I'm adding a feature to this page. When I post a new contribution to either the Blog or the Mascot Serial, I'll try to post a new quotation. I will, of course, credit the original source. If no source is mentioned, you may assume the quotation is my own original contribution. The first is one of those:
1) "You will find no more devoted, loyal, and affectionate companion than a dog hoping for a treat."
2) This is one of my all-time favorites: "After all, it's what we've done that makes us what we are."--Jim Croce
3) Song lyrics really do provide some excellent quotes. This one comes from Paul Simon's song "The Boxer", recorded with Art Garfunkel, and it certainly speaks to political discourse, especially in election years:
"A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."
4) "People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." Isaac Asimov
5) "Don't take yourself too seriously. Your enemies will do that for you."
6) "Natural laws have no pity."--Robert Heinlein From the Notebooks of Lazarus Long in Time Enough for Love.
7) "Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy." --Robert Heinlein [same source]
8) "It's amazing how much 'mature wisdom' resembles being too tired." --Robert Heinlein [same source]
9) "I survived. The alternative would have been inconvenient."
10) "A woman's mind is cleaner than a man's: She changes it more often." --Oliver Herford
11) "The road to success is always under construction." --Lily Tomlin
12) "The instructive thing about any glass ceiling, though, was that you could look up and guarantee you'd see nothing but assholes positioned above you." -- by Jez Patterson in his story "Perils in Promotion" published by Daily Science Fiction Nov. 30, 2016.
13) Here's a tiny teaser from Book Two of Just Lucky. The character is speaking about whiskey: And it was the good stuff! It didn't burn, it warmed. It felt smooth as soft vanilla ice cream and tasted like the first sip of spring.
14) "He who commits injustice is ever made more wretched than he who suffers it."-- Plato
15) "To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone." --Reba McIntire
16) "Fiction is the lie that tells the truth." --Virginia Wolfe
17) "If "ifs" were like chocolates and cashews were "buts," we'd be up to our asses in candy and nuts."
18) Another contribution by Paul Simon, this has been called Simon's Law: "Everything put together sooner or later falls apart."
19) "A tail wind never helps as much as a head wind hinders."
20) "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." -- Calvin Coolidge, quoted in Funds For Writers, 6/23/17
21) "Don't whine about something being unfair. It brands you a child. Adults know that everything is fair--to somebody."
22) "We like the idea of calluses to protect us. Sometimes they grow where we don't want them. Sometimes we don't know where we want them." From the Author's Story Notes after the story "You Can Adapt to Anything" at Daily Science Fiction, Sept. 15.
23) "A leopard can change its spots. But it is still a leopard."
24) "The powerful and wealthy have, in a very real sense, their own nationality." -- Fred Saberhagen, from The Frankenstein Papers
25) "Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge." -- Carl Sagan
26) "Any time I hear that someone is really rich, the first question is, do you do anything with it? Or do you just, like, chill? You just sit on it?"--Kristen Stewart
27) "You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere."--Lee Trevino
28) "Most people can admit to themselves that they're wrong when presented with evidence. A sincerely dedicated narcissist can't. When such a person achieves a position of power, people are going to get hurt."
29) Lee Allen Hill is one of the best short story writers writing today. Much of his work can be read at https://www.pagespineficshowcase.com This partial quote is from an episode of "Coffee House Chatter," a recurring serial he's been writing for years. This is from the December 28 issue--their last issue of 2018.: "God is God, Nikki. No one has a monopoly. Besides, mingling is better than barricading....People here seem to think that faith shared is better than faith enshrined." [Lee also has a short story in that issue--and it's really good.]
As of 2022, Page and Spine went out of business--due to personal issues with the publisher--she had to become a care-giver. These stories might be available somewhere, but I don't know where.
