Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

I have a handful of short-short stories sitting on my hard drive from several years ago. I call them my fake autobiography. They are a part of a series of practice short stories I did early on, where I took a true situation in my life and blew it completely out of proportion and made it fictional. The stories are about 2% true and 98% complete lies.

Some of these stories I went on and sold. Others, I never even tried because there weren't any markets for them, even if they are fun and quirky (well, I think so; I might be biased). I decided to put them together and make a mini collection.

No word yet when I'm going to get them out, though I suspect within the next couple of months.

I am also including a bonus flash story called Lassy Buns, aÌýnostalgiaÌýshort story about growing up. Here is a sneak peak [image error]

Ìý

Ìý

LASSY BUNS

by Krista D. Ball

Ìý

As a little girl, I pretended we were pioneers in our hundred-year-old house in inland Newfoundland.Ìý Not much of a stretch, really.Ìý The most used phrase of my youth was "from scratch," describing everything from our heat to our food.Ìý Life was a quiet affair filled with summers of potato sowing, autumns of apple picking, and winters of snow fortifications.

I played outside in our huge yard, underneath the snow-covered branches of our apple tree.Ìý When I'd finally drag my shivering self back indoors, wet from sweat and snow, Mom would have a chair ready for me in front of the old, cast iron stove.Ìý We didn't have central heating.Ìý She'd instruct Dad to get wood from the basement. ÌýShe never let him touch the fire; he always made it smoky in the house. The kettle would be on top of the stove, boiling and ready to make a steaming cup of cocoa.Ìý While we waited for Dad, I'd peel down to my long underwear and listen to "Like a Virgin" and "Footloose" on the radio.

After peeling off my wet socks, I'd change into the wool ones made by Mom's crippled hands.Ìý She'd crank the temperature up on the oven part of the stove and I'd rest my feet on its open door.Ìý The heat would course through my feet, warming me from the toes up.Ìý To speed the rising temperature, I'd sip on my hot cocoa.

A day of play was never complete unless there was a molasses bun waiting for me, its buttery, spicey aroma dancing in the humid air. Ìý"Lassy buns" Dad would call them, harkening to when molasses was too difficult of a word for me to say.

But then time passed and no longer did I spend my days with my gray tomcat playing in the snow.Ìý Now a teen, my parents embarrassed me with their "from scratch" ways. I wanted the clothes from the mall because the television told me that was how I'd fit in.Ìý Molasses was a poor substitute for sugar and I wanted to stuff my face with Chips Ahoy cookies.Ìý In those years, I wanted to run away and find a city full of excitement and speed.

Soon enough, I turned eighteen and left the backwoods to find a faster pace of life.Ìý I drove fast, spent hard, never made anything at home.Ìý I ate at the best restaurants and I certainly didn't care if strawberries were in season when I bought them.Ìý My credit card opened up the world and the promise of a better life.

But I could not avoid those simple days for ever.Ìý Needing to grab lunch, my coworkers and I stopped at a Mom-and-Pop restaurant. ÌýTucked in the corner was an old wood stove. Memories overwhelmed me.Ìý The smell of smoke in the morning from my Dad overstuffing the stove.Ìý My mom's baking.Ìý A life of simplicity and economy that was completely foreign to my adult life.

And I felt empty inside.

I reflected on why I was so happy back then, living in poverty without even the basic Canadian need of central heating.Ìý I realized I missed the small things that made up for the poverty that my fast money could never buy. The sense of strength I had whenever my ten-year-old hands lifted an axe to chop firewood next to my dad.Ìý The independence I felt by making our own socks and mittens and toques.Ìý The equality I learned from having my mother bake my dad's favourite cookie and my dad cleaning up the dishes afterwards.

These days, my parents have upgraded to electric heat while I have downgraded to making my own blankets.Ìý With pride, I sent my parents a crocheted blanket for Christmas last year that took me eight months to make.Ìý The lessons of my youth had finally sunk into my stubborn brain.

Nowadays, I plan my dream home.Ìý It will have solar panels to save the planet and it will have a small, old-fashion wood stove in the kitchen.

Where I will bake lassy buns for all of my guests.

