Crazy Antics and Dreams

TEXAS HUMOR

San Antonio, Texas is "deep in the Heart of Texas!" And I love the Texas- style of humor! As a Native Born Texan, I thought I'd share a meme or two to show why I love TEXAS!

 

Daydreams from a Working Stiff - An Anthology

Daydreams from a Working Stiff - An Anthology By Sharon E. Dreyer

Daydreams from a Working Stiff is a collection of a few of my daydreams. As the title infers, I am a working stiff as well as an accomplished daydreamer. Many of my coworkers and friends find it difficult to understand how an apparently “normal” working stiff writes the kind of stories I do. What can I say? After all, I have never claimed to be sane—I’m just a working stiff!

The paperback (cover at left) is now available at createspace eshop and available at amazon.com in a week, or so.

The ebook (cover at right) is available at amazon.com.

The following is a brief introduction to each of the six science fiction novellas contained in Daydreams from a Working Stiff - An Anthology.

Government Lot #7777-68

At times, Conrad had lost money on his purchases at the government auctions, but not always. Since he had also made a fortune by dealing in the surplus equipment and supplies no longer needed by the overgrown bureaucracy, he submitted bids for several of the sealed crates. Never in his wildest dreams would Conrad Winter have guessed that a crate at a government auction would contain the product of a secret government project. Considering that the project ended abruptly two hundred years earlier gave Conrad reason to worry. Surprises at the government sales were to be expected, but nothing like the one Conrad received today. Now that he was the proud owner of Government Lot #7777-68, Conrad worried about what would happen if the authorities were to discover their clerical error and arrive to correct the mistake.

Historical Intervention

It did not matter that fishing was not very good today. Simply spending his vacation on a planet where he could fly fish was perfection in Garrett Reizer’s opinion. Delrid boasted the largest expanses of unspoiled forests in the galaxy. Garrett and his security team would have never believed that such an idyllic vacation would be interrupted. However, Delrid was about to have a visitor with questionable motives. Garrett’s plans for his vacation are radically changed with the visitor’s unauthorized arrival. His supervisor was a firm believer that taking a strong offensive posture was the best approach when dealing with unpredictable adversaries while he had always been philosophically opposed to enraging newcomers into violent responses. Garrett finds himself walking a fine line between following his orders while aiding and abetting a wounded alien.

Religious Proportions

Receiving the prestigious assignment to translate the Fulton Collection of ancient documents was an opportunity that Aaron thought was not within the realms of possibility. The private collection was on temporary loan to St. Mary’s University and Reverend Aaron Dalton, S.M.S. would spend most of his time scrutinizing the fragile sheaths of parchment. The collection as a whole was housed in a large fireproof room with a specialized air filtration system. Without the extensive humidity control systems, Aaron knew that the frail parchment would quickly disintegrate in the semitropical climate of San Antonio, Texas. It is not until Aaron leaves the security of the reinforced vault that he discovers a catastrophe has struck without warning. Although Aaron maintains his composure, he is astonished that the catastrophe has killed everyone on campus. Aaron finds himself struggling as he searches for survivors elsewhere.

The Warehouse

Assistant Prosecutor Roxi Mardt was puzzled as to why Judge Trey Wakes was coming to her office this late in the day. She was now in the uncomfortable predicament of waiting for the handsome, but strict judge to arrive. She felt it was a shame that such an attractive man should be so unapproachable. As she waited, Roxi focused her attention on her next case. If convicted, the defendant would receive a sentence of life in prison—now there was a horrendous punishment! The one hundred-year old Legal Reformation Act had eliminated the death penalty, but had levied life sentences as punishment for most crimes. The real kicker was that there was no longer a chance for parole. A life sentence meant that a convicted felon would spend the remainder of his, or her, life in prison. The Act also regulated the prison system to the point where the average person knew very little of what actually transpired behind the walls of the L.R.A. Prison Unit. Locally, the prison was referred to as the “Warehouse.” When Judge Ware tells Roxi that she is the target of an investigation, she learns of a terrifying fate that awaits her within the walls of the Warehouse.