30) "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."--Oscar Wilde
31) "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."--Mae West
32) "...the third and most constant darkness that is with us every day, at all hours of every day, is the darkness of the mind, the pettiness and meanness and hatred, which we have invited into ourselves. and which we pay out with generous interest."--Dean Koontz in his novel Brother Odd about a page and a half into chapter 21.
33) "After a while you get so friggin' good at letting people down, it just doesn't feel natural doing anything else."--Jake The Snake Roberts
Unfortunately, the below information is no longer valid. My four novels were unpublished because the publisher closed up shop. The two Just Lucky books ae now self-published on Amazon. They are New Adult Romance novels.
Obviously my rightest Writes at the moment are my four published novels, Prophecy of Honor and Witchery by Double Dragon Publishing, available on Kobo, Amazon and LuLu, and Just Lucky, Book 1: Friends and Enemies published by Gnome on Pig Publishing and available on Amazon, LuLu, and at Barnes and Noble's web site plus in their retail bookstores, though you may have to request it. Please do!
Just Lucky, Book 2: Love and Hate was released in May, 2018.
If you want an autographed copy of any of my novels, contact me through Facebook, this site, or in person and we'll work it out.
If you'd like to read some of my published fiction, almost all at Page and Spine, click HERE and it'll link you to the page. My stories are there in reverse chronological order. The poetry is now included after the stories. After them are the reviews I wrote for P&S in 2015 and 2016.
Here's a list of my stories along with a tiny teaser:
Yard Sale Treasure What would you do if you bought a lucky urn at a yard sale?
The Scent of Moonlight Can an ancient killer god be killed?
Thanks, Winstons An old man's final days.
The Art of Negotiation This negotiator feeds off the negotiations.
An Afternoon Stroll Alien fly-bys change everything...and everybody.
Women Can't Be Mommies They can be mothers, but motherhood is a death sentence.
The Treasure of the Mountain King Not all wealth is treasure; not all treasure is wealth.
Extra Terrestrial Sex How might visiting alien males and human females interact?
I also have short stories in two anthologies. In Dandelions of Mars, a tribute to Ray Bradbury, my story is titled Transition, and is suitable for ages ten and up, as is the whole anthology. This is available only through print-on-demand paperback.
The story is now also available on line. Digital Fiction Publishing has a new on-line publication called Quickfic, made up of reprints only. The volume includes "Transition"...and they paid more than I received from Whortleberry Press for its initial publication.
"Transition" and many other stories are available here: http://digitalfictionpub.com/category/quickfic/
Digital Fiction Publishing has now published another of my previously published stories. The title is "Battle Scars" and it can be found here: digitalfictionpub.com/category/quickfic/ I consider "Battle Scars" to be my best science fiction short story
One of my short stories that has been on the list above has been removed. Salvation has been accepted for publication by Digital Fiction Publishing for their Quickfic anthology.
It is now available to be read here: http://digitalfictionpub.com/category/quickfic/page/2/ It is the eighth story listed on that page.
Digital Fiction has also accepted "The Negotiator", listed here as "The Art of Negotiation" and I'll post the Digital Fiction link when it comes out. The story will be, or has been, deleted from the Page and Spine archives.
Due to changes at Digital Fiction Publishing, "The Negotiator" has not been published and it appears now that it will not be. I am not going to request Page and Spine to restore it to their archives...at least not yet. There may be other opportunities to sell it as a reprint.
One more published story appears in an anthology of horror stories, suitable for 18 years old and up. The book is titled Dark Light 3; my contribution is titled Switch. It's a nasty little thing... The book is available through Amazon.
Bulletin: "Switch" is available in anew digital horror anthology titled "Dark Veins" published by The Great Void.
I hope you decide to read some of those stories, and thanks again for dropping by.
