Sloe Jobee? I don't get the reference. But then I'm slow and jobless, so it's close.

3,052

(87 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Unbar wrote:

Here is my blurb for book 2, any thoughts?  "After discovering that he can enter the World of Books, 15 year-old Tommy Travers has accepted training under the Gifted and now must learn to control his new powers. He has already seen the devastating consequences of ignorance. The repercussions for his past decisions are not over. The escaped wizard Mephitis read his mind. He knows where the Gifted are. If he can just get his powers back the warehouse, the Gifted, the world, will be his. Tommy is the only one who can stop him, but first he must discover the secret that Amelia has been keeping from him all along."

There is enough information here to get a sense of the story and the characters, except for Amelia. Needs one or two words before her name to describe her role (e.g., the enchanted princess).

Thanks. Based on yesterday's results, I appear to have miscalculated the start date of the Great Collapse of Civilization. To my credit, chapter one mentions that Aussie was beheaded on the orders of then President Tru.... I`ll probably have to change that, since it's no longer funny. President Hillar... perhaps? Too soon?

Free apricot brandy at K's place. He has a whole barrel.

3,054

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Kdot wrote:

I'm in the opening throws on Colourless. I'm also still slogging through the Arthurian Tales but it's been several months on that and I must concede I'm lost and might not finish

Who's writing Arthurian Tales? I'd like to see that.

3,055

(1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

The paragraph below is from the new chapter two. I spent several paragraphs, including that one, describing Joseph's bedroom and world (through the open window). As you can see below, I then say none of that matters as I transition to the Voice. The natural question that arises is why I give all that information from Joseph's POV if he's entirely focused on the Voice. Even if there wasn't a voice, he would probably not think all of these descriptive thoughts explicitly after waking up in the middle of the night (although he might). Is this really a problem?

His planet. The one he would rule someday. A small, precious world in an otherwise perfectly ordinary star system. His star system. A member of the Realm of Stars, near the border of the scary Imperium Romanum. But none of that mattered right now as Joseph turned his full attention to the Voice!

3,056

(1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Thank you.

I'm not sure. I know of one person who missed work for three days, which had never happened to him before. He hasn't had a flu shot since.

3,058

(1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Has anyone ever seen a bay window used on the second floor of a home (a palace, in my case)? I'm trying to dress up Joseph's bedroom. I don't think I've ever seen it used on an upper floor. It also has to have sheers and (ideally) drapes for the scene to work.

Amy, can you tell me roughly how long a reaction to the flu vaccine lasts? These are considered a mild reaction to the vaccine? Sheesh. (Kdot, don't be a wuss. Get the vaccine.)

3,060

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Yup, all updated. I'm waiting to hear back from the TomTom forum about why it doesn't recognize the playground zones. I think there's a way to tell it what the posted limit is, assuming the feature works at speeds that low.

3,061

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

njc wrote:

Try a vacuum windshield mount.  The key is to moisten the suction cup ever so slightly before you press it in place and flip the lock lever.  With the surfaces clean and a little moisture, it should hold for three to six months.

Thanks. I can just see it dropping when my mother is driving the car. Squeal! Crunch! Maybe if I wet it every three months... And just to make the whole thing totally ridiculous, the device didn't recognize either of the playground zones in my neighborhood. That was the main reason I shelled out $$$$ for the damn thing in the first place. I may just sell it and be rid of it.

3,062

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

I took a closer look at the adapter from hell. Turns out it's the plastic casing near the tip of the adapter that's too thick. It's all scratched up from me fighting with it. TomTom said all of their adapters are the same size, so they wouldn't send me another type of adapter to try. I ordered a decent one from Amazon for $.

The unit continues to topple off the dash, so they're sending me a different kind of mount. They also sell a universal mount for $$, which will be my last attempt before I toss this on Kajiji (Canadian Craigslist) at a loss.

3,063

(1,634 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Bzzt! Cattle prod.

3,064

(19 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Charles_F_Bell wrote:

So many people think what a wonderful thing that language evolves not understanding that it is because too many people are ignorant or at least softly unknowledgable of what the language is.

I had had baked beans for dinner, but I forewent foregoing dessert since my diet had ended.

According to this article http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2014/ … forgo.html
forgo, forgone, and forwent are not the same as forego, foregone, and forewent, but have evolved to the point where they are used synonymously.

3,065

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

In an effort to outsmart the Canadian carriers ($$$$$), I signed up for a prepaid cell plan (for emergency use) for $10/mo for 50 local minutes. In a further bid to outwit the bastards, I insisted on their cheapest phone. Add $70. Get this: it FLIPS! Haven't had one of those since last century. It's black, though, so it matches my horse and buggy.

3,066

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

I used a TomTom years ago and really liked it. When I moved back to Canada, I didn't have access to a computer and Staples was pushing Garmin, so I bought a decent-looking unit for $170 ($$). I was only planning to use its voice navigation to steer by, but the damned thing didn't speak much nor give nearly enough lead time before turns. I gave it to my brother to try and he punted it to his girlfriend after one roadtrip. It's on its way to becoming a doorstop.

