Nothing major, more under the headings of FYI....

1) For those who follow my prose stuff...I've written a new short story, "The
Salvation of Lyman Terrell," which will be made available for reading for free
on amazon.com in the next few weeks (I'll try to remember to let folks know
when it goes up) as part of a series of such bonuses they're offering to
customers.

2) Thanks to a series of industry screenings, I've had the opportunity to see
the final Lord of the Rings movie...and for those wondering, it's spectacular.
I loved the first one and considered it a masterpiece; wasn't quite as happy
with the second one, which I felt (and despite some corrections made via the
extended cut, still feel) that it suffered where it diverged from the book, and
where it replaced story logic with movie logic.

But "The Return of the King" is magnificent on every level. There are times
you feel you're looking at some forgotten history come to life, the imagery is
almost painfully beautiful at times, breathtaking and awe-inspiring other
times. I remember sitting there, thinking there are some things one feels
priviliged to have lived long enough to have seen. This is one of them. It's
brave, heroic, tragic, moving, funny, inspiring and wistful all at the same
time.

So for those who were hoping for the best...your hopes will be realized. It's
just freaking magnificent.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
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and don't send me story ideas)