tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63676117354508001822024-03-04T22:01:29.261-08:00The Boo & Zephyr Pagesgeonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-63211729136484993072021-02-21T15:00:00.003-08:002021-02-21T15:53:03.823-08:00<p> <span style="font-size: large;">OK. They say if you want something done, do it yourself... So finally I did. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">If you want, you can buy my book <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Boo-Zephyr-Geonni-Gray-Banner/dp/B08WPG53X3/ref=sr_1_3">HERE</a></b>. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">$7.00 for a Kindle, and $12.99 for a paperback. Happy reading! </span><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV83RPW9XUI-lvdO6uJmuyBiWvK2FEZX2cceRBc7CqLICxQpS5CNQgcz8gsJHoKQaDjxA-etFykMWTZOxviJHYuIybI0hFSNDoSe1qsv_ur6mr_1_c0jqOX5fBb_gW6JIzRYdNeFmyJ1s/s2048/Cover++B%2526Z+crop.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1598" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV83RPW9XUI-lvdO6uJmuyBiWvK2FEZX2cceRBc7CqLICxQpS5CNQgcz8gsJHoKQaDjxA-etFykMWTZOxviJHYuIybI0hFSNDoSe1qsv_ur6mr_1_c0jqOX5fBb_gW6JIzRYdNeFmyJ1s/w384-h492/Cover++B%2526Z+crop.png" width="384" /></a></p>geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-59879771543449131462015-10-15T19:36:00.000-07:002015-10-15T20:00:04.850-07:00Orphaned<span style="font-size: large;">Well. It's been awhile since I've been here, but there is news of a sort.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The production company that we have been working with for the last five years, on the assumption that "Boo & Zephyr" was to be made into an animated film, has gone bankrupt.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Can't say a lot more about it because the "well-known Hollywood producer" didn't even bother to tell us, or to send an e-mail to let us know. I found out third-hand. My manager found out 2nd hand.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">We waited for five years for this. We did everything they asked of us, including starting this blog and writing a screenplay.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So "Boo & Zephyr" is looking for a new home.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">If you are someone in a publishing house or a production company, please consider my story. Older posts on this blog will tell you all about it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">If you are interested please e-mail me at</span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">crocutamon@gmail.com</span>, <span style="font-size: large;">or call me at</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">(510) 232-3492.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Geonni Banner aka A Unicorn on the 13th Floor </span><br />
<br />
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<br />geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-18757419313741561122013-05-11T11:55:00.000-07:002013-05-13T23:43:39.055-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhiuOVSA-QsLNaud7eTV5HZAzguenz6TrwIt7WkhedAyd7HsLVAuqDSGU7XAkxZN-Fuhh6zm76CnsFdRj-qqR0f3nk4JvCvW-2WWdRLzeSvC1ObtZt_5wq5jxkJgfQSYYcCKq_yXsgpk/s1600/B+&+Z+Twig+Letters+Layer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhiuOVSA-QsLNaud7eTV5HZAzguenz6TrwIt7WkhedAyd7HsLVAuqDSGU7XAkxZN-Fuhh6zm76CnsFdRj-qqR0f3nk4JvCvW-2WWdRLzeSvC1ObtZt_5wq5jxkJgfQSYYcCKq_yXsgpk/s640/B+&+Z+Twig+Letters+Layer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<h1 align="center" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: center;">
</h1>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">Once long ago in a distant world, </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">there was a young
orphan girl named Boo </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">who lost her parents but found her family, </span></h2>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">who lost her
way but discovered her home.</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Riding a horse named Matchbox, and with the help of a
cat named Tertiary and her faithful dog Stix, the child sets out on a mission
to find her best friend, Zephyr.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a
dark and dangerous journey through exotic cultures, Boo discovers the hard
realities and the unexpected rewards/promises of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">As she learns and compares new customs and
rituals, the lonely but self-reliant child learns the value of comrades, the
varieties of their courage, and the advantages of co-operation.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">On adventures that take her through incomparable
worlds, Boo becomes both the rescuer and the rescued – not yet realizing
that by the end of the journey she will be a self-reliant and mature
young woman of 14 years.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .6in; margin-right: .6in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 8pt;">*<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>*<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>*</span></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Synopsis</i></b></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></span>After the wise and kindly Zephyr mysteriously vanishes,
young Boo suspects kidnapping and sets out to find him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Zephyr’s cat Tertiary, Boo and Stix enter
a subterranean network of passageways that lead to new worlds, new friends, and
exciting adventures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon, Boo is astonished
to find that her animal companions can speak.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">Entering the first of several new worlds, Boo is joined
by three new friends: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the boy Wioka, his
horse Winter, and a magnificent stallion named Matchbox.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wioka aids Boo in her search for Zephyr by
taking her to his village and introducing her to his family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After receiving useful gifts and news of Zephyr,
Boo sets off once more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guided by Wioka
to the gate of yet another world, she reflects on the happy family life she’s
just experienced and realizes how different her own life has been.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">The next destination is Ruan, a world of forests,
mountains, and great cities by a sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There, Boo finds not only her lost friend, but also a greater quest –
