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Popular PNR Themes #PNR #paranormal #romance #MFRWauthor

Kayelle Allen 06/11/2017 Research for Sci Fi Writers

Before we discuss popular PNR themes, let’s look at what PNR is. It’s also known as paranormal romance, which is a mix of romance and speculative fiction. It involves elements beyond scientific explanation and focuses on romantic love. On the MFRW (Marketing for Romance Writers) Yahoo Group and our Facebook page, this genre is discussed often. Here’s a look at categories and popular PNR themes.

Categories in PNR

Paranormal romance encompasses themes from fantasy, science fiction, horror, and speculative fiction subgenres such as urban fantasy, time travel, ghosts, witches, demons, vampires, were-creatures, and fairies (or fae). Although some say vampire romance is on its way out, the fascination for this subgenre is holding strong.

Popular PNR themes

In romance, as in filmmaking, a broad trend seems to be extensions of pre-existing properties. In other words, books that revolve around a universe peopled with specific characters or locations. If you read series romance or you like trilogies and boxed sets, this is likely your favorite. Sequels and prequels are the order of the day. If one story set in a specific world is popular, chances are another one will be too. When an audience already knows the “rules” of the universe (i.e., whether vampires sparkle), they are set for the next story to unfold.

Many popular PNR themes offer glimpses of paranoia, fantasies of power, and stories based in parody or satire. The themes involve scenarios that pit “us against them” and showcase heroes/heroines who protect the family, tribe, or world from outside threats. There are also “love overcomes” themes in which the love between two people (romantic love and/or love of a sister for sister, mother for child, etc.) drives the story. Another popular type shows how banding together wins the day by pitting society or a tribe or family against an individual threat such as a monster or demon. Sometimes, these types of stories involve quests to obtain an item of importance or to complete a ritual.

The forbidden fruit in PNR

One of the most enticing aspects of the paranormal romance realm is the forbidden. Falling in love with a blood-sucking vampire or a soul-sucking demon? Crazy! Or helping an otherworldly being defend those in this world? Scary! But that’s part of the charm.

Not so popular PNR themes

Overemphasis on supernatural aspects
If the character’s abilities or supernatural gifts are the most important part of the story instead of the plot, there is little to hold the interest of the reader.

Unwarranted gore
Why must a story open with a scene of horrific death or torture? There are surely better ways to establish the evil and/or dangerous aspects of a monster or villain.

Saving the World – Again
If every story puts saving the world (or tribe or family, etc.) at stake, then the stake becomes commonplace. Ho hum, world saved. Check.

Mary Sues
The perfect character. Mary Sues have no faults, but many talents. They are usually princesses, princes, or the children of powerful beings who hold such titles.

That’s quite a list. What did I leave out? What genre bending books have you read (or written)? What are you currently reading? And what are your least liked aspects in a paranormal romance? Please share it in the comments. Like this post? You’re welcome to share it on social media.

6 Romantic Spring Date Ideas #hopelessromantic

Kayelle Allen 04/09/2017 Life and Family

Why write about romantic spring date ideas? Because I believe in romance. The motto in my logo and on my website is Romance Lives Forever.

I’ve been married 43 years to the same guy and we still savor romance every day. We enjoy being together. Part of that reason is because we listen to one another and we laugh together. We don’t go out on the usual dinner and a movie type dates. We do enjoy going out to eat and we watch a lot of movies, especially at home. But to go somewhere and have fun without spending a fortune or wearing yourself to a frazzle with the travel… That’s tricky. With it being spring, I thought it would be fun to come with some ideas on what to do. I asked my husband for ideas. There were two requirements. A) They didn’t require a lot of money. B) They were things he’d enjoy doing. Here’s what we brainstormed.

1. Pack a lunch and head to the airport. There is small airport not far from our house and we can park outside the fence and watch planes take off and land. Talk about where the various planes might be headed. For example, a large plane has a greater distance, so it might be bound for a more exotic location than a small, light aircraft. Talk about where it’s going and what you’d do if you were there.

