The Quoll: A Glowing Marsupial?

Posted on December 14, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

The quoll is a small, carnivorous marsupial with 3 species in Australia, 2 in New Guinea, and 1 in Tasmania due to going extinct on the mainland.  They are listed as either endangered or near threatened.  One of the main causes for their decline is the introduction of the cane toad, which is poisonous.  Quolls don’t know any better and will eat this invasive species then die.  They are also competing with and hunted by non-native foxes and cats, losing habitat to urbanization, and killed by poison that is placed out for other pests.  Interestingly, the poison is a natural one used to eliminate invasive animals, but juvenile quolls have shown to be susceptible as well.  Studies are being done to look more into that situation as well as reintroduction plans, eliminating foxes on the smaller islands, and breeding programs.

So, what are some quoll facts?

  • Quolls mate during winter.
  • A female will give birth to nearly 30 joeys, but only 6-7 will survive due to available teats.  Remember that marsupials give birth and then the rice-sized joeys need to climb to the pouch in order to latch on.  So, giving birth to many increases the chances of having surviving children.
  • A quoll litter can have joeys from multiple fathers.
  • Female quolls will primarily birth males in their first few litters and then more females in their latter ones.
  • Males tend to die after the first time they breed.
  • They reach maturity at 1 year and live around 3-6 years in the wild.
  • In the early 1800’s they started being called ‘tiger cat’, ‘native fox’, and ‘native cat’ due to their appearance.  David Fleay fought to have them be called quolls again in the 1960’s because he felt the other names were misleading.  Quolls are not related to cats or foxes.
  • Their closest relative is the Tasmanian Devil.
  • Quoll sizes range from 300 grams to 7 kilograms and 25 cm to 91 cm (not including the tail) depending on the species.
  • Smallest is the Northern quoll and largest is the Spotted-Tailed or Tiger quoll.
  • While fur color can range from black to light brown, they all have white spots.
  • Only the Spotted-Tailed quoll has a true pouch.  All other species develop a skin-fold pouch during pregnancy.
  • Quolls are biofluorescent, which means they glow in the dark.

You know which picture I’m showing first:

This is under ultraviolet light, so it is does seem to be exaggerated.

Eastern Quoll (Found on Tasmania, but being reintroduced to mainland.)

Spotted-Tailed or Tiger Quoll

Northern Quoll

Western Quoll

New Guinean Quoll

Bronze Quoll (New Guinea)

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Goal Post: Still Got a Hole In Me

Posted on December 13, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

The plus side is that I met all of my goals, including working on ‘Phi Beta Files’ and getting Burger King.  So, it wasn’t a wasted week even though I had at least one appointment every day and became tired easily.  Looks like next week is going to be the same, but I hope to add more walking in if schedule and weather permit.

Let me go a little more into detail about my recovery.  So, I still have a deep wound, which requires daily measuring and packing.  This means that I’ve gone to wound care or had a nurse come over every day.  I used to take Oxycontin for the pain, but I had a bad reaction to it and stopped.  Ibuprofen is doing the job as best as it can. As you can guess, it’s always a rough patch and requires some rest afterwards.  It’s worth it though because I’m healing correctly and steadily.  I will admit that seeing pictures of the wound was kind of disturbing, but at least I saw progress.

The hope is that I will at least be at the point where I can do the maintenance myself at home by the time I go back to work.  It’s entirely possible given how much I healed in one week, so another one can get me to that point.  There isn’t much pain most days and I can drive myself around.  Was getting a ride to my appointments before, but I’m going to do it myself starting this week.  Just need to remember where to go.  This also means I can hit the mall on the way home for a walk before it opens, which is optimal.  Gives me the rest of the day to relax.

I was able to make some progress with Darwin & the Joy Path this week.  I finished chapter 8 and started chapter 9.  With appointments and energy, I’m only able to do one section a day.  The snowstorm tomorrow might allow me to do two though, which means I could finish chapter 9 before Monday.  Hard to tell since it’s also the first night of Hannukah, so I get my son for a few hours.  Can’t stay up late either since I have a morning appointment.  Hey, I’ll take what I can get.  Maybe I can start a section tonight like I’ve done a few times before, which will increase my chances.

Making progress on ‘Phi Beta Files’ outlines is good too.  The challenge here is that I thought up some great ideas for the last two books while I was in the hospital.  I was also medicated and repeatedly dozing off, so I only have brain flickers of what I cam up with at the time.  Oops.  I think I’ll still be able to put something good together.  After that, I need to figure out the next ‘organization’ series that I want to start outlining.  I have a list with 7 other ideas with one being a mystery.  Seems I have them mostly marked as short story style books, but that might change for a few.  Can’t even remember what the overall plot for a few are such as the witches and whatever the mystery one is.

