Mythic Orbits 2016 Anthology, Fanning the Ember, and Mr. Trump

Sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes dreams fall to the side when responsibilities and obligations backhand you across the jaw. There’s a curious thing about dreams, though. They’re hard to kill when even the smallest ember still burns.

And so it is with me. A small ember still glows, keeping a dream alive despite all else. What am I to do with that tiny flickering ember? What does anyone with dreams do with it? What do athletes do, or artists, or entrepreneurs? What do parents do with it when all they want is to make a better life for their children? They press on. They fan the ember. They swallow fear and doubt to follow their heart. And so it is with me . . . my heart, my dream. My writing.

I’m honored to be part of the Mythic Orbits 2016 anthology, alongside some very talented storytellers. My fantasy story, The Bones Don’t Lie, is up first in the anthology, the first tale anyone sees. No pressure there!

Though written some time ago, the publishing of Bones comes at an interesting time in America. All stories speak to society and our times at some basic level. Bones talks about how one’s zealous beliefs can cloud and distort reality. It’s happened throughout history . . . the Lost Cause after the Civil War, the Final Solution, interpreting sacred scripture, immigration, the election of Donald Trump. How can groups of people look at the same events, the same words, the same symbols, the same man and come away with such polar-opposite opinions? Must we always be right and the other person wrong? Can there not be a meeting in the middle? Can there never be compromise? Must we all draw our ideological lines in the sand?

Will Mr. Trump be the destroyer of civilization or the restorer of some bygone utopia? Not my president? Guess what, honey. I didn’t vote for Mr. Trump either but he is about to become our president. I just pray we can take off our blinders and put away our zealous self-righteous glasses and come together for all our sakes.

Thank you for taking the time from your busy day to read this blog. I'd be honored if you read The Bones Don't Lie and the other fine stories in the Mythic Orbits 2016 Anthology. Here's the link to the ebook on Amazon. --Mark

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAIY432