E is for Exorcism

Few words in any language can illicit such strong emotions as the word exorcism. Most cultures from the beginning of time have believed in and practiced some form of exorcism. 

Can a person be possessed, inhabited, made sick, or controlled by an outside malevolent force? Can certain events in a person’s life trigger an open a door for such a thing to happen? And if so, can that hostile presence be excorcized. 

I believe mankind is a three-fold being of body, soul and spirit. So the question arises, can something invade a person, pitch a tent, and set up shop? And if so, would this happen in the realm of the body, soul, or spirit? Or can it latch on and hitch a ride, following a person around and being a general al-around pain in the ass? 

In an exorcism, the process is relatively simple. It comes down to authority. The trespassing spirit is kicked out by an authority that is bigger, stronger, and badder. That’s it in a nutshell. 

That being said, the person possessed has to want to be delivered. If they do not want to cough up the spirit, well, there’s not much that a bigger authority to can do because the host, for whatever reasons, decides to allow the evil presence to remain. Power would be a good example. Addiction is another. Some people enjoy a good pity party. The choices are many. 

Groaner of the Day: What happens when you don’t pay your exorcist bills? You become repossessed. Rimshot please. 

Stephen Tremp is a Speculative Writer and blogs at Breakthrough Blogs. His theme for the 2015 Blogging A to Z Challenge is The Supernatural and Paranormal. His latest work, Salem’s Daughters, is due for release Labor Day Weekend 2015.

A Special A to Z Tribute: Tina Downey

         On this day when many of you celebrate Easter I wish to greet you in your celebration of that important event in our history.   Spring is well underway as is the 6th yearly Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  We are off to a wonderful start and I want to thank all of you for keeping your posts active during this time.   I've been finding some outstanding posts on an array of topics as I'm sure you have been reading as well.  

       There is a beloved member of the A to Z community that I want to acknowledge and she is one that I'm sure that more than a few of us miss greatly.  I also have a story to tell that has inspired this special Sunday post.   I'll let you decide the significance of this story.

Dedicated to Tina Downey

      I've received a number of inquiries as to why the 2015 A to Z badge says "For Tina" on it.  Some thought that they had received the wrong badge that was intended for someone else.   In order to answer this question for any others who might be wondering why Tina's name is on the badge it's because this year's challenge has been dedicated to Tina Downey who passed away last August 23rd.  For several years of the A to Z Challenge Tina had been a strong motivator and the backbone of the April event, working on A to Z throughout the years as her labor of love for A to Z to make each April more successful that the previous one.

      If you'd like to read more about Tina and her A to Z legacy you can read my tribute or the A to Z Team tribute to her.  On September 8th, 2014 there was also a A to Z community wide tribute to Tina on many blogs of those who loved and appreciated her.   My Sunflowers for Tina tribute tells the story of what I did in her honor and that leads up to my story of what happened recently.

A Message from Tina?

     

      A couple days prior to the Sunflowers for Tina tribute I planted 20 to 30 sunflower seeds in a area behind my house.  About half of these were planted in the area shown above.   Sometime in late January--about the time the A to Z list opened-- I noticed a plant sprouting that I initially took to be a weed of some sort, but in hopes that it was one of the sunflowers actually growing I let it be.   Over the next month or so this plant began to grow rapidly until it was over 6 feet high.  I watched daily for a flower to bloom as April approached.  A few days prior to the first of April signs of a impending bloom became evident.

     On April 1st, the opening day of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, the blossom opened.  In the photo above you can see the complete sunflower plant.

   Here is a closer view of the bloom as it appeared on April 1st.

     On April 2nd the flower had opened a bit more.

      By April 3rd the sunflower bloom was becoming more robust.

       Here is how the flower looked on April 4th.   The plant appears to be doing well and I'll be keeping watch over the course of April to monitor its progress.

What Do You Think?

       Is this somewhat miraculous?   Or merely a well-timed coincidence?    I'll leave it to you to decide.  All I know is that out of the over 20 seeds that I planted in drought-stricken California in what is lousy and perhaps even toxic soil and receiving no care other than a few rains, in my backyard one sunflower bloomed for Tina Downey on April 1st as the first day of the A to Z Challenge was underway.

        Let us know in the comments what you think.  What I do know is that right outside my kitchen window is a daily reminder of Tina and A to Z.  Every time I walk into my kitchen and look out the window there is one sunflower standing tall.   When I go into my backyard I take a moment to walk over to that flower and marvel.  Few of the things that I plant in my yard actually grow or remain for long if they do grow.  But there is one sunflower there now.  And at just the right time to watch over the A to Z Challenge.

