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
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 the Assembly of Mainz and the magick raised in the coven’s circle.
Tuy Vuong is a new character for the third story.
Tara walked into the courtyard at Second Line Brewing, in Mid-City. She wore jeans and an orange tank top. Tuy whistled as Tara approached the side of the bar.
“In the heat, with a blue-jean girl
Burning Love comes
Once in a lifetime…”
Tara laughed as the bartender poured her a Route 47 Red.
“Woman, were you even born when that song came out?”
Tuy laugned and blew her a kiss.
by edward | Apr 27, 2019 | Patreon, Talents, Talents Universe, Writing
“Blowjobs,” Fabian declared.
“Huh?” Ren asked.
“You remarked on the difference in the dynamic here at the coffee shop on a Saturday morning. It’s all about blowjobs.”
“Not following you,” Ren replied.
“Don’t worry, most people don’t follow him. In fact, he follows me!” Tara explained.
“That’s because your ass is cuter,” Fabian said.
Tara flipped him off.
“Look at the people coming in and out of here, Ren. On a typical workday, the majority of people here are women. They run in to get their coffee, so they’re not so grumpy by the time they get to work,” Fabian explained.
Ren looked around the coffee shop. It was ten o’clock in the morning.
“And on Saturday, it’s all men,” he observed.
“Exactly! Now, why is that? Two reasons. One,” Fabian raised his index finger, “Is that the women aren’t going to work. They’re still in bed. The only women you see in here today are moms with strollers. They’re up even though it’s not a work day, because the baby doesn’t give a shit.”
“Good point, and two?” Ren asked.
“Two is that women, as a rule, don’t like morning sex,” Fabian stated.
“I beg your pardon!” Tara said, setting down her cup.
“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.
“Stoppit, so I can present my theory,” Fabian said.
Tara pulled her foot back from Ren’s calf. Ren exhaled deeply.
Fabian laughed.
“OK, back to my theory. Women don’t really care for morning sex. They certainly don’t want it early on a day when they don’t have to get up and go to work. If there’s one thing that will guarantee that they won’t get laid for days, it’s when a man tries to cajole his lover into morning sex.”
“So they go to the coffee shop,” Ren said.
“Yes! And the smart ones take the children with them. The get them muffins that aren’t as full of sugar as donuts, so they’re not bouncing off the walls later. Mom sleeps in. Later, kids take naps. And dad—”
“Gets a blowjob!” Tara finished.
“It’s all about the blowjob,” Fabian concluded.
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.
