A NEW BEGINNING 2015: The Heavener Runestone Festival

Posted on October 25, 2015 by peggylchambers

055    October 10-11, 2015 I was a vendor at the Heavener Runestone Viking and Celtic Festival signing copies of my book Glome’s Valley. The book was set in the area.  If you’ve never been to the Heavener Runestone, you owe it to yourself to see this spectacular part of the country.  Surrounded by forests and valleys the runestone itself is a romantic piece of history with a controversial past.

Gloria Farley, a resident of Heavener, was a staunch proponent that the runestone had been carved by Vikings that came up the Mississippi river and its tributaries centuries before Columbus landed in what he called the New World.  Her book In Plain Site discusses places all over North America that prove Europeans landed in America, long before Columbus. She believed, as well as many authorities, that the sandstone monolith with the ancient carving may have read “Glome’s Valley” – someone claiming the valley for his own.  Others said it was a date.  But the carving is old and not of a language in use today.

The mystery of the place is only exceeded by its beauty.  The forests of pine smell like Christmas as soon as you step out of the car.  The local people are proud of their little place in history and the park is well maintained with a family atmosphere.campsite

People come from all over to celebrate the park’s history twice a year, spring and fall.  Some were dressed in full regalia; others walked around with their kids and dog eating funnel cakes. There were Celtic singers and Royal Gauntlet Birds of Prey brought their rescued birds to educate the audience twice a day.

Glome sword play    I met a young man who personified the character Glome in my book and he said I could take his picture.  I don’t think he was a ghost like Glome in the book, but you never know.

The impossibly beautiful weather added to the joy of the weekend and I met residents who knew Gloria Farley and wanted to discuss the history of the area.

Just South of Poteau, Oklahoma near the beautiful Talimena Drive you will find Heavener, OK.  If you can’t find the runestone, ask any resident. It is over the railroad tracks, turn right and go past the trailer park, then left at the sign.  Soon you will see the entrance to the park and another world.  A world of imagination and Vikings.

See you in the spring at the Heavener Runestone.

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A NEW BEGINING 2015: Zombies are People Too (One last time!)

Posted on October 18, 2015 by peggylchambers

zombie    The fourth and final episode of Zombies are People Too finds Jeremy and Nadia in jail.

When Jeremy woke with his head on fire, he was in a dark room that looked like a jail in an old spaghetti western. He lay on a hard cot with one leg dangling off the edge.  The leg was numb from the position, and at first he thought it was not there at all.  Maybe it finally fell off.

Sitting up on the edge of the bunk he looked around.  He was in a concrete building of some sort.  He expected to see some guy in a poncho and huge sombrero on the other side of the bars with the stub of a cigar in the corner of his mouth.  Instead, his head swam as he watched quick movement from the other side of the room. Nadia was on the opposite side of the chamber in a jail of her own.

“About time you woke up.” She growled and wiped her mouth with the back of one hand.

“Where are we? And how did you get here?”

“You got the good seat.  I was in the trunk.”

“How?”

“How what?  They grabbed me and threw me in the trunk before you came along.  I’m surprised you didn’t hear me screaming.”

“How could anyone catch you?  You move like a lightening bug.”

“They just did.”  She paused and looked at the floor.  “There was some garlic involved.”

“Garlic, huh?  I always heard that old wives’ tale about garlic and vam . . .” Jeremy immediately clamped his mouth shut.  He had never mentioned the word vampire in front of her.

“Well, don’t believe everything you hear from an old wife.”

“Who are they and what do they want?”

“I can answer that.”  A large man in a turtleneck walked in the door. His accent was thickly Russian and he was followed by two henchmen.  They stood behind him with arms folded over their chests.

Jeremy was suddenly hungrier than he remembered feeling for days – weeks for that matter.  What time was it and when was his last meal?

“I need Dirk Cummings back out on the street. He owes me a lot of money.”

Jeremy glanced at Nadia.  She paced the floor head down. Guttural noises came from deep inside her and she suddenly sprang for the bars, fangs bared and eyes glazed.

“She’s hungry.  How about you, counselor?  You hungry?”

“Feed ‘em boys and I’ll be back.  You, lawyer, start thinking of a way to get Cummings back in my pocket. Do svidaniya.” The man spun on his heel and left the room.

One of the henchmen tossed the black can into Jeremy’s cage.  It spun and rolled away bouncing off the other side of the bars, twirling and coming to rest at his feet.  It had a logo on the side that depicted a pair of fangs.  In Nadia’s cell he heard a bottle of pills hit the floor and bust open.  Pills flew all directions, most spewing out and between the cells on the concrete floor.  Jeremy’s pills from Dr. Smith.  He recognized them at once, but none within his grasp as he dove for the bars and reached as far as his arm would extend.

