A girl and her horse job

Emily and Cherokee ... He's her favorite, but don't tell the other horses.

That's Lucy in the third photo.

Storm Chaser reviewed

Hey, there’s a new review of Storm Chaser!

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/183842257

My very first published work, if you don’t include my newspaper stuff. Wow … that was five years ago, six since Storm Chaser was accepted for publication—and now there are ten books on my Amazon author page. No wonder I’m so tired.

50 Authors from 50 States: Ohio is Like No Other State by Tamera Lynn Kraft

50 Authors from 50 States: Ohio is Like No Other State by Tamera Lynn Kraft: I was born in Ohio and have lived here all my life. Ohio truly is the heart of the nation in many ways. It has a bit of everything: big...

Book Review: Wanderer’s Escape, by Simon Goodson

Jess is a slave, and it's his job to be the first to enter newly pirated spaceships. Slaves go first, trigger the booby traps, and then the slavers claim the prize. I assume other slaves clean up the remains of the first slaves.

But when he and two others survive their entry, the 16 year old suddenly finds himself free and on the run, in a universe of brutal empires, pirates, and slave traders. He can trust only his mysterious and seemingly intelligent new ship, the Wanderer, and maybe—or maybe not—his few friends. What follows is a frantic race to understand and utilize the new ship, while others try to take it from Jess and his small group.

Wanderer’s Escape is the first of a series, and introduces us to a boy and his ship: a ship which, like Doctor Who’s TARDIS, has seemingly unlimited capabilities in the right hands, and a sentient dedication to its owner. Jess makes mistakes--he's a teenager, after all—but like the ship he's a fast learner, and watching him learn is half the fun. Unfortunately, this is a place where learning from your mistakes isn’t as likely as dying from them.

I did feel a little lost at first, not knowing much about the universe Jess inhabits, but getting to know it was a fun ride (although I wouldn't want to live there!) The story reminded me of some of Heinlein’s “juvenile” SF—or rather, my memory of them—which is a compliment. Sometimes the Wanderer seems a bit too good to be true, but there are plenty of other problems along the way to make up for it.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18364241-wanderer-s-escape

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/MO--FIREFIGHTER-LODD-Medical-Emergency--The-Secret-List-.html?soid=1102327818491&aid=zFs7N8i4yxA

Matthews Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Todd Hartlein has died in the Line of Duty.



http://myemail.constantcontact.com/MO--FIREFIGHTER-LODD-Medical-Emergency--The-Secret-List-.html?soid=1102327818491&aid=zFs7N8i4yxA

Another Submission Season

In all the work and fuss over getting Hoosier Hysterical published, I haven’t had time to deal with the other works I sent out into the cold, cruel publishing world. Over the last several months they’ve all come back to me via rejections—except in some cases when I hauled them back in after not hearing from publishers/agents for several months.

So I’ve gotten busy again. Over the last few days I’ve sent out eight submissions—three novels and five short stories—to various magazines, publishers, and agents. I have another romantic comedy (Coming Attractions) that I’ve held back for some further editing, so that’s my next chore.

Unlike most editors, agents are usually okay with simultaneous submissions, which means I could be telling you about several dozen submissions. But a writer/agent relationship needs to be very solid, so I spend time investigating agents, looking for one that might be just right for me … shotgun submitting isn’t my style. If an enthusiastic publisher offers me a three book deal before I land an agent … well, that’s a “problem” I’ll just have to deal with, isn’t it?