Blogging: A to Z Challenge

Hey everyone, Mel here. Today I wanted to focus on blogging, and for me nothing was bigger in the blogging world than A to Z. For those of you who don't know about April's A to Z challenge, it's a blog hop created by Arlee Bird. During this challenge, you post daily (except on Sunday) and your daily post corresponds with a letter of the alphabet. April first is A, second is B, etc. I've participated in the challenge for years. I'd usually start preparing mid-February, because I learned early on that the last thing you want to be doing in April is writing posts. No April is for visiting. And I plan to do that again this year, although I'm not participating myself. For those of you who are, there have been a few changes, the biggest being that there is no list. Instead, you're going to link your daily post to a comment on the A to Z Blog. There are some things I like about this and some things I don't. As a former co-host, I get it. There were a lot of people who signed up and didn't post. The bummer is that I loved that list. I used it all the time, long after the challenge was over. It gave me an easy way to find blogs I normally wouldn't know anything about. It helped me branch out, which is what blogging is all about.
 
Are you participating in A to Z this year? And if so, do you have a theme?
Do you like the changes?

Until next time-

Z=Zenith

Here we are at the end of the A to Z Challenge.  We started this month with the hope of launching the IWSG anthology Parallels: Felix Was Here into the stratosphere, and only time will tell if we succeeded.  Who knows where the anthology will be when it reaches its zenith?  We, the ten authors who’ve contributed to this book, can only hope that those who do read it find an enjoyable and thought provoking experience within its pages.

Dive into worlds where memories may be sacrificed for the sake of utopia, where drug trials are unregulated, where cures for diseases may bring about even worse consequences, and people are sorted into groups, inevitably leaving a few who don’t fit nicely within any one box to fend for themselves.  Experience the horrors of looking into the eyes of a serial killer every day and exploring the memories of the dead.  See a society where all but a few people are interconnected by a worldwide network, or another where the internet can be explored through a virtual reality interface.  Experience the magic of creatures folded from paper coming to life and the unsettling feeling of being haunted by that which never was.

There’s a wide variety of stories to read, and odds are that you’ll find something that will entice and intrigue you.

The release date is fast approaching!  May 3^rd is just around the corner.  It's this coming Tuesday, in fact!  Are you excited?  I know we are!

Don’t forget!

Every comment gives you a chance to win one of ten copies of Parallels: Felix Was Here!

Y is for . . .

Image Source: Wikipedia. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, The Heavy Basket, 1892. From the Thirty-six Ghosts series. 9.25" x 14.25". The print depicts a number of monsters attacking an old woman. 

Yūrei, or figures in Japanese folklore analogous to Western ghosts. After death, the soul, or reikon, leaves the body and enters purgatory while the proper funeral rites are observed. If all goes well, the reikon becomes a protector of the living and returns each August to receive thanks at the Obon Festival.

If the person dies in a sudden or violent way such as murder or suicide, the reikon can transform into a yūrei, which will return to the physical world. (Wikipedia)

Successful horror films based on yūrei include Ju-On (The Grudge), Ringu (The Ring), Pulse, and Dark Water.

I’ve only seen The Ring. How about you?

W = War

War has served as a major plot device in several works of alternative history. As the catalyst behind the branch into alternative timelines in many of those works, it has driven some of our most interesting takes on our past, present and future

Ground Zero is set roughly 30 years after a Third World War. In it the Cold War between the US and USSR had escalated into a brief but deadly exchange of nuclear firearms. The soviet nation was all but obliterated as a result, while the city of New York was destroyed by a salted bomb that also transformed much of the American east coast into an irradiated wasteland.

The story explores the aftermath of the war, and how it had shaped the lives of the survivors living just outside Ground Zero. Theirs is a world that must be explored through the safety of hazmat suits, but it is ultimately one that is quite familiar, although hauntingly so.

Ground Zero is just one of the 10 stories featured in the IWSG Anthology, and I sincerely hope you enjoy reading them all, when the anthology launches next week.

U is for Unknown

U is for Unknown

Hello everyone, Mel here.

In Speculative Fiction, as with most genres, the unknown is the driving force of the story. It is the most effective weapon in the writer’s arsenal. If used rightly, the reader is left with no choice but to turn pages at a frantic pace until, finally, they get to that last page when all mysteries are solved, all questions answered, all unknowns known— unless, of course, there’s a sequel.  J

My contribution to this work, Haunted, uses this tool more than any other story I’ve written. The mystery remains until the last line of the last page.  Sorry, no spoilers here—I want you to enjoy the unknown.

