well suited to mid-latitude growing zones. It’s a good, hardy plant.

Homestead Purple Verbena also attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Very hardy. Mow it after its first bloom and it will bloom again.

Butterfly Weed, also known as Pleurisy Root by herbalists, is... you got it... loved by butterflies and hummingbirds. Slow starter, but very hardy after established. The North American Indians used a tea from its roots as an expectorant.

Multiple Daylilies, old fashioned orange (single and double), yellow, pink, peach, orange, bright red, deep black red, purple, and all sorts of multi-colors. With new hybridizing, they come in almost every color, are fragrant, and the band ought to play ruffles and flourishes in their honor.

Oakleaf Hydrangea, wild, all through my woods. A very large, stately shrub.

Old Fashioned, Heirloom Hydrangea, you know, the type that your great grandmother had, and were used to decorate for your grade school graduation. They can be anywhere from blue to purple to pink, depending upon how the mood strikes them.

Buddleias, both pink and blue, have a wonderful, delicate fragrance, and of course... are loved by butterflies and hummingbirds.

Gardenia fragrance can be almost overwhelming, so I recommend not planting them too close to the house. They can get pretty large and need pruning... which for me is a pain. However, the cuttings root easily. I love them.

Magnolia Grandiflora, wonderful, lemony fragrance, and I just found a new tree growing on my hill this spring. Whoopee! I need all of these large evergreen trees that I can get.

Cashmere Bouquet can be a spectacular garden THUG. It’s decided to take over one of my beds and... everyone loves it! I guess I’ll let it stay. The flowers were used for the perfume and soap which our grandmothers loved. The flowers do smell wonderful. However, don’t mess with the leaves. They stink worse than a skunk!

White Yarrow is a lovely white light in a deep green jungle. Before the advent of modern medicine, its leaves were used to stop bleeding.

My roommate decided to engage in biological warfare for the vegetable garden. Besides planting the garden in the patio under the bedroom window, so that the Supreme Poodle Pasha Zackery can guard it, and he has been diligent, she has planted catnip among the tomatoes, peppers and squash. Now, Her Serene Highness Maxine, the royal Harem Kitty, has taken up residence in the middle of our vegetable garden. No one, but no one is allowed to approach her catnip. Heaven help the deer this year.

After days and days of rain, it has been an absolutely gorgeous day here. I wish the same for you.

Happy gardening, happy reading, and happy writing,

Frances

Writing Science Fiction Romance
Real Love in a Real Future