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Scribe & Quill ~ May 2004

Vol. 2 Issue 3

ISSN: 1098-6375

Section 1 of 2 Sections

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MASTHEAD:

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* Editor/Publisher

Bev Walton-Porter <editor@scribequill.com>

* Assistant Editor / Advertising Manager

Mindy Phillips Lawrence <mplcreative1@aol.com>

*Contributing Editor

J.M.Cornwell <jcornwell@peoplepc.com>

* Humor Editor

Donna "Kai" Wilson <kai@spirit-tome.com>

* Poetry Editor

J. Michele Bodkin <arabelle@bellsouth.net>

* Nonfiction Columnist

Joyce Faulkner <katieseyes@aol.com>

* Humor Columnist

Sharon Wren <swren1@msn.com>

* Video Game Reviewer

Jonathan Porter <gamers@scribequill.com>

* Mascots:

-- Isis, the Feline Freelancer

<isis@scribequill.com >

-- Popeye the Editing Wonder Dog

<popeye@scribequill.com>

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

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~Editor's Note

~Announcements

~Scribe & Quill Patrons

~Featured Article:

Writing and Mindfulness -- Powerful Partners

By Mindy Phillips Lawrence (mplcreative1@aol.com)

~Featured Column:

Grammar Goofs -- Since you Asked

By J.M. Cornwell (jcornwell@peoplepc.com)

~Featured Article:

(And What the Heck is Copyleft?)

By Jill E. Vaile (jill@jilleliz.com)

~Quotables

~Scribes of Note -- Virtual Quills

~Featured Interview:

Rebecca Forster, Author of "Hostile Witness"

By Bev Walton-Porter (editor@scribequill.com)

~Poem:

--Pa by Joyce Faulkner (katieseyes@aol.com)

~Book Reviews

--"Terrified Wife" by Karl Durham

--"Sundance" by Janet Mills

--"The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary" by Simon Winchester

--"Milky Way Marmalade" by Mike DiCerto

--"what not to wear" [Title is all lowercase] by Tinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine

~Scribe & Quill Professional Writing Courses

~Fiction:

Child of Orion

By Gareth Tamplin (gazzaunreal@hotmail.com)

~The Last Word: Recommended Links for Writers

~Contact and submission information

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NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:

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Dear Gentle Readers,

Welcome to the May issue of Scribe & Quill. We have some wonderful articles for you this time around, as well as a handful of book reviews and new fiction. Some of the featured offerings in this issue include information on copyright by resident staffer Jill E. Vaile, some thoughts on writing and mindfulness by Mindy Phillips Lawrence and an interview with Rebecca Forster, author of the new release, "Hostile Witness."

Be sure to tune in for the June issue of Scribe & Quill when we feature an exclusive interview with best selling author Ridley Pearson along with a review of his latest book, "The Body of David Hayes."

Until next time, keep writing!

Bev Walton~Porter, Editor

editor@scribequill.com

***

Mindy Lawrence, Asst. Editor/Advertising Manager

mplcreative1@aol.com

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ANNOUNCEMENTS:

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NEW WRITING COURSE LAUNCHING JUNE 2!

Creating Believable Characters

Instructor: J.M. Cornwell

Registration is limited to 20 students.

Visit: http://www.scribequill.com/Characters.html

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FEATURED ARTICLE

(And What the Heck is Copyleft?)

By Jill E. Vaile (jill@jilleliz.com)

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I am not an attorney.

Note: This is the first of several excerpts from an upcoming e-book on copyright by the Author.

* There is an entire segment of the legal profession devoted to it.

* The subject is one of the most questioned, misunderstood and misinterpreted -- particularly by writers.

* It has one of the highest paid and influential lobby groups in D.C.

* Misinformation regarding its protections and rules of use can translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses to a writer.

By now, you must know "it" is COPYRIGHT; specifically, the U.S. Copyright Act and Laws. While its symbol is small, the protection it affords is anything but.

To understand and make proper use of the rights and protection one is afforded under the Copyright Act, it is helpful to become familiar with its origins and intentions.

A Brief History

In 1787 the creation of the U.S. Constitution included in Article I, Section 8, Clause 8, that: "the Congress shall have the power...to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive rights to their prospective writings and discoveries."

Note that the inclusion of this Constitutional language resulted from concerns generated from previous experiences with British authority. In England, possessing a printing press provided the owner with the control of the work they printed. The Licensing Act of 1662 legalized the monopolies that the increasing numbers of owners of printing presses already had.

In 1710, British Parliament enacted the Statute of Anne. This established principles of authors' ownership of Copyright and a fixed term of protection of those works: 14 years, renewable for 14 more if the author was still alive upon the expiration. The Statute of Anne was minimal protection at best, because inevitably the author was forced to surrender copyright.

To be paid for the work, the author had to assign the work to a publisher or bookseller, and thus lost control of the work by the assignment. Once the control was lost, the work was then deemed to be part of the public domain.

The Statute of Anne protected authors whose work was not in the public domain.

In 1790 the first Congress implemented the provisions of the Constitution, and created the Copyright Act of 1790: "An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by Securing the Copies of Maps, Charts and Books to the Authors and Proprietors of Such Copies."