 

 

S = Sunrise

S is for Sunrise

Did you know that clean air is the main ingredient in brightly colored sunrises and sunsets? Or that ordinary sunlight is composed of a spectrum of colors that grade from violets and blues at one end to oranges and reds on the other. Did you know that if not for the fact that the human eye is more sensitive to blue light than to violet, the clear daytime sky would appear violet instead of blue.

I found this article most interesting. I hope you do too!

The Colors of Sunset & Twilight

by Stephen F. Corfidi

Stephen F. Corfidi's article explains where the colors of a sunrise or sunset come from and in a way easy to understand. Please follow the link to read more.

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/corfidi/sunset/

A sunrise is something the inhabitants of Ever-Ton haven't seen in years.

Yolanda Renée © 2015

Ever-Ton

Yolanda Renée

Excerpt:

Homemade flowers, along with wiry trees, lined the broken cobbled streets. Ever-Ton, the biggest dome-covered metropolis in the Himalayas, had lost its luster. Workers used to keep it clean; now they worked on building the resources for the new world. The dome, once translucent, now looked like a mud-covered window. I'd never experienced the sun's rays, breathed air that wasn't manufactured or tasted water from a spring.

Donning sunglasses against the artificial sunlight, I hurried to NWAO headquarters to find a crowd waiting to take the tour of the latest and most modern spacecraft, named Sunrise.

***

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P is for Pharma

Hallo everyone! Hart here. If you've been following along this month, you may recall that on the D-day (D is for Deceit), I promised to tell WHO was doing the DECEIVING in The Seventeen... Even if you HAVEN'T been, you probably have the gist now...

See!  They OOZE Evil!!!

At the risk of getting political, Pharma is a FAVORITE villain of mine... I tend to find the industry borders on evil even without the suspension of disbelief called forth in fiction (profits before people annallat), but add in just a small twist and BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! True rottenness. I've used Pharma as the primary villain before—in A Shot in the Light—but in that case it was a few people within who were the bad actors. In the case of The Seventeen, it is more a structural or institutional reality—the lack of rules is what enables a greedy industry to run rough-shod over people. What about you? Do you have a pet industry or group you like to think of as “the great evil”? Any pharma defenders out there? Any plans to raid your local pharmacy in the event of an apocalypse? (seems to be the thing to do, eh?--anti-biotics most commonly)

O = Other Worlds

Do you love alternate realities or other worlds?

As a young reader, I couldn't get enough of them, although they looked something like this:

And now they look more like this:

Source

In The Mirror People (my contribution to the Parallels anthology), my other world looks like this:

The concept started out as an idea: What if it was someone's job to mimic their reflection? I sat down to write and these words glared back from the computer screen:

Every day I stare into the eyes of a cold-blooded murderer.

Well THAT wasn't a direction I'd considered going. Regardless, I had to see who this narrator was and what was going to happen to him. Jak appeared on the page and I have to say, he's one of the best characters I've ever had the privilege of transcribing. (I say transcribing because our journey together didn't feel like writing. He told me his story, no reservations.) What if two dimensions were actually dependent on one another, but only one side was aware of the relationship?

Yeah, bend your brain around that one, eh?

Do you have a favorite dual reality story?

(Remember, comment and be entered to win one of 10 copies of Parallels.)

M=Memories

The idea of memories making us who we are has been featured a lot in science fiction.  The film Dark City features characters who have new memories implanted night after night, and their alien overlords watch them to see how they behave.  Memories are occasionally blocked by trauma or by mysterious agents that want to keep crucial information contained.

Memories are powerful.  We learn from past experiences.  We’re informed by them in the decisions we make.  When memories are altered or blocked, what kind of impact does it have on who we are?  Can you ever truly control someone by controlling their memories?

My short story “Felix Was Here” deals a lot with memories. Resurfacing memories are the catalyst for all that happens.  And, as it turns out, she’s not the only person who’s struggled with this.

The following excerpt from the story finds Betty speaking to someone who understands her plight.

*     *     *

Image courtesy of endiku at morguefile.com.

“What happened that night?” Betty persisted.

Simon sighed. “It was bad. The man didn’t just have an episode. He broke down entirely. No matter how much Verity and I tried to talk him down, it seemed as though he didn’t hear us. He kept talking over us both. He went on and on about his brother Tommy, even though there’s no evidence he ever had a brother at all. He kept saying ‘They sent him to war! They sent him to die in a war we’re not supposed to know about! They used tricks and drugs to make me forget. To make us all forget.’ It sounded ludicrous at the time.”

She drew in a sharp breath. “At the time?”

*     *     *

Don’t forget!

