Chasing Lady Midnight - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Me and Everyone’s Shadow

Fortunately my initial analysis of the situation seems to have been a bit premature. Because instead of attacking me, which I had assumed was the object of this endeavor, Tracker begins laying into Protostar for not leading me into his planned ambush (I knew it!). Of course it could be an act to put me off my guard, but I don’t think so. I know Tracker, he is a brilliant tactician, but he doesn’t handle variables very well. The variable in this case being me not doing what he thought I should do.
Superhero men with their super egos, I will never figure them out.
Now at his criticism and I mean really harsh criticism, Protostar actually has tears welling up into her eyes. She really is a sensitive little thing and her feelings get hurt easily. Come on, she’s only eighteen and just graduated into an actual superhero team, even if it is the junior squad. I know she wanted to do well and would do exactly as she was told. I almost feel bad that I couldn’t help her out by letting her lead me into an ambush. Because when she’s not trying to Star Blast me into oblivion I’m rather fond of her. Which is what makes me so furious because I know exactly what Tracker is doing.
His plan didn’t work so now he’s shifting the blame onto her. Because he and everyone else knows that the media is somewhere close by filming the whole thing and airing it as a special report. So we can’t have the premier battle mastermind of The Mighty Superhero Security Squad looking fallible now can we?
I could relate the whole diatribe, but in spite of the politically correct language he uses he basically calls her a dumb blond incapable of following simple orders. Now my hair is currently black, but for most of my life I have been exclusively a blond. A dark blond but blond nonetheless. I’ve heard all of the blond jokes, they are not funny, and my sister is not dumb! So now Mr. Super Obnoxious has got my blood pressure up not only for being responsible for me being chased all over town for no reason, reaming my little sister for all of the world to see for something that was not her fault, but also for being prejudice against blonds!
Oh I am definitely going do something to this guy. I don’t know what yet, but I hope it hurts. Not the most Christian attitude, I admit, but hey I only want to hurt him a little. Okay a lot, but I’ll settle for a little.
To their credit both Ballistic Attack and Metallica Max immediately stand up for their teammate. Good boys. In fact, they are all so intent on each other that I’m beginning to wonder if they remember I’m here. Now would be a good time to escape, but again the shadows aren’t close enough to…wait a minute.
As I notice Ballistics’ huge shadow I get a glimmer of an idea of how I may be able to make my first offensive move of the day. I look at the shadow and bend my fingers in a beckoning motion. The shadow moves towards me, but Ballistic hasn’t.
That’s when the idea solidifies, and it’s a good one. Must be from God, I’m not this smart.
Looking at Tracker I verify he still barking recriminations and even more orders. You would think the guy would take a breath somewhere. Anyway, trying not to draw to attention to myself, I look off in the distance until I see what I am looking for. A very tall building with a flat roof. That should work, if I can reach that far, or rather if Ballistics’ shadow can reach that far.
I look back to the shadow and give a gesture of my hand towards Tracker. It immediately responds, and fortunately no one notices as it begins to slide over the street towards my target. Once there I give an upward circular motion with my hand, and the shadow follows my movement off the ground and loops Tracker around the waist lifting him into the air. Before anyone can react, I point my arm towards the building and the shadow carries him to the roof and at my release motion it drops him.
Okay, it’s more of a slam than a drop, but that’s what he gets for picking on my baby sister and insulting our hair color. Even if it’s not my hair color just at the present time.
I figure it’s a good 20 minute run from there, even with Tracker’s speed and endurance, and assuming the roof access isn’t locked. Oh wouldn’t that be too bad?
As I release my control, the shadow retreats back to its original position in front of Ballistic Attack. The Protection Platoon look stunned, and I can’t say as I blame them. I’m a little shocked myself that worked.
Max shouts, “Protostar go get Tracker! Ballistic get her shields down.”
You know that’s not a bad plan. Who knew Max had it in him? Too bad I can’t let him get away with it.
Ballistic Attack immediately rushes forward and begins to pound on my shields with his huge fists. Fortunately they hold, but I can it feel it and know if I give him enough time he will distract me enough to weaken them. The trick is not to give it to him.
As Protostar starts to take off towards Tracker I decide to use both her own shadow and Max’s to stop her. First I catch her with her own shadow around the ankle, then using Max’s shadow I open a metal manhole cover a little father back on the street. I then quickly pull her in, and bring down the cover. To keep her there I pull forward a large semi-truck, abandoned by one of the many sensible civilians, so that the front wheels rests on top of the cover. I hear Protostar’s blast hit it, but the Peterbuilt will not be moved. So when the blast comes back on her Protostar gives a loud, “Ow!”
Ooh, at that close a range that must have stung. Not that I’m not worried, I’ve seen her hit herself plenty of times during practice sessions before her aim improved. It doesn’t cause any major damage, as she absorbs the energy, but that doesn’t mean it feels good when it hits. I can attest to that.
Now I know I made all of that sound easy, but when a behemoth is pounding on your shields, you’re trying to control two shadows at the same time, and not hurt your sister (Mom and Dad would not be happy) nothing about that maneuver was easy.
But easy doesn’t matter, what matters is that it is now two against one and not four against one.
Booyah.
At Protostar’s yell Ballistic Attack stops pounding on my shields, thank goodness, and looks to Metallica Max obviously not knowing what to do. Hey, the guy’s got brains but he’s not leadership material. Max, who is proving to be more than competent in that department, is obviously trying to come up with a plan, any plan.
Hey, I feel for the guy, seeing that I was in the exact same position just a few minutes ago. To give Max his due he doesn’t give up and shouts, “Get Protostar out then we’ll regroup and …
“You have done quite enough!” a voice shouts from the side.
Everybody, me included, look in the direction of the voice, and we all astonished by what we see.