It was fashioned after Britain's Statute of Anne in that it maintained the 14-year term, with renewal possible, given the same circumstances. It differed with the additional language: "science and the useful arts." It also differed in that in the United States, publishers and printers did not gain ownership of a work by merely agreeing to publish it.

The Copyright Act was revised in 1831, 1870, 1909 and 1976.

In recent years, with the development of the Internet and Digital Rights Issues, Copyright Law has been in the headlines more than ever. From the 2001 NYTimes v. Tasini, to the most recent CTEA (Sonny Bono's Copyright Term Extension Act), Congress has altered term limits, added "Works Made For Hire," DMCA (intellectual property rights) as well as Database Protection, and the TEACH (Technical Education and Copyright Harmonization) Act to their scope of legislation. Each change, or proposed change brings with it a new round of objections and challenges. Questioning Congress' scope of power, and the individual facets of each statute, is up for debate, and many go to the Supreme Court for final decisions.

Where Does the Writer Fit In All of This?

The evolution of Copyright Law provides a greater respect for, and understanding of, the rights many take for granted. Writers in days gone by were not necessarily protected to the extent that those presently are.

What Is Automatic and What Is More Involved?

Certainly one gains protection simply by creating a work.

But that is governed by the kind of work, how it came to be created, and the source, should there be any involved, of any quotes or passages they did not create.

Works Made For Hire

In 1976, the Copyright Act defined its protection as "a work is protected by Copyright from the time it is created in a fixed format."

This means that as soon as a work is set into a tangible format, the author immediately owns the copyright. However, there is an exception to this rule. The category added in 1976 was "Works Made For Hire."

What is "Works Made For Hire?"

Under Section 101 of the copyright law, Works Made For Hire is defined as:

1. "A work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment; In other words, if one is hired as a writer for a company, whatever work they produce as that employee automatically relinquishes their claim to copyright. It is understood that the copyright is owned by their Employer.

2. A work specially ordered or commissioned for use as a contribution to a collective work." Collective works are specifically:

i. A motion picture

ii. Audio visual work

iii. A translation

iv. A supplementary work

v. A test

vi. Instructional text

vii. An atlas

viii. Answer material for a test

ix. If the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them that the work shall be considered a work made for hire.

The law further specifies that a "supplementary work " is defined as:

"Introduction, foreword, explanation, comments, afterward, pictorial illustration(s), map(s), chart(s), editorial notes, bibliography, test answers, appendixes and indexes."

"Instructional text" is defined as:

"Literary, pictorial or graphic work prepared for publication to be included for use in 'systemic instructional activities.'"

"Work prepared by an Employee," by law, specifically defines the relationship of "employee and employer." It must be specific:

1. The Employer MUST have control over the work -- how it is done and where AND

2. The Employer must have control over the Employee -- creates the Employee's schedules, give assignments, determines payment of the Employee and can hire assistants for the Employee.

3. The Employer conducts itself as one, by withholding taxes, providing the Employee benefits, etc.

In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled, in Community for Creative Non-Violence v. Reid, 490 U.S. 730 [1989] specifics in the definition of a Work Made For Hire. The language became somewhat clearer with the decision. The Supreme Court held one must "first ascertain whether the work was prepared by:

1. An employee

2. An Independent Contractor

Further, if the writer is an Independent Contractor, two specific determinations are required:

1. The work is categorized under one of the nine previously stated works.

AND

2. The parties have a written agreement, specifying the work is a Work Made For Hire.

The Supreme Court also maintained that "control over a creation did not by itself establish an Employer-Employee relationship."

(Now you know why you've been hearing over and over again NOT to sign any Work Made For Hire Agreement, without either legal consultation, or a crystal clear understanding of exactly what you are signing and why.)

For purposes of copyright registration, in a Work Made For Hire situation, the "author" and the "owner" of the work and the copyright, respectively, is, in both cases, the employer or other person for whom the work was prepared.

This CAN be changed if, within the written agreement, both parties agree to specific changes.

Few people know that the term of copyright protection of a Work Made For Hire is 95 years from the date of publication, or 120 years from creation, whichever comes first. (This is different from a Work NOT Made For Hire, which is presently the life of the author, plus 70 years.)

Additionally, the option to terminate copyright is NOT available in a Work Made For Hire situation.

Even with all of these stipulations, gray areas remain. Photographs, for example, which are not named in the specific nine areas, are often assumed to be included, or so the employer claims a frequent ploy is to maintain they are a part of the "specifically named or commissioned" work. By the same token, if an independent contractor were to provide a photo that was created prior to the agreement, it would not fit the defined "commissioned" statue, as it had not been created specifically for the work and was done in advance.

IF your work is original and does NOT fall into any Work Made For Hire or All Rights category, YOU are the owner of the copyright, and are therefore afforded immediate protection under the Copyright Act.

Or ARE You?

(Next time: "Fair Use: Can It Interfere with Your Copyrights?," "How To Fully Protect Your Work" and "Copyleft.")