and a hint of her own destiny, as she finds herself longing for a family.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">Reunited, Boo and Zephyr search for Dracocaecus, the
evil sorcerer who had kidnapped Zephyr.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Zephyr tries to dissuade Boo from her quest to destroy Dracocaecus in
order to save countless lives on various worlds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boo then discovers that the sorcerer may also
hold the key to the mystery of her own father’s earlier disappearance, and that
the lives of two of her companions are linked to the sorcerer’s clouded and
bloody past.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">Boo and Zephyr, along with their animal
friends, journey to a city by the sea, where they find Dracocaecus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the climactic scene, they battle the evil
sorcerer and ultimately vanquish him – aided by Tertiary, who undergoes an
astonishing transformation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
aftermath, Boo learns the truth about her father’s disappearance, and decides
to rebuild her life in a place of peace and tranquility.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;">Boo & Zephyr</span></i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt;"> is not “adolescent literature” – it presents a coming-of age story with
mature, family-friendly themes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
novel is the perfect vehicle for an animated feature aimed at all ages – adults
will appreciate its dimension and the youth audience of both genders will find
role models and attractive characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The pace is fast, with colorful characters and full relationships, and
the action is imaginative and exciting.</span></span></span></div>
<br />geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-28842341440216666132013-05-07T15:54:00.000-07:002013-05-20T20:00:01.090-07:00Enthusiastic Review from Norman Rich<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><><><><><></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I'm gob smacked Geonni ! :-) ... I've had a peek at the
final draft and plan on an immersion in the days to come. It is such a
pleasure and an honor to know you and your work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am currently working long hours printing my work on paper
and canvas with intent of showing it extensively in Alberta this summer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The enchanting mystery, depth of crafted imagination, and
your perseverance for creating well realized images is a joy and an
inspiration. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I look forward to the book, and the follow up film. It is
soulfully satisfying to know that your work is being recognized, and I expect
in time recognized as world class,deserving the widest exposure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Norman
Rich</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">http://www.pbase.com/norman</span></div>
geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-37582518872249103042013-05-03T17:00:00.000-07:002013-05-14T19:09:53.589-07:00Tertiary Zingiber Tigris & Stix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpWlnZWy7S59hakoUK1Ro4-vofDlo2Dx2ixjA6T3PXKnmx6zndy69Am8EWzEbqXU5rMKVS8NOYWQUR-r3of1wOGIHIohIF_dqpLuYSNpltk6YYQfc-IO-VpZhNE_PZUg1BnKimMM1MG0/s1600/TZT+&+Stix+Jungle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpWlnZWy7S59hakoUK1Ro4-vofDlo2Dx2ixjA6T3PXKnmx6zndy69Am8EWzEbqXU5rMKVS8NOYWQUR-r3of1wOGIHIohIF_dqpLuYSNpltk6YYQfc-IO-VpZhNE_PZUg1BnKimMM1MG0/s640/TZT+&+Stix+Jungle.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><b>Tertiary Zingiber Tigris & Stix</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>from "Boo & Zephyr: The Blind Dragon"</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What a surprise for Stix...</span></div>
geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-34667555822307076702013-04-24T14:51:00.000-07:002013-05-20T20:06:05.914-07:00The Coming of Matchbox<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3kOQtNU50o9KOn25HToEEbq4Xtq8LjhzP2alhEvFzjp1XUYe0L0GNKzbwjf3nGRCTK__EQ-oN4U0OI-ivhap-7l6ANyJQURsLX3A1ma-ARHWwIlaMnRJkpJsZtv3vOEMePdDV7lXhwA/s1600/Matchbox+on+Grass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3kOQtNU50o9KOn25HToEEbq4Xtq8LjhzP2alhEvFzjp1XUYe0L0GNKzbwjf3nGRCTK__EQ-oN4U0OI-ivhap-7l6ANyJQURsLX3A1ma-ARHWwIlaMnRJkpJsZtv3vOEMePdDV7lXhwA/s640/Matchbox+on+Grass.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Coming of Matchbox</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i> from "Boo & Zephyr: The Blind Dragon"</i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> After bathing
her face at the creek, Boo slipped off her smock and waded into the water. Stix
amused herself by chasing minnows in the shallows, but she caught only two and
got a very muddy face for her trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>Boo scrubbed her smock as clean as she could without soap, and then she
and Stix returned to camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The smock was
spread to dry on the warm surface of the sunny side of the stone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boo clambered up to the top in her damp shift
and stood looking at the hills, as the soft breeze dried her hair.</span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>She could see
a herd of horses in the distance, loping along like cloud-shadows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They ran along a grassy ridge and then passed
down into the valley beyond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boo
stretched her arms above her head and yawned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then she slipped down the tawny curve of the rock where Stix waited. She
walked around to the fire-pit, picked up her pack and sat down nearby, just
outside the shadow of the stone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>"Where is
Tertiary?" she asked Stix.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>"Gone
hunting," replied the little dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>"He says the mice here are fat and tasty."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Boo rummaged
in the knapsack and found her half-apple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a little shriveled and had turned brown on the cut side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Tertiary's bird was delicious,"
