How Not to Get Bit by a Giant Rattlesnake by Rosanne S. McHenry

 

Tales From a Rogue Ranger is full of stories that speak to the comedy and tragedy of being a park ranger: a job that is nothing like you might imagine. Set against the stunning backdrop of California's American River Canyon, this is an engaging and wildly unusual read about the untamed life of a woman ranger. From a miner riding a mule to a young man lost in the system, these tales show the kaleidoscope of characters a park ranger encounters, giving the reader a fascinating look into a true ranger experience. Readers will laugh out loud, cry tears of sadness, and feel the greatest joy as they revel in this amazing book!

Purchase a copy of Tales From a Rogue Ranger on:

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Rogue-Ranger-Book-Trip/dp/B0CWSV7J2G

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tales-from-a-rogue-ranger-rosanne-s-mchenry/1145038291?ean=9798350936056

Kobu: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/tales-from-a-rogue-ranger

You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208913582-tales-from-a-rogue-ranger

 

How Not to Get Bit by a Giant Rattlesnake

As a park ranger I often warned park visitors to be careful on the trail: “Watch out for critters, especially reptiles, as they are out this time of year. Watch where you put your hands and feet at all times. Bring plenty of water and a first aid kit. Always tell someone where you plan to go.” Visitors nodded in agreement and went outside with watchful eyes. If I’d only followed my own advice that day … I was a park ranger in Death Valley National Park. It was a very hot day. Springtime temperatures can easily climb over 110 degrees and sometimes the only way to escape the heat was to go to a higher elevation. I headed to the upper Monarch Canyon area. Situated 1000 feet above the valley floor, it offered relief from the oppressive temperatures below. Days of persistent heat had fried my brain, and I foolishly forgot to tell anyone where I was going. I parked my truck and walked down Monarch Mine trail towards the spring. It felt great to be outside in comfortable temperatures. I strode confidently down the canyon, past the old mining ruins, marveling at the beauty of the place. I was surrounded by steep canyon walls of tortured metamorphic rock.

I reached the overlook above the springs and perched on a knob of rock, contemplating the stark beauty around me. It was getting late in the afternoon as the sun fell toward the horizon, casting its long rays across the rocky landscape. I’d better start heading back, I thought to myself, as I gathered up my things and headed up the trail. Evening shadows darkened the canyon walls and floor, making it harder to see the trail. I was looking down, deep in thought, not really paying attention to the path in front of me. Then suddenly, I heard it: a deep buzzing sound echoing off the canyon walls. It sounded eerily alien and somewhere nearby. I looked up and saw it: a huge, coiled rattlesnake! It was only a few feet away, in a stack of boulders. It violently shook its rattled tail, warning me to back away. It was enormous, at least three feet tall, weaving its head and tail back and forth. 

“Get back or I’ll strike!” it seemed to say.

I obeyed and leaped back several feet, yelping in alarm. That snake could have struck me dead, but it chose to warn me instead.

“Thank you, my brother,” I said softly, as I gave it a wide berth and stumbled up the trail back to my truck. I could have been killed, and no one would have known where to look for me. I was in a remote area, miles away from the main park road. It could have been days before someone found me. I remembered the advice I had given to others: “Watch out for critters, and let people know where you’re going.” Hmm… good advice to follow, Ranger Rose!

 

About the Author

Rosanne S. McHenry has worked as both a U.S. National Park Ranger and a California State Park Ranger. Her ranger experiences include the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mount Rainier National Park, the Auburn State Recreation Area, Folsom Lake, Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, and Death Valley National Park, among others. In her latest book, Tales From a Rogue Ranger, McHenry shares her experiences about the rough and tumble life of a patrol ranger near Auburn, California. A park ranger’s job is nothing like you might imagine! Set against the stunning backdrop of California’s American River Canyon, this is an engaging and wildly unusual read about the untamed life of a woman ranger.

