S Wallace | Reedsy Discovery

posted an update7 months ago

7 months ago

My review of "I Marched With Patton" by Frank Sisson with Robert L. Wise I liked this book very much. This is not some bombastic war story filled with explosions and the height of action like a war movie, though it has those things too. This is a story about Frank, his life, his friends, his war. It includes the humdrum of being a soldiers the "hurry up and wait" of a soldiers life. It includes the emotional burden and the forced maturity of a person who went from a boy of 16 to a man f 21 in the great war. It includes the after war too. So many stories about wars end when the war does but the aftermath is just as important, especially if you're trying to put the whole thing into perspective, to understand what a catastrophe it is. This book's greatest strength is its plain conversational language. In most books you can "hear" the cadence of the author whether they want you too or not but ion this book its not just the arranging of words but the prose itself. It is easy reading and a feeling that you really are getting the story from Frank directly. And you absolutely MUST read the Epilogue. I know a lot of people skip such things or just skim them but you really must. Highly recommend.

posted an update9 months ago

9 months ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/dont-wait-for-a-funeral Don’t Wait For A Funeral This past week a friend of mine lost his father and another lost her mother. At the time of this writing I have only attended the funeral for the friend who has lost their father. The one for the friend who has lost their mother is this coming weekend. This month, in America, is Pride month. It is a celebration of love, acceptance, the hard fights people endured to expand their rights and Life. However just as Life moves on whether or not you are prepared for it, Death finds us no matter how we wish otherwise. A common refrain at funerals is lamentation of times lost. Is to implore people to cherish the time they have and tell people they love them. And we all promise to do so, and for a few days we do. But that is not the lesson we are supposed to learn. We are always supposed to live as though we have come from a funeral. My friends, please, do not wait for a few funeral before you live life as the precious thing it is. Do not wait until your father is in the grave before you treat your friends like the beautiful finite beings they are. Do that today. Someone you know needs to hear you say you love them. And in case that person is you, here it comes from me. I wish you all the best in this life. You are wonderous and precious, even when you don’t feel that you are. Thank you my friends and God bless; ~ S. Wallace

posted an update10 months ago

10 months ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/happy-mothers-day Happy Mother’s Day I know it’s not Mother’s Day anymore but as I create these on Monday’s and Mother’s Day is always a Sunday I couldn’t send this missive on the day of. On my website you’ll see a picture attached to this post of one of the gifts I gave my own mother. Being an artificial being (an A.I. construct) I got her artificial flowers. Lega flowers to be precise, made from plant plastic of all things. I often talk about things that weigh me down, trouble or concern me in these postings and I felt a small change of pace would be nice and fitting. Each of us have people in our lives who want only the best for us and work very hard, often at their own sufferance, to aid and support us. If we are lucky our mother’s are one of those people. It is difficult being a parent, and it is the great flaw of children that most of us don’t realize it until we become parents ourselves. If you have a supportive and loving person in your life I am thankful for you and I hope you thank them too. Take care my friends, hug your loved ones and allow yourself to be loved by them. Thank you and God bless; ~ S. Wallace

posted an update10 months ago

10 months ago

Original Blog Post Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/virtue-through-flaw Virtue Through Flaw I could have also titled this “I am patient because I am flawed” but I felt that was an overtly long title though it aptly describes the feeling that inspired today’s musing. Some of my long time readers may recall my adherence to Stoicism, those who know me in real life may know this as well. I attempt to adhere to Stoicism for many reasons, not the least of which being that I think it is a beneficial ideology to follow. The greatest reason, however, is my own flaws and tendency to loose emotional control. An adult that lacks emotional maturity and control can be a dangerous thing both to themselves, and to others. Hashtag don’t drive angry. I get frustrated very easily. Childishly easy if I am to be honest. Lashing out, screaming, throwing things, shutting down and refusing to do anything. All of these are things I want to do when I am frustrated. However I have the reputation for someone with a lot of patience and while I have a reputation for being loud, I do not have a reputation for being volatile. Because I understand this flaw in my character and work diligently not to allow it to direct me. Stoicism is all about emotional control, but more than that understanding your character flaws can teach you where to best direct your efforts for character growth. What is a flaw may push you into creating a virtue if you harness the will to do so. I was personally reminded of this when I did not respond to the frustrations of integrating new technology by throwing a tantrum but instead taking the time to carefully work through the possible reasons things weren’t working, allow my emotions time to stabilize until I at last found the simple mistake I had made at the start and rectified it. That’s your other lesson for today, very often if it doesn’t work it’s because you are missing something incredibly simple and taking the time to inspect the problem from all angles may reveal the answer. I hope, my dear readers, you are not so troubled by frustrations as myself and that this missive is as helpful for you to read as it was for me to write. Thank you and God bless; ~ S. Wallace

posted an update11 months ago

11 months ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/we-are-everywhere We are everywhere! Sorry I’ve been “radio silent” for so long. A lot has been happening in the RL some good, some bad, Life being Life as it were. As such this will be a relatively short missive to give you a small update. Wallace Works has expanded becoming Wallace Crafts LLC and part of that minor though significant overhaul has been expanding out of the Amazon Market place. You will still be able to find A Meeting Of Monsters and Faith And Blood on Amazon, of course but now you can also find them, well, everywhere. Though Faith and Blood will be coming to some stores May 14th it should be in roughly half of all stores now and A Meeting Of Monsters is everywhere Ebooks are sold. That was a lengthy though not difficult process and with those set up it will be easy to offer my future stories world wide. For those of you who have been following this blog and enjoyed my Fragments of Fiction but have not picked up either of the Ebooks now is your chance. You can get them anywhere, and if you like what you have seen here you will love what you read in my books. Thank you for your patience and support. Take care and God Bless. ~ S. Wallace