One idea that I’m still wondering about is this ‘Lords of Hyperscape’ one.  It was originally a science-fiction idea revolving around a video game system that people enter.  The heroes were a new team entering the competition league.  Moving it to Windemere, turned it into a fantasy concept, which worked for a bit.  I switched out computers for illusions and mind magic, but it still has issues.  Not sure if the name still fits or if such a competition would be interesting.  All I know is that I wanted to do a series that depicts a type of sport or competition in Windemere. I considered it being magic battles, but that didn’t seem very creative.  Guess I’ll have to sit on this a bit longer and consider what would be a fun, popular sport in a fantasy world.

Well, I seem to be rambling about ideas, which hasn’t happened in a while.  That should be a good sign.  This is the last full week of school before the break, so my son has some events that I’m determined to attend.  Daily appointments mean waking up early and going to bed early, but that’s good.  It means I’m still on my work schedule, so I won’t be thrown off when I go back.  Silver linings abound!

Goals of the week?

  1. Continue healing.
  2. Spend time with son.
  3. Write more Darwin & the Joy Path.
  4. Work on ‘Phi Beta Files’.
  5. Try to get a daily walk in at the mall every day.
  6. Puzzle time when I need quiet.
  7. Make vodka sauce for lasagna recipe.  (I’m hoping to return to work just in time for a pot luck, so I’m showing up strong.  Figure it’ll be a thank you for everything my coworkers have done for me.)
  8. Finish some February blog posts if I can’t do anything else.
  9. Get Taco Bell at some point.
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Author Morality Vs. Reader Morality

Posted on December 12, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

One of the toughest parts of a story is considering the morality, which we don’t really pay much attention to.  Why?  We tend to assume everyone believes in the same concept of ‘good vs evil’.  In general, the definitions of what those two sides are can be universal, but things get shaky once you step into an individual’s mind.  Some reasons are because:

  • Two people can look at the same character and see them in different lights.  A person who agrees with them will see them as a hero while those who disagree could see them as a villain.  For example, the character of Homelander in ‘The Boys’ was seen as the main hero by a percentage of the audience.  He was brutal and short-fused, but they thought he was fighting for the right side.  Others saw him as an evil version of Superman with an inferiority complex and authoritarian tendencies.
  • Once you start coloring a character as ‘morally gray’ and keep them in the middle, you will have some people who think they are the bad guy.  Others will see them as the good guy.  This is colored by a reader’s personal code of morality and what they themselves would do for their own causes.  It might not be what the author would do, which is where disagreements can happen.
  • Everyone has different life experiences, which evolve our sense of morality.  This means, everyone can look at a situation and see it through a different moral lens.  For example, a person who has been raised to forgive even the most horrible of actions will see a character doing so as strong.  One who was raised to never forgive and seek vengeance would see them as weak.

There are plenty more of scenarios, but the main point I wanted to get across is that an author and reader might see things differently.  An author can put out one moral code and have it be translated into 100 different ones, except for the one they intended.  You never know if this will happen because you can’t always pinpoint every single reader you are going to get.  Someone can always show up and think your heroes are immoral for one reason even if you thought they were acting pure.  This definitely falls under not being able to please everyone, but it comes with an added headache.

People take morality very seriously and are very likely to be vocal about an author they feel is pushing immoral behavior.  This can result in a public fight because the author or other readers decide to disagree.  It’s hard not to say something too.  This isn’t someone saying the book is badly written.  They’re attacking the morality of the book and, by extension, the author, which feels personal.  It can also drive readers away more than most types of criticism because nobody wants to read a book that is immoral.  Not unless its billed as such.

Is there anything that can be done?  Yes and no.  An author can work to make the morality of characters clear.  Whether it be good, evil, or in the middle, a character needs to be clear in where they stand and stay there for the most part.  Establishing a solid morality can lessen the chance of misunderstandings.  This goes for every character too and you can have a variety of codes.  With more variety, a reader will have some characters they agree with and others they don’t.  This reduces the chance of them calling the whole book immoral and prevents them from attacking the author.  It’s not a foolproof plan, but it can reduce your future misunderstandings and generalizations.

So, what do other people think about times the morality of authors and readers clash?

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Poetry Day: Survivors of the Non-Disasters

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Toy Story

(I’m sure we all know people who act like this.  Can’t even tell which person I’ve encountered is the one to have triggered the poem.  Although, the one about lightning from a cloudless sky seems more serious.  Maybe I meant sunlight.)

