Cool Things

In The Gemstone Chronicles Book Two: The Amethyst, Nana and Beebop buy a tektite necklace from an antique dealer. The necklace, as it turns out, has telepathic powers. I won’t tell you more, as it would spoil the story! Nonetheless, I’ll tell you more about tektite!

What is tektite?

Tektite, for lack of a better description, is a glass rock. Similar to obsidian, tektite is mostly silicon. However, tektites are the result of meteorite impacts. Yes, that’s right, tektites are glass rocks formed when meteorites impacted the earth, sent molten particles into the air, and which fell back to earth in the strewnfields. Since tektites formed from the impacts, they have different characteristics compared to obsidian. Additionally, tektites might just have a little bit of cosmic matter in them! How cool is that?

Where can we find tektites? Across the globe, a few locations yield the majority of tektite finds. One of those locations, called strewnfields, is in Georgia! The Georgia tektites are known as Georgiaites and, just like the stone in The Amethyst, are green. Other strewnfields are in Texas, Autraliasia, the Ivory Coast of Africa, and Europe. Tektites from the different strewnfields have different characteristics which I will discuss next.

Tektite varieties:

Georgiaites:

I’ll start with Georgiaites. Found principally in Dodge and Bleckley counties in Middle Georgia, Georgiaites are olive green and generally tear drop shaped. Below is a picture of a Georgiaite (Photo by Sean Murray, courtesy of FallingRocks.com). Beautiful and extremely rare, Georgiaites are 35 million years old!

Moldavites:

Moldavites are green, too, though a different shade than Georgiaites. Typically found in Czech Republic in Bohemia (no singing of Bohemian Rhapsody, please), the stones are about 15 million years old. The museum quality pieces are gorgeous and often used in jewelry. Here is an example of a museum quality Moldavite. I particularly like the flaky appearance!

Australites and Indochinites:

Australites spread across Australia and Southeast Asia. By far the most common variety, Australites are dark, usually black. Found across most of the southern half of Australia, these tektites have a unique disk or bowl shape. NASA (according to Wikipedia) used the shape of these tektites when designing the re-entry modules for the Apollo Space Program!

Due to the size of the impact, part of the same strewnfield reaches into Southeast Asia. The tektites found here – called Indochinites – are black like the Australites. Both Australites and Indochinites are much younger than Moldavites or Georgiaites, dating to about 790,000 years old. Here is an Indochinite.

Ivorites:

Lastly, we talk about Ivorite. Found along the Ivory Coast on the Western Cost of Africa, these stones are only about 1.3 million years old. Because of the unstable political climate in the area, I couldn’t find a picture of an Ivorite to include in this post. As a result of the instability, few have been excavated. The found Ivorites resemble Indochinites.

In The Amethyst, the tektite was from the Georgia strewnfield. According to HealingCrystals.com, tektite encourages telepathy and helps with lucid dreaming and astral travel. Sounds a lot like what Nana and Laura experienced, but you’ll have to read the book to find out more!

Obviously, I took some license with the properties of all the gemstones in The Gemstone Chronicles series, but I enjoyed learning about the magical and mystical properties the stones possess. And tektite was a great addition to the collection!

What is your favorite gemstone (or gemstone power) from the series? Aidan’s double-terminated quartz is my favorite. Laura’s invisibility power is the best power, too! What about your favorite? Leave me a comment and let me know! I look forward to it!

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Happy Thanksgiving 2015 from The Gemstone Chronicles!! It’s hard to believe another year has almost passed, but it has! Like many people, I like to take a little time to reflect back on the year and list out wonderful things that happened (in no particular order), milestones and accomplishments, give thanks for all I have, and look forward to what the upcoming year might bring. If you readers will indulge me, here we go!

Atlanta Writers Club:

The Atlanta Writers Club is the first writers club I have ever joined. The lovely and adorable Lana presented me with a membership as a Christmas present last year and I was so excited to receive it! And, I have learned much more than I ever expected from attending the monthly meetings. I want to increase my interactions with the other members as I move forward in 2016, and learn even more!

