tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16735389758990845232024-03-08T06:36:33.125-05:00A Work in ProgressThese are poems, stories, and personal commentaries about whatever I am going through in my life at the time. Please feel free to comment on anything that you read, as I love to hear from my readers. All written by Writer M Ray Holloway Jr.M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-15131306484809609442023-08-20T15:43:00.000-04:002023-08-20T15:46:55.896-04:00August 20,2023: Happy 16th Birthday, Shane Walker Hayes!<p> There are few things more frightening than getting older, Shane Walker, but I may be (I am) looking at things from my elderly perspective. No matter how long you live or what you determine to do with your life, there is always some fear of the unknown as you enter into your next endeavor. I have been blessed with 72 years and some change so far, and I thank God for every one of them. There are things that I have done during those years that I would love to do over, but I decided long ago not to dwell on them.</p><p>The most important advice that I can offer you for your future is to never look back. You will have triumphs and you will make mistakes in life, but be graciously grateful for the wins and learn everything you can from the losses and move on. You can never change the past, so keep your eyes on what is ahead of you, always striving to do the very best that you can in all that you do.</p><p>Dream big! If you aim for the stars and fail, you will be far above those who never try. Dedicate your life to God and stay faithful to Him and you will always find yourself on the right path. It has been a blessing to me to know you, and I eagerly anticipate the wonderful things you will accomplish!</p><p>Happy 16th birthday!</p>M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-76704797271205240882021-03-26T09:17:00.001-04:002021-03-26T09:17:59.724-04:00March 26th, 2021: As the Birds: a Poem<p style="text-align: center;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">As the Birds<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">By<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">M Ray Holloway Jr<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">It is such a strange
thing as things go in this life<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">That a Christian
should ever despair,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">For as one who is
claimed by God’s infinite Son,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Life should be so much
simpler to bear.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">It’s just that we can’t
get our eyes off this world,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">And before long its
standards imply<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">That to live with a
faith in someone we can’t see<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Is to live with a
faith in a lie,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">But a bird isn’t
taught how to soar in the sky,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">And if it, too, would
keep looking down,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">It would spend all its
life in the grass looking odd,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Since it never took
off from the ground,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">But a bird looks to
Heaven and ever keeps looking<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">To the trees and the
skies and the sun.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">With a push from its mother
and a gift from our Father<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The birds and the
skies become one.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">God knows we are wary,
but so is the sparrow<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Who looks to the wind
with a shake,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">But He knows in His
wisdom the sparrow must fly,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">And we too have our
winds we must take,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">So He built a
foundation beginning with Christ<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">That is woven in
wishes and prayers<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Of our brethren in Him
who uplift and encourage<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">And successfully chase
our despairs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Christian, know that
God loves you, and look to the skies,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">For this world does
not know how to live,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">For if faith in the
Unseen can make a bird fly,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">How much more to a man
does He give?<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-80548569897398670412020-11-17T14:00:00.000-05:002020-11-17T14:00:23.796-05:00November 17th, 2020: The Presence<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">While searching deep within my soul,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">My eyes were drawn to shadow.</div><div style="text-align: left;">A single dove of purest white</div><div style="text-align: left;">Did perch upon my window.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> I marveled at its silky cast</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span> And reached to touch its wing.</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span> She skittered back from my caress</span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span> Ere I could soothe a thing.</span><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span> </span><span> I saw a troubled broken heart</span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span><span> And stretched an open hand,</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span><span> But every time I made a move</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span><span> The frightened bird just ran.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Then bold at once, the bird flew in</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span><span> </span><span> And landed in a mess.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Its wings aflutter did upset</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span><span> </span><span> The candle on my desk.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span><span> The flame was hot; the fire did catch;</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span><span> The haunted bird did cry,</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span><span> And well before my feet could move</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span><span> I saw the creature die.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span>The acrid smell of burning flesh</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> My nose and eyes did sear,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> And leaning o'er the charred remains</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> I bathed her with my tears,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>For all I'd had was peace to give;</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>I'd never meant to harm,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>But seeking to admire her</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>I'd cause her such alarm.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span>I gathered up the crumpled form,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <span> </span>A</span>nd then was much surprised</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> <span> </span>To feel the bird's misshapen shell</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> Crack, stir, and then arise!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">The form did open as an egg,</div><div style="text-align: left;">And from within revealed</div><div style="text-align: left;">A dove of silver shining through;</div><div style="text-align: left;">Its fears had all been healed.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> It cocked its head and peered at me,</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> And wondered at my awe,</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span> And flew away with graceful wings</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span> Through dark's cold open maw.</span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span>I sat there staring deep in thought</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span>About the things I'd seen;</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span>I knew there was a message here,</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span>But one I could not glean.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span> There are such things beyond my touch</span><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span> That grip my heart with fear</span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span>But even in my darkness, He</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span><span> </span>Reminds m</span></span></span></span></span>e that He's here...</div>M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-13658806279985362442020-09-29T09:13:00.002-04:002020-10-01T21:39:57.430-04:00September 29th, 2020: The Writer's Process<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I've talked before about certain motivations for writing stories. Sometimes it was nothing more than just a crazy idea that occurred to me while I was working. For "Deathburger," I heard an ad on the radio for a spicy new hamburger that a restaurant was coming out with. While I was putting paper into my printer, I wondered to myself, what if someone created a new burger that was so spicy that someone actually died from it<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">? That became the basis for a humorous story about a town that used a tragic event to bring more people into the town.</span><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-size: small;">"Picture of the Ghost" was a little more involved. My wife Pam likes to watch these paranormal shows where psychic investigators examine a house that people claim to have ghosts in them. Using sophisticated equipment, they go through the house room by room until they get some kind of reading that indicates an otherworldly presence. They then pull out devices that supposedly allow the "ghosts" to communicate with them, and start asking questions to determine if a spirit is present and who it might be. Is it some demonic being, or has Aunt Tillie just come back to say that the family isn't polishing the silverware well enough? The investigator then tells the audience what the ghost has said and sites "research" that "proves" that the ghost is a previous owner of the house who died violently. After watching one of these shows one day, I wondered to myself, "What if they got it wrong? What if they have the wrong person? Maybe they misread what the specter was trying to say. What if the ghost was having trouble operating the equipment?" That lead me to write "The Picture of the Ghost," about a poor country boy who dies in prison and finds himself unable to move on to the next life. When he encounters "The Ghost Sweepers," all kinds of problems develop.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The Word trilogy that I've been writing for the past few years is based on an observation I made watching science fiction movies. Sometimes, an explorer would land on a distant planet that was occupied by telepaths, people who had no verbal language but spoke to each other's minds. It always seemed really strange to me that they were able to communicate with the earthling in clear English, even though they had never seen an earthling before. So, I wrote about my own race of telepaths, all women, who "spoke" in images rather than words. As I developed what was supposed to be a short story, I kept coming up with more and more "what if's" until the story was big enough to fill three books. It took on a religious tone as the women on the planet had a totally different Garden of Eden story that took place. Instead of giving in to the evil creature and disobeying God, their "Eve" stayed faithful and rebuked their Satan.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> What about my time travel novel, "At Some Point in Time?" Sometimes a writer will draw from his own personal experiences in life or things he has seen. Each story has a question that it tries to answer. For that book, the question was, if you had access to a time machine, where would you want to go? I thought about the life of Christ or some monumental event in history, then I thought, what about something more personal. I began to imagine a brilliant scientist who was in a very unhappy marriage. He had married on the rebound when he lost touch with the girl he had hoped to marry, and the match he settled for was not a good one. So, having invented the world's first time machine, his colleagues keep telling him that he should go back in time and change his life to a happier one. He resists the idea, thinking that it is too selfish a use for his amazing machine, but when an accident occurs, he does indeed get sent back thirty years. The controls were not set properly, so the way he gets sent back is awkward, but he makes the best of it and tries to help his younger self build a better life. It turned into a very popular story, with pseudo-science, history, romance, and Christian elements woven in. If God lets me live that long, I would like to write a sequel to it set twenty years in their future from the end of that book.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"> So, many things will inspire an author to write a story, sometimes just a quirky thought that runs through his mind, and sometimes a concept that evolves as the work progresses.</span></span></span><b><br /></b></span></div>M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-5127690724125926392020-09-04T09:06:00.001-04:002020-09-04T09:06:33.723-04:00September 4th, 2020: Casualties<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span>September 4th, 2020: Casualties <br /></span></h2><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>I lost some dear friends to the covid-19 virus this week. Oh, no one died, but for reasons mentioned below, they will no longer be with us at our gatherings.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>My friends felt uncomfortable with the number of folks around who did not or would not wear face coverings when we got together in large groups. I know that no one is being malicious about not wearing masks, but nonetheless, there are people out there in the world who are immensely protective of their health under normal circumstances, and with this virus going around, they are even more cautious.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>What do I think of the mask mandate? On the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter, but just for the record, I'm not sure that they do much good, and in some cases, may even be unhealthy rather than healthy.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Some people resist wearing the masks because they claim it is a scheme by the government to control people. I kind of doubt that is the case, because there is some good documentation that shows that wearing a mask does prevent the spread of communicable diseases, and covid-19 is seriously contagious. I think that if someone is wearing the proper kind of mask, they can protect others and themselves for a period of time. I even saw an experiment where they coughed into petri dishes while not wearing a mask, then while wearing a cloth mask, and finally while wearing a N95 mask such as the kind that health care workers wear. Predictably, the dish of no mask was filled with bacteria, but the dish with a cloth mask showed some bacteria as well, though not as much. The dish from the N95 mask showed no bacteria at all. Granted, if this were a government conspiracy, the test could have been faked to serve as convincing propaganda, but I do not think so. My conclusion is that all the masks circulating out there are not the same. Some home-made cloth masks may not be protecting us at all, while others might work well. I do not recommend wearing the N95 masks; leave them for the very vital health care workers.