Saturday, March 28, 2015

New Interview & Reading

Hello and thanks to all for your continued support for not only my two blogs, but also my books and stories. As of this writing, you can see my latest story, Crank Up The Wyrd in the March issue of eFiction magazine. Just click the image to the right or the BJ's Publications link also to the right of the page. Here you will find all of my books and magazine publications including eFiction, Romance Magazine and Five Poetry Magazine. Of course you can follow my poetry and other musings by clicking the BJ's Poetry Blog link above.
And speaking of eFiction Magazine, editor Doug has announced plans to bring this and his other publications to the print media! Keep watching here as more information and a time line becomes available.
BJ taking the mound for the Sandlot Junkyard Dogs

As you should know by now, I am a big softball fan. Both of the teams I pitch for have had a great start to the season. Recently I was interviewed by Charlie Zaillian for the Capitol Hill Times about my playing and the league in general. Follow the link below for the article.
Finally, I have once again been asked to read at the Ballard Public Library. The second thursday of each month, the library sponsors It's About Time an open public forum by, for and about the craft of writing. Award winning guest speakers present their views and experiences with the writing process. I will be reading a few of my poems during the May meeting which will be held May 14, 7PM at the Ballard Public Library, 5614 22nd Ave NW, in the Ballard section of Seattle. For more information you can call 206-684-4089. There is also a link below.
Thanks again for all of your support and continued readership. If you enjoy my stories in Romance and eFiction Magazines please let the publisher know. Join me here soon for another short story.
Peace,
BJ

Capitol Hill Times (Seattle) Article - Click Here
Ballard Public Library Seattle - Click Here

Friday, March 6, 2015

New Stories Published! by BJ Neblett

Thanks to one an all for a very fun and successful series of posts on love during February. If you missed any, or would just like to revisit a favorite with someone special, just check the blog archives on the right. You can also search for your favorite blog utilizing the search tool above. Be sure to check back regularly for new stories and poems and more!
Now, for me, it's back to the business at hand... writing! To that end I have a new romance story published in Romance Magazine AND a new short fantasy piece in this month's eFiction Magazine! Just click the links above the images! And always... be sure to link, like, comment and share the love. Your feedback is what keeps my fertile brain working overtime!
BJ

        Crank Up The Wyrd                                                          Business As Usual
             by BJ Neblett                                                                    by BJ Neblett

              Click Here                                                                         Click Here


                                                        











Saturday, February 21, 2015

February 22 Sunday A Month Of Love from BJ Neblett

Here is this week's new romance story. I hope you enjoy it. And be sure to click over to my poetry blog using the link above for today's love post.

Love is timeless... it never ends and always finds a way...

