Fiction: Finsoup (a novel) [45]

Pay Back

By edRogers

[Reviewed here on the novel’s publication day, October 6, 2018: “Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble store near you?”]

Night was coming but the sun was still up as Charlie began watching for movement around the house. The guards were going in and out and the windows were still open to catch the evening breeze. At some point, they would lock down the house, and Charlie needed to get in before that happened.

Exploring the Pyrenees, Part I:A Wall

By James T. Carney

In 1710 – oops, you can tell this will be a long story – after King Louis XIV of France’s grandson had been named King of Spain, potentially uniting the two countries and ending a rivalry that had dominated Europe for two centuries, Louis declared, “Il y’na plus de Pyrenees,” or “There are no more Pyrenees,” referring to the mountain chain that separated France from Spain. Well, I have news for his departed Majesty, “Il y’a plus de Pyrenees,” and I have climbed them – stumbled, crawled, and fallen across them.

Interview: Ed Rogers on his art of storymaking

In the flow

Interviewed by Moristotle

I’ve now edited Ed’s four self-published novels, his self-published collection of childhood stories, and dozens of his essays, poems, and fictional pieces for Moristotle & Co. And his fifth novel, which I’m editing now, is the best yet, I think. That is to say, I’ve had years now to admire his fluency in getting ideas and stories down in words. And, in the case of his novels, I’d go beyond saying I “admire” Ed’s ability to saying I “marvel” at it. For having tried my own hand at writing a novel (and not coming up with much), it’s beyond me to comprehend how Ed does it. How does he make up long, intricate, believable, satisfying stories?
    One way to find out, of course, is to ask Ed, hoping that he isn’t himself at a loss to know how he does it. My questions are in italics.

At a beginning

An unlikely exemplar for a commencement address

By Kyle Garza

[Editor’s Note: Kyle is a past columnist here, and we are grateful that he has shared this witty, serious piece of writing with us. It is the text of a speech he delivered last June at the commencement of the graduating class of Calvary Christian School, Oxnard, California.]

Thank you kindly, Dan, for those words that I may or may not have written myself. I can proudly attest to the truth of one of those points: today actually does mark the 1,095th day, or 3-year-anniversary, of my marriage to McKenzie, which means we’ve outlasted the average Hollywood marriage span by about three years now.

The Loneliest Liberal:Coping in our time

By James Knudsen

I can’t be the only one. There must be others struggling to cope. A nation of this size, there must be dozens of people like me looking for a way to deal with the fact that Donald J. Trump is our President. And unlike previous Chief Executives, who start to blend in with the hand-rubbed paneling, this one is just as front and center, just as exhausting, just as infuriating as the day he strutted down that escalator. Well, I’d rather shine a light than curse the darkness, so here are some coping strategies for those in a similar predicament.

Fiction: Finsoup (a novel) [44]

Devil Below

By edRogers

[Reviewed here on the novel’s publication day, October 6, 2018: “Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble store near you?”]

The sun was up and it was getting hot fast. Charlie turned off the highway going to Jaco and shot up the hill, taking his new shortcut this time. He stopped at the top, looked back onto the highway and waited to see if he had been followed. He waited five minutes but only a tourist van came by with people on their way to resorts along the beaches. One other benefit of the shortcut was that he could see miles of the highway going back to Puntarenas and on to Jaco.

Fiction: Finsoup (a novel) [43]

Attack Plan

By edRogers

[Reviewed here on the novel’s publication day, October 6, 2018: “Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble store near you?”]

The sun was an hour before rising as he headed down the road from Margot’s on his motorbike. In his mind, Charlie could hear Araya’s footsteps coming closer; he was running out of time. Araya was not above making up a reason to have him arrested. In fact, he was surprised Araya hadn’t already done it.

Fiction: Finsoup (a novel) [42]

Tai Makes a Run

By edRogers

[Reviewed here on the novel’s publication day, October 6, 2018: “Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble store near you?”]