Ìý

I love a good villain. A hero just doesn't…hero enough without a really good villain. I love batshit crazy villains, twisted nutcases, and apathetic "look, I know I'm a bad guy, but just shut up and let me conquer the world in peace."

The fallen angels (aka The Nickel Heads) in The Dresden Files are awesome. There are several of them and they all have different personalities. They are crazy, but uniquely crazy from each other. I love it.

I loved Spike in Buffy. Ok, he stopped being a villain eventually, but he was still really awesome as the bad guy.

Saffron from Firefly is one of my favourite female villains. She was just so…awesome. Just awesome.

There is a guy named Jason. He a big man. At about 3 in the morning, in the dark, he chased me while dressed up like a ring wraith and holding a giant axe. Let me tell you something, when a 250lb, 6'4 man man bellows "prepare to die" and rushes you, flinching happens. [image error]

Who are your favourite villains?

Today is the first day of school. Thank you teachers for looking after my kids all day while trying to teach them basic skills. Lord knows I don't have the patience for it!

Ìý

Is it just me or is school starting earlier and earlier? I remember we never started school until after Labour Day weekend and we were always out by June 23. The kids don't get out until June 28th now. At this rate, we might as well move to a full-year school system (which I fully approve).

Today only!ÌýEnter the coupon ZV57C over on to get NO MORE BLANK SCREEN for $1!

I just sent in my final line edits for my upcoming SF novel, ROAD TO HELL. Whew! A common question I'm asked is if I re-read my old stuff after it's been published. The answer is a resounding no. After reading it 2-3 times to get the major content edits done, plus 2-3 more times to get line edits and nitpicks done, and then a final galley proofread, I generally never want to see the story again.

I can give out some more details about an exciting new project I've signed on to write. A small publisher has signed me on to write a reference guide. The working title is â€� WHAT KINGS ATE AND WIZARDS DRANK:ÌýA Fantasy Writer's Guide to Food and Beverages. My completion date for the manuscript is August 2012, so I'm really excited to jump back into research and historical writing in the new year.

I'm still on target for finishing SPIRITS RISING for a Christmas release. I also still should be able to finish TRANQUILITY'S GRIEF's manuscript for a December submission.

School is back next week, so the regular schedule of life resumes. I'll be back posting 1-2 times a week. In the meantime, stay safe and keep on writing! (and reading! and knitting! and exercising!)

Pre-kids, I used to write late at night. I worked an evening shift, so I'd be getting home around 10pm and wired. Then, I'd usually write until 1am or so. It wasn't very good and I would end up needing to rewrite it over and over (mostly, I think, because I was so tired), but I got the daily goal of word count accomplished.

Post-kids, I am way too tired to be writing at 10pm. In fact, I'm usually in bed by then. Sadly, later in the evening remains my best mindset to work. The kids are asleep (or, at least vegged out somewhere), the chores are all done, and there's nothing more to do. However, these days, I'm too freaking tired to stay up and write.

I've had to move to writing binges, as opposed to daily writing like I used to have. During the summer months, I do almost no writing at all. The kids are home and, in between their constant needs and trail of mess, there isn't enough consistent quiet time to really buckle down. Sure, it's easy to tweet while the kids are fighting on the back deck. It's a lot harder to write a scene while you're cringing about how you're devolving into the neighbour trash.

As usual, I barely got any work done this summer. I successfully finished all of my ROAD TO HELL edits, with the exception of a final line edit and the final galley review. I managed to fix the first 6 chapters of TRANQUILITY'S GRIEF and I'm really happy with how they are looking. I did a few pages of edits on a couple of minor projects that I have on the back burners. Other than that, I've not really done anything since early June.

I used to feel guilty about this, but I don't any more. Just like a desk job, my energy goes up and down. In the summer, my attention is pulled all over the place. I'm looking forward to school starting in a couple of weeks. School forces us all back on a schedule, including me. I'm looking forward to producing a lot more this fall.

Ìý

How is everyone surviving the summer?

ROAD TO HELL is nearly finished. It's currently been handed to the line editor, so there still may be some small changes, typos, grammar, etc. However, since it's nearing the final copy, I'm feeling confident enough to now present you with a special sneak peak from my upcoming military science fiction thriller � ROAD TO HELL.

Enjoy!