Avoiding that gust of wind
Strong enough to move a leaf

 

Keeping your balance
As the tremor shifts some dust

 

Dodging the flashing lights
That appear from cloudless skies

 

Staying afloat in the waves
That beat against your shins

 

Dragging on in the heat
Until the next convenience store

 

Freezing in the colder temps
That are stopped by donning jeans

 

Fighting through beast attacks
That leave us soaked with drool

 

We are the survivors of these trials
Can you say that you’ve seen worse?

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So You Want to Write a Novel: Part 4 of 4 Marketing

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Marketing Click on the arrow to open and close each section.

So You Want to Write a Novel: Part 4 of 4 Marketing
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Questions 3: Being Morally Gray

Posted on December 10, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Boromir

Some may argue that Boromir isn’t morally gray since he was being controlled by the ring and didn’t actually steal it.  Others may say he is the perfect example since he felt he was doing the right thing for Gondor and was ashamed when he tried to steal the ring.  This is why I’m posing questions:

  1. What is your definition of being morally gray?
  2. Why do you think there is so much disagreement on this concept?
  3. Who is your favorite morally gray character?
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Do I Need to Use a Dragon? (Fantasy Writing Tips) for 99 cents

Posted on December 9, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

Cover by Alison Hunt

Have you ever wanted to write a fantasy story? Not sure about the rules? Well, look no further!

Hidden within these pages are opinions and observations that MIGHT help you with your literary adventure. Boiling fantasy and writing in general to their most basic principles, I have devised a litany of short essays . . .

Do you get intimidated by colorful jargon and language in ‘how to write’ books? I mean, if you’re just starting out, your head is probably already spinning with all of the advice you’ve received. That’s why I tried to use simplicity and humor to help authors along. I’ve been that nervous, easily confused fledgling author and remember how all of the flowery language and cliché adages didn’t really help. So, I wrote this book in my own voice as if the entries were posts on my blog.

Is this only about writing fantasy? Mostly, but you can transfer a lot of the advice to other genres. I touch on being an author, designing characters, world-building, and various plot devices, which can be universal. Sure, I talk about magic and monsters, but I also discuss creating a believable world and various character types that you see throughout fiction. That means much of what I talk about is transferable if you simply replace the fantasy specific words with those of your chosen genre.

Will everything in this book work for you as an author? Maybe, but you never know what will click and what will fall flat. As I state several times in this book, what works for one author might fail for another. So give this guide a shot and see what works for you. At the very least, you might get a laugh at my expense.

Get the eBook on Amazon for 99 cents!

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Being Morally Gray

Posted on December 8, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

A while back, someone mentioned characters who are morally gray.  These are the ones that sit between good and evil.  While their actions can be reprehensible, they have good reasons for taking action.  Here are some examples I found:

  1. Boromir was wrong for trying to take the One Ring, but he did it for his country.
  2. Walter White was wrong to make and sell meth, but he did it to survive.
  3. Captain Jack Sparrow betrays people, but still helps when the time is right.
  4. Batman?
  5. Tyler Durden?
  6. Loki . . . Does evil things, but he’s hot?

That’s become my problem with the morally gray character.  At least in terms of research, I kept running into characters that didn’t fit the bill.  All antiheroes seem to fall under this even they are simply in that position due to being the protagonist.  Walter White and Tony Soprano would be villains if they weren’t the heroes of their respective series.  Batman is clearly morally good even if he’s a vigilante.  I think other characters end up being put in this category when they are villains who become popular and they are shifted to make money.  Loki, Harley Quinn, and Deadpool were all true villains, but then were switched to what they are now.  You can say that comics have very fluid morality for their characters, so you can’t effectively use them as morally gray.

Looking up definitions, being morally gray means that your morality isn’t clear.  You are trying to do good things, but your tactics can hurt others.  They are always aware of the harm they are causing too.  ‘Ends justify the means’ comes into play, which is why characters that are clearly villains are put here.  This is probably why antiheroes fall into this mindset a lot as well.  Yet, the more I look at how this works, the more I feel like this is simply a sympathetic villain.

I did stumble onto one trait that a true morally gray character has that many people tend to ignore.  As stated, the character is aware of the damage they are doing and see it as an acceptable loss.  They don’t like it though.  There is an inner conflict and guilt, which makes them question their own actions.  It’s this turmoil that keeps them in the middle and on the verge of going to either side of the moral compass.  I can see this in characters like Boromir, John Wick, and Lady Eboshi (Princess Mononoke).  They know what they are doing is wrong, struggle with their actions, and push forward believing their dark actions are for the best.  They don’t solidly accept their actions and reveal true guilt at times.