It was a moonless night with only the light from the warehouse guard post illuminating a bit of the street. There was a chill in the air from a north wind that had come in with a cold front. Understand that Charlie had been in Costa Rica long enough that sixty degrees was freezing to him as well as to other Costa Ricans, and everybody on the street had jackets on, most of them with a hoody.

West Coast Observer: The comedy isn’t funny

By William Silveira

The persistence of local Trump support – that is, around my part of California’s Central San Joaquin Valley – is baffling. To write a whole column about it would be a challenge I’m not sure I could meet. Trump is our Comedian in Chief, and it is sad that too many people still find him entertaining, not to mention what an insult it is to the American taxpayer that his or her dollars go to pay for Trump’s road shows, like Monday’s in El Paso.

Fiction: Finsoup (a novel) [41]

Dog with a Bone

By edRogers

[Reviewed here on the novel’s publication day, October 6, 2018: “Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble store near you?”]

Charlie had received a letter from Diego Acedo, Margot’s attorney, who asked if Charlie could drop by for a chat.
    The little bell over Acedo’s office door tinkled when Charlie walked in. “Have a seat, I’ll be right with you.”

Fiction: Finsoup (a novel) [ 40]

Big Bust

By edRogers

[Reviewed here on the novel’s publication day, October 6, 2018: “Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble store near you?”]

Charlie was notified by Customs what American Airlines flight his feathers were going out on. He knew that if his feathers were going out Tai’s shark fins would be on the same flight, and he forwarded the information to Agent Morris.
    By the time AA 2589 landed in Dallas, the D.E.A. had added more cameras around the Customs secure-holding area. The area was already covered with cameras but these gave them coverage of every inch of it.

Poetry & Portraits: Epilogue

Drawing by Susan C. Price

Epilogue
By Eric Meub

[Originally published on October 18, 2013]

The raven’s more than hoarse by now, he’s dead
of boredom. Duncan’s come again, fifth time,
and I’ve put fresh sheets on the sofabed
for Mac and me, sleepwalking past our prime.

Fiction: Finsoup (a novel) [39]

The Police

By edRogers

[Reviewed here on the novel’s publication day, October 6, 2018: “Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble store near you?”]

Charlie pulled up to his gate only to find a policeman on a motorbike waiting for him. He looked to Charlie to be in his early twenties and fresh on the job.
    He leaned his head out of the window and asked, “Can I help you?”

Fiction: Finsoup (a novel) [38]

A Plan Needed to Be Worked

By edRogers

[Reviewed here on the novel’s publication day, October 6, 2018: “Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble store near you?”]

The next day Charlie made a trip to Customs. He had the box of feathers that Margot had made up for him and the two thousand dollars for Julio Morales. It had crossed Charlie’s mind that the two Morales’s could be related, but Victor was a Mexican and Julio was a Tico through and through. South America lacked a large pool of names to choose from. Unlike the States, most names in South American countries came from one source, Spain.

Roger’s Reality – The Jasper Chronicles: The Wasp Nest

By Roger Owens

The summer I was ten, I learned that the two massive oak trees that bracketed the driveway to my Aunt Sue’s house had grown from the green oak gateposts in front of the old plantation house. The house, originally a white, two-story clapboard Colonial structure, sat on the north side of Route 6 about three miles east of the town of Jasper, Florida, and had recently been demolished and rebuilt as a one-story, red-brick Ranch.

Roger Owens now contributing editor

By Moristotle

We were delighted that Roger Owens agreed immediately to our request that he serve not just as a columnist but also as a contributing editor. With his agreement lightening our spirits, we moved his sidebar blurb up a few inches, to rest among those of veterans Geoffrey Dean, James Knudsen, Jonathan Price, and Ed Rogers:

Fiction: Finsoup (a novel) [37]

Too Soon the Light Is Gone

By edRogers

[Reviewed here on the novel’s publication day, October 6, 2018: “Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble store near you?”]

Charlie landed at the airport in Liberia and caught a cab to the bus station. He tried Juan’s cell phone at the airport and again in the cab. The bus had few passengers and he had a seat by himself. Every few minutes he would try Juan. At last, he gave up and called Margot.
    “Hello.” She sounded tired and her voice was a whisper.