Visitor to the Light Air

Cryss drifted aimlessly with the current. The heavy air was warmer here, but it was also much shallower and she knew that she should not linger very long at these depths. Her father had always warned her about being too curious about things, but Cryss could not resist exploring the shallows. There were so many interesting things to see here that Cryss continued to investigate the colorful plants and rocks. As the only survivor of an attack that killed the other members of her clan, Cryss knew that her father’s warnings came from his own person experiences as well as the inherited knowledge of his ancestors. Still, the jagged scar on her hip reminded her of how fragile life could be so she grudgingly floated to deeper and safer levels. Although she was tempted to fly higher and explore the light air world, she was afraid of an encounter with the people of the light air world. Her worse nightmare becomes reality when the ruthless people of the light air capture Cryss. Her greatest fear is that the elders’ stories of the people of the light air are true.

Serving Zoo Time

His head throbbed viciously and it made him reluctant to open his eyes. Gradually, the headache subsided enough for Parker Ryan to make an effort to find out what happened. He squinted in the bright light and it was several additional seconds before his eyes adjusted enough so he could see clearly. Parker was surprised to be indoors since the last thing he remembered was making repairs to the solar panels on the outside of the space station. He was now barefoot and dressed in gym shorts and a tee shirt which caused him to wonder what happened to his space suit. Parker sat up slowly and discovered that he was on a bed much larger than the cots on board the station. Suddenly, two people walked straight to Parker and took hold of his arms. Unlike humans, they had two thumbs on each hand with three fingers between the thumbs. They penned him with his back against the wall. Parker asked them who they were, but neither would respond to his inquiries. He began to think they must be guards since they appeared to be in uniform. Because he was face-to-chest with the two guards, he could not see what was going on in the room behind them. Parker heard others moving about in the room and he assumed the strange gurgling noises were their language. When the uniformed aliens leave, Parker is stunned to find a semiconscious woman on the bed. Where, how, and why Parker and the woman are imprisoned together are his primary questions. Parker is horrified to learn the answers to his questions.

Review of Long Journey to Rneadal by Brian Jeffreys

Long Journey to Rneadal is about a very strong female character's sincere struggle to find herself in a society of inferiors on the verge of war. I found the prose refreshing because it was written in the old style, reminiscent of the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Similar to Frederik Pohl or James Blish, the dialog is smart, witty, and fun.

Jake Granger, captain of the Affiliation Class 10 star cruiser RELENTLESS, first meets Jessi by mistaking her for a space pirate. He later learns that she is also a renowned scientist and ambassador, well respected by the Affiliation for her uncanny abilities that Jake learns to appreciate. Finding her as breathtakingly beautiful as she is deeply mysterious, he quickly falls in love.

But Jessica Layne Hunter is not what she first appears. Akin to Heinlein's Friday, she has surprising abilities that allow her to face down ferocious beasts, defeat pursuing nomads, and master technology on any scale. From page one, the reader discovers that she is haunted by terrible nightmares. Even as she appears to be a woman of quiet social brilliance, she seeks solitude among the computers in her laboratory. But just when you think you've untangled the riddle that is Jessica, you realize you are wrong, right up until the archeological discovery on Irl.

Long Journey to Rneadal will capture your heart and your imagination as Jessica discovers the truth about herself. In spite of her amazing abilities, she falls prey to the oldest of captors: love.

Plato's Gateway by Brian Jeffreys

The new novel, Plato’s Gateway, by Brian Jeffreys is a tale with well crafted characters that capture and hold the reader’s attention from the beginning until the last page. In this fascinating story, Phillip Barreda, exemplifies the caring brother who protects and supports his autistic brother, Jerry. The Star Voyager is owned and piloted by Phillip with Jerry manning the astrogator station. Together they are able to eke out a living carrying cargo and passengers between the colonies.

Captain Amanda Hayes is the hardcore authority in the sector of space that Phillip is transporting his two passengers. He and Amanda Hayes have previously had their run-ins, but Amanda ever the stickler for enforcing the regulations made work more difficult than it should have been. Regulations were always circumvented whenever Phillip could manage to do so. This time however, Phillip, Jerry, Amanda, and their passengers are unexpectedly kidnapped and they discover the real threat to their friends, planets and stars is the nefarious scientist, Dr. Cornelius Plato.

While they are prisoners of Dr. Plato, Jerry becomes separated from the hostages and his brain is transformed.  The savant side of Jerry’s brain accelerates its healing allowing and Jerry soon finds himself able to function without the impairment of autism. He becomes the doctor’s worse nightmare. Phillip and Amanda are forced to work together in order to warn the authorities of Dr. Plato’s impending invasion of their colonies and planets.

