To Boldly Go Where I've Gone Many Times Before

I'm obviously slipping. I didn't even realize there was a new Star Trek movie coming out until a few weeks ago. Back in the geeky days of my youth, I would have been one of the first to hear of such an earth-shaking development. I would have been planning to go to the premiere with my geeky friends, in t-shirts with clever sayings like, "Reality is just a crutch for people who don't get science fiction."

Even after finding out about this movie, I wasn't excited until sometime last week. Then something changed and I started getting all worked up about it. Maybe it was partly the change in the weather--the first really sticky, summery days we've had. Maybe it was a whiff of honeysuckle, or the end of the spring term at the college where I work. What does any of that have to do with wanting to see Star Trek, you ask?

Suddenly I was young again, with final exams completed and the lazy summer days stretching out before me. Hot afternoons spent in dark, cool movie theaters, transported to galaxies far, far away. Going home and writing letters to my friends (actual letters on paper, using ink pens and stamps and the mailbox. Talk about another world!) speculating on the next chapter in some ongoing space drama or other.

So suddenly, I wanted to be there on opening weekend of the new Star Trek, not just to see the movie, but to drink in the excitement. To be transported back in time. (Which turned out to be a very fitting metaphor, as you'll know if you've seen the movie!)

And isn't that what good books and movies are about? They speak to our lives at a particular time. They bring us into relationships with other fans. They spark our imaginations and take us out of ourselves. And they're bound so inextricably with the "real" parts of our lives that the connection is almost impossible to break. Hence the whiff of honeysuckle, the sticky-hot weather--and the sudden desire for an epic space movie.

And maybe the book or the movie doesn't even have to be particularly good. I thought the new Star Trek was well-written, funny and exciting, fresh and new yet faithful to the old--just extremely well done. But that's not always the most important thing. The familiar characters, the connection to our lives, some silly little thing that resonates with a part of our personality--sometimes that's more important than high artistic accomplishment.

I've had this idea before. (I will admit, for example, that the Pirates of the Caribbean movies have some of the most convoluted and hard-to-follow scripts in the world, but they resonate with me in a way that most better-written movies do not.) Then I heard someone else express the same thought, in a sort of unexpected venue: the Rush Limbaugh show. Last Friday, Rush had a guest host named Mark Davis, who is about my age. (Translation: Baby Boomer.) (Translation of the translation: old.)

Mr. Davis also talked about being excited over the movie, largely out of a sense of nostalgia. He also mentioned his fascination with the "franchise" idea of Star Trek--how many incarnations and series and movies and spinoffs there have been. He admitted that one of the series (The Next Generation, I think) was superior in every technical way to the original. Better writing, better acting, better special effects. And yet, it would always be Captain Kirk and Bones and Spock that held his heart and fired his imagination, because they're eternally connected with his youth, and with the joy of discovery.

I wonder if Mr. Davis has a picture of himself in a Star Trek uniform. I do. Have a picture of myself, I mean--not of Mr. Davis. Should I share it with you? Hmmm...it would take a LOT of comments telling me you're dying to see the picture for me to stoop that low. We'll have to see.

What about you out there? Even if you're not science fiction or Star Trek fans, are there books or movies that you realize aren't exactly great literature--and yet they stir something in you that "higher art" never could?

Westward Ho, Part II: The Two Parts of Me

And the adventure continues. Though I am actually now getting settled into my new digs in Northridge, CA, in the San Fernando Valley, I cannot move on in my postings until I deliver on my promise to tell you all about my amazing road trip.

When last we left off, I had been telling you about my experiences at the Grand Canyon, and driving through Northern Arizona. The next day, we left Page, Arizona, and passed by Lake Powell. This is an area I would earmark, so that if you ever get a chance to venture there, make sure to see this place! It looks like mountains on Mars overlooking blue water. Can you imagine such a thing? Well, you don't have to, because here it is!