2. Look through some travel magazines and pick a location. If you want a romantic spring date but it’s still cold outside, have an indoor picnic. Open the curtains to let in sunlight. Place a blanket on the floor and sit down together. Pretend you’re having a picnic in the location you chose and role-play what you see. “Oh look! There’s a dolphin pod out there past the waves!” Or, if you can go outside, have your picnic in a park and pretend you’re in a different place, like New York City’s Central Park.

3. Go to a museum and take turns picking the area to visit. It could be a firetruck museum, an art museum, a local historical museum — the site doesn’t matter. The idea is to be together. Hold hands and take your time. Remember, you’re there to enjoy the day and bond with each other.

4. Go on a photo safari. Take your cameras or smartphones and each of you capture images. It can be of each other, the backyard, the sunset, the park, or wherever you happen to be. Then share the photos with each other. If you both take pictures of the same thing, how are they each different? Did you like a particular image? Why not make it your desktop image, or print it in larger size for a poster? That would make the time even more memorable.

5. Go hunting for lightning bugs. When summer is just underway, go outside and look for lightning bugs. Try to count them. It’s just about impossible! They blink and they move, but give it a shot. No need for anything fancy to do this. Just a love of being together.

6. Puzzle night. Get an small puzzle (can even be a kids’ puzzle) and put it together. There’s not much to do while you’re searching for pieces except talk. Which, after all, is the point of a date, right? Getting to be together and sharing?

Here are some places for more ideas. (They open in new windows so you can save your place) Dating Divas offers a list of 40 fun things. Business Insider has some wonderful ideas too. I loved the ideas in this post on She Knows.

Bottom line, whatever you do, take time to show how you feel. Expressions of love never get old. At the end of your date, commit to your relationship and to each other, and make plans for another romantic spring date.

Which of these would appeal to you and your special someone? What kind of romantic spring date you have gone on? Have you been on a date that was different and special? Share in the comments.

Bisexual Character: Why Write One? @barbcaffrey #amediting #author

Kayelle Allen 03/19/2017 Research for Sci Fi Writers 4 Comments

Or, Why Elaine is a Bisexual Character in Changing Faces by Guest Author Barb Caffrey
—
When Kayelle Allen and I talked about a guest blog in support of my new LGBT-friendly novel, Changing Faces, I wasn’t sure at first what to write. Then it hit me: Most people I’ve talked to, when they hear about my heroine, Elaine Foster, ask me, “Why must Elaine be bisexual when she’s already gender-fluid at the start of your book?”

There’s actually a good reason for that.

Bisexual Character – for a reason

You see, my premise in Changing Faces is that people should learn to see souls. Not bodies. And that a transgender couple—in this case, one created by angels, ’cause it’s a fantasy—is most likely to learn to do this first. Because who they are on the inside doesn’t necessarily match who they are on the outside.

“But, Barb,” you protest. “You were going to talk about bisexuality. Why aren’t you?”

I’m getting to that. (Honest.)

It seemed to me when I first started writing Changing Faces, that Elaine had to be bisexual. She already could see souls, to a degree. She already knew how to measure the worth of a person beyond his or her face, and had dated both men and women.

That, in a nutshell, is what a bisexual person is.

Now, as to why she still couldn’t accept herself as gender-fluid easily? Well, as a society, we’re only beginning to learn about people who don’t always feel male or female. Sometimes they feel one way, sometimes another, maybe a third time they have a mix of both traits. Gender preference is not the same thing as sexuality; not by a mile.

So, Elaine has dated women and men. She sees the worth of a person and is not automatically attracted only to one sex. In a way, Elaine isn’t attracted by anyone, sexually. She’s only attracted mentally and emotionally, and then, much later, sex comes into the picture. But that’s not that strange, considering she’s a scholarly sort. She can see into a person, and evaluate who that person is, in a way most people don’t. She doesn’t even think to do this because how she views people is part of who she is.

Ultimately, love is love. Who you love is far more important than what gender your love happens to be. Seeing a person’s soul, seeing a person’s heart, seeing a person’s worth, is far more important than whether that person is straight, gay, bisexual, or Martian.

Elaine knows that.

That’s why I wrote Elaine in this particular way. As a bisexual character, she already had all these traits. So, why did I use a bisexual character? I realized that was who Elaine was. I codified the traits she already had, before I realized I could use a label most people would understand: the word “bisexual.”