Ìý

Excited chatter overtook the room, and Katherine didn't hear the comm signal. She did, however, see the flashing red light on the panel that jutted out of the middle of the conference table.

Katherine tapped it. "Francis here."

"Captain," said Ensign O'Connor, the communications tech she let man OPs during the meeting, thinking he could use the experience. "I-I need all of you in OPs. Now!"

Katherine and John jumped to their feet and were out the door before the others' chairs even squeaked. She rushed across the hallway and slapped a hand on the door scanner. Her heart pounded in her throat. Was there an attack? The emergency klaxons weren't signalling, but with OPs full of ensigns and newly-promoted lieutenants, no one might have thought of that.

Katherine stormed into OPs through the second level entrance and rushed toward the stairs to where her own war panel was located on the first floor. She froze. Every communications accessible panel in OPs displayed a visual of the Coalition's War Admiral Sullivan, outdoors, on a cloudy morning.

Sullivan spoke, his voice husky like he smoked too much. "…started this war out of necessity, not out of malice."

Katherine squinted. Something about the area he transmitted from seemed familiar.

"We wanted peace with the Union of Planets. We asked them to join us in an Agreement of Neutrality. They refused."

"Where is this coming from?" Katherine shouted over the volume, still staring at the largest screen directly ahead of her, the one that normally displayed Fleet movements in the sector.

"Don't know, Captain. It's bombarding on all frequencies in the sector." Lieutenant Anders said and frantically tapped at his console. "All I know is that I can't stop it."

Williams resumed his place at the head of Tactical. Windrunner took her place in Communications.

"Working on it now, Captain," Windrunner said, not looking up, and her fingers flying over both the vertical and horizontal display monitors.

Katherine's three cups of mid-day coffee churned in her stomach. She recognized the mountain formations. Pious III. Home.

Using the metal railing for balance, Katherine sprinted down the stairs, sometimes three at a time. She rushed to her console. When O'Connor saw her, he hurried over. Katherine feared he'd faint; he looked so pale and shocked.

"Captain! I didn't know what to do when I couldn't stop the transmission�"

She held up a hand. "You did good. I'm going to put a commendation in your records."

"…attempt to expand our sphere of influence, which can only be expected of a great power such as the Coalition. At no point did we violate undisputed sectors, nor did we threaten violence against those planets under the protection of the Union of Planets. And how was our kindness repaid? With an attack."

Katherine licked her lips, fury rising inside her, as she listened to the passionate man on the screen in his dark green uniform twist the truth into a lie. They had never attacked the Coalition. An exploration convoy into uncharted space was attacked by a Coalition squad on a 'training exercise.' The convoy defended itself. However, war had been declared that day.

"There is no longer a time or a place for peace. We will not sit idly by while the warmongering Union attacks us and attempt to liberate planets that are under our protection. We will not allow their violence and intolerance to spread.

"We call for the total surrender of the Union of Planets. Consider that innocent people of the Union die by the millions because their leaders are too short-sighted to realize they have no chance against us. We will defend our interests."

"Come on, people. Let's get this transmission cut," Roberts shouted out over the transmission. Though he shouted, he did not sound annoyed.

"I can't Commander!" O'Connor shouted back, his voice high-pitched.

Windrunner's voice was calm, the voice of experience." Captain, somehow they've tapped into Pious III's communications array. We can't stop the signal. It's flooding the station."

"Then cut power to the communications here on the station," Katherine ordered.

"Can't. They've somehow changed the security override codes. I can't block them."

Katherine frowned. She made a mental note to have a full systems reboot and new encryption protocols drawn up when this was over. "Keep at it. If you have to, sever our incoming link. Engineering will be upset, but it's better than this."

"As proof, enjoy the deaths of your loved ones from Pious III."

A short growl escaped Katherine's lips, but she sucked it back under control. Her family was already dead. "All right, folks, let's cut this transmission. It'll probably be on repeat�"

Katherine stopped speaking, and all chattering in OPs ceased. A grainy, shaky image appeared on the screen. A teenage boy, blindfolded, with his hands tied behind him.

"What's happening?" the boy asked between hiccupping sobs.

Six Coalition soldiers, three men and three women, stood in front of him. The camera operator moved to capture a side angle of the soldiers raising their weapons.

