Mint Tea In Marrakesh

That's it, the election is over. The silent majority will be quiet for another four years, or maybe five. With a majority, they can screw us over good. No one can complain because we said we wer tired of voting so often.

You have to laugh at some candidates who won. The NDP really didn't expect to win so many seats, and some people entered the race, just so the spot wouldn't be empty. The one who stands out the most is the assistant bar manager from Ottawa, who ran for a seat in Quebec, and doesn't speak French. During the five week campaign she went to Las Vegas on vacation. She never gave any speeches, held any news conferences, and it appears she never even visited the riding. So, is this an example of, "Some people are trust into greatness," or "You deserve what you get."

The second part of my story came out last week. I'm waiting for it to show up on Amazon. You feel more legitimate when it shows up there. They asked for part 3 yesterday, so that is now in there. There are six parts and I have completed all of them. Now I am working on a book about two teens going on vacation to Morocco. I wrote about them sitting in a cafe in Marrakesh, drinking mint tea, and a couple of days later I read in the paper, the cafe was bombed. Not my fault, even though the terrorists are after these guys.

It's still raining here, as it has for a couple of weeks, and will all this week. Grass definately needs cutting.

How Smart Are You?

We sometimes think the Americans are fairly dumb, as to their preception of Canada. There is a lot of truth to it, especially when you see them up here in July, with skies on their cars, asking where the snow is. And I think Americans will agree they know little about Canada. Up here, we have the idea we know a lot more about the States, and to an extent, it's true. Of course, our knowledge of the U.S. is sort of warped. We get it all from TV. I've been to the States close to 40 times, and I never saw any downtown car chase, no one holding up a bank, and I never even saw one celebrity. I saw more celebrities when I worked at the airport.

From an article I read in the paper this morning, I'm inclined to think Canadians should not be too smug. I read about a poll they took about how much Canadians know about the North. Well, it appears not that much. 69%  believe people up north still have an Igloo as their main residence. 38% are not aware Eskimo are now called Inuit. 50% believe we have military bases protecting the Northwest Passage. 74% think Penguins live up there. Sorry, no Penguins up there, they're in Pittsburg. We do have one Penguin, who now lives here part time. That would be Sidney Crosby, who used to live a few streets away.

Mind you, it was a very small poll, only 303 people. So, I'm thinking, maybe they took the poll in Ottawa, where all the politicans live.

On To the Next Project

Gee, I haven't written anything here for a week. Time does fly. Especially when you're older. True. The temp. today is 0C/32F and it is supposed to be 7C/45F. When they say that, it's usually on the low side. It will probably be 10C today. It seems this snow just won't give up. We had it a few times this week. This time last year, I was outside working. Cleaning up all that landed in my yard over the winter. I also have to tune up my two lawn mowers.

Yesterday I sent in my Part 2, "Brigintine", for the series "A Slice Of Time." There are four more parts, one each month. I've finished them all, but won't send them in till later. I keep going back over them. When it first started, I was told it should be between 3000 and 5000 words. So that's what I did. The first was 3000 and each one after increases. The last is closer to 6000. I noticed the first day some didn't pay any attention to the 3000 - 5000 limit.

It's supposed to be for readers who are reluctent to read. That being the case, I thought I would start with 3000 and work my way up. That way, with each story, they would be reading more.

With that being mostly finished, I've started on a new one, about two boys going on vacation. It won't be 5000 words, since I have 2000 and they haven't arrived at the destination yet. It helps to have been with the military in Europe for four years, and travelled a lot.

Election promises are running rampant. The good thing about our elections is that they only last six weeks and there won't be another for 3 -5 years.

Politicking For th Next Six Weeks.

What am I doing up at 5:AM? And to top it off, I look out the window, and the ground is white. Maybe that happens every night, and by the time I get up at 7:AM, it is all gone. We'll see at 7:AM. While I was drinking my coffee, I looked out and it was still there.

The first installment of my story "A Slice of Time" called "Beyond the Fog" was published last Tue. That was very exciting. I'm just finishing off the last part now. That part doesn't come out till Sept. Time to start another one. Fantasy again, though I do have a cowboy one, with one chapter finished.