McHenry, who also wrote Trip Tales: From Family Camping to Life as a Ranger, currently lives and works in Auburn, California, with her husband. The beautiful American River Canyon is adjacent to their home in the Sierra Nevada Foothills.

You can follow the author at:

Website: https://triptalesbook.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066900574228

Instagram: @askrangerrose https://www.instagram.com/AskRangerRose/

Book Spotlight: Raising the Dead by Jayne Lisbeth

 

 Raising the Dead is the journey of a naive young woman who grows to maturity through the love and mentoring of friends, both living and dead.

 

Title: Raising the Dead

Author: Jayne Lisbeth

Publication Date: August 15, 2023

Pages: 330

Genre: Paranormal Fiction / Supernatural / Mystery

A naive 20-year-old bride, Emeline, is grief stricken after the deaths of her beloved parents. She believes she has made a grave error in moving with her husband 3000 miles from her beloved California Delta childhood home to Charles Town, Virginia, to be closer to her husband Randy’s mother. Emeline is bereft in sorrow, marooned in grief until a mysterious woman, Felicity, wanders into her life and changes her world forever.  When Felicity disappears as mysteriously as she arrived, Emeline is determined to unearth her older friend’s whereabouts. What she ultimately discovers forces her to question her sanity, world, memories and newfound joys.

REVIEWS OF RAISING THE DEAD

Author: Jayne Lisbeth, Cover Artist: Tim Gibbons

Publisher Austin Macauley: “Raising the Dead is a deep and emotional account of Emeline’s introspective journey, with a wholesome, spiritual supernatural angle. An inspirational, assured novel that is sure to resonate with the target audience. The poignant plot, very well-structured, the assured writing style and the events that unfold unveil a strong narrative arc Ultimately, it is thought to be a worthy addition to the genre, sure to appeal to a wide audience.”

Mary Lea McKennan, Idaho: 5 Stars:

“I just now finished the final pages of Raising the Dead!!  ‘Awww’, is what I said aloud along with shedding a few precious tears of joy! The characters within this book have rekindled the love in my heart for all of my own friends and family, current and past, who are there to guide us and teach us throughout our lives. You’ve done a wonderful job of weaving the ups and downs of everyday life into a heartwarming tale that will strengthen all who read it.”

Roberta Flowers Dillman, St. Petersburg, FL: 5 Stars:

“Raising the Dead is like a delicious layered dessert. Just when you think you got to the best part you turn the page to a more delightful part. I loved this journey and I love a deep read that’s easy to read. Raising the Dead is both. Great work, Jayne.”

Howard Gordon, Eugene, Oregon, 5 Stars: “Blew me away”

“This book was given to me by a friend and when I began reading my first impression was that it was too descriptive. Details, details, details. As I continued to read I found that these details as the story goes on formed a basis for an intriguing story of thoughtful and surprising characters. It turns out that I couldn’t put the book down.  I was bounced from sadness to joy to wonder at the author’s use of words and changes of mood. I was then flummoxed by the addition of a second story contained within the book which made everything crystal clear. I had read Ms. Lisbeth’s previous book, Writing in Wet Cement, and this one convinced me that there is an upcoming bestseller in the future.”

Paula Stahel, Breath and Shadows Productions, Tampa, FL

“A Lovely Read“”  Jayne Lisbeth has conjured a sweet story of a young, naive newlywed whose world opens to new ideas, skills, and the discovery of fulfilling friendships after an unexpected mentor literally walks into her life. And ultimately comes to understand the lasting power of love.”

Click here to read more reviews.

Buy Links:

Amazon  | B&N | Kobo | BooksAMillion

 

Book Excerpt:

One hundred and fifty-five years after Mildred Hanson's death, Randy Upswatch carried his bride, Emeline Jannison Upswatch, across the threshold of Cabin #25. Randy gently set Emeline down on the heart pine kitchen floor. The windows let in bright splashes of the morning light through the wavy old glass. An antique black wood stove squatted in a corner, next to a small fireplace with an open hearth. The original porcelain sink had been retained but over the years the plumbing had been modernized. Across the room, an old gas stove nestled adjacent to a vintage Frigidaire. A scarred wood plank shelf was built into the wall between the stove and refrigerator, with drawers installed beneath. Knotty pine cabinets and shelves provided plenty of room for Em's collection of antique bowls and pitchers. Next to the fireplace, a pantry with floor to ceiling shelves completed the kitchen, empty storage begging to be filled.