In other words, the story demanded that Elaine be bisexual. So she is.

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3CQKWJ

—
Barb Caffrey is a writer, editor, and musician who holds two degrees in Music. She has a particular fondness for the clarinet, lived in Nebraska for the better part of three years, and appreciated the ability to combine both her loves with the writing of Changing Faces.

Her other books are An Elfy on the Loose and A Little Elfy in Big Trouble (otherwise known as the Elfy duology), while her short stories have appeared in a number of places (most recently in Realms of Darkover). She’s also the co-writer of the Joey Maverick series of stories (with late husband Michael B. Caffrey), so the next story you might see from her could be military science fiction—or better yet, military science fiction with romance. She lives in Wisconsin.
Where to find Barb Caffrey

Website/Blog https://elfyverse.wordpress.com/

(Note from Kayelle: Barb has been my editor for three books now and if she’s willing, many more. FYI – she would probably object to the adverb “many” in the previous sentence. Just saying.)

Is it right to quit? 10 times it’s ok #author #entrepreneur

Kayelle Allen 02/25/2017 Marketing for Romance Writers

The question, “Is it right to quit?” seems to require a “No!” in response. But does it? Not if you are quitting for the right reasons. Here are ten times it’s okay (and perhaps advisable) to quit.

When is it right to quit?

When you realize what you’re doing is wrong. You’ve gone about it the hard way, for example, or you realize your information was incorrect.
When it’s harmful or dangerous to yourself, others, or the environment.
When it’s wasteful and not a good use of resources. Is it right to quit if you can fix the issue? Perhaps not.
When someone else can do it better for less. This is an iffy one — quality and quantity are market related. If you can make a widget for a dollar and someone else has a means to make ten of them for that price and they outperform yours, give serious thought to moving on.
When it’s not going in the right direction for your purposes.
When you can’t control what you’re doing and how you’re doing it, this is a good time to step back and reconsider how and why. Is it right to quit if you can’t control the outcome? This is probably one of the best times, depending on what you are trying to do in the first place.
When it’s no longer necessary. At some point, when no one needs this product or service, set it aside and move on.
When it’s time to hand it over to a new person. Perhaps someone you know needs a chance to succeed and this project would be ideal for them. Step back and coach, but let it go. Is it right to quit when it means enabling others? Yes.
When you’ve lost your enthusiasm. Perhaps a different approach to the issue is needed, but if you’ve tried different things and you still don’t care, quit. I know, that flies in the face of contemporary advice, but don’t beat a dead horse. Ride a live one.
When you no longer love it. You might be enthusiastic about the concept or the product, but you’re tired of it. You don’t want to do this anymore. Then by all means, step back and move on.

The point of knowing when to quit is knowing what to do afterward. Is it right to quit just because you feel like it? Well, why do you feel like it? Is it because one of the reasons above?

Let me share some things I decided to quit doing recently. I unsubscribed from a few online services I no longer used and from a few newsletters I never read. I stopped wasting time opening email and then filing it and instead, set up a filter in email to automatically file many emails from my target people (friends, family, and businesses). Now I can see the folders have unread mail, read it, and then either delete it or go on to the next thing. It cut down on time filing quite a bit.

I am a graphic designer and love creating banners, and more. I created a company, The Author’s Secret, for that purpose. However, after five years, I realized I was spending so much time maintaining social media, websites, blog posts, and more for both myself and the company that I had little time left to do what I want to do most. Write. So after a long soul-searching period, I decided to close the company.

Is it right to quit? I think so, yes, when the reasons are sound. What do you think? Is it right to quit or should you slug it out no matter what? Share your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear from you, yea or nay.

10 Memorable Luc Quotes #scifi #bookquote

Kayelle Allen 02/01/2017 Character Insights

Here are ten Luc Quotes. These “pearls of wisdom” come from the man referred to by many in the Tarthian Empire as the Harbinger. An alpha among alphas, the immortal Luc commands attention without being vain or flashy and he gains respect by his true concern for others. Cross him however, and there is no place in the universe to hide. Luc Saint-Cyr has been in all my Tarth books and is one of the heroes in my work in progress. I chose a few from each book. Other characters have stated they decided what to do after asking themselves, “What would Luc do?”

