Serials

It's all about Time. Time the vast distance, Time the villain. Augusta could travel back in Time to tell herself how good life has become, and how to avoid the mistakes that were made. But if she did, she wouldn't grow up to become Augusta. Ah, but maybe that would have been better and she would have missed Time's cruelest trick of all.

In the wake of her mother's death, Lynn is staying with her longtime friend and hardcore gossip, Cinda. With the innocence of one born without a sense of tact, Cinda is singlemindedly returning to the drama of the Mayor's death and whether or not any of his mistress's other lovers knew about each other. Lynn is still trying to assemble the big picture, however. One that seems to include special agent Harry Adkison in strange places...

He'll show her <i>his</i> if she'll show him <i>hers</i> ... but this is a more adult show and tell, with unspoken issues clouding their views.

Sure, Lynn's mother is dead, but why is the FBI on the scene so quickly? Special Agents Adkison and Thomason are conducting one investigation, while the locals conduct their own. Little about the FBI agents is lost on the perceptive Lynn or the nosy Cinda -- including the fact that the killings might not stop with Lynn's mother.

Since Ariadne fell for the mostly naked Theseus and gave up both the magic ball of string and her virginity, people have been doing foolish things for love. Augusta still recalls when "good girls" didn't call boys on the phone. Now, with a first kiss that couldn't be more romantic or tantalizing, she's left contemplating the change over her lifetime of sex -- from something that decent people simply didn't do outside of marriage to something that professors were almost certainly going to do with handsome young musicians they had only recently met.

In the aftermath of her mother's death, Lynn is awash in people. People asking questions. People lending a hand. People being more trouble than they're worth. One person stands out, however. A special agent with an unusual affect on people. Something about his eyes makes Lynn suspect he's an insomniac like she is. She's more right than she knows...

In the classroom, the topic is Purgatory -- getting rid of the old earthly baggage before beginning a new existence in the afterlife. Roman Catholic shedding of earthly sins. New Hebrides shedding of pigs. Outside of the classroom, Valentine shows up to court Augusta sporting a fat lip and a cut-up face -- the scars earned shedding an old relationship. Does this mean he intends to embark on a new relationship with Augusta? Despite her best efforts, this flirtation doesn't seem to want to stay casual.

The insomnia lifts long enough for Lynn to get maybe three hours strangely deep sleep -- that's long enough for a mysterious power outage, a strangely timed phone call and the discovery of her mother -- or more specifically, her mother's body -- lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Maybe this is why Lynn's body doesn't like to let her sleep; obviously, nothing good ever comes of it.

In class, the discussions turn to Heaven and Hell. But this week, the teacher is the one who cannot pay attention. Hell: the handsome violinist hasn't called. Heaven: he's sent a note. Hell: it was sent last Friday and Augusta has only received it now. Heaven: Augusta is getting more and more involved with this captivating young musician. Hell: sweet as it all seems, Augusta knows better to fall into a trap like this. But it seems she's about to anyway.

It's been a busy day, what with the funeral and prying questions -- both for the survivors of the dearly departed and for Lynn and her mother. The question is, will it be a quiet night for insomniac Gwendolynn? A strange noise and a phone call aren't about to help...

And now Augusta finds out: Valentine is not only handsome and talented, but is charming as well. "Where have you been all my life?" he asks, and what her heart might answer is, "In the dark and alone."

Is this a funeral or the Jerry Springer show?? The mayor is dead, and his floozy dares to come to the funeral. But the grieving widow isn't the only furious one, because the dearly departed wasn't the only one to pass between Louella's bedsheets. It's a miracle anyone remembers to take the coffin to the hearse.

Paperwork, paperwork, and every second has to count to get through the day. But what if your concentration is broken by an arrangement of flowers that puts you in mind of a phallic symbol? Quick! Think about something else!

It's the social event of the season, and for the first time in nearly ten years, Augusta doesn't have a date for the occasion. In fact, her ex-lover Moersgard is going to show up with his new hottie ... but that's not the most disturbing incident of the evening ...

