Author: Joseph Carrabis

Smart Critters, Each and Every One

Ah, Glorious Raccoons.

(you have to include that “Glorious” part or they get cranky)

Tonight we entertain several of these furry beasties, at this point recently awoken from their winter slumbers.

I’ve noted previously that Raccoons don’t truly hibernate so much as go dormant.

So perhaps, more correctly, “…recently awoken from their winter dormancy.”?

In any case, several Raccoons deigned to join us on this fine, crisp, slightly past mid-winter’s eve.

Thank Hrycuna (the Raccoons‘ diety. Also their language) we regularly stock up on peanuts, dog food (they prefer the bacon flavor to the chicken flavor), and cookies (we haven’t found their faves, peanut cookies, in several years. If you know where we can find them, do tell.
Better yet, send us a box. Oh, come on, at least one or two packs. We’ll take it from there).

It is too early in the season for their kits to be about. It’s doubtful the females have kitted at this time. Far too early in the season.

Another indication is that both male and female gather together (“…to ask…Hrycuna’s blessing…”) at the baskets. Mothers near term and those with kits will challenge males and force them elsewhere.

Reminds one of Virginia Graham‘s Girl Talk…

 
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My Medieval Mystery Tag – The First Verduan and Patreo Mystery is Available for Pre-Order until 15 July for 99&cent Kindle, $12.99 Print;

Eric and Julia seek tree grafts on the outskirts of their medieval eastern European village as a summer storm gathers.  Sullya, a witch hiding among the trees, grabs Julia. Eric swings his axe and severs Sullya’s hand from her arm. The witch seeks refuge in the deep bole of an old oak. Her hand falls onto the same oak and crawls up the trunk to join her.

Eric wants to flee but Julia, believing they’re safe thanks to the now heavy rain, torments the witch. Sullya curses them, their families, their crops, their livestock, and their village. 

Soon crops wilt, livestock die, and much of village falls ill. The village priest, Father Baillot, seems ignorant of church ways and proves ineffective against the curse. 

The village elders seek help elsewhere, specifically from a distant priest, Father Patreo, who knows the Old Ways as well as the New. Patreo is out of favor with the Church because he makes no effort to hide his belief that progress comes from exploring all paths, not just those the Church decrees acceptable.

He and Verduan, one of the village elders, investigate and encounter witchcraft, devil worship, murder, a coup d’etat, and the clashing of three great cultures. What they discover changes the face of Eastern Europe forever.

Reader Comments:
Carrabis writes another Hero’s Journey, this time with a faithful dog, a blind bear, and a deformed, mute child.

Riveting and captivating!

Carrabis’ sense of humor shines throughout. You can almost see him dropping breadcrumbs for the reader to follow. He’s playing a game of tag with the reader and is a master of the game.

Carrabis weaves another multi-character tapestry with interesting plot lines and dialogue you can hear.

Carrabis brings the Middle Ages to life.

Imagine your favorite professor telling you insider stories from Medieval Europe. That’s Carrabis’ Tag.

I want to ask Carrabis if he time-travels. Tag reads like an episode of “You Are There.” It’s more like something you’re living through than reading in a book.

I saw everything, I tasted the bread, I drank the ale, I worked the fields, I heard the bells, I tasted the mustard. Incredible!

Tag‘s Verduan and Patreo are the Middle Ages’ Holmes and Watson. Cadfael watch out!

A Tale of Six Publishers – Part 3.1

You’re an author, not a mushroom. Don’t go with a publisher who keeps you in the dark and feeds you bullshit! (part 1)

Part 1 of this series shared three critical issues to ask any publisher before signing with them:

  1. Marketing – how would the publisher get word of my book out to potential readers?
  2. Distribution – how would the publisher get my book into potential readers’ hands?
  3. Career Development – what would the publisher do to help me become a better author?

This post deals with publisher #3 and I’ll add another item not on the list:

Make sure the publisher doesn’t bullshit you. If they lie, exaggerate, or obfuscate, get out! You and your book deserve better!