she said, "but I'd give three of them for a half-dozen apples."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>She took a bite from the withered fruit. "I saw
horses, Stix, wild horses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were
beautiful. I wish we had one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only
thing I can think of that I'd rather have right now than more apples is a horse
to ride. Except, of course to find Zeph--" </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>She did not
finish her sentence, however, because her knapsack began to wriggle and
shake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It fell over on its side and
things began to fly out of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boo
screamed and snatched up Stix, who was barking furiously. She backed away
toward the stone and stumbled on the edge of the fire-pit, sitting down hard in
the cold ashes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Up she popped again,
still clutching the now silent Stix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her
damp shift and legs were blotched with gray. But she did not notice, for
something amazing was happening!</span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>Out of her
pack rolled her little wooden box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
came to rest right side up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
something was wrong with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lid
bulged and rippled; the little box fairly danced on the grass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, to Boo's utter astonishment, the little
red horse on the top of the box began to kick and flail his legs, tossing his
head and whinnying a tiny, tinny, little neigh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One of his hooves wrenched itself from the cover of the box and stamped
down on the grass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No sooner had it
touched the turf, than it began to grow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It dug into the earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>Another
hoof came free, this time a hind one, which kicked madly in the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The little red head, complete with flying
mane, tore itself free of the box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boo
could see its minute eye rolling wildly through the hairs of its tossing
forelock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The little horse neighed
again, and its voice grew louder and deeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All of its four legs were free now, and the gleaming, muscular neck
pulled loose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole horse was
growing at an alarming rate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The box had
disappeared beneath the thrashing creature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His tail flowed over the grass, and his shoulders pulled free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was at least three feet long now and
growing rapidly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His coat was changing
from red to flaming chestnut, and his cascading mane and rippling tail were
becoming a creamy flaxen color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At last,
he was completely free of the box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
rolled on his back, kicking his legs in the air, and then he rolled back,
gathering his hooves beneath him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Already he was the size of a large pony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He struggled to his feet, neighing shrilly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He reared and pawed the air; then down went
his head as he lashed out behind him with his black hooves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He swished his tail and leaped about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His quarters bulged with rippling muscles,
and his hooves tore up the grass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
fiery coat gleamed with sweat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
continued to whinny, neigh and snort through his large distended nostrils. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>A sharp pain
stabbed Boo in the lower part of her right leg. She tore her eyes from the
rampaging stallion and looked down to see Tertiary digging one of his claws
into her leg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was saying something.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Boo realized
he was yowling, "Turn on the word-shaper!"</span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>Tucking Stix
under her left arm, she fumbled for the chain around her neck and pressed the
red button on the shaper; whereupon, the neighing of the stallion was replaced
with some of the most shocking profanity she had ever heard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The horse was full size now: a magnificent
stallion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He stopped leaping about and
stood shaking his mane and pawing the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His language grew more repeatable as well.</span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>"Road
Apples!" he shouted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"OH! By
the arse of my grey-haired grandsire!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Am
I glad to be off that crap-encrusted BOX!"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He paused, tossing his head up and down.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>Tertiary
approached him and said, "Ok, Horsefeathers, watch your language, there's
a <i>lady</i> present."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>The horse
threw up his head and shied, then dashed at Tertiary, who slipped aside like
lightning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>"<i>Horsefeathers</i> is
it? I'll show you, wretched <i>cat</i>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I'll stomp you into a jelly and piss on the— Oh!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hello."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>The stallion had caught sight of Boo, clutching her bristling little dog
against her chest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What could be seen of
her face was white as a sheet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest