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Some people, in their determination to NOT wear a mask latch on to the myriad theories floating around out there that claim to prove how bad wearing a mask is for one's health. There is the claim that putting a face covering over your mouth and nose decreases your oxygen level to 65% or some other unsurvivable level. I have never believed that, but wanted to prove it for myself, so when I found out that I could purchase a pulse oximeter, I did. When I got it home, I read the directions carefully (clip to finger, push button) and checked my oxygen reading. Mine seems to hover around 97% just about all the time. After I had it on for a few minutes, I slipped my face mask on to see what happened. My reading immediately dropped to 94%, but within thirty seconds, rose back up to 97% and stayed there. The mask did not have any effect at all.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Others refuse to wear masks because, well, "I'm a man, not a sheep, and ain't nobody gone tell ME what to do!" You guys need to just tamp it down, because you're not proving your manhood, your proving your level of stubbornness. A person who wears a mask is not doing so because they are weak and yielded to the dictates of an oppressive government. They are protecting themselves and their family from a very vicious disease that has already killed a lot of people. It is a real threat, and deserves to be treated as such.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Some folks seem to think that if a person wears a mask, they lack faith in God to protect them. When Jesus rose from the dead, He met some members of His group of followers and revealed who He was to them. Those people ran back and told the rest what they had seen, but the apostles did not believe them. It is said that when Jesus finally caught up with them He rebuked them for their unbelief. My point is that, having seen the death and burial of Christ, they simply could not accept the idea that He was alive once again. These were men who had walked side by side with Christ every day and saw the wonders and miracles and heard the amazing sermons that He preached, which were unlike anything they had ever heard before. But they STILL doubted the veracity of a risen Christ.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>People are scared, and justifiably so. I think that a large majority of us know someone who has died from the covid virus, making it deeply personal to us. We see what is going on around us and tell ourselves, "There, but for the Grace of God..." We stay home, we wear masks, we keep our distance from others near us, and monitor our health day by day. Something that we would have dismissed a year ago as a simple sniffle causes us to start thinking about who we've come in contact with that might have had the virus. Irrational? Maybe, but just as real to us as can be.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>We all cry out to God to protect us and our loved ones from this horrible epidemic, but we also know that the Lord causes the rain to fall upon the wicked and the good. If someone dies of the virus, does that mean that their faith was weak? This puts us back to a time when people believed that if you got sick, you must have done something bad in your life, and God was then punishing you. We have evolved beyond that manner of thinking.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>I think that we should show compassion for those who have the virus as well as those who fear the virus. To me, this is the most Christ-like thing that I can do with my life. You'll see me out there wearing a mask, even though I don't really believe it is protecting me as much as the experts want us to believe. Why do I do that? Because I love my friends and family, and they are concerned. I respect their concern and comply, not just because I can't go into my favorite restaurant without a mask, but because I look at those who pass by me and see the fear in their eyes. If this small act of putting a piece of cloth over my face brings them some sense of comfort, I will do it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>When I go up on the stage to lead the church in song, I remove my mask. I am far enough away from everyone that I will not spread any illness I might have to you, but when I go sit down in the congregation, you will see me cover my face. It's just one more way I can let everyone know that I truly care about your well-being.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span>Disclaimer: This is not intended to be an indictment of anyone or any group of people. It is simply my opinion, and nothing more.<br /></p>M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-15990337342215417072020-08-21T17:05:00.000-04:002020-08-21T17:05:28.552-04:00August 21st, 2020: Eulogy for Missy<p>I was asked to give a testimony at church one day. This is what I said. <br /></p><p><span> </span>It is very easy in our daily routine to put things aside that are not absolutely beating down our door. Often we pay more attention to the things we want to do before we give thought to the things we should do. Donating to a charity gives way to buying a new car or going to a movie. Spending time with loved ones is often sacrificed for working extra hours on the job. Going to church is put off for an extra couple of hours sleep. There is an idea of precedence that somehow, somewhere has gotten fully turned around down through the ages.<br /><span> </span>In this world where man’s ability to do for himself seems to be growing more each day, his dependence upon God seems to be proportionately shrinking.<br /><span> </span>There needs to be a return to the ways of the Bible not only in our homes and private lives, but also in our schools, businesses, and government. Has man become so arrogant that he no longer finds a need for God? Have we truly “progressed” to where we are afraid of offending those individuals who resent God? Why have we forgotten that God is every bit as powerful today as He was when He stood before a vast emptiness and commanded our entire universe and everything within it to come into existence.<br /><span> </span>But that same God who created our marvelous universe has another side that reaches out to every individual on a much more personal level. God Cares About People.<br /><span> </span>God’s love for us as individuals is such that He not only weeps over our sorrows with us, but the Bible teaches that thousands of angels cheer with great jubilation when a lost one finds his way back to God again. God wants us to be happy!<br /><span> </span>As a Christian, I feel it is my responsibility to tell people about Christ and how He was the Son of God. You see, God loved us very much. He realized that as sin-filled human beings, we were not capable of raising ourselves to a level even to be in the presence of a God of pure goodness. So, He sent a sacrifice; while still retaining His identity as God, He became a man whose purpose was not only to show men through His life how they should live, but also to die as a substitute, removing all punishment for mankind’s sins. In return, God asked only that men confess their sins to Him, clean up their lives, and believe in His beloved Son, Jesus. With our sins completely removed by Jesus Christ, we can enjoy fellowship with God and the many blessings that He gives us.<br /><span> </span>It is with these blessings and the love-filled act God committed just for our benefit that I have tried to convey so many times to people I meet daily. One such person was a lovely nineteen-year-old girl.<br /></p><p><span> </span>She worked at the same store that I did, although not in the same department. She was a tall, pretty girl with long dark hair and a warmth about her that seemed contagious.<br /><span> </span>She and I often talked about God. She seemed to enjoy the conversation and frequently suggested that we get together with some friends after work to go into our discussions in more detail. We never did. My wife and son and her personal life always seemed to prevent us from any discussions afters hours, so we pursued the topic at work, often incurring the wrath of our employer for not completing our work.<br /><span> </span>We became good friends over the few short months I knew her. I kidded with her about her rock music and the loose morals it projected, and she kidded me about the antiquity of the hymns I listened to or the opera-style gospel music that came on my radio. We joked a lot, but she knew that my real concern was for her spiritual well-being.<br /><span> </span>She was always willing to listen, too. She would never contradict or deny anything I told her. I think she realized that I was quoting from the Bible. She made me realize for the first time what “sharing from the Bible” really meant. I wasn’t telling a co-worker about the Bible; I was sharing a wonderful idea from God’s Holy Word with a dear friend.<br /><span> </span>Then one morning, she didn’t come in to work. She was often late in the mornings, due to sickness or sometimes just over-sleeping, so we weren’t too concerned at first, but as it got later and later, we began to worry. After trying for some time to get an answer at her apartment, I grabbed my jacket and asked for her address.<br /><span> </span>Moments later, I picked up the phone in her apartment and called for an ambulance. Then, not having any medical training, I did the only thing I could; I knelt beside her bed and prayed for her soul.<br /></p><p><span> </span>This young girl was the victim of a senseless murder that ended her life at a very early age. Her warmth, kindness, and love for other people had seemingly been overcome by someone’s hatred.<br /><span> </span>The questions I faced then were some of the most difficult ones I have ever had to cope with. When a person dies, a Christian naturally wonders whether he or she will spend their eternity in Heaven or Hell. Did they find their way to God, winning peaceful co-existence with Him? Or was the hesitation to accept God’s promises enough to cause an eternity of suffering?<br /><span> </span>Was my friend saved? If she wasn’t, did I do all that I could for her? If she was, are there others that will die without God because of my neglect?<br /><span> </span>The girl’s friends and family tell me that she knew God. I hope so, although I am certainly not qualified to talk. I do know this, though. I frequently felt the presence of God very strong when she and I talked about His love.<br /><span> </span>And if we, as Christians, love our God, is it not right that we do His will? Often all it takes is a word or two, but much too often, this is just too much. We put aside what we should do for what we want to do.<br /><span> </span>I have heard a story of a great crusade with a famous evangelist who asked that all the lights in the auditorium be turned out. When they were, he took a match from his pocket and lit it.Being the only light in the auditorium, it was easily seen. The evangelist then instructed everyone else to light a match also. Immediately, the whole auditorium was lit once again, almost as though the lights had come back on. The simple act of thousands of individuals, each lighting only one match had re-lit the auditorium.<br /><span> </span>The moral is simple enough. One individual doing good in an evil world will almost always stand out as a match in the darkness. But if everyone reached out and did good for others, there would be a lot less need in the world today.<br /></p><p>Eulogy for Missy<br />Lost one, what hope for you?<br />Was there ever any more that we could do?<br />A kind deed, a spoken word;<br />It’s late to wonder if you heard.<br />The times we thought, but did not dare<br />To let you know that we did care.<br />Should life be changed, or should we try<br />To speak of God or live the lie<br />Of caring from safe distances<br />While holding our indifferences?<br />One soul is lost, but many more<br />Can be forewarned of what’s in store.<br />A life of sin, a life of joy;<br />Our life’s a gift with which we toy.<br />Valuable jewel in the hands of a child,<br />Innocence seeking and carelessly wild.<br />Reach out and touch them, for only with aid<br />Can fears be o’ercome and securities made.<br />The Lord is our conscience, He troubles us not,<br />But reminds us quite often of things we forgot.<br />Can we love anymore, can we hate any less?<br />The Lord forgives all, can we do any less?<br />Lost one, what hope for you?<br />Was there ever any more that we could do?<br />A kind deed, a spoken word;<br />Too late to wonder if you heard.<br />M Ray Holloway Jr</p>M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-17120995354573846552020-07-24T10:27:00.000-04:002020-07-24T10:27:06.840-04:00July 24, 2020: Beginning The blue-eyed fair-haired toddler sits petulantly on the floor, gazing fixedly at the cookie jar on the table above his head. His mind had not developed the concept of words yet, but he knew that he wanted what was there.<br />
Without really thinking about how or what he would do, he grasped the edge of the table, mouth-watering over the sweet-savory taste he remembered. He pulled on the table, trying to draw the tasty morsels down to him, and to his surprise, they actually came down to him, or so he believed at first, but when he looked around, the floor had fallen away from him somehow.<br />
Looking down at his body, it was no longer neatly folded in its natural position where it had always been. It was stretched out away from him and his head was way up here by the table. About that time, he heard sounds that he knew came from the Warm Soft One who brought him to this place.<br /> “Look,” she said. “He’s standing!”<br /> Puzzling over these strange sounds, he somehow sensed that this was just the start of something….M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-3130285713194372152020-05-26T09:17:00.001-04:002020-05-26T09:17:46.280-04:00May 26th, 2020: A Useful Virus<div style="text-align: justify;">
Earlier this year, in the month of March, I began to hear of a terrible virus. It goes by many names. It's called COVID-19, the coronavirus, the Wuhan virus, the China virus, and there are probably others out there that I have never heard. When I first heard about it, I just thought that it was another thing that I had to watch out for to stay healthy. I gave it the same weight as the flu, or pneumonia, or bronchitis, or any number of other illnesses that attack my respiratory system. I have had problems throughout my life with those kinds of diseases but always recovered fully, although as I get older, it takes me longer.</div>
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This disease is different, I am told. This one is killing thousands of people. This one is particularly deadly to those over 60, and those who have serious health problems already. At 69, and with diabetes and atrial fibrillation, I fall into both of those categories. I learned a new word through all of this: comorbidity. Oxford Languages defines it as "the simultaneous presence of two chronic diseases or conditions in a patient." If I also contracted COVID-19, I would actually have three.</div>
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I have never dwelt on my health issues. I treat my diabetes several times daily and monitor my heart rate for anything out of the ordinary, but I don't live in fear of these sicknesses. I even believe that if I did catch this new virus, I would survive it, but if you don't mind, I'd just as soon skip that experience if at all possible.</div>
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I wear a mask out in public, and I stay a healthy distance away from people I come in contact with. Since I'm retired, we basically stay home anyway unless we have to venture out to gather food. I've participated in my church's online service as the leader of the Worship Team, learning all about how to record hymns for the church to enjoy during their services, as well as doing live broadcasts from my home. I hear from one group of people that I am being a good boy and following all the guidelines, while another group tells me that I am living in fear and should be out there trying to reclaim my constitutional rights.</div>
