I’m in the middle of the edits battlefield with Lean on Me, the fourth Alex the Fey thriller. I think that’s why this sculpture appeals to me so much right now.

Here is a portion of his artist statement:

“I wanted to create a sculpture almost anyone, regardless of their background, could look at and instantly recognize that it is about the idea of struggling to break free. This sculpture is about the struggle for achievement of freedom through the creative process.

Although for me, this feeling sprang from a particular personal situation, I was conscious that it was a universal desire with almost everyone; that need to escape from some situation – be it an internal struggle or an adversarial circumstance, and to be free from it.”

Wow.

Where are you in this process?

Previous Chapters
Recap of what’s happened so far and character summary
Looking for the beginning? Chapter One

Chapter 191

He could still hear her talking. It was as if her voice was coming through the walls. He pressed his head against the nursery wall. Her voice was on the other side. His heart pounding in his throat, he hammered the wall with his fists.

“Val!”

He heard her laugh. His eyes scanned the room until they fell on the closet door. He put his head against he door.

Her voice was coming from inside. She laughed again.

Mike opened the door and turned on the light.

Nothing. No Val.

He had painted this closet just last week. He knew every nook and cranny. He patted the walls and listened. He could still hear her talking to someone.

At the very back of the closet, he saw a small trap door. He had tried to open the door when he was painting but it had been nailed shut. He dropped to his knees. The nails were gone. He pulled on the door and the hinges creaked as it opened.

He crawled through the trap door to find five wooden stairs and an open area. It had the look of an elegant medical office of some kind. Valerie laughed.

“Val?”

“Mike! Come on up.”

He ran up the stairs to find Valerie covered in dust talking to the air.

“Mom wanted me to see this space,” Valerie said. “Isn’t it gorgeous? She thinks we could move up here or whatever. And look!”

Valerie pointed to a bookshelf.

“The books about the house! Jake’s been looking for these forever.” Valerie smiled as if she’d done something big. “Mom says you’re freaked out. Are you freaked out?”

“Honey, we’re having a baby tonight,” Mike said.

“I know!” Valerie said. “Right here.”

“What?” Mike asked.

“Mom says we won’t get out of the Castle and it’s better to have the baby here,” Valerie said. “Isn’t it neat?”

“What about ‘I want all the meds’ and ‘I like hospitals’?” Mike asked.

“That was before Mom came,” Valerie smiled. “Go get Delphie. She’ll explain everything.”

Mike gawked at her.

“Go on,” Valerie said. “I have a few hours so I thought I’d start making a clean space.”

“Val I really think,” Mike said.

“Mike do as I ask,” Valerie said. “Please.”

“Do not do that to me,” Mike said. “You promised.”

“Ok, sorry,” Valerie smiled.

Mike stalked down the stairs toward the trap door

“Oh, can you bring me some cleaning supplies? And the vacuum?” Valerie asked. “Oh and call the doctor. Mom thinks Delphie and Tanesha will be fine but it’s always good to have one around.”

“Why are we doing this?” Mike asked.

“Because they’re going to experiment on Jackie,” Valerie said. “Our baby.”

“And Blane?”

“It’s already worked out,” Valerie said. “Blane will get a catheter into his hepatic artery. I don’t know what that is, but that’s what will happen. He can get the cord blood here. His doctor is just realizing they want to experiment on our baby. He’s going to suggest it to Blane and Heather in the next hour and do the surgery tomorrow morning.”

“You’re sure?”

“Jill will have the twins here too,” Valerie said. “Mom says it was an expensive doctor’s office once. There were stairs out the back. Other babies have been born here. We’ll be fine. Just go get Delphie. She’ll tell you everything. Oh, and get Jake. He needs to build the stairs.”

He was almost in the closet when she yelled, “Bring the popcorn!”

