FIREBORN

AT HOME IN FLAME

Macrocosm

INDEX TRANSCRIPT OF BARACK OBAMA'S VICTORY SPEECH: a study in writingLINDA BALLOU: Wai-nani:High Chiefess of Hawaii blog tour & interviewLUBBOCK COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION--OR WHAT THE HECK HAPPENS AT ONE OF THESE THINGS? a political blogHOW I SPENT MY TEXAS TUESDAY a political blogGUEST BLOG: JOE DOUGLAS TRENT reflections on a short storySIMPLEOLOGY COURSE evaluationMAGDALENA BALL: Sleep Before Evening blog tour interviewDARRELL BAIN: Savage Survival blog tour interviewMY WRITING MEMOIRS: FabChat presents Mary Andrews transcriptMY WRITING MEMOIRS: 2007 MuseOnlineConvention DAY 3 CLASS NOTES
...why,when & how radio interview-Valerie Connelly
...building a can't put it down suspense novel --Diane J. Newton, JDWebb, Pepper Smith
...world building--Karina Fabian...
...strategies for revising your story ornovel--Bob Iles
...protecting yourself & your work--K L Nappier
...putting sizzle in your love scenes--Lynn Crain
...internet talk radio--Lilllian CauldwellMY WRITING MEMOIRS: 2007 MuseOnlineConvention DAY 2 CLASS NOTES
...writing mystery that sells--Earl Staggs
...how to self edit your MG novel--Margot Finke
...important tips for nonfiction book proposals--Andrea Campbell
...historical fiction--Florence Weinberg
...using real events in the creation of a story--Nikkie Leigh-Arline Chase, Dorice Nelson
...website essentials & internet marketing for authors--Marshall Turner
...how to get more publicity--Lea Schizas
...writing zero tolerance queries & cover letters-Carolyn Howard JohnsonMY WRITING MEMOIRS: 2007 MuseOnlineConvention: DAY 1 CLASS NOTES
...how to keep your book alive & selling for a long time--Raleigh Pinskey
...world building (sci fi, fantasy & horror) --Kim Richards
...vampires-still hot in publishing after all these years! --Christina Barber
...adding depth to fiction--Marilyn Peake
...the audio divas audio classes--Allyn Evans & Kathe GoglewskiLEA SCHIZA: Doorman's Creek & The Rock of Realm blog tour interviewLEA SCHIZA: blog tour book reviewsBLOG SURVEY: IS ANYONE OUT THERE?WRITING MEMOIRS: The Fireborn Chronicles' first rewriteCOLIN HARVEY: next upCOLIN HARVEY: adviceCOLIN HARVEY: bloggingCOLIN HARVEY: blog part 2STRAIGHT FROM THE UK: MEET COLIN HARVEYKARINA FABIAN: Infinite Space, Infinite God virtual book tour & interviewWRITING MEMOIRS: marketing a bookWRITING MEMOIRS: Gorbash 1991WRITING MEMOIRS: the 2006 Muse Online ConventionSANDY LENDER Doesn't Recommend Quitting Your Day Job Or...the joy and insanity of being a writer.WRITING MEMOIRS: meeting Ray BradburyWRITING MEMOIRS: meeting Frank HerbertWRITING MEMOIRS: affording conventionsWRITING MEMOIRS: Gorbash Interview CJ CherryhWRITING MEMOIRS: what is a Science Fiction convention?WRITING MEMOIRS: the writing circleWRITING MEMOIRS: the Loophole BarWRITING MEMOIRS: Gorbash!WRITING MEMOIRS: my first Sci Fi conventionCARS R USMACROCOSM: THE UNIVERSE CONSIDERED AS A WHOLE--THE BIG PICTURE

TRANSCRIPT OF BARACK OBAMA'S VICTORY SPEECH

When I received this from the Freelance Writing Organization-Int’l I decided to share it for more than just it’s value as an excellent example of speech writing. Sorry it took me so long to get to it. –Mary Andrews

http://fwointl.com/clickbank/index.php

United States of America

Election 2008 Transcript Of Barack Obama's Victory Speech November 4, 2008 · In these prepared remarks provided by his campaign, President-Elect Barack Obama calls himself the unlikeliest presidential candidate. He thanks many members of his campaign,along with his enormous army of volunteers, and he warns supporters about what he calls the enormity ofthe tasks at hand that now face the U.S. He concludes by telling an anecdote about a 106-year-old African-American voter from Atlanta. The victory speech was delivered at Grant Park in Chicago. If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference. It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of red states and blue states; we are, and always will be,the United States of America. It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America. I just received a very gracious call from Sen. McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Gov.Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead. I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the vice-president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

