Ghost Got Your Tongue?

Hello Rebels,

Long time, no see. I moved a week ago and still don't have DSL, though not through lack of trying. I haven't written in that length of time either, presumably for the same reason. Not even on my manuscript.

Never mind I moved in to a haunted house. Which contributed in no small part to the difficulties I've had this last week. A quick trip to see Brian (my therapist who sees dead people) yesterday confirmed what I already knew. One of them had latched on and was taking me for a ride. Bye-bye sucka.

This morning I realized that though she was gone, her husband was still here. He was easier and left when I told him to. The house feels much better, but there is still some residual ickiness. Brian is coming by here tomorrow to clear out any stragglers.

I will spare you the list of what has gone wrong this week, besides the DSL. Suffice it to say that I'll be happy to see the ne'er-do-well's gone. I'm looking forward to settling in and making this house a home, sans ghosts who disagree with the modern lifestyle.

Happy Weekend, Olivia J. Herrell

Long Ago and Not So Far Away

Passionate research fuels storytelling. It can also remind us that some history should never be forgotten, lest it be repeated.

From Wikipedia:

"The Roman proconsul and general Julius Caesar pushed his army into Gaul in 58 BC, on the pretext of assisting Rome's Gaullish allies against the migrating Helvetii. With the help of various Gallic tribes (for example, the Aedui) he managed to conquer nearly all of Gaul...

As many as a million people (probably 1 in 5 of the Gauls) died, another million were enslaved, 300 tribes were subjugated and 800 cities were destroyed during the Gallic Wars. The entire population of the city of Avaricum (Bourges) (40,000 in all) were slaughtered. During Julius Caesar's campaign against the Helvetii (present-day Switzerland) approximately 60% of the tribe was destroyed, and another 20% was taken into slavery."



Ancient Gaul and its tribes.



Gaul was no small country, either. It encompassed current-day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine.

Yet Rome, under Julius Caesar brought Gaul to her knees. They annihilated twenty percent of the population and enslaved most of the rest. The Gaulic culture and languages, including that of the Celts, disappeared, replaced by Latin. Hmm, I no longer find myself sad that Latin is dead.

And yet, history does repeat itself. In spite of these glaring examples, we seem to have learned no lessons. Are we doomed to barbarism, no matter our evolution? Did anyone else notice that Rome marched in to Gaul on the pretext of assisting their allies? Sound familiar?

GAHHHH!

More poking around turned up the reason Rome was so pissed off in the first place.

From AncientWorlds.net:

"In 387 B.C....the first Brennus...(of Gaul) sacked Rome and as the Romans were paying tribute to him, he noticed they were trying to slight him. It is said that Brennus threw his sword onto the pile saying "Vae Victus" (woe to the vanquished)..."

But still!

This last (also taken from ancientworlds.net) rather delighted me in that it reads like fantasy.

"Brennus then advanced across Greece, looting everything he could find. Disatisfied with the paltry loot, he decided to go on to Delphi which was reported as the treasure house of Greece. Without waiting for Kicharos, Brennus and his army of 40,000 set off to attack the temple of Apollo, the ultimate goal of his expedition.


Here it is said that Brennus was defeated by earthquakes, thunderbolts which reduced the soldiers to ashes, snow storms, showers of great stones, and "ancient heroes appearing from the heavens". It appears that after a long battle the Gauls were forced to retreat before they could reach the Delphic treasures."

Ahh. Now THAT I can sink my teeth in to. I also found this short video that delves deeper in to the Delphi attack:



Does anyone feel as small and insignificant as I do when going back through time? Rome ruled for 2200+ years. America, only a tenth of that.

Thank you for stopping by That Rebel. I am in the throes of birthing the first of a trilogy, the working title of which is Blessed Are The Peace Makers. A Southern Fantasy, it is set in Atlanta, Georgia, and draws upon ancient and current, as well as future history.
Happy Sun-Day!

~ Olivia J. Herrell

Deliver Me

The New Year has delivered me to my writing. The manuscript, notes and characters I put down almost a year ago have come to life. The excitement is back, and building. My bedroom, my writing space, is adorned with various and assorted items that inspire me: posters, art, photographs.

Can anyone tell me why my iPhone
pics keep reverting to sideways?

While at Fernbank Science Center the other day, I bought a dragon (because, yes, there will be dragons), and was gifted a poster of the oceans and seas (because I love maps and this is maybe the coolest one I've ever seen AND it inspires me).

Now that I am writing again, I seriously need a new chair. And writing gloves. My current chair was a $20 thrift store purchase last year. It has served its purpose, considering I haven't spent that many hours a day in it. However, my left butt cheek sits at an angle and is about an inch lower than my right.
 
Dude. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this can not possibly be helping a hip condition I wish to be rid of. Nor is it conducive to holding my head straight.

Vic Caswell suggested writing gloves. This house has no insulation and my crooked chair sits in a corner through which cold air seeps. Even with the heater at my knees and a blanket tucked behind me, my fingers get cold.

The rest is cake. I'm happy to be writing again, even cock-eyed. When I sat down at the first of 2012 and pieced together the already-written prologue, prophecy and main body of the story, I realized I had a substantial beginning.

But as with any muscle, the writing muscle is one you lose if you don't use. I literally have had to force myself to sit still in this lopsided rocker and write. But I perservere.

It is paying off. In the last three weeks I've added close to 10,000 words, upping total count to just shy of 18,000. Some nights the words flow. Other nights I edit. I am of the 'edit en route' variety of writer. It helps me with the flow, it helps me stay in character, and it keeps my butt in the chair.

Some nights I can't write at all, but my butt is in the chair to watch my television shows on hulu.com. Or to read.

Whatever it takes, I am telling this story. I'm doing it. And the only way that'll happen is by keeping my butt in this chair and my nose in the story.

~ ONWARD ~ Olivia J. Herrell

P.S. As usual, I searched youtube.com for a song somehow related to my topic. Here is Sarah Brightman and a wonderful cast singing Deliver Me.

You Little Ol' Busker, You

I came across a "new" word the other day: busking.

According to Wikipedia:

"Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles. People engaging in this practice are called street performers, buskers, street musicians, minstrels, or troubadours."

From the root word, buscar, meaning "to seek":

"Up until the 20th century buskers were commonly called minstrels in America, Europe and other English-speaking lands...The word "busk" comes from the Spanish root word "buscar", meaning "to seek" – buskers are literally seeking fame and fortune..."

And more from Wiki:

Folk music has always been an important part of the busking scene. Cafe, restaurant, bar and pub busking is a mainstay of this art form. Two of the more famous folk singers are Woody Guthrie and Joan Baez.

The delta bluesmen were mostly itinerant musicians emanating from the Mississippi Delta region of the USA around the early 1940s and on. B.B. King is one famous example who came from these roots.

Now there's Cyber Busking:

"In the first decade of the 21st century, some performers have begun "Cyber Busking". Artists post work or performances on the Internet for people to download or "stream" and if people like it they make a donation using PayPal."

Happy Busking, Olivia J. Herrell

And for my fellow blues and guitar lovers, here's a priceless video of the late, great Gary Moore and BB King swapping licks like, well, go see for yourself.