Free Spirit Day!

Happy Spirit Day! It's one of my favorite days of the year. A day to wear purple and be seen around town, so you can show all the LGBTQIA youth in your area that you support a community of tolerance and acceptance for all! So, today, I will be dressed in purple, of course, but this year we are going even one better to show our spirit. The Ravens Crossing has gone purple, too. For the entire weekend our first anthology, The Ravens Crossing, Book One: The 13 will be ABSOLUTELY FREE. Head on over to Smashwords to download a copy and celebrate Spirit Day with a fun science fiction adventure!

Take a Baby Break!

I've been hard at work on The Ravens Crossing (TRC) and my various other creative writing and visual arts projects for the past few weeks. Though, I've enjoyed every second of it, occasionally, I find myself feeling a little tired. Then, I get these wonderful email updates from my friends at the NC Zoo with various baby pictures. When the day seems gloomy, and I am frustrated by being confined to a mere 24 hours of work time, I get these random little baby breaks, moments of sunshine in my day.Thanks guys! You know who you are. I thought all of you might appreciate a baby break too. I hope it makes you feel as warm and fuzzy as I do. Above is baby Bomassa the Lowland Gorilla with mama. And, below, you have Nori, the two year old chimpanzee playing with one of her troupe members. Photos appear courtesy of the North Carolina Zoo. Now, I must get back to work on TRC. As always, if you are looking for something fun and free to read, head on over to Morgan & Holly's story and check out our young adult science fiction adventure series. Okay,break time is officially over. Have a lovely day!

Curiosity Coolness

The Curiosity on the Surface of Mars. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltach/University of Arizona

I'm sure you must know by now that the Curiosity has safely landed on Mars and NASA's Mars Science Lab is now up and running. So far, it's been a bit slow going while the massive crew of scientists run their tests and make sure Curiosity is fully functional. But, a few fantastic images have already started rolling in. This latest image above is a high resolution view of the curiosity on the surface of Mars. That tiny blue dot. And you can make out the blast pattern surrounding it, made from the landing of the rover. I have to tell you, this stuff gets me all excited. I'm literally squeeing over here when I go to NASA's mission sight and find these cool images. I thought I'd share a couple. Below is one of the first high res images taken by Curiosity of it's view on the surface of Mars. Look at those mountains. Wow! How amazing are we that there are people who can build this stuff and go off exploring other planets with it? Thanks to all you tech savvy computer geeky scientist types who work on this project. You are the coolest!

Curiosity's View of Mars. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltach

This is the kind of stuff that has inspired me to write Science Fiction since I was a kid. I mean, I used to pretend to be sick so I could stay home and watch the Space Shuttle's launch and I would sit and make up stories about what would happen while they were out in space. Sorry for lying to you, Mom. As I've grown older, my stories tend to focus more on humans and what humans might become if they could only tap into more of their brain power. You can actually read one of those stories online over at The Ravens Crossing, a science fiction project I am writing for with two other authors, Andi Lea and West Thornhill. Anyway, this is the kind of thing that sparks my imagination. Who knows what they might discover next. But, it sure is fun to dream about what that might be.

More on Juma, the Baby Giraffe

Photo Appears Courtesy of the NC Zoo

I know, I've already been oohing and aahing over this adorable baby, but I couldn't resist posting this fantastic picture a friend at the NC Zoo sent me. Plus, they have announced officially that the baby is a girl. She has been named Juma, which means "Born on Friday," in Swahili. I can't wait to go meet Juma in person. Jamili is taking great care of her daughter, too. Since she is just four years old herself, I am very proud of this young mother.

Also, this week is our season 1 finale at The Ravens Crossing, so while I'm repeating myself, don't forget to drop by every day this week to read our Big Bang Finish. Sharon and Alex will post tomorrow morning at 8. This week's stories are some of the best things I've written to date. Morgan and Holly posted Tuesday. Here's the link to them. I'm really so proud of this entire project. All of the stories by the other authors, Andi Lea and West Thornhill are fantastic. Don't miss out! You can start with the week 1 stories here and read them all by following the weeks on the story tab at the top of the page. It's a young adult sci-fi adventure. And  what do you suppose is the best part? It's all free! So go! Read! Enjoy!

Orangutans as Engineers

Photo by Adam van Casteren

A study published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), argues that Orangutans practice technical engineering that is quite complex when building their canopy nests for sleeping. Adam van Casteren and a group of seven other scientists looked at "the architecture of the nests to determine the degree of technical sophistication used in it's construction."

Orangutans build their nests some 60 feet above ground, constructing it very quickly and efficiently, often within ten minutes. The structures are not only sound and safe, but comfortable as well, with a mattress-like lining of live branches atop the thicker structural weave for the main structure. Not only are these nests comfortable, apparently, these great apes are fans of keeping things green, since they often only fracture the branches they use without breaking them. The nests remain green and alive in the trees, and can be used again later. Though, often the orangs only use a nest for one night and move on, it's nice to know they don't go around destroying the trees they build in.

If you don't already have your own subscription to PNAS, which is pricey, you can read a little bit more about this study for free over at The Huffington Post.  

On the entertainment front, don't forget to stop by The Ravens Crossing this week for some fantastic science fiction, fantasy adventuring. My Morgan & Holly story was published today as part of the website's Earth Day, Week 10 celebration. All of the stories by all of the authors this week are at least double the usual 1000 word flash fiction length. There are some big reveals, some new characters, and lots of cameo appearances by all the favorite characters from the entire series. I highly recommend you give all six stories a read this week! One will post each day through Saturday, as always. The site is absolutely free and appropriate for all ages. You might even consider building your very own coach nest and settling in to read the whole series. We've gotten lots of compliments from people of all ages, and in just ten short weeks, we've gathered quite a following of regular readers to whom we are very grateful. Don't miss out on the fun, and happy nest building!