Why is it time to think of romance? Is it the sound of the waves against the cliffs? Is it the caress of the fleece blanket against Augusta's cheek? Is it missing the old familiar face of Moersgard, or can it be -- the thought of something new?

Augusta accepts a lunch invitation from the phallus-obsessed Radigan, and finds heavenly food and a disconcerting observation by a tall, dark stranger. "I wasn't looking for anything more than food," she says. "Maybe it would have been better if I had just gone hungry."

No one really knows how Life, the Universe, and Everything came to be. Origins are lost from memory, even the origins of the people we come to be ...

Chapter One of Time Traveler</iIt should have been a lazy, romantic morning, full of smug memories from an evening of lovemaking. Instead, it wound up being the moment the rose-colored lenses fell away, revealing a battered woman living in a cage made partially from her own permission. For better or for worse, this is the moment one woman begins defying conventions to make paths of her own choosing. But the less traveled path is always the rockier one. *Parental Advisory*

Vol. 9 - Mama's Pride - Part 6 <br> Just what does Franky remember? Katlyn reveals to Alex her findings on the past of General Frank Oswald--what he was, and how he came to be what he is now.

Vol. 9 - Mama's Pride - Part 5 <br> The week following Alex's narrow escape from death is recounted. Katlyn tells Alex of the recovery of the others, her meeting with Greegan the Mighty, the formation of Goddess Killer groupies, and more.

A tall, dark, handsome man and hundreds of white roses -- the redhead who wouldn't tell her name -- Sully's mother recounts the tale of her romance. Too bad it had to end this way. (First appeared 2003-10-20)

Michelle knows she'd kick herself if she didn't pause in the murder investigation to climb the Escher-like stairs in the fae Hall of the Hunt. It provides ample time to discuss theology, magic, and which way your lunch would fall if you lost it on the enchanted stairs in this episode of the traditional fairy tale retold. First appeared 2003-07-28

Vol. 1 - Swept Away - Part 1 <br> Deep of the basement of his mother's home, Alexander Sterling puts the finishing touches on what he hopes to be the greatest breakthrough in scientific history. The hands of time, however, have different plans for him and a complete stranger he's about to meet.

Vol. 9 - Mama's Pride - Part 4 <br> Katlyn's retelling of the past continues. She awakens in the medical bed, wound treated, and learns about the fate of her companions. Then she is introduced from afar to the captain of the <i>Mama's Pride</i>, Greegan the Mighty.

Vol. 9 - Mama's Pride - Part 3 <br> Alex finally gets to enjoy his meal, but the way of the future and his life turns it into one more giant disaster. A while later, Katlyn starts to fill in the missing month for him.

Vol. 9 - Mama's Pride - Part 2 <br> As Alex makes his way toward the dining hall of the <i>Mama's Pride</i>, he encounters some of the local inhabitants. His newfound surroundings, while bizarre are nonetheless a vast improvement of lifestyle.

While we wait for Anachronocity's return, here's a synopsis of the story so far. Alex Sterling is a home-grown scientist, trying to recreate his brother's work after Daniel's suicide. An accidental break-through sends Alex and innocent bystander Katlyn hundreds of years into a future where nothing is as it seems. What started out as an effort to decipher the riddle of his brother's death is rapidly turning into a sudden death challenge, with mankind's fate hanging in the balance.

<i>A length of chain, a mug of ale, and thou.</i> <br><br>Before we jump back into the novel-in-progress, here is everything you need to know about the adventures of Osgun, a half-orc dock worker whose education is limited mostly to four-letter words and how to gut fish, but whose heart is about to lead him deep into a land of richness and danger.

<b>Prophet In His Own Land, part two</b>. Hm. It seems life as a deacon isn't going to be all floating on cloud nine. It's one thing to preside over the general public, but Stephen's friends and family are leveling some fairly direct criticism. Has he let being a "holy man" go to his head, or are they just unable to separate the role of "deacon" from the man filling it?

<b>Prophet In His Own Land, part one</b>. Newly ordained deacon, Stephen Hatchell, has shown his wife the night of her life, scared several foul words out of her mouth in front of the children, and is headed off to his first Mass as a deacon. Life is wonderful.