of it was streaked with ashes, as was her smock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tertiary was sitting calmly next to her leg.</span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>Shaking his
head once more, the horse moved slowly up to Boo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>Stix continued to bristle, and growled a
hideous menace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boo clamped her hand
firmly over the dog's wrinkled muzzle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The stallion stood in front of her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He lowered his head and breathed softly through his pink nostrils.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said, "Matchbox is the name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Sorry for the blue language, but I'll bet
you've never been glued to the top of a box for seven years."</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Boo was
speechless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tertiary, peering intently
at the line of blood on Boo's leg where he had scratched her, said, "You
ought to wash that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cat-scratches can
get infected easily.”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-13582588450653218682013-04-16T10:26:00.000-07:002013-05-14T19:11:02.331-07:00<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>What would a fantasy novel be without maps? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Here are some to help you follow the movements of Boo, Zephyr, and all the other characters as they travel about the Plainsworld and Ruan on their quest.</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcp_dAyhrVSHSVtZN7ehbf3czysyriQoFxxXYcTh2-T-GJbVbQ-eGNSepIJyyWWmAQ1BBQOCVXurk49wmNj2bc0kkk6v8VEk-SH5JkqS53Y2D8UaLNoAD6tJ7G4ztiVip9yhobZw1_X1w/s1600/148525002.4DIfJpGq.ruanmap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcp_dAyhrVSHSVtZN7ehbf3czysyriQoFxxXYcTh2-T-GJbVbQ-eGNSepIJyyWWmAQ1BBQOCVXurk49wmNj2bc0kkk6v8VEk-SH5JkqS53Y2D8UaLNoAD6tJ7G4ztiVip9yhobZw1_X1w/s640/148525002.4DIfJpGq.ruanmap.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPRT1-yNinEEsS1yvMVvdoXbwiaewv5uQ4U0M6D6o9Zx4L49SGtmR6wxpW7HTq9mRqGWWKcnfRk_RbegCdRQHzAy3cZGvfbWs_a4hMupSwIYSUlc1zyWZA4bmQRzD_LJ5qS9qZTsKV_8/s1600/148739988.Gp51QuVz.ruanmapdetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPRT1-yNinEEsS1yvMVvdoXbwiaewv5uQ4U0M6D6o9Zx4L49SGtmR6wxpW7HTq9mRqGWWKcnfRk_RbegCdRQHzAy3cZGvfbWs_a4hMupSwIYSUlc1zyWZA4bmQRzD_LJ5qS9qZTsKV_8/s640/148739988.Gp51QuVz.ruanmapdetail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAP_bWyQZmgbGekJwLSIWihlYnDcoNRz1IfyVLqdqD0_7eCLSm5V-nnl7m57vBf4_lST_zc5H1SIVLbtWCWsCglXUFf6Nz54Fv1yyqsoxA8dU9Dt6AiRWP0zaCosJRUuBVBVf0VT5HUw/s1600/148885702.ngjWhf5T.plainsworldmaprevised.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="491" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAP_bWyQZmgbGekJwLSIWihlYnDcoNRz1IfyVLqdqD0_7eCLSm5V-nnl7m57vBf4_lST_zc5H1SIVLbtWCWsCglXUFf6Nz54Fv1yyqsoxA8dU9Dt6AiRWP0zaCosJRUuBVBVf0VT5HUw/s640/148885702.ngjWhf5T.plainsworldmaprevised.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-88697142172679712162013-03-29T13:17:00.000-07:002013-05-14T19:42:57.304-07:00Three More Pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERlYz41m2B1ZstzXEk5VQf4bClWVXSKOcXY5PLmabZYVlPxryQwgbji178KEpcP6rZ2plUO1g_SBj2QCrMDUk1mYEGf4jPS8_9V7EELz2Du35jLeiY1B2xnqPOYiUt-0aY5nQqIxScvs/s640/Tertiary+Cloud+black.jpg" width="502" /> </div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Tertiary Zingiber Tigris</i></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></i> </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOeoRDEI-lMifmKOGnzXNAjnDzLQwRewsg0zJ3v9DaGnoOjVZXifS5pfurl9v-6NtLRRbBwcVHTg3pPVIB5qQLx64-d_bSm46OuhURscOrpiNM5omBNNXAXQ5eodrUpryrkGQAqoj6eY/s1600/Tech+Gronnalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOeoRDEI-lMifmKOGnzXNAjnDzLQwRewsg0zJ3v9DaGnoOjVZXifS5pfurl9v-6NtLRRbBwcVHTg3pPVIB5qQLx64-d_bSm46OuhURscOrpiNM5omBNNXAXQ5eodrUpryrkGQAqoj6eY/s640/Tech+Gronnalk.jpg" width="576" /> </a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Gr<span style="font-size: x-large;">onalk, o</span>ne of the Techs of the Atria</i></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunj5fyOYjsKgCK6w6rNdKYtJ169ec87ju9ThJ7mXZ8keKKxrhWsg0DI0gZDT9KWThbkByXI9bwf4Qj_nLCCbUSnAQMEWkIsM27IiTre14BduIFIGnOqRGZF3-a53otZGbiYEYahyn66o/s1600/Matchbox+on+Grass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunj5fyOYjsKgCK6w6rNdKYtJ169ec87ju9ThJ7mXZ8keKKxrhWsg0DI0gZDT9KWThbkByXI9bwf4Qj_nLCCbUSnAQMEWkIsM27IiTre14BduIFIGnOqRGZF3-a53otZGbiYEYahyn66o/s640/Matchbox+on+Grass.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-large;"><i><i>The Coming of Matchbox</i></i></span></b></div>
<br />geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-265045173472366532013-03-17T23:17:00.000-07:002013-05-14T19:13:30.533-07:00Bio – Geonni Banner<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Geonni Banner
was born in an Army hospital in Seattle, Washington, in 1952 – a self-described
Navy brat, delivered by a civilian doctor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A large part
of her childhood was spent alone, with animals and books for company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fictional characters and the four-legged
became her family and her peer group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being
diagnosed with agoraphobia at age 28 was not the tragedy that it could have
been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moving from place to place
constantly as a youngster, she lived a life largely conducted indoors in a
series of rooms that blur together into sameness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rooms seem to be her natural habitat –
dictated by circumstance and her nervous system – and she now feels comfortable
in them.<o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Geonni has lived
all over the 48 states (and Hawaii).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
never finished high school, which doesn’t seem to have been an appreciable
hindrance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Excessively curious, she reads
omnivorously, gladly claiming the title “self-educated":<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> "</span>In this day and age, if you really want to
know about something and have the Internet, you’re good to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you spend any time thinking about what
you’ve learned, you’re better off than the average garden-variety educated