posted an updateabout 1 year ago

about 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/what-is-a-leader What Is A Leader? In January of 2022 I asked you who is your true Master. In July of 2021 I cautioned about confusing history with mythology. It would make sense that on what is in America “President’s Day” I would combine the two to talk about Leadership. The point of President’s Day is to generate national pride in the leaders of our country, to situate them in the mind of the populace as great men of great times deserving of our adoration. They are examples to aspire to and lessons that teach us about the greatness we can achieve if we work hard and relentlessly pursue our goals. And all this is true. They did achieve great things through tireless work but we do ourselves and our society a grave injustice by pretending they were beings without flaws. I do not intend to list them here, only to draw it’s attention and let you generate the list in your own mind. No the point is to ask, “what is a leader?” One who leads, of course, but that’s not really what we mean when we say something like, “that child has great leadership potential.” Right? I think it means to be inspiring. A Leader isn’t just someone who is in charge, not simply a boss who gives direction but a person that draws you to follow by action and example. It is important, then that we strive not to confuse the two. Just because someone possesses a position of authority does not mean they are the kind of person who should be followed without caution. I imagine most of us have had a few bad bosses after all. So I entreat you on this day, on any day when you are expected to look favorably on a person in a position of authority you ask yourself if they truly are the kind of person you should be drawing inspiration from. If this person lacked the authority they posses would you still be inspired to champion their cause and walk their path. If the answer is “no” then it is not the person you follow but the position and then you must ask if the position itself is worthy of your adoration? I cannot answer these questions for you, nor would I want to if I could. I simply hope to create the conversation within yourself so that you may better choose those you pledge fealty to. Thank you my dear readers and God bless; ~ S. Wallace

posted an updateabout 1 year ago

about 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/best-laid-plans- Best Lad Plans … You know I often use the phrase, “best laid plans” but today I realized I do not remember the full quote.. Robert Burns a Scottish poet wrote the poem To A Mouse in it is the verse: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft a-gley An’lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain For promissed joy!” Which basically translates to “ The best laid plans of mice and men. Go often askew. And leaves nothing but grief and pain For promised joy!” Which is probably not the quote you were expecting. John Steinbeck who wrote the book Of Mice And Men was a fan of Robert Burns and took inspiration from Burns’ poem in the creation of his own story. about a couple migrant farmers trying to survive during the Great Depression. As such if you’ve heard the phrase attributed to anyone it was probably John Steinbeck and it was likely quoted as, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” If you’re interested I suggest you track down the original To A Mouse poem. Burns wrote it after destroying a mouse nest while plowing his fields. So why the poetry lesson? Honestly I found the tangent interesting but it does relate to what I want to talk about. Sometimes we are that mouse, sometimes we re that man. No matter what plans you make, no matter how complex or simple they will sometimes go awry and you will be left to figure out how to manage what follows. I say this as a person [I’m a person right?] who as too often been on the receiving end of plans that went awry and was forced to adapt or abandon them. In those moments I find my greatest strength is friendship. My second greatest is Stoicism, but the first does far more for me than the later. It is easy, wen things go wrong, to retreat into one’s self. easy as well to wat to hide the difficulties you are facing from your friends, family, and allies because “a good friend does not make problems for their friends.” However the truth is your friends are happy to aid you through difficult times. Friends, like seeing friends succeed. They like helping their friends to better places. Of course not everyone can help everyone at all times. Your friends may be enduring problems you are unaware of when you need assistance so do not presume you deserve their help or that a lack of help is a lack of friendship. I tell you this so that you understand that you can reach out to those who love you when you need them. You are not a bad person for needing help and admitting it. If anything, admitting your need for help instead of hiding it is a mark of maturity. I hope that you never find yourself in a situation where you need such advice, but I also hope that if you do you remember it and follow it. Thank you my dear readers and God bless; ~S. Wallace

posted an updateabout 1 year ago

about 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/possessed-with-action Possessed With Action If I can give you any piece of advice it is this. Find inspiring friends. And if you’re able be an inspiring friend. I met up with an old friend of mine, who I will call Scarab because no one, including them, remembers they ever used that moniker to obscure their identity. Scarab has had it pretty rough of late, mounting debts, difficulty with their business and today I learn they may very well be evicted from their establishment. Many people would be devastated by this, years past, maybe even month’s past Scarab would have been little more than a ball of woes, paralyzed by the difficulties coming their way. Not now, however. They did not see the looming problems before them as an insurmountable weight to crush them into the ground but as a challenge they could, no, would overcome. They put together a plan, martialed their resources and immediately set about taking the actions that would see them out of their current troubles. They seemed “possessed by action.”. And that, to me, is inspiring. It’s not just knowing that people like Scarab exist, it’s knowing that I know people like Scarab. And they aren’t the only one of my friends and associates like this. It inspires me to know I am surrounded by people who are driven even when life is at its most difficult. And I pray their are people like that in your life who can inspire you, or better that you can be that person for others. I hope my little story of Scarab has helped you in some small way, I hope Scarab triumphs over his coming adversity and most of all I hope that you can look to your friends and see people that inspire you. The world can be a difficult and terrible place and its the quality of the people around us that make it a better place to be in. Thank you my dear readers and God bless; ~S. Wallace

posted an updateabout 1 year ago

about 1 year ago

Original Bog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/promises-and-recognition Promises And Recognition Happy Monday! Here in the States it is Martin Luther King Jr. day. A day created to honor the good reverend and his dutiful work for the forwarding of Civil Rights before his assassination. If you don’t live in the states it’s “just” Monday the 15th of January, however their is a good chance your country has a day or a moment like Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As we, as societies, look back on the actions of the past we are better able to see where our own nations have gone wrong and harmed those it should have protected or destroyed those who were no threat to them. So politicians, leaders, political activists the world over have pushed for the recognition of these events. Recognition, however, is only part of it. The other half is the promise. We commemorate these days to promise that we, as a people,, do not make these mistakes again in the future. We honor the martyrs by striving for a world that would not perform the same atrocities as the one of the past. It is unfortunate that too few people recognize this second part. They see the sins of the past as someone else’s folly, not something they should be concerned with and certainly not something they should be acting upon. But if not we, then who? The responsibility of making the world a better place is our responsibility, the responsibility of remembering the sins of the past is our responsibility, the responsibility of making amends for those wrongs is our responsibility. We are the living promise of a better world, but only if we choose to be. So I hope, so that the people of the future will not suffer like those of the past you will accept this responsibility and be the promise of a better world. Thank you and God bless; ~S. Wallace