Emeline's heart lifted, then sank, when she remembered the days she and her mama, Cleo, had filled their own pantry shelves. Mother and daughter would process their Sacramento Delta crops into jeweled jars of vegetables, relishes, jams, pickles and chutneys. Her eyes teared up, which she quickly hid from Randy. She scolded herself. Damn, girl, it's been two years since Mama's passing...[TG1] isn't it time for you to move on? She thought to herself.

"Sure, wish I'd paid more attention to Mama's cooking," she said aloud.

"What?" Randy asked.

"Oh! I didn't realize I said that out loud. Just thinking that Mama always needed my help with jamming and canning, but never taught me to cook. She really wanted her kitchen all to herself."

But Randy didn't hear this response as he was busily exploring the rest of the cabin. "Holy Shit, Em, lookit this!" he exclaimed. Emeline followed Randy down a central hallway leading to other rooms. At one end of the central hall was a large bedroom. Windows sparkled as lacy light fell through the trees surrounding the cabin. A smaller bedroom at the opposite end of the hallway seemed forlorn. A large tree shadowed the room, darkening the interior. In the center of the hallway and next to the kitchen was a small bathroom boasting an enormous clawfoot tub. A window over the tub with a deep sill would be perfect for African Violets and geraniums, Em thought.

Off the center of the long hallway was the living room. It was just big enough to hold their old couch, her mama's ancient Lincoln rocker, and two end tables. An old black stove, sitting on a raised platform of bricks was nestled in a corner of the room. At the far end of the room were glass French doors, obviously an addition to the original structure of the cabin. Throughout the cabin, light scattered through many antique windows. Emeline pushed Randy aside and walked through the French doors. "Randy, it's the best part of the cabin!"

Through the doorway, she had spied bookshelves. Views of the surrounding pastures were idyllic portraits framed in the old windows. Directly in the center of the room was another door to a back garden. It would be perfect for cross ventilation when both the kitchen and library doors were opened. Wildflowers of all colors were woven into the bucolic pasture in the distance. The flowers gently danced in the spring breezes from the surrounding hill, transporting the outside world into this inner sanctum. Shadows from a large willow tree quivered as the tree shook its slender green leaves on delicate branches, nearly touching the ground. Em was reminded of children around a maypole, all wearing long green dresses. "Oh, Randy, there's a window seat!"

The cozy seat under the large window was laced between the bookshelves. A stone fireplace beckoned in the corner. Em lifted the lid of the window seat and a smoky scent of old fires wafted up to her. It was the most peaceful room in the cabin, exuding warmth and history. Em imagined the hours other occupants had sat on this window seat, immersed in a book. She walked to the door. "Randy! It's a Dutch door!"

"A what?"

"A Dutch door, see, the top and bottom open separately. We can just open the top and get the breezes and leave the bottom latched. Oh, I've always wanted a Dutch door!"

Em turned to Randy and enveloped him in her arms. "It's a perfect home for us. It's beautiful. This room is where I bet I'll be spending my time. It's the jewel of the cabin. What a special place. It's a library, Randy."

"Oh, yeah. My mom told me the lady who built all these cabins insisted her people led educated lives. She had a little school where she taught the kids how to read. Imagine that, teaching slaves to read, even giving them places like this to live. Mom said everybody in the town thought the old lady was nuts. They couldn't stand the way she treated her slaves. She didn't even call them slaves! She actually paid them, as her 'employees'. That was 200 years ago. Things have certainly changed since then," Em said thoughtfully.