 

Mystery writer C.L. Ragsdale is the author of The Reboot Files a Christian Mystery Series. A California native, she loves to "surf" the web to research plot details for her fun, quirky stories with just a bit of whopper in them. She has a degree in Theatre Arts which greatly influenced her writing style. Working in various fields as a secretary has allowed her to both master her writing skills and acquire valuable technical knowledge which she uses liberally in her plots. She loves to crochet and is a big fan of the old Scooby Doo cartoons.

Current E-Books
THE REBOOT FILES:  The Mystery of Hurtleberry House, The Island of Living Trees, The Harbinger of Retribution, and The Wrong Ghost.

www.shortmysteriesandtalltales.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CL-Ragsdale219184744858421

 

Starting A Book Club

I've really enjoyed going to book clubs and meeting all the ladies. I thought some of our readers might want to start one of thier own. Here are some suggestions to starting one. I've added a couple of pictures of clubs I've been to.

 

 

How to Start a Book Club - 10 Easy Steps

By Molly Lundquist

So you want to start your own book club? Terrific! Book discussion groups are great ways to make new friends, keep in touch with old ones, discover new books, and have meaty conversations. To help you get organized, simply follow these 10 steps and you'll be on your way!

1. Decide what kind of a club you want to be-do you want to be seriously academic with a heavy emphasis on book discussion and minimal social chat? Or do you enjoy the social bonding aspect of a book club-food, wine, personal sharing-and want to keep discussions shorter, light and fun? Probably, it's somewhere in between the two.
2. Decide what kind of books you want to read-do you enjoy reading the older classics or contemporary novels? Challenging works or somewhat lighter? Perhaps poetry, plays, or nonfiction-history, biographies, travel stories, current events. What about specific genres-detective/mystery, romance, inspirational, science fiction or fantasy? Perhaps you're eclectic-you like a variety of genres.
3. Choose three friends who share similar reading tastes and ways of approaching book discussions-that's important. You all want to be on the same page, so to speak. Each one of the three should ask one or two others, for a total of 7-10 members. It doesn't matter if you don't all know each other; in fact, it's more fun if you don't. And start small-you can always add new members when you want, though it's good to stop at 16, a maximum number for most book clubs.
4. Choose when and where to meet. Once you all get together, pick a day and time of the month that works with everyone's schedule. Some clubs meet in the evenings, after work; others on weekends. Those who are at home with children, or retired, find midmornings or lunchtime best. The most important thing is to establish a schedule and try to stick to it.Then, of course, decide where you want to meet. Most clubs meet in each others' homes or restaurants. Others find rooms in local libraries, Y's, or other more public places. Or you may decide to become a library-sponsored group, in which case you will always have a good source of fresh new members.
5. Decide about food. There will be food, right? Of course. Do you want just appetizers or desserts...or do you want full meals? And who prepares the food-does every member bring a dish...or does each member cook once a during the year? Maybe it's brown bag lunch or a potluck supper. Think, too, about having themed food to match your book-feature food from Afghanistan when you read A Thousand Splendid Suns. Look for Book Club Recipes on the web to give you ideas.
6. Decide how to select your books. Most clubs use one of two basic methods-voting or rotation. The voting begins with members making book suggestions, followed by discussion, and then a vote. The process can be as formal or informal as you want. The rotation system means that every member gets a month to choose a book. Both methods have their strong suits...and their drawbacks. Choose two or three books at a time so members can read at their own pace. Many clubs choose all their books for the year at one meeting, but that ties clubs into a rigid schedule...and it's unfair to members who had to miss the one meeting.
