Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #155 by Keith Channing

January 2, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 35 Comments

In Keith’s words. “Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keith@channing.info before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here – pingbacks don’t often work.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your own blog or web site, next Monday.”

The Photo.

“Where did you put the key?”

“Under the mat as usual.”

“Under the mat. Are you sure?”

“Yes, of course, I’m sure. We always put the key under the mat.”

“I know I know. Well, the key is missing.”

“No kidding Sherlock. Look closer, and you’ll see the house is missing.”

“Okay, now I think we have a problem.”

“What gave you a hint?”

“There is nothing in our slip but a seagull.”

“Which tells you what, Inspector Clouseau?”

“Someone has run off with our houseboat.”

“Bingo. I think you’ve got it.”

“What do we do now?”

“I think we need to call the police.”

“What are they going to do. Our house could be in Singapore by now.”

“Come on. How many houses do you think are floating down this canal. It shouldn’t be too tough to find it.”

“I suppose you are right. After all, there aren’t a lot of houses with a red and blue paint scheme.”

“Now, you can thank me for the color choice.”

“I suppose. And you can thank me for leaving the bathtub drain unplugged.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I think I see the tip of our roof.”

“Where?”

“Just below the surface of our slip. see it?”

“You idiot. How many times have I told you to make sure to close the drain?”

“Well, at least no one stole our house.”

“Thank you for small miracles.”

“Oh, and I found the key in my other pocket.”

“Twice Blessed.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – New Year Portrait

January 2, 2018January 1, 2018 ~ John W. Howell ~ 52 Comments

Well, it is the new year and time for a portrait. Lucy and Bailey were still for about twelve seconds on New Year’s Day and I caught them.

I hope you have a great week.

Top Ten New Year Resolutions Not to Make

January 1, 2018December 31, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 63 Comments

We have all made resolutions which in hindsight we probably should have left alone. I hope you have tome to go back and make some revisions if one of these is on your list.

10 When making New Year resolutions, do not include a stipulation to lose weight. If you do, at best you’ll miss your target. At worst, you’ll feel bad about your progress and consume enough ice cream to turn your goal into a three-year affair. (Funny how easy those pounds come back huh, Carswell?)

9 When making New Year resolutions, do not vow to stand up to Tiny. If you do, at best, your resolution will last three minutes. At worst, you’ll meet Tiny just as he is leaving his anger management class with an assignment to hug the first person he meets. (I’m thinking you shoving Tiny away wasn’t the best move of the new year, Carver. Good thing you have new running shoes for Christmas.)

8 When making New Year resolutions, do not swear off your favorite drink. If you do, at best you be thinking of nothing else. At worst, after what seems like a year you will have way too much to the concern of friends and family. (You made it four hours, Case. Maybe next year.)

7 When making New Year resolutions, do not include an item that requires someone else to help. If you do, at best that someone will disappear. At worst, you will count on support only to find your helper has violated the resolution several weeks ago without letting you know. (Just think of all the times your helper told you to be strong, Caster. Is that boiling blood I hear?)

6 When making New Year resolutions, do not include additional exercise goals. If you do, at best you’ll last a week. At worst, you’ll rationalize that getting up in the morning is challenging enough.(How about that sit-up when you first wake up? It counts right, Chadwick?)

5 When making New Year resolutions, do not eliminate sweets. If you do, at best your withdrawal symptoms will require an intravenous infusion of chocolate. At worst, your cravings will take you to the extreme where all you can think about is sweets. (I can’t believe you actually took candy from that baby, Chanan. And at gunpoint? Aw come on.)

4 When making New Year resolutions, do not vow to eat healthy. If you do, at best your food groups will be reduced to soybeans and flax seed. At worst, just when you thought you were in control you wake up in the hospital learning you were found in the walk in cooler of the local McDonalds. (Just what were you thinking, Chane?)

3 When making New Year resolutions, do not count getting organized as one of your goals. If you do, at best you not be able to find anything. At worst, you will discover in late February that you threw out all your receipts for business expenses. (All those nasty papers were ruining your Karma right, Chevalier?)