Shaking his head, he went to find Delphie and Sam.

~~~~~~~~

Wednesday morning — 5:25 A.M.

Jeraine woke with a start.

Tanesha wasn’t there. His heart squeezed with panic. She was gone and he was alone. A sharp pain shot through his head. He rotated to sitting and grabbed his head. How was he going to survive this day?

Hearing a noise, he hopped out of bed. He thought, ‘Maybe she’s in the kitchen.’ He ran out of the bedroom to look for her and saw the kids sprawled on the living room carpet. Relief washed through him.

Tanesha was with her girls last night. They were getting the space ready for Valerie to have her baby. The entire endeavor didn’t make sense to him but that hadn’t stopped him from playing a wild game of Cowboys and Indians with Charlie, Teddy, Sissy, and Nash last night. Aden had arrived midgame and took up the Cowboy call. Noelle documented the action with her sketch pad. He hadn’t had as much fun since… We’ll he wasn’t sure when.

He went into the kitchen to start coffee. Aden met him there.

“You’re sure you’re all right with the kids here?”Aden whispered.

“Sure,” Jeraine said.

“Sandy will be here to do school drop off,” Aden said. “The girlfriends are going to breakfast.”

“How…?” Jeraine asked.

“She called,” Aden said. “She said you need to check your phone. She said to remind you that your phone is in your nightstand drawer.”

“Oh great. Thanks.” Jeraine went into the bedroom to get his phone. He listened to Tanesha laugh at him for losing his phone again. Hearing the coffee maker beep, he went back into the kitchen.

“Don’t worry about breakfast for these guys,” Aden said. “Charlie makes it.”

“He does?”

“It’s one of his chores,” Aden said. “He’s good at it. Do you forget where you put down your phone?”

“Yeah,” Jeraine said. “I never carried one of these things until Tanesha came back.”

“You didn’t have a cell phone?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t have a cell phone. I had two – one for personal and one for business,” Jeraine said. “I said I didn’t carry one. I had people who had the honor of carrying my cell phones.”

Aden smirked.

“I know, it’s pretty ridiculous,” Jeraine said.

“Can I use your shower?” Aden asked. “I’ll wake up Charlie and he can use the one in my room.”

“Sure,” Jeraine said.

Aden went to wake Charlie and Jeraine got dressed. He was pulling on his pants when his phone rang. Thinking it was Tanesha, he answered on speaker phone.

“Hey,” Jeraine said. “I’m just getting dressed.”

“Mr. Wilson?” a man’s voice came over the speaker. “I’m looking for Jeraine Wilson.”

“Oh sorry,” Jeraine picked up the phone. He fumbled with the speaker and held it to his ear. “I thought you were my wife.”

“Not today,” the man laughed.

“How can I help you?” Jeraine asked.

“Mr. Wilson, this is Doctor Vilner,” the man said. “We met a few days ago?”

“Yes sir,” Jeraine said.

“I apologize for calling so early,” Dr. Vilner said. “I know your father and he’s usually up this early. Did I interrupt something?”

“No sir,” Jeraine said.

“We received the results of your brain scans,” the doctor said.

“All of them?” Jeraine asked.

“Yes, that’s why it took so long,” the doctor said. “I had to wait for the reports on the functional scans.”

“And?”

“I’m sorry to tell you but we’ve found areas of significant injury in your brain,” the doctor said. “I thought you’d want to know as soon as possible.”

Stunned, Jeraine sat down hard on the bed. Tanesha had only agreed to do the interview if he agreed to take all these tests. He did it to humor her. It never occurred to him that something was actually wrong.

“What does that mean?” Jeraine asked.

“I’d like you to come in and we can discuss your options,” the doctor said. “Right now, you need to know that you have an injury, mostly likely due to your drug use. It affects the way you process information and make decisions. This type of brain injury is not uncommon and also not a death sentence. Really, you’re lucky to find this out now when we can do something about it.”

“What do I need to do?”

“There are different treatment options to help regain brain function,” the doctor said. “With clean nutrition, exercise, treatment, and no drugs, a healthy young man such as yourself can recover from this type of damage in a year or maybe two. As long as you don’t take drugs, sleep, get good exercise, good nutrition, oh and keep your stress level low, you’ll be fine.”

“I’m supposed to start medical school next week,” Jeraine said.

“I’m sorry. You won’t be able to attend,” the doctor said. “You’ll have to ask if they can extend your admission. There’s no way your brain can handle the stress of school.”

“What do you mean?” Jeraine asked. “I’m smart enough.”

“Have you recently experienced panic while your brain locks up or repeats one thought over and over again?”

“Sure,” Since it had just happened, he felt like the doctor was watching him. He looked around. “My head hurts.”

“That’s what I mean. Your brain can’t handle school right now,” the doctor said. “Maybe in a year or so, but not right now. Call my office today and we’ll get you set up with treatment.”

“Thank you sir,” Jeraine said.

The doctor hung up the phone. Dazed, Jeraine set the phone on the bed. His entire plan revolved around going to medical school. He and Tanesha would be doctors together. Overcome by hopelessness, Jeraine stared off into space.

“What’s wrong?” Aden said as he came out of the bathroom. “Jeraine?”

With a towel wrapped around his middle, Aden touched Jeraine’s shoulder. Jeraine looked up at him.

“What’s happened?” Aden asked.

“The drugs… they messed up my brain,” Jeraine said. “I can’t go to school and Miss T, she…”

Jeraine shook his head.

“Tanesha what?”

“She…” Jeraine shook his head. “That’s it.”

“What’s it?” Aden asked.

“That’s it. My one chance is over,” Jeraine said. “We were going to go to school together. We were going to… and now? I can’t go and…”

“You need to speak with Tanesha,” Aden said.

“She’s with her girls,” Jeraine said. “She doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“Listen to me,” Aden said. “I’ve been where you are. I know you want to use.”

Jeraine nodded.

“How many days since you were high?”

Jeraine held up three fingers.

“You’re in a vulnerable spot,” Aden said. “Your body aches to be high. Now you’ve got a reason to do it.”

“Not like you needed one,” Charlie said from the doorway. “My Shi-dai is right. You need to talk to Tanesha.”

Jeraine looked from the boy to the man and shook his head.

“It’s over,” Jeraine said.

“If that’s what you want,” Aden said. Turning to Charlie, he asked, “Did you shower?”

“Nah, I just got up,” Charlie said.

“Go,” Aden said. “We’ll need you to stay with everyone until Jeraine gets back.”

“I’m not going to interrupt Tanesha’s girl time,” Jeraine said. “I’m just not going to do it.”

“Then you don’t really want to be married,” Aden said. “I need to get dressed.”

“He’s right,” Charlie said to Jeraine. “Can’t shit an addict like him. He’s heard everything.”

“This way,” Aden pushed Charlie from the doorway. “You can shower in the guest bedroom. We’ll leave this addict to either get ready and face his life or keep his excuses and his addiction.”

Jeraine scowled after him and went back to staring straight ahead. He felt a growing sense of overwhelm and futility. His eyes welled with tears.

“They’re right, you know,” Noelle walked across the room and sat with him on the bed. She took his hand in hers and held it. He turned to look at the girl. “If you want your life to be different, you have to do different things. I think it’s harder for us artists. We’re used to creating, making something. We don’t really understand that we make our life too. It’s easier for Daddy or Charlie because they use logic – I do this, I get this. But creative people, we don’t think like that.”

Taken back by the girl’s wisdom, he couldn’t think of anything to say.

“So how do you do something new and scary?” Noelle shrugged. “I’ll tell you what I do. I think of it like a picture. Where would I start? What color would I use? Like being a girlfriend. I don’t know how to do that, so I think – what color would I use? I like pink but Teddy, he likes brown and tan.”

“Burnt orange.” The words surprised him. He hadn’t meant to speak.

“That’s exactly right,” Noelle said. “I like flowers and butterflies and fairies. Teddy like cars and martial arts and…”

“Dragons,” Jeraine smiled at the child.

“So what are you going to make today?” Noelle asked. “Drugs and girls or your real life? How would you write this song? How would you sing it?”

“Hey! Are you macking on my girl?” Teddy asked from the doorway.

“No man, I wouldn’t do that,” Jeraine said. “I’m married.”

“Hasn’t stopped you before,” Teddy sniffed.

“It’s okay,” Noelle stood up. “He knows what to do now.”

“Then he should go do it,” Teddy nodded his sincerity. Jeraine smiled.

“I fell for Miss T when I was your age,” Jeraine said.

“Good reminder,” Teddy said. “I’m not going to fuck up like you did.”

“I bet you won’t,” Jeraine said. “I bet you won’t.”

“Are you ready to go, Jeraine?” Aden asked. “Noelle what are you doing?”

“Going to shower Daddy,” Noelle hugged her father. “Good morning.”

“Teddy?” Aden asked.

“I’m making sure this dick doesn’t take Noelle…” Teddy started.

“Enough,” Aden said. “Go kick Charlie out of the shower.”

Teddy glared at Jeraine and left for the other guest bedroom.

“If you want to come with me, you have to come now,” Aden said. “I need to get to work.”

Jeraine stood from the bed.

“You’ll need a shirt,” Aden said. “It’s cool out.”

“Oh,” Jeraine looked down. “I was sitting on the bed with your daughter and no shirt and you didn’t beat the crap out of me? My jeans aren’t even buttoned.”

“Looks like Teddy had that covered,” Aden smiled. “I know my daughter. She might get behind or come in late but she does everything from a very pure place.”

Jeraine pulled on a long sleeved T-shirt.

“Pants?” Aden pointed to his jeans.

Jeraine buttoned his pants and followed Aden out of the penthouse. They took the elevator to the basement where they went to Aden’s SAAB. They were driving down Seventeenth Avenue when Jeraine looked at Aden.

“You really think Tanesha wants to know this stuff?” Jeraine asked. “She doesn’t want me to deal with it on my own.”

“I think she’s your wife,” Aden said. “That’s more than not screwing other women. It’s sharing your life. I haven’t been married long, and I’m no expert. I can just tell you there’s nothing like sharing my worries with Sandy. She has a way of making everything seem all right.”

Jeraine turned away.

“Better than telling your addiction,” Aden said. “My addiction only has one response.”

“Feed me,” Jeraine said.

“Exactly,” Aden pulled up in the alley behind the Castle.

“Where’s the papz?” Jeraine asked.

“Public thoroughfare,” Aden said. “There’s a video camera on the pole to make sure they don’t come back here.”

Jeraine looked up at the Denver Police video camera on the light pole behind the Castle.

“You can see Jake there?” Aden pointed to the back of the Castle.

Jacob was standing on a thin decking attached to the second floor of the house. There was a gorgeous unfinished spiral wooden stairwell up to the decking. Jacob was drinking a cup of coffee and looking at the project.

“The girlfriends are just inside,” Aden said. “He’ll let you in. You know the code?”

Jeraine nodded and moved to get out of the car.

“Good luck,” Aden said.

“Noelle, she’s…?” Jeraine started.

“No one knows,” Aden said. “At least I don’t. She seems to be hooked into a greater knowledge of the world. Did she help?”

Jeraine nodded.

“That will make her happy,” Aden said.

Jeraine got out of the car. Standing in the alley, he wavered. He could easily slip away. Tanesha would never know he was here. He looked down the alley where Aden had gone.

“Jer?” Tanesha opened the gate. She was out of breath as if she’d been running. She was wearing her pajamas and her hair was still wrapped in the straws that she slept in. “Jake said…”

She hugged him close.

“Did you come to tell me something?” Tanesha asked.

Jeraine nodded.

“Were you going to use instead?” Tanesha asked.

Jeraine nodded. Tanesha hugged him tight. When she pulled back, he saw tears in her eyes.

“Thanks for coming,” she smiled. “Come on. Sandy made some muffins.”

She took his hand and led him from the asphalt alley into the plush, blooming garden. The lush, green garden infused him with a sense of joy.

And he knew. This was one of those crystalline moments he’d never forget. Just one thing leading to the next leading to the next and on the other side was the life he wanted. He stopped walking near the vegetable gardens, pulled her to him, and kissed her hard.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I missed you last night,” she said.

“Really?” he stroked her face.

“Really,” Tanesha said. “Jake said sometimes you have to invite a person over the threshold of their new life. Are you in your new life?”

“Yeah, I am,” he smiled. “How’s Val?”

“It’s going to be hours,” Tanesha said.

“We’ll have time to talk?”

“Lots of time.”

Tanesha took his hand and they went inside.