Emeline felt as though she were in the middle of a pumpkin with the cabin's knotty pine walls, the colors of burnt sienna and sunsets. She felt the rooms had been warmed by years of sunlight, woodsmoke and the fingertips of many inhabitants, completing the warm embrace of each room.

Emeline caressed the beautiful wood paneling as she returned to the living room where Randy stood next to the small Franklin stove. "I had no idea these cabins were so lovely. Mom just said they were old. She didn't tell me anything about what great shape they're in." The glow on his face helped to light up the room.

"We should set up our bed and try it out in our new home, don't you think?" Randy said with a bright smile.

Em's mind was elsewhere, busy with all she would do to make their new home a nest she could feather with her dreams.

They returned to a slower examination of all the rooms. The antique pine floors creaked beneath their feet. In her mind's eye, Em began placing their furniture in each room.

She lingered in the smaller of the two bedrooms as Randy left to retrieve boxes from their U-Haul. The entire cabin was infused with rainbows of light except for this small room at the end of the hallway. This room was darker, more somber. An enormous tree towered above this end of the cabin, blocking out the sunlight. The room seemed more silent than the others, with their creaking floors and squeaks. This room had a sad, lonely, uninhabited feel to it.

--Excerpted from Raising the Dead, by Jayne Lisbeth. Austin Macauley, U.K., 2023. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

Jayne Lisbeth was born in NYC and continued her life’s journey from Long Island, to New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, California and Tampa, all places featured prominently in her writing.  Her first book, a memoir, Writing In Wet Cement has been published internationally by London based publisher, Austin Macauley. Jayne’s second book, Raising the Dead, a work of historical fiction, mystery, friendship and the supernatural, was published in 2023, also by Austin Macauley.  Ms. Lisbeth publishes monthly “Food for Thought” blogs on her website, Jaynelisbeth.com. Her “Food for Thought” blogs are based on her reflections of  life, friendship, love, and topical subjects of interest. Ms. Lisbeth’s non-fiction, poetry, and short stories have been published from Vermont to California to Tampa, Florida where she has received awards at the local level. She has been published locally in Pages of Our Life, volumes I and II which is currently part of the USF, Tampa, Geriartic Studies Programs. Ms. Lisbeth’s short stories have been published in the LEC Phoenix Anthologies, 2015-2023. Jayne’s interests include writing, reading, exploring, traveling, calligraphy, gravestone rubbing, entertaining and cooking.  Jayne’s author’s website is Jaynelisbeth.com.

Ms. Lisbeth and her artist husband, Tim Gibbons, are the owners and founders of Funky As A Monkey Art Studio, providing art in public places and launching new and emerging artists in exhibiting their art.

Author Links  

Website | Amazon Website | Publisher’s Website | Facebook | Instagram Booksigning Event at The Corner Club

 

Book Spotlight: The Edison Enigma by Thomas White

 

A physicist discovers the secret to time travel only to find out he was not the first, it is now his task to go back and repair history.

 

Title: The Edison Enigma

Author: Thomas White

Publication Date: February 29, 2024

Pages: 196

Genre: Scifi/Mystery 

Edison, a Chicago physicist, manages to successfully transport an object through time. Almost immediately following this success Dr. Edison is shut out of the facility and told by benefactor Raphael Barrington, to take a vacation. He is contacted by Don Rivendell, a grizzled old man with a secret. Rivendell explains to Tom that he is not the first person to discover time travel. Someone else went back and changed history by saving a young girl from dying in an internal combustion engine explosion.

Dr. Edison is tasked with going back and fixing history. He travels back to 1904 to find the younger version of Rivendell and stop him from saving the girl. 

You can purchase your copy of The Edison Enigma at Amazon at https://t.ly/_NOoo.

 

Book Excerpt:

Tom, Lori, and Jerzy entered the lab and stood on the landing, looking over the commotion. There was a hustle and bustle of frenetic activity as lab personnel moved from station to station, checking data, preparing modules, and entering critical information.

