Published in Cirsova, Winter 2021

 Cirsova publishes four issues per year.  Check out the most recent issue, and note the third author listed on the front cover - yours truly!

Available at Amazon and Cirsova Home Page.

Breakfast or Something

 I've been losing weight.  Not as much as I'd like, but some.  Part of my impromptu weight loss program involved skipping breakfast and having a very light lunch - which helps.  In theory these two non-meals are supposed to be followed by a sensible dinner, but sensible dinners are hard to come by.  So maybe two out of three are sensible by my definition, and probably one out of twenty-five if defined by a dietitian or nutritionist who is willing to look the other way when it comes to dry martinis.

My Christian Birthday

Today is my Christian birthday!

On Thursday, 8/18/2005, I was Regenerated (Born Again) thanks to the Lord's grace and His servant, Pastor Jim Riccitelli.

Magic Employed

My next anthology, Magic Employed, is a sequel to Magic for Hire, and should be available on Amazon in October of this year.  My thanks to Glen Filthie over at the Thunderbox (where great intelligence goes to be insulted) for his review: A Brutally Scathing Book Review: Magic For Hire.  Thank you!

The cover art is by Tina Garceau.  You can see more of her work at the Ancient NFO's site: Old NFO.

RFI: Cover Design

Thanks to author JL Curtis, I now am on my way to getting a cover designed for my next publication, Magic Employed, the sequel to Magic for Hire.  My problem is that I'm neurotic and can't make up my mind which cover is best - or maybe none of the above.

So.

Here are five sketches by Tina Garceau, the artist who did the covers for JL Curtis.  Which one is the best cover, in your own not-terribly-humble opinion?

 

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

Number 4

Number 5

 Please cast your vote in the comments section.  Thank you!

Announcement: Showdown on the River by J.L. Curtis is Available

 The Bell Cronicles: Showdown on the River is the latest release by author JL Curtis, known in many circles as the Prehistoric Naval Flight Officer . I haven't read it yet, but if it's anything like his previous novels it's well worth reading.  I expect an enjoyable, historically correct Western featuring white hats, six guns, and women that you wouldn't bring home to meet your mother.  There's other kinds of women too, but the way he writes about those saloon fillies - well, you'll have to read it for yourself.

Good job, Jim!  Keep up the good work!

What Am I?

Well, this is a bit nuts.  I used to play D&D.  Not AD&D, the actual, original game, D&D.  Created in part by The Great Gax, who is no longer with us.  There's a site which will pose 140 or so questions, then come up with you, personally, as an AD&D character - sans name.

My results are below the fold.

Writing Techniques by Jim Butcher

I found this on reddit - The Front Page of the Internet, and it's well worth reading. You can read the article for yourself as you like (Writing Techniques by Jim Butcher (Bestselling Fantasy Author of the Dresden Files)) but I've listed the individual missives below, in order.

Electronics Repair in Columbus, Ohio

If you got a good woman
Better pin her to your side
Now if you got a good woman
You better pin her to your side, yeah
'Cause if she flag my train Buddy
I'm bound to let her ride

 - Matchbox Blues, by Blind Lemon Jefferson; played by Albert King

If you were standing next to me, you'd know I was listening to music from my iPod - which is nothing short of a minor miracle.

On October 2^nd, 2004, my brother bought me a (then) top of the line iPod - an iPod Photo, which featured a 60 Gig drive.  I promptly loaded my entire collection of CDs on it and had space left over, which I've been slowly filling ever since.

My iPod, Repaired and Working

The trouble is that the battery has been slowly but steadily going south ever since.  Three years ago I took it to the local (Rotten) Apple store and asked about getting a new battery.

Sorry, no.  Okay, not all that sorry, but still no.  Apple manufactured these devices so they couldn't be fixed.  So no, but we can sell you new one which should work.

No thanks.

I tried other places with no luck.  No one wanted to touch it.  Apple, you see, didn't want it repaired.  

One month ago it stopped working.  But I kept looking for a repair place.

On Monday, December 28, 2020, I discovered Kurt Decker at Decker Electronics.  I took my iPod over to him, and he gave it a cursory look, then told me it would probably take about a week.  True to his word, I picked up my REPAIRED and fully functional iPod on Sunday, January 8, 2021.

Nothing succeeds like success.

Kurt Decker is a hands-on sort, and will work on just about anything.  If you're in or around Columbus, and need a TV, phone, or whatever repaired, this is the man to call.

Decker Electronics - ***** out of 5