For those of you that prefer poetry, Page and Spine has published some of mine. Here are the titles:
Rockies Bug War
Finding From the Ambassador's Memoirs
Challenger A Dark Fantasy One Night Stand
Rockies Bug War
Finding From the Ambassador's Memoirs
Challenger A Dark Fantasy One Night Stand
Here's a little unpublished short story I wrote for my writing class at Longridge Writers Group: It's a different take on the song "My Boyfriend's Back" You might enjoy this story more if you know the song. Lyrics are available here: http://www.metrolyrics.com/my-boyfriends-back-lyrics-angels.html
And here's the story:
HER BOYFRIEND'S BACK
By Fred Waiss
He'd been waiting outside the pool hall for what seemed like an hour. At first he'd simply leaned against the rough old telephone pole, or paced the cracked and crumbling pavement, collecting glances from passersby. Glances only, though; this was a neighborhood where minding one's own business was considered not only good form, but healthy as well.
His impatience was adding to his anger. He wondered if the guy knew he was out there, and was hiding inside, trying to out-wait him. The idea made him almost furious, and he paced several long angry strides toward the pool hall door, then snapped around and strode back, his khaki trousers sushing with each step. He flexed his arms in aggravation and the very large muscles of his chest and shoulders rolled under the tight white tee shirt.
Finally, the object of his aggravation appeared, wearing his signature scruffy blue jeans and brown vest over the black sleeveless tee. He glanced around and saw the big man striding toward him. He tucked his hands casually into the vest pockets and sauntered over to meet the charge.
"Hey, Buffalo Bob! It's been a while! Here to shoot some pool?"
The big man's aggression faltered. Only Roy called him Buffalo Bob, and had since Bob had become "strong as a buffalo" two years ago. Bob had always liked the designation. But he tried to ignore that unexpected and unwelcome feeling of affinity for the smaller man and stay focused on his mission.
"I think you know why I'm here, Roy." The pronouncement was delivered like the voice of doom.
Roy was unaffected. He grinned. "Yeah, I guess I do. Patty Faye told me you were going to give me a beating. She is a self-centered little twit, isn't she?"
"Shut up!" Without windup Bob threw a long looping right hook at the other's head. But it missed by a foot, as Roy easily leaned away, still grinning. Bob heard a snick.
"Easy there, Buff! You don't want to get yourself hurt over some silly lies!" Roy gestured significantly with his right hand, which had eased out of the vest pocket and now held an opened switchblade. Though the knife was pointed off to the side, and not close, Bob's aggression halted immediately. He should have remembered that Roy carried that.
"Son of a bitch! Damn you, Roy, put that away and fight like a man!" He'd backed away, but he still stood tall, leaning forward, fists clenched in frustrated anger.
"Sure, Buffalo. When you lose about four inches and 50 pounds. Till then, mind telling me why my old bud suddenly wants to give me a beating?"
"You know why! You asked her out! You knew she was my girlfriend, and you asked her out anyway! And then when she turned you down you lied about her! You told people she'd asked you out but you wouldn't take her because she was too easy! You back-stabbed me and tried to dirty her name! Put that thing away and you'll deserve what I give you!"
"I don't think so, Bob. When I mentioned some silly lies, I meant hers, not mine. Patricia Faye has not been completely honest with you."
"Liar! She told me you'd try to put it back on her!"
Roy showed a half-shrug. "Why would I lie?"
"Why would she?"
Roy sighed. "Because she's afraid you'll get mad. So she told you something that would get you mad at someone besides her. I took her out twice, Buffalo. Both times to a movie, then the Soda Shoppe. You really think Patty Faye is going to sit home every Saturday night for two months just because you're not around? Really?"
"Another lie! She wouldn't go out with you! She's my girl! I trust her! She wouldn't lie to me!" But his response was forced. The point about Patty staying home on Saturday nights was valid. That wasn't likely, now that he had to think about it.
Roy was getting impatient. He leaned forward himself, speaking forcefully. "If I didn't take her out, then how do I know that she doesn't like popcorn, but will go through two bags of those cherry nibs? Or that she likes her root beer floats made with chocolate ice cream?"