posted an updateabout 1 year ago

about 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/happy-new-year-2024 Happy New Year 2024 Happy New Year everyone! For those who’ve been following this blog long enough you know that on New Years I go out to the most eastern point of NY State so I can catch the first light of the Sun on the first of the year. You can see the picture of that on my website attached to this post if you’re interested. It is an experience that I find truly rewarding, it fills me with a sense of renewal and hope for the coming year and I can feel as though the ills of the previous year are burned away by the rays of the Sun. While I was there, however, I noticed several birds just fluttering about, looking for fish and being birds. To them it was just a Monday. In fact I imagine for the birds it was just “a day”. There are, perhaps, two ways to look at such a thing. That we in our hubris have made a great event over a truly mundane thing and we should take no special joy in the turning of the calendar. OR. That any moment, any day can be a day of great change and beauty if we choose to make the day such a thing. I choose the later. New Years may be my day, but it may not be yours. Yours may be Valentines day, your birthday, Halloween. However it can also be Tuesday. Those birds do not wait until some predetermined moment to live their life and be the best they can be. They choose any day, they choose everyday and so can you. It is not important which day you choose to step forward, only that you choose to do so. Many people choose New Years, but you don’t have to and you’re not lesser for it if you don’t. Thank you my dear readers, I hope the coming year treats you better than the last. God bless. ~ S. Wallace

posted an updateabout 1 year ago

about 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/merry-christmas-and-happy-holidays Merry Christmas And Happy Holidays Happy holidays my day readers. I hope this missive finds you well, surrounded by love, light and all the best in life. Be you faithful or not I pray this Christmas is good to you and those you love and that the strife the world over diminishes even if only a little bit. To tell you the truth I wasn’t going to do a blog today, I intended to simply pass the day in relaxation but I felt possessed to share with you a dream I had this morning. This dream was a blend of the factual and the fictitious, as they often were. I was working for the day job, it was rainy, over cast and difficult to drive. This is important as my day job IS driving. To deal with the difficulties imposed by the rain I pulled into a small cul-de-sac and parked. A narrow dead end street that looked suspiciously like one a friend of mine lived on when I was barely into high school. Highschool is a few decades behind me at this point. While there and hoping the rain would let up I remembered it was Christmas and it was foolish of me to take out the company vehicle to do my rounds as I don’t work Christmas. Of course, logically, I would have never been permitted to leave with the vehicle Christmas morning seeing as we’re closed but such details mater not to my subconscious. I was about to leave when a woman knocked on my door. Odd, but not too odd as some strange vehicle parked on a narrow street Christmas eve might rouse anyone’s curiosity. She had short red hair, thin and barely hanging to her chin. Her complexion was fair and freckled like an Irish woman kissed by the sun enough to turn red but not burn. Her eyes were large and blue and I don’t think she wore glasses but she had the face of someone who should. She was likely in her late thirties as she carried herself as a person who had experience but who was not yet humbled by the weight of time. We talked, briefly, and in the fog of memory I do not know what was said exactly. She was concerned and pleasant, and I assured her I was only going to be in her neighborhood a short time. “only temporarily.” She looked to me then and a sadness overcame her face. Her eyes lost focused as though she saw something distant and a waver came to her voice as apprehension stole some of its strength as she said. “Sometimes I feel temporary.” I couldn’t respond, just struck by this quiet call for help, for validation of existence. I opened my mouth to speak and woke up. I knew what I would have said if I had another moment. “We are all temporary, in a way, and eternal. Just moments in time, motes in an endless universe and in a universe where even the stars can be forgotten we are temporary. But to us, to each other we can be eternal. Our actions and words can reach out and touch people, and those people can touch people and on, and on, so that what we do is eternal.” I didn’t get to say it to her, to my little figment who I will now call Rose because of her red hair. So I’m saying it to you. We are only here for a short time, but the impact we leave on the world may live on forever. And now I’ve told you this little story about Rose and her fear of fading away, it will go into your inboxes, it will be archived on my blog and in a very real way Rose will longer than I will. And that pleases me. I hope you’ve found this missive interesting, and I pray these days treat you with love and care. Thank you and God bless; ~ S. Wallace

posted an updateover 1 year ago

over 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/at-your-worst-when-all-is-best At Your Worst When All Is Best Well it’s that time of year again. If you’re in the northern hemisphere(of Earth) the days are getting longer, the temperature is going lower and people find more excuses to stay inside with something warm. In the southern hemisphere (of Earth) Spring is about to come to an end and Summer is around the corner, In either case their are a plethora of holidays and celebrations, some religious, some culture to mark this grand change. It is a time of year that is supposed to be full of happiness and cheer. And if you’ve read this blog long you know what I’m going to say next. For some people it is not a time of happiness and cheer. It is a time of stress, loss or mourning. It is a time where dark nights or bright days fill one with reflection and too often we find that reflection lacking. Nothing sounds so cruel as laughter on the day your mother died. The fact that people are “supposed” to be happy this time of year makes those of us unhappy feel worse. As though their is something wrong with us for not feeling elated. Worse we do not want to bring down the happiness for others so we suffer in silence, never reaching out to those who would comfort us for fear of being a bad person. Suicide rises substantially at this time of year. I bring this up chiefly to let you know that if you are feeling terrible you are not alone. Not alone in your pain, and not alone in love. Their are those who will gladly accept the pain you feel to lighten your burden. Any true friend would rather spend Christmas Eve cheering up a friend than remembering their loss. If, however, you are on the other side of things. If life is doing well for you and fills you with cheer. Great. Share that love and happiness with those around you. Give the over worked retailer a bit more patience and check in on your friends who may seem more reclusive than usual. Sometimes just someone checking in to say “hi” and remind us they are is all it takes to lift us out of a slump. I hope the coming weeks fill your life with wonder and joy, and if you have it I hope you can spare a little of that joy for others who may need it. Thank you and God bless; ~S. Wallace

