Sally Ember's Blog, page 23

Earth is the warmest it’s been in 120,000 years MARK KAUFMANAug 27, 2018 The last three Julys on Earth have been the three warmest ever recorded. But, they may also be the warmest months to occur on our planet in about 120,000 years. Following NASA’s recent announcement that July 2018 was the third warmest such […]

#auspol #qldpol #ClimateChange #StopAdani #EndCoal #Drought #Bushfire #Heatwave @SciNate @ScottMorrisonMP — jpratt27

via Earth is the warmest it’s been in 120,000 years! #auspol #qldpol #ClimateChange #StopAdani #EndCoal #Drought #Bushfire #Heatwave @SciNate @ScottMorrisonMP — jpratt27

40 Writers’ ‘Rules for Writing’

curated and annotated by Emily Harstone at AUTHORS PUBLISH (reblog)

August 26, 2018

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What a great compendium of ideas about writing in the form of “rules,” so that we can argue with, agree/disagree, utilize, benefit from, whether we’re experienced or newbie writers or an interested readers/fans of some or these authorial rule-givers!

BTW: KUDOS for including a lot of women, writers from different eras, and various types of writers.

Saved the best one for last, IMO, from Phillip Pullman:

40. Phillip Pullman’s One Rule for Writing

“My main rule is to say ‘no’ to things like this, which tempt me away from my proper work.”

http://www.authorspublish.com/40-writers-rules-for-writing/

HARRISBURG, Pa. – A Roman Catholic high school will shed the name of Washington’s archbishop, who was cited in a sweeping grand jury report as having allowed priests accused of sexually abusing children to be reassigned or reinstated while he was Pittsburgh’s bishop. The Diocese of Pittsburgh said Wednesday that Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl made […]

via

“We’re going to need a bigger boat.” The great white shark that is the corruption that riddles and has riddled the Catholic Church, from top to bottom, won’t all be able to be hunted down and killed, nor can those who are “trying to do good” be confined to a few renamings of schools.

The Catholic Church’s institutional leaders have to do way more than that to manage the damage they’ve inflicted on hundreds of thousands over centuries. Pulling down statues of Confederate “heroes” in the USA will pale in comparison to the backlash that is already being felt all around the world.

Good luck with all that.

 […]

via 2018 Hugo Award Winners: A great year for women in science fiction and fantasy — Christchurch City Libraries Blog

Mazel Tov to all the finalists and winners!

Quoted from the above blog, everything below this line:

The World Science Fiction Convention* … hosting the Hugo Award ceremony has …this year’s Hugo Award winners … announced.

Women dominated this year’s Hugo Awards in what has turned out to be a great year for women in science fiction and fantasy; a genre, that it is fair to say, has been dominated historically by men….

Best Novel: The Stone Sky, by N.K. Jemisin

This year’s Hugo Award for best novel goes to Book three of The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. Books one and two, The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate respectively, are both previous winners of the award. This also makes N.K. Jemisin the first author to win three Hugo Awards for best novel in a row as well as making The Broken Earth the only trilogy in which all three novels are best novel winners (the closest to doing so previously was Kim Stanley Robinson‘s Mars Trilogy with two wins and a finalist position).

Best Related Work: No Time to Spare, By Ursula Le Guin.

Essentially, this is the reward for best piece of non-fiction related to the world of science fiction and fantasy and understandably, recently deceased Ursula Le Guin, now six time winner of the Hugo Award and Science Fiction royalty, is the winner of this category. ‘No Time to Spare’ is a collection of Le Guin’s musings on various subjects from the mundane to the philosophical.

Best Graphic Story: Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

The best graphic novel of the year is the sequel to 2017’s winner: ‘Monstress Vol. 2’. Monstress is an apocalyptic steampunk fable notable for its exceptional artwork (with artist Sana Takeda also winning this year’s award for Best Professional Artist) and interesting world building.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Wonder Woman, screenplay by Allan Heinberg, story by Zack Snyder & Allan Heinberg and Jason Fuchs, directed by Patty Jenkins (DC Films / Warner Brothers).

What essentially amounts to the award for best film, Wonder Woman takes the cake for its adaptation of the DC Comic hero in a film that captures the essence of this year’s Hugo Awards winners.

Winners of all categories are as follows:

Best Novella: All Systems Red, by Martha Wells

Best Novelette: The Secret Life of Bots, by Suzanne Palmer

Best Short Story: Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience, by Rebecca Roanhorse

Best Series: World of the Five Gods, by Lois McMaster Bujold

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: The Good Place: “The Trolley Problem,” written by Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan, directed by Dean Holland

Best Editor, Short Form: Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas

Best Editor, Long Form: Sheila E. Gilbert

Best Professional Artist: Sana Takeda

Best Semiprozine: Uncanny Magazine, edited by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas, Michi Trota, and Julia Rios; podcast produced by Erika Ensign & Steven Schapansky

Best Fanzine: File 770, edited by Mike Glyer

Best Fancast: Ditch Diggers, presented by Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace

Best Fan Writer: Sarah Gailey

Best Fan Artist: Geneva Benton

Kofi Annan, the first black African to lead the United Nations, has died at age 80. He served as Secretary-General at a time when worries about the Cold War were replaced by threats of global terrorism, and his efforts to combat those threats and secure a more peaceful world brought him the Nobel Peace Prize. […]

via Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General dead — CAPIIC

 

Just lost another one of the great ones. RIP, Sec-Gen Annan.