Then we crossed the border into Utah. According to my dad, Utah has many incredible canyons, all of which are greatly different. We were able to visit two of them, actually three, though one we only caught in passing. First we went to Bryce Canyon. A man named Ruby and his wife brought the beauty of this canyon to the the attention of the general public many years ago, and soon it was overtaken by the government. Here are some pictures of Bryce and one of its little inhabitants.

I was able to walk further down into this canyon than I was able to at the Grand Canyon. For one thing, the sides of this canyon sloped more instead of dropping off into a shear cliff. Also, it was deep, but not anything close to the depth of the Grand Canyon. I doubt any are that deep, hence the name. Plus, this one had rails on its trail, at least part of the way down.

After exploring on the trails a bit (but not taking the time to go to the bottom of the canyon), we headed out. It would have taken a significant amount of time to get down and back up, considering we were at a much higher altitude than usual, and air was harder to come by. Steep hills in the South are problematic for me. You might imagine what a time I would have with a canyon in Utah!

Thus, we began the drive to Zion, where we would drive down into the canyon and spend the night in their lodge. But on the way, we saw what was called the Red Canyon. Take a look at the spectacle it offered.

And take a look at this one- how does it stay upright?

This fire was burning strong in Utah, but we were not sure if it was a controlled burn or not. It was a sight to behold.The scenery in Utah was so varied. From the amazing red canyons to the scenic snow-covered mountains, and then to fir trees.

This next one, for example, could have come from Georgia or Tennesee. How can it be so different, and yet so much the same? Fascinating!

Soon, we reached Zion and started the slow, winding drive down into the canyon.

And then we approached and entered a couple of tunnels.

And then more winding down into the canyon. It was nice because we had seen the tops of a couple of beautiful ones, but had not made it to the bottom of any yet. The view looking up was just about as awesome.

Next we came to the Court of the Patriarchs (still on the way down into Zion). The three rock tops are the patriarchs, I believe.

And then we reached the lodge, where my dad pointed out little mounds of earth next to the parking lot where little diggers of some kind were making their homes. I was thrilled to see dirt being thrown out of one of the little mounds as I was looking at them, so I tried to sneak up and catch a glimpse of them as quickly as I could. I did get to see a couple of them- they must have been gophers. But the camera was not quick enough, or I wasn't, and I didn't get their pictures. Here is one of the mounds, though.

Before dark, we walked on a trail that was a mile long, and that ran beside the Virgin River. The end of this trail marked the end of the real walkable part of the canyon floor. The river filled up the canyon bottom at this point, and if you wanted to walk on you could, but you would have to venture into The Narrows. When the water covers them, they are dangerous and slippery, and when the water does not fill The Narrows, you risk flash floods when trying to walk through them.

We did run into some lovely creatures along the way, grabbing some dinner on the side of the mountain before the sun went down. They were not scared of us at all.

The next morning, more wonders awaited. We saw a wild tom turkey walking along the road, all bowed up at us as he sought to protect his harem of what appeared to be five, yes five, female turkeys (I don't know what you call them- hen turkeys?) We just captured a pic of him, though, not his harem.

But old tom turkey could not hold a candle to the sun on the canyon tops early in the morning.

And one of my personal favorite moments of the entire trip, something I had hoped to see, was a buffalo herd grazing in a field. On the prairie, I suppose. It was quite amazing. I had never seen any like that.

So, remembering how amazing all of this was, a part of me wants to go back there and live there- somewhere- to have a ranch and raise animals. To live in the rocks of Arizona with the Navajos or in the rolling hills of New Mexico where Billy the Kidd once made his last stand. As I sit in my new apartment and listen to the sirens and traffic blaring outside my window, a part of me desperately yearns to go and make a place for myself somewhere else in the beautiful west, where romance abundantly inspires the imagination. But what I need to do- the art I need to make- the performances I need to give- have brought me to where I am, and here I will be until God leads me elsewhere. If it was about writing, I suppose I could do that anywhere. But although I do consider myself a writer, I am also a performer, and don't think I could live properly without performance in my life. Maybe one day, there will be a way for me to combine the two parts of myself- the one that yearns for the beauty and romance of the isolated country, to be a pioneer of sorts, and the one that must perform and be a part of a thriving artistic culture.