“Throw it to me!” Nada hissed staring at the can in Jeremy’s cell.  Laughter could be heard as the men left the room and slammed the door.

“Well scoop some of those back into the bottle and throw them to me!”  Jeremy pointed at the pills that lay on the floor in Nadia’s cage.  Nadia stared back at him not moving. He huffed. “Vampires suck.” He turned his back on her.

“Yeah, well zombies rot.”  Nadia scooped the pills off the floor of her cell back into the bottle.  She moved with speed belying her hunger.  Jeremy was still reaching out through the bars for the one pill that was almost close enough to touch.  Most of them still lay in between the cells.

“Toss it over here, Littleton.  If you want the pills, throw the can to me.”  Nadia’s eyes had a hunger he had never seen before and he wondered if he looked the same.

Jeremy picked up the dark can and walked to the bars.  If he tossed the juice, it might not travel all the way to its intended destination.  Maybe he should roll it.

“Throw it!” she screamed. “Or you’ll never get these.”  Nadia held the bottle out of the cage tempting him.

“Okay, on three.  We both toss them to each other,” Jeremy said.  Since when did they not trust each other?  The hunger was getting to both of them.  “One, two, three.”  Jeremy threw the can between the bars and it struck the metal on the way out veering off the wrong direction and spinning.  It landed on its top and popped open spewing the red liquid, bounced off Nadia’s cell and came to a stop in the middle of the room between the two cages.  She screamed obscenities at him as she watched the liquid run out and across the floor.

It was at that moment Jeremy noticed his pill bottle in the middle of the puddle of fake tomato juice.  They ran together.  As the red juice hit the blue pills they turned a dark and sinister purple.  Almost black.  The combined liquid ran in the direction of the vampire to the other side of the room.

She was licking the bar where the juice first bounced. Her tongue curled around the metal like a cat grooming itself. The liquid trickled closer to the jail cell on the uneven floor.  When it oozed under the bars she lapped it up with gusto and pulled the bars apart so her head could reach out further.  Soon her slender shoulders were out into the middle of the room followed by the rest of her body and she continued to clean the floor with sucking noises. Jeremy watched in amazement – and then it struck him she was out of her cell.

“Nadia.” She looked up at him. Her eyes had lost their blaze.  “Hand me the pill in front of you.  And, um, can you do that to my bars?”  She licked the floor again and handed him the pill that was still on the floor in front of him.  He quickly dry swallowed it.

The bars were barely pried open enough for him to get through when she yanked on his arm.

“Don’t. It might come off.” He slipped through the rest of the way just as the door was opening and the two thugs rushed in.

Nadia moved like greased lightning throwing one man aside.  The other rushed Jeremy.  He was never much of a fighter, except in a courtroom, but a quick uppercut to the chin sent the man crashing to the floor.  Jeremy’s fist was left dangling at an odd angle after the punch. But it didn’t hurt.

Together they ran from the building and into the night air toward the lights of the inner city.

“Are you normally that strong?  I mean you bent the bars! Do you think it was the zombie pills?”

“I don’t know.  Shut up and run.  Oh, and here you almost lost this.”  Nadia handed him his ear. “Maybe the doctor has some better glue. And he’s is going to be pissed that you broke your hand.”

He took the ear and dropped it in his pocket. “Thanks. Yeah, he probably will be.  Hey you still want that beer?”

“Yeah, maybe.”

They trotted down the street as she pulled him faster and faster away from danger. Who knew when the Russians might wake up?

Will Nadia and Jeremy become a couple?  What will they have for dinner and will their vampire kids rot?  Zompires – another new breed of humanity!  Thanks for reading Zombies are People Too and happy Halloween!

 

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A NEW BEGINNING 2015: Zombies are People Two (three?)

Posted on October 12, 2015 by peggylchambers

zombie

In part three the Russian mob arrives just as Jeremy gets his new anti-zombie meds. Will they work?

Martin Schumacher was a prosecuting attorney since he passed the bar.  He always knew he preferred prosecution to defense.  He would defend the good people of Nevada and get the scumbags off the street. Scumbags, like those creepy vampires and werewolves; and nastiest of them all, zombies.  He especially hated the ones who thought they could still be professionals when they were constantly licking their lips at you like you were USDA prime rib eye.  A good example was the attorney on the other side of his current case, Jeremy Littleton. He made his skin crawl.  Littleton was going down.

It didn’t take much to convince the Court Clerk to turn down the air conditioning in the courtroom that morning saying he had a summer cold and running a little temp.  And sunshine through the huge windows was a given.  Schumacher was certain the judge would soon notice the putrid smell coming off the defense attorney – everyone would.  Maybe they could wrap this case up by afternoon instead of dragging it out for three days.