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One keyword in this is "guidelines." The things that we are being asked to do are suggestions based on our leadership's interpretations of the arbitrary group of experts to whom they have chosen to listen. They aren't laws, but somehow, we get threatened with fines and jail time if we choose not to follow them. How does that work? When the government tells us that they "strongly suggest" something, but we say, "Thanks for the information, but I'm not going to do that." then where does the law come into it? I think some leaders look at COVID-19 as a very "useful virus."</div>
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I'm not all that much of a rebel. I listen to what everyone is saying, and try to be a good citizen, but I fully understand the concerns of those who worry about our rights being trampled. I think I can fit into both of those categories, being obedient while protesting government overreach. It breaks my heart to see companies that were flourishing before this, but are now being run out of business through no fault of their own.</div>
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I can state categorically that I have no fear. I came to terms with my own mortality at a very early age, and if the grim reaper finds me today, I'd like to think I would go with quiet dignity, praising God for the life He graciously gave me.</div>
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What I fear is the total chaos that is present in today's world. We are given horrific numbers of people who have died from this virus, and then later are told that the records are being skewed to generate more federal dollars for the hospitals. One state went from 1600 deaths down to 850 overnight because of misreporting that was being corrected. It almost sounded like 750 people were resurrected from the dead overnight.</div>
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We are told that masks will protect us, but there are an equal number of articles out there saying that they don't do anything for us. Chloroquine will shut the virus down, but oh, wait, it can kill some people instead. We will supposedly have a vaccine anywhere from this September to five or six years from now, if ever. We now have "a new normal."</div>
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There are people out there using this virus for their own personal gain, and they should be ashamed of themselves. Scammers call our homes to tell us that they have our COVID-19 relief funds ready to send us if we would just verify our social security number and bank account. Politicians are passing bills that send inadequate amounts of money to the people being hurt by this virus while forwarding millions of dollars to Planned Parenthood, illegal aliens, voting corruption schemes, and pork projects to help themselves get re-elected.</div>
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...And then there's, "We are all in this together." I'm sorry, but how am I in the same boat as a politician who has not lost one cent of his pay, and according to some reports, even voted himself a raise? Some people lost their jobs but actually received more money from unemployment than they would if they kept working. The people considered essential (an extremely arbitrary determination in many cases) got nothing extra for their diligence and willingness to risk their health to help serve the public. To imply that somehow, we are all equally affected by this virus and the subsequent rules and regulations is ludicrous.</div>
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How about those essential workers? While I can see police, firemen, doctors, and nurses being vitally essential, how is a liquor store in any way, shape, or form essential? I could send a female to have an abortion, but don't let them catch her entering a church!</div>
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The insanity needs to stop. It is time to let people be the people and make their own decisions about what they will and won't do. We definitely need to be out there petitioning our leaders on every level to open up our cities and states so our nation can heal. </div>
M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-7253167117773038892020-01-30T08:48:00.002-05:002020-01-30T08:48:55.193-05:00January 29th, 2020: All My Heroes... I was sitting around thinking the other day and something came to me. I realized that all of my heroes were now dead.<br />
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Now, I'm not talking about fictional characters. A good many of them are still around, although our culture is changing them into something unrecognizable. Comic book heroes nowadays have to change to conform to new values that our society wants to force upon us. Those values are not actually new; they have been around for a long time. We just recognized them as wrong and are expected to accept them as normative now.</div>
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You may think my first hero is silly for a grown man, but the one fictional character in my list played an integral part in my youth and helped me deal with rejection. Leonard Nimoy's "Mr. Spock" was a hybrid of two very different cultures. His mother was an emotional human, while his father was a stoic, logical, and emotionless alien from the planet Vulcan. This mirrored my life in that my father was a very strict, logical individual who loathed discussing anything involving feelings, while Mom was romantic, emotional, sometimes silly, and playful, and helped me deal with the typical teenage highs and lows that most young people go through. In Spock, I found a role model who taught me to master my emotions and feed the logical, hungry for learning side of myself. He came at just the right time in my life to help me grow into the person I am today. He passed on February 27, 2015.</div>
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I never had a brother, but in December of 1969, I met a man who believed in me like no one else had. He hired me to work in the pizza place he managed and very quickly told me that he saw great potential in me. He gave me my first management job, stood up for me in so many ways, introduced me to my first wife, and remained a good friend up until his death on November 20th, 2016. Wayne McCuan was one of four men in my life I considered brothers.</div>
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When we are born into this life, we don't come with an instruction manual. Some people make wonderful parents, while others struggle with it. I was an inquisitive kid, with a penchant for getting into trouble. My dad had grown up with a strict father and became just like him. There were many instances where I wished my father had simply sat down with me and explained what I had done wrong, but instead, we were physically punished. I watched over the years, and after mom died in 1975, I saw a different man emerge. He began to attend church and became a dedicated worker for them. He was active right up until the year that he passed away. I admired the way he turned his life around and enjoyed visiting with him twice a year after I moved away. I could always count on him to give me good advice and listen to the things that troubled me over the years. I gave him a copy of one of my books when I began to write and he looked at it thoroughly and said, "Well, time travel is interesting." I knew he did not read science fiction; I just wanted him to see what I was doing, and I could tell he was proud. I lost him on August 17, 2018.</div>
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I was saved in 1970 at the age of 19. I began to attend different branches of the Anderson, Indiana Church of God, but I would come and go, losing interest and never fully committing to working in the church. In 1986, a lot of things changed for me. I had a new job, we moved into a new house, and I began to go back to church, determined to give more of myself. I served on a few committees and gave it all my very best. I started to be noticed and made new friends all of the time. One man, Paul Arthur, sang in the choir with me and became a friend and brother in Christ. although older than me, he was like family, and he encouraged me to sing a duet with him in front of the church, something I never envisioned myself doing. The response was so positive that I soon began singing solos and was even asked to sing at a couple of weddings, youth convention, and youth camp. Paul talked me into being a youth counselor, which was very fulfilling for me, and my attention to the teens I was responsible for was noticed by my pastor. When our youth pastor left the church, I was asked to be his replacement for the next fourteen months. All of this made for the most rewarding period of my entire life, and it all started with Paul. We lost him on October 14th of 2019.<br />
My last hero was my pastor in Houston. Fred Davey was a very wise man who knew how to help people grow closer to God in significant ways. He taught me about sanctification and prayer and encouraged me to be more than I had ever been before. He showed his faith in me as a person by asking me to become the interim youth minister and prayed daily with me when I served as the Chairman of the Church Council and had to deal with one of the most divisive issues that church had faced during my time there. He was more like a father to me than a pastor, and his love and friendship was cherished by me. We lost Pastor Davey on August 6, 2019.<br />
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I know that one day, there will be a great reunion with those who have moved on to their rewards, and I look forward to that day. I am inspired each day by the part each of them played in molding me into the human being that I am today and work to be deserving of the gifts that they gave me.</div>
M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-30631957618688754312019-08-22T09:32:00.000-04:002019-08-22T09:32:03.596-04:00August 22, 2019: Innocense Be Hanged!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sometimes if I've been away from writing for a while, it takes a bit for me to get back into those good habits of sitting down at a set time and getting right into my story. I suppose it is a form of writer's block, and my response to writer's block has always been the same: I write anyway. I have generally found that if I sit down and write, even when I don't feel like writing, I do get some work done, even if it is not good work, and I can always go back when my muse wakes up again and fix the parts that are weak or bad.</div>
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Another thing that sometimes works well for me is to step away from the story I am writing and write something else. It can be a short story, a piece of flash fiction, or even notes for a project that I've set down for the future. The idea is to move forward and get into that groove again that gets the job done.</div>
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I came up with an idea for a different kind of short story several years ago, and it has remained for me, so I feel like it is a story I need to write. The idea is about a young traveler who goes into a town and after talking to several of the townspeople, finds out that everyone in the town is named Oswell Framwinkle. Every man, woman, and child goes by that same unusual name for some reason, so the young visitor decides that he must try to get to the bottom of it all and find out why the town is like this. He tracks it down to an incident that happen several decades earlier that involved an innocent wizard who was hanged unjustly by a corrupt judicial system. There is a curse, a mysterious cottage out in the woods where it is always storming, and a middle aged wizard who seems to know all about the situation.</div>
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I usually don't write sorcery books, but this one wants to haunt me until I write it, so while I am waiting for my inspiration for Book Three of the Word series to return, I have decided to work on this story a bit. If I can pull this story together from my notes, I hope to use it to assemble an anthology of all of my short stories and novellas and publish it in paperback format for those who have wanted a physical copy of the stories that I have published over the years in ebook format.</div>
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I have already begun the work, and will be building the story from the copious notes that I made when the idea came to me. With any luck and a lot of hard work, I should be able to get the story done in the next couple of months. </div>
M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-7237108119382938262019-07-31T09:36:00.001-04:002019-07-31T09:36:25.414-04:00July 31st, 2019: Book Two of Word Series released!<br />
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<img alt="" class="loaded-image" data-source="https://s3.amazonaws.com/CAPS-SSE/content/30041019/DIGITAL_BOOK_THUMBNAIL?versionId=zqqMlnDf.aIiI481D_rso2aPHd6XxkoL&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20190731T125002Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=7200&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAJFEYRBGIHK2BBYKA%2F20190731%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=573ca840c98015dc34f84b67041b93e5fe94f12757601bd9953dff1fd4fc036d" data-version="1" id="WTJ5Y0TBWZ0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/CAPS-SSE/content/30041019/DIGITAL_BOOK_THUMBNAIL?versionId=zqqMlnDf.aIiI481D_rso2aPHd6XxkoL&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20190731T125002Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=7200&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAJFEYRBGIHK2BBYKA%2F20190731%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=573ca840c98015dc34f84b67041b93e5fe94f12757601bd9953dff1fd4fc036d" /> </div>
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Well, after many setbacks due to life events, I have finally gotten the second book of the Word Series published. Book One, "Let No Word Be Spoken" introduced Captain Henderson Johns, a jumpship captain who traveled the galaxy to negotiate peace and set up trade agreements. On his way back from one such mission, the ship's navigation array malfunctions, requiring his two crew members to go outside the ship and repair the antennae. After finishing the repair, they are struck suddenly by some space debris that kills them, leaving Johns alone on the ship.</div>
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He drifts in space for a while, looking for fuel to make the trip back home to return the bodies to their families. Locating a planet with the elements he needs, he tries to go in for a landing, but ends up crashing on the planet. When he comes to, he is in excruciating pain, but finds himself being attended to by the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.</div>
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There is much more to the story, as Johns learns about the culture of the planet's beautiful red haired female inhabitants and their religion. He realizes that there are no males on the planet, and everyone communicates by telepathy.</div>
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The book ended with Johns being banished from the planet by the world governing agency know as the Compendium.</div>
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Book Two opens up shortly after Johns' removal from the alien world. He is still in touch with Loran Evandell, the alien that made sure he was nursed back to health after his crash. Johns is back at his job, helping the king of the planet Wellis figure out why his subjects seem to dislike him so much. In the process, Johns meets the megalomaniac Ros Maycon, who is plotting to take over Wellis, and that is just the beginning.</div>
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Johns, Loran, and the crew of the jumpship Dreamer's Fortune face their trials bravely, working to stop the machinations of the evil Maycon.</div>
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Book Two should be available for purchase as an ebook or paperback within the next couple of days on Amazon. Look for my books under M Ray Holloway Jr. You might check out some of my short stories as well, like "The Deathburger Saga" or "The Picture of the Ghost". </div>
M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-74896715339285001702019-07-24T16:49:00.002-04:002019-07-24T16:49:58.916-04:00January 25, 2019: I am NOT a Christian!To my dismay,<br />