Katherine grabbed the railing next to her, unable to stop herself from shaking.

Blue pulse beams blasted the boy at point blank range, charring his skin. He collapsed to the ground, silent. Smoke twisted in the breeze around him.

"Merciful God," Roberts whispered next to her. She hadn't even known he was there. He crossed himself.

A blindfolded woman was thrown on top of the smouldering corpse. She cried out for help. Weapons rose.

"Cut the feed! Cut it!" Roberts shouted over the dying woman's screams.

"I can't, Commander!" Windrunner shouted.

O'Connor spoke up, his voice quavering. "It's transmitting all through the station, Captain. I can't stop it."

Three other junior officers shouted that they couldn't either.

"Cut main power," Katherine bellowed out. "Shut down that transmission."

Weapons blasted. The woman crumbled. Behind Katherine, O'Connor vomited on his console, the acrid stench filling OPs.

Katherine broke into a run before the thought even formed in her mind. She grabbed a long wrench from the floor, next to a dismantled console, and jumped down into the pit, where engineers had been working moments before. Lights and klaxons flashed. Using the wrench, she smashed the electrical panels with all her fury.

A jolt of energy zapped through her. She smelled the faint stench of burning wires.

A sobbing child filled the air before the world faded into blackness.

Ìý

ROAD TO HELL will be released Nov 4, 2011 through MuseItUp Publishing. All rights reserved. Copyrighted 2011. As this sneak peak is still in editing, there may be changes in the final book, so please do not quote or pass this around. You are welcome to link people here, however.

ROAD TO HELL is nearly finished. It's currently been handed to the line editor, so there still may be some small changes, typos, grammar, etc. However, since it's nearing the final copy, I'm feeling confident enough to now present you with a special sneak peak from my upcoming military science fiction thriller � ROAD TO HELL.

Enjoy!

Ìý

Excited chatter overtook the room, and Katherine didn't hear the comm signal. She did, however, see the flashing red light on the panel that jutted out of the middle of the conference table.

Katherine tapped it. "Francis here."

"Captain," said Ensign O'Connor, the communications tech she let man OPs during the meeting, thinking he could use the experience. "I-I need all of you in OPs. Now!"

Katherine and John jumped to their feet and were out the door before the others' chairs even squeaked. She rushed across the hallway and slapped a hand on the door scanner. Her heart pounded in her throat. Was there an attack? The emergency klaxons weren't signalling, but with OPs full of ensigns and newly-promoted lieutenants, no one might have thought of that.

Katherine stormed into OPs through the second level entrance and rushed toward the stairs to where her own war panel was located on the first floor. She froze. Every communications accessible panel in OPs displayed a visual of the Coalition's War Admiral Sullivan, outdoors, on a cloudy morning.

Sullivan spoke, his voice husky like he smoked too much. "…started this war out of necessity, not out of malice."

Katherine squinted. Something about the area he transmitted from seemed familiar.

"We wanted peace with the Union of Planets. We asked them to join us in an Agreement of Neutrality. They refused."

"Where is this coming from?" Katherine shouted over the volume, still staring at the largest screen directly ahead of her, the one that normally displayed Fleet movements in the sector.

"Don't know, Captain. It's bombarding on all frequencies in the sector." Lieutenant Anders said and frantically tapped at his console. "All I know is that I can't stop it."

Williams resumed his place at the head of Tactical. Windrunner took her place in Communications.

"Working on it now, Captain," Windrunner said, not looking up, and her fingers flying over both the vertical and horizontal display monitors.

Katherine's three cups of mid-day coffee churned in her stomach. She recognized the mountain formations. Pious III. Home.

Using the metal railing for balance, Katherine sprinted down the stairs, sometimes three at a time. She rushed to her console. When O'Connor saw her, he hurried over. Katherine feared he'd faint; he looked so pale and shocked.

"Captain! I didn't know what to do when I couldn't stop the transmission�"

She held up a hand. "You did good. I'm going to put a commendation in your records."

"…attempt to expand our sphere of influence, which can only be expected of a great power such as the Coalition. At no point did we violate undisputed sectors, nor did we threaten violence against those planets under the protection of the Union of Planets. And how was our kindness repaid? With an attack."