***

BIO:

Jill E. Vaile is a freelance photojournalist with a passionate devotion to electronic rights issues. Her photographic interests range from shooting beautiful California landscapes, to her fave rock bands and her 200-pound Newfy Companion, Ralphie. (he is also the inspiration behind her design company, NEWFAngled Designs. Jill writes columns, articles and books on subjects including rights, legal issues, tech, gardening, cooking and restaurant reviews. She is also the Editorial Manager at Moondance.org.

Jill can be contacted at: jill@jilleliz.com. You can see some of her pictures at her galleries: http://jilleliz.com/Galleries.html

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Shadows reside in every writer's soul.

Are you afraid of the dark?

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QUOTABLES

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"Why do writers write? Because it isn't there."

--Thomas Berger

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UTNE Magazine – A different read on life!

https://w1.buysub.com/servlet/OrdersGateway?cds_mag_code=UTR&cds_page_id=8825&cds_response_key=ZK2040118

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SCRIBES OF NOTE

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At Scribe & Quill a virtual quill is our way of congratulating scribes of note who have made an article sale, published a book, snagged an agent/publisher or have reported to us a number of other notable successes in writing/publishing.

Our quills are virtual because they exist only in cyberspace. We honor the recipients here with an old-fashioned pat on the back and publication of your news so our readers can celebrate with you!

Have a success you'd like to trumpet to the rest of world? Send your triumph to editor@scribequill.com with VIRTUAL QUILL in the subject line.

This issue's virtual quills are awarded to:

J.M. Cornwell (jcornwell@peoplepc.com) had both of her Grammar Goofs columns picked up -- the first one by Michael LaRocca and the second by Great Blue Beacon, a quarterly hard copy newsletter for writers. In addition, First Kiss will appear in the next issue of Wild Violet online (http://www.wildviolet.net/). Her poem, Theory Stringing, will be published at Apollo's Lyre (http://www.apolloslyre.com).

Paula Guhin, David Guhin (guhinp@nvc.net) and Dellene Kleinsasser's historical romance, written under the pen name of Lynn Dell, won the New Age Dimensions contest in the Enrapture Division. The novel, "Dakota Rebel," will be e-published by New Age Dimensions Publishing.

John Gorman's (johngo11354@yahoo.com) audio version of his novel, "King of the Romans," has earned out its advance. In addition, TV Guide published his letter to the editor this month.

Patricia Harrington's (http://www.patriciaharrington.com) story, Belated Lesson, was accepted and published in Moondance (http://www.moondance.org). Harrington's sixth story in the emerging reader's e-book series, "Fat Cat and Gray Mouse," was accepted by childrenzbooks.com (www.gadxoox.com).

Heidi Kaminski (http://www.thewriterslife.net/Kaminski.html) was invited to emcee a charity concert and do a presentation on ADHD in front of a club sponsoring children's activities. Kaminski's newest book is "Get Smart Through Art" (http://www.daycarerecordkeeping.com)

Joy V. Smith (Pagadan@aol.com) has a world-building article, Straight on Until a New Planet, in the May/June issue of Working Writer. She had her short story, To the Last Drop!, accepted for publication by pseudoSF (http://pseudosf.tripod.com/). The story is scheduled for the Summer 2004 edition.

Bev Walton-Porter's (scribequill@adelphia.net) first chapbook, "Shadows of the Soul," has been published in e-book format (http://www.scribequill.com/Shadows.html)

Kai Wilson's (kai@spirit-tome.com) article, Comfort Writing, was picked up for publication by Great Blue Beacon.

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According to top magazine and book editors, one of the main characteristics submitted articles and manuscripts must have to garner serious consideration is clean, error-free writing. It's attention to detail that separates the professional writer from the amateur.

MPL Creative Resources can help you achieve accurate, professional copy by providing editing and proofing skills to polish your work. We offer copyediting, substantive editing, proofreading and query letter writing services.

Contact Mindy Phillips Lawrence at mplcreative@yahoo.com to discuss a price quote.

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End of Section I

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Scribe & Quill ~ May 2004
Section II
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ISSN: 1098-6375

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ADVERTISEMENT
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"The Eternal War. Book One, Diana's Challenge" by Terri Pray

Book One.
Diana, privileged young woman of Meneasara, has come of age. Facing choices of taking a life mate of her own gender, and the chance to buy her first male. Torn between love and loyalty, she will face accepting her planet's ways or admitting to the love she comes to feel for a mere male.
http://www.terripray.com/bookstore.html

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FEATURED INTERVIEW:
Rebecca Forster, author of "Hostile Witness"
By Bev Walton-Porter (editor@scribequill.com)
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[Scribe & Quill]: How did you first begin to write and become published, Rebecca?

[REBECCA FORSTER]: My first published book was called "In Passion's Defense," a romance about (what else?) attorneys. A friend of mine dared me to write a book and, since I was in marketing, I thought I would research how it was done. What I found was that category romance offered the greatest opportunity for publishing because of the sheer volume of books that are put out each month. I also found that category publishers were open to unagented work. So, taking my friend up on the dare, I used the guidelines from the publisher and advice from the Writers Market and sat down and wrote. Amazingly, my first effort sold!

[Scribe & Quill]: How did you first make the jump to writing legal thrillers, then?