I have learned over the past few years that<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I am <u>NOT</u> a Christian!</b></span></div>
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During the time that Barrack Obama was the president of this great nation, I saw several people post on social media the following:</div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">If you support Obama, you CANNOT be a Christian! It just doesn't work that way!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ironically, I have seen the same post about Donald Trump. "If you support Trump, you CANNOT be a Christian!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, I cannot support a Democrat president or a Republican president without </span>jeopardizing<span style="font-family: inherit;"> my relationship with God and Jesus Christ? What about </span>Independents<span style="font-family: inherit;">? Is my soul safe if I support them? Are Libertarians safe to back? Is there a list somewhere that I can refer to before I choose a candidate to vote for? To whom has God given the authority to make these decisions?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Seriously, there is a lot of unchristian behavior going around in politics, and it is not limited to any one party. For too long, the American people have been forced to hold their noses and vote for one candidate or the other because in their subjective opinion, that candidate is less bad than the other one. It has been a while for me since I have had two shining candidates to choose from. Every person that Washington puts forward for us to vote on is marred with flaws and we find ourselves having to ask the question, "Whose flaws are the least disgusting?" Every voter has to make that decision for themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Barrack Obama had "Fast and Furious", Benghazi, and sent billions of dollars to a country that makes it clear that its goal in this world is to destroy America and Israel. He turned Nasa into some kind of good will program for Muslims. He traveled to other countries to apologize for America, and declared America to be a Muslim nation despite the historical record of it being founded on Christian principles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Donald Trump has made some disgusting comments that are extremely demeaning to women, he uses ridicule regularly to mock his political opponents, for example, Pocahontas. His tone and mannerisms drag down the dignity of the office of the president of the United States. He has been accused of having an affair while married, and critics are convinced that he plotted with Russia to steal the election away from the Democrats.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Which of these two could be said to uphold Christian values? When was the last time a president spoke out in support of the beliefs laid out for us in the Bible?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The kinds of statements mention in the beginning of this post are irresponsible and full of hate. They are definitely not helpful in any way. I am so weary of people who, failing to be able to intelligently discuss their viewpoints, resort to name calling and false innuendo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior as a teenager, recognizing Him as the Son of God, and confessing my sins. I have studied the Bible all my life, and done the very best to live in accordance with the guidelines set forth there. I have served in many positions in the government of the churches I attended, including youth pastor and Christian counselor to many members of the congregation, and still serve to this day in the music ministry of my current church. I stand ready to testify about the greatness of God at any time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My Christianity is not diminished in any way because I voted for some political candidate. There are Christians on both sides of any political argument. We will never solve the divide between the political parties leading our country with hate speech.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Christ that I serve tells us that the greatest commandment in the Bible is to love one another, and I agree. Until we start opening our hearts, we will never find the unity that is so vital to leading this great country. </span></div>
M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-41806258083431625582018-03-31T17:08:00.000-04:002018-03-31T17:08:10.401-04:00March 31, 2018: Looking to the Poetic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the things I wanted to do when I started writing seriously was republish a small book of poetry that I assembled when I still lived in Houston. I had been writing poetry for the pleasure of my friends and family since the early seventies, and back in the late nineties, I put them together and printed them at the print shop I managed. The cover had been simple, and the book was not very large, but it felt good back then to have them all assembled into one book that I could offer my friends. I only printed about thirty copies, and they went pretty fast, so there was a second printing of another twenty.</div>
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Since I had published three short stories when I retired, and I had garnered a small following, I decided to do a reprint with a new cover, and a new poem to go with it. This would be my first attempt at a paperback, and I hoped that it would do well. It did not. Most of the people who followed my poetry years earlier weren't interested in buying the new version and those who did not know me showed no interest at all. It's still out there, for anyone looking for my earlier work, but so far there have been few takers.</div>
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It is a compilation of my best poetry written between 1970 and 1997 with one new piece that I wrote about my mother, who passed away when I was 25. I originally planned to publish three poetry books, and this was the first one. I selected my most encouraging poems for this volume, but the idea of the other two volumes was eventually dropped for other projects.</div>
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The cover shown above was the mock-up for the new printing. </div>
M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-34454425378220282082018-03-13T19:36:00.000-04:002018-03-13T19:36:08.145-04:00March 13th, 2018: The Prequel no one Expected<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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By the time that I got around to my third story, I had made some new author friends who were teaching me how they handled some of their stories. One thing that I heard from several writers is the idea of introducing characters for an upcoming novel by writing a short story featuring them. "Gretchen's Shoot" was that story. I had a novel that I wanted to write about a brilliant scientist who traveled back in time to fix some things in his life that he had messed up over the years. In that story, he had let the love of his life get away and ended up marrying someone else on the rebound. Because of his lack of real commitment to his "second fiddle" wife, the two of them were pretty miserable together.</div>
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Gretchen was the wife that the scientist settled for, and as he buried himself in his work, she and her sister took up various sports before discovering wrestling. Learning that they were actually pretty good at it, they became one of the top tag teams in the league. Things were exciting, and they were at the top of their game until the managers of the league decided that it would be a huge draw to have the two sisters compete against each other. While the siblings let the idea roll around in their heads, Gretchen learned that her partner sister had seriously betrayed her trust in a way that deeply affected her personally. </div>
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Although this story is about the wrestling industry, I did not describe an actual wrestling match in the plot. The match between the two sisters plays an important part in demonstrating the relationship between the women, but it was not necessary to have a play by play of the contest.</div>
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Why a wrestling story? It's hard to answer that because the saga pretty much wrote itself. It started as a prelude to "At Some Point in Time", but as I began making notes, the ideas flowed freely. I had an entirely different ending to the story when I started writing it, but it just didn't feel right to me. I needed this short story to mesh properly with the novel I was planning, so I shifted gears at the end to make it fit perfectly. It actually became more of a morality tale, which just made more sense. The whole plan was to create this crisis for Gretchen that she had to resolve before the meeting with her sister in the ring. She was at a crossroad, and the direction she took would determine how her life would progress.</div>
M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-90357036857838302222018-02-19T14:29:00.000-05:002018-02-19T14:29:58.438-05:00February 19th, 2018: Reviving past efforts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After the publication of my unconventional ghost story (The Picture of the Ghost,) I decided to rework my first complete (unpublished) short story entitled "The Empath". I had an idea for a character who could read the emotions of others and interact with them on an internal level. That was James, the empath from a story I had written thirty years earlier about a young man who traveled around the country helping those with deep seated emotional problems.<br />
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Although James was the protagonist of the story, it was told from the perspective of an antagonist named Ann Harrison, an intern at a small country doctor's clinic. Having been mistreated by men most of her life, she trusted no one, so when the doctor called James in to help a young girl who had suffered the severe trauma of seeing her mother beheaded in a gruesome traffic accident, it was not surprising that Ann belittled the young man with his claims of some kind of paranormal ability to heal people by entering their minds.<br />
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Normally, James would not care whether anyone believed in his talent or not, but he saw a need in Ann that he thought he could help her with. The tale unfolds with James helping the young accident victim cope with her loss before turning his attention to Ann. He demonstrates his gift to her by allowing her to see what he experiences when he connects with a patient.<br />
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James has been a character that has been close to my heart because as is developed in the short story, his gift causes him a great deal of personal suffering, opening him up to some of the worst pain that the human race has to deal with. He takes that upon himself, allowing the destructive emotions to bleed off, bringing restoration to the patient. He sacrifices his own peace of mind to bring about the healing that is necessary.<br />
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If God grants me the days on this earth, it is my intention to write a full length novel about James, going into a great deal more detail about his activities. I already have a suspenseful tale worked out to some degree.M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-77302065875701008942018-02-12T09:25:00.000-05:002018-03-13T17:29:21.819-04:00February 12, 2018: Going through the pages...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been four years since I began writing seriously now, and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I look forward to the stories still to be written, and if God grants me the days, I will get them all down on paper for the pleasure of those who follow my work.<br />
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The first story that I published was "The Picture of the Ghost", and was not what I expected to be writing when I decided to make the effort. Rather than the science fiction that I planned to write, it was a gentle ghost story, not scary at all, and in some places funny. It came about from watching some of the reality shows on television where groups of paranormal investigators go into haunted buildings, and using sophisticated equipment, try to detect and communicate with the spirits of people who have passed on.<br />
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I felt that some of these investigators analyze the data they collect and jump to conclusions that I found hard to swallow. The question in my mind was, "How do they KNOW that the ghost is saying what they think he is saying? What if they have it all wrong, and something else is going on behind the scenes?"<br />
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That was where Jake came into the picture. A poor country boy who stumbles onto the wrong side of the law, Jake finds himself in prison, supposedly for only a few weeks. Poisoned by some bad food that he ate, he dies in his cell one day, but does not realize it. Time blurs for him as he continues to keep his normal routine every day, tracing the steps he made in life. He wonders why no one takes any notice of him, but it is not until an inmate swings a mop through his body that he understands that he is actually dead.<br />
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Years pass, and decades fly by as time progresses until one day, alone in the abandoned prison, he is visited by the crew of paranormal "scientists" who have heard of a solitary ghost who continues to walk the cell blocks and courtyard outside. Running through their usual processes, they discover Jake and interact with him in a most unfortunate manner, coming to some terribly wrong conclusions about him.<br />
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It was a fun story to write, but I almost did not publish it, considering it my first attempt at writing and most likely not worthy of public consumption. Through the encouragement of several friends and family, I did go ahead with it, to some positive results that helped me continue to write. I thought I might move on to the story that I really wanted to write, but there would be three more stories before I finally had the chance to write that one...M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-46021449145770111822017-11-29T12:37:00.001-05:002017-11-29T13:07:07.087-05:00November 29th, 2017: Release of Missy Sheldrake's Call of Elespen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5yMHSx35h-A/Wh7vxhAW-MI/AAAAAAAAAyI/3ZgMH8px7UcN6x2HCQb4NqBzcPoG0XwHgCEwYBhgL/s1600/author%2Bpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="715" height="318" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5yMHSx35h-A/Wh7vxhAW-MI/AAAAAAAAAyI/3ZgMH8px7UcN6x2HCQb4NqBzcPoG0XwHgCEwYBhgL/s320/author%2Bpic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy Sheldrake</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Once again, I am blessed to be able to announce another great novel by the very talented author and artist, Missy Sheldrake. I have been following her Wellsprings series for a couple of years now, and been delighted by the imagination and wit of her writing and the awesome artwork she produces to accompany her books. I have seen several of her standalone art pieces and loved every one of them. I have even been fortunate enough to have Ms. Sheldrake work on covers for a couple of my own books. She saw the vision I was trying to portray and provided art that exceeded my expectations every time. - Ray Holloway</div>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">About the Author</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Missy
Sheldrake is an author/illustrator who has been conjuring images of fairies in
one form or another since she was very young. The wind in the trees and the
rich scent of forest earth are her most treasured sources of inspiration, and
on most mornings you will find her wandering the wooded paths, dreaming of the
next adventure she hopes to put to the page.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Missy
was born in Connecticut and attended Western Connecticut State University,
where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Art with a concentration in painting
and illustration. Even then, in her free time, she was writing. She moved to