That was that. His girl had indeed lied to him. He wondered suddenly if this was the only time. Bob deflated; fists unclenched, shoulders slumped, forward lean gone.
Roy saw; he closed the knife and eased it back into the vest pocket. "And she called me, Bob. She said it was your idea, that if she really needed to go out she should call me because you trusted me. She is not the most truthful girl around."
Bob took a deep breath, let it out slowly. "I guess not. But I don't think I can just dump her. I still love her." Bob suddenly gave Roy a sharp look of suspicion. "You aren't interested in taking her out again, are you?"
"Not a chance. She's pretty, but not my type. I prefer to go with a girl I can trust."
Bob squared his shoulders and stuck out his hand. "Roy, sorry for the hostility. I should have known better."
Roy accepted the handshake, then clapped the bigger man on the back. "C'mon, let's shoot some pool. You can try to give me that beating on the felt, and I'll give you all the details of our dates."
Bob grinned. "Deal. I might surprise you. I played a lot in my off-time the last two months."
Roy was off his game. Bob was at the top of his. He beat Roy four out of four, then reported truthfully to Patricia that he'd given Roy a pretty good beating.
Patty Faye seemed genuinely satisfied with that—pleased with herself, actually--and Bob began right then to think that maybe it was time for a change.
END
And here's the story:
HER BOYFRIEND'S BACK
By Fred Waiss
He'd been waiting outside the pool hall for what seemed like an hour. At first he'd simply leaned against the rough old telephone pole, or paced the cracked and crumbling pavement, collecting glances from passersby. Glances only, though; this was a neighborhood where minding one's own business was considered not only good form, but healthy as well.
His impatience was adding to his anger. He wondered if the guy knew he was out there, and was hiding inside, trying to out-wait him. The idea made him almost furious, and he paced several long angry strides toward the pool hall door, then snapped around and strode back, his khaki trousers sushing with each step. He flexed his arms in aggravation and the very large muscles of his chest and shoulders rolled under the tight white tee shirt.
Finally, the object of his aggravation appeared, wearing his signature scruffy blue jeans and brown vest over the black sleeveless tee. He glanced around and saw the big man striding toward him. He tucked his hands casually into the vest pockets and sauntered over to meet the charge.
"Hey, Buffalo Bob! It's been a while! Here to shoot some pool?"
The big man's aggression faltered. Only Roy called him Buffalo Bob, and had since Bob had become "strong as a buffalo" two years ago. Bob had always liked the designation. But he tried to ignore that unexpected and unwelcome feeling of affinity for the smaller man and stay focused on his mission.
"I think you know why I'm here, Roy." The pronouncement was delivered like the voice of doom.
Roy was unaffected. He grinned. "Yeah, I guess I do. Patty Faye told me you were going to give me a beating. She is a self-centered little twit, isn't she?"
"Shut up!" Without windup Bob threw a long looping right hook at the other's head. But it missed by a foot, as Roy easily leaned away, still grinning. Bob heard a snick.
"Easy there, Buff! You don't want to get yourself hurt over some silly lies!" Roy gestured significantly with his right hand, which had eased out of the vest pocket and now held an opened switchblade. Though the knife was pointed off to the side, and not close, Bob's aggression halted immediately. He should have remembered that Roy carried that.
"Son of a bitch! Damn you, Roy, put that away and fight like a man!" He'd backed away, but he still stood tall, leaning forward, fists clenched in frustrated anger.
"Sure, Buffalo. When you lose about four inches and 50 pounds. Till then, mind telling me why my old bud suddenly wants to give me a beating?"
"You know why! You asked her out! You knew she was my girlfriend, and you asked her out anyway! And then when she turned you down you lied about her! You told people she'd asked you out but you wouldn't take her because she was too easy! You back-stabbed me and tried to dirty her name! Put that thing away and you'll deserve what I give you!"
"I don't think so, Bob. When I mentioned some silly lies, I meant hers, not mine. Patricia Faye has not been completely honest with you."