Oh boy! Another election. We didn't need one. Everything is going along smoothly. So we will end up with a minority again. Then the plan will be to form a government from the other parties, Which has never happened before. The Liberal leader, Michael Ignatieff is so despirate to be Prime Minister, he would even do it with a coalition involving the Bloc Quebecois, a seperatist party. Now that's asking for trouble. The other parties that join, know they will never lead the country, but now they have a chance to get a piece of the pie.

I don't like the way Prime Minister operates, but the head of the Liberal party is a dink, the Bloc party want to take Quebec out of Canada, the NDP party thinks everyone should be in a union and we should have everything free, and the Green party is just that, and lets not chop down any trees.

And how is the "not war" in Libya going on. Those dummies. Now they are in a hole and it is only going to get deeper. Us "Crusaders" are now at war with three Arab countries, with others in the pipeline. Just a matter of time before it's "Hey, they are waging a war against Islam, and we didn't even see it."

Read this, "Prince William slips off for secret stag weekend..." Can't be that secret if it's on the front page of Drudge.

Daylight Savings Time

Arizona is the only state in the United States that does not recognize daylight savings.

Saskatchewan is the only Canadian province that does not have it either.
Probably because of "The Old Indian."

Thank You, Old Indian!!!!!

Shakin' Up Young Readers!

Quake
Shakin' Up Young Readers! Electric Shorts


Hi! If you are reading this, you have found the next best place to get super fantastic totally awesome short stories for kids.

Each of these series is designed to make you want to read each and every word to the very end, then sit on the edge of your chair waiting for the next episode.

We really want you to enjoy these stories. And we are always looking for ideas for new series and stories, so if you’ve got someting you would like one of our authors to write, you send us an e-mail and we’ll see what we can do to make it happen.

Here’s what you can look forward to for the next six months.

Week One:
Tales of Ever by Jen Wylie
Laramie on the Lam by Deborah Dee Harper
Chasing the Golden Treasure by Tim Champlin

Week Two:
A Difficult Decision by Ella Grey
Into the West by Julie Campbell
What You See is What You Get by Nicole Zoltack

Week Three:
The Magnificent Carnival of Professor Pelusian Minus by Sean and Connor Hayden
King of the Marshmallows by Lydia Ondrusek
The Olive Branch Mysteries by Gale Borger

Week Four:
Delbert Dallas and the Dragon Diaries by J.R. Turner
A Slice of Time by Jack Sakalauskas
The Junior Justice of the Peace Chronicles by Ann Mason

eBooks - Electric Shorts

All over, American kids are crying out, “I don’t like to read!” What they really mean is I don’t want to read THAT!


Electric Shorts is designed for young readers who crave adventure and excitement. Each series contains six short stories presented once a month as electronic downloads (eBooks), much the same as a television series. Geared for kids between the ages of seven and seventeen, each short story will include relevant material to attract and captivate the young reader. From historical settings to futuristic fantasy, across all genres, Electric Shorts will strive to satisfy all interests.

“By publishing the Electric Shorts as eBooks we can cut back our contribution of paper waste and perhaps save a few trees while we’re at it,” says Karen Syed. Echelon Press has been offering their titles as eBooks since the company formed in February 2001. “No heavy books to carry, nothing to clutter the shelves, and eBooks really are cool,” Syed says.

A group of authors from America, Canada, and the UK have signed on to the project. The Electric Shorts will be released every Tuesday, with a new installment of each series appearing once a month. At only $.99 each, the short stories are affordable for all walks of life. Plans to create affiliate programs with schools and other literacy advocates are in the works, including a summer reading program to keep kids on track during vacation.

To obtain a complete listing of authors, concepts, and series please contact Echelon Press.

For advance review copies and requests for interviews and author events for any of the participating authors, contact Karen L. Syed at Echelon Press echelonpress@gmail.com.

Our main sites for sales are Amazon.com/Kindle, BN.com/Nook, OmniLit, Smashwords, and I have included LSI eBooks. The three books this week will first be uploaded to OmniLit, then to the others, over the next couple of days.

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