: About Me

When I joined Helium several months ago, I had the intention of spending a significant amount of time here. That fell flat almost instantly due to glitches in the editing I was trying to do at the time. Now, however, there is a lull in that activity so time is more available for other activities.

I like the note above, "...showing yourself to be exceptional." My personal opinion on this is that we are all exceptional. Exceptional in different ways, perhaps, but we all excel at something. The hard part is determining just what your specialty is. Mine happens to be, umm...well, I haven't a clue.

I suppose I should qualify this. There are assorted things I enjoy doing, and, there are at least as many I don't. That, I assume, makes me pretty much normal. Yuck. There's one of the things I don't like doing, or being, as the case may be.

Learning is something I like; being watched while doing it is not. Well, okay, being watched doing anything is a bit of a downer for me. I have enough problems without having to feel like I'm intrinsically inferior. And even if I were, I certainly wouldn't want to know it. As an example: I have yet to finish college for one particular reason - I just can't bring myself to finish a Speech class. Sounds like a phobia, huh?

Any way, right now I am in the process of having my first book published. I should finally have a hard copy in a month or so. Hmm, there used to be nothing wrong with my nerves.

Let me insert here, the book was published in November 2007. The nerves are still shot.

There's a small part of me for the perusal of those interested.

My passion is ...

learning. I a little knowledge is dangerous, well, then I'm dangerous in many ways. I cannot claim to be well versed in any particular subject and, I suppose, that is my preference. I wish to know sufficient to be able to communicate my thoughts on a subject and be able to understand another point of view on that subject. I keep an open mind, but I'm not a vacuum.

I know too much about ...

flying saucers. No, actually I don't, but would like to. I'm not sure it is possible to know too much about anything.

My parents always told me ...

I can achieve my goals, whatever they may be. I'll keep trying.

My childhood ambition ...

was to make it past 30 and if I did, to be an architect. Hmmm, didn't like college so that didn't work out as planned.

My favorite memory ...

is something, I forget. They are all good in one way or another. Besides, if I could remember everything, I'd probably scare myself to death. That would be counterproductive.

Why I write ...

is because it's easier than talking to people face-to-face. One of the reasons I left college was my disdain for talking to groups just for the sake of talking. Thinking Speech Class? Bingo.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

is just about anything I can get that is in printed form. I subscribe to myriad periodicals: Backpacker, Outside, Mother Jones, Mother Earth, The Journal of Atomic Scientists, National Geographic Explorer and Adventure, Writers Digest, Consumer Reports. Okay, enough of that; it's an eclectic collection. So are the books that cover the walls in my bedroom/library. Many started, not quite as many finished. Many more waiting their turn.

My first job ...

is probably the one I should have kept. No, maybe not. Bagging groceries just can't be considered a career move. Since then I've had lots of different jobs, none of which related to the next or its predecessor

My best moment ...

is yet to come...I hope. There must always be a dream.

My inspiration ...

has two heads. One sits on the shoulders of every other man, the other is mine and if I rattle it sufficiently, there is inspiration in everything it holds: from experience - both good and bad - and pondering the how and why.

Creative Writing > Novel Excerpts Novel excerpts: Historical fiction

54 of 67

As towns go, at least in this part of the world and at this particular time in history, this town is unremarkable. I don't mean it is indistinct, for each town, everywhere, has its own distinctions. Yet, this town is ordinary in that, because of its size, the arrangement of its homes and shops, the goods available, and yes, even its people, if one disregards language differences, this town could be anywhere in the world. As it happens, however, it is here, in western Slovenia,and the people of the town speak their own unique version of the Slovene tongue. Yet, in spite of its exclusive ele...

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