Mountain of Silver Dust

Science fiction story about a new mother searching for the truth about her husband's disappearance.  What Zipporah discovers could save life on all the worlds, but at what cost?

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I.

Each grain of azurcose was a truncated icosahedron.  She remembered this from school as thousands of them avalanched into her crystal mug of dark brown coffee, “like a million tiny footballs,” she whispered.  Only these had flat faces, whereas the tiles on a football were convex, giving it its smooth rounded shape.  “Thirty-two faces…  Twelve pentagons, twenty hexagons, sixty angles, ninety lines.  Remember that the next time you slurp your darn SyraNova drinks,” she mimicked her Chem teacher’s gravelly voice.

Someone snorted a few booths away, the group of punks she’d clocked on her way inside, only other people in the diner besides the cook, the server, and herself.

She wasn’t going to make him stay in her life if he didn’t want to, baby or no.  How could she?  Korratrea was still a free country, unless there’d been a coup she hadn’t heard about yet, which was unlikely.

The short one slid in beside her, and two more across the table, while the cautious one sat lightly at the adjacent table to her right.  Clack-clack-clack, the man’s knuckles tapped on the hard plastic surface beneath her chin.  Clack-clack-clack.

“Did you order yet?” he asked.

“Nope, just trying to enjoy this coffee.”

“Nice ring.  Where’s your husband?”

“He said he was on his way.”

The man smiled to his friends, who laughed.  “Yeah, well, I think he’s crazy to leave you alone like this.  Middle of the night, strange neighborhood…  Uncivilized company.”  His friends laughed again.

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”

(Read full story...)

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Intended Consequences

Available at Amazon and Barnes&Noble.com

Intended Consequences is a collection of short essays about faith, life, and Christianity in America.  The range of topics includes charity, art, patriotism, addiction, freedom, gratitude, and Bruce Lee.

Robert Lampros is an author of Christian poetry, essays, and fiction who lives in St. Louis.  His books include Fits of Tranquility, Afternoon, and Last Year's Resolution.

William Faulkner

                                                   * hosted by Debdatta Sahay, http://www.b00kr3vi3ws.in
                                                                                         

An American writer of novels, short stories, essays, and screenplays, William Cuthbert Faulkner was born on September 25, 1897, and is best known for his novels and stories about the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, which is based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where he lived for much of his life.  Three of his novels, The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, and Light in August made the Modern Library’s list of the top one hundred English-language novels of the twentieth century.  Surprisingly Faulkner remained mostly unknown to the public until winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949.  Two of his books, A Fable (1954), and The Reivers (1962), won Pulitzer Prizes for fiction.

His most popular, and what many consider his greatest work, The Sound and the Fury, was published in 1929 when William was only thirty-two years-old.  The story progresses through stream of consciousness narratives in four different sections.  Three of them feature first-person narrators, each a member of the Compson family, recounting events of both the present and the past in highly stylized, overlapping layers of brilliant prose.  The fourth section uses a third-person omniscient narrator to follow Dilsey, the Compsons’ faithful servant and a strong African American mother.  This book reigns as an indisputable masterpiece and towering achievement of American Literature.

The title, The Sound and the Fury, comes from a monologue in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, when the despairing king finds himself overwhelmed by fears, sins, and dangers.  “She should have died hereafter/There would have been time for such a word./To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow/Creeps in this petty pace from day to day/To the last syllable of recorded time/And all our yesterdays have lighted fools/The way to dusty death.  Out, out brief candle!/Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/And then is heard no more: it is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/Signifying nothing.”

The passage echoes the words of King Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes, “All is vanity,” and reading Faulkner one feels the apparent futility of the characters’ struggles, yet can’t help caring for them as they fight for hope and dignity while also fighting among themselves.  He wrote his first novel, Soldier’s Pay, in 1925 in New Orleans, after Sherwood Anderson (Winesburg, Ohio) urged him to start writing fiction.  Anderson helped with the publication of Soldier’s Pay and his second novel, Mosquitoes, by recommending the books to his own publisher.

