“I knew better,” I muttered, flipping the sun visor down. When I was in college, I lived in West Terre Haute. Every morning, I drove east into the sunrise, and every evening I drove west into the sunset. I promised myself that I would live east of my work. Hah, that didn’t last. So here I was, heading into a dazzling sunset; the scattered clouds aflame with reds and yellows. Yes, it was beautiful, but it hurt my eyes. To…..
Imagine if you will, an ordinary yellow star – humdrum, prosaic, even boring, little different from the millions, nay billions, of such stars populating our universe. This modest star is located on the fringe of a vast swirling galaxy. There, in the backwaters of its galaxy, it is far enough from the galactic center to avoid excess high energy radiation and interstellar collisions, yet close enough to include significant metals. It is in the Galactic Habitable Zone – a necessity…..
There I was, absently-mindedly perusing social media, and checking my email. Suddenly one caught my eye. It asked a simple question: Who is your favorite fictional couple, and why? The question from Goodreads seemed straight forward, so I began to write. This was too easy, drill sergeant. My favorite fictional couple? Olivia and Mike, of course (Olivia’s Story: Protector of the Realm). Why are they my favorite? To paraphrase John Lennon – Love is what happens while you are busy…..
Brilliant wildflowers carpeted the fields, interrupted by scattered woods ablaze with dogwood and redbud. The aroma of tilled soil wafted through the window. It was spring on the Illinois Prairie, and April 9, 1927, was a lovely day. Somewhere between Joliet and LaPorte, an old Model T puttered eastward – well it wasn’t that old, they’d only been made since ’08. In the car, two young schoolteachers returned from Joliet. Ethel snuggled closer to Harold; he smiled and patted her…..