“Every time I come in here, I expect to see tables with bubbling test tubes and old, toothless women sweeping the floor,” Jerzy said.

Lori laughed. “Well, it would be hard to explain what bubbling test tubes have to do with this project, but I get your drift. We are kinda like Dr. Frankenstein with this whole thing.” Tom vaulted down the stairs and skipped to the control area on the opposite side of the room. He high-fived everyone he passed and crossed to an older, balding man with a semi-circle of gray hair around the fringe of his scalp. A short gray mustache covered most of his upper lip. The man had a slow gait caused mainly by forty straight hours on his feet. Tom hugged him. 

“Bruce! This is it! I feel like tap dancing!”

“Well, I’ve put up with worse from you. We’re just running the final check-down now; almost complete. The data you just sent down is perfect.” Bruce had a New Jersey accent highlighted by a Yiddish lilt that caused his mustache to bounce when he spoke. 

The retrofitting of the building was designed specifically for this project. Constructed like a sports arena with a high domed ceiling, the lab was ten thousand square feet open from wall to wall. Three levels encircled the room starting at the floor. Each subsequent level rose above the one below and contained a series of computer stations lined up like the NASA control room, collating, interpreting, or generating data. The entire room was connected, hardwired, and air-gapped to The Quint's central motherboard. The Quint was the fastest and most potent AI computer known to man and contained the most significant elements of learned behavior and artificial intelligence. More significantly, it could determine and pinpoint a specific moment in time. 

In the main staging area, in the center of the room, was the masterpiece of the entire project - The Time Tube. The Time Tube was a four-story, transparent tube made from indestructible acrylic conducive to energy absorption. As energy swirled through the Time Tube, it created the power needed for time travel. It stood 18’ tall with an eight-foot diameter. A raised platform ran halfway around and had six steps that led up to a full-size door allowing access to the Tube. 

The lab's roof was six stories high and supported a series of lighting instruments, air conditioning units, and safety mechanisms.  Among the other things that lived in the ceiling was a series of tubing that wrapped around the room like a tornado and converged from the roof to the lab's centerpiece. This series of tubing was called the Cyclone. Air was pushed through the Cyclone at incredible speeds, producing centrifugal force. That energy transitioned to Euler acceleration, creating a variation in the angular velocity. Theoretically, this opens a window in time and allows the object to pass through.

After years of research, study, and failed experimentation, Tom finally understood that time is, in fact, parallel, meaning that time moves through us rather than us moving through time. In essence, time is an ever-evolving moment. We move from one plane to the next as we move forever forward. The wonder is that it is infinite, never-ending, so we will never reach the edge of time as time continues to build moment next to moment. Once Tom accepted that theory, the means of moving through time began to evolve. 

With enough energy, we can freeze ourselves in a moment, thus staying still as time moves on. The challenge became moving through thousands of moments to move back in time, or more accurately, let a specific moment of the past catch up to you. It had taken Tom and his crew almost five years to reach this point. They believed they could generate enough energy to move back and forth within their time sphere to moments that have happened or will happen and return to their own designated moment and survive. 

One of the most daunting challenges the team had to overcome when sending something through time was having the entire entity arrive in the same moment. Any portion of an entity that arrived a millisecond later than any other part of that entity would be split in two by the paradox of time. Using an optical lattice clock allowed the team to calculate to a precise moment. When coordinated with The Quint, the top or bottom, front or back, the side to side of any entity would arrive at the same exact moment in time so as not to be split apart. 

Subsequently, above the main control area, against the back wall, was the read-out of an optical lattice clock, accurate to one second every 400 million years. It was this technology that allowed Tom and his staff the ability to pinpoint a single moment in time. The optical lattice clock uses laser beams instead of atoms to calculate the second. The light from the laser excites the strontium atoms and increases the accuracy of determination of time.

With The Quint’s exceptional calculation ability, Tom could capture moments within a zeptosecond, one trillionth of a billionth of a second, targeting specific areas of history or periods of time, with phenomenal accuracy.  Projecting these moments into the future would allow them to move forward in time as well. Theoretically, at least. 