fool."<o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">She started
drawing as soon as she could hold a pencil – mostly horses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s still horse-crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She tried commercial art school in Texas 1972,
but “that didn’t work for me,” she says with a smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When her drawing instructor asked what she
was doing at the school, she was crushed by his assessment of her (lack of)
ability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he said, “You should be in
a <i>fine arts</i> school.”<o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And that was her
cue to “hie myself back to California, where I’ve been ever since.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">She’s spent
her life making a living at everything from running the shipping department of
a psychedelic poster factory, silk-screening bar mirrors with elaborate beer
advertisements on them, and working the counter in record or video stores – to
managing Pizza Huts, cooking omelets and sandwiches in bistros, and doing
live-in elder-care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus years of
animal-related jobs: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>vet’s assistant,
dog groomer, and dog trainer. <o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Apart from Geonni’s
art, writing and photography, her interests include anything to do with
Tokugawa Japan – especially Samurai ‘stuff,’ horses, Japanese film, Anime,
quilt making, and kitschy clocks.<o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In addition
to having completed the fantasy/ juvenile fiction novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Boo & Zephyr – The Blind Dragon</i>, Geonni is now working on the
sequel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Boo & Zephyr – The Good Road</i>.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s also published sundry short pieces
of humor and non-fiction in various periodicals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In 2006, Geonni
became infected with a particularly virulent strain of photography virus, which
has mutated into a Photoshop fetish as well:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“It keeps me busy.”<o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i><u>Other quotes:</u></i></b><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">“I have this
belief that everything you have ever seen is still in your head, stored in your
memory-banks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I therefore try to look at
everything – including things around me – that doesn't consciously register for
most people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my art, my photography
and in my writing, I really try to portray my impressions in a way that will
showcase the essential nature of the scenes and objects I observe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel that if we dismiss 20% to 50% or more
of what we see as too mundane, ugly, or dull to bother with, then we are
cultivating blindness – and missing a lot of interest and beauty.”<o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">“There is so
much to see in this world that is worth looking at. If you have ever walked
around the block with a toddler, you know what I mean. They stop and look at
EVERYTHING. They want to see, touch, smell – and sometimes taste – everything
in their path. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we grow up we are
trained not to see the world, but to narrow our focus to what is directly
related to ‘getting ahead.’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a loss!”<o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">“I am really
influenced by the music I listen to when I'm working – usually techno or
classical. In a way I turn the image or story over to the music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The music will help me to make creative
leaps, and show me the heart of the piece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am constantly amazed at how quickly it happens.”<o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>“Showing
something natural, in its native state, is not art. Artifice piled on artifice,
giving you the illusion of natural – that’s art. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are going to draw people into your
dream, then you must make it completely convincing. If the dream is not
perfect, then it will feel unnatural. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only
the most perfect dream approaches reality.”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kawase
Toshiro<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">“I most often
take photos within 500 yards of my home or from a moving car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main reason for this is that I’m severely
agoraphobic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The secondary reason for
this is that having been agoraphobic for so long, I have learned that it is
really unnecessary to go any further than that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you open yourself to what is around you, an unsuspected cosmos will
appear – one that is beautiful in its complexity, and at the same time, profound
in its simplicity.”<o:p> </o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">“I have
learned to let books, films and other art forms b<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>ring to
me that which is far away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I have
also learned to let that which is close by me to take me to unexplored realms.”</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-36258268348513265332013-03-07T10:46:00.000-08:002013-05-14T19:15:46.965-07:00Sneak Preview!<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Where will Boo, Zephyr, Wioka and their companions travel next?</span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Here are a few glimpses of the worlds in store for the travelers.</span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTobXLsL04_tBmjsh1hgMYU-MFxmJF2xmW6d44VtXnTv8brKNSBALz7WE8R60chPn-i2i1hRSlGFqkqB6xMu6CS-Bl55KtqXq9MawY0YOk-fw4_je0QezgNt1uIz2kfzWJEtXTUviNxFg/s1600/148524425.X7FoSYjv.HorsemanwTibetanDog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTobXLsL04_tBmjsh1hgMYU-MFxmJF2xmW6d44VtXnTv8brKNSBALz7WE8R60chPn-i2i1hRSlGFqkqB6xMu6CS-Bl55KtqXq9MawY0YOk-fw4_je0QezgNt1uIz2kfzWJEtXTUviNxFg/s640/148524425.X7FoSYjv.HorsemanwTibetanDog1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtV5MZl2Z3DbEQkrAreRsZapP3LhfsbdSM85yzQ7AyUONhTi-Ke_JNKG1Ymlj3CuXX_cF1qVO8sw7hzxKN7SVK3drKg7ZyG1A418HWZX-SRqFMUjh09EN91kxakpjI3mF4iPEhx8jmUPs/s1600/148524796.LUZc1ZU5.SomethingWickedThisWayComesSF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtV5MZl2Z3DbEQkrAreRsZapP3LhfsbdSM85yzQ7AyUONhTi-Ke_JNKG1Ymlj3CuXX_cF1qVO8sw7hzxKN7SVK3drKg7ZyG1A418HWZX-SRqFMUjh09EN91kxakpjI3mF4iPEhx8jmUPs/s640/148524796.LUZc1ZU5.SomethingWickedThisWayComesSF.