Plato’s Gateway is a thrilling and well written novel that should have a sequel. Readers will find themselves invested in the characters as they read page after page. Yes, Plato’s Gateway is a love story, but only after many twists and turns that won’t be revealed by me. Kudos to Brian Jeffreys, he has created a thoroughly fascinating novel.

Daydreams from a Working Stiff - Now on Kindle!

Daydreams from a Working Stiff, An Anthology is now available on Kindle! This anthology contains six science fiction novellas and they are each very different in context. The one thing that connects all of the stories is that each began with the question, "What if?"

The titles of the novellas are: Government Lot #7777-68; Historical Intervention; Religious Proportions; The Warehouse; Visitor to the Light Air; and Serving Zoo Time.

These exciting tales are available from amazon.com for $0.99.

NOTE: This is a revised version of my paperback that was published in 1995.

 

Long Journey to Rneadal now available!

Long Journey to Rneadal, is now available on line! Both paperback and ebook versions are available from the on line book stores!

If you enjoy reading novels that distract you from the evening news, then Long Journey to Rneadal is a book that you're sure to enjoy. The best way to describe Long Journey to Rneadal is to say that it is a romantic action adventure in space. This story is more about the characters than it is about the technology.

There are two book reviews available on this site. Check these reviews to learn more about Long Journey to Rneadal.

P.S. Rneadal is pronounced Nay-dal.

New Paperback and eBook of My Novel

Last Friday, I finished reading the galley (first printed paperback) of my novel, Long Journey to Rneadal. The paperback and the ebook versions should be available in the next couple of weeks.

For those of you who aren't familiar with my novel, there are two reviews on this site. This novel is an romantic action adventure in space and is more about the characters than the technology.

The 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch - A Great Read!

Whoo-Hoo!!!

I picked up The 13th Hour yesterday. Finished it this afternoon. What a great page-turning thriller! It's a book that I couldn't put down! Richard Doetsch's writing style flows so smoothly that it makes the pages and story fly by. All of Doetsch's characters are so captivating and human. The good guys have moments of "not so goodness" and his bad guys are very bad and ruthless.

The 13th Hour is a novel no one who love thrillers should miss.

Reception and Book Signing at Saturn San Antonio N.E.

The reception and book signing that Rick Cavender hosted at Saturn San Antonio N.E. was a grand event! Rick Cavender is a longtime friend and president of the Saturn San Antonio N.E. hosted the gala event and provided a variety of sandwiches and fresh fruit trays for our friends and family who joined us for the fun. A cake with the front of my novel, Long Journey to Rneadal, was served for dessert. While a boom-box played a CD of some of the Rick Cavender Band’s songs, friends and family gathered for great food, stories from the past, and quite a bit of laughter and hugs.

Kudos to my friend, Rick, for hosting my first reception and book signing! For information about the Rick Cavender Band check out his web site at: www.rickcavenderband.com.

Latest Review of Long Journey to Rneadal

Long Journey to Rneadal by Sharon E. Dreyer

Review by Wendy at Wendy's Minding Spot - Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Jake Granger is the handsome captain of the star cruiser, the RELENTLESS. When Dr. Jessica Hunter is assigned to his ship for six months to create new systems, he doesn't let time waste. He is deeply attracted to Jessi and pursues her with a passion. He allows her prefrence to be alone while she works, but he demands she spend more time with the crew, mainly wanting her company to himself.

Dr. Jessica Hunter is a wealthy and beautiful young scientist who is telepathic. She's a genius! She can perform magic tricks that shock her audience into speechlessness, and she has a special and gentle way with animals. However, the doctor prefers her solitude. She finds herself eventually succumbing to Jake's passions and they are soon married.

But, Jessie learns some new truths about her past and knows she must travel to the planet of Rneadal to save the Rtuii. After their honeymoon, they prepare for the trip, but with trepidation. Jessi is pregnant. But other forces are at work in the atmosphere, and they may not be able to return with their lives.

LONG JOURNEY TO RNEADAL is an adventure out of this world. Sharon Dreyer does an excellent job of character building and describing the atmosphere, ships, and life forces. She makes it very easy to understand and follow the storyline. Jessie and Jake are wonderful characters full of life and depth. If you’re looking for something sci-fi, adventurous and romantic, LONG JOURNEY TO RNEADAL is a must read. A star-studded adventure of epic proportions!

http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/2009/09/long-journey-to-rneadal-by-sharon-e.html

Posted by Wendy at 6:44 PM