Tuesday, September 30, 2014
History Trivia - Henry VIII withdaws his armies out of France
September
30
420 Saint Jerome, one of the great scholars of the early Christian church, died at age 80. He is the patron saint of librarians and translators.
579 Pope Benedict I died. Famine raged in Italy on the heels of the Lombard invasion, and it is assumed that Benedict died in an attempt to cope with this problem. Benedict was succeeded by Pelagius II.
1227 Pope Nicholas IV, the first Franciscan pontiff, was born. Nicholas was pious and learned; he contributed to the artistic beauty of Rome, building particularly a palace beside Santa Maria Maggiore, the church in which he was buried and where Sixtus V erected an imposing monument to his memory.
1544 Henry VIII withdrew his armies out of France.
420 Saint Jerome, one of the great scholars of the early Christian church, died at age 80. He is the patron saint of librarians and translators.
579 Pope Benedict I died. Famine raged in Italy on the heels of the Lombard invasion, and it is assumed that Benedict died in an attempt to cope with this problem. Benedict was succeeded by Pelagius II.
1227 Pope Nicholas IV, the first Franciscan pontiff, was born. Nicholas was pious and learned; he contributed to the artistic beauty of Rome, building particularly a palace beside Santa Maria Maggiore, the church in which he was buried and where Sixtus V erected an imposing monument to his memory.
1544 Henry VIII withdrew his armies out of France.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Egyptian Mummy's Brain Imprint Preserved in 'Peculiar' Case
By Bahar Gholipour
An ancient Egyptian mummy is sparking new questions among archaeologists, because it has one very rare feature: The blood vessels surrounding the mummy's brain left imprints on the inside of the skull.
The researchers are trying to find what process could have led to the preservation of these extremely fragile structures.
The mummified body is that of a man who probably lived more than 2,000 years ago, sometime between the Late Period and the Ptolemaic Period (550 – 150 B.C.) of Egyptian history, the researchers said.
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The mummy was recovered in a necropolis in Egypt. Closer examination of the skull reveals preserved prints of the brain vessels. Source: Isidro A. et al., Brain vessels mummification in an individual of ancient Egypt, 2014, DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2014.09.005 Credit: © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. |
An ancient Egyptian mummy is sparking new questions among archaeologists, because it has one very rare feature: The blood vessels surrounding the mummy's brain left imprints on the inside of the skull.
The researchers are trying to find what process could have led to the preservation of these extremely fragile structures.
The mummified body is that of a man who probably lived more than 2,000 years ago, sometime between the Late Period and the Ptolemaic Period (550 – 150 B.C.) of Egyptian history, the researchers said.
"This is the oldest case of mummified vascular prints" that has been found, study co-author Dr. Albert Isidro told Live Science in an email.
The mummy was recovered in 2010, along with more than 50 others in the Kom al-Ahmar/Sharuna necropolis in Egypt. [8 Grisly Archaeological Discoveries]
But unlike his neighbors in the field, the inside of this man's skull bore the imprints of his brain vessels, with "exquisite anatomical details," for centuries. The prints were cast into the layer of the preservative substances used during the mummification process to coat the inside of the skull.
The imprints appear to have been made by the blood vessels within the meninges, which is the membrane that covers the brain, the researchers said.
"It is a truly remarkable finding and an interesting case," the researchers wrote in their report on the mummy, published Sept. 19 in the journal Cortex. To date, there have been only a few anecdotal reports of similar cases, they said.
The mummy, dubbed W19, was preserved using substances such as bitumen (a viscous oil) mixed with linen, the researchers found. The imprints of the vessels on the skull bone mirrored the prints on the mass of preservatives found within the skull, the researchers said. It was most likely a brain vessel called the middle meningeal artery that created the imprint, they said.
During the mummification process that the Egyptians followed, the brain was removed, usually through the nose using wirelike instruments, and then the inside of the skull was cleaned and filled with preservative substances. It's unexpected for any brain tissue to remain intact after these procedures, Isidro said.
In this man, something peculiar must have happened when his body was being mummified, the researchers said.
"The conditions in this case must have been quite extraordinary," the researchers said. "We can speculate that something special happened in individual W19 just at the moment of bitumen insertion" into the skull.
But the researchers said they don't know what exactly happened. One possibility is that the general conditions, such as the temperature or the acidity, of the preservative, were different for W19 than for the other people whose mummies were found in the same necropolis, Isidro said.