Every comment gives you a chance to win one of ten copies of Parallels: Felix Was Here!

K = King

Stephen King is one of the most prolific speculative fiction writers of our time. He has more than 50 novels under his belt, many of which have been successfully adapted into movies, miniseries and even comic books. Although he is primarily known for his horror books, he also dabbles into other speculative fiction genres, like in his alternative-reality book series, The Dark Tower.

Originally published as a serial in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, the first book in the series, The Gunslinger, has been described as a cross between high fantasy and spaghetti westerns. It tells the story of a lone gunslinger in pursuit of the "Man in Black" and the titular "Dark Tower." The story would eventually morph in an eight-book series, with a long-awaited movie currently in the works.

Stephen King is also well-known in writing circles for his 2000 Memoir, On Writing, in which he shares some tried-and-tested advice on the subject matter.

I is for Invisibility

Hello everyone, Mel here.

 

Invisibility

Of all the paranormal traits I’d love to have, this is probably the one. Imagine it; imagine all you could see and hear when no one knew you were there.

And there’s more.

You could seriously freak someone out. Is there anything scarier than thinking you’re alone only to find out you’re not? Some of the best horror stories written  come from nothing less: The sudden door closing, the light flicked on, the breath on the back of your neck.

The possibilities are endless.

How about you? What trait would you like best? What would you do if you could be invisible? Would you use it for good, or some serious freaking out?

 

My contribution to Parallels: Felix was here is Haunted and, as you can imagine, invisibility plays a large role.  Here is an excerpt:

 

“It doesn’t matter,” she breathed, shaking her head. “Nothing does.”

John pulled back to look into his wife’s face. “Are you sure you’re okay—do we need to call your doctor?”

“The only doctor I have is an ob-gyn, and I don’t think she’ll be able to do anything about this.”

John shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe it’s a hormone thing.”

Andy raised her eyebrows. “Do you really want to go there?”

“Hormones are powerful things, Andy. They can make you do all sorts of weird shit.”

“Like dream your husband’s dead?” There is was; she’d said it.

His face softened. “Is that it—is that what happened?”

Andy looked past him to the sky beyond. His hands cupped her face and brought her focus back to him. “I’m not leaving you, ever. Even if I die, I promise to haunt you.”

Andy frowned. “Don’t say that.”

“What? It’s true. You can’t get rid of me; face it.”

Andy shuddered; she didn’t know why.

 

 

G = Gore

G IS FOR PRESIDENT AL GORE

The alternate history affecting the story, Ever-Ton, in the IWSG Anthology Parallels: Felix Was Here, was the election of Al Gore for President in the year 2000.

The setting is the year 2050. The world has changed and the inhabitants are leaving. 

Photo Copyright

Ever-Ton

Yolanda RenÉe

Excerpt:

The line seemed to stretch on forever but moved fast. Several people in wheelchairs, children with disabilities, and worried parents talked in hushed tones as the line moved forward. A lovely woman in a wheelchair pointed to the picture of former President Al Gore on the wall behind the counter. "I wonder if he knows how many people he saved."

I smiled, and said, "I believe he does. I really do."

She nodded. "I do, too."

In the 1970s, scientists had warned of the dangers of global warming, but nothing happened until the year 2000. President Al Gore couldn't get the legislation passed that would curb the dangers caused by fossil fuel, but he found the funding for the New World Aeronautical Organization - NWAO. They began the search for a New Earth.

Terrifying storms, devastating droughts, and unimaginable diseases took the earth to the levels of an apocalypse that no one foresaw, not even President Gore. The building of survival units in the highest mountains became a top priority.

Now, in 2050, the world's atmosphere had grown toxic. The city of Ever-Ton, meaning Everlasting Mountain, sat high in the Himalayas. We were the largest and last community of survivors trying to leave earth.

***

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D is for Deceit

Hello, friends! Hart Johnson here... We are each going into a theme of our story or a speculative theme with our letters...

In the case of The Seventeen,

Deceit is what creates and exacerbates the problem.

The premise behind The Seventeen is that the series of patient protection acts had never been enacted, and the vast majority of those acts are about protecting patients and research participants by FULLY INFORMING THEM what is going to happen so they can make an informed decision. So by removing those protections, we open the door to deceit.

So who is being deceived? In my story, there is a long history of deceiving research participants, but the stakes go up... the more reasonable question is about to be who ISN'T being deceived?

As for who is DOING the deceiving, you will have to come back for the letter P.

So what is your favorite book about deceit? Any main characters you love particularly good at it? Or tragically subjected to it?

Now why don't you go check out some other A to Z participants!?