The book is listed in which the Luc quotes are found, then the occasion of the quote.

Luc Quotes from At the Mercy of Her Pleasure

To Senth about NarrAy

“Listen to me, my young Deshai. Despite the romantic nonsense you’ve heard about Betters being extraordinary lovers, their kisses can poison you. If her saliva mixes with yours, she can control your mind. The touch of her hands will drive you insane. There are ancient myths about sirens, women who used their voices to lure men and then slay them. Betters aren’t mythical. They’re real. If she subjects you to her passion, you’ll be at the mercy of her pleasure forever.”

To Khyff, who had been falsely imprisoned

“Know the law?” The Harbinger stood, and then laughed, obviously enjoying himself. “Son, I’ve been breaking it for so many years, I know it better than any of those high-paid courtside braggarts. Besides, none of the lawyers I contacted had enough clout. I got you a judge who’ll be fair and impartial.”

To Khyff, who had delivered a coded message for him

“I can see why you were so popular at Stalkos’s place, Khyffen. You know when to shut up, and you don’t talk back.” The Harbinger made a wave of dismissal. “Fact is, my young Senthys is ready to take wing. He’s been scratching at the nest for months. Ever since you came into his life. The way he took on the task of seeing to your freedom…” He shook his head. “Senth has been impressed with you since the day you met. So have I.”

Luc Quotes from For Women Only

To Khyff upon his refusing to accept a job

Saint-Cyr remained silent. With his all-black eyes, there was no telling where he looked. Finally, he nodded. “It won’t be easy finding another detail-oriented, by-the-book, stringent, weaned-on-pickle-juice hard-ass like you. But I’ll try.”

To Khyff about Senth

Saint-Cyr tossed himself back against the cushions of the car seat. “Do you suppose the woman who ordered him killed at birth knew she was his grandmother?”

To Khyff about two cops who refused to protect Luc’s son, Senth

“They’re ready for you.” Saint-Cyr motioned to him. While they walked, he explained the charges. “They’re holding her on two counts of murder by pheromones, violation of Better Laws, treason, harboring a criminal, and reckless endangerment of public officials. She was protecting Senth. She had to threaten to kill both cops that showed up before they’d call an ambulance for Senth, because he was a HalfKin.” He threw up his hands. “The fact that he’s my son should’ve sent them running for help.” His piercing black eyes narrowed. “They were both killed an hour ago. Line of duty, so they say.”

Luc Quotes from Wulf, Tales of the Chosen

To Wulf about an enemy Wulf tried to frighten off by being seen with Luc

“Four reasons.” He laid a hand next to the shot glass. “First, the concept of scaring off one bad guy with a bigger one rarely works. That brings us to the second, which assumes your agent will fear me. He may not. Although, unless he’s a fool, he should. Third, you didn’t simply ask for my help. Fourth, you assumed I would agree to being used.”

Luc Quotes from Alitus, Tales of the Chosen

To Empress Rheyn Destoiya about Wulf and Alitus sneaking off together

“The security tail I put on Wulf said he gave them the slip at an art gallery. He was seen walking through the place with a Better less than an hour ago. A Better who was accompanied by armed Praetorian. Unless you have Praetorian guarding anyone other than Alitus, that was him. Right now, neither of them is in sight and my goons can’t find him. What am I paying them for if they can’t keep him in sight for five minutes?”

Luc Quotes from Jawk, Tales of the Chosen

To Jawk upon his arrival at Luc’s home

“I’m pleased to finally meet you, Jawk.” The man’s voice had a deep timbre befitting his size. Tall as a Kin, taller than Jawk. Broad shoulders filled out his tux. Wulf had been elegance; Luc was power.

To Jawk who argues that Luc’s ship can’t possibly work

“Do you know what the word shibboleth means? It’s an ancient word to describe the way a culture speaks. ‘Physics laws are immutable’ is a NETway shibboleth. They are only immutable to those who lack the technology to change them.”

Want to know more about Luc, or about these books? You can read sample chapters from each one at the links below. Each opens to a page on this website.

