Goal Post: Crazy Week of Court, Work, And Spring Break

Posted on April 4, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

This past week was a wild one because so much happened.  It’s currently Spring Break though, which means resting.  Going on a trip next weekend, but I’m taking the laptop to make sure I can do the goal post with a few pics.  It’s a father/son trip, so we have a few outings set up.  One of them is a surprise for him, so I’m not going to spill the beans in case he looks here.  You never know.

I managed to finish the final outline for ‘Phi Beta Files’ last weekend.  It was a relief because I knew things were going to get crazy.  Still not sure how to fully explain Greek letters in Windemere, but I have a samurai, indoor plumbing, flying vehicles, and other things that aren’t pure medieval fantasy.  Windemere may have started as a fantasy world like Middle Earth, but I really started adding onto it at times.  So, it’s going to have some places that use magical items to create real world things like refrigerators and communicators.  I’ve hinted that there’s a gateway to Earth too, but I’m still not sure if I’m fully invested in that.  There are two stories that involve cross-dimensional travelers with one being part of the Great Cataclysm and the other being isolated.  Guess I have time to figure stuff out.

Once Spring Break started, I began the outline for Darwin & the Deadland Queen.  I couldn’t finish it in one day because we had family over.  If the 5-year-old wants to play then you kind of have to.  I did finish it yesterday since the original outline didn’t need a lot of tweaking like previous ones.  Needed to check an associated story to make sure I didn’t kill off the wrong characters.  This volume leads into the secret of the Fate Bracelet too, so I had to make notes about the cliffhanger ending.  Frustrating part is that I don’t think it’s going to phase Darwin at all, so he’ll start Darwin & the Nightmare Lord going about his business.  The plan there is for him to unwittingly foiling the bad guy’s actions and having no idea what’s going on until Act 2 or 3.

The current project for outlining and preparing is ‘Coven of the Gray’, which I can’t find my original notes for.  Long ago, this was a group on Earth who gathered magical items and made sure evil people didn’t get them.  It was inspired by ‘Hellboy’ and all these cartoons where heroes had to collect items like ‘Jackie Chan Adventures’ and ‘Shaolin Showdown’.  That doesn’t work in Windemere.  My current plan is to have the Coven be a group that either disappeared or were killed, which has caused an area to become cursed.  The heroes will be searching for a way to undo the curse.  I was going to do short stories, but I’m leaning towards duology.  First book would be heroes searching for the Coven to revive them then . . . I don’t know if I want them to stop the Coven or the heroes become the Coven or whatever.  Covens usually have 13 members, which is why I’m leaning towards them not being the heroes.  Maybe a trilogy where they need to find a purification item then revive the Coven and then deal with the fallout?

All of that is for this weekend and next week though.  I should be able to figure out the trilogy or duology issue at least.  My brain needs distractions too . . . Now on to my goals of the week . . .

Oh, people my have noticed I mentioned court in the title.  Without going into any details or explanations, I’m involved in a legal matter.  I don’t feel comfortable talking about on a public forum.  Still wondering if I should post about it on my ‘friends only’ Facebook page too.  It’s tough keeping it secret, but it’s best for me not to talk about it in public until it’s over.  Starting off Spring Break with a court appearance wasn’t something I expected back in January, but it is what it is.  Needless to say, I’m looking for any distractions when I’m not so exhausted that I can barely crawl out of bed.

Now for the goals of the week:

  1. Figure out ‘Coven of the Gray’.
  2. Schedule July and August posts.
  3. Watch more ‘Falling Skies’.
  4. Father/son trip when it’s my half of the break.
  5. Catch Pokemon.
  6. Build Lego Pokemon.
  7. Sleep.
  8. Errands and packing for trip.
  9. Try to get together with friends.
  10. Did I say sleep?
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Questions 3: Authors Having Hobbies

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

I know Passover caused a blip in the topic, but it’s a really personal one.  So, there isn’t much else I can say.  Can’t give tips to people about getting hobbies because everyone is different.  So, let’s enjoy some questions.