Although brain tissue is rarely found in artificial mummies who undergo brain extraction, it has been discovered frequently in natural mummies who were preserved in just the right environment. For example, Europe's oldest mummy, Ötzi the Iceman, had some brain tissue preserved, which revealed information about the circumstances of his death
Live Science
The mummy was recovered in 2010, along with more than 50 others in the Kom al-Ahmar/Sharuna necropolis in Egypt. [8 Grisly Archaeological Discoveries]
But unlike his neighbors in the field, the inside of this man's skull bore the imprints of his brain vessels, with "exquisite anatomical details," for centuries. The prints were cast into the layer of the preservative substances used during the mummification process to coat the inside of the skull.
The imprints appear to have been made by the blood vessels within the meninges, which is the membrane that covers the brain, the researchers said.
"It is a truly remarkable finding and an interesting case," the researchers wrote in their report on the mummy, published Sept. 19 in the journal Cortex. To date, there have been only a few anecdotal reports of similar cases, they said.
The mummy, dubbed W19, was preserved using substances such as bitumen (a viscous oil) mixed with linen, the researchers found. The imprints of the vessels on the skull bone mirrored the prints on the mass of preservatives found within the skull, the researchers said. It was most likely a brain vessel called the middle meningeal artery that created the imprint, they said.
During the mummification process that the Egyptians followed, the brain was removed, usually through the nose using wirelike instruments, and then the inside of the skull was cleaned and filled with preservative substances. It's unexpected for any brain tissue to remain intact after these procedures, Isidro said.
In this man, something peculiar must have happened when his body was being mummified, the researchers said.
"The conditions in this case must have been quite extraordinary," the researchers said. "We can speculate that something special happened in individual W19 just at the moment of bitumen insertion" into the skull.
But the researchers said they don't know what exactly happened. One possibility is that the general conditions, such as the temperature or the acidity, of the preservative, were different for W19 than for the other people whose mummies were found in the same necropolis, Isidro said.
Although brain tissue is rarely found in artificial mummies who undergo brain extraction, it has been discovered frequently in natural mummies who were preserved in just the right environment. For example, Europe's oldest mummy, Ötzi the Iceman, had some brain tissue preserved, which revealed information about the circumstances of his death
Live Science
Remarkable Limb Regeneration Began 300 Million Years Ago
By Joseph Castro
Fossilized, primitive amphibians with odd-looking appendages, some with extra toes and deformed shapes, suggest the ability of some vertebrates to regenerate or regrow amputated limbs first evolved at least 300 million years ago.
Salamanders are the only modern four-legged vertebrates, or animals that have backbones, able to fully regenerate their limbs into adulthood. But many other animals, including frogs, caecilians (amphibians that resemble earthworms) and some fish, also have some regenerative capabilities, suggesting the ability may have initially evolved a very long time ago. Yet, scientists have lacked fossil evidence for the ancient evolution of limb regeneration until now.
"In recent years, people have speculated about the evolution of regeneration, but the amount of data available has been limited," said David Gardiner, a developmental biologist at the University of California, Irvine, who studies limb regeneration but wasn't involved in the current research.
To observe limb regeneration in the fossil record, scientists need to find well-preserved specimens with abnormal limbs or limbs in the process of regenerating (a fully regenerated limb that has formed without defects is difficult to differentiate from an original limb). But in the majority of cases, researchers deal with fossils that are missing skeletal segments or entire body parts. [In Photos: Fossils Reveal Bizarre Boomerang-Headed Amphibian]
To better understand the early evolution of vertebrate limb regeneration, scientists at the Museum für Naturkunde (a natural history museum in Berlin) analyzed fossils of Micromelerpeton crederni, a primitive amphibian species and distant relative of modern amphibians that lived during the Upper Carboniferous to Lower Permian time periods, between about 310 million and 280 million years ago. The fossils were originally discovered in lake deposits in Central Europe, such as Lake Odernheim in southwest Germany — the oxygen-free environment at the bottom of the lakes helped preserve the animals' remains, including fine structures such as gills, stomach contents and scale patterns.
The team found that several of the Micromelerpeton fossils had abnormal limbs. For example, some of the limbs had certain bones fused together. Other limbs had additional toes that were narrower than normal toes. And some limbs had toes with too many or too few bones. Though odd, these types of abnormalities can also be seen in living animals.
"These same kinds of anomalies typically are observed in response to injury in modern salamanders that are capable of regeneration, both in the wild and in response to experimental amputations in the lab," Gardiner told Live Science, adding that the modern examples suggest Micromelerpeton was also capable of limb regeneration.