~~~~~~~~

Wednesday morning — 8:25 A.M.

“Any word?” Sandy asked.

She gave Heather a cup of vending machine coffee. Heather looked up and shook her head. Sandy sat down next to her in the surgery waiting room at Saint Joseph’s hospital.

“We spend a lot of time here,” Heather said.

“I was just thinking that,” Sandy smiled. “Maybe this is the start of something new. Val and Jill are going to have the babies at home. Blane will get well and…”

Sandy looked up to see Enrique, Blane’s ex-boyfriend, walk into the waiting room. He gave Heather a look of disgust and sat down with his back to her.

“What’s his problem?’ Sandy whispered.

“He’s been like that all morning,” Heather said. “He and that guy from Blane’s doctor’s office.”

“Rubén?” Sandy asked.

“Mmm,” Heather said. “I hear them whispering about me.”

Sandy hugged Heather.

“Is it taking long?” Sandy asked.

“He said it would be a long time in set up,” Heather shook her head. “They have to x-ray him while they do the surgery. I guess it takes a while to get everything going. They’ll be done soon.”

“Hi,” Ava came into the waiting room.

Heather and Sandy looked up at her.

“Seth told me you’d be here,” Ava said. “We…”

She pointed to her colleague, Nelson. He smiled at Heather.

“We wanted to see if there was anything we could do. We’re off today,” Ava sat down next to Heather. She leaned over. “I thought maybe you’d need someone to translate the doctor-speak. Plus…”

She tugged Nelson to sit down next to her.

“We brought pastries,” Ava nodded to Nelson.

“I heard they were going to be here,” Nelson said in a low voice. “Have they been dicks?”

Heather nodded.

“Sorry, we hoped we’d get here before the real dickery happened,” Ava said in a low voice.

“Why are they here?” Sandy whispered.

“Enrique thinks Blane is going to ask for him when he wakes up,” Nelson rolled his eyes. “He told everyone he’s going to put an end to Blane’s farce of a marriage today.”

“Rubén has a crush on Blane,” Ava said. “He thinks this will be his chance.”

“How do you know all of this?” Sandy whispered.

“My roommate,” Nelson said. “He’s one of Enrique’s current… friends. He gets home from the bars when I get home from work. He said it was all the talk last night.”

The women turned to give Enrique and Rubén the stink eye and ate their pastries.

“Mrs. Lipson?” A nurse came out of the back.

“I think you’re looking for us,” Enrique said. Enrique and Rubén stood up.

“I don’t know who you are,” the nurse said. “Mr. Lipson asked me to get his wife.”

“Ma’am,” Heather said.

“There you are,” the nurse walked around Enrique to Heather. “The procedure went really well. The doctor said he’s healthy which made it easy.”

“It seemed like it took a long time,” Heather said.

“We waited until he was out of the worst of the anesthesia to get you,” the nurse said. “The doctor likes to do that so you don’t see him drooling. He’s in recovery but you can go home after that.”

Heather glanced at Sandy. Sandy nudged her forward. Heather followed the nurse to see her husband.