C = Cheese

Okay, okay, what does cheese have to do with speculative fiction, you ask. Bear with me for a moment.

C is also for Crystal. (A word I'm particularly fond of.)

In Napoleon Dynamite, the crystals are a mystical element that will power a time travel device. They're a symbol of magic. (Hey, does that mean I'm a symbol of magic? Score!)

Life is full of symbolism.

What is the first thing you think of when someone says, "Cheese!"?

Source

That's pretty much it for me too. Actually, my picture is more like this:

Cheese is a symbol (like crystals). For me, it means something so much more than food or smiles. It represents the true essence of happiness. This last picture is my special needs brother, the happiest, most loving person I've ever known. And yes, he was obsessed with cheese. It's because of him I insist that:

Cheese is the best food on the planet. Cheese=happiness. Cheese makes the world go round.

Symbols are all around us in life and thus all throughout literature. They're a subtext that conveys greater meaning in everyday life. In THE MIRROR PEOPLE, the mirror is a symbol, an element meant to make us question the inner demons we face. Symbolically, are we like Jak, trapped by his twin identity, or are we the type of people who define our own worlds--like my brother?

Due to symbolism, cheese is my happy place.

What's your cheese?

(Remember, every comment is a chance to win a copy of Parallels.)

B=Betty

Though the story is named for Felix, Betty is the main character of “Felix Was Here.”  We spend the most time with her.  We see how something as simple as hearing the name Felix turns her life upside down.  She is a regular person trying to make her way through the world.  Her goals in life are simple in the beginning.  Betty wants a good life with her husband Bill.  She doesn’t want them to struggle for anything.  She wants comfort, which is something I think most people can relate to on some level.

Many characters in fiction experience a jarring shift in worldview like this.  We often find ourselves peering at the world through the eyes of someone who was once content with their world, but something happens to dramatically change that.  We first see them when they’re still in their element, and we go along on the journey with them as they discover that all is not as it seems.

I’d like to share an excerpt from “Felix Was Here” with all of you.  In this excerpt, Betty find herself in a quiet moment, and inside everything is chaotic.  That is, after all, what one would expect to feel when their entire world is shifting in mysterious ways.

*     *     *

Photo courtesy of Againstar at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Moonlight intermittently chased away the deep shadows of the bedroom as a soft breeze fluttered the curtain. Betty held the quilt firmly in place just below her chin as she tried to sink into sleep. Slumber, however, remained elusive as Bill lay beside her, the soft sounds of his breathing filling the room. After an hour or two, that sound began to crawl under her skin and fester.

Inhale.

Felix.

Exhale.

Felix.

That pattern repeated on a loop until nothing else in all the world remained. Susan’s sweet voice recited the name as if it were barely even worth mentioning. As if it meant nothing. Yet it did. It meant everything, but why?

Finally, the rhythmic nature of the breathing and the repetition of the name lured her into sleep.

*     *     *

Don’t forget!

Every comment gives you a chance to win one of ten copies of Parallels: Felix Was Here!

A = Anthology

A is for Anthology

Mid 17th century: via French or medieval Latin from Greek anthologia, from anthos 'flower' + -logia 'collection' (from legein 'gather'). In Greek, the word originally denoted a collection of the ‘flowers’ of verse, i.e. small choice poems or epigrams, by various authors.

Parallels: Felix Was Here is a collection of short stories of the genre 
speculative fiction. L. G. Keltner did a beautiful job of explaining 
speculative fiction HERE!

Today we're sharing titles, taglines, and a little about each story (if you click the links) but each day of the challenge one of the authors will share a bit more!

L. G. Keltner

FelixWas Here

Utopia isn’t meant for everyone.

**

Crystal Collier

TheMirror People

We think no one is watching, but what if they are?

Meet the Mirror People.

**

Hart Johnson

TheSeventeen

In a world of unregulated drug trials, sometimes the side-effects are viral.

**

Cherie Reich

Foldsin Life and Death

In 2001, the Curse of Tippecanoe strikes again.

**

Sandra Cox

Rainers

Save his world or save her own.

**

Yolanda Renée

Ever-Ton

Salvation awaits in the New World but only if you meet the requirements.

**

Melanie Schulz

TheHaunted

     Sometimes the best things in life are the things you never had.

**

Sylvia Ney

WIN

The connection is everything.

**

Michael Abayomi

GroundZero

     The ruins of New York City might not be as deserted as they seem.

**

Tamara Narayan

Scryingthe Plane

     A teen experiences thrills and chills in a virtual reality internet.

**

To learn more about the author click the name.

To learn more about the author's story click the title!

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