He hoped to make Littleton sweat.  Did zombies sweat like real people? Who knew? He never saw so much as a drop on Littleton’s upper lip, even when he got nervous.  And he did sometimes.  The story was he was a mediocre attorney before he turned into an abomination.  But now he fought extra hard because of the stigma attached to his kind.  Why anyone would hire him now was the question that Schumacher always asked.  Who in their right mind would hire a zombie who might just turn and take a bite out of their client at a moment’s notice?

They stood at the tables when the judge returned from the lunch break and then sat down in unison, the sound of chairs scraping the floor.  The defense had the floor this afternoon with their so-called expert witness.  A man that Schumacher was certain he could break.  He knew virtually nothing about the witness, but if he worked for a zombie, how good could he be?

Littleton asked the normal questions of the psychologist about whether or not a bed had been secured for in-patient rehab, if Mr. Cummings was released into their hands.  At least the zombie had the good sense to make a plan in case he got the guy off.  Not that it would happen.  Then he started the pity party.  Poor man, his wife and daughter dead, flat broke, and then the gambling and drinking problems started.  Whiner!  Big deal, we all have problems.

“Your honor, the point of this trial is a DUI, not the death of the defendant’s family.  That is another case entirely.”

“It goes to the mindset of Mr. Cummings and why he acted as he did.”

“That is another case.” Schumacher gritted his teeth.  He hated even talking to this guy.

Like a shimmer of dust motes floating in the sunshine, Littleton’s assistant was suddenly at her boss’s side.  She was just as creepy as Littleton. She handed her boss a bottle of pills and nodded holding up two long, pale fingers.  He gulped them with a drink of water from the glass at the table. Then she silently left the room like she was never there to begin with. Was she one of them?  How could she move that fast?  No, zombies were slow movers. Vampires were another story, however.

*  *  *

It wasn’t instantaneous, but Jeremy could feel the drugs beginning to work.  It was sort of like the jump-start he used to get from a latte with a double shot.  He felt the life returning to his decaying body.  Eeewww.  He didn’t like thinking of it like that.  His body was not decaying – not yet.  He wasn’t dead until he said he was dead! And his mind began to whir as the room cooled to a chilly 60 degrees or less. He was certain Nadia worked her magic on the air conditioning system.

“Dr. Sweat, in your opinion, does my client, Dirk Cummings, show remorse for his actions?”

“Yes, I believe he does.”

“And also in your opinion, does Mr. Cummings want to change and become a member of society in good standing again?”

“Yes, he does and he will be given that opportunity at Rose Hill.”

It was at that exact moment that Jeremy knew he was going to win this one.  He had his old spark back and even the client looked at him differently.  He shuffled his papers once and then stacked them on the table with a final whack.

“The Defense rests your honor.”  The courtroom was deathly silent. Then the gavel came down.

“Mr. Cummings, the Court has heard from the expert in this case and I am feeling a little generous today.  I am remanding you to the custody of Rose Hill for the duration of ninety days at which time we will re-convene and re-evaluate this case.”

“Your Honor!” Schumacher began.  “This is an abomination of the legal system. I haven’t had a chance to even cross examine the witness.”

“You’ll get your chance next time.  It’s freezing in here.  Something has to be done about that air conditioning!  We’re dismissed.”

Jeremy smiled at his client who still sat dumbfounded.  “What just happened?” he asked looking up at his attorney.

“You’re going to Rose Hill, Dirk.  You will get the care you need and begin to heal.  We all deserve a second chance and this is yours.  The Deputy will take you there immediately and you will be seeing a lot of Dr. Sweat.”

“Will I see you again?”

“Of course.  I’ll come visit you when I can and besides you will be back for reevaluation in ninety days.”

“You don’t know how happy this makes me.” He stood with his arms out and grabbed his attorney around the neck to hug him.  The closeness suddenly engulfed Jeremy.  He couldn’t remember when he had been the recipient of human contact, and then the almost uncontrollable urge to bite was forefront in his brain. He jerked back staring into the eyes of his client.

“Don’t do that man.  It’s not cool.”

“Sorry.”  Dirk was turned around by the deputy, handcuffed and led off to Rose Hill for rehab. He looked over his shoulder once and nodded at the man who just kept him out of jail.

Jeremy stood at the table watching the client leave.  His state of euphoria dampened.  He may have won this battle but he was still a zombie.  Even if it felt for a moment like he was king of the mountain, he was still a rotting corpse.  Maybe the doc was right.  Maybe he did need a beer or two, with pretzels, just to celebrate the win. Maybe Nadia would like to join him.

Without a word, she leaned forward retrieving the papers and placed them in the briefcase cleaning off the table in one sweep of her long, pale arm. Jeremy jumped slightly and then stood in awe of her movement.  Her swiftness was an amazing blur of action and Jeremy had no doubt that everything was in its appropriate place.