The Denver Cereal will continue next week

~~~~~~~~

Denver Cereal is a serial fiction set in Denver, Colorado.
You can get your daily dose of Denver Cereal at DenverCereal.com
Chapters are posted on Saturdays on this blog.
Download your free electronic copy of The Denver Cereal, the beginning.
Signed copies of the books are only available at Cook Street Store.
You can also find The Denver Cereal, Celia’s Puppies and Cascade at Amazon or your local bookseller.
Looking for electronic books? Go to the Cook Street Store or Smashwords.

Claudia Hall Christian is a novelist.

Black Forest, Denver Cereal Volume 5, is finally correct. We had some trouble with the cover but as of today, the cover is correct!  (Thank you Brion Sausser for fixing my error!) It will be up at Amazon within the next 48 hours and in our store this week.  I’m delighted to release it into the wild!

This book covers most of the Saint Jude murder mystery. As such, it’s more intense, spine tingling and a little horrifying. It’s truly very very fun.

It ends at Chapter 155. I realize we’re still about a year behind, but bear with us. Right now, we’re waiting on the Silent Partner to pick a title then we’ll let Brion do his thing. We’re hoping to release another Denver Cereal this summer and fall.

In the meantime, enjoy Black Forest. It’s a one of a kind story fed by your encouragement and imagination!

Thanks for reading!

This is just disgusting:

This food has been sitting on a doctors counter since the dates marked on the wrappers. There has been no shrinkage, no rotting, no decay what so ever. Talk about ‘empty calories’!

Of course, later I read this test of the non-rotting hamburger theory here. They showed the bun will mold but the burger remains unaffected. In fact, any burger remains unaffected. (So besides destroying our atmosphere, it turns out beef is non-decomposable. Moving on.) Still the entire conversation is worth thinking the next time you go to fast food. I’m waaaay too grossed out to go near it for a while.

No successful person is an island

“The point is that successful companies — or, at any rate, companies that make a large contribution to a nation’s economy — don’t exist in isolation. Prosperity depends on the synergy between companies, on the cluster, not the individual entrepreneur.” Job, Jobs and Cars, NY Times Column Paul Krugman

Previous Chapters
Recap of what’s happened so far and character summary
Looking for the beginning? Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY 

Tuesday mid-day — 12:15 P.M.

Brighton, Colorado

Standing on the small hill in Brighton, Delphie looked up at the warm late August sky. From where she stood, she could see out over the home construction site to  Mountains on the horizon. She was standing on the site where Saint Jude had killed his first victim after hanging her in the horrible barn. Soon it would be a gorgeous gem of a park.

“Excuse me,” A small but beautiful woman touched Delphie’s arm. Her face held the washed out look of extreme grief. She spoke in her native language. “I’m sorry. Were you meditating?”

Delphie smiled at Ava’s best friend’s mother.

“You must speak English,” Beth’s father said in the same language.

“It’s all right,” Delphie smiled. “My mother spoke Slavic when I was a child. Was that Croatian? It’s similar.”

“Yes,” the man said. “You may speak English. She understands much but refuses to speak.”

“I was taking in the day,” Delphie said in English. “Oh look, it’s Amelie.”

Delphie waved to Amelie and Dale getting out of a car near by. They jogged up the slope toward the group of people gathering on the small hill.

“What happened to the…?” The woman gestured toward the fenced off dirt area.

“Jacob took the terrible pole barn down by hand,” Delphie said. “Have you met Jacob?”

“Yes,” Beth’s father said. “He has been very kind. Everyone…”

He gestured to the people gathering around them. The families of Saint Jude’s victims were joining Delphie today to celebrate the lives of their loved ones and the end of Saint Jude.

“But these people?” Beth’s mother gestured to the men and woman standing near where the pole barn had been. Ava hugged Beth’s father and then her mother. Her mother hugged Dale and her father shook his hand.

“They’re from the Museum of Nature and Science,” Delphie said.

“They’re scientists,” Ava said. “They’re going to dig up the barn to see if they can determine what happened here. Seth said they may be here for more than ten years working on everything that’s here.”

“Like they have done in Bosnia,” Beth’s father said. “Find the crimes. Find the criminals. That is very good.”

“Won’t they find the…” Beth’s mother looked at her husband.

“Zmaj,” Beth’s father visibly shook.

“No, he and his mate are gone,” Delphie smiled. “The women and children in my family destroyed them with their light.”

“And her babies,” Ava said.

Beth’s mother began to weep. Dale hugged her.

“He is our son now,” Beth’s father said. “We are glad to have him. Please forgive us. We miss our Beth so very much.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Delphie said. “I wanted everyone to get together here to see that they don’t suffer alone.”

“That Saint Jude was an evil man,” Beth’s father said.

“Without Beth, we never would have caught him,” Ava said.

“Yes,” Beth’s father said. He took a breath at his pain and then changed the topic. “We were told this is going to be a park?”

“Did you see the design?” Delphie took them to a 3-D model of the future park. “One of Jill’s teachers at the Art Institute came up with the design. The construction company is going to create it.”

“How did you get them to…?” Dale asked.

“After he got out of the hospital, he just wanted to do it,” Delphie shrugged.

“Delphie told him about a big blockage,” Ava whispered and gestured to her heart. Her eye’s spoke to the size of the block. “Widow maker.”

“He’s very generous,” Delphie said with a twinkle in her eye.

They laughed.

“What’s going to happen to the house?” Dale asked. “It’s really lovely. Huge.”

“I don’t remember,” Delphie said. “I mean, there’s a sold sign and I think someone told me, but I was making sure the park happened and…”

“She ignored me,” Sam up his arm over Delphie’s shoulder. “Sam Lipson.”

Beth’s parents shook his hand and introduced themselves.

“The house will be moved. I remember that,” Delphie smiled at Sam. “And the land will be the first part of the park. The City is deciding whether to build a rec center on part of it. But Sam bought all that land and this land so it would be a really nice park.”

“Don’t let her fool you,” Sam said. “She made this happen. Did she tell you about the people who lived in the mansion?”

Beth’s father shook his head.

“Why don’t you show them?” Sam said. “I’ll call the kids and see where they are.”

Delphie nodded and led Beth’s parents to the row of old graves.

“The original owners of the house died in the flu epidemic of 1918,” Delphie said. “One child got sick and by morning almost everyone was dead. It was a terrible tragedy. They were buried and forgotten here. I found them when we were here and Sam promised me he would take care of them. He bought those lovely grave markers and Jake set up the metal fence. The heirs even came up with a photo.”

Delphie took them to a plaque with the family’s photo on it and an explanation of their graves.

“So many children,” Beth’s mother put her hand on her heart. “Poor babies.”

“I was glad they weren’t moved,” Delphie said. “It was quite a fight, but in the end it all worked out. There will be baseball fields over there. A big playground for kids where the driveway is now. Soccer fields over in the corner. Even a couple of ponds for fish and birds. And the City is going to maintain the park.”

“Delphie is being modest,” Ava said. “Seth said she convinced the City to allow these people to rest in peace. She even went to the bank on her own and set up a fund to help maintain the park.”

“We will donate,” Beth’s father said. “Of course.”

Delphie smiled. Beth’s mother touched her arm.

“The statue?” Beth’s mother said in Croatian. “Amelie tells me my Beth’s name will be on a statue?”

“My friend Mike created the image,” Delphie said. “We took it to a sculptor who was able to translate it into… well, I’ll show you the pictures.”

Delphie took a photo album out of the pocket of her floral skirt. The original oil painting showed a running boy engrossed in catching a yellow butterfly just out of his grasp. His hands were above his head and his arms covered most of his face. His mouth was set in a wide grin.

“You can almost hear him giggle,” Ava pointed to his mouth. “Fabulous.”

“And the sculptor created these study models,”

Delphie showed a series of pictures of small wax statues of the child carved out of wax.

“The second one is the best,” Beth’s father said.

“I’m glad you said that,” Delphie said. “That’s the one we picked. The victims names will be carved around the stand. The final bronze statue will be installed behind where the back of the house is now. It will sit on the edge of the smaller pond. It should be truly lovely. We’ll have you back when it’s done.”

“So expensive,” Beth’s mother said.

“We had an anonymous donor pay for the statue,” Delphie smiled.

Ava mouthed “Seth” to Beth’s mother. Looking relieved, Beth’s mother nodded. Looking up, Delphie noticed that the area was filling with the families of the victims. The City of Brighton was having its own ceremony later on today.  But right now, they had gathered to celebrate the end of Saint Jude’s rampage against homeless children and the lives of his victims.

There was a noise near the mansion. Delphie looked down to see gravel fly as Jill’s SUV pulled into the driveway. Jeraine’s Cadillac Escalade followed Jill’s with Heather’s Subaru not far behind. The women and children laughing as they piled out of the cars. Jacob pulled up in a Lipson Construction SUV with Aden, Blane, Tres, Honey, and Tanesha’s father Rodney. Mike and Valerie, carrying Mr. Bilfry, got out of the back of Jeraine’s car.

Her family was here!

“Would you excuse me?” Delphie asked.

“Please,” Beth’s mother said. “My Beth… Amelie tells me you…”

“Beth is at peace,” Delphie said. “Such a beautiful, good soul, she’s at peace. You can rest assured that she is celebrated for all she was and she will be there when you are done here.”

Beth’s mother gave Delphie a watery smile and her husband led her toward where the other victim’s families were waiting. Delphie turned just in time to pick up Katy as she ran to her. Katy gave Delphie a Shasta Daisy and kissed her cheek.

“Sorry we’re late,”Sandysaid. “We were waiting for Sissy and…”

“Just got behind,” Jacob hugged Delphie. He offered to take Katy but Delphie shook her head.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Delphie said.

“Are you ready?” Sam asked.

Delphie nodded. Sam nodded to the Mayor’s aid. Delphie and Katy went up to the front where the victims’ families waited. When Delphie nodded, they let loose one hundred biodegradable white balloons in commemoration of the Saint Jude’s victims. The Mayor of Brighton led everyone in a moment of silence as the balloons floated into the sky.

Delphie watched them fly. Saint Jude was gone. The evil presence that had been here for time unknown was gone.

And somehow, she was still standing under the blue Colorado sky. She caught Sam’s eye and he smiled.

“Ms. Delphinium?” the Mayor looked at her.

“Let the celebration begin!” Delphie said.