Augusta Literary Festival:

The Augusta Literary Festival was my first (and hopefully not my last) visit to Augusta. The Augusta Public Library holds the festival annually. The festival is the home to the Yerby Award and was a lot of fun to attend. I met a number of great people, was a panelist for a discussion about self-publishing, sold a few books, and generally had a great time. The 2016 Augusta Literary Festival is scheduled for Saturday, March 5, so make your plans to attend and discover new books for your own reading pleasure! Below is the picture of Lana and me at the 2015 event!

BRAG Medallion:

In April, I submitted The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian to IndieBRAG for consideration for a BRAG medallion. After about a 5 month wait, I was happily surprised to learn the book had been awarded the BRAG medallion! What an exciting day for me and my books! According to the BRAG medallion website, only about 10% of the books submitted are awarded the medallion, which puts The Carnelian in excellent company!

Oconee Chamber Fall Festival:

I was lucky to be included in the Oconee Chamber Fall Festival in Watkinsville, GA in October. The festival is a wonderful arts and crafts event held in a beautiful small town not far from Athens, GA. In case you don’t know, that is the home of my favorite team, the Georgia Bulldogs. The weather for the event was spectacular, the venue perfect for the festival, and the festival attendees were great. Books sold quite well, and I met tons of new people. A return for the Fall 2016 event is likely.

Ambercrest Little Free Library:

I saw a post on Facebook one day about the Ambercrest Little Free Library. After a little research, I liked the concept of the little free library. I contacted the man who got it started in the Ambercrest subdivision (which is near my house) and donated a couple of my books. As a lifelong reader, I hope to help spread the love of reading to a new generation. If you look closely at the picture, you will see one of my book marks and, on the lower shelf of the library, The Gemstone Chronicles Book Two: The Amethyst!

Wilmington NC:

Lana and I took a weekend trip to Wilmington, NC. We had the opportunity to wander through the city, take a boat tour up the Cape Fear River, and visited the USS North Carolina (BB-55), a World War II battleship. For a submarine sailor, visiting the ship was an interesting experience. I was impressed by the amount of space (something at a premium on a boat), and the 16 inch guns were awesome!

Maggie’s Fort:

We didn’t take our usual spring or summer trip with Aidan and Maggie this year as Lana had back surgery. That didn’t stop me from building Maggie’s fort, though. Maggie wanted me to transform her play set in the backyard, so I did. What do you think of the finished product?

There are so many more things for which I am thankful and there were some tough spots, too. Lana’s back surgery has been a resounding success and, for that, I am forever thankful to the wonderful doctors and staff of Emory Healthcare. Lana’s grandmother (yes, we have 5 generations alive on Lana’s side of the family), Polly,  turned 100 this past April. What a blessing!

On a sad note, though, Lana’s Uncle Bud passed away as did her Aunt Virginia. Both were great influences in Lana’s life and we miss them every day.

There are so many other things I could discuss, like my continuing education in the ways of book marketing, the growth in my social media connections, or my WIP (an adult thriller). However, I won’t take up any more of your time for now. After all, there are turkeys to eat, presents to buy, and family and friends to enjoy! Do take some time, though, to be thankful for all that you have and for the family and friends who surround you. I know I’m truly blessed by Lana, Laura, Mike, Aidan, Maggie, and the rest of my family and friends too numerous to name here!

I also want thank all of the readers who have purchased the books this past year, those who have left reviews, and to my future readers, too! You have no idea how much it means to me when someone reads the books and leaves reviews or comments! Thank you!!!

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If you want to connect with me on social media, I can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, or you can email me at bill@williamlstuart.com. If you don’t want to miss a post, you can also subscribe to the blog! Drop me a note and let me know what you are thankful for this year!

Happy Thanksgiving 2015!!