[RF]: I'm not sure I actually made the jump to legal thrillers. I think I was pushed. I had been writing single title women's contemporary fiction rather than category for some time. I enjoyed the freedom of the single title arena, but I still didn't believe I had found my voice. When my editor told me I really did not have a clue what women considered romantic and that I had a bad tendency to kill my characters before they ever made it to the bedroom, I realized I should write in the genre I read. I had always been an avid reader of legal fiction and thrillers so I pitched an idea and the result was "Beyond Malice," published by HarperCollins. I have now written six legal thrillers. "Keeping Counsel" was a USA Today Best Seller. "Hostile Witness," my most recent release (Signet, February 2004), is the first in a series.

[Scribe & Quill]: Your work reminds me of John Grisham's work. What's your reaction when people compare your work to his work?

[RF]: I'm thrilled when people say I remind them of Grisham. I would worry if they said I was just like Grisham. I think readers respond to the fact that I like to really research the legal aspects of my books like Grisham. I'm not an attorney but I am married to a judge so my research is not only on target, it's fun to do. But I also try to go in a unique direction. I write about women judges and lawyers and defendants. I'm fascinated by the role a woman's emotional life plays in a business that is all about rules and regulations.

[Scribe & Quill]: Which writers have inspired you the most and why?

[RF]: I've been inspired by many writers. Nelson DeMille is one of my favorites, as is Stephen King. Those two authors take chances. Sometimes they hit the mark and sometimes they don't, but they never take a cookie cutter approach to their work. I feel as if they put in 110 percent with each book. I love Anne Rice for her prose. There are so many fantastic writers it's hard to choose. I guess you could say I'm inspired by everyone who puts pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). When I read, I know I am learning about someone's personal POV. You can't write fiction and not have your characters express what is deepest in your heart or mind at some point.

[Scribe & Quill]: Tell us about the next book in your series.

[RF]: "Silent Witness" is the next in the series. And, like "Hostile Witness," I explore the theme of children left behind by adults making bad choices. In "Hostile Witness," the focus was on a young obsessive/compulsive, cutter (16-year-old girl) who has been through so much in her young life. She is accused of murder and tried as an adult. My husband handled such a trial and I was torn apart by the thought that a child could basically be sentenced to death because he would be sent to adult prison if found guilty. In "Silent Witness," I explore the stresses brought on stepfamilies when one person brings a mentally and physically challenged child to the family. It's a courtroom drama but I try to go deeper into the emotional motivations and consequences of the situation. "Silent Witness" is due to be released in February 2005.

[Scribe & Quill]: What is the best advice you've ever received as a writer?

[RF]: After all these years of writing the best advice I ever got was work it until it's perfect. If you think you're finished after five revisions, read it a sixth time. If your gut tells you something isn't right, it probably isn't.

[Scribe & Quill]: Would you recommend that writers try and get an agent for their book manuscripts?

[RF]: Having an agent depends on what your ambitions are, I think. Category romance is still very open to unagented writers. I think that's marvelous and encourage people to cut their teeth there. I learned so much about the craft of writing by learning how to tell a story within guidelines. It was a wonderful proving ground.

For those who are writing outside category fiction, it is still possible to publish without an agent but difficult. Times have changed. The good news is there are lots of resources on the net to find an agent and some that even list agents actively looking for writers including first time authors.

[Scribe & Quill]: How had the Internet influenced your writing career, for good or bad?

[RF]: The Internet has made it possible to research so many things and that's exciting. I can research aspects of my books as well as keep abreast of industry trends and business news that a few years ago were difficult to find. Unfortunately, there can be a tendency to get so wrapped up in all that information that one feels paralyzed. I've tried to be very focused when using the Internet, otherwise I get overwhelmed -- not to mention I waste time that should be spent writing.

[Scribe & Quill]: Is it easier or more difficult to break into publication than it was, say, ten years ago?

[RF]: I don't know that there's an answer to the easier-or-more-difficult-to-break in question. It rewards persistence, professionalism and creativity. Publishing loves the writer who understands that this is a business, too. I see new writers constantly being published and the common thread is that they present their work in a professional manner and it is work that has a unique twist whether it is voice or subject matter.

Resources exist for those who want to break in -- RWA, Sisters in Crime, MWA -- a writer who understands the business is going to succeed.

[Scribe & Quill]: Is there anything else you would like to share with Scribe & Quill readers?

[RF]: Anything else I'd like to tell your readers? Yes. I'd like to tell them to be proud of everything they write. I'd like to tell them to find one person who will honestly critique your work and listen to it -- not ten or twenty -- just one you trust. I'd like to tell your readers that the best resource a writer has is a supportive family. Whether or not they read your work, if your family believes you can do it you will. I'd like to remind everyone that your writing will survive you. It will tell your children and grandchildren and anyone who reads what you have written what you thought about the world. With that writers claim a little immortality. Writing says that we were here and had a voice. I think that's the loveliest gift we can give anyone whether our thoughts are put in a letter or a book.

So, happy writing and reading everyone.