7. Give yourselves a name. And be creative: some of my favorites are The Happy Bookers...or First, the Food Book Club...or The Brooksville Book Babes.
8. Send out monthly reminders for every meeting. Don't rely on peoples' memories. Use email, phone or postcards, so make sure you keep an up-to-date contact list.
9. Keep a journal. It's a nice way to keep track of all the books you've read and what you thought of them. You might include photo highlights of special meetings or trips to hear an author speaker.
10. Give back to the community. Collect dues and donate books to your local library, or sponsor a scholarship for youngster in a literacy program. Schedule reading times for nursing homes patients.

 

 

 



 

 

HAPPY READING!

 

 

 

: Deborah Malone’s first novel Death in Dahlonega, finaled in the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Category Five writing contest! Deborah was also nominated for 2012 Georgia Author of the Year in First Novel category. She has worked as a freelance writer and photographer, for the historic magazine “Georgia Backroads.” She has had many articles and photographs published, and her writing is featured in “Tales of the Rails,” edited by Olin Jackson. She is a member of the Georgia Writer’s Association. As a current member of the American Christian Fiction Writer she has established a blog where she reviews Christian Fiction.  



 



Keep it Simple--By Linda Kozar

Today let's have some word fun together! Cliche's are cliche enough normally, but the ones below are a lesson in extremes. If you are possessed of a superior vocabulary, I hope you enjoy these tongue-in-cheek examples of cliches gone wrong--er. 

It is fruitless to attempt to indoctrinate a superannuated canine with innovative maneuvers.
Translation: You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

The stylus is more potent than the claymore
Translation: The pen is mightier than the sword.

Freedom from encrustation of grime is contiguous to rectitude.
Translation: Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

It is fruitless to become lachrymose over precipitously departed lacteal fluid.
Translation: Don't cry over spilled milk.

The temperature of the aqueous content of an unremittingly ogled saucepan does not reach 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
Translation: A watched pot does not boil.

All articles that coruscate with resplendence are not truly auriferous.
Translation: All that glitters is not gold.

Scintillate, scintillate asteroid minific.
Translation: Twinkle, twinkle little star.

Pulchritude possesses solely cutaneous profundity.
Translation: Beauty is only skin deep.

A plethora of individuals with expertise in culinary techniques vitiate the potable concoction produced by steeping certain comestibles.
Translation: Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Eleemosynary deeds have their incipience intramurally.
Translation: Charity begins at home.

Male cadavers are incapable of yielding any testimony.
Translation: Dead men tell no tales.

Individuals who make their abode in vitreous edifices would be advised to refrain from catapulting petrous projectiles.
Translation: People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Linda Kozar is the co-author of Babes With A Beatitude—Devotions For Smart, Savvy Women of Faith (Hardcover/Ebook, Howard/Simon & Schuster 2009) and author of Misfortune Cookies (Print, Barbour Publishing 2008), Misfortune Cookies, A Tisket, A Casket, and Dead As A Doornail, (“When The Fat Ladies Sing Series,” eBooks, Spyglass Lane Mysteries, 2012). Her latest novel Strands of Fate released October 2012 (Hardcover/Ebook, Creative Woman Mysteries). She received the ACFW Mentor of the Year Award in 2007, founded and served as president of Writers On The Storm, The Woodlands, Texas ACFW chapter for three years. In 2003, she co-founded, co-directed and later served as Southwest Texas Director of Words For The Journey Christian Writers Guild. She and her husband Michael, married 24 years, have two lovely daughters, Katie and Lauren and a Rat Terrier princess named Patches.

