Uncle Jim: Blog

The first three chapters of the new story have been sent to the Moderators for posting.

The new story opens with a body being brought into hospital more dead than alive. Maddy is miraculously restored by Magic from a nearby Ley Line. The Magic also makes a few changes in her. The doctors are shocked and amazed by her sudden change of status, but Maddy is anxious to leave.

On reaching the parking lot, her neighbor Josh arrives to take her home, At home, she needs to find some clothes that will fit her new body. She also needs to retrieve her car, which she left in the next town up the road.

Arriving in her kitchen after dressing, she discovers a major Ley Line user waiting there to question her. That night, she has nightmares about what had happened to her.

The following day, her neighbor takes her to get her car, which has graffiti all over it. A spell removes the new paint, and Maddy heads downtown to find books on Ley Line Magic and its use.

The store, she stops at, doesn't have any of those books on display, but a senior employee takes her to the back, where he discloses that her Grandmother had left books for her some 60 years ago. Maddy leaves with the books, but her Familiar reminds her that she needs more clothes. They stop to get more clothes on the way home.

She also needs underthings and stops at a big box store near her home. There she encounters two Ley Line Wizards, one of whom swats her, knocking her down, and calling her a 'Broken Witch'. Maddy is furious about that.

Arriving home, she discovers that the books are not in her car and is frantic about what had happened to them. To her shock and surprise, she finds them sitting on her kitchen table. Later, she discovers that she is only able to touch one of the books, as the others avoid her. She begins studying the one book.

Her neighbor, Josh, arrives for dinner and can look at and touch all of the books, which are written in a very old dialect of Gaelic. Maddy is surprised by this, as she had been reading the book for several hours and hadn't noticed.

That night she has a strange dream and meets the Guardian of the Books in it. The Guardian explains the history of the books and makes a prediction.

There is NO sex in Book 1. You must wait until book 2 for that. This is the First Book in the Ley Line Witch Series. It is presently envisioned to consist of three books, with the possibility of a fourth book if the writing goes well and I can develop a plot for it.

These stories and the series started out as something to have fun with, and not anything serious, but once started, the first book seemed to take on a life of its own. I can only hope the rest of the series is as enjoyable to write.

Enjoy these chapters. More next week, as the story is finished and I have started on Book 2.

Keep Well,
uncle jim

I am planning on starting a new series next Friday the 16th of August.

The story will be entitled "Broken Witch" and it will be Book One in the Ley Line Witch series. The start date is dependent on editing, but I expect to be able to start then.

Keep Well,
uncle jim

I received a number of corrections from a friendly reader for this story, and will be reposting a number of chapters with the corrections. I started with chapters 1, 2, and 4 today. They will be available shortly.

Keep Well,
uncle jim

The new chapters have been sent to the Moderators for posting.

This week's final chapters open with midterms and Spring Break. The Semester ends in late May, and Will, Mare, and Nick work for Ski at the space port for a week or so. With eight days off following that, Will convinces Mare to visit some of the free attractions in Denver. The rock miners also go with them.

At the start of the Fall Semester, Will is worried about how Mare will react to the Explosives Engineering class. He is surprised that she is so interested in it. There is a practical exercise part way through the class. Mare and the rock miners handle most of the dangerous work for the exercise.

November and Thanksgiving find them back at the space port as do Christmas and New Year.

The spring Semester has a trip to an underground mine in the Leadville mining district. They are down in the mine when there is an earthquake, trapping them. Mare immediately assumes control. They eventually make their way back to the surface when there is another collapse in the mine.

Professor Berritt, their old Geology Professor, refuses to go anywhere with Mare again, as there hadn't been an earthquake on the Pendery Fault in 39 million years until that day.

On the trip back to school, Mare has a problem because of a mine collapse she had been in on Telchines. Will takes care of her then and all of that night.

They graduate after the final short Summer Semester. It takes four weeks for them to reach Telchines. Mare has concerns because of the low levels available of the ship's exercise equipment.

Will visits Telchines with Mare, but quickly discover that it was a poor decision. Mare stays with him until he returns to the space station. It isn't until he is boarding his ship to Vespa II, that Will realizes that he will never see Mare again.

Arriving on Vespa II, Will realizes that those there have not changed, but that he has, thanks to Marianne. He vows to not accept what those in his family may choose for him, but to find a mate he can love, one who is strong and caring.

Writing these final two chapters was a challenge. While I was familiar with Military Explosives, having been in the Engineers and having taught Military Explosives, those used by civilians are considerably different. This required considerable research. The mine part of the final chapter also required a lot of research, as I have no experience with underground mining.

The final part of the story seemed to write itself, but I liked the way it ended. I hope you have enjoyed Marianne, and will consider looking at some of my other stories. I have several new stories in progress, but none of them are ready to appear at this time.

Keep Well,
uncle jim

The new chapters have been sent to the Moderators for posting.

This week's chapters open with Thorn, Ralph, and Mare going back outside to replace the last thruster. It gives them some trouble.

Later, back inside, Mare gets some sleep, while the rock miners get the ship back on course. On awakening later, she receives a big meal from their geogology professor, who is also a cook.

They eventually reach Terra Station and return to school, but are pestered by reporters anxious for a story. Two weeks after returning, members of the Power Lifters Association arrive at the gym. They doubt the claims they saw in a news video that Mare was lifting 800 pounds. They learn differently.

During the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, both Will and Mare work for Ski at the space port again.

The Spring Semester is boring until they leave for a trip to an open pit mine in February. The trip to the mine covers the remainder of chapter 7. Mare and the rock miners have a problem with being outside all day.

Chapter 8 opens after lunch with their inspection of the on site crushers and the conveyor system that moves the crushed material to the processing plant.

They spend the night at their hotel, but Mare has a real problem with all of the open space. So do the rock miners.

While looking for the exercise room the following morning, Mare and Will help move a large broken garbage bin out of the hotel. It isn't something Mare can't handle.

The remainder of that day is spent touring the concentration site, the smelter, and the refining plant to see how the raw ore is processed to remove and refine the copper and other elements in it.

Enjoy these chapters. Next week, the final chapters and the surprising ending.

Keep Well,
uncle jim