“Ready?” She picked up the briefcase.

Jeremy was still standing with his mouth open.  He glanced at the opposing counsel’s table and wondered if anyone else noticed her movement, but they were deep in hushed conversations as Nadia packed the day’s work.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“Congrats on the win, by the way. Did the meds help you feel better this afternoon?”

“They did. They really did.  It was like a giant surge of energy and mental clarity I hadn’t felt in some time.  Thanks for picking them up for me.”

“Sure.”

“Um, Nadia, I feel like celebrating – and the doc says I need more carbs – wanna get a beer or something?  My treat of course.”

Nadia turned slowly – more slowly than he had ever seen her move.  “A beer or something?  Like a date?” Her eyes scrutinized him.

“No!  No, not like a date or anything, just an office thing.  You know we deserve to celebrate, and then there’s the carb thing.”

“Not a date?”

“No, not a date.”  He tried to keep up with her swift movements.  He had practiced from the beginning not shuffling like a zombie.  The sunken cheeks made it obvious enough without the awful shuffle thing and keeping up with her was a help. She always got his heart rate up when he tried to match her movements.

“Okay then, if they have red beer.”

“What is with you and the tomato juice?”

“You don’t want to know.” And she blazed ahead of him.  He knew she would be waiting for him when he got to the office.

He stepped into the dark parking lot where now the air was warmer than the courtroom.  It blew over him and he sighed, not ready for the heat again.

The screeching tires announced the black sedan sliding to the curb.  Jeremy’s warming face suddenly felt the cloth held over his mouth that smelled sickly sweet.  He was roughly grabbed and thrown in the back seat of the sedan and held down by strong arms. He barely remembered struggling and then passed out.

Will Jeremy survive?  Can zombies die?  One more week  – the end is near!

 

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A NEW BEGINNING 2015: Zombies are People Too (again!)

Posted on October 4, 2015 by peggylchambers

zombie    This is the second part of my FREE SHORT STORY. If you missed part one see the post from last week below. My zombie lawyer dark comedy is divided into 4 parts and will finalize just before Halloween.

When we last left our hero, Jeremy was about to defend a client in a very warm Courtroom. Rotting corpses don’t like warm rooms. There was still a crack in his ear that threatened to come lose and he had a mad craving for meat.  Will Jeremy be able to keep it together until he gets some new meds from Dr. Smith?

       The prosecuting attorney droned on and on about the not-so-glorious life of Dirk Cummings in the last few years.  His arrest for driving under the influence was of course at the top of his list.  Perhaps it was not just alcohol that was in his system when he was pulled over.  Maybe he was a drug user too.  It was also inferred, but not proven, that he was a habitual gambler. At least gambling was legal in the state of Nevada so that was a charge that could never be brought.

        Dirk might have mentioned that maybe he was in trouble with the Russian mob. Jeremy tried not to ask too many questions.  There were some things about your client you didn’t want to know. Besides that had no bearing on this charge.  Getting Dirk sober was the main goal after keeping him out of jail.

            “Your honor, I object to the prosecution stating he THINKS my client MIGHT have been abusing illicit drugs when he was arrested.  Where is the proof of that?  Were the drugs found in his system when he was arrested?”

            Not that anyone bothered to look at that problem – but Jeremy never knew Dirk to do drugs.  Drugs were not the issue here.  The issue was his drinking and then driving after the fact.  It was the prosecutor’s job to make Dirk look bad, and Jeremy’s job to make him look like the sad little puppy he really was after the car accident took his family.

            The morning dragged on and the courtroom warmed.  Was it his imagination or was the room actually shrinking?   Jeremy tugged at his tie, and then remembered not to pull too hard.  A finger coming off could be embarrassing. 

            “Let’s break for lunch and we’ll begin again at 1:30.” The judge banged his gavel and rose.  Everyone in the room rose in unison and gathered their paperwork.  Nadia instantly appeared at Jeremy’s side.  He jumped, startled then rubbed his head.  How did she do that?  She always knew when he needed her and was there in an instant.

            “Will you quit that?”  He looked her up and down and her body seemed to waiver in the sunlight that poured through the huge windows of the ancient courthouse. “How do you instinctively know when court is over?”

            She smiled showing pearly white pointed teeth.  “Get some lunch, I’ll take care of the table while you’re gone. By the way, I phoned your doctor and he is waiting for your call back.  I placed his number in your contacts, so you can call him on the way to the car.  He needs to talk to you.”

            Even the parking garage was cooler than the courtroom.  He made his way to the aging Chevy.  He needed a new car but the money hadn’t exactly been rolling in lately.  He touched the name of his GP in the phone contacts and a voice quickly answered.  Sometimes the doc returned calls on his lunch hour. Dr. John Smith – Jeremy always wondered if the name was an alias – picked up quickly after Jeremy gave his name to the receptionist.