My brother told me to use Google Maps on my phone, so I bought a battery upgrade kit for $80 ($) and replaced the old one. Made no difference at all. Battery life on the first-gen Moto G simply sucks. I use an old wi-fi only phone plan from my old US carrier, since it works here and only costs $10/mo. Without continuous data, I had to download the maps onto my phone. That's when I found out there's not enough storage on the phone. So much for that. If I upgrade the phone ($$$$), they charge more for the US plan ($$). And Canadian plans can best be described as $$$$$ (serious lack of free market here).

Next, I researched both GPS brands and found the TomTom GO 600 to be very highly rated, so I bought it for $300 ($$$$). It includes lane change guidance and warns you if you go over the posted speed limit (a must in a city filled with 24x7 30 km/h playground zones). After lots of trial and error, I finally got it installed on the far left of the dashboard, where it doesn't block my view. It remains to be seen how well the suction cup sticks to the mounting disk that you glue to the dashboard. That 3M glue is wicked! A better adapter and extra mounting disks for my next car ($BLING) run about $.

I wish I had bought the 5" model instead of the 6" as the latter is bulky when wrestling it out of the dash's corner. The unit is detailed enough that you can see entire stretches of major highways and exits on the screen well before you reach them (think Queens Long Island Expressway, but with fewer idiots). A quick glance at the screen and a few voice prompts ever km or so, and I'm all set. Now I'm ready to visit my doctor and grocery store 2 km away. tongue

All total, about $600, which is a sizeable hunk of change. Still, the cost of a basic speeding ticket in a playground zone is about $300, not including the increase to your insurance rate. God forbid you lose your license in a city this sprawling. No Uber yet (soon), so taxis across town cost $$$$.

3,067

(19 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

JP, are you saying that people are using past pefect when they should be using simple past? I seem to be the exact opposite. I prefer simple past for a few of the questions where past perfect is the "correct" tense. Language evolves, and I write the way I speak, which is pretty gooder.

Did anyone notice the missing comma before the coordinating conjunction in question 3? tongue

Don't mess with me.
Dirk

3,068

(1,528 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

njc, have you ever wrestled with a cigarette lighter adapter? I installed a TomTom GPS device from Staples in my car and the adapter requires real force getting it in/out of the socket. I thought I was going rip a hole in the dash, I had to pull so hard. It's a 2006 Canadian Honda Accord, but these things are supposed to be a standard size in North America. No?  (I read online tonight to try turning the adapter as you pull. Haven't tried that yet.)

Thanks
Dirk

3,069

(1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Three of the four are known by the time the reader hits the second paragraph, so there is only one new name, that of Lady Kay.

Thank you both.

3,070

(1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Could someone please critique the following paragraphs for me, especially the second. I've received feedback in the past of dumping too much information too soon. We're in Apollo's POV.

EDIT: I included paragraph breaks suggested by NJC.

“Who are you talking to, asinus?” Caligula asked.

Asinus. Latin for ass. Few people Apollo knew ever cursed in the Universal Tongue, the language of the ruling elite and diplomacy. To do so was considered highly uncivilized. So the brothers fell back on Latin, even making up new words on the fly.

The above is very early in the book, in chapter two, where we first meet Apollo. The fact that Caligula swears in Latin seems like the right place to mention that they (almost) always curse in Latin, and why.

"No one, Bastardus,” Apollo said.

Bastardus. Short for Bastardus Minusculus. Coined by the emperor to humiliate Caligula in public. This was in retaliation against Caligula’s mother, Lady Kay, who fled Earth after her son’s birth, vowing never to marry Apollo’s scary father, Emperor Nero Julius Caesar Augustus VII. Were it not for her flight, Caligula, not Apollo, would be the Imperial heir.

Here, the fact that Apollo calls Caligula by the epithet coined by Nero seems like the right place to explain it. Each sentence builds on the previous one, ending with why Caligula is not the heir. I mention earlier in the chapter that Caligula is illegitimate, so it needs explaining somewhere, even though it's not critical to this scene. I'm using it flesh out an important piece of history.

Thoughts?

3,071

(1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

amy s wrote:

The definition of a savior is that the person is aware of evil and tempted by it but chooses good. So I approve of the evil soul addition.

I hadn't really planned to tempt Joseph so much as scare the hell out of him. His ghosts will increasingly become part of a hellishly integrated whole, although most of his downward spiral comes in book two. He needs to fight Billie to remain in control. She will slip out, however. Of course, the more he lets her out, the greater her ability to do so unexpectedly. Without intending it, these integrated ghosts have evolved to be rather similar to Alia and the Baron in Children of Dune.

3,072

(1,634 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

R2D Too

3,073

(213 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Janet (AJ) Reid wrote:

Next thing you know, I'm moving out of the house! smile

There's a slightly used igloo for sale here. Comes with its own indoor outhouse.

3,074

(1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

Technically, God won't battle Billie. Joseph will. And, if God is to be believed, Billie winds up there because Joseph sacrifices someone critical to his quest who could have warned him not to save Billie from the fire. The Bible varies as to whether the antichrist is one person or many. I'll probably refer to it in the singular, making it a more potent evil.

Regan claimed to be the devil, but reacted to tap water as if she was being burned by holy water. Not sure what to make of that.

3,075

(1,217 replies, posted in Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi)

I think the version of the Exorcist I saw was a director's cut or something. It would have been rated X in 1973 (e.g., Regan stabs her vagina (not shown) repeatedly with a cross, saying f*ck me, and bleeding profusely). Lots of R-rated cursing as well.