In previous posts, I talked about my path to and through Naval Nuclear Power School. I was looking through some old pictures the other day and found some pictures of Idaho Falls, and it sent me down a path of remembrance of my days in Idaho Falls, Idaho at prototype. Remembering those days reminded me of the house I lived in (the Roy House – so named for our landlord Roy), the snow, the lack of sleep, the relief of completing my qualification as a reactor operator, and the vehicle I drove to Idaho – my Suzuki SJ410.

For those who don’t know, the SJ410 was a small 4WD convertible. Many may remember the Suzuki Samurai that came after the SJ410, but this was the predecessor.

Where did I buy it?

When I bought my SJ410, I was in Florida at Nuclear Power School. I saw the small 4WD at the dealership and decided to buy one. If I remember correctly, I paid just over $5000 for it brand spanking new! As you can see from the photos, it was red and black (UGA colors) with a white convertible top. No AC (but who needs one with a convertible), a 59.4 cu in motor (not a typo), and a ton of fun!

Idaho!

After Nuclear Power School, I was assigned to S1W in Idaho Falls, ID. I gathered up my seabag and a few others things, and headed west. I remember arriving in Idaho Falls on February 14th, 1985 to about 3 feet of snow. As I turned to head toward my rental house, there was a Ford F150 stuck in a snow drift. I graciously pulled the F150 from the snow bank and never even locked in 4WD. The F150 driver was grateful – but somewhat embarrassed that my little Suzuki (which he had never seen before) had to pull him out.

Working 12 hour rotating shifts didn’t leave much time for enjoying the Suzuki in the snow and ice, but my roommate had a Mustang that just didn’t fare very well in the weather, so the Suzuki became the workhorse of our house. I took it everywhere and had to park it in the driveway as the Mustang was in the garage. That meant knocking the snow and ice off the convertible top everyday so the weight wouldn’t tear the top. Here is a picture of my SJ410 parked next to a snow drift. And yes, that was the depth of the snow next to the house!

When summer rolled around, the top came off, and I cruised as often as I could. As the second RO to qualify, I got to change to 8 hour shifts earlier than most, and I rode a lot. Top down and radio blasting, I had a good time in the few hot days of summer. Below is a picture of the Suzuki with the top down!

The end of my Suzuki SJ410:

Alas, I had to depart Idaho and report to USS Sandlance (SSN660) in Charleston, SC. I remember leaving on August 18th and it was 32 degrees that morning. I was a newly minted Reactor Operator, had a sizable reenlistment bonus, and was headed back south. When I got to Charleston, I bought an Audi 4000S (my favorite car ever). My brother John drove the Suzuki to college and he brought my beloved SJ410 to a tragic end when he totaled it.

I left the Navy in 1993, after 10 years of service. I married the love of my life, the lovely and adorable Lana, raised an amazing daughter, Laura, and have been blessed with 2 extraordinary grandchildren, Aidan and Maggie. My post-Navy career is brilliant, I’ve written The Gemstone Chronicles fantasy adventure series, and generally enjoyed life. I occasionally miss portions of my time in the Navy (mostly the people), and will always have a special place in my heart for the first brand new vehicle I ever owned – my Suzuki SJ410!

What was your special vehicle? A sports car? A truck? Leave me a comment and let me know!

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Maggie’s Fort!

Regular readers of my blog know I have two grandchildren, Aidan and Maggie. Both inspired characters in The Gemstone Chronicles, my fantasy adventure series. In the books, Maggie loves girlie things like makeup and jewelry, but she also wants to ride 4-wheelers and do everything her brother does. She is kind of fearless. In fact, in Book One: The Carnelian, Maggie hops on the back of the kelpie and almost drowns and in Book 3: The Emerald, Maggie has to face the cockatrice alone!

The fort:

Given her personality, I wasn’t at all shocked when she asked me to turn the swing set in our backyard into Maggie’s fort. Not a playhouse, but a fort! I started thinking about how to make the conversion and I think the end product turned out exactly like I wanted. Maggie hasn’t seen it yet, but I think she’ll be thrilled.

