Names of the Elite by Joseph Blake Parker Thirteen year old Onura, with a stick that she had carved into a spear, stalked the riktaw as it crept with its tiny, noisy claws into the tall grass. The foot-long rodent was sleek, glossy-black and would be near invisible in the dark. It was built, naturally, to slink from one crevice to the next; and its thin, elongated nose and flat tail helped to complete its disguise as a moving shadow. But Onura knew its weakness—both of its weaknesses, actually. The first was that it made a wheezing noise as it traveled quickly between hiding places, like the elders in the village wheezed when they ex

Christmas in the Desert by Joseph Blake Parker “Your heart is a muscle the size of your fist. Keep on loving, keep on fighting. […] Hold on for your life.” - Pat the Bunny I stood in the sandy yard, while friends waited for me inside; They drank eggnog, and ate pie, laughed and bickered in turn. Meanwhile, I did my holiday duty, to stand in the frosty wind; And make the dreaded phone calls to my family's shattered remains. My mother weathering the season alone, and grandparents fearing tragedy to come. I felt the weight of their lives, press on my shoulders and belly; Distant, stiff, heavy, frigid, and fearsom

ACWAN Schedule for NaNoWriMo (Anybody Can Write a Novel schedule for National Novel Writing Month) Though I have never participated in NaNoWriMo, I have completed a novel by its standards in a month. It is a fun challenge, which in my experience requires a lot of planning. Though some people may just be able to write freestyle, I know that I need a schedule to keep up with it all. So. I’ve created a template schedule for those wishing to participate in NaNoWriMo this year (and in years to come). Of course, feel free to tweak or ignore this schedule completely; it is just a tool for your use. For each day, follow the link, read the arti