Publisher #3 was such a flying fuckup (yes, I’m that pissed about it) that I’ve written about them before in:

Aside from what’s in the above posts, the next three posts in this series give you a play-by-play of my involvement with publisher #3.
Continue reading “A Tale of Six Publishers – Part 3.1”

Opie Visits

I noted the absence of Opossum from our posts in The Return of Opie.

Perhaps Opossum took umbrage at that.

No sooner did I mention The Mighty Oaps absence, then Opossum visited us again.

Somewhere in the background is Olivia, a female.

Don’t know if they’re related by blood or marriage.

Don’t really want to ask.

Remember Opossum’s bare tolerance of Two-Leggers, “Beware my pointy teeth.”

 

My third newsletter – June 2024

June-July 2024 Announcements

  • From idea to paper (or word) to performance, how do we bring characters to life? That’s the question we will be rolling with at our next RoundTable 360° online discussion. Come & join us on June 27th, 10:30amPT, 1:30pmET, 6:30pmLondonTime, 19h30 CEST.
    Our goal in this RoundTable discussion is to explore the intricacies of character development across different creative mediums and to uncover effective strategies for creating characters that resonate deeply with audiences.
    In storytelling and performing arts, characters serve as the heart and soul of narratives. Whether on the pages of a novel or portrayed on stage or screen, well-developed characters have the power to captivate and evoke profound emotional responses from audiences. We delve into how writers and performers breathe life into their characters, making them compelling, multidimensional, memorable, and inspiring.
    This discussion will be led by noted EU actress, model, and voice talent Sabine Rossbach. Reserve your space here.
    Want to be on our panel and/or lead a discussion? Let me know here.
  • Greg Hickey’s To Build A Dream is available on Amazon:

    He could be dead, dreaming, or painfully alive. Does he really want to find out which?
    Timothy Smit is sick. He’s stuck in middle management at a second-rate news aggregator when an intense coughing fit causes him to pass out at his desk. Tim wakes up in the ICU to a diagnosis of a rare and aggressive form of lung cancer and the news that he likely has no more than a few months left to live.
    Confined to a hospital bed with his health deteriorating, Tim finds himself immersed in a series of vivid dreams. As he becomes increasingly captivated by this enigmatic fantasy world, he realizes his dreams just might be keeping him alive.
    But can Tim discover a real life worth living before it’s too late?
    To Build a Dream is a mesmerizing psychological sci-fi novel that blurs the line between dreams and reality. If you like lone heroes fighting to survive, visionary quests, and a race against time, then you’ll love Greg Hickey’s enthralling dream world.

  • You can get a free taste of Greg’s work at The Theory of Anything
  • I’m hosting a writer’s month long workshop discussing many if not all phases of craft and storytelling. The next class runs Wednesdays, 3-31 July 2024. Sign up here.
  • My Medieval mystery, Tag, will be released on 15 July 2024 and is currently available for preorder:

    Eric and Julia seek tree grafts on the outskirts of their medieval eastern European village as a summer storm gathers. Sullya, a witch hiding among the trees, grabs Julia. Eric swings his axe and severs Sullya’s hand from her arm. The witch seeks refuge in the deep bole of an old oak. Her hand falls onto the same oak and crawls up the trunk to join her.
    Eric wants to flee but Julia, believing they’re safe, torments the witch. Sullya curses them, their families, their crops, their livestock, and their village.
    Soon crops wilt, livestock die, and much of village falls ill. The village priest, Father Baillot, seems ignorant of church ways and proves ineffective against the curse.
    The village elders seek help elsewhere, specifically from a distant priest, Father Patreo, who knows the Old Ways as well as the New. Patreo is out of favor with the Church because he makes no effort to hide his belief that progress comes from exploring all paths, not just those the Church decrees acceptable.
    He and Verduan, one of the village elders, investigate and encounter witchcraft, devil worship, murder, a coup d’etat, and the clashing of three great cultures. What they discover changes the face of Eastern Europe forever.

  • Last item – have an announcement you’d like my ~25k subscribers to know about? Comment with details and we’ll see about getting it in the next newsletter.

And that’s it for June.