At the Mercy of Her Pleasure
For Women Only
Wulf, Tales of the Chosen
Alitus, Tales of the Chosen
Jawk, Tales of the Chosen

How to Offer Help at Christmas #holidays #pets #hunger

Kayelle Allen 12/15/2016 Marketing for Romance Writers

People and pets will go hungry this Christmas. It’s sad that in the midst of all our plenty, there are still some who won’t get enough to eat. Why not be a blessing this Christmas? If you want to offer help and make a difference, here are some concrete things you can do.

Offer help for People

You can offer help in a concrete way. Instead of stocking up on cranberry sauce and stuffing, here are some items people need every day of the year. Donate these and you help people long after the holidays are over. Once you determine a place to donate, consider offering some of these items.

1) For people on food stamps and other assistance, a food allowance is provided, but it doesn’t cover diapers, paper towels, toilet paper, or cleaning supplies. When it’s on sale, stock up and donate some of the extra.

2) Personal hygiene products are vital. Consider picking up small travel sizes (handy for those who are homeless).

3) One of the biggest needs is for baby food and formula. Getting the dry powder to mix is great, and less expensive. If you get coupons for these items, stock up when they go on sale. Offer help personally if you know someone with a baby by bringing coupons, offering to drive them to the store, shop for them, or even to just sit down and talk. New parents are often exhausted. Having someone offer help might make a big difference.

4) Healthy snacks for children to pack in lunches, such as granola bars, milk boxes, juice boxes, and fresh fruit like apples and oranges. These keep well.

5) Salt, pepper (especially the type in small shakers), mayo, ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, sriracha, salsa, and other condiments such as salad dressing.

6) Donate non-perishable proteins. Pick up cans of tuna, chicken, ham, beans, jars of peanut butter, or almond butter.

A site in the Atlanta area for helping families is Papa’s Pantry. They let families come in and shop at no cost for what they need in a small store of donated items. The site is always in need of donations. They also teach workshops such as budgeting, job-finding skills, resume creation, and how to coupon. Knowledge and skill help break the cycle of need.

Offer help for Pets

When people are in tough financial straits, they sometimes have to surrender their animals to a shelter because they can’t take care of them anymore. That’s so sad! Do you have a pet? When you shop for your own, grab a few extra cans of dog and cat food. Even one can of food will make a difference to a hungry animal. Local shelters love getting extra food. They can use old blankets and towels too. Call your local shelter and ask what they need most. After a natural disaster such as a wildfire, flood, or earthquake, consider contacting one of the service agencies that help homeless pets. One in the Atlanta area is the Homeless Pets Foundation.

I want to give a shout out to Rob’s Rescues near Atlanta, GA. http://www.robsrescues.com/ Rob writes a column every month for four magazines in the Cherokee and Cobb county areas north of Atlanta. He profiles one dog and one cat each month from both the Cobb County Animal Shelter and Cherokee the County Animal Shelter and tries to get them adopted. He does pet food drives in local businesses and animal hospitals, and gives pet food to people who can’t afford to feed their pets. He has done interviews with people like the Gwinnett County Sheriff about the Jail Dogs Program. He’s been doing this since May 2015. The unusual thing about Rob is that he is still in elementary school! Just goes to show that to help others, you only have to be willing.

I urge you to click the Rob’s Rescues link, visit his site, and help him accomplish his mission of feeding pets.

How to Leave a Review #amreading #Books

Kayelle Allen 12/04/2016 Marketing for Romance Writers

Does it matter if readers leave a review? Yes. A book with even one review moves up in the sales ranking on Amazon. With enough reviews, an author can join programs that offer the book to more readers. It’s easy to leave a review. If you’ve never written a review before, this will guide you.

What should a review say?

If you received a book free then Amazon requires the following text (you can copy and paste):

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

For the rest of the review, the wording is up to you. When you leave a review, you should tell others what you liked about the book, or how you felt the author did at getting across the story. It can say that you recommend it to other readers. A review should not give away the ending of a story or spoil surprises for other readers. A review can be short and sweet.

What should a review not say?

Remember that a book review is for a product for sale, so keep the topic to the actual product. It should not have negative or unkind words. If should be about a book you’ve read. If you didn’t read it, it’s not fair to leave a review. It should not be about delivery issues. For example, if the book arrived late in the mail, that has nothing to do with the book itself.

