There are many themes in science fiction, and the one about an alien who is trapped on earth entering a host body isn’t exactly a new plot line. However, in this young adult novel, Karen McQuestion taps into the “kids dealing with big stuff” storyline that seems to be popular right now. (Think “Stranger Things” on Netflix or even Stephen King’s, IT!
I’m not a big fan of young adult fiction, but I genuinely believe that the most creative stories these days are found in that genre. Publishers, large and small, are not prone to take any chances with fiction intended for adult audiences, but they are more open to new authors and new ideas in YA fiction. This has been true for quite a while, and this trend plays out on the big screen. The Harry Potter novels were quite successfully adapted to film, as were the Hunger Games novels. The Divergent Series is another YA science fiction series that made it to the big screen. Even Twilight and its sequels begat movies.
Probably From a Distant Star
The Lioness of Morocco
is quite a saga. I mean that in a positive way, but some readers may not be ready for a yarn that covers this many years. I, on the other hand, relished it, like a home cooked meal after a long stint of eating fast food.
There is a hint of fall in the air here in northern Georgia, and most of summer’s heat seems to be gone. Yesterday, I used my big lawn-mower to crunch up the last of the leaves and twigs left by Tropical Storm Irma, so it is time to get some things done outside. This morning, I dragged out some big sheets of cardboard from the garage, grabbed some cans of spray paint, and went to work. The chairs pictured are really old resin chairs, but they have held up remarkably well, so I decided to give them some new life with a new coat of paint. Recently, I found a product that has made spray painting so much easier and better that I bought a couple of these: 
. When I first saw it, I thought it was a dorky idea, but my son tried it first, and he was a believer, so I got some for myself. The only downside is that you might need to buy more paint, because this thing makes painting a breeze, so you’ll end up doing more projects!
I’ve been picking up limbs—wheelbarrow load after wheelbarrow load of sticks. Some of the sticks were dead limbs, with no leaves attached, and some of the limbs have some greenery still clinging to them. All of these limbs were torn down by the 45+ miles per hour gusts associated with Tropical Storm Irma. And, as I lost electricity for just over an hour, and phone and internet for just over a day, I was darned lucky.
, but I didn’t need any of them. Still, as a country bred woman, I do keep plenty of emergency supplies on hand, including lots of 
along with my small radio, flashlights, and so forth. I charged up my 
Although I haven’t gotten any comments, I did get a bit of traffic based on my previous WIP post, so I have just added a portion of Part I, which is an overview of what hubby and I take with us when touring on our bikes. I’ve added a few links to products, including luggage and gadgets, and I also included links to two of my favorite websites: 
When I was a kid, I read The Heart of a Dog, a collection of short stories by Albert Payson Terhune, over and over. The collection of seven stories is good for adults more so than children. One of the things I did when I first began teaching was to read to my middle school students, and I did read a story, The Meanest Man, from this book to them. Although it was first published in the 1920s, these stories are still very interesting.
Visions and Revisions 