The study suggests limb regeneration was an ancient ability present in the amphibian lineage that led to modern amphibians — an ability that salamanders retained. The ability of modern frogs to regenerate limbs as tadpoles further supports the idea, the researchers wrote in their paper, published today (Sept. 23) in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
"The similarity between the variant patterns in the limbs of extant salamanders and Micromelerpeton caused by limb regeneration is striking," the authors wrote. It is "suggestive of shared molecular mechanisms that are still acting in modern salamanders as they did in their 300-million-year-old relative Micromelerpeton."
Though the research suggests limb regeneration has been around for at least 300 million years, it's not clear just when that ability first evolved. And the answer may not lie within fossils. "I have always thought that we will not really understand the evolution of regeneration until we understand the mechanisms of regeneration," Gardiner said.
Live Science
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A fossil of the primitive amphibian Micromelerpeton credneri from Lake Odernheim in southwest Germany is so well preserved that features such as external gills and scales can be seen. Credit: Fröbisch et al./Royal Society Publishing |
Salamanders are the only modern four-legged vertebrates, or animals that have backbones, able to fully regenerate their limbs into adulthood. But many other animals, including frogs, caecilians (amphibians that resemble earthworms) and some fish, also have some regenerative capabilities, suggesting the ability may have initially evolved a very long time ago. Yet, scientists have lacked fossil evidence for the ancient evolution of limb regeneration until now.
"In recent years, people have speculated about the evolution of regeneration, but the amount of data available has been limited," said David Gardiner, a developmental biologist at the University of California, Irvine, who studies limb regeneration but wasn't involved in the current research.
To observe limb regeneration in the fossil record, scientists need to find well-preserved specimens with abnormal limbs or limbs in the process of regenerating (a fully regenerated limb that has formed without defects is difficult to differentiate from an original limb). But in the majority of cases, researchers deal with fossils that are missing skeletal segments or entire body parts. [In Photos: Fossils Reveal Bizarre Boomerang-Headed Amphibian]
To better understand the early evolution of vertebrate limb regeneration, scientists at the Museum für Naturkunde (a natural history museum in Berlin) analyzed fossils of Micromelerpeton crederni, a primitive amphibian species and distant relative of modern amphibians that lived during the Upper Carboniferous to Lower Permian time periods, between about 310 million and 280 million years ago. The fossils were originally discovered in lake deposits in Central Europe, such as Lake Odernheim in southwest Germany — the oxygen-free environment at the bottom of the lakes helped preserve the animals' remains, including fine structures such as gills, stomach contents and scale patterns.
The team found that several of the Micromelerpeton fossils had abnormal limbs. For example, some of the limbs had certain bones fused together. Other limbs had additional toes that were narrower than normal toes. And some limbs had toes with too many or too few bones. Though odd, these types of abnormalities can also be seen in living animals.
"These same kinds of anomalies typically are observed in response to injury in modern salamanders that are capable of regeneration, both in the wild and in response to experimental amputations in the lab," Gardiner told Live Science, adding that the modern examples suggest Micromelerpeton was also capable of limb regeneration.
The study suggests limb regeneration was an ancient ability present in the amphibian lineage that led to modern amphibians — an ability that salamanders retained. The ability of modern frogs to regenerate limbs as tadpoles further supports the idea, the researchers wrote in their paper, published today (Sept. 23) in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
"The similarity between the variant patterns in the limbs of extant salamanders and Micromelerpeton caused by limb regeneration is striking," the authors wrote. It is "suggestive of shared molecular mechanisms that are still acting in modern salamanders as they did in their 300-million-year-old relative Micromelerpeton."
Though the research suggests limb regeneration has been around for at least 300 million years, it's not clear just when that ability first evolved. And the answer may not lie within fossils. "I have always thought that we will not really understand the evolution of regeneration until we understand the mechanisms of regeneration," Gardiner said.
Live Science
History Trivia - King Richard II of England abdicates
September 29
480 BC Battle of Salamis: The Greek fleet under Themistocles defeated the Persian fleet under Xerxes I.
1399 King Richard II of England abdicated; he was succeeded by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV). Richard was initially imprisoned and later died from uncertain causes.
1364 Battle of Auray: English forces defeated the French in Brittany; ending the Breton War of Succession between the Houses of Blois and Montfort.