Northern Virginia several years ago and lives there now, on the outskirts of
Washington D.C., with her true love and their son. She published her first
novel, Call of Kythshire, in March of 2015 and intends to keep writing as long
as the fairies allow it.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"> Ms. Sheldrake's series is completed in Call of Elespen, the fifth book of the series.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">In
the epic conclusion of the Keepers of the Wellsprings series…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Fairies
and dragons, mages and muses, Dreamstalker and knight band together in the name
of the Dawn. Their quest: To seek the final two offerings required to unite the
Allsource, to unite all Wellsprings, and to bring forth the Age of Kinship in
the Known Lands.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">When
word reaches our heroes of the mysterious silence in Elespen, the location of
one of the final required Wellsprings’ offerings, they must take quick action
to seek out its cause. Faced with the ruthless Muse of Earth and her partner,
the Muse of Darkness, Tib and Saesa band with a new ally to plunge into the
lush, mysterious jungles of Elespen. Will they reach the Wellspring in time, or
will the indigenous people of Elespen fall victim to the forces of Dusk?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Azi,
Rian, and Flitt, meantime, have an even more serious threat to deal with. The
forces of Dusk are rallying, backed by the most ruthless Sorcerers our heroes
have faced yet. Called to delve into the depths of Sixledge, the lair of Dusk,
they must face their enemy head-on to prevent their world from plunging forever
into darkness. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Keepers of the
Wellsprings series has been called “An enchanting read from start to
finish.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Find out why—start the series
today!</span><br />
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11.0pt;">What reviewers are saying about the <i>Keepers of the
Wellsprings</i> series</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11.0pt;">:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="color: #111111; font-size: 11.0pt;">“…this book
had nice readability and should appeal to a wide range of audiences. Too often
fantasy is written far too mature, or too childish. The author does a good job
of not talking down to her audience, which leads to this readability range.”</span></i><span style="color: #111111; font-size: 11.0pt;"> Fatho, Amazon Reviewer</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11.0pt;">“</span></i><i><span style="color: #111111; font-size: 11.0pt;">Azaeli is an awesome young lady; one to
watch in the role model stakes.”</span></i><span style="color: #111111; font-size: 11.0pt;"> -T.L. Clark, Author</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="color: #111111; font-size: 11.0pt;">“…an
enchanting read from start to finish.”</span></i><span style="color: #111111; font-size: 11.0pt;"> J. Ortiz, Amazon Reviewer</span></div>
<i><span style="background: white; color: #111111; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Epic, Epic, Epic,
wow what an incredible book, story and entry to a fantasy realm. This has movie
possibilities written all over it. Magnificent writing, adventure with good and
evil and some that are in between the two. Dark forces and forces of light. It
simply doesn't get any better.”</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #111111; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> -Kindle Reviewer</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Obviously, I am a huge fan of Missy Sheldrake's and enjoy following her work. This series of books indeed does appeal to a wide range of readers and would make an excellent gift for anyone! Check out the Keepers of the Wellsprings series today! Listed below are links to these books and Ms. Sheldrake's various sites. - Ray Holloway</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">LINKS</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Call
of Kythshire (Book One):<br />
</span><a href="https://amzn.com/B00UVLQWGY"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">https://amzn.com/B00UVLQWGY</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Call
of Sunteri (Book Two):<br />
</span><a href="https://amzn.com/B0187IG3HK"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">https://amzn.com/B0187IG3HK</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Call
of Brindelier (Book Three):<br />
</span><a href="https://amzn.com/B01FM8XR7W"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">https://amzn.com/B01FM8XR7W</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Call of Hywilkin (Book Four)<br />
</span></span><a href="https://amzn.com/B06WGNWLH9"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">https://amzn.com/B06WGNWLH9</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Call of Elespen
(Book Five)<br />
<span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://amzn.com/B077MTB5KH">https://amzn.com/B077MTB5KH</a></span></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Snowberry Blossom
(Perma-free holiday short story):<span style="color: #333333;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://amzn.com/B0196P041O"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">https://amzn.com/B0196P041O</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #111111; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><br />
Website: </span><a href="http://www.missysheldrake.com/"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">www.missysheldrake.com</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Blog: </span><a href="http://missyflits.wordpress.com/"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">http://missyflits.wordpress.com</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Amazon
Author Page: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Missy-Sheldrake/e/B018CW7GTU/"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">http://www.amazon.com/Missy-Sheldrake/e/B018CW7GTU/</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MissySheldrake/"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">https://www.facebook.com/MissySheldrake/</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Instagram: </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/m_sheldrake/"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">https://www.instagram.com/m_sheldrake/</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Twitter: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/missysheldrake"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">https://twitter.com/missysheldrake</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">Goodreads: </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13672249.Missy_Sheldrake"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13672249.Missy_Sheldrake</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Pinterest: </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/missysheldrake/"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">https://www.pinterest.com/missysheldrake/</span></a><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"></span></span></div>
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M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-52898221550160273862017-10-29T18:18:00.003-04:002020-09-04T11:27:45.671-04:00October 29, 2017: Claressa Swensen Author Interview<span face="">Today I have a treat for my readers as I interview Claressa Swensen, an author of some amazing children’s picture books.</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12pt;">Hello, Claressa, Tell
the readers a little bit about yourself. Who are you, what are your likes, and
what kinds of books do you write?</span></b></div>
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<span face="" style="font-size: 12pt;">My
name is Claressa Swensen, and I’m a children’s author from Utah County. I have
a 4-month-old little girl who is my inspiration. I live in a little house with
her, my significant other, and my two small dogs. I’ve been writing for 2
years, and during that time, I’ve published three children’s picture books. I
am expected to release my fourth by the end of this year. Other than writing; I
love gardening, shopping, reading other picture books, and taking my new baby
out to show her this exciting world (she just loves visiting new places).</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12pt;">It sounds like you
have a very full life, yet you have managed to publish three children's books.
That's quite an accomplishment. How do you find time to devote to your writing
craft?</span></b></div>
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<span face="" style="font-size: 12pt;">Thanks!
Well, I believe if you love something enough, you’ll find time for it. I try to
put an hour or so aside every day for my writing. With a newborn, some days I
only get 10 minutes, and some days I don’t get any time at all. But I dedicate
every moment I do have free to writing, because it’s my passion. And I just
can’t imagine NOT writing.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12pt;">That is the passion
of a writer, indeed! You're either writing or thinking about writing. Tell us
about your books you have published so far and if you can, give us a preview of
your upcoming book.</span></b></div>
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<span face="" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’ve
published three books so far. Dino Dino Doing Homework talks about the
importance of priorities and putting play aside to focus on your Homework.
Teensy The Littlest Fairy is about the smallest Fairy in the Forrest who uses
vegetables to grow big and strong. And finally, Nap Time With Harry was written
to make nap time fun, by using the concept of fun dreams. My upcoming book, set
to be released in 2018, will be a book about a bear who learns the value of
sharing. I don’t want to spoil it, so that’s all I’ll share for now on that one
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><img alt="🙂" height="16" src="file:///C:/Users/Ray/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.png" width="16" /></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12pt;">You obviously want the very best for her. She is lucky to
have someone who cares so much for her future. Your books sound interesting and
look great! I am going to post your contact information at the end of this
interview so that anyone interested can find your work and purchase it. Is
there anything else that you would like your readers to know about you and your
work?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span face="" style="font-size: 12pt;">Thanks! I can be
reached at <a href="http://facebook.com/ClaressaSwensenOfficial" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Facebook.com/ClaressaSwensenOfficial</span></a> Please keep
an eye out for my kickstarter campaign featuring my newest book, Little Bear
and his chair coming soon!</span><br />
<br />
<span face="" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
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<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%2Fref%3Dnb_sb_ss_i_1_8%3Furl%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks%26field-keywords%3Dclaressa%2Bswensen&h=ATPPoh79Q2IJn1aQgM1zs3gkdOoA06EB9bOEodkxvnlXHdz7i6eelF2Wjha1XpaC8bNen7-CBdhj5tNBHuSj62jahg108AtT-E-tW96sJjhD4HFB0wTJf7VN4evj6nMZCAkEhFC5rumCL8a_LPuweQb3cYVZ&s=1&enc=AZP_DptL8lte_AeCwM1e9Ma1PMwhZc_h7LeSTYtKQDpL-E0j8sIVhY-7Z1M4PuLhZ3d0rOS2TZNKsUeeP74U-F66Zo_VPHhDsXTquzaCo0EeTA" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">amazon.com</span></a></span></u><span face="" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><span face=""> </span>M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-87419483490208473432017-06-05T20:49:00.001-04:002017-06-05T20:49:21.903-04:00June 5th, 2017: Working on Book Two. I recently published Book One of my Word Series, "Let No Word be Spoken", which is the first novel I have written about the Christian space Captain Henderson Johns. You can find out more about that book in other blog posts here.<br />
I went into semi-retirement at the printing company I work for, and immediately began writing Book Two, tentatively titled "A Gentle Word..." and continues the adventures of Captain Johns, his wife Loran Evandell Johns, his crew mates, Brian "Rascal" and Lee MacLagain and the jumpship The Dreamer's Fortune.<br />
The story picks up a few months after the end of Book One and describes the Captain's next diplomatic mission on the planet Wellis, where the monarch of the world hires the crew to find out why the subjects of his kingdom seem so unhappy despite the amount of money and materials he gives them. Splitting up and going in three different directions, they begin to dig into the problem and uncover some betrayals going on at some pretty high levels.<br />
As if that isn't enough for them to deal with, Loran has begun to exhibit some very strange behavior that has Johns wondering what is wrong with her. Her world had never been exposed to any alien life forms before he crashed there; did he bring some kind of disease to her that has made her sick? Johns finds himself agonizing over the very real possibility that Loran is suffering from some human sickness for which she has no immunity.<br />
In this book, the readers will get to know Lee and Rascal better, and see how they function as vital members of Henderson Johns' diplomatic task force. Like a finely oiled machine, each member contributes skills and social abilities that Johns pieces together to solve the mission for the client.<br />
There is humor laced through the story, and a believable world full of living, breathing characters that will grab the reader and engage them in the difficult political warfare that surrounds them daily. There will actually be two missions in this book, and five groups of aliens involved that will make the story rich and full of interesting events to make you want to stay up and read all night long.<br />
I already have the full story outlined and the synopsis for the third and final book of the series written down on paper. The ending of Book Two will leave the reader wanting to know what happens next. I am excited about this series and am thoroughly enjoying writing it, every bit as much as I enjoyed Book One. M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-10086386558648343742017-04-28T09:47:00.001-04:002017-04-28T09:47:56.805-04:00New novel Released: Let No Word be Spoken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ksIk2Xd9LPU/WQM9AgeLJCI/AAAAAAAAAv4/WjclXI-It5sMtlScNkPWmDLf_KdHlHkswCLcB/s1600/LoranCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ksIk2Xd9LPU/WQM9AgeLJCI/AAAAAAAAAv4/WjclXI-It5sMtlScNkPWmDLf_KdHlHkswCLcB/s200/LoranCover.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
Today, I have released the paperback version of my new novel, "Let No Word be Spoken". This book has gone through a lot of changes over the years to get to where it is today. I got the idea for this story probably about four years ago, but it started out as a far different story than it is now.<br />
It has always bothered me that when a science fiction movie showed a race of telepathic beings, they always "spoke" into the minds of the humans in plain English. I've always considered that a flaw in the logic of these kinds of stories, and decided that one day, I would write a short story where the telepaths would communicate in images, which made far more sense to me. Note in the above sentence that this was going to be a <b>short story</b>. Little did I know that when I sat down to actually write the tale, it would take on a life of its own.<br />
In my short story, many of the elements were the same as the completed book. The captain of a spaceship would crash land on a strange planet full of women who had no form of verbal language. While he was making repairs to his ship, he was to be given a handler, whose name he never knew, and she would teach him about her planet in a limited way. He would long for a greater understanding, and when she came to realize his need, she would engage him in a psychic connection that would be so deep and all-encompassing that it would almost be sexual in nature. The experience would be too much for him and he would pass out from its intensity, waking up back on his ship in space. All evidence of his visit to the planet would be erased from his ship's databases, and he would be left with a consuming desire to return.<br />