Represented by: Wendy Lawton, Books & Such Literary Agency

Member of: CAN (Christian Authors Network), RWA (Romance Writers of American), WHRWA (West Houston Romance Writers of America), ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), Writers On The Storm, The Woodlands, Texas Chapter of ACFW, Toastmasters (Area 56) The Woodlands, Texas, The Woodlands Church, The Woodlands, TX.

The First Book's on Me!

By Nancy Jill Thames

Whenever I want to read a new book it's because someone has told me how great it was. "You have to read it," they'll say. "I couldn't put it down!" Or, "I stayed up all night to finish it." Well, I don't think I've ever stayed up all night to finish a book, but I did let the kids and house go all day once, just so I could curl up on the sofa and read, "War and Remembrance." Some books just grab you like that. And some series do the same. I know how much I love certain ones, like Agatha Christie and Murder She Wrote. I  remember beginning to read in earnest when we lived in Fremont, California. 

The First Book's on Me!

Every week I took my kids to the library. They checked out books and videos and I checked out Victoria Holt and other romance novels. Then one day I found a display someone had donated of the complete works of Agatha Christie's Murder Masterpieces. I started checking them out and was hooked! All those books I read for free! When my kids grew older, the trips to the library ceased. I had to buy books to read. Not too bad for only about $8 a piece. My library is FULL of $8 books! And simply because I fell in love with a few particular authors.

Different books appeal to different readers, just as different genres appeal to different authors when they write. I for one love to read about strong women who've succeeded on their own. And when I can read stories set in lovely surroundings, I feel transported to that particular world. Maybe I'm a little lazy, but after entertaining my whole life (I started cooking at the age of nine) I rather enjoy reading about it vicariously. You may too. 

The Jillian Bradley Mysteries are about a woman in her sixties who writes a gardening column. Since she's a childless widow and a little lonely, her beloved Yorkie Teddy accompanies her almost everywhere. Their adventures run from tracking down murderers in high-end resorts like the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay to solving mysterious murders taking place a hundred years ago in a remote Bay Area community.And this woman has class! She wears fine clothes, collects fine art and entertains royally. This includes afternoon tea, of course, one of my favorite things.

If you'd like to try my books, I'm offering the first one for free on Smashwords. And the good news is that the Kindle and Nook books that follow are only $3.99. A real bargain! I hope you'll give the series a try. 

See you in my books!

 ~Nancy Jill

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames began publishing Christian fiction in 2010. The author of six books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award winning blogger and is listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s List, this in addition to winning first place for her Chocolate Cream Pie.

When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six grandchildren in two states, tags along with her husband on business trips, and plays classical piano for her own personal enjoyment. She is an active member of the Leander Writers Guild and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion of her book sales.

Nancy Jill is busy working on book 7 "The Ruby of Siam" a mystery taking place in London, England.

To learn more about the author and check out her books, please visit her blog at  
Cozy Mystery Author, Nancy Jill Thames.

CONTACT INFORMATION

jillthames@gmail.com

To view and purchase her books on this site, please visit the Cozy Book Store.