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ADVERTISEMENT
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What are the Dames up to now? May's spotlighted Jewels of the Quill author is Christine DeSmet (Dame Moonstone). Visit our site to read about her romantic suspense, "Spirit Lake," read an interview with Christine, and sign up for our free monthly book giveaway. Find out what the Dames are up to at
http://www.JewelsoftheQuill.com.

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FEATURED POEM:
Pa
By Joyce Faulkner (katieseyes@aol.com)
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I've kept him hidden all these years,
Buried and forgotten somewhere in that field
They turned into a trailer park
About fifteen years back.
If I were spiteful,
I might take sullen satisfaction
In knowing that he'd really hate that.
But, time has worn me down
And the energy it takes to hate left with my youngest child.

He was a tiny, gray-eyed Injun,
His useless legs like lumps of brown cheese
Under his thin, red lap robe.
He gave me rides,
Maple muscled arms pulling us along in his homemade wheelchair.
Whooping and bellowing like a kid himself,
And me, clinging to his rusty neck and giggling into the breeze,
We'd roll out under the willow
and he'd stroke my pale yellow tangles
Like all Pas with their little daughters.
And he'd tell me over and over
About his Cherokee mother,
Caught between the tribe and her part-time German lover,
Who left her a legacy of three beige bastards
And a carved pine crucifix.
She gave it to Pa and he to me.

Pa, crippled by wood alcohol at nineteen,
Married Ma, five months gone having known her only three.
She died when she whelped me,
A mongrel like him.
He raised this house and me in it.
Unsupported and all alone,
And I was his child, his love,
His victim.
He gave me rides,
Dirty birdcage breath clogging my nostrils,
Moldy tongue forcing my mouth.
And he beat me with his mahogany cane
Until he couldn't lift it...
I rage, fought back, bawled in frustration
Like a cow with over taut udders.
I grew up and away to save myself
From him and from being him.

But after all, he was my pa,
And he loved me.
And maybe I've finally forgiven him
For sitting in bile and waste,
Remembering Cherokee fools and German traitors,
Hating my snotty nose and ivory skin,
And loving me because there was no one else.

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BOOK REVIEWS
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RATING LEGEND:

**** Quills = Excellent
*** Quills = Good
** Quills = Fair
* Quills = Poor

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"Terrified Wife" by Karl Durham
Reviewed by: Rita Porter (beepmybeep2@mchsi.com)
Publisher: A Critical Mass Publisher
ISBN: 0971989400
Rating: * * * Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0971989400/scriquil/

Ginnie Midler learned a hard lesson in dealing with Farrell, her husband. Farr was unpredictable, quick to anger and quick to strike. An accident pushes Farrell to finally agree to seek counseling for his drinking habits and the marriage problems. Following up on the suggestions the good doctor made, they end up attending a murder mystery fundraiser with Studs, a friend from work and his wife, Daisy.

Upon arrival there, they all separate, the men heading toward the free bar and the women to circulate among the other guests. The action-packed evening turns into a real murder and the police show up. Ginnie, already leery of her husband, watches him and becomes suspicious of his behavior.

Now terrified for her life, Ginnie starts to wonder if she is living with a murderer. What there is that she could possibly do to escape? She wonders if all the circumstantial evidence is exactly that. Could her husband be a murderer?

With lively conversations, writer Karl Durham has brought the reader into the terrified mind of Ginnie. Some readers can only speculate on what it would be like to live with abuse. With Durham's background, he was able to write around the edges of this psychological terror. Shown with all the options an abuse victim has, but that are often ignored out of fear, "Terrified Wife" actually lets you follow along on the outskirts of what life might be like for one who is abused.

Karl Durham does very well with the portrayal of his main characters, even down to the flighty and often random thoughts of those involved in this type of cycle. The trials and tribulations into domestic abuse are often more violent than Durham chooses to write about. In so doing, he takes some of the edge off of this serious and disturbing reality.

***

"Sundance" by Janet Mills
Reviewed by: Rita Porter (beepmybeep2@mchsi.com)
Publisher: Treble Heart Books
ISBN: 1931742170
Rating: * * * ½ Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1931742170/scriquil/

Leaving behind a disastrous relationship, California Dalton takes a job tutoring a young girl. Things start off wrong for Callie. Bethany Jacobs is no child in need of tutoring and Trevor isn't at all what Callie assumed him to be. With no recourse but to try to stick it out and make it work, Callie forces a trial of employment period.

Everything starts to look up. Callie wants to help this family and, in so doing, she falls in love with Trevor. Scared from a first marriage and divorce, she denies her feelings. Trevor also fights any sort of involvement that would include marriage and is looking to bed with Callie. Upon the sharing of their secrets, they decide to risk love and get married.

With many misadventures, this small family is brought together and torn apart by stubborn pride and fear. Callie does what she must to keep her small family together, without the aid of the missing Trevor. With his return, Trevor finds things very different than before running away. Not only is Callie different, but there are babies. The biggest change he sees is in his sister. Time stands still for no one.

There isn't much background work on this book and it centers on how the main characters interact with each other more than the few smaller characters that are written in. With great detail given over to the romance and sex, this book borders on erotica.

Janet Mills used a most profound way in the descriptive interludes between Calli and Trevor. The two develop steamy and intense reactions to one another. The reader definitely senses chemistry there.

