Am I or are you an alien from a planet far far away? by Vijaya Schartz

Find Vijaya's Science Fiction and Fantasy novels from BWL here

Over the past few decades, the scientific community turned to study the mysteries of our DNA and blood types, and found out we are all the same despite different skin color. All primates from this planet have Rh positive blood... except for the tiny portion of the human population with Rh negative blood, predominantly found in Basque country (Southwest of France and Northwest of Spain) and in smaller concentration in Ethiopia and far eastern Jewish tribes.

Interestingly enough, the Basque people are an enigma for anthropologists who are unable to trace their origins... as if they dropped from the sky 35,000 years ago. The Basque culture and their language are not related to any other known culture. Although I heard of a Basque mountain climber on an expedition to the Himalayas, who could communicate with the locals through his native language... another puzzle. 

Since my blood type is Rh negative, I found this interesting, and my writer's curiosity pushed me to investigate further. Here are a few characteristics of people with negative blood rhesus:

They cannot be cloned

They have green or hazel eyes that often change color

They often have red hair

They are highly intelligent

They can sing and have perfect pitch

Most healers and people with true psychic abilities are Rh negative

They have lower body temperatures

They have a slower heart rate

They do not like the cold

They are mentally and emotionally very stable

Most alien abductees are Rhesus negative

If you give them positive rhesus blood, they will die. (negative rhesus blood doesn't affect a positive rhesus patient as long as it is the same type - O - A - B - AB etc.)

The Rh negative women's chances to give birth with a positive rhesus male are slim and dangerous. Their body's natural defenses will attack and kill the fetus if not controlled by powerful pharmaceuticals.

I must say many of these characteristics do apply to me and I am French born. I have changing green eyes. I bleached my hair blond since my teens, but I was born with light reddish brown hair. I used to sing professionally. I had occasional and inexplicable premonitory dreams over the years, I have a slower than normal heart rate. I hate the cold (that's why I live in Arizona). I never became pregnant despite three marriages. All the pieces seem to fit.

Was I ever abducted by aliens? If I were, I don't remember it... but I remember a time in art school when I couldn't help but draw cool alien-looking faces after having a particularly strange dream.

Above all, I am fascinated with alien life in the universe, and I write science fiction and fantasy, characters with incredible powers, and technology that can take us across the universe. I believe we are all citizens of the universe, and this world is only a small part of it.

So let us forget our petty differences and be part of the infinite creation we are all part of. Soon we shall discover our universe in greater details. For me, I can't wait to explore the galaxy and maybe meet some distant cousins. In the meantime, they will populate my dreams and feed my imagination, and you will find them in my novels.

Happy Reading.

Vijaya Schartz, author

Romance with a Kick

http://www.vijayaschartz.com

“If music be the food of love”… Tricia McGill

Find Amethyst and all my other books here on my BWL author page

“Then play on.” Please. William S certainly had a way with words. My English teacher at high school had a passion for Shakespeare and even kept a miniature statue of his bust on her desk. Unfortunately for silly young me, I didn’t appreciate his works way back then and was more into soppy romances as my mother called them. William sure had a good idea of what love was all about. “The course of true love never did run smooth” is another of his good lines. Visit this site and see many of his other famous quotes: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/william_shakespeare

However, this blog is not about him or other playwrights or dramatists, but more about songwriters. I have always wanted to write lyrics, but never possessed a musical bone in my body. I was encouraged years ago by my family never to sing at family gatherings again as I am so out of tune it is not funny. But, I love listening to lyrics when they tell a good story. I am not a fan of modern music unless it be country. I’m a died in the wool country music fan. I love Country music so much, especially when the lyrics almost bring me to tears as they tell of a broken heart or reminisce about a perfect, but poor, childhood much like the one I had.

Elton John is not a Country music man, but his Lyricist Bernie Taupin is a master of telling a story in a song. Add Elton’s music and you have a perfect match. I have many favourite Country musicians but my number one is Alan Jackson. Strangely, I rarely listen to music while writing as I find it draws me out of my story while I am busily singing along. I never listen to the radio while driving (can’t take the ads) but always have my own music playing and probably know the words to just about every top hit that Alan Jackson has produced. I became familiar with his work in my line dancing days. That man has certainly mastered his craft. Anyway, I can sing off key to my heart’s content while alone in the car. When the dogs are with me they often bark and it just occurred to me that perhaps they are telling me to shut up!