Watch a selection of the Queen of Soul’s finest and most memorable onstage moments

via Aretha Franklin: 10 Great Performances — Rolling Stone

 

You will be remembered for centuries and very  much missed by those who heard you live. Thank you for the music and the wisdom, #Aretha. Go well.

3rd Annual #Free #book #edit #contest from Bob Rich, reblogged  via Free book edit contest

The Lies Embedded in MAGA (“Make America Great Again”): America Was Never Great for Everyone

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image from https://andelino.wordpress.com/2016/06/08/america-was-never-great/

Please, could anyone tell me: when was America (the United States of America) “great,” and for whom?

This country’s roots are in repeated and ongoing genocidal elimination, unfair and homicidal immigration policies, stealing children from parents who are powerless to prevent these thefts, and forced involuntary incarceration of those in many groups:

—the indigenous peoples who already occupied these territories

—the Africans stolen from their home countries, imported like material goods, to be slaves and servants

—the poor and homeless people and orphans

—the disabled people, especially those with mental disabilities

—the Japanese who lived in the USA during World War II.

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image from http://Historyplex.com

This country has a long and checkered history of unfairly treating women, those who do not own property (even males), anyone without sufficient financial and other resources via a prejudicial criminal justice system.

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image from http://Vox.com

People from all backgrounds suffer (but not equally) in the USA by:

being excluded from voting by various means;
not being paid a “living wage”;
not having fair and equal opportunities for education;
not having sufficient shelter;
not having paid work available;
not having access to nutritious, sufficient food;
not being able to pursue their passions and dreams due to insufficient resources, advantages, connections and other unequally distributed privileges;
having more people, especially children, living in poverty than in many third-world nations;

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image from http://FollowTheMoney.com

not having access to adequate or any health care (preventive or treatment-focused);
failing to prevent or treat addictions of all types, with rising numbers of opioid addicts;
not being treated fairly within our policing and justice system, to the point of premature death and lengthy incarcerations for minor infractions, and having far too many wrongful convictions;
not having access to affordable housing;
being forced to drink, wash with and use polluted water and breathe polluted air;
becoming ill and dying—with little or no recourse or legal protection, once it is known to be needed—from industrial and military pollution of land, water and air;

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image from https://environmentalstudiesblog.wordpress.com/tag/environmental-racism/

having pensions, life savings, much or all personal wealth put at risk or eliminated by the still-unpunished and insufficiently regulated financial entities;
being at risk because of the USA’s very high rates of infant and maternal mortality;
being underserved veterans, with very high rates of suicide;
not having access to abortions;
being lied to about the “need” for USA’s involvement and not keeping promises made for those who enlist, and sometimes conscripted individuals into almost constant wars, causing many to lose loved ones, their own lives, their limbs, to incur brain damage and psychological trauma, for no apparent purpose except to enrich those who profit from military actions;
being lied to, misled, mistreated, abused, exploited, harassed and/or disrespected by almost every major and minor politician, business owner/leader, employer/manager;
being targeted unduly by those with authority and/or power in all types of businesses, institutions and police forces/sheriff’s departments

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“If we lie to the government, it’s a felony. If the government lies to us, it’s politics.” —Bill Murray

So, please: at what point in the history or current configuration of this country was it “great” for EVERYONE?

#Ebooks #Smashwords 10th Annual Summer/Winter Sale FINAL Days!

#Free, 50 – 75% off! 7/1—7/31/18

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The Spanners Series first three Volumes of utopian science-fiction/romance by Sally Ember, Ed.D. are on sale NOW! Proud member of Clean Indie Reads #CR4U and Fantasy and Science-Fiction Network #FSFnet

The Spanners Series‘ cover art and logo by WillowRaven: http://www.willowraven-illustration.blogspot.com/

Smashwords is having its 10th Annual Summer/Winter Sale and The Spanners Series‘ ebooks in every format (reader’s choice) are on sale!

—free (Volume I)

—only $2.00 (Volume II) COUPON CODE for Volume II, good on Smashwords, only, 7/1–7/31/18: YC69C

—only $1.00 (Volume III) COUPON CODE for Volume III, good on Smashwords, only, 7/1–7/31/18: CE99B

(usually $3.99 each for ebooks) for the the month of July, 2018! See below for links and more info.