This Resource Has Been Supplied Free Of Charge By The Freelance Writing Organization - Int'l As An Example Of Speech Writing. The Following Transcript Should Be Used As A Speech Writing Study Aid. This File May Be Freely Distributed As Long As The Complete Content, Footer And Header Are Left Intact And Not Modified. For Additional Free Writing Resources Visit Our Free Web Site http://www.fwointl.com/ This Resource Has Been Supplied Free Of Charge By The Freelance Writing Organization - Int'l As An Example Of Speech Writing. The Following Transcript Should Be Used As A Speech Writing Study Aid. This File May Be Freely Distributed As Long As The Complete Content, Footer And Header Are Left Intact And Not Modified. For Additional Free Writing Resources Visit Our Free Web Site http://www.fwointl.com/ To peruse our two malls go to: http://astore.amazon.com/freelawritino-20http://fwointl.com/clickbank/index.php

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years,the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next first lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure. To my campaign manager, David Plouffe; my chief strategist, David Axelrod; and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics — you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done. But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to — it belongs to you. I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington — it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the notso-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this earth. This is your victory. I know you didn't do this just to win an election, and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair. The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even one term, but America — I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you: We as a people will get there. There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for 221 years block by block, brick by brick, callused hand by callused hand.

This Resource Has Been Supplied Free Of Charge By The Freelance Writing Organization - Int'l As An Example Of Speech Writing. The Following Transcript Should Be Used As A Speech Writing Study Aid. This File May Be Freely Distributed As Long As The Complete Content, Footer And Header Are Left Intact And Not Modified. For Additional Free Writing Resources Visit Our Free Web Site http://www.fwointl.com/ This Resource Has Been Supplied Free Of Charge By The Freelance Writing Organization - Int'l As An Example Of Speech Writing. The Following Transcript Should Be Used As A Speech Writing Study Aid. This File May Be Freely Distributed As Long As The Complete Content, Footer And Header Are Left Intact And Not Modified. For Additional Free Writing Resources Visit Our Free Web Site http://www.fwointl.com/To peruse our two malls go to: http://astore.amazon.com/freelawritino-20http://fwointl.com/clickbank/index.php

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek — it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation — as one people. Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House — a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends... Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection." And, to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president, too. And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world — our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight, we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. For that is the true genius of America — that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election, except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes, we can. At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes, we can. When there was despair in the Dust Bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes, we can. When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes, we can. She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes, we can. A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes, we can.

America

, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves: If our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time — to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

LINDA BALLOU BLOG TOUR & INTERVIEW

Linda Ballou is a free-lance writer based in Los Angeles. She writes adventure travel, and is a nature photographer whose works have been published in many national publications. Her numerous articles and essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and literary journals.

Her short story “Look Both Ways on Small Islands” was included in the I Should Have Stayed Home anthology published by RDR Books.

She invites us all to view many of her articles and photos at her website: www.LindaBallouAuthor.com where if you look closely you may discover the Secret to Youth.

Her newest book is a historical novel Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawai’I is inspired by the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great. Its wonderfully flowing style easily recreates the almost magical qualities of Hawaiian culture. (It’s the next best thing to being there.)

Linda joins us today as part of her blog tour for Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawai’i. To follow Linda as she tours across the blog-o-sphere check her schedule at http://www.lindaballouauthor.com/bookevents.html

So tell us a little about yourself. Your bio mentions your appreciation for nature originally took you to Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. Tell us some more about this?

When I graduated from the California State University of Northridge with a B.A. in English Literature, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I decided to take a year off to contemplate my career path and to determine if I was, in fact, a writer. The lure of the islands was intense. The sensuality and soothing calm of the sea and balmy breezes were what the doctor ordered.