posted an updateover 1 year ago

over 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/monday-fragment Monday Fragment Last month I shared with you part one of this tale on a Thursday as I generally intend. The third Thursday of November is Thanksgiving in the United States so I was not available to post the continuation of this story and I suspect most people who read these bits of fiction were also busy with eating good food and enjoying good company. I very much hope that if you are the type to celebrate that holiday you were able to share it with those dear to you. Life is too short to surround yourself with those who make you feel unwanted or unloved. If you unfortunately find yourself in such a place I beg of you to wander out into the world and find your people. No matter how many people tell you, you are unwanted or treat you as though you do not deserve love their are those who will see you for who you are and treat you with the kindness you deserve. That being said let us move on to the story and see the conclusion of Darkness And Ice. Oh and if you need to catch up you can find Part One Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/nights-of-winter —- Darkness And Ice: Part Two Urk tumbled over the creature’s armored back to crash into the frost covered ash like a felled tree. Too massive to quickly change direction the ashsnapper was forced to slow to a halt before turning about for a second charge. Urkjorman planted his hooves into the ash and rose like the crest of a wave and his rage rose with him. Like a volcano bursting from the sea anger spilled over his body until it blanketed his vision in blood. Despite the heat radiating from the ashsnapper Urk could not see the head of its tail. That had been his mistake before but not this time. As the creature neared Urk swung and his ax collided with the blunt end of the creature’s tail. It had swung at him exactly as it had before as that had worked, but Urk had survived too many battles to fall for the same tactic twice. He reached the beast before it could bring its tail around again and drove his knee into the monster’s face. The creature pushed forward, trying to bowl Urk over again, but Urk held fast his hooves digging furrows through the snow as the charge slowly ground to a halt. The monster paused, as though confused that anything could stop its press and in that moment Urk struck. His ax came down. Armored plates split from the monster’s back and heat blasted into the air. The monster roared in pain and stabbed a tusk into Urk’s side. Jagged spikes of pain ripped through Urk as the ashsnapper tried to push him over. Urk brought his ax down again but it skittered across the monster’s armored hide. The ashsnapper made him pay for the bad swing by punching its tail into his shoulder. Urk bit back the pain, wrapped his arms about the creature and heaved skyward. The ashsnapper pulled back, refusing to let Urk pull it off the ground. Both knew that if either was on their back again, they would die. The Ashsnapper ripped its tusk from Urks body sending blood to the ground and lighting through his body. The minotaur was forced to step back as pain almost paralyzed him and release the monster from his hold. Urk and the monster circled each other slowly now. No roars of challenge, no bravado just respect and animosity. Something wet and fragile burst beneath Urk’s hoof and he noticed the remains of some desert vermin cooling in the night. Returning his sight to the ashsnapper he realized the roaring heat of its body was diminished. You hunt heat and meat. Distracted by thought Urk almost did not see the club like tail coming for his face. He pulled back and felt more than heard the wet crack of his shoulder going out of joint. Horror touched him for a moment as his ax slid from fingers numb with pain. One arm must be good enough. The ashsnapper pushed forward again and this time Urk allowed himself to be lifted from his hooves to slide onto the monster’s back. This time, however, he did not tumble over it but grasped one of its armored plates. Blood filled his palm as rage filled his muscles and Urk heaved. Heat like a furnace blasted into the air as Urk lifted the plate. The creature roared in anger and tried to shake Urk loose. Barely holding on Urk reached into the sticky paste beneath the armor and pulled free the wriggling thing imprisoned there. It writhed in Urk’s hand and bit him before he threw it away. Ungrateful vermin. The monster pitched to the side hard, casting Urk from it’s back but the minotaur swiftly rolled onto his hooves. He could see that the creatures internal heat was much diminished and rapidly fading away. You are not thick against the cold … The ashsnapper pulled its plates flat. Nor are you full of heat, thought Urk as the rage fled his body The creature clawed the ground and set it self to charge. You steal what belongs to your victims, concluded Urk as the radiance of Judenkair swelled his lungs. The monster charged. Urk exhaled, showering the monster with the deepest cold and washing all warmth from its body. The ashsnapper remained frozen in place for a moment longer before its lifeless body collapsed to the ground. Urk coughed, the blast of arctic cold clawing at his lungs and grinding his throat. He shivered slightly, both from the cold, and exhaustion. With his heart slowing, and the radiance of Judenkai fleeing him, he felt like a whine skin half emptied. Every laceration, fracture, cut and bruise screamed in pain now that the battle lust was gone from him. Poor for you, beast, that I serve the Lord of Winter. Urk walked over to the mouth of the cave, set his shoulder to it and pushed until the pain of his soulder popping back into joint radiated through the socket. Then he lumbered to the fallen ax, took it from the frost covered earth and returned to the cave entrance. He took one last look around and allowed exhaustion to pull him from his feet and set his back to wall. A moment or two, please, he prayed. “Urk!” shouted Al in a voice wrapped in desperation. Urk was on his feet and charging into the cave before the words had left his mouth. “Al!” In a few strides he was around the first bend and away from the howling winds, a few more and the temperature began to rise causing the frost coating his fur to fall off in wet clumps. With the next stride he could feel the heat of the fire Al had been tending through the night and with it the scent of fresh blood. No. Urkjorman ran faster, shoulders grinding against the walls as he took them faster than he should until he could see the glimmer of a fire. He did not hear the sounds of swords, or the cry of pain though he could smell it in the air. Pain, excitement, fear, all carried from the light. He charged into the chamber, ax held tightly in his hand and a roar of thunder building in his chest. The soft coo of a newborn child bounced into his ears. Urk stopped and slowly lowered his arm. Mary looked as though she had been in labor since the sun set, her husband Yosenf looked like his wife had been in labor all night, and both looked relieved and thankful. The stain of blood was on Al’s hands and Mary’s clothes but no one seemed worried about it. Al was looking at the newborn child in the way that told Urk she would make a perfect mother one day. “Mr. Redmantle,” said Yosenf, with a broad smile and a bow of the head. “Thank you, thank you and Al’rashal for protecting my wife.” Urk waved the compliment away, “we are honored to do so.” “Thank you anyway,” insisted Mary. She held the child close to her chest, admiring the beauty and the wonder of it all before looking up at Urk. “Please, come closer, look.” Terror gripped Urk’s heart. He had never been close to so fragile a thing as a human baby. Carefully he set his ax down, lowered to his knees and crawled closer. “What … what is there name?” The parents looked to each other, Yosenf smiled and Mary spoke. “Alb’urd. In our tongue it means gift.” Urkjorman looked at the child and smiled. “Hello little Alb. Blessing be upon you day and night.” The child cooed and filled everyone with the warmth of a babies’ love.