1547 Miguel de Cervantes, Creator of Don Quixote, was born.
1564, the reign of Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley became earl of Leicester.
480 BC Battle of Salamis: The Greek fleet under Themistocles defeated the Persian fleet under Xerxes I.
1399 King Richard II of England abdicated; he was succeeded by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV). Richard was initially imprisoned and later died from uncertain causes.
1364 Battle of Auray: English forces defeated the French in Brittany; ending the Breton War of Succession between the Houses of Blois and Montfort.
1547 Miguel de Cervantes, Creator of Don Quixote, was born.
1564, the reign of Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley became earl of Leicester.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Scribbler Tales featured on Booktrack Studio
Read an excerpt accompanied to music
This review is from: Scribbler Tales (Volume One)
(Kindle Edition)
Each short story was uniquely written with well rounded characters
and plot twists that will leave you breathless.
Mr. Chuckles finds Mary Ann Bernal amidst the bubbling brew while stirring The Wizard’s Cauldron
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| Mary Ann Bernal |
Nebraska resident - and exiled New Yorker - Mary Ann released her anthology of short stories "Scribbler Tales" this week and these excellent pieces are well worth reading.
Mary Ann is also a huge friend of the Cauldron and you can find her previous chats - and those of Ngaire here, on the Index.
http://wizardscauldronindex.blogspot.co.uk/
Mary Ann it is wonderful to see you back at the Wizard’s Cauldron, your last interview was with the Wonderful Wizard of Notts himself in January Hi Ngaire...it's wonderful to be back. I was here discussing "Timeline"
The Most Read Interview Ever on the Wizard's Cauldron - Mary Ann Bernal and Timeline
I know you have been busy and have successfully published The Briton and the Dane as an audiobook and more recently The Briton and the Dane: Timeline, what motivated you to publish to audio?Authors have to keep up with the latest technology, Ngaire. It is important to have one’s work accessible on all available venues - print, electronic and audio - to accommodate preferences.
Thomas Edison Taped Nicholas Nickelby. The first audiobook?
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| Like Milk Tray, ladies luvvvv audio books - a Parisian lady of leisure listens avidly... |
Did you enjoy the publish-to-audio process?
The audio process was a thoroughly enjoyable learning curve. I knew nothing about this industry until I started working with my very talented producer, narrator Sebastian Lockwood. He made my initiation seamless.
The talented Sebastian Lockwood, was your chosen narrator for The Briton and the Dane novel. What was it about Sebastian that made you choose him to narrate your audiobook?
Sebastian was the perfect choice, being an experienced storyteller. One can picture him wearing the priest cowl as he married David and Helga.
“Ego conjungo vos in matrimonium in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.”Follow Sebastian Lockwood on Facebook
“I unite you in wedlock in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
And do you have plans to publish the remaining 3 books in The Briton and Dane franchise to audio?
Yes, Ngaire, that is the plan. I am looking forward to working with Sebastian again - a travelling bard whose recent works include the audio release of Homer’s Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh.
Volume 1 of your short story series, Scribbler Tales, was published earlier this month, where do you get your information or ideas for your short stories, I particularly enjoyed Sail With Me and Desperate Measures?My story ideas always start with “what if” - how far would you go to save, betray or kill someone? And if you’re going to betray someone, why would you do it? Money, power, revenge? There’s a lot you can do with human emotions, and I love coming up with “I never saw that coming” endings.
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| “Scribbler Tales is a unique mix of genres in one anthology rich with tension, humanity and genuine emotion. Unconventional settings and unexpected twists are bound to leave you pondering long after you close this book.” |
In “Desperate Measures,” you will learn of human cloning experiments gone awry. “Forbidden Lore” beckons Arianna and Ethan into a haunted cemetery where you will discover how they survive the night. Star-crossed lovers who refuse to accept the inevitable rise to a surprise ending in “Forever Lost.” In “The Hourglass,” the weakness of human character is exposed when Flair makes a covenant with the Devil. “Sail with Me” is a slice of life read about the confessions of a military brat who changes his life against all the odds.
Mary Ann, your endings always leave me astounded. Can you relate to your characters’ predicaments, and to what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?My favorite movies are action films, crime shows, spy thrillers, period movies - the list is endless, but I am not a chick flick fan.
Therefore, my “cast” embodies all the necessary elements to provide for a good story. I tend to combine elements from characters such as James Bond and Jack Bauer when creating my fictional counterpart.
Since I have more fun writing short stories than novels, oops, did I just confess to a secret?
