Naturae Alitura 2018 Poetry Calendar by JM Scott

This is my pride and joy, Naturae Alitura, a poetry and photography calendar. It is now available through Lulu for $24.99 plus shipping. If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know I love poetry. And one thing, I don't see a lot of are poetry calendars,  and I thought I should make one. 

Maybe it's a little conceited, but I am proud of the finished product. I gave it  to someone I know;  she said it was beautiful. Even if you don't like poetry, the photography is not too bad for someone who is not a professional photographer. I took all the pictures that are featured the calendar. Some are from my home in Pennsylvania, some are from Cumberland, Maryland, some are from Hampton Beach, New Hampshire,  and  some are from other places on the east coast. 

If you are looking for a calendar that is both functional and beautiful, unique and makes a great gift (teachers, English majors, poetry lovers, English teachers, etc.) then consider Naturae Alitura. 

Here's a page from the calendar, enjoy. 

What's Important Right Now

All day today, Facebook has been blowing up with something so earth-shattering important. Really it is-  whether or not professional football players stand or take a knee for the national anthem.

How the fuck is this more important than, I don't know

NORTH FUCKING KOREA?

On Facebook, there are many shares or posts that are right down the middle.  Either the NFL players are scumbag heathens, or they are in the right.  Some of my friends are going to boycott the NFL. Wow... so powerful. So effective.

Maybe it's time to stop the hero worship of male athletes anyway.

My thought is about the football players, I don't give a crap and neither should you (they have every right to do it)  because, did I mention

FUCKING NORTH KOREA?

Maybe I'm paranoid, I don't take this shit going on between the US and North Korea as a joke. I wasn't alive during the 60's and Bay of Pigs, but from what I gather-  It was important; it was scary.

Here we are in 2017 and there seems to be this arrogant sense with many people in this country that Americans are infallible. And this is untrue.

Oh by the way, Puerto Rico is in horrible shape since Hurricane Maria slaughtered the island. This is actually more important than football players, because these people are Americans and something bad happened to them.

But holy fuck,  let's get bent of shape about football players and the national anthem.

Get your damn priorities straight and worry about matters....

PUERTO RICO
FUCKING NORTH KOREA

Until next time...

Tryptophantasia and Other Poems by JM Scott FREE Through Sept. 25, 2017

A couple of weeks ago, I released my 18th Kindle book, Tryptophantasia and Other Poems. This chapbook contains more than twenty poems that are some of my  best poems in recent years. Some I wrote while taking classes and some I wrote on my own. And guess what this book is FREE in all Kindle markets through September 25, 2017.

When it comes to poetry books, I have a lot more freedom in book cover design. That can be a good thing and a bad thing. I wasn't sure where to begin, but I know what I wanted the book cover to contain.

Tryptophantasia is a word I made up. I combined the words tryptophan (the stuff in turkey that makes you sleepy) and fantasia.  The molecule on the book cover is tryptophan.  Behind the molecule is a photo I ran through a bunch of filters on Gimp. I think it turned out nice.

What is unusual is the all white background, in fact the entire book cover is quite sparse compared to the other ones I have done. I think it works. There is one other book with a cover similar to this and that is Seaspring Briar.  Sometimes, simplicity is the best way.

Here is a free sample from the book. And why not grab the while book, read it and leave a review.

Enjoy....

Happy Birthday

Even though he wrapped the pink ribbon around his wrist, the happy birthday balloon freed itself and drifted into the calm sky.  As he tried to retrieve it, the balloon seemed to go higher.

On may twelfth, the  road took her life.  With her new license tucked in her jeans; she didn’t see the deer. She braked and veered to the dune grass covered ditch, breaking everything in her body.

The happy birthday balloon coiled itself around the roadside memorial cross with her name on it. She smiled, the deer sniffed the air and walked together in the sudden mist.

***
I have a few more drabbles. I love writing them. I am trying to write a new one everyday. They can be a challenge to write as I spend more time on editing and revising then writing them. I am finding them to be addictive.

Perceived Godliness

Father Albright boarded the not-so-busy Metro toward Adams Morgan after praying with an old congressman who kept his coffers full,  while looking for absolution to look good in front of  television cameras.