Chasing Lady Midnight - Chapter 2

Fight Or Flight, When You Can Only Flight For Long
Okay I suppose now would be a good time to come up with a strategy. However, having stunk at the game of chess my whole life in a family of chess enthusiasts, strategy is not exactly my strong suit. I can’t even win at checkers!
But I need a plan, and the only one that comes to mind is taking the high ground. Seeing as I’m up against a flyer that one doesn’t seem very practical.
Okay Plan B, pray! Please God, a little help down here. If you’ve got any ideas…
Silly question.
Because then I see it. A small alcove in one of the buildings I’m running towards. Okay, note to self, make praying Plan A.
Although officially I suppose it’s not an alcove, but I’m also not architect, and anyway who cares what it’s really called. That weird thing in the wall, whatever! I have other things to concern myself with at the moment. Like NOT GETTING AMBUSHED!
True, it will box me in, but that also means it will protect my back and my flanks. Also it’s too long and narrow for Protostar to get over my head and aim with any accuracy. Her team members are earthbound so that means they can only come at me from the front, and only one at a time. This is good because as a team they are as green as I am. Trust me, these people have been my house, well my parents’ house, I hear all about their trials and tribulations being superheroes in training.
Logically speaking this is a good battleground for me because it’s my battleground choice not theirs. Meaning they will have to adapt along with me. But it begs the question...
How am I going to get out?
I know God knows what He’s doing, but I can’t figure this one.
So going on faith I duck into the alcove, weird thing in the wall, whatever. Not anticipating the move Protostar actually overflies my position and has to flies back. She fires her force blast, which everyone calls Star Blasts. Hey the lame names just keep on coming.
Fortunately my shields come over me like a dome…
Wait, I have shields? Cool.
That must have been a defensive instinct on my part because right now my instincts are way better at controlling this new power of mine than when I try on purpose. It’s all part of that long story I mentioned earlier.
Anyway, the shields are not only deflecting Protostar’s power surges, but they are also acting like giant filter against the sun which is blaring in my eyes. That's good, what's bad is the sun's position also means there are no shadows near enough that I can use as an escape route. They are all in front of me and to get to them I would have to lower my shields and be right back where I started.
What all that means is that now that I have a defensive position, I will need an offensive plan to get out of this mess.
You know, this superhero stuff involves way too much thinking.
God, a little more help would be greatly appreciated, if it’s not too much bother.
For her part, Protostar looks downright disconcerted behind her cute little blue mask that goes with her cute little white and blue outfit...uh-oh, here comes the back up at full speed.
In the lead there’s Ballistic Attack, who resembles a human tank with a ton of muscle. An effect only enhanced by his orange and yellow costume. Whoever chose that outfit was not into subtlety. But when you’re a guy who’s seven foot tall, has muscles that Mr. Universe would envy and could pound everyone and everything that gets in his way into a pulp if he wanted, I don’t think subtlety would help. By the way, don’t let the bulk fool you there are brains behind all that brawn. This guy does geometry problems for fun.
Just behind Ballistic is Metallica Max, he’s the leader of the junior superhero team, you can tell that from the flashy red and gold costume. Guess you got to see your leader in battle. He can change his skin into any metal from platinum to tin. Now if he only had a heart. Sorry the guy gets on my last nerve, which is kind of too bad since he was my best friend growing up. That is until he discovered superheroes weren’t supposed to mingle with the common folk.
Now there’s irony for you.
Wait a minute, there’s another one? But the junior teams are always in threes. Who…Tracker??? What the heck is he doing here? He’s on the A-list team. Don’t let the simple, and not lame, name or understated costume of brown leather and fancy sunglasses for a mask fool you. This guy is seriously scary. Heightened senses that a blood hound would envy, a practically unbreakable bone structure, and a tactical mind (which I could use right now) that works faster than the speed of light. I’d rather face Colonel Courageous and Wildcat Woman together than this guy. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like I’m going to get that option.
In the immortal words of Ed Grimley, I am as doomed as doomed can be.

Mystery writer C.L. Ragsdale is the author of The Reboot Files a Christian Mystery Series. A California native, she loves to "surf" the web to research plot details for her fun, quirky stories with just a bit of whopper in them. She has a degree in Theatre Arts which greatly influenced her writing style. Working in various fields as a secretary has allowed her to both master her writing skills and acquire valuable technical knowledge which she uses liberally in her plots. She loves to crochet and is a big fan of the old Scooby Doo cartoons.

Current E-Books
THE REBOOT FILES:  The Mystery of Hurtleberry House, The Island of Living Trees, The Harbinger of Retribution, and The Wrong Ghost.

www.shortmysteriesandtalltales.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CL-Ragsdale219184744858421

 

You Win Some, You Lose Some!