2 When making New Year resolutions, do not hope to learn a new language. If you do, at best you’ll get hello and goodby down pat. At worst, you’ll think you have it whipped after the first lesson only to find some folks shocked at what you said. (It appears that “sit on my thumb,” and “I appreciate your help,” are very close in pronunciation, Chidi.)

1 When making New Year resolutions, don’t even think about promising yourself that you will write more in 2018. If you do, at best you’ll manage the same. At worst, you will be so discouraged by your progress you will think writer’s block was invented to torture you personally. (Rather daunting to count those words (or should I say word) today huh, Chisolm?)

Views of the Neighborhood – New Years Eve

December 31, 2017December 30, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 66 Comments

This week our Coffee Waves shop had its grand re-opening after Hurricane Harvey. Although I wouldn’t usually feature such an event on Views, I thought it significant as one more piece of evidence of a return to normal here in Port Aransas.

I published this trailer picture earlier this fall when Coffee Waves was open for business but not in their building.

Here is the finished building.

Inside the people are lining up.

This is another shot of the interior. I have a close up of the message later.

For the opening, a band is set up.

Festive balloons.

This is the business end.

Here are some of the 120 rotating Gelato flavors.

This is the Gelato menu explaining the difference when compared to ice cream.

A sign telling the world about Port A Strong.

Another sign for out of towners who are in a hurry.

A beautiful place to have a cup and relax.

I will share my post on Instagram and Facebook (as ordered)

This is a close-up of the words on the wall. Pretty much a favorable view of those things that happen to us all. I know in your town, the opening of a coffee shop would not garner a lot of attention. Here, it is news since it is one more step to returning to the life we all love so well. Thanks for joining me.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Resolution.”

December 30, 2017December 29, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 35 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday and this week’s prompt is “resolution.” Linda Hill says we can use the word any way we want. (My chest swells with the idea of such freedom.) If you would like to join this happy band of delusional souls go to Linda’s blog and see how easy it is to slip from reality. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2017/12/29/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-dec-30-17/

“You say you want a resolution. Well, you know. We all want to change the world. You tell me that it’s evolution…”

“Hold it.”

“What?”

“What are you doing?”

“Singing about a resolution.”

“Resolution? You gotta be kidding me.”

“No. I’m not. What’s the problem? Great song by the Beatles.”

“Why is it I can count on you to somehow get everything in life confused?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The song. It is about revolution, not resolution.”

“Wait. What? You sure?”

“OMG. Yes, I’m sure. Here listen to my phone.”

“I’ll be darned.”

“I could only hope.”

“Why do these guys want a revolution?”

“It was a song written during turbulent times.”

“Don’t you think a resolution would do the trick?”

“A resolution by whom?”

“Well, I was thinking of Congress. You know the old ‘we are resolved’ kind of thing.”

“And who would pay attention?”

“Hmm. Good point. Okay so how do we start a revolution?”

“I think if you want to start a revolution all you have to do is make a resolution to stand on the corner and sing.”

“That was cold.”

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

December 29, 2017December 28, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 39 Comments

Another Friday. This year has no more Fridays left. Sorry folks but you spent them all. The good news is next year there a reload of fifty-two Fridays is just waiting for the stroke of midnight. Then we will have a fresh batch of things of which to look forward.When you think about it, there are few other desirable things on the planet that replenish like Friday. Each week we use one up and like magic without doing anything, the next week has another. Try doing that with an ice cream cone.

It is a marvelous thing. Of course, you could say the same about any other day of the week but face it. No other day of the week has such appeal. Fridays are golden.

So here is looking forward to an entire year of them. Here is the John Ku for this week. It is about Friday.

You seem far away,

When Monday interrupts life. . .

Then you save us all.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Lucy and Bailey Reflections

December 28, 2017December 27, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 56 Comments

“So Lucy. What do you think about the year? It is almost New Year’s Eve, and I wonder if you have some thoughts about 2017.”

“Boy, Bailey. You are pretty philosophical for a hound.”

