A Young Mycroft Holmes

Sherlock Holmes lived in our family imagination when I was a child. We read his adventures over and over, and hated it when we came to the end--again. This sparked an interest in the many different versions of Shelockian fiction that offered themselves as fix for our addiction, but nearly always fell flat. I am pleased to say one of my friends has produced an authentic version of a young Sherlock Holmes. He does so by using Mycroft as the point of view character and setting the young Sherlock the terrible task of solving his mother's murder.
Steve Poling's Mycroft is Sherlock's older brother, weighing their respective merits and ultimately loving his brother above all else. The boys' father is available in a rather cryptic manner adding another level of complexity to a difficult case. Better than all of that, the tone and pacing of the story are an accurate recreation of the original stories. The Aristotelian is priced at a very reasonable .99. If you love Sherlock Holmes, you will love this.

poor baby

Summer, for all intents and purposes, is here which means a lot of things, but my favorite is getting back to my writer's group a.k.a. the West Michigan Writer's Workshop. If you are a fanatical follower of this blog then you might wonder at the name change. Yes, it's the same group, but we've broken away from the UICA. I'll let you know when we have a website.
It is so tasty to sink my teeth into someone else's work for a change. The pink ink was flowing tonight. The unfortunate thing is that I don't seem able to produce work worth critiquing. The first draft is a long way from done and I haven't quite gotten into the mindset for my second draft. All of this has Harriet looking like a barrel of missionary clothes. I have to figure it out. This is summer, my one opportunity to get an outside opinion.

anti apocalypse

I grew up listening to people talk about the Apocalypse, certain it was coming soon. Any bad weather, the European Union, credit cards, the United Nations, the legalization of abortion etc. could set off a round of excited talk about the rapture--unless you were mid-tribulation or post-tribulation. They tended to be very serious and less likely to see the judgement of God in everything. I suppose it's the difference between being whisked off to a party and being one of those who will complete the number of martyrs.
I don't know the ins and outs of the group that thinks they've finally figured God's puzzle out. I keep my distance from those things now that I can, but I know they are wrong. I have my reasons and they don't matter, because the most obvious one is how much love there is in in the world. Friend's calls, my husband's kisses, my children's warm hugs, there is no way the world is ending tonight.

Pregnant Rituals

I decided to self-publish a manuscript through Barnes and Noble's PubIt!. The title is Pregnant Rituals, and it's about finding and creating emotional support during pregnancy and the early weeks of parenting. The book is brief and to the point since there are so many other books on the subject. I think mine has it's own unique honesty that makes it stand out. It will be available for nook in 24-72 hours.

Anti Virgin

Diana's innocence has lost it's value and is now sold as regrettable inexperience. Kate's experience as a live in lover is pointed to as wise and helpful. It does seem that Kate will be doing a better job since she's lived the demanding life she has married into, but I can't help regretting the loss of respect for purity.

Assignment 2

My plans were a little sidetracked when I began meeting with my Great Books Group. It is such a pleasure to share the joys and struggles of reading such important literature. I'll be hopscotching from book to book, leaving behind order and plan for serendipity. Rather than the previously mentioned Freud and Monkey, I will be sharing some of my favorite quotes from Pascal's Pensees. Enjoy.

"The last thing one settles in writing a book is what one should put in first."

"Justice is subject to dispute; might is easily recognized and is not disputed. So we cannot give might to justice because might has gainsaid justice and has declared that it is she herself who is just. And thus, being unable to make what is just strong, we have made what is strong, just."

"Let us, therefore, not look for certainty and stability. Our reason is always deceived by fickle shadows; nothing can fix the finite between the two Infinites, which both enclose and fly from it."

"Between us and heaven or hell there is only life, which is the frailest thing in the world."

"The conduct of God, who disposes all things kindly, is to put religion into the mind by reason and into the heart by grace. But to will to put it into the mind and heart by force and threats is not to put religion there, but terror."