Where can you leave a review?

If you have a blog, Facebook page, or an account on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, or other sites, you can post a review there. Here is a brief how-to that will guide you to getting to the right place to leave a review. In the examples below, I’ve used the book title “A Romance for Christmas” but you can substitute that for any title you wish.

To leave a review on Amazon

Go to www.amazon.com and log in.

To be considered a verified reviewer on Amazon, you need to have purchased at least one item from Amazon in the past.

In the search bar, put A Romance for Christmas.

Once you find the book, scroll down to “Customer Reviews” and click on “Write a customer review.”

To leave a review on Goodreads

Go to www.goodreads.com and login or create a new account: https://www.goodreads.com/user/create.

In the search bar, put A Romance for Christmas.

Once you find the book, click on it.

Rate the book with a star number underneath the book cover. The box above the stars will now mark the book as “Read.”

Hover over the box saying “Read” and you will see a small pop up balloon. Inside the balloon, click “Write a Review.”

Write a review in the box on this page or copy and paste your review from Amazon.

Sample Reviews

A sweet Christmas romance by @kayelleallen #holiday romance — A Romance for Christmas

Here are three actual reviews for my book A Romance for Christmas.

Even when you think there’s no one else for you, surprises happens & another chance presents itself. Take a shot and see what happens.
Merry Christmas to me. Absolutely loved this romantic story. Just beautiful.
It was a very touching story! Dara and Scott were perfect for each other because they had a lot in common. It was a nice light romance and fun!

As you can see, a review doesn’t have to be long or have a lot of detail. Of course, if you think a book deserves a longer review, by all means leave one.

Do you have any tips for reviews? Please share them in the comments. If you left a review because you read this post, please share the link. It doesn’t have to be one of my books. Also, feel free to share this post with friends.

Home for Christmas #MFRWhooks #HolidayRomance

Kayelle Allen 11/30/2016 Holiday Stories

Who doesn't want to go home for Christmas? In the sweet holiday story, A Romance for Christmas, a widow with a small child answers a knock at her door late on Christmas Eve. When she answers, everything changes. This holiday tale is a story of love, loss, and the spirit of giving.

Home for Christmas...

Everyone should stay home for Christmas -- that was Dara's belief. If her late husband had listened to her, he would still be here. Their daughter would still have a father. But job and duty had overshadowed family, and home. He would never be home for Christmas again...

---

Dara was gaining strength daily, and would finish therapy the first week of January and return to work. Disability paid for the basics - lights, phone, water, trash collection, and she'd never bought anything on credit, refusing to dig herself into a hole she'd never escape once it got started.

She went to the closet and pulled down a box with a ball, crayons, paper, and three books. A friend had brought over a few things as well. This wasn't the grand Christmas she had wanted for her daughter, but all the other valuables had been sold. There was nothing left but her wedding ring.

She didn't wear it. Removing it had been part of saying good-bye to Jack.

They said it would help, and it had. Sort of. But not much.

Dara sank into one of the kitchen chairs and put her face in her hands.

Sometime later, when the doorbell rang, she grabbed a paper towel and dried her eyes. The clock over the stove said nine o'clock. Who would be calling at this hour on Christmas Eve? She stuffed the wet towel in her robe pocket on the way to the door.

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My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images from Nik Nitsvetov Pietas cosplays.

Photon: more than just torpedoes #astronomy #wotd #scifi

Kayelle Allen 11/25/2016 Kayelle Allen

“Photon torpedoes! Fire!” If you thought that was a line right out of Star Trek, congratulations. You were right. The show has been on television, in movies, books, and other media for fifty years now. The imaginative people who created and wrote it have amassed a galaxy-sized universe in which they can release stories. There are entire wikis devoted to the Star Trek series.

Writing good Science Fiction is more than the product of a good imagination, however. Along with writing and editing skills, marketing, networking, and willingness to work hard, a scifi storyteller also needs science fact on which to base that fiction.