~~~~~~~~

Tuesday afternoon — 3:15 P.M.

“I still think we need ice cream,” Jeraine said.

“Then get some.” Tanesha raised her eyebrows in a challenge. She pushed the full cart one step forward in the long grocery line. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

Swallowing hard, Jeraine nodded. He kissed her cheek and went down the freezer aisle. They had offered to watch the kids when Valerie went into labor. Because the Castle was surrounded by paparazzi, they figured it was better to move the kids to their Penthouse. Heather was bringing Mack over tonight and Sandy’s kids were sleeping over. Jill would drop off Katy on her way to the hospital. That way, all of the adults were free to help out in whatever way they could. Sandy and Aden would play tag team babysitters with Tanesha and Jeraine.

Tanesha was excited to be able to help out and Jeraine seemed thrilled to be included. The only problem was that they had absolutely no food in the house. They stopped off at Safeway on their way back from Brighton. They had arrived at the same time as a couple of buses of elderly people from the nearby assisted living facilities. The checkout lines were now long and filled with curmudgeons. There was a long line of people to her left and her right.

Taking a step forward, Tanesha was close enough to the magazine rack to see the gossip magazine. Looking to see if Valerie was on any of the covers, her eyes flicked from one magazine to the next until she saw a picture of herself. She blinked. Why would there be a picture of her on those magazines? Her eyes flicked back to the magazine. She was standing on the sidewalk outside the penthouse wearing her running gear. Jeraine was stepping toward her. She remembered that day. It was… Sunday after their interview. In red block print over their heads, it said: “Miss T gives Mr. It a last chance” in smaller print it said: “Can this cheater change?” Tanesha scowled. She walked to the magazine rack and turned over the magazine.

“They’re right you know,” the elderly woman standing in line in front of her said. “That man will break your heart.”

“And what’s that to you?” Tanesha shook her head and went back to her basket.

“I’m just saying,” the woman in front of her continued. “He’s bad news. Now I know you don’t have a Mama and maybe you don’t know better…”

“Delores is right, Miss T,” the woman standing in line behind her said. “Once a cheater always a cheater. As far as you know, he off screwing some young thing right now.”

“In the grocery store?” Tanesha asked. “What? And using the bananas as a sex toy?”

“You don’t have to be foul, young lady.” An elderly man a few people behind in the line said. “You should listen to these ladies. Not all men are good. And you done found yourself a bad seed.”

“You mean to tell me that Dr. Bumpy’s boy is bad?” the woman behind him asked. “You better watch your mouth Malcolm or I’ll tell Nurse Dionne what you said about her son.”

“Well I think you’re a damned fool for taking him back,” a younger woman from the line to the right said. “I would’ve divorced him and taken everything I could get my hands on. Who’s crying now?”

“Mmmm-hmmm,” a knowing agreement came from the elderly woman standing around her.

“She’s right,” the woman in front of her said. “And you deserve every penny for your years of heartbreak.”

“And then some,” the woman behind her touched her shoulder. “It’s only a matter of time before that man breaks your heart again.”

“You know, they’re right,” a grey-haired woman from the line next to hers spoke up.

“So remind me…” Tanesha said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “How is my life any of your business? I don’t remember even a one of you stepping forward when Jer was in trouble in high school. Boys will be boys; that’s what everyone said. So you can shut your traps now.”

“I’m just saying…” the woman in front of her gave her a sour look and turned around.

“There he is,” a woman from a silent line of grocery shoppers two people over said. “Look at the grin on his face.”

“Mmm-hmm, I told you so,” the woman in line behind her said. “Screwing some young thing, right here.”

The shoppers heads nodded like bobble-head dolls. Tanesha groaned. Jeraine took in her face and the awkward silence. He set three containers of ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup in the cart.

“What’s going on?” he leaned in to say in her ear.

“The good folks of this Safeway would like to know if you were screwing some sweet young thing,” Tanesha said.

“When?”

“Just now,” she said.

“In the ice cream aisle?” Jeraine looked from face to face. No one would meet his eye. “Just now?”

He laughed and they stepped closer to the check out. A few minutes passed.

“Well?” the elderly man in her line asked. “Were you, son?”

“Hello Mr. Stone,” Jeraine said. “I didn’t see you there. How are you?”

“He’s fine,” the woman behind him said. “Answer the question.”

The people around them stared at Jeraine. Tanesha gave them each an evil look.

“What’s the question?” Jeraine asked.

“Were you screwing some young thing just now?” the young woman from the line next to them sneered.

“No,” Jeraine said. “I was getting ice cream.”

“Uh huh,” the woman in front of them looked him up and down before turning around in a huff.

“Why were you grinning?” Tanesha asked.

“Because I don’t know anything. I had to ask Mrs. Jennings…” He pointed to the ancient woman three lines over. She waved. “She helped me pick out something for the kids and showed me where to get chocolate syrup and whipped cream. I haven’t been in a grocery store since I was a kid.  Miss T’s teased me about just that the whole time we’ve been here. She thinks it’s funny.”