Before:

What did I start with, you might be asking? When we moved into this house almost 8 years ago, the property came with a swing set. Both Aidan and Maggie have enjoyed it over the years, and I have done a couple of repairs on it due to falling tree limbs, but, it was just a playground swing set. I did pressure wash it before I got started on construction, and here is the before picture.

Fort construction:

My project kicked off with the addition of the roof. First, I had to add the rafters.

Now for the roof. I decided to go with a clapboard style roof. I used a guide to put each board in place so I could go up and down the two ladders to attach the roof evenly. Lana did question how many drills a guy needs. Since the boards were about 6 feet long, I needed two ladders with a drill and a screwdriver stationed at the top of each so I could efficiently install the roof by myself without having to carry drills up and down the ladders. Besides, can you ever have too many drills??

Finally, the roof is complete and the construction phase is done!

Now on to the paint. Nana designed the paint scheme. The swing area is green (though it doesn’t show up particularly well in the pictures).

Nana decided that the exterior of the fort would be an off-white color. I think it turned out nicely!

We also decided to add some yellow into the paint scheme and stain the floor brown. Luckily, I dodged the rain got the painting done!

After:

We added a window box with some Vinca for a bit of decoration, and a flag that Maggie can fly when she is in residence. Here is the final product! I think it turned out great and I believe Maggie will enjoy it when she visits!

I added fresh cypress mulch and I’m thinking about adding a couple of planters to give it additional color, but that may wait until next Spring.

What do y’all think? If you read any of The Gemstone Chronicles, do you think Maggie’s fort matches her personality? Leave me a comment and let me know!

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If you want to connect with me on social media, I’m on Twitter, Facebook, and, Goodreads, or email me at bill@williamlstuart.com. I welcome new friends! I look forward to meeting you!

Duct tape!!

The humble duct tape:

Duct tape. Staple of many a tool box and indispensable aid in household repairs. But, it is so much more than that. As a former submarine sailor, I can attest to the fact that my boat, USS Sandlance (SSN660), didn’t go to sea without a supply of EB tape (the US Navy term for duct tape – allegedly the EB stems from Electric Boat, the builder of many submarines). In fact, there is an urban submarine legend that a submarine was in the shipyards and the workers covered over an opening in the pressure hull with EB tape so the hull could be painted. Of course, the paint went right over the EB taped area and everyone forgot about it. As the story goes, the sub went to sea, dove to test depth, and the taped area held. Now, this didn’t likely happen, but it illustrates the confidence submariners have in the tape!

Not that I ever participated in one of these activities, but I heard rumors of NUBs (non-useful bodies), non-qual, DINQs (delinquent in qualification) getting taped to various parts of the boat. I imagine it would look something like this!

Duct tape and The Gemstone Chronicles:

Besides keeping submarines floating and taping the occasional person to the wall, bulkhead, stanchion, or nearby handy chair, duct tape has tons of other uses. In The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian, Beebop uses a duct tape to restrain the troll Yul. Yul had been Findecano’s guardian in the fairy cross and was released when Aidan and Maggie smashed the stone to free Findecano. Yul busted through the door of Nana and Beebop’s house and Nana clonked Yul on the head with a cast iron frying pan. it was then that Beebop was able to tape the troll and keep him restrained. In keeping with the legendary stickiness of the tape, Beebop tore out lots of Yul’s arm hair when he finally freed the troll.

Other uses:

What other uses are there for this wonder repair device? Believe it or not, there are books detailing the uses (and you can make a book cover with it if you like), but here are some of my favorite ideas.

• Don’t have a lint brush? Just make a loop of duct tape (sticky side out, of course), and viola, lint remover!
• Got a nasty cut while working in the garage? Cover the cut with a clean cloth or paper towel and wrap it in duct tape. Makes a great temporary bandage until you can get some medical attention.
• How about taping a spare car key to the undercarriage of your vehicle?
• You can repair a vacuum cleaner hose by wrapping it with duct tape.
• You can repair a leaky car hose with duct tape, too, but it only a be temporary fix. It may hold long enough to get you to a mechanic.
• If you are a camper, you can repair a hole in your tent, make a rope, fashion a clothesline, or catch flying insects (think flypaper – just hang a few strips and then roll them up after catching the bugs).
• Car repairs of many other types (body work, holding windows in place, etc.), See the picture below!