The train lurched forward with a jerk and picked up speed. The air changed in the car to the smell of hot sun flesh decay. Lost soul screams flooded the car, bursting ear drums The passengers looked to the  Father. He turned around. Teeth tore at the train. They scrambled to touch his perceived godliness.

“Give us heaven,” they screamed.

He held onto them-  praying for his absolution.

***
Hey all, this is a 100 word story, also known as a drabble. I have not done a lot of short fiction, which is odd since I have a deep love for haiku and tanka. This is something I want to work more on. I spent an hour studying and reading drabbles and want to continue studying.

When it comes to my fiction, I am on this "less is more" kick, which I think irritates my former classmates and teachers because they always want more (detail, dialogue, etc.). However,  I want you to fill in the blanks. If you have been reading my blog off and on, I have been trying to write shorter blog posts.

Like haiku, a drabble is a brief moment in time that hopefully more lies under the surface. Our world is full of moments.

Till next time...

Nickolaus by JM Scott FREE in all Kindle Markets Through Sept. 11. 2017

Hey all, Nickolaus is FREE in all Kindle markets through September 11, 2017. This book actually has TWO reviews, both of which say this book is good. I must be doing something right.

This is a story of how Nickolaus became Santa Claus.  According to the listing it is 25 pages, and it won't take you long to read. It is a short story after all.

This particular book cover is the second one. When I originally released this book, I was not dept at GIMP. I never liked the original book cover and thought it to be of poor quality. Couple of years later, I remade the book cover because I was a lot better at GIMP. I think it is much more professional looking.

I hope you all grab a copy and take a read. Enjoy.

Silent Gray

Seamless grayness covers the sky. One wasp, with his large thorax and long legs, hovers in the stillness as I exhale silver smoke out the door. He looks at me, and I look at him. We regard each other with nothing more than beings in the same space and continue on our respective paths.

Silence. Not the pleasant silence after spending two hours in the casino with the digital bells and whistles, and card players cheering for their big win. The kind of silence which is unsettling. Engines and brakes on the wet road are muffled at the stop sign. Acceleration at the crossroads are flat and lifeless. Crickets rub their legs together as if they were trying to warm up and vanish into the silent gray day.

The silence creeps into the house over the Celtic music on Pandora.  You can hear it settle around the house and into my mind. Where for once, it is silent. The thoughts are put to bed, wrapped in newspaper and filed in boxes, tucked within the deep  gray matter crevices that are responsible for my breath.

I guess that is what being mindful is all about. I am supposed to find the solace that everyone promises. I am supposed to find the hidden beauty in the silent gray but nothing is there. And maybe I missed the whole point of mindfulness. I lost the directions in websites and ebooks that were free, because everyone needs a little self improvement now and then.

I don't know if I enjoy it or not; I am thinking about returning to the real world. But in a way, I don't want to.  I don't want to read about destruction and hurricanes, Donald Trump and rampaging hate. Here on this silent gray September day, I am here between the light and dark, between silence and cacophony.

The world can wait until tomorrow.

Sanctioned Shadows by JM Scott FREE Through Sept 6, 2017

Hey all,  short story collection Sanctioned Shadows is FREE in all Kindle markets through September 6, 2017.

This book contains fifteen different tales that explore humanity's darkness including revenge, addiction and obsession. One of the stories in this collection is "Gunpoint."

This was written for my first fiction workshop class at SNHU. The prompt was to create a story inspired from  a factual element from your life.

How the actual story came about was the main characters name: Easter Jackson. Before class even started I knew I wanted to create Easter's story. Then like magic, I heard her voice coming to me. And she dictated the story. Okay, so that makes me sound like a crazy person, but unless you are a storyteller, you won't understand.

I didn't do drugs nor did I sell them in Maryland, so what was the factual element?

Years ago, I worked a smoke store near a trailer park. One night, I was robbed at gunpoint. While the robbery was happening, I had no idea the gun was actually a BB gun. Once the detective found it and I identified it, he told me it was a BB gun. All I knew was there was a gun pointed in my face.

Why not grab a copy and check this story out and others.