When I set out to write the story, it grew, and so many ideas flowed into the concept that it became a novel that cried out for a sequel. While making notes for the second book, the creative juices spilled out once again, and yet another book began to form. Playing on the title of Book One, I decided to call it "The Word Series", and have incorporated Word into each title. It is my hope to write more adventures of Captain Henderson K. Johns and the beautiful alien Loran along with the crew of the Dreamer's Fortune, so it was important that I set these three books apart from anything else that may come to be.<br />
Another thing that changed dramatically for me is the introduction of strong Christian elements into the books. Captain Johns became a practicing member of an ancient religion called Christianity in a universe that rarely followed the teachings of that faith. The God of the alien planet that Johns crashes on is the same God of his Bible, and unlike Earth, he still walks the planet, interacting with the women on a personal level.<br />
The book turned into a series of "what-ifs" for me. What if a planet had only women, and no men at all? What if those women had been obedient in their version of the Garden of Eden? What if everyone knew what everyone else was thinking all the time, and therefore things like crime and even lies were totally unknown to the women of the planet?<br />
Each question was a challenge to me that had to be worked out and explained to the reader. Hopefully, I've done that sufficiently and everyone will enjoy the way the story developed. I've grown fond of Johns and Loran and hope that people come to see these characters as I have.<br />
<br />
The paperback is available from Amazon. Simply go the Amazon.com and type in "M. Ray Holloway Jr." and you will get a list of my books. Let No Word be Spoken can be found there. I will release the E-book version of the book shortly.<br />
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<br />M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-14968929625361113162016-12-13T19:14:00.000-05:002016-12-13T19:14:08.369-05:00December 13th, 2016: Where am I? Where am I? or perhaps where have I been, to be more accurate. I have been away from the writer's desk far more than I would like to have been, but circumstances.... well, you've heard it all before.<br />
I retired in August of 2015, and 51 weeks later, found myself in a situation that required me to go back to work to pay off some debts that had built up suddenly. I set a couple of goals for myself that involved paying that debt off and then building up my retirement fund a bit more. I am in phase two of that now but have come to realize a couple of things.<br />
One, there is a reason that I never felt like I had the time to write when I was working full time. It is really hard to squeeze out even one hour in the evening after working a full eight to ten hours at a job. I have always respected people who held down a full time job either in the home or outside and also managed to get some serious writing done.<br />
Two, cutting back from five or six hours of writing to one hour per day is really frustrating. There is so much that you want to get done, but as soon as you start, it seems like your time is up. It is especially hard when you get a good stream going and you have to stop and wash the dishes or do some menial chore. The household still has to be kept up, and doesn't wait while you work out your inspiration on the keyboard.<br />
I had to figure out how to get things done more efficiently or give up on the idea of ever writing another story, and I have a lot of stories inside me waiting to be written. After a couple of false starts, I think I have finally gotten into a routine where everything is getting done. I may not be churning out six books in one year like I did in 2015-6, but some progress is better than none at all.<br />
I had completed my second novel when I went back to work last August, but it definitely needed a lot of editing. I am happy to say that I've finished my first two edits and am working on my third. When that is done, I turn it over to my editor and see what I've missed. With any good luck, I may be able to publish it sometime in January. While my editor does her magic, I will be working on creating the cover, which will be one of the most ambitious ones I've done. I am really digging deep and drawing (pun intended) on my forty-two years as a printer with moderate graphic arts skills. I have gotten to the point where I know that it can be done, and I know that I can do it, but it will take me some time. Hopefully, when the editor is finished and my corrections are made (there are ALWAYS corrections, even after four edits,) the cover will be ready and all of the pieces can be put together to make a palatable product for readers.<br />
Working during the holidays is difficult, and I do put the family functions first, so it will be interesting to see whether I will be able to get it all done. If not, it will NOT be for lack of trying.<br />
I am really excited about this project. It is my first full blown Christian science fiction novel. I have always had elements of the faith in each of my books, but this one covers a lot of ground. In the story, I introduce the captain of the jumpship "Dreamer's Fortune", Captain Henderson Johns, who due to an unfortunate turn of events, crash lands on a world of telepathic women. In it, God has chosen to only create one gender in the beginning, which of course raises all kinds of questions that I meticulously answer throughout the story. The similarities and differences between the Christian faith and the God based faith in this world make for a fascinating story! Stay tuned for further developments...<br />
<br />M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-58196225210225712932016-10-30T13:00:00.000-04:002016-10-29T22:06:44.620-04:00October 30th, 2016: Poplar Level Church of God SermonI have been invited to speak at my church here in Louisville, Kentucky while we are without a pastor. I consider this to be a great privilege and appreciate the invitation from the Poplar Level Pulpit Search Committee. I worked on this for several weeks before coming up with the following.<br />
<br />
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I am a
Writer</b></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">October
30<sup>th</sup>, 2016</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-before: auto; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I am a writer. I don't say that to brag or build myself
up in any way; it's just a statement of fact pretty much in the same
way that I said that I was a printer for forty-five years or a
manager of a fast food restaurant. I've worked for years and years
for other people, and now, this is what I want to do. I want to write
stories. Another author that I know has told me that she had business
cards printed up that had her name in the center and underneath that
her title was listed as “Professional Liar”. When I asked about
its meaning, she said that she makes up stories for a living, so she
felt like the title was appropriate. I'm not sure that I agree that a
story teller in that sense is the same thing as a liar, but it was an
amusing way for her to get people to ask more about what she did.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I have been a long time reader of science fiction ever
since I was in the seventh grade and discovered that the junior high
school library had books about rocket ships and alien races. I was in
seventh grade, for crying out loud! Why had no one told me that such
a thing was even possible? I thought of the library as a place to go
read stuffy reference books, look up words that I didn't know how to
spell or what they meant, and marvel at 1,456 page tomes like “War
and Peace”. The idea that I could find stories that might entertain
my vivid imagination had never been expressed to me. It was a place
where I went to check out books that I didn't want to read or much
less write an analysis of for a grade.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Neil Richard Gaiman is an English author of short
fiction and novels, and a winner of the Hugo, the Nebula, and the
Bram Stoker awards. He made the statement that “Libraries are the
thin red line between civilisation and barbarism.” I agree
wholeheartedly with that statement. We read to educate ourselves and
we educate ourselves to become better human beings.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So, it was not surprising that when I got the idea that
I could make up my own stories, I planned to write those kinds of
stories. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Ray
Bradbury and so many others stimulated my thoughts and enabled me to
imagine other worlds and exotic locations. It was suprising to me
that this was not the way things turned out.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">When I first retired and began writing part time, my
stories had no hint of the sci-fi genre. My first piece was a ghost
story, the second was a fantasy, the third was a book of
inspirational poetry, and my fourth was about the relationship
between two sisters. Not a word of science fiction in the whole lot.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The common bond between the stories is that each one is
about the relationships between one or more characters, and each
story is a microcosm of the Christian faith.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Every story that I've written has a <i><b>beginning</b></i>,
and it is <b>known</b> by anyone who sits down to put a story on
paper that the first sentence of a book is very important. We live in
a fast paced world, where people say, “I only have time for one
book to read, and if I don't like the way you start, I will probably
not read it.” So it is extremely important that the first sentence
grab the reader.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Stephen King, well known writer of horror stories,
stated that “an opening line should invite the reader to begin the
story… it should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about
this.” </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In my first published story, I started with the
following sentence: “I am not sure when I realized that I was
dead.” I would probably write that sentence a little better if I
wrote it today because with time, talents improve, but it was not a
bad introduction to the story I had to tell about a man who died and
got left behind on this world. It was short, succinct, and made the
reader want to know more about the main character, why he died, and
why it took him a while to realize that he was indeed dead.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The Bible is the most amazing book in the history of
mankind, and its beginning is no less gripping than any other
successful book. In Genesis 1:1, it simply says, <span style="color: red;">“In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”</span> In the
beginning God created...</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Every job that I have ever held has been something that
allowed me to take raw materials of some kind and combine them in
some imaginative fashion that produced a masterpiece that is so much
better than just the sum of all its parts. I've always had that
inherent desire to make things, even from the time that I took some
old pieces of wood in my father's garage and tried to build a
steerable go-cart powered by the energy of an enthusiastic
neighborhood kid hoping to earn the next turn in that cart. As I grow
older, I believe that this is part of who we are as children of the
Creator of the entire universe. As <i><b>He</b></i> created all the
wonders of our existence, <i><b>we</b></i> have a longing to make
things that we can claim for our own. It might be a lump of ground
beef, a bowl of flour and eggs, and a choice selection of vegetables
that we put together to make a nice juicy hamburger, or it could be
several cans of ink, some aluminum printing plates, and several reams
of paper to run through a press and create a beautiful color
illustration. Even my very first job as a yard boy at the nearby
Catholic church allowed me to take an overgrown, weed-strangled
church yard and turn it into a neatly trimmed, freshly mowed work of
art, at least for a fourteen year old boy. Today, it's a computer and
tens of thousands of words strung together in just the right way to
convey the thoughts and images of the story I want to tell.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">There was a public service commercial out several years
ago where a man was being shadowed by his little son as he went
through his daily routine around the house. The man would grab a
piece of toast and take a huge bite of it, so the little boy also
grabbed a piece of toast and chomped down on it, mimicking his
father. The dad would sit down on the couch crossing his right leg
over his left and folding his newspaper back to work the crossword
puzzle, so the little boy gets his crayon and a section of paper and
mimics his father's actions, even crossing his right leg over his
left in the same manner. The father would grab his jacket and sling
it over his left shoulder, so the little boy, who is probably around
Maddox's age would do the same thing. In the final scene, the point
is made when the father pulls out a cigarette and lights it. The boy
watches his father closely, and picks a stick up off the ground and
puts it in his mouth, simulating a cigarette of his own.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">That commercial was probably very effective in that it
made people think about the fact that your kids are watching the
things that you do and because of the bond between you and them, they
will want to do the same things in their own lives whether those
things are good or bad. I had a great relationship with my son, but
that commercial even made <u>me</u> think about some things that I
was doing that I really didn't want him picking up, so I changed a
few of my habits because I felt the depth of my responsibility to be
the kind of person that I thought God wanted me and my son to be.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-before: auto; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Just like the small boy who wants to emulate the
behavior of his <b>earthly</b> father, <i><b>we</b></i> want to copy
our Heavenly Father's behavior and create wondrous things out of the
raw materials of this life. I'm grateful that God didn't lose
interest and set the creation of the universe off to one side with
the intention of coming back to it someday. I personally have a box
down in my basement that I brought with me from Houston full of ideas
for stories and poems, some good and some bad, that never got
completed. I was always coming up with a new story or idea that I
wanted to share with other people, but until last year, there was
only one short story that I had ever finished, and I remember being
so proud of that piece.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Back then, I was at a point in my life where I relied
heavily on what other people thought about me, and I depended on the
comments of others to determine my own sense of self worth. You can
imagine how it made me feel when I poured my heart into a short story
that had deep personal meaning for me, and someone whose opinion I
greatly valued dismissed the story as being derivative and something
that had been done before. Even though I disagreed with that person,
their words struck at my core and rendered me unable to write again
for quite some time. I grew up with a complex of inferiority, and
doubted everything that I did, always second guessing, always feeling
inadequate, and my respected friend's comments made me question
whether or not I was ever cut out to be a writer. All because someone
rejected my first completed work.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">When you're younger, your confidence is made up of
feathers and bubbles. What doesn't blow away at the first sweeping
wind, bursts in mid-air in the effort of rising higher, leaving soapy
stains on the ground that represent your dreams and aspirations.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">At the age of thirty, I had opened my own print shop.