There are many more uses for the tape than I can ever begin to list here. I did want to add a picture of duct tape clothing. I think some people may have way too much time on their hands!

There you have my tribute to duct tape. An amazing thing and people find new uses for it every day. Which leads me to ask, what are your favorites uses for this versatile tape? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Connect with me:

If you want to connect with me, find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, or you can simply email me at bill@williamlstuart.com! Duct tape stories happily accepted!

Y’all know that the character of Beebop in my fantasy adventure series The Gemstone Chronicles, has a dream car – a 1973 Corvette Convertible. Well today, November 9, 2014, Lana and I went to the annual Suwanee Classic Car show. We didn’t get to see Beebop’s car, but there were some beautiful vehicles on display! First, here is Beebop’s 1973 Corvette!

Trucks:

I love the way old trucks look when they are restored or made even better with improvements! The trucks at the show were beautifully done and some even had satellite radio. I know, for purists, the vehicles should be made as close to original as possible, but I like the idea of riding down the road in an old vehicle listening to a good radio!

I didn’t get a picture of the beds of these trucks, but they were all lined with oak boards and were beautiful! The truck below, though, is one of the coolest we saw all day. It is a 1941 Ford truck with Texaco logos. Pretty cool!

Cars:

Trucks weren’t the only vehicles at the show. There were some unique cars there, too. Take a look at this amazing 1941 Cadillac.

I don’t remember this car from 1980, but it was probably the single most unique car I saw at the show. This is a Comuta-Car and was an electric vehicle. It had a range of 40 miles and could go about 35 mph. Not something to drive out on the Interstate in Atlanta!!

I think the logos on the old cars are amazing! This one is from a Hudson Wasp (which I had never heard of before today) followed by a picture of the car.

Convertibles were everywhere at the show. Here are a couple of my favorites! The first is a Ford Falcon. Good looking car!

The second is a Buick Skylark. I would so drive this car around on the weekends!

One of my favorites in the show was a pink Nash Metropolitan. Yes, it’s tiny, but it would be a fun ride, don’t you think?

Lana had never seen a 2 door station wagon before today, but she got a treat with this Chevy Nomad (1955 or 56). What a great car!

Check out the details on the tailgate of the Nomad. Good stuff!

There were a ton of Mustangs at the show, but Lana’s favorite was this 1965 model. I know the picture isn’t great, but it is dark green with a black vinyl top. Lana  really likes the body style!

I hadn’t heard of a Moon Car before today, but there was one at the show. Made in St. Louis, this was a cool looking touring car! I would love to cruise around in it!

Corvettes:

No car show would be complete without Corvettes! And there were lots of them at the show. New ones, fairly new ones, and the classics. As cool as the new ones are, like Beebop from the books, I still favor the classics. I chose three pictures to share with you. The first is a beautiful red Corvette convertible that would be a great cruising car!

This second Corvette was amazing. I wonder how fast it will go?

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, I would love to have a 1973 Corvette Convertible. But, if I couldn’t have that car, the one below would be a great substitute. This is a white 1971 Corvette with T-Tops. Don’t you think Lana and I would look great cruising at the beach with the tops off? I have some Rayban Wayfarers I could break out for the trip!

I think Lana looks right at home with the Corvette, too!

There were so many more great cars at the Suwanee Classic Car Show. Awesome 1957 Chevys, a few Camaros (Z28s and one really awesome SS Convertible), a Rolls Royce, a Ferrari, Porsches, and many Mopar muscle cars. I didn’t take pictures of all of the cars, but wish I had!

What is your favorite car in the pictures above? What about your dream car? Is it fast or luxurious? Leave me a comment and let me know!

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