How to Read an Elephant

You've heard the old saying about how to eat an elephant? Answer: one bite at a time.

I discovered a great new resource that lets you apply the same principles to reading. It's called DailyLit, and it allows you to read some of those mammoth works of literature in small, easily-digested bites.

This is how it works. You create a free account, then choose a book you would like to read. All the books on the site are in electronic form and are divided into small segments. You choose how and when you would like to receive segments. The short ones only take five minutes or so to read.

You can have a segment delivered via email or blog reader--once a day, once a week, or somewhere in between. Or choose longer segments. If you get really caught up in the story and have time (ha ha!) and want more, you can go to the site and read more installments on demand.

Or, as happened in my case, when you get behind in your daily readings, you can suspend delivery until you catch up.

Most of the books I looked at are classics in the public domain, and they're available for free. Newer books are also available for purchase.

You may wonder why anyone would want to read a book this way. For me, the biggest reason is a long list of sort of heavy, classic books that I truly want to read but can't ever seem to make time for. For example, I've been wanting a refresher on Greek and Roman mythology. I work in a college library, so I could check out a volume or two and read it any time--if I would just do it. But I don't. Now, three times a week, I have a section of Bulfinch's Mythology showing up in my feed reader. So when I go to read my blogs, I read a little mythology, too. Before you know it, I'll be an expert!

So if you're always scrounging for more reading time, and particularly if you'd like to revisit some of the Great Books and writers, check out DailyLit.

Grand Prize Winner Announced!

Yesterday we held the drawing for the $50.00 amazon.com gift card, and subscriber Jodie B. was the big winner. Jodie said she already has plans for the books she's going to buy. Congratulations, Jodie!

See why it pays to subscribe?

We run contests frequently, so stay tuned for the next one to be announced.

Also, co-blogger Kristi just arrived in L.A. last night--and they had an earthquake while she was moving in! A very small one, and fortunately we're not superstitious. But with a start like that, you'll want to keep posted.

Westward Ho! Getting Close

Hey guys,

I promised a blog from the road, and here is the first. Sorry I haven’t posted one yet, but every day has been so full that by the time I finally hit the hotel at night, I am pretty tired. We (my dad Larry, his wife Debra, my cousin Shirley, and myself) have been going five full days, and now we are in Page, Arizona, right outside of the Navajo Nation.

Today was definitely my favorite as far as the scenery. New Mexico was amazing yesterday, and I was skeptical that today could top it, even though I knew I would be seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time today. Well, let me just say that northern Arizona must be one of the most beautiful places on God's earth! The Grand Canyon is beyond words, and I'm sure, beyond these pictures, but I will post them anyway.

Unfortunately I am bad with heights, so I could not venture more than about 5 steps down the trail. I looked at the loose pebbles and my little tennis shoes and the trail with no rails or borders between myself and a mile drop, and decided I could enjoy it just fine from Southern Rim. And that's what I did. We could not even see the bottom from where I was, and time was short, so we didn't get to hike around the rim to where we could. Well, that means I will just have to go back one day and see the Colorado River from some optimal point at the rim or at the bottom. I hope there is some way down for chickens, though.

I also got to see the sweet mules after they reached the top. They had walked 6 miles down a trail (not to the bottom- just to a plateau) and 6 miles up that same day. They looked so exhausted, poor things! They were lined up at a rail, and some of them were resting their heads on it, and others were closing their eyes ready to sleep. But they did look well taken care of. The guy who appeared to be their caretaker was raving about what wonderful animals they were, and they were so tame. We could also see their corral, and they looked pretty comfy. I just walked up and started stroking one's nose, and he was just as calm as could be.