In my year on Kauai I was introduced to yoga, tai chi and eastern meditations all performed in the open air on the beach. Soothed by the purl of the waves and a soft wind, I received a spiritual awakening on the Island of Kauai that has made me a more centered human being and enabled me to cope with the stresses of modern life. The state of being in balance and harmony with nature is called Pono by the Hawaiians. It is a condition I strive to achieve and maintain in my daily life

While I was there I did a little freelancing for the local paper, conducting interviews of a few locals of note. The paper did a special that year on the arrival of Captain James Cook to Kauai in 1778. History tells us that the Hawaiians stabbed the famous explorer in the back. But, in my reading and talks with locals I learned that there were two sides to the story. Yes, Cook was killed by the Hawaiians, but not until he had eaten all their foodstuffs stored for the Makahiki festival, trampled upon their religious customs and tried to take an elder chief as hostage. This was the seed planted to so very long ago that germinated into the story told today by Wai-nani.

This must’ve been a massive undertaking to compile information for Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawai’i about everything from dolphin behavior to Hawaiian culture and mythology. How long did that take you? Do you have any favorite links to share with your readers who might want to learn more?

Wai-nani is the culmination of a thirty year long-distance love affair with the Islands. I enjoyed the research that took me ever deeper into the complexities of the Hawaiian culture. The Cook incident brought me to Kamehameha the Great and his wife Ka’ahumanu. It was prophesied that a chief would be born under a bright star that would bring the island under one rule. Haley’s comet blazed through the sky the night Kamehameha was born. His story seemed as fantastic to me as that of Jesus resting in his manger beneath the brightest star in the heavens to guide the wise men bearing gifts to him.

Ka’ahumanu, his favorite wife out of twenty seven, was brave, athletic and strong-willed. Her keen intelligence made her question the harsh penalties of the Polynesian kapu-system in place for 2000-years. She was responsible for the burning of the wooden images of the gods and putting an end to separate eating and much more harsh practices. I identified with this independent woman who bucked the system.

There is evidence of dolphins befriending and rescuing humans since ancient Greece. Even though her relationship with a dolphin family takes the story into the realm of the fantastic all the dolphin behavior in the story is taken from actual accounts with humans interacting with dolphin. When I was living on Kauai, I interviewed a woman named Bobo who was a long distance swimmer. She told me dolphin often swam with her and that they loved to play. It is not unrealistic to think that a woman, like Ka’ahumanu who often swam eighteen miles in a day would have a friendship with a sea creature.

Each book I read about the people of old Hawaii brought me deeper in the mystery and romance of the time. Eventually, I went to the Big Island to walk in the footsteps of the ancients. On this trip I visited all of the sites described in my book. The most memorable being the two nights and days I spent in the sacred Waipio Valley where the bones of the ali`i chiefs are hidden in caves.

As far as links go I would say that the Bishop Museum. www.bishopmuseum.org. on Oahu has the best collection of artifacts from Hawaiian antiquity. There is a great deal of information on their site. The University of Hawaii Press www.uhpress.hawaii.edu has a comprehensive catalogue of books on all things Hawaiian.

I loved the way you interspersed Hawaiian words throughout the story. It added a true ‘feel’ of culture. How did you determine which words to use and which not to use?

This was a natural process. In my reading of the oldest books on the subject I learned many of the Hawaiian words. I admit that I can’t pronounce all of them properly even though I know what they mean. When it seemed they were the best to describe something I used them. I tried not to over do this for the modern reader. There is a glossary at the back of the book to make it easier for those unfamiliar with basic Hawaiian words.

What first inspired you to become a writer?

When I was thirteen, my parents uprooted me and took me from sunny Southern Cal to a small town in Alaska. Looking back I can say I am grateful as this gave me a unique point of view and a genuine appreciation of nature. The move helped me become a more centered human being. However, it did set me apart. I was not quite an Alaskan, and no longer a Californian. I turned to books for companionship. Writers became my best friends. People who read obsessively have a tendency to become writers.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Jack London said “The world is filled with boneheads and boobs. Don’t get hung up on listening to them. Just write from your heart. Don’t worry about them not understanding your work. They never understood his.