"Liar! She told me you'd try to put it back on her!"
Roy showed a half-shrug. "Why would I lie?"
"Why would she?"
Roy sighed. "Because she's afraid you'll get mad. So she told you something that would get you mad at someone besides her. I took her out twice, Buffalo. Both times to a movie, then the Soda Shoppe. You really think Patty Faye is going to sit home every Saturday night for two months just because you're not around? Really?"
"Another lie! She wouldn't go out with you! She's my girl! I trust her! She wouldn't lie to me!" But his response was forced. The point about Patty staying home on Saturday nights was valid. That wasn't likely, now that he had to think about it.
Roy was getting impatient. He leaned forward himself, speaking forcefully. "If I didn't take her out, then how do I know that she doesn't like popcorn, but will go through two bags of those cherry nibs? Or that she likes her root beer floats made with chocolate ice cream?"
That was that. His girl had indeed lied to him. He wondered suddenly if this was the only time. Bob deflated; fists unclenched, shoulders slumped, forward lean gone.
Roy saw; he closed the knife and eased it back into the vest pocket. "And she called me, Bob. She said it was your idea, that if she really needed to go out she should call me because you trusted me. She is not the most truthful girl around."
Bob took a deep breath, let it out slowly. "I guess not. But I don't think I can just dump her. I still love her." Bob suddenly gave Roy a sharp look of suspicion. "You aren't interested in taking her out again, are you?"
"Not a chance. She's pretty, but not my type. I prefer to go with a girl I can trust."
Bob squared his shoulders and stuck out his hand. "Roy, sorry for the hostility. I should have known better."
Roy accepted the handshake, then clapped the bigger man on the back. "C'mon, let's shoot some pool. You can try to give me that beating on the felt, and I'll give you all the details of our dates."
Bob grinned. "Deal. I might surprise you. I played a lot in my off-time the last two months."
Roy was off his game. Bob was at the top of his. He beat Roy four out of four, then reported truthfully to Patricia that he'd given Roy a pretty good beating.
Patty Faye seemed genuinely satisfied with that—pleased with herself, actually--and Bob began right then to think that maybe it was time for a change.
END
It is difficult not to bring up the subject of politics right now. So I will, though I am not going to focus on the new President, or the new Vice President. Instead, I will focus on how our current situation came about.
The current rank-and-file Republicans claim to be Christians and put Christian Values high on their list of important traits in the holders of public office. Yet they voted overwhelmingly (according to polls) for a man that demonstrates none of those values.
Judging from several social media postings, people voted against the runner-up in the Presidential election because they were convinced that certain accusations were "facts," even though they could not cite a source for their information. They voted against her and for him because they could not tell the difference between fact and fiction. By itself, that is not too serious. As P.T. Barnum probably did not say, "There's a sucker born every minute." But the sad thing here is that those people did not want to know the difference between fact and fiction. Their pre-conceptions ruled. For many too many people in this country, actual critical rational thought is not only unlikely but something to be avoided at all costs. Both left and right have members that suffer from this malady, but it seems that those on the right far out-number those on the left. There is no doubt that the right has a much louder media voice.
I'd like to recommend this link to get a pretty good view on the matter: http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/18/on-the-liberal-bias-of-facts/?_r=0
Democrats talk about how the gerrymandering by the Republicans led to the Republican electoral college victory. But in fact, The Democratic candidate ran a poorly conceived campaign.
Her stated determination to take the high road when her opponent took the low road played well with her base, but meant little to the undecided, especially those undecideds that leaned right. She needed to take the gloves off and fight fire with fire.
Another thing that has been discussed is the three key states she lost: Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. She worked hard in Pennsylvania during the last week, but spent almost no time in Michigan and did not even visit Wisconsin. Her campaign thought those states were sewn up. Oops.
The Republican candidate did not win the popular vote. The Democratic candidate lost the electoral vote.