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-large;">New friends with their own stories will be discovered, </span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-large;">and old friends will always be there for each other. </span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-large;"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i> Join them!</i></span></span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-85401189630351350112013-03-01T17:11:00.001-08:002013-05-13T22:29:19.195-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Clw9cPuX7Bg2un2X59Zikyk9DeYvU4OjfSNlltYRyd5cp-9_6Izze4sKdTFnw78pb8czokDhpfdjuv4rZRERSK2ecPwpHdjIs-FzFY92UDgmNEkc8ZXbHARxJWrOgg-bNytii2e21vU/s1600/Golden+Gate+Caravan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Clw9cPuX7Bg2un2X59Zikyk9DeYvU4OjfSNlltYRyd5cp-9_6Izze4sKdTFnw78pb8czokDhpfdjuv4rZRERSK2ecPwpHdjIs-FzFY92UDgmNEkc8ZXbHARxJWrOgg-bNytii2e21vU/s640/Golden+Gate+Caravan.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFITRXUkE61040zKxTMvjymO73IQj9GBvw4cK2aJ-IWnuLcNeEX0MlEb3HlEwOOxtdQupUas53Gu97_g9Bz5omWqlDt8GTYvCKrvBhDKU0sfYET8uUy11aZ13VNOlXTv_45uMPpfVjXR0/s1600/Boo+&+Matchbox+Swimming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="619" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFITRXUkE61040zKxTMvjymO73IQj9GBvw4cK2aJ-IWnuLcNeEX0MlEb3HlEwOOxtdQupUas53Gu97_g9Bz5omWqlDt8GTYvCKrvBhDKU0sfYET8uUy11aZ13VNOlXTv_45uMPpfVjXR0/s640/Boo+&+Matchbox+Swimming.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Here are two more peeks at the books "Boo & Zephyr" and the sequel, "The Good Road." geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-32034040874389732162013-02-22T11:34:00.000-08:002013-05-13T22:29:29.669-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3Omu9fGf39risOn1Y9iB_edrxp92FNWDIZkGkl3ExkE4QI-OjQAEsUNv5OL2_mA8P6xkKd4KK_4PH4HNilV2ieSNC4xz7WzYmR5zWY7Ka8DrdS0poiMePLz-IupfT5XsyHZf50dIQj0/s1600/Caravan+Sepized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3Omu9fGf39risOn1Y9iB_edrxp92FNWDIZkGkl3ExkE4QI-OjQAEsUNv5OL2_mA8P6xkKd4KK_4PH4HNilV2ieSNC4xz7WzYmR5zWY7Ka8DrdS0poiMePLz-IupfT5XsyHZf50dIQj0/s640/Caravan+Sepized.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>In the Old Days</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>from "Boo & Zephyr: The Good Road"</i></b></div>
<br />geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-5987100337755738282013-02-05T13:56:00.000-08:002013-05-21T13:09:45.484-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOjLHGtAI3BFP_wvQL5WIDundCAOWnFLWBUpau-oJFlFGVYYbKUSjh8lJD1XcCRaT6CBGPJ0a5bkQcjuG7LJoaQS6FJBA01FOP520wHeBkx1oWeKDtTkhCT02xG1n17Qza78GY2oQgnU/s1600/The+Covenant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOjLHGtAI3BFP_wvQL5WIDundCAOWnFLWBUpau-oJFlFGVYYbKUSjh8lJD1XcCRaT6CBGPJ0a5bkQcjuG7LJoaQS6FJBA01FOP520wHeBkx1oWeKDtTkhCT02xG1n17Qza78GY2oQgnU/s640/The+Covenant.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Covenant</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>from "Boo & Zephyr: The Good Road"</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Weaver brothers join Jared in his bowtop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earlier, they had left Beryl outside to sound
a warning if anything were amiss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their
conversation centered around Ossie’s disapproval of the dog being allowed inside
the caravans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arlo explained to Jack that
to Ossie, bringing a dog inside was as unthinkable as bringing in one of the
horses would be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the animals were
there for a purpose - to work or to be sold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were not to be fondled, fussed over or made pets of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jack objects to this, saying that Ossie
worried over Kakaratchi like a mother hen if the horse got so much as a pimple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They all laugh at this, but Arlo grew
serious again and told them a story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ossie had obtained Kakaratchi as a weanling, and the horse was
everything he had dreamed of in a foundation sire for his little herd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he discovered that the horse could
speak, he was angry and never answered Kakaratchi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He took good care of the horse, but never had
a kind word for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Kakaratchi was
grown something happened to change all that. </span></span></span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ossie had lost his wife and
family some years before, and as time went by he grew more and more bitter and
withdrawn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day he harnessed the
stallion to his wagon and ordered him to move off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Kakaratchi stood still and silent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing would move him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At last Ossie’s temper gave way and he did
something he had never done before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Furious and swearing he beat Kakaratchi savagely and cursed him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The horse was unmoved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He never flinched and stood gazing at Ossie
until the man was spent and threw down his whip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then Kakaratchi spoke.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
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<br />
<div style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">“Now, old man, if you have poured out all the poison in your
heart on me, listen to what I say. I have served you well for four years,
and done everything you have asked of me. I have stood still gratefully
while you cared for my feet and my coat, and I have offered you my friendship
and my labor. I have seen you grow apart from the world and watched as
you grieved for the loss of those you loved. I will watch no more.