William Faulkner pioneered the new form of stream of consciousness prose, simultaneously documenting Southern life in the early twentieth century, and weaving magnificent tales of hardship, faith, and perseverance.  The Compson family along with his other characters face obstacles that would level most families and leave them crying in the dust, but these carry on, forge ahead hoping their promise waits around the next bend.  The poetry of his narratives is breathtaking, the journeys inspiring, fascinating, and heartbreaking.  William passed away in 1962, two days after the 4th of July.  Rest in peace, Mr. Faulkner.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Last Year's Resolution

by Robert Lampros

Giveaway ends July 22, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Last Year's Resolution Reviews

Available at Amazon and Barnes&Noble.com
“I genuinely liked reading this book from beginning to end. The writing was simple and felt like a classic book I should have read years ago. The characters were well developed and the gentle romance felt sincere and really carried the story well… It is Christian enough to be called Christian romance but it’s also secular enough to pass as a simple love story. One of the things I liked most about this book was that it intertwined the characters’ faith with romance and realistic events… A comfortable cross between contemporary fiction and love.” - Valicity Garris, Author

“I am continually amazed by some of Mr. Lampros' imagery… Thematically, I would say that this novel is about friendship, love, Christ… a real knack for dialogue and characterization through said dialogue, rounding out the characters even if the description of where they are and what they see is subservient to the plot and the overall thrust of the story. Bravo!” - John Morris, Author

“This is a very well-written Christian novel with a plot running in fast pace… The author did a superb job creating characters that are lovable, and the book is definitely a boost to our faith… I recommend this book to the permanent library of all readers who appreciate a well-written novel, very entertaining, with a strong Christian theme.” - Roberto Mattos, BooksAndMovieReviews

“Great writing, great story! I could've read it in just a few days but you kind of want to take your time with it and reflect on some of the passages and things that happen… a great book, fun and exciting and even edge-of-your-seat action at times. I highly recommend it!” B. Hill, Goodreads Reviewer

Fits of Tranquility reviews

Available at Amazon and Barnes&Noble.com

“A great sense of connection with human nature and the human condition which I found refreshing…  A delightful read.  5 stars.”  – Lauren, LivingABookLife.com

“This book made me feel overwhelmingly good.  As a religious person myself, I felt like there were some lines that really resonated with me.  Even if you’re not religious, a lot of the poems deal with nature and the spiritual experiences that being outside can bring…  I definitely recommend.”  – Ashley, What’s She Reading?

“Each poem offers the reader something to reflect on that will lead to other meditative thoughts.  If you enjoy poetry, you will enjoy Fits of Tranquility.”  – Terry Delaney, Christian Book Notes

“Containing over 20 unique poems and short stories, this book ranges in topic from inspiring images of nature to thought-provoking stories filled with charming dialogue and everything in between…  I would recommend giving Fits of Tranquility a try.”  – Prairie Sky Book Reviews

“Ideas of hope, healing, joy, and faith mirrored in poems about family, lightening, life, and wilderness, the second part is comprised of prose about falling in love…  A book for avid poetry readers.”  – Jen Pen, Savurbks.com

“I enjoyed many things about this book, foremost is the author’s tone.  It is understated, but capable of conveying some deep thoughts quite effectively…  There is a religious perspective in this book, expressed with artistry, understatement, that avoids sentimentality.”  – Arthur Turfa, author of Places and Times

“One of my favorites is “Family,” it describes the value in a heartfelt and touching way.  I also really liked “Invisible Arms,” a vivid picture of how God protects us from physical and emotional harm.  I am a hopeless romantic so I appreciated the sweet moments described in the short stories.  I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading smooth thought provoking poetry.”  – Ivory M, Beautyful Word

“Fits of Tranquility contains a variety of styles and structures which makes this collection immediately more appealing to the poetry connoisseur.  Lampros’s poetry contains a sensitivity and emotional eloquence which flows gently through his work…  is a superior collection and I recommend it to those readers who want to read beautiful, family-safe poetry.”  – Karen Jones, The Poetry Bookshop

Ghost Eagle

Ghost Eagle is a graphic novel that is currently being illustrated, available now in a text-only format as a free download.  The story follows Curtis Thompson and his girlfriend Mel as they fight for survival in an increasingly dark and menacing dystopia where police, gangs, and government agents grapple for power over society.  Only Curtis’s own super powers, his faith in God, and the help of Jesus Christ can save them now and set them free.