One additional note: This is my own observation; if it has been written anywhere else, I haven't seen it.
Eight years ago the conservative "machine" produced innumerable lies about Obama, from the birther question to the religious accusations to supposed criminal ties in Chicago and anything else they could think of. Truth was not a consideration. They continued this campaign of lies for the next eight years.
However, in 2008 Obama and his message of hope inspired many young people, computer savvy and familiar with social media, to form an organized opposition to that strategy. The opposition worked. In 2016, the Democratic candidate did not inspire any such loyalty or support.
The alternate candidate, Bernie Sanders, did inspire that support. If the DNC had allowed Sanders to compete fairly for the nomination, there's a good chance he would have won the general election.
This election was never about issues, despite the Democratic candidate's attempt to make it so. It was an election based on character. Bernie Sanders did not have the exploitable character issues the final candidate had.
The worst thing is that the Republicans—politicians that do not hesitate to lie or use any deplorable dirty trick to keep their party in power—has control of both legislative houses and may well have a majority in the Supreme Court.
These people have shown zero respect for ethics (they tried to gut the independent House ethics committee), truth, or the opinions of the American people.
Ladies and gentlemen, let us pray.
The current rank-and-file Republicans claim to be Christians and put Christian Values high on their list of important traits in the holders of public office. Yet they voted overwhelmingly (according to polls) for a man that demonstrates none of those values.
Judging from several social media postings, people voted against the runner-up in the Presidential election because they were convinced that certain accusations were "facts," even though they could not cite a source for their information. They voted against her and for him because they could not tell the difference between fact and fiction. By itself, that is not too serious. As P.T. Barnum probably did not say, "There's a sucker born every minute." But the sad thing here is that those people did not want to know the difference between fact and fiction. Their pre-conceptions ruled. For many too many people in this country, actual critical rational thought is not only unlikely but something to be avoided at all costs. Both left and right have members that suffer from this malady, but it seems that those on the right far out-number those on the left. There is no doubt that the right has a much louder media voice.
I'd like to recommend this link to get a pretty good view on the matter: http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/18/on-the-liberal-bias-of-facts/?_r=0
Democrats talk about how the gerrymandering by the Republicans led to the Republican electoral college victory. But in fact, The Democratic candidate ran a poorly conceived campaign.
Her stated determination to take the high road when her opponent took the low road played well with her base, but meant little to the undecided, especially those undecideds that leaned right. She needed to take the gloves off and fight fire with fire.
Another thing that has been discussed is the three key states she lost: Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. She worked hard in Pennsylvania during the last week, but spent almost no time in Michigan and did not even visit Wisconsin. Her campaign thought those states were sewn up. Oops.
The Republican candidate did not win the popular vote. The Democratic candidate lost the electoral vote.
One additional note: This is my own observation; if it has been written anywhere else, I haven't seen it.
Eight years ago the conservative "machine" produced innumerable lies about Obama, from the birther question to the religious accusations to supposed criminal ties in Chicago and anything else they could think of. Truth was not a consideration. They continued this campaign of lies for the next eight years.
However, in 2008 Obama and his message of hope inspired many young people, computer savvy and familiar with social media, to form an organized opposition to that strategy. The opposition worked. In 2016, the Democratic candidate did not inspire any such loyalty or support.
The alternate candidate, Bernie Sanders, did inspire that support. If the DNC had allowed Sanders to compete fairly for the nomination, there's a good chance he would have won the general election.
This election was never about issues, despite the Democratic candidate's attempt to make it so. It was an election based on character. Bernie Sanders did not have the exploitable character issues the final candidate had.
The worst thing is that the Republicans—politicians that do not hesitate to lie or use any deplorable dirty trick to keep their party in power—has control of both legislative houses and may well have a majority in the Supreme Court.
These people have shown zero respect for ethics (they tried to gut the independent House ethics committee), truth, or the opinions of the American people.
Ladies and gentlemen, let us pray.