Bringing focus back

I've realized my blog has started wandering, but a sharp crack of the mental whip brought things back on course.
As I suspect with most writers, good ideas keep popping up before we're finished with the old ideas, causing the happy dilemma of many concurrent projects. I'm capturing mine here, sharing my schizophrenic ADD with an unsuspecting world. And to mark the occasion, I've updated the look of the website a little too. Look around and enjoy!

Mary Leakey's 100th Birthday

Mary Leakey (6 February 1913 – 9 December 1996) was a British archaeologist and anthropologist, who discovered the first fossilized Proconsul skull, an extinct ape now believed to be ancestral to humans, and also discovered the robust Zinjanthropus skull at Olduvai Gorge. For much of her career she worked together with her husband, Louis Leakey, in Olduvai Gorge, uncovering the tools and fossils of ancient hominines. She developed a system for classifying the stone tools found at Olduvai. She also discovered the Laetoli footprints.

She had no formal education in archaeology or paleontology, but Leakey’s eye and passion guided her to many significant finds. (thenewstribe.com)

Over her lifetime Mary Douglas Nicol Leakey has been the recipient of numerous awards. Her Honorary degrees include: D. of Science, University of Witwatersrand(68), D. of Science Michigan University(80), D. of Social Science Yale (76), D. of Litt Oxford(81).

Photo of reproduction of her Paranthropus boisei skull (supposedly 2 to 3 million years old):

Photo of modern gorilla skull:

What Happened today in History!

December 17, 1903: First Airplane flies

Near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first successful flight in history of a self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft. Orville piloted the gasoline-powered, propeller-driven biplane, which stayed aloft for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet on its inaugural flight.

After exhaustively researching other engineers' efforts to build a heavier-than-air, controlled aircraft, the Wright brothers wrote the U.S. Weather Bureau inquiring about a suitable place to conduct glider tests. They settled on Kitty Hawk, an isolated village on North Carolina's Outer Banks, which offered steady winds and sand dunes from which to glide and land softly. Their first glider, tested in 1900, performed poorly, but a new design, tested in 1901, was more successful. Later that year, they built a wind tunnel where they tested nearly 200 wings and airframes of different shapes and designs. The brothers' systematic experimentations paid off--they flew hundreds of successful flights in their 1902 glider at Kill Devils Hills near Kitty Hawk. Their biplane glider featured a steering system, based on a movable rudder, that solved the problem of controlled flight. They were now ready for powered flight.
In Dayton, they designed a 12-horsepower internal combustion engine with the assistance of machinist Charles Taylor and built a new aircraft to house it. They transported their aircraft in pieces to Kitty Hawk in the autumn of 1903, assembled it, made a few further tests, and on December 14 Orville made the first attempt at powered flight. The engine stalled during take-off and the plane was damaged, and they spent three days repairing it. Then at 10:35 a.m. on December 17, in front of five witnesses, the aircraft ran down a monorail track and into the air, staying aloft for 12 seconds and flying 120 feet. The modern aviation age was born. Three more tests were made that day, with Wilbur and Orville alternately flying the airplane. Wilbur flew the last flight, covering 852 feet in 59 seconds.

A Post for Halloween

Normally Halloween isn't really a holiday I celebrate (though the candy is good, and the scary movies), but I just discovered the (fantastic) artist Bernie Wrightson today, and his artwork fits with the day so I thought I would share it with everyone. Enjoy!

If you enjoy his art, google-search Bernie Wrightson images for a lot more!

After a slight delay...

Chapter 3 is up - not on schedule, but I was working on changes, and the story is so much better for it! It's all up on the Advent Chronicles page (and fyi - work has been resumed on Book 2 in the series, after a bit of a break, like all summer).
Have a great rest of the week! I'll post Chapter 4 next Monday - October 1st (yes, you read that right - October is fast approaching!)

The Next Chapter posted!

As promised, I've added Chapter 2 to the Advent Chronicles page. It's entitled Signs of Passage, and thickens the plot with a complication that blindsides everyone! Head over there and enjoy, and let me know what you think...

Doing the Bad Guys some Justice

It's interesting how we find things we need in places we don't expect...As a writer, I'm always working towards improving my skill and my stories. I'm also a fan of the game Space 1889. I follow the game creator's blog, and was pleased when he posted on how to write villians better. Stories need a good great antagonist to drive the motivation and plot forward. I love it when my hobbies and my writing intersect! So if you're a writer, I have a link to his very helpful post here.

On Villians

Steampunk Batman

With the new Batman film riding a theatrical high, now's a good time to highlight artwork by artists that have imagined the Dark Knight if he lived in the 1800's...(and some Batgirl as well - equal time, after all)
Make your way to The Steampunk Hallway!