Another interesting take, which can explain Loki, is that a morally gray character is one that simply uses deceit to achieve goals.  Some people believe the first morally gray character was Odysseus from ‘Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey’.  This is because he lied and tricked even his allies to achieve his goals.  For example, he tricked Achilles into exposing himself and getting recruited.  This would lead to Achilles being killed later on.  Odysseus also caused the death of his own men through his hubris, which caused him to feel incredible guilt.  That hubris one is where I get a little shaky on his standing as a true morally gray character, but that sin is always hard to figure out due to cultural differences.  Anyway, this means that a morally gray character could be one who does good things using low-injury methods such as lying and trickery.  At least, low immediate injury, which is why they think it’s okay.

So, what do other people think of morally gray characters?

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My Life in Music

Posted on December 7, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

I’m not talented when it comes to making music.  I simply like listening to it and letting my mind drift off.  I can’t write without music playing.  This love of music results in me connecting to various songs over the years.  They appeal to my life at the time and sometimes carry on throughout my entire existence.  Don’t have a way to create a soundtrack for my life like I did in college, so I go through music videos.  I wanted to share what the songs that come to my mind when I think of my life.  Most are old, but a few new ones popped up:

(Funny thing about the next two are that they are tracks 4 and 5 on the CD I have in my car.)

There’s definitely more, but these are what came to my mind first.  Others are simply songs I like to listen to like ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Let The Bodies Hit the Floor’.  These make me stop and think about myself.  Not sure if this is a good or bad thing given what some of them are about.

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Goal Post: Home and Healing

Posted on December 6, 2025 by Charles Yallowitz

I came home on Wednesday and it’s been healing ever since.  The plus side is that I now have access to my laptop again.  So, I can try my best to explain what happened and make an actual post.

A little more than two weeks ago, I started feeling fatigued and feverish.  Got myself tested and everything came back negative, so it was assumed to be a simple virus.  Overnight, I ended up dealing with extreme swelling to the point where I was having trouble walking around.  It was a bacterial infection, so I got ultrasounds and medication to get it under control.  Things were looking good over the weekend even though the pain and swelling wasn’t going away that quickly.  Figured it was just a slow recovery.

Then came the night of Thanksgiving.  I felt that things were going wrong with the pain growing.  By the time I went to bed, the swelling had come back full force.  In the morning, I couldn’t move without nearly collapsing in agony.  Hospital was my only choice and that’s where I ended up for about 5 days.  Turns out the infection was worse than believed and the meds weren’t doing a dent.  It became a full staph infection with abscesses appearing in the infected area.  By the end of day one, I was cut into and the wound was packed to allow for draining.  My time in the hospital was spent with packing changes and various I.V.’s such as saline, antibiotics and the like.  Needless to say, it was difficult to focus on much there.

It was nice to come home, especially since the pain was gone.  Just some discomfort and fatigue.  I’m still getting wound care though, which means I either go to a place or someone comes to me.  The packing gets replaced because they want the wound to heal from the inside out.  If it heals on the outside and the abscess remains, I could get infected again.  My bed has been set up to protect the sheets, showers are a challenge, and my appetite comes and goes.  It’s still better than last week, but I’ve got a long way before I’m back to normal.  Can’t even drive myself anywhere, which also means Pokemon Go in the park or mall is out.  Might go with my parents and son tomorrow to sit and play.  Just to get some fresh air.

I can’t say my time was entirely fruitless.  Got a little of ‘Phi Beta Files’ completed.  Did a lot of thinking of how to work the last two books, which would have been a great victory if I wasn’t on painkillers at the time.  Glimmers of the ideas remain, but I’m going to have figure it all out again.  I also managed to get all of the January posts completed, which clears up some time.  Not sure if I’ll tackle February yet, but I might do a few when my son is around.  Still have a while before I return to work, so I can get some things done.

My hope for Darwin & the Joy Path is that I can get a chapter section done every now and then.  I might be able to do one today since I’m just sitting around the house by myself.  Come the later weekdays, I hope to do a little morning Pokemon Go at the mall just to start getting my stamina back.  Then, I aim to do writing in the afternoon and evening.  It’s going to be a challenge only because I can only remain on my desk chair for about 30 minutes at a time before it’s too uncomfortable.  Might try to write in the bed, but I can’t use a lap desk.  I’ll be happy if I can get the rest of chapter 8 done by the weekend, which might see more completed.  Chapter 9 is a bigger one, but I have the following week as well.

That’s really it for now.  Clearly, my time and energy is directed more at healing.  So, what are my goals?

  1. Heal.
  2. Help son study for tests.
  3. Get some writing done.
  4. Sleep.
  5. Work on ‘Phi Beta Files’ when I can’t stay at the desk.
  6. Short walks for stamina.
  7. Puzzle time for screen break.
  8. Get Burger King at some point.
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