You need to be writing about something that matters to you. It must be a subject you really care about, or you won’t be able to stay with the story until it is finished. Writing is a craft, one that entails a great deal of work and attention to pains taking detail. I could not have brought Wai-nani to the professional level it stands at now if I did not have an editor to help me and a publisher who cares. The main thing is don’t give up on yourself. No one else can write your stories.

How would you describe your writing?

It is the best of me.

Would you like to post a teaser (few paragraphs from your book) here to give the readers a taste of what to expect?

Excerpt from Wai-nani High Chiefess of Hawaii-Page 122

Once beside Makaha my thoughts of death ended. I followed him to the cold blue bowels of a roaring wave. I could feel the pull of Milu as he tried to take me to his kingdom. I fought with all my might to paddle up the curving breast of the beast that dwells in the ocean. The churning rage over my head was about to drop on me when I slipped just under its snarling lip. I turned to make the drop and felt myself falling into eternity. I hit hard, nearly toppling over in the heaving swell. I shuffled back and forth on my board to regain my balance. Before I knew what was happening, I was encircled by an ice-blue tube shot through with light. I was inside the belly of the whale. Many moments passed in which I was lost toall but the immense power shooting me through the whorl of blue. It fired me out and down the face of the great wave.

I turned my board up and rode the crest to shore. When I emerged from the water my aura flew off of me in a halo of sparkling light. Pinpricks of light shot off my fingertips and the soles of my feet as I walked on the hard packed sand. The mystery of moana—the grand and vibrant sea—could never be grasped and made to stay still, I reminded myself. All one could do is let it go and live in harmony with it. I was content to live that day and did not re-enter the surf with Makaha, who continued wave-sliding for many hours like a dolphin born in water.

When the gods tired of the storm, the skies cleared to sapphire blue and three-colored rainbows burst over the valley. I took Makaha by the hand and led him up the canyon to Hi'ilawe and Hakalaoa, the twin waterfalls. These two streams plunging from the sky into a secret pool were once forbidden lovers. Rather than be separated, the lovers jumped off the pali together into the pool at the bottom of the falls to meet their deaths together. The joined water flows from the stream to the sea and supports the taro fields, feeding the fishes and nurturing the land.

“Like these streams our lives are forever bound,” I told him.

“My brave Wai-nani, you are my never-fading flower,” he said, rubbing my nose tenderly with his own.

“Your hard path is to be softened by the pure water of my love,” I said. We held hands and turned to watch the silken tracks of the dying lovers.

Your man website has already been listed above but do you have any other websites/MySpace/newsletter/blogs?

I am a member of the North American Travel Journalist Association http://www.natja.org/member/lindaballou

I have a page on MySpace, Author’s Den, Author’s Coaliton and various networking sites. But, I prefer people go to my page www.LindaBallouAuthor.com where they will find my articles, photos and a page dedicated to Wai-nani. On my site they can purchase a signed copy of Wai-nani and receive free shipping anywhere in the world.

Are you working on any other projects now?

I can’t wait to get back to Lost Angel Walkabout, my collection of travel essays. I have about 18 stories that I plan to compliment with interviews of inspirational people I have met along the way. I interviewed Tim Cahill, my travel writing hero, in his home in Livingston Montana. His writing is filled with good humor, adventure and information that he delivers in a conversational style that I admire. I am proud to say his interview will be in my book.

Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai’i – Her Epic Journey is an historical novel couched in magical realism set in pre-contact Hawai’i. Wai-nani’s character is inspired by the personage of Ka’ahumanu, the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great, who was responsible for ending the 2,000-year-old Polynesian “kapu system.”

The turbulent romance of these Hawaiian icons is set against the backdrop of Hawai’i’s most dynamic period between 1740 and 1820. Captain James Cook arrived in 1778. Cook’s visit triggered change that facilitated forces already set in play by Kamehameha (Makaha), the warrior prophesied at birth to bring the splintered Island people under one rule. Precocious Ka’ahumanu, always the center of controversy, is revered by some as the loving “Mother of the people” and by others as the “flaw that brought down chiefdom.”

Wai-nani embodies all that was good in ancient Polynesian society. Athletic, assertive, and brave she stands beside her warrior-king husband sharing in his joys and sorrows for forty years.