After about eighteen months, I had had enough and sold my interest to
one of my partners for much less than it was worth. Losing that
business devastated me, and I could not understand why. There wasn't
a great deal of money involved, I came out of the deal on my feet and
the family was fine, but I was crushed by the loss of that small
business venture. I struggled over that for weeks afterwards until
one day, I had an epiphany.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I realized that up until that point in my life,
everything I did was to please a certain individual. More so than I
had ever understood before, I felt that I had to succeed in life in
order to be able to accept myself as worthy to that person. I had
failed in my business attempt, and because of that failure, I felt
that I had no value.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The good side of that was that as soon as I realized
that I was essentially living my life for someone else, I stopped
doing it. I acknowledged that I was a good person, and that God loved
me, and that as long as I felt that I was living the life He wanted
me to live, it didn't really matter to me what others thought. I</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">One of my stories is about a young woman who had soured
on the world because of bad relationships as a youth. She didn't like
anyone, she didn't trust anyone, and frankly had no interest in
niceties and kindnesses, for she had never received any.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Then one day, she met someone who lived his life soully
for others at great personal sacrifice. It took her a while, but when
she finally realized what his good deeds cost him, she was
transformed. The blindness she had been living in fell away and she
was able to see others in a new light. As the story came to an end,
she took on the mantle of this saintly man and made a tremendous
sacrifice of her own for someone else.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This story represents the way that many people live.
They set out in life, anxious and eager to make their marks on the
world only to be slapped down at every turn by people who seem to
take joy at telling us that we can't do the things we want to do, we
will never be successful, we are not even worth the notice of the
world. For some reason, we tend to listen to those kinds of
individuals, and it crushes our spirit and keeps us from being whom
God wants us to be. We live in a darkness that seldom sees the light
of day.... until...</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">A small speck of light meekly peeks through the ebony
shroud surrounding us. We almost don't notice it, but it persists,
always there, always reaching out to us until one day, we reach back,
timidly at first, but then with a greater effort until finally we
find ourselves clawing our way towards that beacon.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">We find ourselves, maybe for the very first time in our
lives, in the presence of an unfaltering love that fills every pore
of our being, accepts us in whatever state we are at that very moment
and says “Come unto me....”</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In Matthew 29:8-10, from the Berean Study Bible, it
says, <span style="color: red;">“Then he said to his servants, ‘The
wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy. </span><b><a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/4198.htm">Go</a>
<a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/3767.htm">therefore</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/1909.htm">to</a>
<a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/3588.htm">the</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/1327.htm">crossroads</a>
<a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/2532.htm">and</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/2564.htm">invite</a>
<a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/1519.htm">to</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/3588.htm">the</a>
<a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/1062.htm">banquet</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/3745.htm">as
many as</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/2147.htm">you can
find.</a></b><a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/2147.htm">’</a> <span style="color: red;">So
the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they
could find, </span><span style="color: red;"><b>both evil and good</b></span><span style="color: red;">,
and the wedding hall was filled with guests.…”</span><span style="color: #9933ff;">
</span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This is from a parable that Jesus told about a king
whose son was getting married. The ruler was appropriately excited
about the idea and made all of the arrangements to celebrate this
joyous event with all of his friends and family. The only problem was
that the honored guests didn't bother to show up at the wedding. The
decorations were hung, the feast was laid out with great care, and
the hall was empty. Can you imagine the hurt and disappointment he
must have felt?</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">After a moment, the king called his servants to him and
told them to go out and invite everyone they could find. They did so,
bringing in enough guests to fill the banquet hall.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">God extended His Kingdom to His chosen people first, but
they failed to heed the warnings and admonitions of the prophets,
John the Baptist, and even Jesus Christ, so He sent apostles and
ministers of the Gospel out to bring in all who will hear Him. Mind
you, verse 10 says, “both evil and good,” so if you have any
illusions that a person has to clean up their life before they can
come to Christ, I'm here to say that isn't so.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">[Hold up invitations]</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I have a couple of invitations with me here. This one is
an invitation to the graduation of one of my youth group members when
I was still their pastor. Very fancy, as you can see, with blue
engraving and embossed silver lettering.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This second one is an invitation to the wedding of one
of my oldest friends from Spring Woods Junior High School. This one
is a simply engraved, black on cream colored card.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">We all have an invitation to come to Christ. Just as you
are. Right here, right now. No holding back, no reservations, just
come. If He were to send out written invitations, I would imagine
that they would be even simpler than my friend's wedding card. In a
plain white envelope, I would find a card made of plain white
material, and when I drew it out, I would see scrawled in plain block
letters...</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
“<span style="font-size: small;">Come unto me...” </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">That was what my invitation read. <span style="color: red;">“Come
unto me all ye who are heavy laden and I will give you rest...”</span>
At nineteen years old, I already thought I had the weight of the
world upon my shoulders. I found that scripture while reading the New
Testament for the first time, and a single, grateful tear dropped
onto that verse, bookmarking it forever as I felt Him enter my heart
for the first time.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> You
know, God will use anything and everything to reach out to us. Often
He will do something unexpected. I started hearing about this new
rock opera with the most amazing music called “Jesus Christ,
Superstar.” I decided to go check it out and actually got to see
the live play with one of the original troupes when they came to
Houston. In it, Jesus was portrayed as a delusional teacher who went
too far with his ministry. Judas is considered the one whom the
playrights considered as seeing what was actually going on and tried
repeatedly to get him to rise up and overthrow the Roman occupiers.
He tells Jesus, “You've begun to matter more than the things you
say.”</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> When
I saw this play, it confused me. You see, I had not read the Bible
yet, and I wondered if the events laid down in this Broadway play
correctly depicted things in the Bible, so I bought a Bible and began
reading it. It was during that reading that I accepted Christ into my
heart.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> I've
never looked back. And I absolutely have never regretted the
decision. At those times when I felt so alone that I didn't know if I
could carry on, I would take a deep breath, turn my eyes inward, and
there He was every single time. I honestly believe that if someone
says they can't find God, they just haven't looked very hard, because
I find him in the intricacy of the veins of a maple leaf, of the
incredibly organized way that a mound of ants interact with each
other. I find God in the cry of a tiny newborn baby and in the
wrinkles in the weathered face of an elderly migrant worker. I see
the working of His hands in the way the sun rises and fills the sky
with the most glorious colors one could ever hope for. For me, God is
everywhere and in everything that I see.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It's a wonderful story, or to be more accurate, a
wonderful series of stories.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In my stories, there are smaller stories within them. In
one, the main character learns that his mother has been told that she
might have cancer. He rushes to her side to comfort her as she awaits
the results of medical tests that have been run. Because he has been
to the future, he knows that she does not have cancer, but he cannot
tell her without exposing his secret time machine project. I put this
in to show more about the relationship between the two characters and
the internal conflict going on within the main character.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Each small story within the main story should advance
the plot, revealing something about the characters involved while
also pointing to the climax of the book. The Bible does this so very
well. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel and the first
murder, Noah and the Flood, Moses and the exodus of the Israelites
from Egypt, the first kings of God's Chosen People, Daniel in the
Lion's den, David, Jonathan, and Saul, the trials of Job, - Hadrach,
Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace, Jonah and the whale, and
the lamentations of Jeremiah. So many more that I could mention.
Stories of courage and conviction and an unconditional faith in the
God of creation.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Everything teaches about God and points to the climax.
What is the climax of the Bible? Every good book has a climax, a
pivotal point in the story around which everything else is built. For
me, the climax of the Bible is found in the Gospels in the telling of
the birth, life, death and ressurection of Jesus Christ. Everything
before that points forward to that, and everything after it points
back to it.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">For me, it culminated in a rich scripture that even many
non-believers know. John 3:16</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="color: red;">“<span style="font-size: small;">For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life.”</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The God of the universe, knowing that there was not a
blood sacrifice on the face of this earth that would be sufficient to
wipe away the sins of this world, came down from His throne and
became a man, living a life without blemish so that He personally
could become the most perfect sacrifice and shed His own blood on the
cross of Calvary. ...And all you have to do is believe.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Calvary. Have you ever seen someone in a dire situation
who cries out, “I need help! Somebody call the cavalry!” Only,
the don't say cavalry. They say Calvary. “Somebody call the
Calvary!” I used to correct them, but the more I thought about it,
the more I realized that this mispoken phrase was actually better
suited for the situation than the intended word.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Who better to call upon in a time of need than the One
who shed His blood on Calvary? He did it for all of us, hoping that
we would do just that. The blood of Christ and the salvation that it
brings are the most precious gifts that God has ever given the world.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">He's written your story, too. God has a plan for you
that is far better than anything that you might come up with on your
own. There have been times in my life when everything was going along
just as I thought they should, but there were also times when I found
myself veering off in some strange direction that made absolutely no
sense to me at all. Later on, when I looked back at those times, I
realized that those things were exactly what I needed at that point
in my life. God was in control, despite what I thought.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">All books have an ending, and the Bible is no different.