  1. What is one of your hobbies?
  2. How would you relate it to writing?
  3. Is there a hobby you want to adopt?
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Poetry Day: The Grinner

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Cheshire Cat from American McGee’s Alice

(Just a creepy one, I think.)

I come upon the scene
Glass strewn
Metal twisted
A pool of curdled oil
That I mistake as blood

It is a grisly sight
Bathed in the siren strobe
And I blindly look ahead
To see a curious sight
Which others seem to pass

A simple man
Wrinkled and worn
Strolling by the scene
Carrying an umbrella
On this cloudless day

He gazes at the wreckage
A tightened grin
Stretched across his face
Reaching up to eyes
That burn like darkest pits

I wonder why he watches
His molasses gait
Dragging him by inches
As if he is drawn
To the pain within the street

The grinning man turns
I catch a subtle glimpse
That chills my spine
And passes as I go
Leaving all behind

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Happy Passover . . . And April Fools

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

This really does come off as a joke, right?  Passover shows up on April Fools Day.  I had work and my son had school too, so we’re getting home with maybe an hour to get ready for the sedar.  Guess that’s just how it is this year, so I’ll roll with it.  Enjoy the funnies while I brace myself for a period of no bread, which means no pizza, pasta, bagels, burgers, rice, and everything else.

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Teaser Tuesday: Don’t Anger the Halfling

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

So, I think Teaser Tuesdays are back for a bit since I may have found a treasure trove of teasers from my first series.  This one involves General Vile, so I’m going to keep the villain focus going for a bit.  I don’t think I did enough with them.  He debuts during the first scene of Allure of the Gypsies. 

Kayn turns away from the elder and sprints toward the sound of the second dragon. A few zombies feebly attempt to stop him, but they are quickly cut down as the gypsy rushes past them. Kayn keeps an eye out for his missing partner among the dead. Every second that passes without seeing any sign of her drives him mad with anger and desperation. He is barely able to control his rage by the time he reaches the clearing where a short figure in mottled chainmail yells at the narrow-bodied Sword Dragon. Kayn hisses a sigh of relief through his gritted teeth when the gold-winged beast rises into the air and leaves the field of battle.

“You can fight me now,” the grinning soldier announces. He turns in Kayn’s direction with a wicked gleam in his brown eyes.

“Halfling fiend! Call off your monsters!” demands the gypsy.

The halfling eyes the gypsy as one would look at a yelping puppy. “Who might you be, boy?”

Kayn grits his teeth and stares proudly at his enemy. “I am the champion of this clan. We have done nothing to you. I demand that you leave us alone.”

“Well now, the champion stands before me,” the halfling says, amused by the youth. “Honor forces me to introduce myself to my opponent. I am General Vile and I am afraid I cannot leave.”

“Then, I will have to kill you,” Kayn growls.

Vile lets his grin fade into a stern expression. “Correction. You will have to try to kill me. I am an old and seasoned halfling, boy. A whelp of a gypsy like you could not handle my abilities.”

“You will have to kill me to get to the rest of the clan,” the young gypsy announces. He dashes at the halfling with amazing speed, but a metallic blur blocks the slash of his cutlass. Kayn steps back to see that the halfling’s shortsword is still sheathed at his side, the only sign of the enemy’s movement is a footprint of matted grass.

“Care to try again? I will go slower this time,” promises the halfling.

Kayn juggles his sword from one hand to the other. “You mock me.”

“I merely want to extend my entertainment. I get very few challenges at my age,” Vile admits with a sigh. “Now, please attack me again. Try to make your moves faster and less predictable.”

