by edward | Sep 3, 2023 | Talents, Talents Universe, Writing
“She sits on the Big Gray Rocks”
big gray rooks
Mississippi River at the Moonwalk, French Quarter, New Orleans, March 2019 02, by Infrogmation
Big Gray Rocks
Anil looked up from his workstation in Ops.
“Does anyone know where Mike is? I’ve texted him twice, no reply.”
“Marconi and the Lakefront?” Lyn asked.
“No, I had Kate check there,” Anil replied.
“Ask Mary Margaret. She’s best at predicting his moods,” Lyn said.
Anil nodded and texted Meg.
I’m not surprised he’s gone off the grid for a bit. You heard the news, right?
“News?”
“Yeah, Jimmy Buffett passed away last night.”
“That’s a shame, but it’s not something I’d put high on the ‘news’ list.”
“You’re not a Parrotthead, Anil. I’ve got this, I’ll have him call when I find him.”
“Thanks!”
Meg got up from the table in the courtyard at Celtic Bayou Gifts and Metaphysical Supplies and stuck her head in the shop. Tara looked up from behind the counter, where she was reading.
“Oui, Madame?” Tara asked.
“I’m stepping out for a minute,” Meg said.
“No problem!” Tara said.
Meg stepped out of the shop’s carriageway a few minutes later, after ditching her flip flops for a pair of Doc Martens. She stepped out onto Chartres Street and walked towards St. Louis Cathedral.
“Past the boutique — I guess Fleurty Girl counts as a Boutique?”
She paused in Pirates Alley
“Down the alley, to the river…he got the places out of order, but the spirit is there. Sorta like Williams did with the streetcar directions,” Meg thought.
And there he was, sitting on the big gray rocks.
“I’m not taking off my boots and socks down here, you know. Nasty funk in that water!” Meg said, as she made herself comfortable next to Mike O’Donnell.
“Hey. You figured my location out?” He asked.
“Yup. When I remembered you said you were saying Saturday morning Mass at the Cathedral, it wasn’t hard to suss out. Anil thought you’d be out at the Lakefront,” Meg replied.
“Legit, legit. But ‘In the Shelter’ is such a good song, and one of the men at Mass was humming it as he walked out of Church today,” Mike explained.
“How about you check in with Anil, make sure he’s not losing his mind, and we’ll go for a cheeseburger?” Meg suggested.
by edward | Dec 4, 2020 | Talents Universe, Writing
Below is a sneak peek of this content!
I'm making progress on the third novel in the Bayou Talents series. If you follow me on the Book of Zucker, you know I write little snippets involving characters from the Talents stories. You'll find them in the group, "Mystic New Orleans," and here. While the bulk of my Patreon content will be posts from NOLA History Guy, these snippets will also be included. Readers of "Trusted Talents" may remember Tara Anne Rodrigue. She's a Creole woman, married to Fabian Rodrigue, an attorney and the Man in Black of Celtic Bayou Coven. Tara is a skilled mage and Third Degree priestess. Celtic Bayou Coven is fairly eclectic. Its members with Talents tend to overlap between the Ceremonial Magick practiced by...
by edward | Apr 27, 2019 | Patreon, Talents, Talents Universe, Writing
Below is a sneak peek of this content!
“Have a seat, Creole Princess. You’re an outlier,” her husband replied. “You want morning sex, Ren? It can be arranged,” Tara said, licking the rim of her cup....
by edward | Oct 31, 2018 | Patreon, Talents Universe
Patreon Content – Gabriel of the Internet is a new story in the Talents universe
Patreon Content – Gabriel of the Internet
The Archangel Gabriel has long been the patron of communication. I wish I could remember the name of this artist–she’s a fascinating woman I met through the Order of St. Michael. Her “future icons” speak to me. I wrote a story featuring Gabriel in this form.
Jacking in with the Talents
Lots of authors write about “jacking in”. So, they carry connecting with the Internet from a visual/touch experience to a neural one. The Talented connect online normally. Some, though, can get in without a headset or datajack.
The Story
“Thought you had given this up,” the woman said, looking across the table at her friend.
“I had,” the man replied, as he powered up his computer.
They sat at a coffee shop in New Orleans’ Mid City neighborhood. It was just after seven o’clock in the morning, and they were the only customers sitting inside.
“Just keep an eye out for me while I do this,” he requested.
“Gotcha, Nate. I remember the drill,” she said.
Nathaniel Haller was a high school math teacher who left the classroom years ago to do computer consulting. He did well in the early days of personal computing, and now, at 52, he was still on top of the tech that made the corporate world run. He smiled at Whitney Cordova, a friend and occasional partner when a consulting engagement required more than a solo effort. The forty-something blonde smiled back. She looked around the room as Nate’s fingers danced on the keyboard, connecting him first to an anonymous relay network, then to a corporate Virtual Private Network in a distant city.
More on Patreon
Gabriel of the Internet is a stand-alone story at the moment. So, Nate continues in the Talents universe, don’t worry. In the meantime, Dragon’s Defiance, the third book in the Blood-Bound series, debuts in November.
