#13 BookPeople & Websites
March 2008
The weather is warming up and so is our promotional campaign for the forthcoming book Rowan of the Wood.
Christine and Ethan Rose appeared last month at ConDFW, and we welcome our new subscribers from that convention. The next convention the authors are schedulced to attend is in August after the book release at Austin's Armadillocon (Aug 15-17) along with fellow Dalton author Robert Stikmanz.
We're happy to announce that the release date for "Rowan of the Wood" is set! August 2, 2008 we'll have our opening party at Austin's famous BookPeople at 3pm. Everyone is welcome, so mark your calendars now!
Please forward this to your friends and family inviting them to join our newsletter list and to submit their stories, poems, jokes, photos, etc. This is our twelfth Newsletter; if you've missed the first eleven you can view them at Archived Newsletters. Keep those submissions coming! We love to read your stories and poems!
Please visit our Social Media Newsrooms for the latest information and press coverage here: rowanofthewood.com/newsroom & bluemoosefilms.com/SMN
Speaking of Web 2.0, please remember to link to our blogs/vlog and bookmark them on sites such as Digg, StumbleUpon, De.licio.us, and Techorati. Subscription links at our website.
See you in cyberspace...
Allison Willows
Blue Moose Press
The Saw
by Richard Ridyard
Saws are marvellous things. They can do so much; they can make you feel so many different emotions. The spinning teeth, the motor's squall, the sawdust hanging in the air; it all means more than work to Claire.
It means life.
Two hundred and forty volts of alternating current course through the wired veins of the antique table-saw. Measure, cut, measure, cut: the craft has been in her family since the first Pine box formed under Uncle Robert's handsaw. He bought the table-saw for Aunt Sally back before he died in that nasty shop accident.
Now the saw is Claire's it was her Mother's until just last week, but now she's resting six feet under in Claire's best work. It shouldn't have been Mother's time to go, and Claire still feels bad about that.
The saw had been acting up again. It kicked back a board, almost hitting Claire right in her heart. All she had done was use a piece of wood with a few more knots in it than usual.
"It shouldn't have done it," Claire complained to her Mother at dinner.
Mother smiled at the saw and ran her hand down its cord. She always set dinner for the two of them out in the shop and polished the saw blade until it shone brighter than the silverware.
"Growing pains," she murmured. "The saw knows it's got to give me up and go on to you, but you just don't treat it right. If you were to treat it well, it will do the same for you. You have certainly got the brains to figure that much out, at least."
Claire watched as Mother touched the saw down under the table, where she thought Claire couldn't see. It made her sick, and that was the truth of it, to see Mother liking the saw like that. Especially since Claire had seen what it did to her.
Twenty-three tooth marks, a quarter inch apart just like on the blade, right across Mother's stomach, going down low. It happened before Claire was born, but she had seen the scars, and it didn't take even the brains Mother said she had to figure out where the scar came from.
Next time the teeth gripped the board just a little too hard, ready to kick it back into the soft flesh of her stomach, Claire yanked out the plug. It was harder than she had expected. Years of arcing had near welded the prongs in place, but the cord came out. The saw ripped out a choked-up growl and then went quiet. Too quiet.
She plugged it back in and turned it on. Nothing. When Mother found out, she would punish her the only way in which she could. Claire started to panic at the thought, but it was almost time for Mother to start the nightly polishing.
"Mother? The saw has gone dead," said Claire. "Mother?"
A slow growl from behind her sent a chill through Claire. She put a hand on the cord, ready to pull it out again if the saw misbehaved. Her stomach churned, but her body warmed, and she felt a tingle in her belly, way deep down low. Two hundred and forty volts of electricity brightened her veins, and she knew how the saw felt every time her fingers pressed the switch to turn it on. It was at that moment she knew how all the others had felt, what it was like to be with the saw.
"Mother! I feel it!" she said with great enthusiasm.
Mother didn't answer.
Claire searched all over and finally found her sitting on the back porch.
"Mother I feel it."
Mother didn't respond because she was dead. Claire touched her she was cold. Her eyes shut. There was an eerie chill in the air.
"Oh, Mother, I'm sorry," said Claire. "I didn't know. I guess I don't have all the brains you thought I had."
But she was smart enough to know that sometimes when the power blew out, you couldn't ever get it to come back on. She waited, and then she cried. After a long wait she built the most exquisite box she could. She used the best boards, and the saw didn't kick back. When she was done, she polished up the blade and brought her dinner out to the shop. She touched the saw with curious fingers, down under the table, though no one was there to see. She felt a little thrill in her stomach, only down lower, and she knew that someday she was going to let the saw touch her too.
In This Issue
christineandethanrose.com is now live! Visit the authors' official website for the latest news of their forthcoming book and entertaining blogs. We love to hear your comments about the book and the blogs, so please don't hesitate to do so!
AUGUST 2, 2008
The official release date for Rowan of the Wood has been annouced by the publisher (Dalton Publishing). Their opening will be held at Austin's famous BookPeople at 3pm. Everyone is welcome! Mark your calendars!
ethanroseconstruction.com is also live. If you live in the Austin area and need someone both talented and trustworthy, hire Ethan Rose for your remodel or repair work. The new website has customer quotes and Ethan's impressive portfolio online.
MySpace
(1st 3 Chs)
on Google Video
on Google
Deflag'em
by G. Achin
There IS still TOO MUCH damage yet to be done,
and yet somehow,
the permanent presidency to be "won",
to be heralded with false flags
set waiting in the wings,
and a haliburton system of large detention camps
and other things
--that don't require habeus corpus,
just the corpse of us,
the US!
(-:G
The Days Gone By
by C. Schweizer
Stand back and watch this sound
the sirens from all around
the broken glass
just waiting
on the ground
Drug dog lady, big stick
not invited, make me sick
go away and join another clan
Politically correct
no politics in check
lets’ vote for who has
the most cash
Disgrace the name of pride
Disgrace the other side
Disgrace yourself
again
once more
The man is on the floor
held down by many more
bleeding away as life
is ignored
So what does all this mean
this transparent set up scene
is it real
or is this just another world?
©2006CSCHWEIZER
Forward this message to a friend | http://www.christineandethanrose.com/