Butterscotch
We found ourselves standing next to each other. I was studying the prices of canned tuna. She was scanning the selection of instant-pudding mixes opposite. It was mid-afternoon, the aisle was otherwise empty. Try as she might, she could bend only so low to examine the items on the lower shelves, fearing, she admitted quietly, that her knees might fail to raise her. These things come with age, she conceded. We smiled it away. I turned to assist.
She was looking for butterscotch—that was the flavor she liked. If they didn’t have butterscotch here, Target would have it. They always stocked butterscotch at Target. The prices were better at Target too, she said. Had I seen the price of cream cheese here? Over two dollars! I commiserated. Her daughter had found a recipe with her weight-watchers group in which canned pumpkin was added to the butterscotch mix—it was really quite good that way, and less fattening. That sounded good to me too. It would be surprising if they didn’t carry butterscotch here, we agreed, as surely butterscotch was still one of the more popular flavors. Perhaps they had sold out. There were many newer flavors. We thought we found a few boxes of butterscotch towards the back of the bottom shelf, next to the coconut crème, but they were only surplus of the vanilla. She would get butterscotch at Target. She thanked me, her eyes gleaming briefly, and we wished each other a good day. I continued along my way. She continued along hers.
Perhaps a half dozen times during our search for the butterscotch, she had reached out to touch my arm, letting her cold, delicate fingers, thinly gloved in fine wrinkles, linger on the warmth of my skin for an extended moment, for as long as politely possible. I hadn’t pulled away.
She would find what she wanted later at Target. Here, she had found something of what she needed. I hadn’t minded.
Copyright 2014, Quent Cordair. All rights reserved.
Ice or Fire
Some say that Hell is made of fire,
Some say of ice.
From what I’ve seen the oceans sire
I think I’d choose the ice or fire
O’er sinking to the sailor’s end,
In darkening depths come eye to eye
With demons vile come round to rend
A flailing feast o’er which they’ll vie,
One bubbled cry ascending.
Update on the audiobook of A NEW EDEN
(UPDATE: See below…) ALERT to those who have already downloaded the audiobook of A NEW EDEN, Part II of IDOLATRY, or for those considering purchasing. I’ve been alerted by a listener this morning that the current audiobook available of A NEW EDEN somehow ends with Chapter 11 — but there are 15 chapters total! Please know that the situation will be corrected shortly.
UPDATE: Working with Audible to correct the title. They’re estimating 10-14 days for the corrected title to be processed and to propagate through the retail sites, then purchasers can simply re-download the corrected title with all 15 chapters. They’ll keep me posted, as I will you, with apologies for any inconvenience. (Four more chapters to look forward to!) Please LET ME KNOW if you’d like to be notified when the corrected edition is available. Audible will NOT notify you directly.
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My very sincerest apologies for any inconvenience. The last four chapters are worth waiting for.
Alert concerning the audiobook of A New Eden
ALERT to those who have already downloaded the audiobook of A NEW EDEN, Part II of IDOLATRY, or for those considering purchasing. I’ve been alerted by a listener this morning that the current audiobook available of A NEW EDEN somehow ends with Chapter 11 — but there are 15 chapters total! (Audible was doing a system upgrade recently — I suspect some chapter files may have been lost in a server migration). This is deeply frustrating and disappointing, but regardless the cause, please know that the situation will be corrected shortly. Those who have already purchased, please see #3 below on how you can help me identify and resolve the problem.
1. If you have not already purchased the audiobook of A NEW EDEN, please wait to purchase until the problem is resolved. Stay tuned. Please let me know if you’d like to be notified when the corrected edition is available.
2. If you *have* already purchased, know that the problem will be corrected a.s.a.p. I don’t yet know if Audible will simply provide those who have already purchased with a corrected copy, or if we’ll need to go through a refund/repurchase process. Please contact me if you’ve already purchased so that I can follow up on ensuring that you receive the full, corrected book.
3. If you’ve already downloaded a copy, can you do me a big favor by letting me know a) when you purchased, and b) if your copy ends with Chapter 11 (last words: “…with complete adoration”) or with Chapter 15 (last words: “…like a branch in the wind”) There are closing credits on *both* versions. This will be very helpful in determining when and how the error occurred. We need evidence of when the problem occurred.
Thank you! And my very sincerest apologies for the inconvenience. The last four chapters are the best! Worth waiting for, I hope.
