Fantasy World Project -- Patreon Edition/Bradbury's 100th birthday

 For good or ill, I've created a Patreon page, The Fantasy World Project.  Between that, this blog, my website, and my stories and novels, I've got to start producing copy!

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The 20th of August was Ray Bradbury's 100th Birthday, so I have to write something Bradburian!

I almost missed my only opportunity to see Ray in person when he gave a talk at the main public library in Tulsa, OK, about 1996. I was watching a goofy cartoon version of "Tales from the Crypt" ("Tales from the Crypt-Keeper"), and I wanted to see how the running feud between Crypty, the Vault-Keeper, and the Old Witch turned out. Sad, isn't it? But I finally zipped up to the library, where Ray greeted his audience with, "YOU PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT DEATH IS!", which was not quite how I thought he'd start out. He talked about life during and after the flu epidemic, and how high child mortality rates were, and how families had multiple children to make sure there would be a new generation. Finally, however, he started on the more familiar Mr. Electrico and the like.

Anyway, he signed my copy of WONDER Magazine #8, the all-Bradbury issue.

The Empty Warehouse

 As I've written -- on blog, FaceBook or somewhere -- I've been a reader all my life, but frequently I had next to nothing to read.  Before starting college I was proud owner of maybe 50 paperback books, which filled a whole shelf of my made-in-shop-class bookcase.

When I started at Oklahoma State University, however, I was exposed to the McFarlin Library, two million volumes plus thousands of journals, maps, newspaper archives and the like.

They say you can't miss what you never had -- but seeing the OSU library after being used to a shelf of paperbacks -- suddenly my brain felt like an empty warehouse, with my meager collection sitting off in a cobwebby corner.  I had worlds to learn about!  I think I would have had a good education had I simply spent those four years in McFarlin.

Fast Forward to the past few years of (mostly) unemployment.  I was too worried, too nervous to read much.  Heck, I'd start a novel -- fade out halfway through -- and put it back on the shelf.  How could I waste time reading when I should be looking for a job?

This week, however, I realized:  there's that feeling again.  My brain is an empty warehouse.  Mix in with that an added metaphorical sensation of utter starvation, and all I could say was:

"Gaaah!  I can't take it any more!"

I'm reading, ya hear me?  I'm reading Castles by Sidney Toy, the best survey of castles, fortifications, battlements, keeps and siege warfare ever!  I'm reading Lands Beyond by SF great L. Sprague de Camp and science writer Willy Ley, an early history of places that never were, a great resource for fantasy writers.  I'm reading Churchill by Roy Jenkins -- I have 50 or 60 books on World War II, and I have to start somewhere.  I'm reading Popular Science and Scientific American for -- science!

Yes, I'll work on stories, novels and resumes; I'll wash the dishes and clothes; I'll vacuum and scrub the toilet.  But from now on I'm hijacking  chunks of time to fill the empty warehouse.

20,000 Leagues Launch Party

On Thursday, August 6th, 8:00 to 9:30 PM EDT (7:00 to 8:30 Central), Pole to Pole Publishing is holding a FaceBook Launch Party for the paperback version of "20,000 Leagues Remembered!" Here's hoping everyone will be there!

Each author has five minutes to interact with the reading public and answer all their questions (not to mention self-promote). I hope I can figure out this FaceBook Party thing before then!

https://www.facebook.com/Pole-to-Pole-Publishing-102017331560624