“Satisfied?” Tanesha glared at the people around them.

“I’m not,” a woman from the line to her left spoke up for the first time. “I used to babysit Miss T for Yvonne and Rodney. Tanesha, you probably don’t remember me but I’m Tawnie Johnson.”

“Vaguely,” Tanesha nodded.

“And she’s right,” Mrs. Johnson said. “I didn’t help when Miss T needed it, and I knew she needed it, so I have no right to say anything. But…”

“That’s not going to stop you,” Tanesha said.

“No it is not,” Mrs. Johnson said. “I want to know if you’re going to cheat and break her heart again.”

Jeraine looked at the old woman. He took in Tanesha’s sour look and the staring people around him. Putting his hands on his hips, he looked down at the floor. Tanesha slipped her hand onto his elbow.

“We knew this would happen,” Tanesha said in a low voice.

He looked at her then back around at the other people.

“The truth…” he started.

“Yeah, that would be nice for a change,” the woman in front of them said.

“I don’t know if I’ll cheat again and break Miss T’s heart,” Jeraine said. “I’m an addict. I have a problem. I can tell you that today, I woke up and wanted only to stand next to this woman, right here, for as long as I could. So I got up, went for a run, and, except for my excursion to the ice cream aisle, spent the entire day at her side. Now, I can tell you that for the last few months, I have wanted this very thing and only this very thing. But I can’t tell you about tomorrow.”

“Are you going to therapy, son?” an elderly woman from two lines over yelled.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jeraine said. “I have a personal therapist who I see at least once a week. Miss T and I go to therapy as well so we can work on things.”

“We’re on a break because we’re doing so well,” Tanesha said.

“But we can always go back,” Jeraine said.

“And why should we believe you?” The woman in front of them stepped forward  to set her groceries on the black conveyer belt.

“You can believe what you’d like,” Jeraine said. “But that’s my truth today.”

“Cheaters never change,” a voice yelled from somewhere in the back. The heads around them began their bobble-head impersonations.

“I can’t speak for cheaters,” Jeraine said. “I can only speak for myself and this moment. I’ve been a cheater and I’ve changed. Look at my life. A year ago, my father wasn’t speaking to me, my wife didn’t realize we were still married, my mother… I…”

Tanesha squeezed his arm to steady him. He smiled at her.

“Today, Miss T and I are back together and building a life together. I’m spending time with my parents. La Tonya had lunch with me yesterday. And I like it this way. I’m not saying I’m fixed; but I’m saying I want to change and so I am changing.”

“I believe in you, son,” Mr. Stone said. The woman behind him groaned.

“I believe in him too,” Tanesha smiled at Jeraine and he blushed.

She pointed the woman in front of her to the grocery clerk ready to check her groceries. The rush of putting their groceries on the belt and getting ready to pay took their attention. Jeraine was standing in front of the grocery clerk while Tanesha bagged their groceries in reusable bags. The clerk was passing Jeraine their receipt when she smiled.

“I saw your interview,” the clerk said. “I just wanted to say…”

Tanesha held her breath.

“Good luck,” the clerk nodded. “It takes a lot of courage to change your life. I’ve got ten years sober. My husband stayed with me. Talk about stubborn. It was hard, but we fought it together and…  it was worth it.”

“Thanks,” Jeraine said.

“I think you’ll be fine,” the clerk said.

“Me too,” Jeraine smiled, picked up the last bag of groceries, and followed Tanesha out of the store. They pushed the cart to his Expedition, loaded the groceries, and got in before he asked, “Anything you need to say?”

“When are you getting rid of this pimp mobile?” Tanesha asked.

“I meant about…”

“You made your money off those very people,” Tanesha said. “They feel like they know you through your music. After that interview, they feel like they have a stake in our lives. We’re going to have to either avoid contact with them all together or get used to it.Denver is a small town with a lot of mouthy nosey people. If we want to live here, we’re going to deal with that.”

“And you? Are you all right dealing with it?”

“I’ve been dealing with those nosey so and so’s all my life,” Tanesha said. “My Daddy was in prison for murdering some white girl. My Momma is a hooker. My Gran, well…. Let’s just say that I don’t care what anyone says.”

“Except Jill, Sandy, and Heather,” Jeraine said.

“My Gran, Dad, and maybe even you,” she smiled. “Sometimes.”

He smiled and started the car.

“What?”

“I’m just happy to be here with you,” he said.

~~~~~~~~

Tuesday evening — 7:25 P.M.

Mike was in their small kitchen making popcorn when he heard Valerie say something. Knowing they were alone, he assumed she was on the phone. Her contractions were coming strong and fast. Bumpy had already stopped by to check on her. Valerie would do most of her labor at home and zip to the hospital to have the baby. They’d even worked out a way for her to get up the coal tunnel if she couldn’t walk. Delphie and Sam were downstairs waiting for his signal. She’d wanted to hang out on the couch and watch a movie.

He finished putting the last drops of butter on the popcorn and went out into their living area. Valerie wasn’t there.

“Val?”

Nothing. He could still hear her talking. He checked the bathroom, their bedroom, and the nursery he and Jill had decorated. Nothing.

He could still hear her talking.

“Val? I don’t know where you are,” Mike set the bowl of popcorn down on the changing table to listen.

He could still hear her talking. It was as if her voice was coming through the walls. He pressed his head against the nursery wall. Her voice was on the other side of this wall. His heart pounding in his throat, he hammered the wall with his fists.

“Val!”

The Denver Cereal will continue next week

~~~~~~~~

Denver Cereal is a serial fiction set in Denver, Colorado.
You can get your daily dose of Denver Cereal at DenverCereal.com
Chapters are posted on Saturdays on this blog.
Download your free electronic copy of The Denver Cereal, the beginning.
Signed copies of the books are only available at Cook Street Store.
You can also find The Denver Cereal, Celia’s Puppies and Cascade at Amazon or your local bookseller.
Looking for electronic books? Go to the Cook Street Store or Smashwords.

Claudia Hall Christian is a novelist.

Since March, 2010, I’ve hosted #BookMarket Twitter chat. #BookMarket is Twitter’s only chat about Book Marketing. It’s grown into one of the best conversations about publishing on the Internet.  The chat is from 4-5 ET on Twitter.

We’re joined today by Janet Goldstein (@JanetGoldstein) Janet is a book professional who’s helped a number of bestselling authors develop their strategy.

My take on the interview:

Janet has some interesting things to say. I think the most stunning was how long it takes for an author to build a platform and get his or her ideas out there. Gone are the days of a ‘launch’. Book Marketing in 2012 is really marketing your book all the time. Be sure to read the publishers comments. It’s interesting to see how their experience matches Janet’s wisdom.

Transcript

I have a question for you. What would you like to know more about? What would you like to read in this space?

Thanks for your help!