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| President Obama, keen Briton and Dane enthusiast, cannot believe what he's just read here at the Cauldron! |
As a child, what was the worst thing you did?
Ran away from kindergarten because the kids made fun of my shoes. Of course, I just stayed behind my house while the entire neighborhood was looking for me. Needless to say, the kids never did that again since they got into more trouble than I did.
Oh, I love it, Mary Ann. I ran away from home once because my mum and dad were laughing at me and I got in a huff! Grabbing my basket of chocolate Easter eggs and wool coat I trudged down our driveway onto the main road. Needless to say my mum was not very happy about that and dragged me home!
(Ha ha ha you two - stay on topic! Ed)
Is there a particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?
Am just an incurable romantic anglophile since having read “Ivanhoe” by Sir Walter Scott and seeing all the Hollywood blockbuster period movies.
Let’s go “a Viking” - love my action films!
If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your publishing experience that you would change? It’s a good thing I didn’t quit my day job. Writing and publishing are two different career paths. My experience has been on-the-job training, which is more difficult than taking collegiate courses. It is a challenge to wear both caps, but I wouldn’t change anything, unless of course, I can use hindsight and start over - no, don’t think so - never look back, just move forward.
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author and what has been the best compliment?
Toughest criticism is “wrote a movie” - yes, guilty as charged. That’s my style and I am happy with it.
Best compliment - being told I have transported the reader into “the scene” - whether it “hearing” the sound of metal as swords clashed, to “seeing” the dust rise as the horses circled around the arena, to “bracing oneself” as a wall of water approached the shore.
Mary Ann, thank you for visiting the Wizard's Cauldron and everyone here wishes you terrific success with "Scribbler Tales Thank you so much, Ngaire. It's a pleasure to be here.
Contact Mary Ann
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BritonandDane
Lovely Blog - worth following for history buffs and Indies:
http://maryannbernal.blogspot.co.uk/
The tireless Mary Ann is also the editor at Green Wizard (see right hand column), for Brenda Perlin's west coast "Faction" tales and Ngaire Elder's brilliant kids prose primer, Dragon's Star"
You can buy Mary Ann's many works on Amazon and through her blog. You might also want to try "Concordia" - for my money, the best book I read in 2012. An amazing journey from rainswept England to sunbaked Moorish Spain with some of the most absorbing characters you'll ever read.Link for review of Scribbler Tales http://brooklynandbochronicles.blogspot.com.es/2014/09/scribblers-tales-collection-of-short.html
Book trailers:
Scribbler Tales – Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scribbler-Tales-One-Mary-Bernal-ebook/dp/B00N6A462E
Scribbler Tales – Amazon US http://www.amazon.com/Scribbler-Tales-One-Mary-Bernal-ebook/dp/B00N6A462E
The Wizard's Cauldron: With a new collection of short stories, the popula...
The Wizard's Cauldron: With a new collection of short stories, the popula...: Mary Ann Bernal The Wizard has been off on a quest this week - he and Igor have been road testing new Cauldrons in deepest Transylvani...
With a new collection of short stories, the popular Mary Ann Bernal talks to Ngaire Elder...around the Cauldron!
Click on the link to read more: Wizard's Cauldron Interview
The Wizard has been off on a quest this week - he and Igor have been road testing new Cauldrons in deepest Transylvania - so massive friend of the blog, children's author Ngaire Elder, takes over the Wizphone, interviewing popular historical fiction writer and Green Wizard editor Mary Ann Bernal.
Nebraska resident - and exiled New Yorker - Mary Ann released her anthology of short stories "Scribbler Tales" this week and these excellent pieces are well worth reading.
Mary Ann is also a huge friend of the Cauldron and you can find her previous chats - and those of Ngaire here, on the Index.
Nebraska resident - and exiled New Yorker - Mary Ann released her anthology of short stories "Scribbler Tales" this week and these excellent pieces are well worth reading.
Mary Ann is also a huge friend of the Cauldron and you can find her previous chats - and those of Ngaire here, on the Index.
Click on the link to read more: Wizard's Cauldron Interview
History Trivia - Pompey the Great murdered
September 28
48 BC Pompey the Great was murdered on the orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt.
351 Battle of Mursa Major: the Roman Emperor Constantius II defeated the usurper Magnentius in one of the bloodiest battles in Roman military history.
365 Roman usurper Procopius proclaimed himself Roman emperor.
855 The Emperor Lothar died in Gaul (present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine), and his kingdom was divided between his three sons.