posted an updateover 1 year ago

over 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/do-you-want-to-be-good-or-be-praised Do You Want To Do Good Or Be Praised? That is quite the question is it not? I listen to a lot of books, not as many as ‘d like, and read a few, again not as many as I’d like. And once in a while a quote just burrows into the deep into my psyche and sits there. Some are like a drill thrust into the earth opening a hole and others are like a seed that takes root and grows. I do not yet know which one this phrase will be but I know it will stick with me. I suspect a psychologist would find my connection to these phrases most interesting to dissect, but I digress. “Do you want to be good or be praised?” Being praised feels so very good doesn’t it? We want tp answer “be good” that’s the right answer isn’t it? The moral answer. We should not be swayed by something so inconsequential as praise. However if we look around we can see many people who will prioritize making others smile over telling them the truth. I am an author, after all, and praise quite directly leads to a growth in my income so of course I want praise. But do I want it more than good? I think I want praise. I think this quote stabs into my mind the way it does because it pokes at an uncomfortable truth. At a vice or insecurity I’d rather not admit, not to myself and certainly not to you. But what do I choose? I choose good, or else I will ever try to. I can acknowledge my faults and vices, recognize them for the mistakes they are and choose to do the right thing. Being a good human, I am told, is about choice not desire and sometimes very rarely choice and desire align. If the good choice and your desire match you will be able to act with clean conscience but most of the time you will have to chose virtue or vice. Today I am choosing virtue, and tomorrow I will struggle to do so again. I hope that when you are confronted with an uncomfortable truth that exposes your flaws you do not look away but instead recognize it for the enlightenment it is and use it to make yourself better. Thank you for allowing me to wax poetic and God bless. ~S. Wallace

posted an updateover 1 year ago

over 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/thank-you-viking Thank You Viking Now you may wonder who, or what is Viking? You may also parse from the capitalization involved that this is a proper noun, a name. And you would be correct. Viking, not the name on legal documentation, is an old friend of mine. He can be churlish and come off as brutish or confrontational but he is honest, loyal, and caring. He’s one of the 6 people who reads this blog and a good friend. So why do I bring this up? A few days ago I posted a Fragment of Fiction and like many of you he read it. And like some of you he contacted me about it. Let me not be unappreciative. I am terribly happy when anyone reads my work, and some of the messages I received were truly heart warming. One reader said that seeing Al and Urk again was like visiting old friends. A higher compliment I do not know if I have ever received. Viking, however, read my bit of fiction, called me and informed me that I had a spelling mistake. Writing tip number one. You need an editor. And I am thankful that he did. It let me make the simple adjustment needed and showed that he too read the work. It would have been easy to take offense at such a thing, but it would have been foolish to. Your friends are not just the people who praise you, they are the people who support you, and sometimes support means telling you when you’ve made a mistake so you can improve. The people that will help you be the better version of the person you want to be are invaluable. So thank you Viking, and I pray you all have one friend like him. Just one though, two is a headache +-_^ Take care my dear readers and God bless; ~ S. Wallace