The Girl With The Stars In Her Eyes
BJ Neblett
© 2014

            “Hello, anybody in there?”
            “Oh, I’m sorry, I was just…”
            “You were thinking about her, weren’t you?”
            “No, not really, I mean, I was just…”
            “Bull shit.”
            “Please don’t be that way, not tonight.”
            “I’m sorry, it’s just that…”
            “I know, and I’m sorry. Actually, I was lost in your eyes… again.”
            “Counting stars again?”
            “Something like that. You’re such a beautiful woman. I can spend a lifetime just gazing into your eyes. I become lost in them; they are so hauntingly captivating…”
            “Just like hers…”
            “Yes, yes I guess so. It’s incredible. They say no two pairs of eyes are the same. But…”
            “We never really talked about it, have we? How long have we been together?”
            “Three months… three months tonight, exactly.”
            “It’s been a crazy three months. So much has happened in such a short time; we’ve grown so close; we have this incredible connection. It’s strange. I’ve never felt such a strong instant attraction; so in sync with any man, not like this. And yet, there’s still a part of you, a room you won’t let me in.”
            “You’re right, of course. It’s my fault. We’ve been together for three months and… I’m sorry, but it’s hard. You know that you’re the first girlfriend I’ve had in my life in over twenty years.”
            “I know.”
            “You’re so incredible, so understanding and patient.”
            “I believe that you… that we are worth the effort. But you have to let me inside, just a little bit more.”
            “I don’t know…”
            “What is it? What is it you are afraid of?”
            “I don’t know…”
            “Is it the age difference that bothers you? You know, I’ll never leave you.”
            “Funny, that’s what she said, the very same thing… it was the last thing she ever said to me.”      
            “I want to understand. Maybe I can help.”
            “Maybe…”
            “Look at me, tell me what you see; what you think, and feel. Tell me what’s keeping this invisible wall between us. What is it you see in there that frightens you? What is it you see in my eyes?”
            “Stars… stars and love… and…”
            “And…?”
            “A cold, crisp night in December, that’s what I see. Your eyes, they’re like a clear winter sky, the deepest blue possible; filled with tiny flecks of silver, each a twinkling star. In them I see my future, the place I belong on this earth, right there, lost in your eyes.”
            “Just as you saw in her eyes…”
            “Yes… so many, many years ago.”
            “Tell me, please.”
            “It was my freshmen year at college, Wesleyan University, in Connecticut. It was also my first time away from home. Winter came early and fast that year for this southern boy. By Thanksgiving there was a foot of snow on the ground. I was walking across the Quad one afternoon, probably worrying about some upcoming exam. I’m not even sure I felt the snowball. But suddenly, there she was.
            “Her laughter filled the air. ‘Oh, my God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…’
            “‘No it’s okay.’ I replied, ‘it was my fault…’
            “She gently brushed the snow from the back of my neck. ‘I’ll say. You walked right into the middle of our snowball war.’
            “Her smile warmed the December day. But it was her eyes… I couldn’t help it, I found myself staring. They were incredible, like nothing I’d ever seen before, or since, until I met you. They were an impossibly dark blue, the darkest blue you can imagine, and yet, so clear, so strikingly clear, with shimmering flecks of silver. Like…”
            “Like a clear winter night sky…”
            “Yes, exactly…”
            “Just like mine…”
            “Yes, exactly like yours…”
            “Go on, please.”
            “Not much else to tell. I became lost in her eyes. I think I fell in love with her right then and there. Something told me, something in her eyes spoke to me, This is right, this is her, she’s the one you were meant to be with, to spend your lives together. I know it’s crazy but as far as I was concerned, she was the one. Sometime later she confessed that she had the same feelings.
            “We started dating almost instantly. By Christmas we were in love, deeply, crazily, completely and totally in love. Naturally our friends and families thought we were crazy, it was too soon, too fast, too much; love needs time, time to develop and grow.
            “One evening we were studying together in my dorm room. We were both Philosophy majors, but didn’t always share similar views. It made for some interesting discussions about pre-destination and reincarnation. ‘Do you believe in Soul Mates?’ she asked.
            “The question took me by surprise. ‘I never really thought much about it before. I don’t know, maybe, I guess.’
            “‘I do… now.’ Her words were sure, to the point. ‘I believe there is one special, certain person just meant for each of us. I think that sometimes we never meet that person. Or if we do, we sometimes don’t recognize them or something. I suppose not all Soul Mates find one another, and that’s a shame. But when they do come together and they understand that destiny has brought them together, that is so special. And nothing, nothing, not time or distance or anything can truly ever keep them apart. That’s the kind of love I believe in… now, now that I’ve found you.’
            “‘I don’t know about Soul Mates. I do know how I feel,’ I replied, ‘and that you and I somehow seem destined to be together.’
            “She looked at me though those deep, penetrating, mystical eyes, ‘I will never leave you, never; no matter what may happen you must always believe and remember’.”
            “That’s so beautiful. She must have loved you so much. What happened?”
            “Sophomore and Junior years flew by. We were inseparable, finally sharing a small apartment off campus. We looked forward to Senior year and graduation and to starting a life together. It was a week before her twenty-first birthday. I remember the date as if it were yesterday, November third, a Tuesday. She had a late class. When she hadn’t returned by 10 PM I began to worry and set out to look for her. An early storm was dumping heavy, wet snow across most of New England, making visibility nearly impossible. I found her lying on the side of the road. A driver had failed to see her in the cross walk. They never even stopped. The last thing she said to me as I held her in my arms was, ‘Remember, my darling, I’ll never leave you’.”
            “Oh, no, that’s so terrible! I’m so sorry. That must have been so hard… so… Oh, God! What… what did you say the date was…?”
            “It was the third, November third, 1981."
            “Oh, my God, that’s… that’s my birthday… the day I was born!”