NEW!
Send email to The Daily Scroll or to The Scroll Chamber Press
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I've posted the latest version of the THT table of contents below...
1. To give potential readers some advance information about the collection.
2. To fish for deperately needed help in vetting the manuscript before publication, especially the stories. THT is the first work I've ever written without editorial advice. The situation concerns me greatly. Please scroll to the bottom of this entry for more about how you can help. Thanks!
The THT table of contents below was last revised Oct 30 2014
It is wildly inaccurate.
My Dec 16 blog entry, "Thinking Outside the Box" has the revised Table of Contents
Or go to Amazon's entry for Tree House Tales
It is wildly inaccurate.
My Dec 16 blog entry, "Thinking Outside the Box" has the revised Table of Contents
Or go to Amazon's entry for Tree House Tales
Title Page 2
Thumbnails of my artwork will be scattered throughout the book.
I'll provides replicas of the originals on a still-to-be-determined website.
Table of
Contents 4
FANTASY, MOSTLY 6
“Imagination is the one weapon in the war against
reality.” -- Jules de Gaultier
I Need A Horse 7 humorous, fantasy, flash
A Sailor’s Tale 8 fantasy, modern mythology/folktale
Sisyphus 10 suspense/horror PG-17
Circles 13 SF, humor
A Garden Mosaic 16 poetry
Daisy & the Paper-Mice 17 mystery or suspense, from a cat's POV
The Windowed Door 20 light fantasy
Luckiest Hunter Ever 21
Story Outline. Story-Telling Suggestions.
The Dragon’s Tail Tale 23 tall tail fantasy
No Substitutions 27 fantasy flash fiction
Winter’s Season 29 fantasy (pseudo-mythology)
The Queen of the Tor Shee 40 poem
Shadow Harper 41 story based on European tradition
The Pumpkin Smasher 44 humorous modern day fantasy
Gajit’s Research Expedition 50 SF, humor
Dingle Finish the
story challenge. 57 fantasy, invitation for readers to finish the story
The Last Battle (novelette) 58 fantasy, written for the PG 17 reader
REALITY, WHATEVER THAT IS 74
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing
in it, doesn't go away." --Philip K Dick
Preteens, Horses, and Aliens 75 memoir
Baffled By The Green Door 78
Fandom 101 82
Tis The Season To Be Typing 88 (omit?)
A Fannish Internet Sub-Creation of a
Hyperdimensional
Pocket Universe 89 SFish humor co-created by Babylon 5 fans
Sherry’s Cake is Major Hit at Coffee Hour!
Film at 11! 92 memoir
EgoBoogling 94 humor
Rainstorm Coming 97 poetry
Hurricane Hazel 98
Between Worlds (poem) 101 poetry
CATSIZ AND
OTHER CRITTERS 103
Catzis (with cat
illos) 104
Squirrelsiz 105
Crabsiz 106
Readerziz 107 humor
More Catziz 108 cat-related humor
Fairieziz: The Smashed Fairy Song Cycle 110 Faerie-related humor; PG-13?
niDgRhEtAmMaSre
112
Hexa-Lyrica 113 dream
Dream, With Joey 115 dream
A Micro Dream 117 dream
A Dream With Bowling 118 dream, PG-13 humor
Dream Fragments: The Pagoda Secret, Diving Dream 120 dream,
A Dream With KB & Then Without Her 122 dream,
Two of Cara’s Dreams From “Seabird” 123 dream
Dreams & Writing; How To Remember Your Dreams 124 essay/advice re dreams
The Witch’s ORIGINAL Gingerbread House (art) 125 sample artwork thumbnail
Selected Quotations 126
~~~~~
EXTRACTS
FROM FOUR NARENTAN NOVELS 127
Seabird, Narenta
#1
Extract 1, The “teaser” inside front cover 128
Extract 2, The Shrine
Someone had placed a
seabird-shaped plaque at the very top of the
wall. Its black surface had
tiny glittery bits scattered on it, possibly to
represent stars. Cara
blinked. The raised panel receded, becoming a bit
of night sky glimpsed through
a window cut into the wall.
She blinked again but she
couldn’t trick her eyes into seeing a raised
panel. Patches and slender
bars of sunlight brightened the dim interior,
their sources the five windows
in the remaining walls. A dozen
half-formed questions welled
up. The solemn serenity of that night
view quelled them all.
Extract 3, Stowaway 131
Earthbow, Narenta
#2
A tiny extract from THT’s
long “Coris plot thread”:
“If you would be so good.’
Cenoc answered. ‘Certainly. The wound still pains you?’
The keep-master nodded.‘The third row. Its handles
are of ebony.’
Cenoc rose and turned to the
screens.
Pressing his back against the
cabinet, Coris grasped
his sword hilt & braced
himself to attack.”
The Gryphon &
the Basilisk, Narenta #3
Extract 1 140
Hextor Nigragr, shadow lord,
sorcerer and once viceroy of Narenta, waited for his dread
master to leave the room
before arising. When the door was closed, he stood slowly and
gathered his black cape about
him with silent hands. He was not yet used to wielding his
body again and the movements were slightly
awkward.
Extract #2 141 Extract #3 144
Marooned, Narenta
#1.5 (forthcoming!)
Extract 1, Chapter
One, 1st Scene
Chaotic memories of fire,
howling or screaming and fierce wind
were replaced in a breath by
cool dim blue and a gentle tug
she couldn’t identify. 145
Extract 2, Chapter
Two, 1st Scene
"…carefully,”
warned a hushed male voice. “Don’t wake…”
Memory was still reminding her
that her sword was gone, but instinct had already won that race by several
seconds. She sprang up dagger in hand, before the man could finish his instructions.
Two shadowy shapes leaped
back. Steel rang on either side. Striking toward the closest target on her
right, she felt the tip of the dagger catch slightly on a rib then slide
cleanly past the obstacle. Rough cloth and blood touched her hand, as the hilt
pressed against the man’s body. The ensuing scream was still building as she
pulled the dagger free and spun toward her other attacker. Metal flashed in the
golden moonlight, and she tilted away from the deadly arc. She kicked out
sideways and felt the sting of her foot striking mail. 147
Afterword
How I Write, or Smidge of Plot, Glob of Characterization: 149 essay
Examples: Khiva the Stoah; Bert-and-Marsha-from-Hoboken 150
The End 151
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tree House Tales cover design to date
The final version will have patches of wrinkled paper randomly stuck to the interior wood of the treehouse. Each scrap will provide hints about THT's contents.
You can help by volunteering to read advance copies of 2-3 stories and offering your impressions.
I'm not soliciting book reports much less formal editorial reviews.
However, I do need a little more than "Great!", Awful!", or "Eh".
If you respond with something like "Take this out of the collection while you can!", please give me a reason.
In exchange I'll do my best to send free PB copies of THT to any cobbler's elf who helped me in a substantial way.
If you're interested, please write to me at KhivasMommy@gmail.com with the Subject "cobbler's elf".
Thanks!