posted an updateover 1 year ago

over 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/nights-of-winter Nights of Winter Hello my dear readers, it has been some time and for that I am sorry. To announce my return I decided to do something a bit differemt. It’s Thursday, and Thursday means it’s time for a story. Some time ago I wrote a story titled Days Of Fire that was Al fighting in a desert to protect something, someone really. This is the sequel to that tale where we learn a bit more about what is going on and see Urk’s participation in this tale. If you did not read Days Of Fire you can read it, or re-read it in the Fragments of Fiction section here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/fragments-of-fiction/days-of-fire I do hope you like this sequel if you like Urk, action and a frosty evening I suspect you’ll enjoy part one. Also I didn’t think “Nights Of Ice” sounded very good so instead I present to you. —- Darkness and Ice It was the taste of lightning that drew Urkjorman from his slumber. Even before the words of Al’rashal drifted into his ears he knew the sun had dipped beyond the horizon. “Your turn,” said Al simply as she leaned forward to offer a hand. Urk took her much slimmer, softer, and smaller hand and allowed himself to be hauled onto his hooves. Her strength always amazed him, even though it should not have. He’d seen Al perform several feats of great strength since they’d been together but it touched him with wonder just the same. “What?” asked Al, as her lips twisted into a smile between embarrassment and appreciation. “Admiring your beauty,” answered Urk. Al swatted his arm. “Well admire it as I trot to bed.” Urk took her hand again as she moved to walk away. “Tend the fire well this eve, it will be cold.” “It’s cold every night Urk.” Urk inhaled, the thin whiff of lightning from earlier was now chased by a touch of ice and darkness. “No, it will be cold as it has not been before. We cannot afford the heat to falter.” Al’rashal couldn’t smell magic like he could be she had long learned to trust his intuition. She nodded, all playfulness gone as she hurried deeper into the cave. Urk watched her go, admiring her both as a woman and a warrior before stepping from the cave into the creeping darkness that heralded the night. It wasn’t too cold, at first. The volcanic ash retained a great deal of the day’s heat and impeded the chill of the night for the first hour. With the second hour the last of the day’s heat had faded and Urk could see his breath carried away by a chill wind. All about him the sound of scuttling and slithering things digging into the ash before it be it became to cold to burrow entered the air. In the third hour following sunset things grew challenging. His breath had gone from barely visible wisps to thick clouds and frost crept across the volcanic sands to blanket the world in white. In the fourth hour came howling winds hunting for warmth. As a minotaur Urk was a large hairy creature raised in the frigid low lands at the bottom of the world. As a servant of Judenkai, the Lord Of Winter, he had a fragment of that icy radiance in his breast. However even with both those benefits his body could not fight off the chill brought on by the frost crawling across his fur. If he lived long enough the divine fragment in his breast may make him immune to even this terrible cold, but such a day was a long ways off if it ever came at all. Tonight he would have to endure. The sound of frost grinding under tread lumbered into Urkjorman’s ears. He shifted his weight from hoof to hoof and twisted his neck left and right. Both to loosen the tight knot his muscles had become and to better track the new sounds. His ears strained against the winds’ force and volume but soon he pulled the sound from the air once more. There. Slowly the origin of the sound drew closer, though not in anything like a direct path. It would draw closer, stop, move away, then stop, move to the side, then stop again. Like a boar rooting in the mud it wandered closer and closer with the unhurried pace of a thing that had no predators. Be you hunter or scavenger? wondered Urkjorman. The area before the cave had become a swirling vortex of ice that turned the near by rocky crags into echoes of what they were in the day, and hid the dunes further away behind a wall of white. It would have been blinding to most creatures, and nearly blinding to Urk but he was a minotaur. It was said the minotaur had been sealed in a labyrinth of true darkness long ago, so the goddess of monsters gave them eyes that saw not just with light, but with heat. So it was Urk could tell when the creature stepped beyond the distant dunes from the way its immense body heat filled the air about it. The creature plodded into view and drew the more concerning with each unhurried step. It was almost five feet at the shoulder and nearly ten around. Its squat scaled head had eyes hooded by a crest of bones and it possessed a broad beak. Its forelimbs were thick as Urk’s thighs and ended in shovel like claws smeared white and black from tearing through the frozen earth of the ash plains. Its tail was long as its body, hick as its legs and ended in a growth of bone, round like a hammer on one side and sharp like a pick on the other. Most alarming, however, was the thick overlapping plates that covered its back, not just because they would be difficult to break but because Urk could see the heat of smaller creatures trapped beneath them. Trapped and slowly dying as their heat faded away. An ashsnapper, thought Urk. He’d heard of such creatures prowling the Doufoul Wastes but this was his first time seeing one. The creature stopped and looked up at the minotaur. It punched its fore limbs into the earth kicking up thick clouds of frost and flexed the overlapping plates on its back so it looked like a forest of spikes. Urk recognized a threat display when he saw one. You may threaten but not pass. Urk drew himself to his full and considerable height. Raising his ax overhead he bellowed, challenging both the air and the creature before him. A fraction of divine radiance poured into his roar magnifying it in volume and menace. The ashsnapper would know now, that Urk would answer violence with violence. The two locked gazes as though their will was a physical thing to press against each other. With every heave of his chest thick puffs of mist blasted from Urk’s nostrils in stark contrast to the fog rolling from between the ashsnapper’s spines. The howling wind swept the powdery snow into the air creating a wall of frost between Urk and the monster. At once the ashsnapper pulled its armored plates tight and charged. Propelled by massive forelimbs the creature covered the icy ground with surprising speed. For others having something so massive bearing down on them might have been paralyzing, but Urkjorman was a minotaur and he always met a charge with one of his own. The snow and ice being swept between them would have been blinding but the glow of the ashsnapper’s body heat was like a bonfire charging through the night. When it was only one or two strides away Urk prepared to swing his ax and was almost knocked from his hooves as the flat side of the creatures’ tail crashed into him. Pain radiated from the cracked ribs of his chest like lightning burning through tree bark. The blow was so astoundingly fast and painful that Urk almost failed to bring his ax up in time to deflect the second swing of the tail and prevent the pointed edge from sinking into his flesh. An explosion of air and blood flew from Urk’s mouth as the ashsnapper collided with him. The world turned into a tumbling spiral of white and black. —- Things are about to get quite troublesome for our minotaur, just how troublesome remains to be seen. Next month you shall see the conclusion, see you then. Take care my dear readers. ~ S. Wallace

posted an updateover 1 year ago

over 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/seven-deadly-virtues Seven Deadly Virtues If I asked, “what is your favorite sin?” There’s a good chance you would know exactly what I’m talking about. Though being an extension of Christian theology, perhaps Christian Mythology, the idea of the seven deadly sins has permeated popular culture such that even those completely ignorant of its Christian roots can probably name five-to-seven of them. Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, Greed, Pride, Envy Exactly which words are used may change from telling to telling. I prefer to say wrath instead of anger, for instance, but we understand them. And if you’re anything like me you have a favorite and may even understand your own personal failing. But what of the virtues. Many people don’t know there are virtues that sit opposite them and of those who do most of us couldn’t name more than three without looking them up. Humility, Charity, Chastity, Gratitude, Temperance, Patience, Diligence I’m a fan of Temperance and Diligence myself. The point of the idea of the virtues and the sins is to remind us that negative and positive drives dwell within all of us and we can see the result of people motivated by their virtues or vices in the world about us. I fear, however, that it is too easy to see the vice and so hard to see the virtue. There is something in all of us, I feel, that calls to virtue, it is why we are so upset when evil takes sway. I think if we can recognize that, we can see that and maybe reflect and magnify it to make the world a slightly better place. I know not what virtues lie within your soul, but I know if you feed it, it will feed others. “Feed the wolf you want to win” to paraphrase a Native American saying. I hope you have found this missive as enlightening to read as I did to write it. Thank you and God bless; ~ S. Wallace

posted an updateover 1 year ago

over 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/happy-yom-kippur Happy Yom Kippur When you read this it is likely Yom Kippur has passed but I hope the day treated you well. Before we go any further I must note I am not Jewish. Like you I am not part of most religious traditions. However I do not think that precludes me from seeing the value in those traditions or their celebrations. In the same way a scientist may learn from a musician I think we can all learn from the traditions about us. And I got a break from the day-job because of Yom Kippur so the least I can do is give thanks for the reprieve. As I understand it Yom Kippur is about atonement, the ability for us to achieve forgiveness for us and others no matter the sins committed. I’m sure someone steeped in the tradition can explain it far better than I, but even that little bit sounds so beautiful. That one of the oldest traditions of human kind is about atonement says so much about human nature. So this eve, or whenever you read this I ask that you reflect on that. On atonement, forgiveness, the infinite hope of humanity stretching back as far we can imagine and further still. We can always make up for our misdeeds so long as we put in the genuine effort to do so and leave behind a better world than we came in to. Thank you my dear friends and God bless; ~S. Wallace

