Closet Spaceship Part 11

I have mixed emotions about Sean. It’s true that he introduced me to the crew, and he did give me an exciting story to start out the series, but there’s also the fact that he’s not a full-time member of the crew, although Reggie wishes he was. It’s not that I have anything against teachers; I’m married to one, after all. It’s just that he’s chosen his own path and it diverges from the crew, at least most of the time.

Wait--most of the time? Does this mean you’ll see Sean again? Yes, it’s true: he will make an appearance in the future. I could never dump him in the recycle bin, never to be seen again, mostly because he’s a good lens through which to see the crew, but also because he can be their sounding board. You might have noticed that Reggie will say things to Sean that he would never say to his crewmates. And sometimes Sean can put into words what others are thinking but don’t want to say out loud.

I spent a lot of time trying to decide if I should see Sean … or rather, if he should see me.

But then I wondered what he could say to me. It might be worth hearing, so I decided to give it a try.

Not long after the events of Another Shot, he came home to his little apartment to discover me sitting on the floor outside his door. He stopped about a meter away.

“Do I know you?” he asked.

I smiled. “Not really. Let’s just say I’m a friend of Reggie.”

At first he smiled back, but then he looked puzzled. I guess I don’t exactly fit the bill of the person you’d imagine as Reggie’s friend. He made no move toward me.

“He didn’t tell you about me?” I asked.

“No,” Sean said.

I stood up, which made him take a step back.

“He would’ve told you if I’m dangerous,” I said. “But call him if it’ll make you feel better.”

He took another step back, pulled out his phone and pushed a button on the face. Then he turned his back on me and I heard a one-sided conversation, although it wasn’t too hard to guess what was being said on the other side.

“Hi. Yeah. Um, there’s this woman here. Yeah. Yeah.” Sean glanced over his shoulder at me. “Really? Yeah. Are you sure? But how come I’ve never heard … From the—Reg, come on. Really? If you say so. Yeah, sure. Okay.”

Sean put his phone away and turned to stare at me.

I could only take it for a few seconds before I giggled and spread out my arms a little. “Not what you expected, huh?”

“Seriously?” he asked. “From the past?”

“That’s right. You might be surprised to know that some people in 2015 know who you are. I mean, I think they think you’re fictional, but still …”

Sean looked a little pale.

“I think you’d better sit down,” I said, stepping away from the door. “If you want me to stay out here, I will.”

He continued to stare at me as he stepped closer to the door. I noticed that he didn’t have a key in his hands, which were both clutching at the strap of his backpack as if it was a safety line.

“Um, a key usually helps,” I offered.

“Key?” he asked. “For what?”

“The door.”

“What door?” His shoulder bumped against it so he glanced at it. “Oh.”

He bent down to peer at a little rectangular panel on the right side of the door. Seconds later, the door popped open.

“Wow.” I stepped forward. “Retinal scanner?”

Sean stumbled through the doorway into the apartment. He half-shut the door and stared out at me.

I stepped back. “Sean, I’m not a ghost or anything. I won’t hurt you. Do you want me to go away?”

“Actually, yes.” He closed the door.

Well, I didn’t expect that. So much for what he would say to me.

Shop Locally

I know the phrase is usually "shop local," but I have trouble with that so I hope you'll forgive me for my title. Once an English major ...

However you want to say it, it's a good plan to shop the smaller stores in your area. I'm not one of those people who will say the big chains are evil, because they do employ a lot of folks, but it's nice to support the entrepreneurs who start a business in your town/city/community. I've never had the courage to try it, but my mother ran her own bookstore successfully for years, so I know how much it means for customers to bypass the big chain store and stop by the smaller shop.

As a writer, I also want to support my local bookstores. I've had copies of my novels in the Vintage Stock store in Northpark Mall in Joplin, MO, for a few years now, but since Hastings closed, I've been unable to offer them in Pittsburg, KS. That has now changed! All three of my novels are now available at Spellbound Bookstore and Cafe in Pittsburg!

Here's their Facebook page: Spellbound Bookstore on FB

I want to thank Brett for taking a chance on my novels and offering them in the new location at 1012 S. Broadway. Check them out if you get the chance!

Thanks again for your support.

Song and Color

Spring is (officially) less than a week away! (At least in the Northern Hemisphere.)

Everyone probably notices different things at this time of year. For me, it's the longer days and the birds. It's so nice to get home from work and still have daylight so I don't feel like it's already time for bed. I feel more motivated to get things done and less inclined to just plop down in front of the TV. (That always changes when baseball season starts, but I digress ...)

And the birds! Already we have killdeer announcing their presence in the parking lot of my place of work. Cardinals, titmice and robins are singing. Red-shouldered hawks are calling out in circles overhead. Chickadees are warning me away from the bird feeder, which has been visited by goldfinches, house finches, red-bellied woodpeckers and more. It's as if abundant feathered life has spontaneously sprung into existence to enrich my days.

Before long, the plants will follow them into renewed life and color.

Winter has its place in my life, but I'm never sorry to let another one fade away.

Have a joyous spring full of discovery.

(And happy Pi Day!)

Spring Forward

Now that I have In the Shadows done, I can just sit back and put my feet up, right?

Not exactly.

For one thing, I'm still trying to drum up interest in it through this blog, Facebook, word of mouth, etc. And I'm working on another video to possibly catch the eye of people who might not otherwise have heard of the Penumbra series.

Then there's the fourth novel. Oh, yes, there's another one ... and I've learned my lesson with In the Shadows: this time I won't be waiting until September to start working on it. That was my fault and caused me all sorts of problems last year, so I'm going to try to avoid it this time. I'm working on a particularly difficult scene today (sorry, no hints yet!).

Does this mean I spend all of my time on the novels? Certainly not (although sometimes I wish I could spend at least a little more time on them). I have this thing called a job and it takes up quite a bit of time. Until some rich person feels like paying me to write, I'll be going there on weekdays.

But I do other fun things, too. I'll be joining my Audubon group tomorrow to trek into the country and look for short-eared owls. Trooping across a muddy field is well worth it when you get to see such amazing creatures (I'll let you decide if I'm talking about the owls or my fellow Auduboners).

So life goes on. I'm just glad it's going on while the temperature is starting to go up again! Longer days, too!

Thanks again for your support. Please keep spreading the word.