And the drive from the Grand Canyon to Page, Arizona, where we were scheduled to spend the night, was almost as amazing as the canyon itself. The 80 or so mile drive was largely vast, flat, canyon lands to the left (south?) and a huge, unbelievable ridge of great, red, mountainous cliffs over to our right, maybe a 1/4 mile away, at first. All that land we drove across was Navajo Nation land. Basically, the upper right quadrant of Arizona belongs to the Navajos. It was an enlightening experience, and I hope to elaborate on it soon. For now, though, let me get back to this drive to Page.

We took a turn and there before us was the wall of red cliff that before had been off to our right. Now it looked as if we were heading directly into it. And we began to climb. Huge boulders were off to either side at times, right above our heads, seeming that they could fall at any time and squish us, and the signs reading "Watch for Rocks" were no help. Of course we were watching for rocks, but I'm not sure what we were supposed to do if one fell on us. And then we would turn a corner and be blown away by a vista of the land thousands of feet below, displaying various canyons of their own.This is my meager attempt to describe what, so far, has been the best day of the trip. Please stay tuned, and thanks for hanging in!

The Big Five-O and Cats in the Ceiling

Last Wednesday was a big day for me. The Big Five-O. Not only that, but in addition to turning 50, it was the last day for me to see co-blogger and niece Kristi before she hit the road for her move to L.A.

All you younger folks out there are probably thinking, how does a woman in this mature stage of life celebrate her birthday? As you would expect, life is more solemn and profound at this age, so it's important to commemorate it in a style that's suitable. I myself chose a Harry Potter-themed party, complete with cake and a screening of Order of the Phoenix.

Then later, my husband took me to Zoo Atlanta to see the giant pandas, especially Lun Lun and her cub, Xi Lan (Atlanta's Joy).

Yes, it's a little sad to leave childhood so far behind and do the mature thing, but I'm facing up to it as best I can.

Because it was Kristi's last day in town, it wasn't all fun and games. I was a little weepy at the idea of her leaving. Then she left her cats with me and I became downright distraught.

The idea was for me to babysit her two cats for a couple of weeks while she makes the drive across country and gets settled into her apartment. Then I would put them on a plane to her. Sounded simple enough.

The trouble started right after we let them out of their carriers. I had the brilliant idea they could stay in the basement, where they would be away from my foul-tempered cat and have plenty of room. Big mistake. They would have been much better off in my guest room, with a cozy amount of space and a bed to hide under. Trying to get away from all that space, they started climbing, and found a crawl space up in the ceiling that I hadn't even realized was there.

The pictures are from Kristi's bon voyage party and show her and her kitties, Bundles (gray) and Leo (black). I'm glad I took these pictures. For a while there, I figured it was the last time I would ever see their faces.

Bundles remained in the ceiling for three full days. Leo finally came down last night, after four days. A lot of time, energy, coaxing, climbing on step ladders, and tuna fish went into the rescue operation. One day, a colleague asked me if I had finished taking pictures of my handmade items so I could open my online shop. I told her I had planned to do it that week but hadn't counted on cats in the ceiling. I promised to try to do it the next day, if nothing unexpected happened. But then I added, "But really. In life, it's always cats in the ceiling."

She said it would make a good bumper sticker. Maybe I'll have some printed up and include them in my online shop. You can order one, if you feel like your life is just a series of cats in the ceiling.

Interview with Debut Author Stuart Vaughn Stockton

I've blogged earlier about my excitement over new Christian publisher Marcher Lord Press. I love how they're giving opportunities to authors whose work is so fresh and unique. Stuart Vaughn Stockton, one of their latest authors, has a book that definitely fits into that category, and he graciously granted an interview to Dimensions, even though there's a lot going on in his life right now. When I told my husband that Stuart's first novel was released on April 1 and his first child was born on April 2, he asked me, "What did he do on April 3?"

Probably collapsed with exhaustion, I would think!

Here's my interview with Stuart:

Your debut novel, Starfire, was just published with Marcher Lord Press. Can you tell us a little about the book?