            “Jeremy, how goes it?  Nadia says some of the symptoms are back.”

            “Yeah, my ear keeps falling off.  I’ve glued it several times now, and I just can’t get enough meat in my diet. I’m starving all the time – and losing weight.”

            “Well, a high protein diet will do that to you.  Eat some starch.  Potatoes, maybe some bread with the meat.  Have some pretzels and beer after work.  The carbs will slow down the weight loss. I’m calling in a new prescription for you.  It’ll be ready within the hour.  I was afraid this would happen and you would have to continually take more of the drug.  It’s not been proven how much the human body can tolerate and how high the dosage will eventually have to be.  Like I’ve said before, this is new territory and you, and a bunch of others, are guinea pigs.”

            “I prefer lab rat.”

            “Whatever. Send your assistant to get the pills and start them this afternoon.  Be sure to eat before you take them and then call me if the symptoms don’t subside in a day or two.”

            “Thanks doc.”  Whether John Smith was his real name or not – there were a lot of new doctors in the country these days with all the problems cropping up lately – he took good care of Jeremy.  He would make a mental note to add him to the office Christmas list.   

            A quick call to Nadia and a run through the closest burger joint for a triple burger and he would be ready for the afternoon.  If the expert witness could convince the judge that Dirk was a viable candidate for rehab, they would have a chance.  Dirk was ready, willing, and able to turn his life around.  Now if the judge would just let him.

Two more episodes left of the zombie lawyer which will finish it up before Halloween.  Will Jeremy win this case and have a beer and pretzels?  Will the Russian Mob let him? Please keep reading and let me know your thoughts. Because, zombies are people too.

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A NEW BEGINNING 2015: Zombies are People Too

Posted on September 27, 2015 by peggylchambers

zombie    I’ve wanted to try something new on my blog for some time.  Since it is so close to Halloween, I am going to release a few pages at a time of a pulp fiction story that I wrote – and love.  It’s a dark comedy.  I’ve been told that zombies are passe, but I still had a lot of fun writing this.  We are at the beginning of a presidential election and politics are running rampant.  But maybe this story will be more fun than the evening news.

Please let me know if you enjoy this story and I’ll keep it going – just for the fun of it.

ZOMBIES ARE PEOPLE TOO

Three-day trials were the worst.  It was a big case when it took at least three days to present all the discovery documentation and every argument you could come up with.  A two- week trial had the advantage of a big settlement; a half day trial was just a bump in the road.  But the three day-ers were the worst.  They took up all your time and never paid what you hoped they would.  This one was going to take three days, and the client would probably never finish paying.

Jeremy applied another coat of glue to his ear, and then dried it with the hair dryer.  Another conversation with Dr. Smith about the meds needed to happen soon.  The dosage still wasn’t right – or things wouldn’t continue to fall off.  He rose an hour early today just to be sure he looked right.  Not good, just right.  It was amazing how proficient he was at make-up without looking like a hooker.  He always assumed it was a girl-thing knowing how to use concealer in just the right place, but guys could learn to use it too – if they had to. 

 On top of everything else, he would have to buy stock in a deodorant factory soon. He used so much more than before.  He looked through the fog in the mirror   He took a shower every day and then sprayed his entire body with deodorant.  Just in case.  He didn’t really sweat like he used to.  There were a lot of things he didn’t do like he used to.  But if the room was warm, he could start to smell like rancid hamburger meat left out on the counter too long.  No one liked that very much, especially a judge. 

Since the newly amended Civil Rights Act, judges had no choice but to accept his kind in the courtroom, or even have dinner with them.  The culture was changing to accept all types of people of every color and cultural background.  Religious groups had to be accepted as long as they didn’t harm anyone.  Gay and lesbians could now marry and have a family, so why not accept the newest form of mankind – zombies.  Or maybe they weren’t really new.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was amended not long after the vampire debacle.  When scientists found a way to manufacture human blood, the creatures came out of the woodwork.  They were everywhere.  So it wasn’t long before a movement was at hand to make an anti-zombie serum as well.  Not really anti-zombie, Jeremy was still a zombie, but with the right meds, he could control the urges and not decay until it was time.  As long as he took his meds – and managed to get some scrambled cow brains with his eggs now and then – he could keep it together.   The same could not be said for his ear today.  There was still a crack that he couldn’t get filled with glue and covered with makeup.  And he had to leave.  Maybe Nadia could help when he got to the office.