Kayn quickly slashes at Vile’s stomach, but an armored gauntlet effortlessly deflects the cutlass with an echoing ping. The gypsy uses every maneuver he can imagine against the halfling, but all of his attacks are blocked. The wind changes and he can hear the dying screams from the camp while the halfling continues to toy with him. The wails from his people help to fuel Kayn’s rage as he attempts a final attack on Vile. Kayn presses the dull edge of his cutlass against his forearm. The gypsy roars before he makes a running slash at his opponent with as much strength as he can muster. Flicking his wrist at the last second, Kayn flips the curved edge of the cutlass toward Vile’s throat.

“Impressive,” states the halfling, ducking under the attack and rolling between Kayn’s legs. The gypsy drops his weapon in defeat when he feels the tip of Vile’s shortsword against his back.

“Go ahead and kill me. I have failed to protect my clan,” Kayn announces, his tired arms hanging at his side.

“You fought better than I had expected. Be thankful that you die with honor,” Vile says with a soft voice. A searing pain in the halfling’s shoulder stops him from executing the gypsy. Vile and Kayn turn to see a gypsy girl with flowing, dark blue hair standing at the edge of the clearing. Breathing heavy and looking scared, she stands ready to throw another knife at Vile.

“Sari! Run!” Kayn screams as he tackles the soldier. An armored fist knocks the young man to the ground. A shuddering breath is the only sign that Kayn is still alive as a bleeding bump grows on his forehead.

“Very stupid, boy,” grunts the halfling. “You may have saved that girl, but you should have been more concerned with your own hide.” He lifts his sword to stab Kayn in the head when a delicate, icy hand grips his wrist.

CONTINUED IN ALLURE OF THE GYPSIES!

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Do My Other Hobbies Connect to Writing?

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Thinking about my non-writing hobbies, I always wonder if they connect.  Maybe not directly to writing, but do they say anything about my personality.  There are currently three big activities that I do when I can’t write or need a break.  Not counting work or parenting because those aren’t hobbies.  Anyway, they are:

  • Jigsaw puzzles (limited to 1,000 piece due to table size)
  • Lego sets (running out of display space)
  • Pokemon Go

The first two are fairly easy to connect to writing.  With Lego and puzzles, you’re putting something together.  The former has instructions while the latter has a picture, which fits with me needing to make an outline before I write.  Having a guide reduces my stress and keeps me focused.  Though, I still run into issues where pieces don’t fit and I have to step back to figure things out.  You’d be surprised how many times a Lego instruction isn’t very clear or two pieces look the same in terms of color.  Means I have to take things apart and change stuff out, which is like editing.  Jigsaw puzzles don’t have that issue, but I do have to pay attention to detail to put things in the right place.

Pokemon Go is a tougher one to connect to writing other than I work in fantasy and this game involves fictional creatures.  It took me a while to figure out why this game grabbed me more than the stuff on the Nintendo Switch.  At first, I thought it was solely that it acted as exercise and got me out of the house, which is good.  Then, I thought about all of my goals in the game.  I want to get a shiny of every Pokemon and get at least one of each, which is why the events with debuts get my attention.  This is a more nuanced connection in that I want to at least outline every book idea I have for Windemere.  Just don’t have the time for it these days, which is why I get maybe one character of Phi Beta done a week unless there’s a break.

Another thing with Pokemon Go is that I can go on mental autopilot with the game as I walk around.  This allows my mind to sort through other things and clear my head for writing.  I’m sacrificing writing time to make the hours I do get more useful.  I do find that I don’t stare at the screen nearly as much after coming back from a walk even if there’s a lunch between activities.  The mental wandering while playing also helps me settle plot issues unless I run into other players.  Then, it’s socializing and chatting, but it still acts as a powerful stress reducer.  Unless the weather is terrible, which puts me in the mall and I have to focus on dodging people.  That’s another thing.

Now, what does all of this say about my personality?

  • Need to be organized.
  • Highly stressed and need outlets.
  • Need to create.
  • Need outside stimuli for mental focus.
  • Need short-term goals on top of long-term.
  • Easily frustrated by own hobbies.