And, go browse on Smashwords for other great discounts and sales for the month of July, 2018!

Whether you’re sweating, freezing, rained or snowed on or anywhere in between, there is still time to READ!

Give ebooks for gifts for birthdays, graduations, holidays, anniversaries, vacations: any time!

The paperbacks of all three Volumes are in the Kindle Match/Kindle Matchbook program at Amazon!

See below for links, details and coupon codes (on Smashwords, only) for each of the Volumes.

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This Changes Everything, Vol. I, The Spanners Series

Dr. Clara Ackerman Branon, 58, begins having secret visits from holographic representations of beings from the Many Worlds Collective, a consortium of planet and star systems in the multiverse. When Earth is invited to join the consortium, the secret visits are made public. Now Earthers must adjust their beliefs and ideas about life, religion, culture, identity and everything they think and are.

Clara is selected to be the liaison between Earth and the Many Worlds Collective and she chooses Esperanza Enlaces to be the Chief Media Contact. They team up to provide information to stave off riots and uncertainty. The Many Worlds Collective holos train Clara and the Psi-Warriors for the Psi Wars with the rebelling Psi-Defiers, communicate effectively with many species on Earth and off-planet, eliminate ordinary, elected governments and political boundaries, convene a new group of Global Leaders, and deal with family’s and friends’ reactions. 

In what multiple timelines of the ever-expanding multiverse do Clara and her long-time love, Epifanio Dang, get to be together and which leave Clara alone and lonely as the leader of Earth?

This Changes Everything spans the 30-year story of Clara’s term as Earth’s first Chief Communicator, continuing in nine more Volumes of The Spanners Series.

Are YOU ready for the changes?

Volume I, This Changes Everything:

Ebooks are PERMAFREE on Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/376197

and Amazon: http://www.amzn.com/B00HFELTG8   

These paperbacks are in the Kindle Match program on Amazon. This means that if you purchase both the ebook and its paperback counterpart (in this case, download Volume I for free), you get a discount for the total package. Vol I Amazon link: http://www.amzn.com/B00HFELTG8

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This Changes My Family and My Life Forever, Vol. II, The Spanners Series

Intrigued by multiple timelines, aliens, psi skills, romance and planetary change? Clara and the alien “Band” are back in Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever.

Now as Chief Communicator, Clara leads the way for interspecies communication on- and off-planet. Fighting these changes are the Psi-Defiers, led by one of the oldest friends of the Chief of the Psi-Warriors, its reluctant leader, Rabbi Moran Ackerman. Stories from younger Spanners about the first five years of The Transition fill Volume II.

How would YOU do with the changes?

Volume II, This Changes My Family and My Life Forever:

EBOOKS now $2.00, 50% off the regular price of $3.99, using COUPON CODE YC69C on Smashwords, any ebook format (reader’s choice).

These paperbacks are in the Kindle Match/Kindle Matchbook program on Amazon. This means that if you purchase both the ebook and its paperback counterpart, you get a discount for the total package. Vol II Amazon link:: http://www.amzn.com/B00KU5Q7KC

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This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change, Vol. III, The Spanners Series

Clara, Moran, Espe, Epifanio and the alien Band of holos are back in This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change, Volume III of The Spanners Series. Psi-Defiers launch increasingly violent protests during this five-year Transition, attempting to block Earth’s membership into the Many Worlds Collective. Earth’s nations and borders must dissolve and Psi-Warriors must strengthen in their battle against the rebels.

Clara, as Earth’s first Chief Communicator, also juggles family conflicts and danger while creating psi skills training Campuses to help Earth through the Psi Wars. Clara timults alternate versions of their futures as the leaders’ duties and consciences force them to make difficult choices across multiple timelines, continuing to train and fight.

Will the Psi-Warriors’ and other leaders’ increasing psi skills, interspecies collaborations and budding alien alliances be enough for Earth to make it through The Transition intact? If there is no clear path for Clara’s and Epifanio’s love, does she partner with Steve or go it alone?

What do YOU do with wanted/unwanted changes?

Volume III, This Is/Is Not the Way I Want Things to Change:

EBOOKS now $1.00, 75% off the regular price of $3.99, using COUPON CODE CE99B on Smashwords, any ebook format (reader’s choice).

These paperbacks are in the Kindle Match/Kindle Matchbook program on Amazon. This means that if you purchase both the ebook and its paperback counterpart, you get a discount for the total package. Vol III Amazon link:: http://www.amzn.com/B0177Z1KRM

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The Spanners Series‘ three paperbacks.

Print editions and ebooks published under Timult Books

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REVIEWERS: Ask for FREE Ebook coupon codes for Volumes II and III on Smashwords any time: sallyember AT yahoo DOT com

For more information about Sally Ember, Ed.D., her bio, books, blog, video talk show (CHANGES conversations between authors), guest blog posts and guidelines, links to author interviews, book trailers and more: http://www.sallyember.com