The ornery ramblings and occasional fiction of a former political science professor turned author
Poking her head out the door, Tessa glanced at the fanciful bronze filigreed thermometer prominently displayed on the front wall of the house immediately outside the front door. Directly under it was an equally fanciful barometer. The mercury in the thermometer had been pushed above the line reading “Gateway to Hell.” The reminder of her father and his slightly sideways sense of humor caused a slight catch in her breath.
Continue reading “Beginning Adventurer”
Serena adjusted her sun hat and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. Sitting back on her heels, she reached for her water bottle and took a long drink. The cool water slid down her throat and eased some of the heat-induced headache that was starting to make itself known. Recognizing that the headache, if not dealt with soon, could become a full-blown migraine, Serena decided to retreat to the small slice of shade offered by the canopy over their little dining area. She sat down on one of the camp chairs with a sigh.
Continue reading “Lost Civilizations”
The chatter suddenly dropped off. The only sound in the pub was the rhythmic thump of the fan over the bar and the squeak of the floorboards as more than one person walked in. Lila turned on her seat at the bar to see what or who caused the normally boisterous Catspaw Pub to fall deathly quiet.
Continue reading “Odd Companions”
The tide pounded against the rocks, the sound deep, rolling, and loud. Serena sat on a large outcropping of rock, her feet hanging down, staring across the rolling blue-green water at the horizon. This. This felt like home. She hadn’t realized how much she missed the sound of the surf and the smell of the kelp until they’d landed on this planet. It probably wasn’t kelp, but it stilled smelled like it. How could a place sound and smell and… feel so much like home and yet be so many light years away?
Continue reading “Monstrous Ruins”
The man fell with a thump, his head bouncing off the hard floor. His eyes fluttered up and he lapsed into unconsciousness. Jack winced. He hadn’t meant to hit the guy that hard. Captain growled at the prone figure and Jack reconsidered his slight guilt. Captain had proven to be a very good judge of character, so maybe Jack should pay closer attention to the German shepherd’s reactions.
Continue reading “Firecrackers”
This is just s snippet from my work-in-progress. I’m not exactly sure where it will go yet. My prompt at More Odds Than Ends this week came courtesy of Cedar Sanderson: The brassy alarm shook him. Fiona Grey was on the receiving end of my contribution: The space station was always busy this time of year.
Continue reading “Alarms and Haunts”
“Mama! Mama! They’re dropping!” Ten-year old Myrie hopped from one foot to the other in her excitement.
“Okay, okay! Let’s go see,” her mother said, smiling at Myrie. She put down the rolling pin, covered the pie crust she’d been working on, and held out her hand.
Continue reading “Dragon Season”
My prompt response for More Odds Than Ends last week was late and on top of it all, I forgot to send in one for this week. So, I picked up one of the always entertaining spares. This one was: Don’t forget to feed the basilisk! I’m not sure who came up with it, but it gave me an idea and I went back to the world of The Academy Arcane and its resident veterinarian, Dr. Jehan Bishara. Here’s a snippet of a day in the life of an arcane vet.
Continue reading “Feed the Basilisk!”
I forgot to send in a prompt for the Week 13 challenge at More Odds Than Ends, so I picked up a spare prompt: Space pizza delivery was worth the cost. This is just a short, silly little vignette of Jake and Serena, the planet-hopping archaeologists who occasionally wander through my head. Seriously, though, who wouldn’t spend an arm and a leg for pizza they’d been craving?
Continue reading “Space Eats Delivery”
Coming in at the last minute with my prompt today. I got caught up in editing Magic Abroad and only got to the prompt now. This week at More Odds Than Ends, my prompt came from Cedar Sanderson: They call the wench Mariah. The word “wench” sent me back to Davan, Ubinta, and Pyldraras. This is just a snippet that came to mind. I’m not sure where it would fit in, if it even does (as something other than a bit of background). I’m not sure where we’re going with Davan and Pyldraras, but I guess we’ll find out.
Continue reading “Market Day”