Starfire is a science fiction action-adventure story about a young warrior who is imprinted as the protector of a mysterious artificial intelligence and must make his way through a growing war in order to find the one weapon that may just be able to save his empire from a surprise invasion. But that weapon may also doom his world. The warrior, Rathe, must fight his way through deadly battles, discern ancient prophecy and uncover treachery in his quest for the Starfire.

This sounds to me like the kind of story with a long history. When did you first conceive of this world and its characters?

The first character of this world sprang to life riding a pogo-stick during a science class in Jr. High. Obviously it has come a long way from then, with the large-scale world creation kicking off in high school. So I’ve been working on the world and characters for a good part of the last twenty years. You can read the whole history of building this world here: http://www.ritersbloc.com/galacticlore/sauria/howitbegan/index.htm

A novel with no human characters is pretty unique. Did that make it a difficult sell to publishers?

Well if the characters had been something like elf or dwarf non-humans that may have made it easier, but the whole alien dinosaur angle pretty much made selling Starfire to traditional CBA publishers almost impossible. At the same time that is what helped make Starfire the perfect fit for Marcher Lord Press. It’s just the kind of weird they look for and understand.

I hear two different kinds of advice given to writers whose works don't exactly fit a particular genre or market. Some say follow your heart and write the story you're passionate about, and it will eventually sell. Others say we have to remember that writing is a business and we should therefore study the markets and adapt our writing to fit. What would you advise?

I would advise that you decide whether your passion is in writing the story or in being published. But for the first novel you write, write the one that stirs your passions the most. Then if that novel doesn’t seem to be finding a market try to find a story you can be passionate about that is more marketable. Don’t get hung up on that first novel, most don’t sell and can become a black hole that eventually sucks away your creativity and passion as you constantly tinker and submit. Always move forward with your writing. And most importantly, seek out God and give your writing over to Him.

Obviously you have a love to speculative fiction. What are some of your favorite books and movies--especially ones that inspired your writing?

The books that have most inspired my writing are mostly fantasy titles by R.A. Salvatore (especially his Cleric Quintet) and Weis and Hickman’s Dragonlance Chronicles. Stephen Lawhead’s fantasies and science fiction was also an early influence on me.

Some of my favorite movies are Dragonheart, Into the Woods (A stage musical) and the original Star Wars Trilogy.

Do you ever encounter Christians that are a little leery of speculative fiction? What would you say to those folks about the Christian's place in reading--and creating--works of fantasy or science fiction?

Actually I haven’t encountered Christians that are leery of spec-fic. I’ve read about them online, but I haven’t met any in person. What I would say to them though is that is that fantasy and science fiction gives us ways to explore the truths of God and his creations in ways that can challenge our imagination and help us see things from new angles. But I can understand that the genres aren’t for everybody.

This book isn't the only major life event for you this spring, is it?

Nope! On April 2 my daughter Victoria Elizabeth was born! This is the first child for my wife and I and has eclipsed the release of Starfire a bit. But I’m okay with that. She is precious and beautiful and a little bit stubborn. I love holding her and watching all the various faces she makes.

That's a lot to have going on at one time! How are you handling it all?

I’m just taking it one day at a time and trying to keep everything balanced and support my wife as best I can as we explore this wonderful new chapter in life together.

What is this about a Brandilyn Collins character being based on you?

When Brandilyn started writing her Kanner Lake series, she had a character who would be writing a science fiction novel. A rather odd and eccentric fellow who was all wrapped up in his created world. She remembered me from an ACFW conference where I had spoken in my Saurian language and a bit of my writing she had read and asked me if she could use my story for her character’s book. I was thrilled at being asked, and even had a chance to blog as the character, Ted “S-man” Dawson on her character blog Scenes & Beans.

It’s been a real fun fact-meets-fiction-meets-fact story as in the last book of the series Ted had sold Starfire to a publisher which actually corresponds well with when the real Starfire released from Marcher Lord Press.

Thanks, Stuart! And congratulations on all the wonderful things going on in your life!