Nadia Ciesielski, his legal assistant, knew about trying to keep up appearances. The tall, rail-thin woman always wore black, which made her pale skin more ghostly.  He didn’t know how long she had been one of them.  He never asked.  It seemed rude, and besides she knew her job and kept him on the straight and narrow.  He didn’t ask if that was really tomato juice sitting on her desk next to the computer.  He just assumed it was juice and he didn’t need to know anymore. Maybe it was just an energy drink.  She drank the giant can, black with a fang logo on the outside, and did her job.  She was a young and attractive woman, in a ghoulish sort of way, though it seemed she never dated. But then again, he hadn’t had a date in some time either.  That was sort of how it was with their kind.  Civil Rights Act or not, they were still not accepted in some circles.

Jeremy was a street lawyer, not the white-collar corporate type that never got into a fight, but the kind that had to make a living no matter where the money came from.  So some of his clients weren’t pure as the driven snow, but they had the money to pay.  Or they got the money somewhere.  They deserved representation too.  It was best not to judge.  That was a job for the guy behind the bench.

Then he was bitten.  Life was tough since the day the client he picked up at the County Jail bit him on the shoulder.  At first it didn’t occur to him why he was feeling sluggish.  He cleaned the wound and went back to work in a different shirt.  At least he wasn’t wearing his one Armani suit that day, or it would have been ruined like the shirt.  But that night as he watched the news and had a mad craving for a rare steak, he realized where the symptoms were coming from.  And he knew a guy, who knew a guy, who could get anything.  Legal or not, the meds were out there.  Street drugs could be used until he could see his doctor who would then send him to a specialist.  Supply and demand.  The oldest form of economics kicked in when needed.  The new supply of zombies demanded a cure, and they got one.

One thing about it, no one wanted to bite him anymore now that he was sick.  Going to get a client out of the drunk tank was a breeze these days.

            “Your briefcase is packed in the rolling bag.  I put the exhibits on the top along with the index.  I took them to the Courtroom for you earlier so you wouldn’t have to pull it.  Legal pads are on the table and here is your favorite pen.  By the way, it was a little warm in there, I wanted to warn you.” Nadia wiped a thin finger across her lips.

            She was great.  She learned early on that it was best if she did the heavy lifting for him.  Most men would be offended if a woman pulled the bags.  But most men couldn’t afford to have a hand fall off in the courtroom, so he accepted her help. Besides, she appeared to be incredibly strong for her frail looking body.

            “Thank you Nadia.  I don’t know what I’d do without you. You must’ve come in early.”

            “I don’t sleep very well.  So I decided to come in rather than rattle around the apartment.  Good luck today and text me if you need anything.” She pushed him toward the door.     

            Nadia was right.  The courtroom was warm. Jeremy pulled the knot on his tie loose and opened the tiny button that shirt makers thought so important under the collar.  He always had trouble with that button even when his fingers had feeling.  Real feeling, not like they had now.  And then he remembered Judge Lacy – Racy Lacy in some circles – didn’t allow what he called “casual dress” in his courtroom.  Jackets had to be buttoned, at least the stylish one-button look, and neckties worn.  Even the female lawyers wore jackets.  No amount of talk was going to convince him otherwise. It was the law – his law.

              “All rise.” The bailiff called the courtroom to order as the judge took his seat.  The small, warm courtroom held only three other people in the gallery – probably just people who were curious. The two tables up front near the judge were filled with the attorneys, their clients, and the discovery materials. The distance between them was barely far enough apart that they couldn’t read over each other’s shoulders. 

            Jeremy leaned forward whispering to his client. “Dirk, just bear with me a little this morning until the expert witnesses are called.  That’s the real meat of this case.” The word meat ran a shiver up Jeremy’s spine.  He had to find time to talk to his doctor.  His client nodded that he understood.

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A NEW BEGINNING 2015: End of a Season

Posted on September 20, 2015 by peggylchambers

hammock    It occurred to me on my walk with the dog this morning that my blog is called “Views from the Hammock.”  I haven’t spent much time in the hammock this year.  Like me it is getting old and used – frayed around the edges and broken in a few places.  But still hanging in there.

I take a walk with the dog most mornings unless it is raining.  The app on my phone says the route is 1.65 miles x 7 days a week that is 11.55 miles each week.  Since I retired in March I have lost 6 pounds – only 7,000 to go.

I noticed a change in the air this morning as I pulled on a windbreaker.  Autumn starts next week and the nights are cooler. I was sweating by the time I finished the walk and the kids in the neighborhood were out in force in shorts, barefoot on their bicycles.  What a difference half a century makes to a body.

I pulled out a used sweatshirt and planned a rehab for the fall.  I am painting autumn leaves on the front and cut off the cuffs.  It will at least look different even if it is used.  I only have three navy sweatshirts – you can never have too many.