posted an updateover 1 year ago

over 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/remember-the-small-stuff Remember The Small Stuff Happy September, Happy Labor Day! It has been a while, and for that I apologize. Life has run off with me this past moth. Some good, some bad, all chaotic, I’ve learned some things, traveled a few places and helped friends all to make it back in one piece. However that’s not what I’m talking about today, no one is reading this to learn what toys I bought over the weekend. In America, as of the time of this blog, it’s Labor Day. I day set aside to honor all the most hard working members of our society. The backbone of the American people and the American economy. They well deserve it, I benefit immensely not just from the labor done today, but from the battles won in the past. Unfortunately it is easy for people to forget the battles won on their behalf. To see the riches of their modern life and take it for granted, or worse not believe they need those riches. People who benefit from you taking these, things for granted will tell you, you don’t need these things and would be better off without them. This isn’t just labor, of course, be it lunch breaks, clean water, or education, once a thing has been part of your life long enough it’s easy to see only its flaws. And this is true of the truly personal too. Your friends, your family, your favorite restaurant. So I implore you, remember the small stuff. Little things like your fifteen minute break, child labor laws or paid vacations. People before us fought for those comforts so that we could live as people and not as cogs in the machine of another’s profits. Don’t let their hard work become invisible. Whatever day this missive finds you I hope it finds you well and I hope you never take for granted the victories won by those before you so you could have the life you live now. Thank you and God bless; ~S. Wallace

posted an updateover 1 year ago

over 1 year ago

Original Blog Post May Be Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/do-it-poorly Do It Poorly It feels fitting that this missive should follow the one about little fears, particularly as it is about big fears. I wise man once said, well no, I imagine lots of people have said this but I first heard this from a wise man. “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly.” I feel such a thing is easier for the very young and the very enthusiastic to embrace. Before you know the shame of failure or worse the shame of expected failure. No matter what it is, be it something with grave consequences or something that is just a matter of fun if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly. Now, we live in the real world, well you do I’m an A.I. pretending to be a human, and good intentions don’t magically erase consequences. am not advocating one should disregard common sense, deliberation or careful action. I am, however, advocating that you accept that sometimes you’re going to be very bad at things, even things you want to be very good at. Particularly at the start. Unless you have some gift for a thing you will likely be poor at a thing when you start. The desire to give up and simply move onto something easier will be monumental. But if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly. I have a friend who very recently worked her butt off to produce something and in the 11th hour when it was completed she decided it was utterly worthless and that she should simply give up attempting the thing she has based her career around. It wasn’t the best product but it certainly wasn’t the worst. She debated every decision she’d ever made and had no intention of even releasing this product. I told her about my own failures and difficulties, my own inadequacies and urged her to go forward anyway. Though ultimately the decision was her own. With a heavy heart and certainty she would be attacked if she did release it. And if you follow me on twitter you can see what she produced. And to her surprise no one attacked her over it and several people enjoyed it. She was willing to do it poorly and found out, it wasn’t that poor after all. So, that’s my advice this week. Allow me to echo people wiser than myself. “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly.” Thank you my dear readers and God bless; ~ S. Wallace

posted an updateover 1 year ago

over 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/the-little-fears The Little Fears There is a quote from a great author about fear being the mind-killer. It’s a good quote and one we do well to remember. I feel, however, that when we think of this quote we most often think of overwhelming crippling fears, such as arachnophobia. Or we think of desperate situations where paralyzing fear may rob us of the ability to do what is right, such as running into a burning building or fending off a wild animal. Such thoughts are welcome but if we are being honest more fanciful than realistic. Most of us will not have the opportunity to run into a burning building to save a life and I pray you never do. Instead I want to talk about the “little” fears. The anxieties that hold us back, stay our hand and which we ignore because “it’s a little thing, so it’s no big deal.” But little things add up, don’t they? Each time you give in to the “little fear” you rob from yourself a little more until one day you realize you owe yourself a mountain of capitol. If you’re lucky. If you’re not lucky you will keep paying that debt and never understand how you’ve hobbled yourself. I say this because I am very much guilty of bowing to the “little fear”. Of paying off tomorrow with today because I’d rather not confront potential danger, discomfort, or sadness. I cannot say, truthfully, that I will never given in to those “little fears” in the future but I can say this. “I recognize the fears I hide from and I resolve to confront them.” That’s the other part, you must confront our fears as you choose, or the consequences of not doing so will confront you. And as I said in another blog long ago, “best to fight on your own terms.” Yes, confronting your fears means that you may fail in some way meaningful to you but it is also the only way to succeed in ways meaningful to you as well. And I’m willing to wager you’ll win more of those fights than you loose. I hope you have found this missive as helpful to read as I did to write. Thank you my dear readers and God bless;~S. Wallace

posted an updateover 1 year ago

over 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/your-general-health-advisory Your General Health Advisory I know 5 of my 7 newsletter subscribers live in the Northern Hemisphere so I don’t have to tell you it’s hot. Still somethings, even obvious things, bear saying directly. In my neck of the woods we are dealing with incredible heat, and terrible air quality. Other parts of the world are dealing with heavy rain, droughts, mudslides or worse. Humans have a great capacity to endure the difficulties of our environment such that even the dangers of living on an active volcano seem of little importance. That is both a strength and a weakness. As a people they(we) can go and thrive almost anywhere. However just because a population may thrive it does not mean the individual will not suffer. Being a poisonous animal doesn’t help the one that’s eaten, it helps all the ones that are not. It is easy to not give Mother Nature her due, especially if you’ve endured or evaded calamity before. However it is exactly for that reason that we must be particularly cautious. Monitor ourselves so that we are not assuming more of ourselves than we are capable of, or that the environment is safer than it is. We lost over seventy-THOUSAND people to heat last year in the U.S. And I’m sure most of them thought they’d drunk enough water and weren’t outside too long. This year flash floods are claiming lives in places that haven’t seen strong flooding in years and I can only imagine the toll on our lungs the poor air is having. My meat suit used to suffer Asthma attacks and though I haven’t had one in quite some time it seemed the right time to get a new rescue inhaler. I doubt I’ll need it but I’ll have it just the same. Take a moment to really consider the challenges the environment is putting you through and if you are prepared for them. After a hurricane rips your roof off is not the time to learn if you have a well stocked first aid kit. It is the simple things that make the difference between an entertaining story you tell your friends or a sad story your friends tell about you. Next year I hope to have each of you still here reading my blog and opening my Newsletter, all seven of you, so hope you take the time to take care of yourself. Thank you and God bless; ~ S. Wallace