Of course, I can’t list all my Alan J favourites but here is just a small selection, and I hope you can see where I am coming from.

Here in the Real World:

Cowboys don't cry, and heroes don't die
Good always wins, again and again
And love is a sweet dream, that always comes true
Oh, if life were like the movies, I'd never be blue
But here in the real world, it's not that easy at all
'Cause when hearts get broken, it's real tears that fall
And darlin' it's sad but true, but the one thing I've learned from you
Is how the boy don't always get the girl, here in the real world

(Sad but so true for lots of people)

House With no Curtains:

We still wear our rings
We still say I love you
We both play the part oh so well
But everyone knows
It's just a sad show
And we're only foolin' ourselves
It's like living in a house with no curtains
The whole world can see what's inside
You can turn out the lights in a house with no curtains
But heartache has nowhere to hide

And here is the chorus to one of my all-time favourites, Small Town Southern Man:

And he bowed his head to Jesus
And he stood for Uncle Sam
And he only loved one woman
(He) was always proud of what he had
He said his greatest contribution
Is the ones you leave behind
Raised on the ways and gentle kindness
Of a small town Southern man

Remember When.

Remember when
I was young and so were you
And time stood still and love was all we knew
You were the first, so was I
We made love and then you cried

Of course, it helps if you also hear the music that goes along with the words, but if you would like to see more of his lyrics then go here: https://www.azlyrics.com/j/jacksonal.html

Kenny Rogers is another whose music I can listen to all day and all night (and often do at night) No one sings a song about unrequited love quite like Kenny.

The words written by Bonnie Raitt to “I can’t make you love me” are probably just about the saddest song of unreturned love, ever, and it has been sung by a few but none make me want to weep for lost love as Kenny can.

'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
You can't make your heart feel something it won't

Another tearjerker that Kenny sings plaintively is, “Share your Love With me” written by Bobby Blue Bland

It's an ill wind that blows no good
And it's a sad heart that won't love like it should
Oh, how lonesome you must be, and it's a shame
If you don't share your love with me.

While driving back from taking the doggies for a walk in the park this morning, this Kenny favourite played and I realised I just cannot leave it off my list.

Handprints on the Wall: Songwriters Nelson Blanchard and Scott Innes

Days go by so quickly
Summer turns to fall
Seems like only yesterday
That you began to crawl
So don't be afraid to take that step
I'll catch you when you fall
I don't mind if you leave behind
A few hand prints on the wall

If you don’t join me in thinking this is one of the best songs ever written about a father’s love for his child then take a look at this video with Kenny singing that a guy put up on YouTube after the birth of his twins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGyzIEPNnd4

I defy you not to be moved.

Okay, perhaps these songs are not always perfect grammatically, but add great music to the words and without doubt they touch the heart, and isn’t that what we all wish with our writing.

Let me finish with the words of Abba:

“So I say,
Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing. Thanks for all the joy they're bringing.”

How barren the world would be without music—no matter what your preference.

My Web Page

Time and Writing

Visit my BWL author page to purchase

Visit my BWL author page to purchase

What is “time” in the modern author’s world? Several decades ago it meant how many minutes you sat with pen in hand or in front of a typewriter. Yesterday I sat back and spent some time mulling over how it relates to my writing. So, I will try and put down words that relay how the seconds, minutes, hours, and days affect my writing.

I think the overall effect of the lightning-fast communication world is a help. Years ago I would have to pull research information on the living conditions of cowboys in the Wyoming mountains from my tired old Compton’s Encyclopedias or, more likely, go to the public library. In order to not disrupt the flow of my writing I would Put a large question mark in the spots that needed study and spend an afternoon at the library with a steno pad searching for details on a handful of topics.

Now I sit at a coffee shop…

...with priority given to places with reliable wifi. The instant information is a huge time saver. As well, I save some digital ink by eliminating the question mark in my work. When we travel I insist on strong WIFI in our accommodations.

So, it’s stetsons off to modern technology. Of course, I never get distracted by texts, emails, reading other blogs, or surfing the web. Really, I don’t. Well, actually I just did. Now, where was I?

The success of this streamlined research technique can be viewed in my novels Rangeland Ruckus and Raining trouble.