For readers seeking a sensuous story mixed with some hardship, this one is recommended.

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"The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary" by Simon Winchester
Reviewed by: Sonali T. Sikchi (sonali_sikchi@hotmail.com)
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060175966
Rating: * * * * Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060175966/scriquil/

On January 1, 1928, The New York Times declared on its front page that "with the inclusion of the Old Kentish word zyxt.one of the great romances of English literature" the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) was finished. Twelve weighty volumes; 414,825 words; 1,827,306 quotations; 227,779,589 characters; 178 miles of paper; 71 years -- such was the enormity of the task
painstakingly accomplished by the underpaid and overworked lexicographers of the Scriptorium at Oxford University. Along with exemplary volunteer contributors from around the world, such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Frederick Furnivall and Fitzedward Hall, the lexicographers combed nearly 800 years of English literature to give the OED its impressive depth and breadth. Even today, the OED remains an unrivaled monument to the history, beauty and
complexity of the English language.

Set against the backdrop of linguistic history and scholarship is the story two men: both tall, thin and bald; both with hooded blue eyes; both with an air of avuncular kindliness; both with white, long beards, thick moustaches and sideburns. One was Sir James Murray, the formidable editor of the OED for 40 years, and the other was Dr. W.C. Minor, the most prolific contributor to the OED of shades of meanings of words and supporting quotations, an American, a civil war surgeon and an inmate of a mental asylum.

The book describes the stories of the childhood and early adulthood lives of both men, while also detailing the influential people and events that led up to their working together on the OED. That Murray and Minor, who had led
such disparate lives, were united in their fierce love of the language, were able to view one another as peers and foster a warm friendship are what make this a compelling book.

With a verve for storytelling, a good command of the craft of writing and careful attention to tiny details of little-known history, Winchester has turned an otherwise dry topic into a page-turning tale. The biggest downside to the book is the author's propensity to wax eloquent and on a tangent for extended periods, such as his discourse on mental diseases and the labels currently used to identify them, which tend to break up the narrative and detract from an otherwise exciting story.

An aside: Styled after John Murray's famous 1879 invitation to readers, the end of the book has an invitation by John Simpson, current chief editor of OED, "calling for readers to participate in the collection of material" for the next edition. See www.oed.com/readers for more details. For a broader view of the history of the OED, read Simon Winchester's "The Meaning
of Everything."

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"Milky Way Marmalade" by Mike DiCerto
Reviewed by: Rita Porter (beepmybeep2@mchsi.com)
Publisher: Zumaya Publishing
ISBN: 1894942213
Rating: * * Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1894942213/scriquil/

Quark Caffrey is a simple man hunting down delicacies that will sell well on the auction block. He flies around on the Moby Dick run by Angie, a computerized freethinking unit. Quark rescues a box out of space that had records in it, then decides to go back in time to the land of music beginnings known as Earth.

Strange things begin to happen. Yin, a talking pooch, and Poe 33, a robot built by his uncle from the future, and his ship all show up to break up Quark's paradise. Poe demands that he accompany them to find the L'Orange, a know-it-all Supreme Being. Poe has lost his way and his programming sent him after the nearest living relative of his creator.

Quark decides to go along with Poe and Yin to save his friends after they have been kidnapped by one of the people who are against the L'Orange. They want his help to get control of it. Quark just wants his friends back safe out of harm's way.

Everything that can go wrong does, though Quark and his crew manage to survive some with harrowing escapes. They travel into different galaxies and seek what is unknown. Many misadventures are in store for the adventurers.

Mike DiCerto writes a good fantasy book, providing lots of detail to work through. The characters are quickly formed and introduced. The basic story line was hard to grasp and slow to follow, but it does pick up. The ending is a surprise to the reader, though.

Explanations of the different creatures and galaxies was written very well. DiCerto's imagination plays a major factor in showing such descriptions to the reader in great detail. He must be commended for his efforts.

***

"what not to wear" [Title is all lowercase]
By Tinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine
Reviewed by: Sonali T. Sikchi (sonali_sikchi@hotmail.com)
Publisher: Riverhead Books
ISBN: 1573223573
Rating: * * * * Quills
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1573223573/scriquil/

"Style isn't something you are born with, but something any one of you can learn." With those words Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine beguile the reader into turning the pages of their fashion manual. However, it is with their humorous and succinct comments and illustrative pictures that they clearly ensure the reader gets their point: "dress to show off what you love and hide what you loathe about your body."

Most women despair of ever fitting into the teeny-tiny clothes that the anorexic models sport with such poise. Diet and exercise, which many of us are reluctant to do citing time as the reason, are believed to be the only way to squeeze our unruly bodies frankfurter-style into chic clothing. However, as Woodall and Constantine explicitly show, looking stylish is not
about following fashion, but forging ahead with what looks good on the individual.

The book addresses different problems areas one by one: big boobs, no boobs, big arms, big butt, no waist, flabby tummy, saddlebags, short neck, short legs, thick ankles and calves -- in short, the entire body. The left-hand-side pages denote the wrong choice of apparel, while the right-hand-side pages display the correct choices. Each page is composed of a full-color picture of either Woodall or Constantine modeling the article of clothing with comments appraising the selection.