“I’m a boxer, not a hound.”

“Just an expression.”

“Back to my question.”

“I’m thinking. I guess I will have to call the year a challenge.”

“How so?”

“Just listen to that hammering. It has been going on for weeks.”

“I know, but it is a sign of progress. We had a Hurricane after all.”

“Not to mention evacuating to Austin.”

“Yeah, that wasn’t so pleasant. But we did avoid the flying siding and stuff.”

“I know. I was glad not to have been here then.”

“Okay, that was the Hurricane. What else?”

“I miss Stella.”

“I know. I do too. She always seemed to have the perfect word for any occasion.”

“Not to mention fun to chase.”

“We have to believe she is happy. She had a long life of love.”

“I agree. Well, in any case, I’m thinking she has a lot of mice that need catching.”

“Excellent thought, Lucy. Let’s keep that vision in mind.”

“Beyond those two events, 2017 was not really a bad year.”

“I have to agree. You know we have it pretty good.”

“I would say.”

“I think I’ll make a resolution for 2018.”

“Okay, what is that? Boy, my eyelids are getting heavy. Might be the thought of making a resolution.”

“Lucy you are such a slug. You know that?”

“How about a little nap before we move to 2018?”

“Okay, I see your point. When we wake up, we need to make our resolutions.”

“Hmm. Oh sure. When we get up, that’ll be the first thing we do. Well, besides a scratch.”

“And a drink of water.”

“And maybe a run in the yard. ZZZZZZZ.”

Wednesday Story Day – AKA Hump Day

December 27, 2017December 26, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 28 Comments

It is Wednesday Story Day again. Last week we witnessed Harriet and Alice in a bit of panic over the information Frank Plano had to offer about them being seen in Kenosha. What was especially troubling to them was the possibility that Frank knew they were frequent visitors to the Severides. Harriet made the suggestion that Alice call Frank and see if he has filed his report. If not, she reasoned that they could do something to silence him. I see Alice is on the phone, so let’s get over there.

“So, Mr. Plano you are still open to getting our side of the story? Oh I know I was rude, and I apologize. Well, Harriet and I are at her house. You can come over, and we will speak openly. Yes, we will tell you what we know. You can be the judge as to the relevance of the information. Okay then. We will see you shortly. Goodbye Mr. Plano.”
“What did he say?”
“He has not completed his report.”
“Is he coming over?”
“Yes. I thought you would know that from my side of the conversation.”
“Just checking. What are we going to tell him?”
“I think we ought to let him know we visited the Severides.”
“You crazy? What excuse could we possibly have to be visiting the Severides.”
“I’m sure he knows they were major drug dealers.”
“Yeah, so you gonna confess your habit to him?”
“What’s the big deal? So I used to pop heron. So what.”
“How about the coke? You were arrested for possession.”
“And where did that lead? Seth killed those charges. You think just because I tell a private eye I used to do drugs, I’m going to get arrested?”
“You still using?”
“You know I’m not.”
“I see your point then.”
“So, what do we have to lose? Let’s just come clean. We bought drugs from the Severides. Yes, we were there the night they were killed. We didn’t do anything and have nothing to hide.”
“What about that blood spurt when you shot up.”
“What do you mean?”
“You pulled the needle out too quickly, and your blood fell on the floor.”
“I wiped that up.”
“You ever see CSI? You can’t just wipe up blood. If the lab guys go in there for more testing, they will find your blood. How do you explain that?”
“Let me think.”
“Oh oh. Frank’s at the front door.”
“Let me think Harriet. I’ll just say I cut myself.”
“With a large knife as you were killing the Severides?”
“Very funny, Harriet. Let Frank in. I’ll think of something.”

Warlord of the Forgotten Age – The Final Legends of Windemere Volume by Charles E. Yallowitz

December 26, 2017December 23, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 20 Comments

I am so pleased to be part of the launch of Charles Yallowitz’s final volume of the Legends of Windemere series. Welcome, Charles.