If you wish to go on punishing yourself for the troubles that took away your
family that is your affair. But I am young and strong and my heart does
not wish to be alone. Take and return the friendship I offer you, or sell
me to someone who wishes to live in life and share his happiness with those
around him. I will no longer labor in solitude for a dead man.” </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Ossie fell back from the horse and his words. He
turned and walked away. For hours he walked and wept. At last he
returned to where the stallion waited, and removed his bit and bridle.
Climbing aboard the vardo he said to the horse, “Let us go on together, my
friend.” And Kakaratchi moved off, pulling the wagon.</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-55729332103430259642013-01-25T15:55:00.000-08:002013-05-21T13:15:56.324-07:00Here’s another peek at Boo & Zephyr: The Good Road…<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">When Ata-noe climbed up on the boulder to get a better
view of the mountainside, Tertiary was lying next to Sandyx grooming her ears
and face with his tongue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both tigers
were mortally tired, but the young tigress was especially so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rambler stood quietly by, half-heartedly
nibbling some dry grass.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tertiary watched Ata-noe gazing intently
at the side of the mountain, and following her gaze, he too saw Vitrater emerge
from behind a screen of brush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
scrambled to his feet and took a step toward the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sandyx remained lying down, and watched him
as he moved forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Ata-noe looked
back and beheld the dragon,<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Tertiary,
seeing her reaction, spun about and then flattened himself to the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tail lashing, eyes glowing, he snarled in
fear and rage at the gigantic flying beast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sandyx too was terrified and crouched low, almost seeming to sink into
the ground.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></b>Rambler reared and dashed uphill toward Ata-noe. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">#<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>#<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>#</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ata-noe clung tightly to the panicked
horse as they sped up the side of the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The dragon passed and passed over the mountain slope below her and cast down
fiery ruin before it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clouds of choking
smoke billowed across the narrow trail as the fire spread, and the wind from
the oncoming storm drove it along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rambler’s pace had begun to slacken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was still terrified, but the steepness of the trail and her tired
muscles began to slow her down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her ears
swiveled to listen to the voice of Ata-noe as she sought to calm the mare and
guide her toward the spot she had last seen Zephyr.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Out of the corner of her eye, Ata-noe saw the
leaping forms of the tigers as they ranged alongside Rambler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sandyx ran as close to Tertiary as she could,
her ears flattened in fear, and together they swept on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Burning fragments of wood began to fall
around them as trees burst into flame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The whole mountainside seemed to be a roaring inferno, but there were
many patches as yet free of the fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was in one of these that Ata-noe met with Zephyr.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They nearly collided as Vitrater came
galloping out of a roil of smoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both
horses skidded and stumbled as they sought to pull up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vitrater slipped and slid, nearly falling and
Rambler wheeled, neighing piercingly and slid to a halt beside the
stallion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The horses were panting with
exertion and Zephyr shouted, “We must get down the mountain!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dragon has shattered the portal!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All is in flames and the rocks are
shattered!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">He paused, gasping at the
thick smoke, and a shadow fell upon them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The dragon wheeled above, and a sheet of flame descended to where they
stood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the horses sprang away, the
tigers before them, and they fled, feeling the scorching heat of the dragon’s
flames, not yet stuck by the fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An
ear rending crash of thunder rent the smoky air as they ran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The storm had reached them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The white flash of lightning eclipsed the brilliance
of the dragon-fire, and the dragon roared deafeningly in answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a short way the riders plunged down the
slope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With each stride the horses
risked bone-shattering falls, and they struggled to stay upright, lathered
coats gleaming orange and gold in the leaping firelight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly a wall of flames with no opening was
before them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tertiary roared in fury,
and slewed about, avoiding the hooves of the horses as they staggered to a
halt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lightning struck nearby and the thunder
was like a hammer stroke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sandyx leaped
straight into the air in an agony of terror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We cannot get through!” shouted
Zephyr.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Ata-noe shouted back, “There
is another way!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Come, let us fly!”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She seized Ramber’s mane at the crest of
the mare’s trembling neck and leaned forward, pushing her head to one side and
shouting in her ears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rambler spun in
the direction Ata-noe had turned her head, and sprang away into a rolling cloud
of smoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After an instant of hesitation
as he saw the tigers follow the girl, Vitrater leaped after her.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">For a moment they were
blinded by smoke, but soon Zephyr saw that Rambler was in the clear, clambering
up a steep defile with a stand of unburned fir trees at the summit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was rugged and treacherous incline, choked
with scree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bay mare was struggling
and Ata-noe slid from her back, urging her on from beside her straining
forequarters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zephyr too, leaped to the
ground, and taking hold of Vitrater’s mane, he climbed beside the
stallion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The talus slipped and rolled
underfoot but they made steady, if maddeningly slow progress up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Large scattered drops of soot-blackened rain