Anyway, this is some meandering thoughts on me.  Do other people have hobbies that they connect to their personality?

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World Piano Day

Posted on March 29, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

It’s World Piano Day.  I didn’t know it was a thing.  My parents had an organ I played with terribly and I had a keyboard that I was bad at.  Still, it’s a very popular and integral instrument, so I think it deserves a holiday.  (Images from Google Image Search.)

Okay.  Here’s a serious and amazing one.  The pianist is named Henri Herbert.

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Goal Post: Couldn’t Even Get an A for Influenza

Posted on March 28, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

As you can guess from the title, my week didn’t go as planned.  I was a little congested last Friday and had a sore throat all weekend.  Runny nose, cough, and watery eyes too, which made me think allergies.  It wasn’t until Monday when I heard a coworker had the same symptoms that I realized something was wrong.  No fever or chills, but it ended up being Influenza B.  Story of my life that I can’t even get an A in a disease.  Anyway, I’m still worn down, but I was able to go back to work on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take full advantage of having two days off from work.  The cough medicine had me dizzy and sleepy, so I couldn’t focus on the notebook to make any Phi Beta progress.  There were blips of time when I was able to hop onto my computer and prepare a June post though.  So, that entire month is done.  Not a glorious victory, but it’s something.  Meant I wasn’t wasting all of my recovery time lying in bed and watching the last season of ‘Brooklyn 99’.

Similar to when I was in the hospital, my brain figured out a few future story ideas when at full exhaustion.  So, I forgot them.  All I remember is that I came close to figuring out ‘Coven of the Gray’ and ‘Lords of Hyperscape’.  Almost had an epiphany on the alien bounty hunter landing on Windemere series.  It would have been nice to figure it out, but at least the ideas on somewhere in my head.  With cold weather and low energy, I might really try to finish up ‘Phi Beta Files’.  That way, I can enter Spring Break tinkering with a brand new story idea.

Speaking of Spring Break, that’s going to start on Thursday.  Although, I have a thing going on Wednesday, so my break kind of starts early.  It’s kind of related to my son getting pulled from the Disney Trip among other situations.  Really wish I could go into details, but that could cause trouble.  My hope is that actions that hurt my son can be stopped and prevented in the future.  It’s not going to be over this coming week, but it’s a first step.  Funny going into the first night of Passover with this, especially since I’m going to get pizza after I’m done.  I’ll need my comfort food even it goes well because I’m really stressed out.

Another thing I have to decide on is if I’m going to make new posts for M/W/F in July and August.  Last summer, I chose old posts that newer followers might not have seen.  It seemed popular and gave me a big window to get others ready.  That and I liked seeing how far I’ve come.  Only issue is that I don’t really know, which posts I should revive besides them having to be writing related.  No ye olde shoppe, animal, or goofy posts will be used because I want them to be informative.  Come to think of it, I think I’m going to start writing Darwin & the Deadland Queen over the summer.  I should probably take time over Spring Break to go over the outline and get that ready.  Hard to focus with that Wednesday thing coming.

Oh yeah, I need to do some preliminary packing for a father/son trip.  I can’t do anything in regards to clothes and most toiletries, but I want to start.  That way, I don’t have to scramble at the last minute and risk missing something.  There are a handful of toiletries and CPAP supplies that I can pack away, which is something.  Need to rework the CD collection in the car too because I have a set of old Rock N Roll songs that I’ve been saving for this trip.  3 CDS of classics, which weren’t labeled as that when I was a kid.  Should be fun though.

Only other thing going on is watching TV since I was recovering.  Managed a few Pokemon outings at a slow pace, but I’m taking it easy.  Working my way through a fun anime about a guy who is playing a VR game and unlocks as a special quest.  It isn’t an Isekai like I thought it would be, so it’s a nice change.  Not sure what I’m going to watch after this though.  Only live action show I have on my list right now is ‘Black Sails’, which I watched long ago.  I think I need more fantastical whimsy and less dark drama though with everything going on.  Maybe I give one of the weirder comedy anime a try.