Theirs is a no-holds-barred approach to tearing apart the wrong choices for the different body types and to clearly point out why the right choices work. Their sarcastic, witty and honest take on what can be a painful subject makes the reading fun and intriguing. The book forms a great complement to their TV series on BBC.

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Falling in love with a five-hundred-year-old wizard is impossible -- until Tess Montgomery does. So what's a mere mortal woman to do, especially since the love of her life is, well, immortal? "Indigo Spell" is Dawn Whitmire's current release and is available now from Triskelion Publishing. Buy it online at http://www.triskelionpublishing.com.

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FICTION:
Child of Orion
By Gareth Tamplin (gazzaunreal@hotmail.com)
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The Orion was a standard, medium-class research cruiser. It could hold 50 people and had space for the appropriate amount of living quarters, but was modified so it was slightly different. It was, of course, a research ship and had no need for a crew per say, so most of the living sections had been converted so they contained scientific instruments and containment areas.

On this particular mission there were only two human crew members aboard: the first was a senior research scientist by the name of Mr. Bernard Prowse and a top-level pilot and tester by the name of Mr. James Hargrove. The rest of the crew was made up of various classes of robot assigned to their own specific tasks.
Prowse was a short, stubby man with a cleft of fiery ginger hair on the top of an almost cherubic face. His body was stout and he wore a pair of thin glasses with small rectangular lenses that magnified his eyes so that he looked constantly surprised.

Hargrove was of moderate build, perhaps a slight gut, and medium height. He had well groomed brown hair and a fairly defined face with eyes that made him look a few years shy of his actual 30-something. All in all they were quite the odd couple.

The two men entered the main hanger area through the express elevator and out onto the upper platform. The hangar was incredibly long; it could house 500 ships and stretched many miles along the continent. Hargrove had been on these missions before; Prowse, however, stopped in awe for a second and stared at the magnificence of the room. The walls resembled stainless steel, not chrome, and the domed ceiling stretched high above the organized chaos that occupied their landing pad.

"Hey!" called Hargrove.

Prowse shook himself out of the trance and looked over at him, "Something, huh?"

"Oh it's quite something, I'll give it that."

Prowse composed himself and, following Hargrove, they made their way off the platform onto the main area. Their mission was of a dual purpose with two main objectives:

1. The ship was equipped with a new, more efficient, hyper-jump engine. Usually these engines used immense gravitational fields to temporarily produce a wormhole around the craft that was configured to re-open at another point in space. Once the craft reached its destination, which would take around a tenth of the time to reach in this way, the wormhole would dissipate. This new model was slightly different: Instead of creating a wormhole, it would create an artificial kind of black hole. This would allow the ship to briefly reach speeds faster than light speed. The black holes the drive created were not black holes proper, more so a combination of black holes and wormholes. The black hole would be created briefly then destroyed; the temporary suction of the black hole would slingshot the ship through the immediately created wormhole, which sent them to their destination almost instantly. It was a very impressive engine.

2. Tied in with the concept of black holes, a new black hole had just been discovered in an Earth-controlled solar system in a distant galaxy. The team's secondary objective was to assess the threat it caused to the civilizations of the planets within that solar system and to give a detailed report of possible action on return to Earth.

After a quick debriefing with a few officials of the base, including the Senior Project coordinator, the two men entered the via a drawbridge-type mechanism on its underbelly. Hargrove's footsteps echoed throughout the main corridor as he gasped his approval. "Man, they weren't kidding when they said this was state-of-the-art!" Prowse uttered a similar comment as they made their way to the bridge.

The floor and ceiling were each composed of a thick layer of transparent material, similar to glass but with a metallic sheen. It was illuminated in sections separated by non-illuminated borders. The walls were incredibly smooth and sinuous; there wasn't a sharp angle in the whole ship barring the control consoles and doors.

The walls were made of a similar material as the floors and ceilings, but they had a more prominent metallic feel. Occasionally on their journey they would encounter a robot or two, each of which expressed their "Pleasure to see you, sirs" in a perfectly modulated, but utterly mechanical voice.

When they finally reached the command deck, they stopped at the entrance as all the present robots turned and saluted before returning to their work at the many glittering, flashing consoles of the bridge.

Prowse turned and smiled at Hargrove, who was obviously enjoying the mission even then. "If only we got this kind of respect back outside, eh?" he laughed, then climbed into the solid metal and leather-trimmed captain's chair. Prowse took his place beside him.

"Forgive my naivety, but what happens now?" Prowse asked, nervous tension in his voice. "I mean, I've read all the documentation on the mission...but this is my first time on a field mission."

"Hey, don't worry about it!" came the light-hearted reply. Hargrove rapped a few buttons on the keypad and the ship's basic engines came online. "Well, Multiversal is always concerned, especially with these types of mission, that nothing go drastically wrong near the base or even outer solar system," he explained. "So with that in mind, it's enforced that we at least get clear of the solar system by a certain amount of distance before powering up the hyper-space engine."