began to fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The storm was beginning
to lash the forest with a pelting rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Zephyr looked ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ata-noe and
her exhausted horse were nearly at the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tigers waited there already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had made little of the shifting rubble
and had sprung lightly up, compared to the heavy laboring of the horses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking over his shoulder, Zephyr saw the
raging conflagration of fire and storm, and the dragon, still wheeling beneath
the clouds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The noise was an
indescribable numbing torrent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A great
crescent of burning forest lay below them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Already the trees at the foot of the defile were roaring towers of
flame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were trapped on the mountainside,
and the flames were moving hungrily up.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a moment he reached the top where the
others stood between the last green trees in sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The company stood, gasping for breath, and
watched the dragon, as it laid waste all below it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lightning played about the sky, as they stood
transfixed, gazing with awe at the scene of destruction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rain began to fall more heavily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dragon swept toward them, and as they
made to flee into the trees, they heard a dreadful crack, and a deafening shriek
that veered up to an unbearable metallic pitch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Before their astonished eyes a huge, livid fork of lightning struck the
dragon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For an instant the dreadful
beast seemed to glow; its shape coruscated and wavered in the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, with a furious roar, the huge body
burst into thousands of black fragments.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ata-noe shrank against Zephyr and uttered
a sharp cry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without taking his eyes
from the scene before him, Zephyr pulled her close to his side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He felt hope rise within him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was this the death of Callida?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For he well knew that the dragon was in
reality, the cruel shape-shifter. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tertiary knew it too and he roared in
delight and triumph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But his delight was
short-lived and his triumph soon turned to alarm, for Callida was not so easily
disposed of.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dark mass of burned and tattered black
fragments that had once been the dragon was not drifting quietly to earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be sure, some of the ragged shapes spun
fluttering in the wind of the storm and fell into the burning trees below, but
most did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The greater portion
remained aloft and began to revolve in a weaving, sinister dance with the rain
and wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They resembled a flock of
birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a shock, the companions
realized that the whirling black shapes were in fact a massive congregation of
crows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The birds flew about in a confused mass,
and then they began to form into an ordered flock, wheeling and dipping much as
the dragon had done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From time to time
they would be nearly obscured by the slanting sheets of rainfall, but they were
moving with a purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ata-noe was the
first to speak.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“They are seeking us,” she said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We must go.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed the crows were moving over the side
of the mountain, swooping low in the places where the dragon-fire was being
quenched by the downpour, rising swiftly above the places where the flames
still leaped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the flock was
approaching the place where the companions stood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The noise was much less now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dazzling bolt of lightning which had
struck the dragon seemed to be the storm’s last.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thunder had dwindled to an occasional low
mutter, and the rain fell steadily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over
the drumming of the raindrops could be heard the raucous squawking of the immense
flock of crows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was coming closer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zephyr turned to Ata-noe. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We can find no safety here,” he said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The portal is destroyed, or at least the
cave inside which it stands is blocked.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“There is another way,” said Ata-noe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The mountain holds many secrets. Come, let
us go to the hidden gate.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She turned,
and as the others followed her into the stand of trees, Zephyr asked, “Where
does it lead?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ata-noe answered, “To the sea.”</span></span></div>
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geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-72458286951065442092013-01-11T12:09:00.000-08:002013-05-13T22:30:14.351-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
This is Beryl, a Lurcher - which in her case means a Scottish Deerhound crossed with a Border Collie. Beryl is a good pot-hunter.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Coursing hares is her work, and she loves it. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Beryl belongs to Jack Weaver and travels with Ossie Shehan's familia in "The Good Road."</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5w-gBumj27R4edIDpV-hSMg0FGpnwPSAlHeF1zX4B_MF5A37L50aHtkjJNdwWamhRbuygV5xcEApoMhvDIsM9Zm62NjXDIhIw1OuvThB-nFbwVOZe9IdHTMF7t_ElgHGreNlbjXI7bSQ/s1600/Beryl+Landscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5w-gBumj27R4edIDpV-hSMg0FGpnwPSAlHeF1zX4B_MF5A37L50aHtkjJNdwWamhRbuygV5xcEApoMhvDIsM9Zm62NjXDIhIw1OuvThB-nFbwVOZe9IdHTMF7t_ElgHGreNlbjXI7bSQ/s640/Beryl+Landscape.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6367611735450800182.post-35439556977715374152013-01-05T22:04:00.000-08:002013-05-13T22:30:25.075-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpr2JQ9HstcnFncogPQxxmnGRGL7TgyPwXU4FUaIhXjsTV5STkAHsSjQffMQncNLvakOOt05xjjcVr51SKioK8HiffiIBK9SodbEhjy4-k_yL1MLIknVxhFKDta4Jw_3juCZKM5K1G94/s1600/Ready+for+the+Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpr2JQ9HstcnFncogPQxxmnGRGL7TgyPwXU4FUaIhXjsTV5STkAHsSjQffMQncNLvakOOt05xjjcVr51SKioK8HiffiIBK9SodbEhjy4-k_yL1MLIknVxhFKDta4Jw_3juCZKM5K1G94/s640/Ready+for+the+Road.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Ready for the Road</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>from "Boo & Zephyr: The Good Road"</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Ossie Sheehan's Kakaratchi (Magpie) pulling a Reading Wagon somewhere in Ruan.</div>
geonni bannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13698766164965033468noreply@blogger.com1