Walking down the road...

Many people have asked me where I got my ideas for some of the
short stories found in Tales Unleashed.

It's not unusual for me to grab my backpack, my camera and my
notepad and go for a ride on a country road.  Not just any country
road, but rather maybe one of those seasonal roads..you know the
ones...just dirt highlighted by good size chuck holes, maybe even
some wild grass growing in the middle of it.

So many times I'll come upon an abandoned house and/or barn...
sitting silently as sentinels over what was their domains so many
year before. I'll sit...watch... ponder...and try to envision the people
and their circumstances within such a place...how they lived, raised
their families, then moved on or even passed away there.

Many times one of those structures will 'speak' to me...trying to
draw me in for a closer look...as if to bait me into their sometimes
dark and mysterious spaces.

As trees and briers and black berry bushels take over a landscape...
they can't hide what the true identity of the property once was.
Alas, all things come to pass...and Mother nature eventually takes
back unto herself boards, glass, concrete..and returns them to
whence they came.

I take these walks and rides quite frequently...and new stories always
come to mind...at least partials for me to take home, embellish,
organize and put to paper...or rather a hard drive now.

Tales Unleashed has many stories born from being 'out there'... on
that country road.

The House upon the Hill, Discovering Dr. John, The Lantern,
Jessie's Find, A walk in Fog and Time....all fictional stories, but
to me, not really.

Maybe at one time, in one realm or another I was actually a resident
at one of those visited places....it's worth contemplating I guess.

Take yourself on one of those country roads sometime soon.

Stop, look, listen.....see if anything comes back to you...

you might be surprised.

Thanks for stopping in. SS

Last weeks Canadian broadcast..

The folks at Spaced out Radio of Newfoundland Canada have

posted on the internet my 'cast' with them a week ago,

Saturday night. Hostess Tessa did a great job with the

interview... and had lots and lots of questions sent in to her

while we were live with the program.

If you go to YouTube and type in my name Stanley Swan

the cast will come up for you to listen in if you wish.

We talked about Undertakings, Tales Unleashed and a

few 'unusual' things in our conversation.

You can move the interview through with your mouse

if you wish to skip around in it.

Thanks Tess and SOR of Canada... it was great fun

at midnight! SS

Remembering 'Moms' everywhere...

Where would we be without them? They brought us into the

world, nurtured us, taught us, disciplined us. Our very

existence is because of their unselfish actions in making

us part of the big picture.

Remember the commandment;

1. Thou shalt honor father and mother!]

If your Mom is still alive, thank her, visit her,

cherish her.  

If she has passed on, honor her in anyway that

you can...you will be blessed for it!

The crow.... keeper of the gate.

A crow watches intently daily over his domain....the

domain is not a usual one....it's the resting place for a

few dozen souls who have long ago gone on to their

justly rewards.

This quiet place is HIS territory...he calls it home...

he guards it as if a king would guard his gathered treasures.

How he thinks, reacts and plans is simply not contemplated

by the infrequent few humans who venture in.

'The crow, keeper of the gate' is the first story in

Tales Unleashed.

It's a cemetery with a whole new perspective......his.

The next time you enter this quiet place, remember him...

he is there, always. He will forever be there, it's what he

does. 

Here's the link...

a great evening Saturday night with Tessa at
Spaced out Radio in Canada via her studio
in Colorado......

Lots of great questions from their loyal
listeners...

here's the link to the cast...once you open it
you can move through it quite quickly if
you get totally bored!  Have a great week
everyone.  SS

https://youtu.be/D0FOqrEzbcE