         If you planted any sunflowers for Tina last fall, did any of yours appear yet?   What do you think about the uniquely timed appearance of my sunflower?

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D: Delegate

Are you doing everything yourself? Lots of us have a little OCD about keeping everything within our own realms of control. But to stay sane, you need to delegate a little bit.

Someone else can do the dishes tonight. How about having someone pitch in to do the laundry. The kids can exercise by walking the dog and taking out the trash.

How about that day job? Lunch at your desk? For this month, how about letting someone else volunteer for the extra workload.

Speaking of volunteering, don't get swamped by taking on too much at school events or with your child's sports teams. They can live without you for a month, Or pass out the responsibilities. Delegate others to do all those little time-consuming chores that you usually take care of.

A few things I delegated this month so far:
Husband took care of washing my car.
Son #3 was assigned to cleaning up the fallen branches out of the backyard. (dozens after this winter)
Son #2 bought pizza for dinner for everyone Wednesday night.
Husband did grocery shopping from my list.

As a co-host I have extra responsibilities but even those are delegated somewhat with the use of my Dragon Soldiers, the best delegates of all.

Laura Clipson, L. Diane Wolfe, Sabina Leybold, Ann Bennett, and Shantala are my Dragon Delegates and I couldn't keep up without them.

Have you delegated some responsibilities during April? What are you doing to make it all workable for you? Any chores you can delegate to someone else?

C is for Come on, A to Z-ers!

It's day three of the challenge, and things are just starting to heat up! How's everyone doing so far? Met some awesome new bloggers? 

The first few days can be a little overwhelming, with the plethora of new blogs to visit and comments on your own blog to keep up with. But don't worry! Just take it one day at a time. Once you get a routine down, it'll all come a little easier. 

Until then, here are a few tips that might help you along the way: 

- If you're not sure where to start, I find that it's always good to simply begin with the blog right after yours on the A to Z sign-up list. Give a quick comment to your A to Z List neighbor, and then proceed on from there. It's a great way to meet new bloggers you might have missed!

- We're all seen the list, and it is LONG. Don't worry about trying to visit every blog signed up for the challenge. Instead, come up with a manageable number of blogs per day and try to stick with that. If you only manage to make it to five, that's perfectly fine. 

- Don't forget to comment back on the bloggers who visited your blog. That's the best way to find blogs with similar interests and make lasting blog connections. 

And most importantly, don't forget to have fun. This is a blogfest people. Enjoy it! 

A to Z co-host S. L. Hennessy can be found blogging over at Pensuasion. 

B As In Babe Ruth

 

Who better to inspire a “B” post, than Babe Ruth himself? When deciding what to post, I thought of writing and its importance in my life, and sports, that I watch because those I love watch it, but isn’t my favorite pastime. Yet Babe seemed to have a lot to say to me today, and perhaps to you, no matter what you do. Here are a few Babe Ruth quotes that I felt spoke directly to us as folks who blog, no matter what about.

To begin, “Watch my dust” and “You just can't beat the person who never gives up” said exactly what I try to tell myself each time I hit a bump in the road.

As a writer, I have to make sure that the final product I release to the world must be the best I can make it. and I have to follow the steps, the guidelines that will help me reach that goal. So did Babe. “I had only one superstition. I made sure to touch all the bases when I hit a home run.”

“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” Told me never to give up. To keep on swinging and make every try count, not just the ones I “hit.”

“Yesterday's home runs don't win today's games.” I can’t rest on my laurels and hope success will take care of itself. I must be in constant motion. Each time I finish one, I must begin a new creation.

 

“All I can tell them is pick a good one and sock it. I get back to the dugout and they ask me what it was I hit and I tell them I don't know except it looked good.” How do I know the work I’ve done is worth the time and effort I’ve put into it? I don’t! My last novel (released January 2015) was a different writing experience for me, so because it looked good, felt right, I stuck with it.

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.” I might write the books, but I have so many people who help make it the best it can be, experts who share their insights, beta readers who tell me what works and what doesn’t, artists who create my covers, my family and friends who keep me going. This is a team job alright and I’d be nothing without my team.

 With writing, it’s all or nothing. I can’t write without commitment to the project because it won’t gel. My work is only as good as the energy I put into it… “How to hit home runs: I swing as hard as I can, and I try to swing right through the ball... The harder you grip the bat, the more you can swing it through the ball, and the farther the ball will go. I swing big, with everything I've got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can.”

“Gee, its lonesome in the outfield. It's hard to keep awake with nothing to do.” Don’t slack off! Yes, take time to recharge batteries, of course, but never leave alone what you love too long. I hate to think readers might fall asleep while reading one of my books!