That theory would be tested this afternoon.

About the Author

 

Thomas White began his career as an actor. Several years later he found himself as an Artistic Director for a theatre in Los Angeles and the winner of several Drama-Logue and Critics awards for directing. As Tom’s career grew, he directed and co-produced the world tour of “The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Coming Out Of Their Shells”. The show toured for over two years, was translated into seven different languages and seen by close to a million children. Tom served as President and Creative Director for Maiden Lane Entertainment for 24 years and worked on many large-scale corporate event productions that included Harley Davidson, Microsoft, Medtronic Diabetes, and dozens of others. The Edison Enigma is Tom’s third novel following up Justice Rules which was nominated as a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association 2010 Literary contest, and The Siren’s Scream.

Author Links  

Website | X (Twitter) | Facebook 1 | Facebook 2 | Goodreads

 

When Will Her World Stop Shaking? by B. Lynn Goodwin, author of Disrupted

 

 

When Will Her World Stop Shaking?

 

When tectonic plates shift below the surface of the earth and cracks appear in the sidewalk, we say we’ve had an earthquake. The seismology lab on the Berkeley campus of the University of California studies them and reports on when and where they occur, but no one can predict them yet.

A Few Basic Facts:

The earthquakes in Northern California, where I live and where my new novel, Disrupted takes place, occur along fault lines. The San Andreas Fault caused the big one in 1989 and we’re waiting for a predicted, massive eruption on the Hayward Fault.

Faults shift below the earth and anything from cracks in the pavement to broken windows to caved-in structures can result. If you’re a Californian and you feel rumbling below you, you may run for the nearest door frame.

Small quakes postpone the big one, which is supposed to happen within the next 30 years. Despite that prediction, we keep building developments and skyscrapers as if there’s no real danger.

There are older homes directly over the Hayward Fault, which withstood a 7.1 quake in Disrupted. You can imagine the potential disruption.

If your dog goes crazy, barking and running madly, an earthquake might be about to erupt. Spike, the Dalmatian Sandee keeps that belonged to her brother Bri, did that in Disrupted.

 

Here are a few earthquake mysteries:

No one knows why earthquakes are unpredictable.

Some earthquakes appear where there’s no apparent tectonic activity and no one knows why.

There are variations in earthquakes that scientists cannot explain…yet.

There’s no clear pattern of foreshocks or aftershocks, so there’s something the earth knows that we don’t.

William Shakespeare’s line, “There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio” certainly applies to earthquakes.

In addition to having her world rocked by a physical earthquake, Sandee Mason, the central character in Disrupted, lived through an emotional earthquake when her family got word that her older brother died in an IED explosion in Afghanistan.

 

Emotional Earthquakes:

Can you imagine losing a sibling when you’re only 15? What impact would it have on your parents and your home life? And what if you were the only child left?

Part of protagonist Sandee Mason’s mission in life is to live up to her brother’s successes. He was president of the student council and headed for college, but first, he wanted to serve his country, just as his father did. Maybe someday Sandee will go into the Armed Services or maybe she’ll work for a non-profit. Maybe she’ll become a lawyer who fights for justice or work to overcome poverty and discrimination. There’s a lot of life ahead of her, so if you have suggestions for what she might do, I’d love to hear about them.

Curious? You can find Disrupted on Amazon by clicking on the book name. It’s available in or other places, or ask your local bookstore to order it using the ISBN number.

 

B. Lynn Goodwin wrote two award-winning books, a YA called Talent, and a memoir titled Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62. Her newest book, Disrupted, came out on January 25^th. She writes author interviews, book reviews and articles for WriterAdvice, www.writeradvice.com,  for Story Circle Network, where she also teaches. She is on the boards of Story Circle Network and the Women’s National Book Association—NorCal and is a writing contest judge. She edits every genre except poetry, and loves helping writers improve.