"Ah! I see, to avoid a malfunction? Due to the fact that we're working with black holes, I'd say that's fairly reasonable!" Prowse was too enthusiastic for his colleague's taste.

"The downside is that we have to stay on basic engines until we leave the system. We''l make the jump tomorrow." He grinned at Prowse. "Make yourself comfortable, baby. If it's your first time we don't want you getting hurt -- now do we?"

Prowse mock-laughed and quickly strapped into his chair before the ship fired up, rose off the ground, and surged through the hangar doors. Breaking the atmosphere was nothing to a ship of this caliber.

The next morning the two men made their separate ways back up to the bridge. Preliminary checks and tests of the ship's hardware were good, and everything seemed to be in perfect working order.

Each had a small breakfast; the effect of the new drive on their bodies was also untested. Better safe than sorry, as they say. At last the drive was ready.

"Approaching coordinates, sir" one of the robots informed Hargrove. He nodded, sent it back to its post and turned to Prowse.

"Here we go --" There was a note of apprehension in his voice. "Anything unexpected in the test results?"

"Hmm...." Prowse furrowed his brow and rapidly sifted through a wad of yellow and white sheets of paper. "No. None that I can see. The diagnostics were near-perfect, logically the drive is in perfect working order."

Hargrove sighed relief and typed a few commands into the keyboard on the arm of his chair. "Ready?" He said under his breath.

Prowse nodded.

With a deep breath, Hargrove leaned over to a microphone built into the keypad and held down a button. "Attention all crew members. In 30 seconds we will be initiating the hyper-jump drive. Since this drive has never been tested before, please cease any experimental procedures and brace for impact. All robots not on working shifts are asked to return to their bays at once. There will be one further warning only." He released the button and turned to Prowse. "I love this job."

Throughout the ship, swaths of robots marched in form towards their docking bays. All non-essential machinery was shut down. All orders were obeyed as efficiently as only robots can obey.
Hargrove ceased counting and went for the microphone again before quickly adding: "Honestly, with all the gadgets on this ship you'd think they could at least give you a digital watch!"

Prowse chuckled as his colleague pressed the button for a final time.

"Attention all crew members. This is your captain speaking [That felt good!]. At the end of this message the ten-second countdown will begin. I wish you all good luck."

He leaned back in his seat and counted as Prowse began the initiation procedure.

"Basic engines powered down..."
One.
Two.
"Entering target coordinates..."
Four.
Five.
"Inertial dampers online..."
Seven.
"Hyper-jump drive powering up."
Nine.
"Drive initiating! All signs are good! All systems..."
Ten.
"...Go!"

As soon as the word was uttered, the universe shuddered and space around them melted away and disintegrated as the gravitational field warped reality beyond recognition. Almost instantly the fragments of normal space fell away into a dark, inky void that made space look like the inside of a super nova.
Hargrove felt his body being pulled in every possible direction until the forces reconciled and shot him forward!

He was outside the ship -- he was nowhere -- and before his mind could register what was happening, he was back inside his chair. The darkness passed through the entire craft and was gone, shooting the ship and its crew through a tunnel of non-space.

An endless vortex of strange energy arose, somewhat resembling solar flares but of all colors he knew of -- and a few he'd never even imagined. Hargrove glanced at the display on the wall. Nothing but gibberish. Was their speed that high? It must be! The ships computer couldn't even handle it!

The immense rush of success rose up through Hargrove's body and he laughed. The wormhole swirled around the ship like water as they traversed entire galaxies in seconds.

But how are you going to stop?

Hargrove froze. His stomach knotted for the first time on this journey. Suddenly he could see the end of the tunnel. Normal space approached rapidly, dissolving the sublime mathematical perfection of hyperspace as fast as they were moving towards it.

Less that a millisecond later, the ship flung itself out of the wormhole at a speed of approximately 372,000 miles per second and into a newly created black hole. The crew didn't even have time to register a thought.

The ship was compressed to the size of an atom, then it exploded into existence at the other side as its composite elements with a force comparable to over a hundred supernovas.

A new universe was formed.

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
THE LAST WORD --
RECOMMENDED LINKS FOR WRITERS:
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Fiction Factor, http://www.fictionfactor.com
Food Writing, http://www.food-writing.com
Gila Queen, http://free-path.org/gilaqueen/
OrganizedWriter.com, http://www.organizedwriter.com
Paying Writer Jobs PayingWriterJobs@yahoogroups.com
Sell Writing Online, http://www.sellwritingonline.com
SF Romance, http://www.sfronline.com
SpecFicMe Market Newsletter, http://www.specficworld.com/sfme.html
Vision: A Resource for Writers, http://www.lazette.net/Vision/
Worldwide Freelance Writer, http://www.worldwidefreelance.com
WritingAustralia.com eZine, http://www.writingaustralia.com
WriteCraftWeb, http://www.writecraftweb.com
WritersCrossing.com Newsletter, http://www.WritersCrossing.com
Writer Gazette, http://www.writergazette.com
The Writer's Hood, http://www.writershood.com
The Writer's Life, http://www.thewriterslife.net
Writing for Success, hhttp://www.writing4success.com/newsletter.htm
Write Success, http://writesuccess.com
The Write Way, http://www.write101.com

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