The Teaching Company - Research and learn at the same time.
http://www.teach12.com/teach12.asp?ai=16281

Want to learn more about history, mathematics, or economics from the comfort of your car or computer? Then try courses offered by The Teaching Company. These are college level courses for the most part, and presented by top instructors in the field.
If you decide that the course you ordered wasn't up to the promise, the Teaching Company will offer an alternative title or refund your course - even years later. When was the last time you dealt with a company that stood behind their products this well?
The courses aren't cheap - a few are over $500 - but are offered on sale twice a year. The materials ship in nice cases, and contain multiple Cd's or DVDs, along with a short course guide.
One of the courses - The History of Ancient Rome - includes forty-eight 30-minute lectures. After 24 hours of lectures, you should have learned a lot about the ancient Romans, and have plenty of good story ideas or background for your next story.
The Teaching Company is like attending college, and taking only courses that interest you. Even better, there's no hassle of finding that elusive parking place every week and coming in late to class.

Blog Tour - Day 3

AURALIA'S COLORS
by Jeffrey Overstreet
(Book 1 in The Auralia Thread Series )

Book web site: http://lookingcloser.org/auralia/default.htm
Jeffrey Overstreet Author blog: http://lookingcloser.wordpress.com/

This is the final blog tour day for Auralia's Colors. Someone brought up the fact that there is no clear villain. The former Queen is probably the closest thing to a villain in the story, but she disappeared many years ago after letting her greed and control get the better of her. No one protested for long, lest the become a gatherer - an outcast forced to live outside the safety of the city walls - and lose it all any way.
The Wintering had gotten out of hand as it continued year after year with no end in site. Citizens accepted their lot in life, and made the best of their situation by following government demands. Forced to live within the city walls for safety, the walls instead became a self-imposed prison. The Gatherers were more free in their poverty than the city dwellers in their abundance.
Few within Abascar City owned property. It all belonged to the Underkeep for the promise of Spring's future awakening. Over time, the stored treasures owned the citizens. Desires for things replaced their desire to follow The Keeper.

****** SPOILER ALERT **********

Auralia promised to never enter the city, and enjoy the freedom of the forest and lake. When she did enter the city, she gave up her freedom and very thing she enjoyed. She entered not to gain a part of the Underkeep treasures, but because she wanted to follow the Keeper's will. Auralia entered not to benefit herself, but to benefit others. A pure sacrificial gift that helped many, and at great cost to Auralia.

********************************************************************************

For more reviews, and information, check out some of the other fine participant web sites listed below.

Participants’ Links:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Pamela Morrisson
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

AURALIA'S COLORS
by Jeffrey Overstreet
(Book 1 in The Auralia Thread Series )



Book web site: http://lookingcloser.org/auralia/default.htm

Jeffrey Overstreet Author blog: http://lookingcloser.wordpress.com/

Blog Tour - Day 2

It's now day two of the Auralia's Colors Blog Tour. I visited some of the participating sites, and they raised some good questions. One site wondered about a Christian theme in the story. I think that was the purpose of the Keeper, who traveled throughout the Expanse - or world - and watched over those who sought him. Abascar City citizens had relegated the Keeper to a children's story character, or a myth for the colorless gatherers that lived outside the city walls.
The book gave me pause after finishing. Could the focus on color status be a reflection on our cultures obsession with wealth and power? Could Abascar's focus on keeping the outside world out of the city, and the city dwellers safely inside the city at all costs represent how we often distance ourselves from others?
For more reviews, and information, check out some of the other fine participant web sites listed below.

Participants’ Links:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Pamela Morrisson
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

AURALIA'S COLORS
by Jeffrey Overstreet
(Book 1 in The Auralia Thread Series )



Book web site: http://lookingcloser.org/auralia/default.htm

Jeffrey Overstreet Author blog: http://lookingcloser.wordpress.com/

Blog Tour - Day 1

Jeffrey Overstreet has managed to weave colorful words and descriptions into a story tapestry. Auralia is found as a baby on the Throanscall River by Krawg and Warney - two Abascar outcasts called Gatherers - and raised as their daughter. Years before, the Queen reserved colors for all but the privileged few living within the city walls. Everyone else must wear or own muted colors. Their world has devolved into shades of gray or brown.
Within Abascar City colors denote status and citizens will go to incredible lengths to earn colored 'honor stripes'. Ouside the city walls, gatherers are limited to browns and grays. Wearing other colors without royal permission results in arrest and stays in the dungeon. Free spirit Auralia finds colors in everything she sees and creates beautiful gifts for the poor gatherers in her village - a red yellow scarf, a pillow, all created from colorful forest treasures.

At first read this preoccupation with color seemed odd, but Overstreet pulls it all together into a masterful story. City officials and Abascar's rich manage to drape themselves with brilliant colors so that other's would know their importance. This seemed a strong allegory for extravagent displays of wealth and power in our world. Instead of colors, our world's rich and powerful use money and expensive items for the trappings of their importance.
Overstreet weaves a picture of a world both beautiful and foreboding at once. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the world of the Expanse may soon find the true beauty of the Keeper's world outside the city gates.

Participants’ Links:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Pamela Morrisson
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

Writer's Workbench
Writing help for the grammatically challenged

http://www.emo.com/

Writer's Workbench version 8.18, is a boon to writers at all stages of their craft.
The program works as a Microsoft Word add-on, and keeps any changes or suggestions in a separate Word document file.

You import you file, and choose which area you would like analysed. Click one of 30 buttons and Writer's Workbench will check one of five punctuation areas, three verb areas, or one of seven clarity issues. If you are not sure about a grammatical issue, tutorials and further explanations are readily available.

There isn't a learn user's guide but the program contains plenty of help, and if you still can't find an answer to your program question, call their support line. They will work with you to make sure that you are getting the most out of your use of Writer's Workbench.

April 19, 2008
Sloan Convention Center
Bowling Green, Kentucky


http://www.sokybookfest.org/BookFest08/kwc.htm

The Tenth Annual Southern Kentucky Book Fest and Writer's Conference begins at 8:00.
The conference is held at WKU's South Campus at the Bowling Green Community College.

The twelve free sessions will cover fiction, nonfiction, poetry, songwriting, and writing for children. Some Kentuckt Literary Award nominees will lead presentions, writing workshops, and book readings.

DragonKnight, by Donita K Paul, is a fun read!

This is the third book in Mrs. Paul's dragon series. In this sequel to Dragonspell, young squire Bardon has left the city in hopes of a quiet sabbatical in a cabin beside a lake with his dragon. In stead he finds the emerlindians, Granny Kye and N'Rae, waiting for a knight's aid in the search for a son and father. His sabbatical delayed, Brandon learns that Wulder has plans for him to help the two ladies in their quest. The quest must be completed on time, but they face delays and problems every step of the way.