I’ve been reading two post-apocalyptic works lately: Gordon Bonnet’s Summer’s End http://gbfiction.blogspot.com/2011/12/summers-end.html  and John T. Bigg’s Sacred Alarm Clock http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Alarm-Clock-John-Biggs/dp/1633730697/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442680520&sr=8-1&keywords=john+t+biggs. Both discuss the world as we know it ending – being some of the last to survive and what it is like to be alone and scared.  I wrote one myself a few years ago.  The Apocalypse Sucks http://www.amazon.com/Apocalypse-Sucks-Peggy-Chambers/dp/0615969410/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1442680635&sr=8-3&keywords=peggy+chambers was written as a humorous take off on a serious subject.  Why am I suddenly reading end of the world stories when it is the end of summer?  I don’t know it just came up.  But endings sometimes conjure up subconscious thoughts as I wander down the road with the dog.  She is chasing locust hiding in the grass; I am chasing thoughts for a blog.

Autumn brings the smells of dry leaves and warm fires.  It isn’t an end but a beginning of cool weather, toasted marshmallows and cozy sweatshirts.  Enjoy it.  Christmas is coming and the hammock will have to be tucked away once more.

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A NEW BEGINNING 2015: Glome’s Valley and the Heavener Runestone

Posted on September 13, 2015 by peggylchambers

new cover  What would you do if your only friend was a ghost?  What would you do if you were given a magic sword and told to fight off trolls?  What would you do if your only son was lost in the forests of southeast Oklahoma while you were trying to decipher the ancient runestone at Heavener?  You could call Thor for help if you had the app on your phone.

Ethan went with Dad to study the runestone that summer – just another adventure into the past with Dad.  Ethan was eleven and all his friends were back home playing baseball and swimming.  He was stuck in the hot sticky valleys near Heavener, Oklahoma while his dad worked.  He was bored until he met Glome – a boy about his age that just happened to be a ghost.  Glome’s friends were thumb-sized fairies and Bob the dog, a big furry ball of fun.  Then the trolls came and someone had to rescue Hilda before the Festival of the Full Moon.

“The sword! Ethan, use the sword!” yelled Ari as he swung at a nearby opponent.  He fought like a young man and Glome was fighting off the largest troll of them all with his tiny wooden sword.   He twirled and parried blocking every blow.  It was then that Ethan realized he had to help his friends.  He drew his sword like the hero he had seen on TV and held it out in front of him.

The silver sword glistened in the sun as he swung it at the nearest troll. He took aim, sliced the air––and missed by a mile.  He had never tried to hit anything with a sword except in his video games back home. This was different.  This was real life.  The troll laughed and charged. 

Glome’s Valley is a YA fairytale set in southeast Oklahoma near the Heavener Runestone.  A modern-day boy with a cell phone in his pocket is thrust into a make-believe world where an ancient war has raged for centuries.  There are beautiful princesses trapped in flower valleys and smelly trolls determined to make her their queen. It is just the kind of place that Loki could twist his mischief into shape unless Thor reins him in.

I will be at the Heavener Viking & Celtic Festival selling and signing copies of Glome’s Valley on October 10 and 11, 2015.  I’d love to meet you.  Or you can find it in bookstores everywhere.

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A NEW BEGINNING IN 2015: Fall Writing/Speaking Agenda

Posted on September 6, 2015 by peggylchambers

calendar    Fall is a time of rest.  Foliage turns bright colors as the cool nights meet the bright sun of day.  People venture forth from their air conditioned homes and offices more in tuned to nature and its last offerings of bounty. The tomatoes on my vines are abundant with blossoms and small green globes.  Maybe there will be fried green tomatoes soon.

With all this venturing forth came a full calendar at my house and I am thrilled.  I have a schedule of presentations and book signings from September until January and would love to do more.

September 15, 2015 the Life Long Learning Institute at Central Christian Church in Enid has asked me to discuss writing to a group of 55 year-old plus who are interested in continuing their education.  I am beginning with “setting” because all stories must have one.  The classes are every Tuesday in September from 1:00 to 2:30 in the afternoon at the church and I will be there on the 15th.  Marsha Kay Oldham will fill the September 8th slot teaching poetry.

October 10 and 11, 2015 I will have a tent at the Heavener Runestone Viking and Celtic Festival at the park. https://www.facebook.com/events/476355209210014.  I will be showcasing my YA book Glome’s Valley set at the runestone. It will be a fun weekend of Vikings, blacksmiths, Celtic music, food and maybe even falcons.  Vendors of all sorts will be set up at the park and you should come out and join us.

October 23, 2015 the Denny Price Family YMCA will have family night and I will have a table set up signing and selling my books.  If you are member, bring the kids and join the fun.  There will be games and activities all evening long.

December 19, 2015 the Oklahoma City Writers’ monthly meeting at Full Circle Books in Oklahoma City asked me be their guest speaker.  I will be presenting on imagination and fantasy writing.  The meeting begins at 10:00 a.m. in a room outside Full Circle Books at 50 Penn Place and I will also set up for a book signing in the store afterwards. The public is always invited.