In the month of January, I’m doing a Twitter Interview (Twitterview) of many of the participants of the #BookMarket chat. These are people who come and generously share their wisdom week after week. The Twitterviews give them a chance to shine.

For my last #Twitterview, I had a chance to chat with Science Fiction author and self proclaimed literary snob, Sue Lange @SueLange.

ClaudiaC Q.1 – What 5 words would you use to describe yourself?
SueLange Smart, funny, foul-mouthed, entertaining, and old.
ClaudiaC  Old? How are we defining that criteria?
suelange As in, I’ve seen a lot, too much. Also, my back aches in the am.
ClaudiaC  I’m so sorry to hear about the back. I hope it’s not anything serious
suelange Nope. Just too much gardening.
ClaudiaC I’m wimpering at the idea of gardening. It’s not the season here. Are you in CA?
suelange @ClaudiC Gardening is over here (PA), too, but the aches are still here. Need to lie around a bit. Perfect for a writer, eh?
ClaudiaC @suelange Writers and Hobbits. Although sometimes I’m not sure there’s a difference. #writersarehobbits
suelange Ha!
ClaudiaC  Would you like to share with us a favorite foul-mouthed phrase? or shall we move on?
suelange Hell no. Fuck yes. Or would you rather have a poker up your ass?
ClaudiaC ahahahahaha!

ClaudiaC @SueLange Q.2 – What is your favorite thing about the publishing/writing world today?
suelange Ease with which to get published. Available to all.

ClaudiaC  Q.3 – If someone was totally dialed into your writing, what would they ‘get’? Do you have a ‘message’?
suelange Yes. Usually acceptance. Of others. Of self. Of mother nature.  Also, to think. Never hesitate to think. Take the time to THINK.
ClaudiaC  Wow, those are wonderful messages. Good for you!
suelange Thanks! I love to think and don’t know why more people don’t.

ClaudiaC  Q.4 – I don’t actually know anything about your writing & your career. Can you tell us about it?
suelange Humorous but with a heavy message Often literarily experimental, but not esoteric.
ClaudiaC Ok, those are great, intriguing words, but let’s talk nitty gritty – this is your chance to shine!
suelange Tritcheon Hash: women live on one planet, men on the other. Guess what happens. Kirkus Best of 2011 list.
ClaudiaC Nice! Congratulations! Is Tritcheon Hash a series? I know it’s your most recent.
suelange No it’s not. It’s a stand alone. Unless someone pays me to write another. (of course)
ClaudiaC How many years? How many books? What genre? Publisher/no publisher?
suelange 9 yrs. 4 bks. sf. small presses.
ClaudiaC Wow. 9 years is an eon for an author.
suelange Also We, Robots (Aqueduct press); a novella of the Singularity (humans and AI)
suelange Textile Planet: experimental ebook. Not for the faint of heart.
suelange Last: UNCATEGORIZED. Publ. by Book View Cafe. Collection of my previously published short stories.
ClaudiaC Nice – your list reminds me of Ursula Le Guin’s mix of stuff.
suelange Thanks for mentioning her in a tweet about me. Ursula is actually a member of Book View Cafe.
ClaudiaC Wimper. I’m a huge fan of hers – you?
suelange is there anyone that isn’t?

ClaudiaC  Do you write from proposal? Or inspiration? Or…?
suelange Yes.
ClaudiaC  I think we’ve talked about this before. I know a lot of successful authors who write proposals then book.
ClaudiaC  Feel absolutely free to say no, but I wondered if you’d talk about it a bit. How does proposal to write work?
suelange Isn’t that with non-fiction? I’ve written ss that way, not books. For non-fiction it’s a complicated process and includes mkt info.
ClaudiaC No, I have friends who write fiction that way. Maybe a better question is, what’s your writing process like?
suelange I think about theme, then characters, then plot, then write. 1st draft is longhand. @ClaudiaC: What’s your writing process like?
ClaudiaC Fascinating. Can you tell me more about thinking about theme? Is that world? message?
suelange Theme is idea. Like: “online behavior is changed by thought police.” Then you go on from there. How could you depict that? What scenario?
ClaudiaC 1st draft long hand – pen or pencil?
suelange Pen/legal pad. In bed with cat “makin’ pudding” on the pillow.
ClaudiaC Sheez that’s cool  Is that a method you learned or something which comes naturally to you?
suelange It’s instinctual. I write because I want to say something so it’s natural to start with a theme.
ClaudiaC Nice! You and Maya Angelou; altho she goes to hotels
suelange I’m going to start doing that. I’m old enough to skulk around hotels.
ClaudiaC I think some of it is the quiet & room service
suelange Rm svc. Definitely. RT @ClaudiaC: I think some of it is the quiet & room service

ClaudiaC  Q.5 – Everyone has a super secret ninja skill. What’s yours?
suelange I can julienne anything. Some things take longer than others.

ClaudiaC Fabulous! What did we miss?? What would you like to add?
suelange Thanks, Claudia! Free excerpts at my blog starting this Sunday (http://t.co/LvIKz5EI
ClaudiaC Nice! Congratulations on all of your success! May it continue! Thank you for being my last #twitterview. *applause*
ClaudiaC *applause* *applause* *applause* Thanks again!
suelange *aplause* *applause* for Claudia’s twitterviews!
suelange No, thank you!

That’s my last twitterview for a while. Thanks for listening in!

In the month of January, I’m doing a Twitter Interview (Twitterview) of many of the participants of the #BookMarket chat. These are people who come and generously share their wisdom week after week. The Twitterviews give them a chance to shine.

Friday, I had a chance to chat with Emma Newman. Emma is the author of three interesting projects:  From Dark Places, a short story anthology published last year; 20 Years Later published in Hardcover in November and is the first of a trilogy, and Split Worlds which she is releasing in text and audio via her website. Emma is a busy author, mother, and avid tea drinker.

Here’s the transcript:

ClaudiaC Before we get going – what kind of tea today? And can you hang for an hour? That’s how long they’re taking.
EmApocalyptic It’s past tea-drinking time here, but it’s been bog-standard PG Tips here today. An hour should be ok. My favourite tea is English Breakfast, for the record ;o)

ClaudiaC Here’s a more serious question: Q.1 – What 5 words would you use to describe yourself?
EmApocalyptic To describe myself? I was hoping you’d ask that about my writing… Hrmmmmmm… Author, creative, anxious, clumsy, friendly
ClaudiaC Nice!
EmApocalyptic Another five: “Best consumed in text / audio form” – I don’t photograph well!
ClaudiaC love this!

ClaudiaC Q.1b And your writing?
EmApocalyptic Writing: Dark, quirky, twisty, sometimes funny
ClaudiaC Wow.