The Book of Revelations is one of the most cryptic endings to a book
that I have ever read. I pray for the wisdom to understand the things
are revealed there. There are some things that are easily understood,
though.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Right at the end of the Bible, Revelation 22:17 says the
following:</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: small;">And the Spirit and the bride say,
“Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the
one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes - take the water of
life without cost.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">There it is again. Come unto me.... The great invitation
unlike any other. Life is at stake here. Not just that painful
difficult existence that we go through here on this earth, but life
eternal. A gift that only the God of the universe could offer. I
invite you to search your heart and soul today and if there is any
small part of yourself that you have not given over to God, take a
moment at the altar and empty yourself so that He may fill you with
His Spirit and make you whole in accordance to His will.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">(Closing song.)</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In closing, I wanted offer this brief word of
encouragement about current events.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In Romans 13:1 New International Version, it says, “Let
everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no
authority except that which God has established. The authorities that
exist have been established by God.”</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This is a hard scripture for me, because there are times
that I feel that the leadership of the country has values that are
diametrically opposed to my own. My heart sinks when I hear about a
new law or finding or public comment that pushes this great country a
little farther away from God and the Christian values that it was
founded on.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I lose sight of the big picture sometimes. I want to
shake my fist and shout at the television set “No!”</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">But that is not what God wants us to do. Because He
knows the REAL ending to the story. He knows what I cannot see. He
wants me to have faith and trust in Him.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I don't know what will happen on November 8<sup>th</sup>,
election day.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">On November 9<sup>th</sup>, the day after the election
there is one thing that I know with absolute certainty. God will
still be on His throne and in control of this world. </span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Have faith and trust in Him....</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;">
<br /></div>
M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-43874734647061364702016-08-28T22:16:00.001-04:002016-08-28T22:16:10.171-04:00August 28th, 2016: Returning to the Rat Race After working in the printing industry for over forty-one years, I decided that it was time for me to retire last August 7th, 2015. I set about to pursue the career that I always dreamed of and began to write fiction every day. For the next fifty-one weeks, I rose every day and went to my new job in the back of my house where my computer was situated. Actually publishing my first couple of stories before I retired, I went on to write seven books with ideas for many more stories in my mind.<br />
Dreams sometimes give way to the morning waking as the sleep falls away and we realize that we have to make our way back to that environment that sustains us financially. It was not something that I resented or dreaded, but rather just the direction where my life led me. I accepted it and dove right back into the work force when the company I had retired from let me know that they were in need of some experienced workers. It was a job that I could walk right into with no need to be trained, working with people I knew well and could fit comfortably together with.<br />
I've almost completed my first month back, and the job is going fine. The money is helping me pay some debts that were run up earlier this year, and will soon be deposited directly into savings when those debts are paid off. I am going to have to work very hard in the next month to carve out the necessary time to continue my writing career, as I have a completed novel in need of editing, another short story that has been outlined, and an anthology of all my short stories with some new work included that I want to complete by the end of the year. It was an ambitious schedule for me when I was not working, but now will take the most incredible focus, and may prove to be impossible.<br />
I know that this company I work for has seasonal slowdowns, so there may be several weeks when I will be laid off and able to turn my attention back to writing, but for the meantime, I will have to squeeze some time out of my evenings to get the work done.<br />
I strongly believe that all things happen for a reason, so I continue to lay my life in the hands of God and trust that He will enable me to be more than I should be able to be.<br />
I am a fan of a great deal of science fiction, and Dr. Who is part of the film that I have seen extensively. There was a quote toward the end of last season that I really love. The Doctor siad it once, but the character Clara Oswald expanded on it later. The quote is as follows"<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Don't Give Up. Not Ever.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Not for one single day.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Be Safe, if you can be.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But always be amazing."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I hope that in everything that I do, I will always strive to be amazing... </div>
M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-15770098494113910022016-06-10T14:16:00.000-04:002016-06-11T19:52:42.224-04:00Guest Blog Post: Missy SheldrakeI wanted to take just a moment to share with my followers about a talented young writer and artist. Her illustrations are incredible, making for some of the most beautiful covers that I have ever seen. I was blessed to have her help me with my "Deathburger Saga" cover, but she is far more talented than that cover showed. I have enjoyed reading the first of her "The Keepers of the Wellsprings" series, and find her writing to be vividly descriptive, inspiring my imagination to the point where I feel like I am actually there in the story, standing alongside the characters. I am such a slow reader that it is taking me a while to get through more than the first book, but I look forward excitedly to reading all of the books. See her books and their descriptions below as described by Missy Sheldrake.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HeWQrlklmPs/V1sDVqCthDI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/MmCrvuNwhhkEnrphruSO-L8kxqXE4np_wCLcB/s1600/Books-Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HeWQrlklmPs/V1sDVqCthDI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/MmCrvuNwhhkEnrphruSO-L8kxqXE4np_wCLcB/s400/Books-Banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><b>The
Keepers of the Wellsprings Series</b></u></span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">I’m
excited to announce that the third book in the Keepers of the
Wellsprings series, </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><i>Call
of Brindelier</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">,
is now available on Amazon! If you haven’t read the previous books
yet, read on for a super-quick crash course.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">When
I started writing this series, I really wanted to tell a story that
was rich with fantasy, but not overly dark or mired with war and
violence. I wanted to show the light side of fantasy: the cheerful,
magical, uplifting side which I always drink up whenever it emerges
in a story, and which always seems to be so fleeting in fantasy
tales. I wanted to tell a story that would capture the hearts of
young and old alike. Don’t get me wrong, my books aren’t void of
conflict and evil. They tell of uncomfortable moments. There is
violence and wickedness, but it’s those moments in my stories which
are the fleeting ones. In the pages of my books, you will find
fairies, Mages, Paladins, Elves, Dreamwalkers, Princes and
Princesses, and even dragons. You’ll travel through a world rich
with magic and wonder.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">In </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><i>Call
of Kythshire</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">,
you’ll learn all about Cerion, a seaside kingdom which has
celebrated peace for over a century. You’ll meet His Majesty’s
Elite, a guild that is the right hand adventuring team of King Tirnon
Plethore, and you’ll join Azi Hammerfel, a young squire who has
grown up within the guild’s halls, through disappointments and
triumphs. By her side is Rian, her childhood friend, an Apprentice of
the Mage Academy. You’ll meet Flit, a fairy from Kythshire, who is
as tricky as any fairy you might imagine, but has a depth of
character and a sense of purpose uncommon for a typical fairy. You’ll
see her world unfold, and feel the evil threat of Sorcery that looms,
waiting to destroy it. You’ll learn a little about the Wellsprings,
but not too much, for their existence and workings are a
well-protected secret. </span></span><a href="http://missysheldrake.com/call-kythshire-excerpt/"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><u>(Click
here to read an excerpt from </u></span></span><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><i><u>Call
of Kythshire</u></i></span></span><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><u>.)</u></span></span></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">In
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><i>Call
of Sunteri</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">,
you’ll meet the strong-willed slave boy, Tib, who makes his first
appearance as he escapes from the grips of Sorcery in the desert
continent of Sunteri. He has help crossing the vast oceans to reach
Cerion, but he doesn’t realize it at first. A mysterious being
speaks to his mind, controlling his thoughts and making suggestions
to ensure his own survival. In the meantime, Azi has been given the
task of escorting the Prince of Cerion and his wife-with-child to the
lakeside Kordelya Castle as the prince faces suspicion and ridicule
after the events of </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><i>Call
of Kythshire</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">.
But a darker force emerges from the Dreaming, whose wicked intent is
to use any means necessary to escape its prison and claim the magic
of the Wellsprings for his own. In this book, you’ll see the
devastating effects of the overuse of magic, and what it does to the
Wellsprings and the creatures who thrive around them. </span></span><a href="http://missysheldrake.com/call-sunteri-excerpt/"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><u>(Click
here to read an excerpt from </u></span></span><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><i><u>Call
of Sunteri</u></i></span></span><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><u>.)</u></span></span></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">In
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><i>Call
of Brindelier</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">,
a dark force looms, more powerful and destructive than any threat Azi
and her guild have yet faced. You’ll follow Celli, a scrappy street
fighter, as she is enticed into the grips of a powerful Sorcerer.
You’ll watch Tib come into his own as he sneaks through the streets
of Cerion, uncovering the darkness while also working on a mysterious
project. You’ll follow Azi on a quest set by Princess Margary to
find proof of Brindelier, a city in the clouds which is the key to
all of the Wellsprings in the Known Lands. But Margy is not the only
one interested in Brindelier. A dark force has been gathering, poised
to claim it for their own. Control over the Wellsprings hangs in the
balance. </span></span><a href="http://missysheldrake.com/call-brindelier-excerpt/"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><u>(Click
here to read an excerpt from </u></span></span><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><i><u>Call
of Brindelier</u></i></span></span><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><u>.)</u></span></span></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">This
series is appropriate for all ages, but I recommend 13 and up due to
some violent themes. There is no sex, swearing, or excessively
graphic violence in the Keepers of the Wellsprings. Throughout the
series, you’ll encounter daring sword fights, violent magical
moments, and a few quick deaths.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><i>Call
of Brindelier</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">,
the third book in the Keepers of the Wellsprings series, is now
available on Amazon. This weekend, I’m offering book one of
the series, </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><i>Call
of Kythshire</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">,
for free, and book two, </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><i>Call
of Sunteri</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;">,
for just 99 cents. </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Keepers-Wellsprings-3-Book/dp/B01GJ80DL2"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , serif;"><u>Click
here to download your ebooks while they’re on sale! </u></span></span></a>
</div>
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M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1673538975899084523.post-69703684286966964772016-05-20T22:50:00.001-04:002016-05-20T22:50:18.756-04:00May 20th, 2016: New SciFi work started
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
"Captain Henderson K. Johns stood
between the body bags of his two crew mates, reflecting on the recent
events that lead up to this moment."</div>
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Thus begins the next novel that I am working on. I'm excited about it because it is a serious science fiction story that I'm writing about a spaceship captain who is a Christian in a world where Christianity is the rare exception for a personal lifestyle. It takes place in the middle of the twenty-second century when people have gone out into the universe and found other things to worship than the God of the Bible. Johns found his faith as a young teen and has never wavered in his belief in the teachings of Christ.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A random event kills his only two shipmates and he finds himself alone and searching for the ores and minerals that he needs to fuel his ship so he can get back to his base station in the Great Asteroid Belt. In unfamiliar territory, it takes him a while to locate the materials he needs, but eventually his sensors pick up a planet that can help him. Unable to control his descent well enough, his ship crashes and he finds himself on a planet of telepathic women who have never seen a man.</div>
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The story takes Johns through the process of learning from and teaching this unique race of red haired, green eyed females who have no oral language and communicate only through images.</div>
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I am writing the rough draft now and project that it will be completed in July. It then will have to go through editing before being published sometime this summer.</div>
M Ray Holloway Jrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08349085381759313565noreply@blogger.com0