Katherine licked her lips, fury rising inside her, as she listened to the passionate man on the screen in his dark green uniform twist the truth into a lie. They had never attacked the Coalition. An exploration convoy into uncharted space was attacked by a Coalition squad on a 'training exercise.' The convoy defended itself. However, war had been declared that day.

"There is no longer a time or a place for peace. We will not sit idly by while the warmongering Union attacks us and attempt to liberate planets that are under our protection. We will not allow their violence and intolerance to spread.

"We call for the total surrender of the Union of Planets. Consider that innocent people of the Union die by the millions because their leaders are too short-sighted to realize they have no chance against us. We will defend our interests."

"Come on, people. Let's get this transmission cut," Roberts shouted out over the transmission. Though he shouted, he did not sound annoyed.

"I can't Commander!" O'Connor shouted back, his voice high-pitched.

Windrunner's voice was calm, the voice of experience." Captain, somehow they've tapped into Pious III's communications array. We can't stop the signal. It's flooding the station."

"Then cut power to the communications here on the station," Katherine ordered.

"Can't. They've somehow changed the security override codes. I can't block them."

Katherine frowned. She made a mental note to have a full systems reboot and new encryption protocols drawn up when this was over. "Keep at it. If you have to, sever our incoming link. Engineering will be upset, but it's better than this."

"As proof, enjoy the deaths of your loved ones from Pious III."

A short growl escaped Katherine's lips, but she sucked it back under control. Her family was already dead. "All right, folks, let's cut this transmission. It'll probably be on repeat�"

Katherine stopped speaking, and all chattering in OPs ceased. A grainy, shaky image appeared on the screen. A teenage boy, blindfolded, with his hands tied behind him.

"What's happening?" the boy asked between hiccupping sobs.

Six Coalition soldiers, three men and three women, stood in front of him. The camera operator moved to capture a side angle of the soldiers raising their weapons.

Katherine grabbed the railing next to her, unable to stop herself from shaking.

Blue pulse beams blasted the boy at point blank range, charring his skin. He collapsed to the ground, silent. Smoke twisted in the breeze around him.

"Merciful God," Roberts whispered next to her. She hadn't even known he was there. He crossed himself.

A blindfolded woman was thrown on top of the smouldering corpse. She cried out for help. Weapons rose.

"Cut the feed! Cut it!" Roberts shouted over the dying woman's screams.

"I can't, Commander!" Windrunner shouted.

O'Connor spoke up, his voice quavering. "It's transmitting all through the station, Captain. I can't stop it."

Three other junior officers shouted that they couldn't either.

"Cut main power," Katherine bellowed out. "Shut down that transmission."

Weapons blasted. The woman crumbled. Behind Katherine, O'Connor vomited on his console, the acrid stench filling OPs.

Katherine broke into a run before the thought even formed in her mind. She grabbed a long wrench from the floor, next to a dismantled console, and jumped down into the pit, where engineers had been working moments before. Lights and klaxons flashed. Using the wrench, she smashed the electrical panels with all her fury.

A jolt of energy zapped through her. She smelled the faint stench of burning wires.

A sobbing child filled the air before the world faded into blackness.

Ìý

ROAD TO HELL will be released Nov 4, 2011 through MuseItUp Publishing. All rights reserved. Copyrighted 2011. As this sneak peak is still in editing, there may be changes in the final book, so please do not quote or pass this around. You are welcome to link people here, however.

Where are the flying cars? . ÌýHead on over to Jackie's blog and say hi!

We've all been depressed around my house. Even the animals are down; they lost a buddy, too. We got a lovely, personal note from the vet and a sympathy card, which was very kind of them to do. I suppose you don't become a vet without liking animals.

For August, I am concentrating on Tranquility's Grief. It's currently being reorganized, as the first third of the book drags worse than Lord of the Rings. My goal is to have it done and submitted by Dec 31.

I've just finished the content edits for Road to Hell for MuseItUp. There was a miscommunication with the release date, so cover art is a little late, but it should be arriving by the end of the month. I just have line edits and the final proofread ahead of me.

Spirits Rising (my urban fantasy novella) looks like it will be coming out early December in ebook form. I suspect I'll have more details into the fall, once editing begins.

I think that's everything. How are all of you? Any cool vacations or is everyone just working away?

Ìý