When I’m researching a story, I start at the bottom and work my way up. I subscribe to Astronomy Magazine and read it both digitally and in print, skipping few words in either edition. Because I’m no science expert, I depend on material created by those who are. When I don’t understand a concept, one way to grasp the basics to start with a book or website geared toward young readers. A good one is Ducksters which has a science section called Physics for Kids. It contains simple information in an interesting way and suggests other places to continue research. According to them, a photon is not made of smaller units, which means it’s an elementary particle. It has no electric charge or mass, and it’s stable. There is a list of other qualities. To read more, visit http://www.ducksters.com/science/physics/photons.php

There are numerous other resources a writer can use to research and learn. In the Astronomy Word of the Day series, I’ll be sharing material I’ve gleaned over the years, as well as resources where I’ve found them. While I won’t share a word every day, there will be one at least once a week. Be sure to bookmark this page and follow the blog for more.

Photon: Astronomy word of the Day

A photon is one of the basic units of light. It has properties of both a particle and a wave, which allows light to be diffused and refracted. A photon has no mass and does not carry a charge. They form the most visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The word comes from Greek (phos or phot) meaning light. Combined with electron (an English word), the word photon means “particle representing the smallest distinct and separate amount of light.”

In the Star Trek universe, there are multiple types of photon torpedoes and were fired in a tube-shaped case. The warhead itself contained a detonation chamber filled with antimatter. When detonated it created a a matter-antimatter explosion and ion radiation (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan).

So are there really photon torpedoes? Would they work? Not according to theoretical physicist Michio Kaku. He says a photon torpedo would have as much power as a flashlight. I can see the battles now… Captain Kirk (or another Star Trek captain – take your pick) orders the photon torpedoes to fire, and the entire crew of the ship whips out flashlights and shines them on the enemy. That would, in truth, be as effective as a “real” photon torpedo.

So while “photon torpedo” sounds good in scifi usage, the actual definition of photon means torpedoes won’t be in our future. At least, not like the ones in Star Trek.

Like this type of post? Want to see more? What other words would you like to see? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Daredevil Immortals and Extreme #sports

Kayelle Allen 10/20/2016 Character Insights

I write about immortals, so I think about things that might affect them. My characters often do daredevil things that mortals wouldn’t dream of doing, such as walk toward someone who’s shooting at them. Superman much?

That made me start wondering what I would do if I knew I wouldn’t die? I might be quite daring. I might even take financial risks if I knew I’d recoup my losses and not die penniless. No — none of that is true. I’m a scaredy cat. 🙂 But I live a vicarious daredevil life through my immortals.

My daredevil immortals would try…

Daredevil Immortals and Extreme #sports @kayelleallen — An Immortal’s Guide to Tarth

Dancing on a rooftop during a thunderstorm.
Fire walking — the act of walking barefoot over a bed of hot embers or stones (my immortals can only die permanently from fire, being vaporized, or completely torn to pieces.
Parasailing — being towed behind a boat or other vehicle while attached to an oversized kite.
Skydiving – jumping out of a perfectly good airplane — on purpose.
Bungee jumping — jumping off something high while tied by the ankles to a springy tube.
Glacier Surfing – wait for a chunk of a glacier to break off, and then ride a surfboard along the wave it kicks up.
Mountain climbing – especially mountains like Everest, K2, and any place where you hang upside down while clinging to rocks with your fingertips.
Extreme Surfing – you have to be especially crazy to be towed out to the biggest waves.
Anything having to do with bulls — riding, running, fighting, etc.
BASE jumping (Buildings, Antennas, Spans, or Earth) which in some circles is called “attempted suicide”.
Storm chasing – find a tornado or other storm to follow and get as close as possible to watch or record it.
In the Tarthian Empire, there’s a sport called Ruckball. It’s played on a low gravity field and is a cross between soccer, football, and wrestling. Not for the faint of heart even to watch!
Finally, a sport I can’t imagine any sane person doing in any empire: cave diving. First you have to scuba dive down to the cave, then swim around in it without getting lost or running out of air. If the lights go out, you can’t even see. Who is crazy enough to do that?

Even if I was immortal I don’t think I’d try any of these, because they all tend to freak me out. I am NOT a daredevil. I play it safe. What would be on your list if you were immortal? How much of a daredevil are you? Which of these sports have you tried? Share it in the comments.