ClaudiaC Where’s the best place to start – YA? If so, how many books do you have in that project? how is it going?
EmApocalyptic Yeah, I’m… busy. Where do you want to start? ) My debut dystopian YA novel ’20 Years Later’ has just been published in hardback, it’s the 1st in a trilogy. I’ve written books 2 and 3, so as far as the writing goes, the trilogy has been finished. Well, the 1st drafts anyway.
ClaudiaC How fun! You said ‘debut’ so assume this is your first project? How has your publishing experience been so far?
EmApocalyptic It’s my first novel, but my short story anthology was published before it by a quirk of publishing timelines. Years of being rejected, improving writing, finding a home and everything taking much longer than I thought it would I think that’s a pretty average experience – if there is such a thing. I persevered and got there in the end. Wrote the 1st draft of ’20 Years Later’ 5 years ago. Took 4 years to find a home – why predicting trends is impossible
ClaudiaC It’s fascinating b/c I know so few ppl who go this route now. So yea for you! & I’m thrilled it’s working!!
@EmApocalyptic The waiting and rejections (re. 20 Years Later) were agonising, but ultimately resulted in a better book.
ClaudiaC Yea!

ClaudiaC What is Split Worlds, the one you’re sharing via the Internet now?
EmApocalyptic Split Worlds. I put a new story online every week in text and audio format. A year and a day of weekly short stories up until the first novel in the series is released in November this year. That’s urban fantasy.

ClaudiaC Is Split Worlds the same story as the YA Novel? Or is it the urban fantasy? Or is there a 3rd project?
EmApocalyptic Split Worlds is totally separate to the 20 Years Later trilogy. Different worlds, genre, characters, everything. And they are both unrelated to the short story anthology published last year called “From Dark Places” )
ClaudiaC That’s a lot of worlds to carry around w you. Do you hope to focus on 1 or continue creating worlds?
EmApocalyptic Do you mean the Split Worlds stories? Yes, all my plan. Helps with world building as well as attracting an audience Well, 20 Years Later is finished creatively speaking, so it’s all Split Worlds now. 2 year project, 54 stories and a five book series. Have written book 1 and 2/3rds of book 2 so far. Been building the world for 2 yrs in my head. And I have something brewing right at the back of my head for when Split Worlds is all written and finished )
ClaudiaC Great job!! I’m standing on my chair and cheering for you! Well done! Do you have stuck spots? moments?
EmApocalyptic I struggle with anxiety above everything else. In terms of writing and plot, no, as it’s mostly character driven. And thank you for the cheering ) Anxiety can cripple me sometimes, and I hate self-promotion #likeeveryoneelsedoes
ClaudiaC Well, seems like you wrangle well! What was the audio process like for you? Was it pro? or in home?
EmApocalyptic I’m a pro audiobook narrator now, but it all started when I podcasted 20 Years Later a chapter a week, pre-contract.

ClaudiaC Seems like a good time for: @EmApocalyptic Q.3 -If someone was totally dialed into what you do,what wld they understand abt you?
EmApocalyptic I got lots of amazing feedback, looked into how to set-up a pro-quality recording booth at home and went for it. I’ve recorded 4 novels for @iambikaudio and also the audio version of “From Dark Places” for them too.
ClaudiaC How cool! Do you do your own audio editing? Or get someone else to do it? #whereImstuck
EmApocalyptic That’s a hard question. When people read fiction they interact with it, and thus everyone experiences it differently. Outside of the fiction, I’d like to think people can see that it is possible to do stuff with an anxiety problem. I do my own editing using Audacity. I invested in an excellent mic – that makes all the difference. My stepdad built me a
recording booth out of old wardrobe doors, I draped velvet over them ) #recyclingrocks
ClaudiaC Boy that’s smart. It’s not something I would have every thought of #bookmarket. Do you enjoy it?

EmApocalyptic Back to Q3, I share my journey and am open about struggle, but never preach or tell people what they “should” do. Yuk.
ClaudiaC Sounds really helpful! RT @emapocalyptic: I share my journy&am open abt struggle, but never preach/tell ppl what they “shld” do.
EmApocalyptic I love it. The Split Worlds project means I can’t do audiobooks atm, but I record a story a week to keep my hand in. Recording an audiobook is like climbing inside the novel. A totally different experience to just being a reader.

ClaudiaC Q.5 – Everyone has a super secret ninja skill. What’s yours?
EmApocalyptic Have I missed Q4? Ninja skill…. I guess always being able to worry about something doesn’t count?
ClaudiaC No sorry, I skipped it b/c it was about your writing. And you did a nice job with that.

EmApocalyptic Having an instinct for the shape of a story. That’s my ninja skill. At its best, a physical sensation.
ClaudiaC Very nice! Thank you for this chance to get to know you better! Did we miss anything?
EmApocalyptic I don’t think we could fit more in if we tried! Thanks for the opportunity to chat about it all!
ClaudiaC I hope you feel better! Thank you for sharing yourself with us! *applause* *applause* *applause*
EmApocalyptic Thank you for having me. Time for bed now ) At least the fever stayed at polite levels throughout.

My favorite magazine right now is Scientific American. I love the pictures, articles, and absolute geek humor. (Radius of a cylinder of cheese is z and the height is a, what’s the volume? Why Pi zza of course.) More than anything, I love the science – real science – of it.

This week, I came down this the flu/cold that’s been running rampant all over the country. Dan Blank, my business coachish guy, told me he gave it to me via Skype. (One computer virus my ESET missed.) While our Lindy Hop instructor Jess claimed to be Typhoid Jess. In my phelgm and fever induced numbness, I was reading Scientific American.

The most striking thing I came upon this week is the article I scanned below.

The 5 Hidden Dangers of Obesity:

1. Heartburn: A 2005 study of 450 individual s found that obese adults are two and a half times more likely to experience heartburn compared with people of normal weight. One possible cause: visceral fat may push the stomach higher into the chest.

2. Labored breathing: Visceral fat, which surrounds internal organs, is more dangerous than subcutaneous fat, which lies under the skin. In this side view, visceral fat presses onto the diaphragm from below, which limits breathing by making it harder for the lungs (here shown in green) to expand.

3. Painful joints: The additional weight of excess pounds places a particular burden on the knees. In this image the arthritic damage (white) triggers pain and decrease in the knee’s range of motion.

4. Depression: A dozen studies suggest that obesity can be an important cause of depression, probably because of a combination of physiological factors and social stigma. These neurons, from the cortex of the brain have shrunk and are misshapen.

5. Sexual dysfunction: Inflammatory chemicals released by fat cells may damage the branch like nerves in the penis and attack blood vessels in the clitoris leading to an inability to enjoy sex.

I found the images and information here to be shocking. Outside of painful joints, the rest seems to never be talked about. I was really shocked by the brain imaging and information.

Neurons of obese people have shrunk? Are misshapen? I know that Dr. Dean Ornish says that when people start a clean diet, it takes about a month before they are getting more blood flow to the brain and begin to make better decisions easier. You can see it on the Biggest Loser. After about three weeks, people are thinking more clearly. But obesity causing brain damage? Wow.  To me, this explains a lot about what’s happening in the US.

Wow.