In a classic case of the tried and true platitude, Good, Clean, Murder did win the Phoenix Rattler Mystery/Suspense category, but did not win a contract from Write Integrity Press. My warmest congratulations to those who did win! You can see the list of winners, and congratulate them here: http://writeintegrity.blogspot.com/

I may sound like a broken record at this point: but I haven't been this nervous since I was waiting to give birth!

Sometime between Monday January 21st and Tuesday January 22nd (when this post goes live) Tracy Ruckman of Write Integrity Press is going to announce the winners of the Books of Hope contest. Write Integrity is on the East Coast, therefore, as I write this it is 2:15 pm on Monday, at the Write Integrity offices, which makes me think the announcement could be ANY MINUTE.

I might not be one of the winners. I really might not. For the first round of the contest, we sent in the beginning of the book, I think two chapters was the maximum. I made the finals, which meant I had to finish the book and send it in.

I mentioned last week that this book was in two contests. The Phoenix Rattler contest was also judged on basically the first chapter. Thing is, I won my category in the at contest! Good, Clean, Murder was the mystery/suspense category winner, and the judges notes I received for it were far better than I had hoped. Lots of 9s and 10s, to be truly honest. (I'm still dizzy thinking about the judges who graded my work.)

But this second round of the Write Integrity contest judges the whole book. Does the plot hold together? Is the supporting cast strong? Do the characters act in a realist manner? Are the stakes high enough?

I will know the answers to all of that soon enough, but until then, I remain your friend, Traci-the-nervous-wreck-Hilton.

BTW: If winners are announced before this blog goes live I will add an addendum to the end of it. If they are announced after this is published, I will let you know the results in the comments.

In the meantime, check out Write Integrity Press's 2013 Books of Joy contest. Do you have  a book in you? Does joy play any part in your story? If so, 2013 could be your year!

Traci Tyne Hilton is an award winning playwright from Portland, Oregon, the author of the Mitzy Neuhaus Mystery Series, and one of the authors in the The Tangle Saga series of science fiction novellas.
Traci earned a degree in History from Portland State University and still lives in the rainiest part of the Pacific Northwest with her husband the mandolin playing funeral director, their two daughters, and their dog, Dr. Watson.
More of Traci's work can be found at http://www.tracihilton.com

Peanut Butter Crackle-Top Cookies--By Linda Kozar

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/peanut_butter_cookies/

Today I'm going to share one of my favorite cookie recipes with you! Peanut Butter Crackle-Top Cookies! (The picture above is from the Simply Recipe site because the batches I made didn't last long enough for a photo op).

My mother used to made double batches of these cookie gems for us as kids. We were always begging her to make them. Good thing she was a cookie-making kind of mom.

Peanut Butter Crackle Top Cookies

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg slightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup peanut butter

Cream together butter and sugars. Blend in egg and vanilla. Sift flour, soda and salt together. Add to mixture. Mix thoroughly. Roll into balls. Dip in sugar and arrange on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees.

Voila! Enjoy!

Linda Kozar is the co-author of Babes With A Beatitude—Devotions For Smart, Savvy Women of Faith (Hardcover/Ebook, Howard/Simon & Schuster 2009) and author of Misfortune Cookies (Print, Barbour Publishing 2008), Misfortune Cookies, A Tisket, A Casket, and Dead As A Doornail, (“When The Fat Ladies Sing Series,” eBooks, Spyglass Lane Mysteries, 2012). Her latest novel Strands of Fate released October 2012 (Hardcover/Ebook, Creative Woman Mysteries). She received the ACFW Mentor of the Year Award in 2007, founded and served as president of Writers On The Storm, The Woodlands, Texas ACFW chapter for three years. In 2003, she co-founded, co-directed and later served as Southwest Texas Director of Words For The Journey Christian Writers Guild. She and her husband Michael, married 24 years, have two lovely daughters, Katie and Lauren and a Rat Terrier princess named Patches.

Represented by: Wendy Lawton, Books & Such Literary Agency

Member of: CAN (Christian Authors Network), RWA (Romance Writers of American), WHRWA (West Houston Romance Writers of America), ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), Writers On The Storm, The Woodlands, Texas Chapter of ACFW, Toastmasters (Area 56) The Woodlands, Texas, The Woodlands Church, The Woodlands, TX