January 8, 2016 I will have my first live radio blog interview with Speculative Fiction Cantina and bestselling science fiction author S. Evan Townsend. The show starts at 5:00 p.m. (6:00 EST) and is a part of the Writestream Radio Network (http://www.writestreamradio.com). It should be a lot of fun!   Speculative_Fiction_Cantina_2_transparent-240x150

Join me this fall for all the fun and festivities and get out and enjoy the cooler weather.  We’ve earned it after the heat we’ve endured this summer.

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A NEW BEGINNING IN 2015: Glen Rose, Texas

Posted on September 1, 2015 by peggylchambers

dinosaur foot prints    Dinosaur footprints from 65 million years ago are still visible in the river at Glen Rose, Texas (http://www.glenrosetexas.net/164/Convention-Visitors-Bureau).  I remember wading in that river and stepping in the imprints years ago when I was pregnant with my first child.  No, it was not 65 million years ago – even though it seems like it.  W trekked back to my husband’s roots this weekend to visit relatives we lost contact with over the years and they took us on a tour of their town.

Glen Rose is a town of about 2500 people set in the Texas hills southwest of Ft. Worth.  dinosaur foot prints 1   We took I-35 south and cut west around Ft. Worth to avoid Dallas on Friday evening about 5:00 p.m.  Never again! We spent more than an hour parked on a six-lane freeway.  Even the GPS got ticked off.  She kept telling us to turn left which would have placed us in the grassy median.  Then again, maybe that was a good idea.

But, the rest of the weekend was enchanting.  We once again became acquainted with long-lost cousins, their family and the town my husband spent many summers in as a child.  We were able to pick back up where we left off and enjoyed the time together. We ate too much (what is there about vacations?), laughed a lot, and met their children.  We promised not to let it be another thirty years before we connected again.

Glen Rose capitalizes on the dinosaur foot prints and other fossils found in the valley.  dinosaur foot prints 2    We visited the Creation Evidence Museum of Texas. They theorize that dinosaurs co-existed with humans several thousands of years ago, not millions.  The museum displays fossils, pottery, bones and a delicately created ark complete with animals.  You can see their information at www.creationevidence.org.

Traveling the easy way back home on Highway 81, we avoided the traffic in the Dallas Metroplex and arrived home much less tired than the first trip. We have to do this again.  Glen Rose is charming and so are her people.  I think even the dinosaurs would agree. I think I see a story here!

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A NEW BEGINNING 2015: It’s Hurricane Season!

Posted on August 23, 2015 by peggylchambers

Hurricane    It’s hurricane season! The first named Atlantic hurricane of the 2015 season is named Danny and is not expected to be much of a threat – unless you are in its path.

In my beach read Secrets of Sandhill Island the weather has turned much like the emotional atmosphere of the town.   Meg is certain she has to go back to her tiny beach house one last time even though the hurricane has turned and is picking up speed.  Alex is afraid he is too late save her.

The windows rattled until Meg was sure they would break.  The huge gust of wind that blew the screens on the porch in, suddenly stopped and sucked them back out.  Then the groan became louder – and the ripping began.   Ancient nails torn from their rotting wood groaned as they were pulled against their will holding on to nothing – flying up and over the top of the house. Within an instant, the porch walls and roof were gone and the floor was about to follow.

“Time to go!” Alex shouted as he shouldered the backpack full of Meg’s mementos. “Stay close with your head down.  We just have to reach the van and we should be relatively safe.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her from her precious home.

They ran out the back door not even trying to shut it behind them and clawed their way through the garden never letting go of each other’s hands.  Without him, Meg was sure she would have been swept away in the wind.  A tomato cage with the plant still inside flew past her face so close the leaves brushed her skin.  She thought she would be impaled on its pointed wire feet.  She gasped, or maybe the breath was sucked out of her, it was hard to tell.

Once at the back of the garden they climbed up the sand dunes holding on to grass along the way.  At the top they stopped, crouching to see what might be blowing their way before standing.  From the top of the dune, Meg could see there were no lights left on in the harbor.  Either they had been blown out or everyone had already left. 

 Climbing over the rise, suddenly the rain increased wrapping around them like soggy bed sheets on a clothesline, entangling them in their own wet clothing.    Meg could see the van parked off the side of the road in the distance.  It rocked in the gusts like it might take off flying.  Heads down and stumbling into the wind they pushed forward together against Mother Nature’s fury – one step forward and sometimes two or three back.  Once they reached the asphalt, they found it slick and Meg fell on her knees.  They made little headway until they got back on the soggy sand.

It’s hurricane season.  Pick up a copy of Secrets of Sandhill Island while the barometer is right.  If you enjoy it, please leave a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Goodreads.  Batten down the hatches!

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