Goals of the week:

  1. Rest up for Wednesday encounter.
  2. Preliminary packing for trip.
  3. Work on ‘Phi Beta Files’.
  4. Time with son when he’s here.
  5. Lego time when need a screen break.
  6. Passover on Wednesday.
  7. Have pizza before Passover starts.
  8. Set up trip activities.
  9. Rest.
  10. Prepare July posts if anything comes to mind.  (Should I re-post some of the old animal ones on Sundays?)
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Where Did You Come From?

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Wreck It Ralph

Villain 1– “I have come to your world to-”

Villain 2– “It’s not my world.”

V1– “Oh . . . I didn’t mean you own it. Just a figure of speech from where I’m from. I’m not from around here.”

V2– “Seems obvious after you stepped out of a portal. Am I supposed to be your minion now?”

V1– “I think that’s how this goes. I’m fairly new to this. Back home, I worked a job that filled with me unbridled rage.”

V2– “We have customer service jobs here too. Look, I’ve been trying to conquer this place for a long time. I’d rather not being a minion.”

V1– “What about a partnership?”

V2– “Villain alliances always fall apart due to betrayal. Didn’t you pay attention when we did that topic?”

V1– “I was too busy dying and being reincarnated. So, I guess we’ll be rivals. Our enemies can handle two big bads.”

V2– “This isn’t really fair since you’re going to have enormous power to make up for your pathetic life back in your world.”

V1– “Harsh, but true. I can feel magic coursing through my veins already. What is to stop me from killing you and taking over your army?”

V2– “Got no army.”

V1– “Your kingdom.”

V2– “Got no kingdom.”

V1– “Powerful weapons.”

V2– “They’ve been backordered.”

V1– “That . . . Wait . . . How would you know that world?”

V2– “No reason . . . Fine, I was brought over several years ago too.  There’s another guy who showed up before me, but he’s too busy playing mad scientist.  The woman before him is creating a harem on some island.  Not sure what the twenty before her are up to.”

V1– “24 summoned villains?”

V2– “I don’t think they meant for us to be villains, but that’s what they got.”

V1– “So, who are our enemies?”

V2– “We don’t have any unless we mess with each other, but that gets boring since we all have the same incredible powers.”

V1– “This sounds really boring. What do you guys do?”

V2– “Wait for real heroes to show up.  There’s a monthly meeting to see if anybody has seen anything.  Sorry.”

V1– “This sucks.”

V2– “At least you aren’t working customer service anymore.”

V1– “Good point.”

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Poetry Day: The Great Hoarder

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Smaug

(Nope.  It’s not really about a fictional monster.  I really had some social commentary when writing some of these.  Not that it matters.)

Surrounded by wealth
And extravagance
He sits in his castle
Never needing
But always wanting
While his brethren
Starve and scramble for life

 

He has more wealth
Than one man needs
Earned through work
And thought
Yet more he gathers
To fill his stash
That could solve a hundred problems

 

On nights he leaves
To hit the town
Indulging his own vanity
Buying shiny baubles
And the newest toys
Followed by the obsessed
And reveling in the lights

 

Yet he is not truly loved
By those that starve
And wish to take his place
He becomes a symbol
Of the enemy
As the world rots
And starves to death

 

Times are getting troubled
He refuses to aid
And risk a drop in wealth
He continues to rise
While his brethren fall
Pleading for help
And being denied

 

He earned his way
The system is his friend
It is not his fault
That he succeeded
Where others failed
A bevy of excuses
Of why he should not be a villain

 

What will the Great Hoarder do
When the system crumbles
When the wealth he has
Is no longer coveted
Becoming a worthless stash
Symbols of a dead regime
That placed a price on living

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