A reading of my poem *Character*
(you can follow along with the words of the poem below)
Character The shuffling line from dock to deck Turns up the plank to ticket check. Those early on the rails above Wave wanly down to ones they love; A long look down to ones they love. Mark the ship, her lines and seams, A welding of designer’s dreams And builder’s craft—but is she true? Or will she break against the blue? How will she fare against the blue? New captain there, high on the bridge; A ship so large, his privilege. It’s whispered that he’s wrecked a few, Though smaller craft, that much is true; Not one his fault, that much is true— Or so it’s sworn by this fresh crew And owners old with lifeboats new. All’s well insured with fading ink, They reassure with touch of drink; The trembling calms with touch of drink. The seas ahead are known to swell, Lift up to heaven, drop to hell, Loom overhead till pounding down To crush the air until lungs drown, With howling winds until lungs drown. Threatening isles with teething breaks, A glancing scrape is all it takes Across a careless bearing laid— The reckless bet by all is paid; The helmsman’s due by all is paid. The wise will eye both ship and man To measure both with skeptic scan. The sea cares not for sentiment Or fervent prayers to heaven sent; It swallows prayers to heaven sent. In character of steel and mind, In ship nor man a weakness find, On oceans’ floors, if truth be told, There lies more faith and trust than gold, There lies more hope than gold.
Copyright 2016, Quent Cordair. All rights reserved.
Character
Character The shuffling line from dock to deck Turns up the plank to ticket check. Those early on the rails above Wave wanly down to ones they love; A long look down to ones they love. Mark the ship, her lines and seams, A welding of designer’s dreams And builder’s craft — but is she true? Or will she break against the blue? How will she fare against the blue? New captain there, high on the bridge; A ship so large, his privilege. It’s whispered that he’s wrecked a few, Though smaller craft, that much is true; Not one his fault, that much is true — Or so it’s sworn by this fresh crew And owners old with lifeboats new. All’s well insured with fading ink, They reassure with touch of drink; The trembling calms with touch of drink. The seas ahead are known to swell, Lift up to heaven, drop to hell, Loom overhead till pounding down To crush the air until lungs drown, With howling winds until lungs drown. Threatening isles with teething breaks, A glancing scrape is all it takes Across a careless bearing laid — The reckless bet by all is paid; The helmsman’s due by all is paid. The wise will eye both ship and man To measure both with skeptic scan. The sea cares not for sentiment Or fervent prayers to heaven sent; It swallows prayers to heaven sent. In character of steel and mind, In ship nor man a weakness find, On oceans’ floors, if truth be told, There lies more faith and trust than gold, There lies more hope than gold. *** I read the poem live on my Facebook author's page ~ https://www.facebook.com/QuentCordairFiction/posts/1146495142054239
Copyright 2016, Quent Cordair
Burning the flag and other sacred things . . .
In light of the flag-burning statement by the president elect, I’m making my short story THE MATCH free to download for 72 hours, through Saturday, midnight Pacific. In the story, several items are intentionally burned — items even more sacred to many Americans than the U.S. flag. Should such actions be outlawed? Many would say “yes.” In the protagonist’s situation, what would you do? (The Kindle reading app is free to download to any device too.) ~ https://www.amazon.com/The-Match-ebook/dp/B00CTWYBKC
A New Eden is now available in audiobook
“Read it with delight on Kindle. Do not miss the luxury of listening to the Audible version. Robin Field makes it one of the best Audiobook performances I have listened to… And I have nearly 300 Audiobooks in my library. This is book two in the series, so be certain to start with the first….also read by Robin.” ~ Raggedy Edge. Now available on Audible, Amazon & iTunes!
Oh, but you are . . .
Oh, but you are an artist ~ you are the sculptor of your character, the painter of your style, the composer of your attitude, the architect of your future, the writer of the story of your life.
***
Enjoy Genesis, Part I of Idolatry …
In the twilight of the Roman Empire, a sculptor struggles to keep an 800-year dream alive while honoring the love of his life and raising his adopted son. Part I of the epic five-part Idolatry saga, the story of a wealthy young heir and a devout Christian girl who find themselves at the heart of a 2400-year struggle for the soul of Western Civilization.
“Beautifully written, on the order of Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth, with the historical insight of James Michener, it brings to life a time of great thought, great art, and its clash with religious fanaticism. Cordair writes with a poet’s sense of scene and nuance and gives us a great deal of insight into the mind of a sculptor; I found this an exciting and easy read.” ~ Alan Nitikman
Genesis, Part I of Idolatry, is now on Amazon in paperback & Kindle editions here…
As It Should Be 