-
ELECTRIC DREAMS: SEVEN FUTURISTIC TALES by Deborah A. Bailey
A collection of speculative fiction stories set in future worlds from Earth to the far reaches of the solar system. At the intersection of technology and humanity, what could happen? Electric Schemes – A frustrated employee plugs himself into his computer everyday in his boring job, but when his micromanaging boss tries to get him fired, his computer decides to take charge by managing his career. Between the Mirror and the Heart – A robot is ordered as a lover for a human woman, and as he adapts to his humanity, he realizes his human buyer is having second thoughts about their relationship.On the Beach – The last…
-
Fantasy Art and a Story: Beleondin City
Vidar was frowning again. Neru tapped his friend’s foot under the table to get his attention. Vidar had been staring out the train window since they sat, eyes locked on Beleondin City as it shrank behind the trees. “It was nicer than I imagined.” He’d been saying that same line for the past week. Like always, Neru nodded in agreement. People outside told terrible stories about that city. Tales of savage monsters hunting in shadows even during the day. Of ritual sacrifices to a cursed deity. Barbaric people living in a wicked city. It had all been so far off the mark Neru wondered where those lies originated. Maybe people…
-
Black Lives Matter Brooklyn Protest Over the Weekend
By now, I’m sure you’ve seen or even participated in the Black Lives Matter protests going on across the country. Fortunately, and maybe, unfortunately, I live in Brooklyn. New York seems to be the center of everything. Protests began, I believe, in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center. Then, the next day, they spread throughout the borough and the city. The one in Flatbush was closest. I found out about it through Twitter. This protest was peaceful but I’m neither going to condemn or praise the people resorting to violence or destruction. I understand why they’re doing it. What George Floyd suffered through was kind of an average day for many…
-
5 Creepy Short Horror Films to Watch on YouTube
Some horror short films have better acting and visuals than some feature-length movies. And, they’re free. I used to watch a lot of short horror movies on YouTube. My favorite was Lights Out which actually became a movie. I think that film got me into horror shorts. I stopped watching them for a while, though. Don’t remember the reason. I think I got distracted by video game Let’s Plays. Recently, a new video by ponysmasher, the channel behind Light Out, popped up on the feed. It came out a month ago so not really new. I decided to see what other horror shorts were now on YouTube. Here are some good…
-
Creating “To Other Worlds'” Print Cover, With Design Tips for Indie Authors
I generally don’t have a preference for book format. Ebook, print, audio, I don’t particularly care. I just like books. But, there is a special kind of feeling when I’ve finished the print cover for my book. Maybe it’s because seeing the full front and back cover makes it seem real. But, designing a print cover is something special, in a good and slightly annoying way. Here’s To Other Worlds’ cover for posting online: Since I don’t want the headache of trying to make a photo book look pretty as an ebook, To Other Worlds will be only available as a hardback. Maybe, eventually, I’ll look into turning it into an…
-
Animal Crossing: Get Inspired by Rosewood, the Creepy Island With an Immersive Story [Video]
I watch a lot of Animal Crossing Let’s Plays to get some ideas for my own island design. A couple of days ago a YouTuber I follow, TagBackTV, talked a lot about their tour of Rosewood. It’s a horror-themed island with a story. Apparently, YouTube kept suppressing the video because of that theme. This island seemed right up my alley but, for some reason, I didn’t search for the video. It never showed up in my recommendations. One day, I had YouTube playing in the background. I was half-watching it while working on something else. I was just letting YouTube do its thing, play more Animal Crossing videos. Eventually, this…
-
Fantasy Artwork: Reaching for Freedom
For just a moment, he wanted to be left alone. Drifting across the water with such beautiful scenery should have been relaxing except his phone kept ringing. He had tried once, leaving his phone at home or at least, turning it off. The amount of rage that came down on him from friends and co-workers had destroyed the peace he had gained. He had warned them all beforehand and yet he was still called selfish and irresponsible. His phone rang once again. This time it was his boss asking him to do something that could’ve waited until Monday. Was it so wrong to want a moment to himself? Everyone said…
-
7 Places to Find Inspiration for Your Magic System (Infographic)
If only magic was real. It’s not but I can give my characters the powers I want. You can make a fantasy world without magic but I find it more fun to include it. Usually, I go into a story already knowing what kind of powers I want to give my characters. I’ll add some extra stuff to make it more interesting. Then, I’ll sit back and work on making it believable. My paranormal investigator series is presenting a little problem, though. By the time I started The Unburned Island, I’d published about 12 books. All of them had characters with powers, which meant I was running dry on ideas.…
-
Animal Crossing: YouTube Channels and more for 5-Star Island Help and Inspiration
I played New Leaf but I’m discovering I didn’t’ play it. I logged a lot of hours into that game and I still barely scratched the surface. You can do so much in Animal Crossing. Terraforming is new but there’s a lot even outside of that. I didn’t pay much attention to decorating my town. Didn’t even know about hybrid flowers. I’m tempted the play the game again but I don’t think I can handle the shade I’m going to get after being gone for 8 years. Speaking of things I didn’t know, I just kept collecting plaques from Happy Home Academy. I didn’t pay much attention to the letter…
-
Spring Macro Photography
I stumbled onto some little spring treasures on my walk with Oreo. Flowers are pretty in general, especially during the spring when they’re everywhere. But, it’s more interesting to find unusual ones. My neighborhood has a lot of red and yellow tulips so when I see other colors, I get excited. Photographing these flowers straight on creates a beautiful shot. Beautiful but boring. Fortunately, no one was on the sidewalk at the time so I didn’t have to worry about being in people’s way. I parked myself in front of those flowers, got as close to them as I could and experimented. Sometimes, a straight-on photo will work if I…