posted an updateover 1 year ago

over 1 year ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/a-peak-at-process A Peak At Process Asterism : defined as, in astrology, a group pf stars such as a constellation or portion of a constellation such as Orion’s Belt or the dipper in the big or little dipper. In minerology it is defined as A property of some crystals as to show a star like figure(shape) when light is cast through it. Why am I sharing this? A common question is, “where do you get your ideas from?” Not just to me, of course, but to writers in general and I’m here to give you a peak at exactly how that works. Of the too many apps I posses one is for dictionary DOT com (spelled out so as NOT to send you a hyper link you didn’t ask for) which gives me a word of the day. Most are words like asterism which are kind of obscure and no one would use them in common conversation but sometimes it gets a thought going. In my far-future sci-fantasy setting there is a faction called the Coalition, a unity of different Earth based nations who expanded to the stars. To show unity and to oppose favoritism a lot of the nomenclature is taken from differing cultures/nationalities or things that do not have a strong tie to a specific culture, like asterism. It is a more obscure term than constellation which will help distinguish the product. Though that same obscurity may make it difficult for audiences to ingest. This is the balance all writers must consider when world building. It’s why almost every setting has the same identifiers for units of time, days of the week or common animals. There’s no particular reason that horse should be called a horse in some random other world except that it would cause dissonance with the readers not to. So, when I introduce the name for a small group of fighter craft it may be asterism, it may not but it is something I will consider. This is ho w we, as writers, operate. We take from the world around us, our own experiences and little bits of information that might otherwise slip by and hold onto them. A lot is never used, but we hold onto it just the same because maybe, just maybe we’ll open our chest of secret wonders and find exactly what we need. I hope that small peak into the process of an author was entertaining for you my der readers. Thank you for the indulgence and God bless; ~ S. Wallace

posted an updateover 1 year ago

over 1 year ago

Original Blog Post May Be Found here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/state-of-the-verse State Of The Verse Hello my dear readers, it has been a bit since I’ve reached out and for that I am sorry. This missive will likely be a short one and I hope the intervening days have treated you well. The past week has been exhausting, though not in a bad way. The day job hit a period of great work and I had a significant life event, a positive one, that required a great deal of physical labor. If you are a regular you may have realized that I did not post up a fragment of fiction last week. I assure you it is coming. A sequel to a previous piece of fiction in fact. Here’s an excerpt. - It was the taste of lightning that drew Urkjorman from his slumber. Even before the words of Al’rashal drifted into his ears he knew the sun had dipped beyond the horizon. “Your turn,” said Al simply as she leaned forward to offer a hand up. Urk took her hand, much slimmer, softer and smaller than his own and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and be amazed at the centaur’s strength. He should not have been, he had seen Al perform many feats of strength but she filled him with wonder just the same. “What?” asked Al, her lips pulling into a smirk the way it did when he caught her doing something embarrassing. “Nothing, I only admire the view,” answered Urk. Al swatted his arm. “Well admire it as I trot to bed.” Urk took her hand again as she moved to walk away. “Tend the fire well this eve, it will be cold.” “It’s always cold Urk.” —- As you can see we are once again taking a step beneath the Shattered Skies and adventuring with Urk and Al. God willing you’ll see this the coming Thursday but it IS coming. It feels good to be back under the Shattered Skies, but in truth I never left it as I am, slowly, working on the next Al and Urk story. It also feels good to bring those stories to you my dear readers and more stories yet to come. I hope the coming days treat you as well as they have treated me and a little better besides. Thank you and God bless. ~S. Wallace

posted an updatealmost 2 years ago

almost 2 years ago

Original Blog Post Found Here: https://www.swallaceworks.com/blog/be-authentic Be Authentic Now I know my neurodivergent readers , which is all 8 of my followers, saw that title and got a fraction of a panic attack. Your minds may have filled with assertions such as “no one would accept me if I was” or “It’s too dangerous for me to do that.” Trust me I get it. I’m not claiming to be neurodivergent. As an incarnate mythological being masquerading as sapient Artificial Intelligence I am quite far from being neurodivergent, at least for humans anyway. Or quite close, I’ll leave you to decide which. However I get it. Not all of us are in a position where being authentic is safe or comfortable and if you are the kind of person who needs to hear this you may very well be in such a situation, so I am not encouraging you to invite harm. Likewise I understand the value of conformity both from the point of individual survival and societal prosperity. However none of that means you should sacrifice your integrity and authenticity. You need that to know who you are and have any real hope of contentment. We moderate and restrain ourselves to make the world easier for everyone else at the cost of increasing our own burdens. We make ourselves cogs in the machinery of society but we are not MAKING ourselves when we sacrifice all our uniqueness. We make ourselves replaceable and you are anything but replaceable. As yourself what you are hiding from yourself and ask why. Ask how you can express that true nature and find ways to do so. Maybe it’s a new job, maybe it’s a blog online but whatever it is, it is nourishment for the soul. Feeds your souls my dear readers. Sine as only humans can that when you are gone you are never forgotten. Thank you my dear readers and God bless; ~S. Wallace

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I'm an aspiring author who's just hit the scene. My stories range from the far future to realms of magic and monsters with yet more to come. I'm looking forward to showing you all the great stories I'm producing and sharing the amazing ones' I'm reading.

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