A big thank you to John for letting me write a guest post to celebrate the release of Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age. This is it. The final volume of my fantasy adventure series that I’ve worked on for . . . carry the 1 . . . divide by pie . . . 19 years!? Wow, I finally did that actual math on that and caught myself by surprise. Anyway, one of the more common subplots I used in this series is romance. Characters fall in love, have their hearts broken, make mistakes, plan futures, and lock lips. I enjoyed writing these because it felt like rewards and promises to my beleaguered heroes. They also ended up being some of the biggest headaches of my writing career. So, what are some things I learned?

Let’s get the cynicism out of the way. No matter what you do, somebody will hate the pairing, relationship, or existence of romance in the first place. There are many people out there who feel that romance has no place in genres like fantasy and science-fiction. Especially if it’s not the main plot. The thing is that if you want characters to be more human then a relationship is one of the best things to give them. Most people fall in love or get close to others at some point, so it’s one of the easiest points of relation.
You don’t need to write a sex scene to get your point across that characters are in love or lust. Body language like hungry stares and handholding can reveal more than the actual act of procreation. Personally, I see no reason to go beyond the initial kiss and then showing the ‘afterglow’ where the characters are talking, snoring, or raiding the fridge. There’s really no reason for this unless you’re writing erotica or intending to get the reader heated.
There’s only so long that you can play the ‘will they/won’t they’ and ‘who will he/she choose’ game. In Legends of Windemere, I have both situations. One pairing stayed iffy for about 7 volumes because they characters were split up for 2 of them. It was mostly one was open with their feelings and the other was too scared to be honest. The readers knew what was going on, so I had to be careful with how to play it out. Eventually, the audience would think I’m just being a jerk and lose interest in the relationship. When things start to feel stretched and it’s the fourth time they’ve done the ‘so close’ thing then you may have missed your opportunity. As for the love triangle . . .
I don’t know what to tell you here. What I personally learned is that I never want to do one of these again. At least not one that gets this complicated. The problem with a love triangle is that it forces readers to take sides, so you end up creating enemies for the characters involved. People also seem to expect it to be clear from the beginning who will get together. You remove the mystery and risk, so they don’t get invested in a relationship that will fail. I didn’t do that at all. This was a love triangle with an open relationship, three emotionally immature characters, fantasy cultures, and no true hate/malice between those involved. As much as I and others enjoyed this subplot, it was a mess to handle, which is why I brought it to a close earlier than I originally planned.
Love at first sight is a tough card to play, but it’s doable. People talk about how it’s unrealistic and lame. Yet, there’s the chance of two characters having that spark as soon as they met. It can happen with friends, so why not potential lovers? One way I found to make it more palatable is to not go right to the lovey dovey stuff. Such emotions are strong and hit without warning. So, I had one character be overly eager to be honest and another be plain terrified. At least to me, that feels a lot more realistic.
These subplots are perfect targets for villains. Yes, this is a cliché, but what bad guy would pass up the chance to hurt a hero by attacking and possibly destroying their relationship? Many main villains work for psychological victories even if they can’t get the physical one. You stopped my plan to take over this village? Well, the ring you bought from that vendor actually has a memory wipe spell that will go off as soon as your girlfriend puts it on? Villains are cruel and going after loved ones is like stabbing at the heart without actually hitting the heart.
Romantic subplots can change the mentality of a character because they now have something more to live for. With romance comes the possibility of marriage, kids, settling down, and being with someone into old age. Prior to this, a hero might not consider much beyond their final battle or even be okay with dying. Love changes this perspective because it’s something that will last beyond the finale. It’s like a promise to the character that they can have a normal life as long as they survive their adventures.

Again, thank you to John for letting me be a guest and also being there to help support me from early on. It’s been a really long road and it’s great to have people who travel the whole thing with you. Please check out Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age and I hope you enjoy the adventure.

Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you, and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with.

Blog: www.legendsofwindemere.com
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz
Website: www.charleseyallowitz.com

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #154

December 26, 2017December 25, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 26 Comments

Using Keith’s words. “Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keith@channing.info before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here – pingbacks don’t often work.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your own blog or web site, next Monday.”

The photo.