1066 William the Conqueror and his Norman army arrived in England, landing at Pevensey, beginning the Norman Conquest.
1106 The Battle of Tinchebrai: Henry I of England defeated his
brother, Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy. Henry's knights won a decisive
victory, capturing Robert and imprisoning him in England and then Wales until
Robert's death in Cardiff Castle. England and Normandy remained under a single
ruler until 1204.
1322 Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor defeated Frederick I of Austria in the Battle of Mühldorf.
48 BC Pompey the Great was murdered on the orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt.
351 Battle of Mursa Major: the Roman Emperor Constantius II defeated the usurper Magnentius in one of the bloodiest battles in Roman military history.
365 Roman usurper Procopius proclaimed himself Roman emperor.
855 The Emperor Lothar died in Gaul (present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine), and his kingdom was divided between his three sons.
1066 William the Conqueror and his Norman army arrived in England, landing at Pevensey, beginning the Norman Conquest.
1322 Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor defeated Frederick I of Austria in the Battle of Mühldorf.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Brenda Perlin's review of Scribbler Tales by Mary Ann Bernal
Brooklyn and Bo Chronicles author, Brenda Perlin, showcases Scribbler Tales
Brenda's Blog
Scribbler’s Tales: A Collection of Short Stories by Mary Ann Bernal is available on Amazon.com
“Scribbler Tales is a unique mix of genres in one anthology rich with tension, humanity and genuine emotion. Unconventional settings and unexpected twists are bound to leave you pondering long after you close this book.”
In “Desperate Measures,” you will learn of human cloning experiments gone awry. “Forbidden Lore” beckons Arianna and Ethan into a haunted cemetery where you will discover how they survive the night. Star-crossed lovers who refuse to accept the inevitable rise to a surprise ending in “Forever Lost.” In “The Hourglass,” the weakness of human character is exposed when Flair makes a covenant with the Devil. “Sail with Me” is a slice of life read about the confessions of a military brat who changes his life against all the odds.
My Review
Scribbler’s Tales: A Collection of Short Stories by Mary Ann Bernal, all dark, are written in such a way that you have to read more. The author crafts stories the pull her readers in. Wanting more but getting just enough. There is great skill that goes into her stories but she seems to write with ease. The words flow effortlessly. This is a smart collection that kept me guessing. Slices of life that no matter how far fetched feel authentic.
Desperate Measures is sharp. Hauntingly realistic. This is an interesting story about cloning. Quite chilling and entertainingly good.
Forbidden Lore is the story of Ethan and Arianna a married couple who met on 9 11. This is an intriguing story that kept me guessing and glued to the page. Nothing is as it seems and I was brought into the mystery that was Forbidden Lore.
Forever Lost is such a beautifully written, emotional tale that played out like scenes in a movie. There is love and there is deceit. This is a love story.
Sail with Me caught my attention. I love the conversational style of this story. Right in your face. A story of a military brat. This is Aaron’s story. A coming-of-age story of sorts. I was very touched.
In The Hourglass Flair knew her fate. She watched the hourglass knowing Death was at her feet. Flair held the secret from her husband Brice. This is a beautiful creative story that moved me.
Quote~
“Death’s laughter echoed sinisterly throughout the eerily still cave that rocked beneath the thunderous roar of nature’s wrath as the tempest raged outside. Flair glared at her nemesis as she removed the dagger on Brice’s belt and flashed it before her amused opponent.”
History Trivia - Odoacer defeated at the Battle of Verona
September
27
489 – Odoacer (first Germanic king of Italy) attacked Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths at the Battle of Verona, and was defeated again.
1066 William the Conqueror, with a Norman army of 5,000 men, set sail from France for England, to claim the English throne.
1509
Storm
ravages the Flemish/Dutch/Friese coast, killing thousands.
1540 Pope Paul III approved the first outline of the organization of the Jesuit Society, drafted by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the order's founder.
1590 Pope Urban VII died 13 days after being chosen as the Pope, making his reign the shortest papacy in history.
489 – Odoacer (first Germanic king of Italy) attacked Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths at the Battle of Verona, and was defeated again.
1066 William the Conqueror, with a Norman army of 5,000 men, set sail from France for England, to claim the English throne.
1509
1540 Pope Paul III approved the first outline of the organization of the Jesuit Society, drafted by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the order's founder.
1590 Pope Urban VII died 13 days after being chosen as the Pope, making his reign the shortest papacy in history.