Link to Ghost Eagle

St. Peter's Speech at Solomon's Portico

From The Book of Acts:

While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico, utterly astonished.  When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk?  The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him.  But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead.  To this we are witnesses.  And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.  And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.  In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer.  Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets.  Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me.  You must listen to whatever he tells you.  And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people.’  And all the prophets, as many as have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days.  You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’  When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

*  The Harper Collins Study Bible NRSV

More Great Reads

1)  S.T.E.A.M.  Island Under Siege

S.T.E.A.M. Island Under Siege is a new graphic novel, written by Ashley Eric Peschel and illustrated by Peter Magro, that takes place on the island of Malta near the end of the second World War.  A gang of renegade soldiers and freedom fighters battles a slew of supernatural villains ranging from ghoulish Nazi officers to fiendish vampires and bloodthirsty werewolves, however now they must face a new and far worse threat—an evil unkillable beast the likes of which they’ve never seen.  Expertly illustrated and skillfully written, this is an entertaining and exciting read for fans of the graphic novel medium.  * some mild bad language and comic book violence.

Available at Amazon

Summary:  Set against the conflict of the Second World War, something terrifying has been released on the small island of Malta.  Realising they are in over their heads, the local authorities request help in tracking a sadistic killer whose body count already stands at five.  A special team is dispatched to deal with the murderer—and so the hunt begins on the war torn island for a killer that the team soon discovers is unlike anything they have encountered before….  If this were not bad enough, the team also have to face off against a mysterious Nazi team, who are also hunting the killer, but for darker reasons.  It all boils down to a 166-page adventure full of action and comedy.  

Author Bio:  Ashley Eric Peschel has been writing since he was a young child and S.T.E.A.M. Island Under Siege is his first graphic novel, it is the result of three years work with artist Peter Magro.  Ashley is also a self-confessed geek who loves everything from Deadpool to Doctor Who.

Book Details:
File Size:  78012 KB
Print Length:  165 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage:  Unlimited
Publisher:  savage piggy publishers (December 15, 2015)
Publication Date:  December 15, 2015
Sold by:  Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language:  English
ASIN:  B01987NY6W

2)  The Fulfillment

The Fulfillment is an imaginative, fast-paced read about a group of seemingly normal teens who discover they’re in a fight for the life of the world.  Vicki-Ann Bush’s prose is vivid and alive as she weaves a modern myth from the ancient truths found in the Bible.  High school students Luke, Mary, and Jason must prevail over the forces of darkness to fulfill God’s plan and defeat the fallen angels.  An exciting first installment in this series.

Available for Kindle at Amazon

Summary:  Luke Jacob was a typical teenager who enjoyed all the amenities of being the star quarterback on his high school football team and the local hero.  Living in the small town of Boulder City Nevada, life was predictable and comfortable.  With graduation soon approaching his life was on a carefully planned road.  Until he spots a mysterious and beautiful girl in the crowd at one of his games—Mary.  Their lives intertwine and a bond of inseparable love is forged.  Discovering a life changing secret that is revealed to them by their parents, it is then that everything Luke thought about his family, friends, and neighbors is shattered, unearthing a truth that is older than time and greater than anything he could ever imagine.

Author Bio:  I originally came from Floral Park, NY, where I fell in love with writing during a school contest in the eighth grade.  At fourteen, my family moved to California.  And with the huge change in my life, writing became a personal escape that was tucked away in a box.  After several years and encouragement from my daughters, I started sending in submissions.  A small publishing house in Wisconsin, Salt of the Earth Press, was the first to offer a contract for my children's book, Winslow Willow the Woodland Fairy, and afterward, The Queen of It.  But I found my niche with YA fiction.  My YA novelette series, The Dusk Chronicles, is a trilogy that's available individually as E-books and in paperback, featuring a compilation of the three books.  I am currently contracted with Solstice Publishing and my work includes the YA historical romance, The Garden of Two, the paranormal romance novella series, The Fulfillment, and the sci-fi adventure, Room 629.  I love writing and couldn't imagine ever stopping.  There are too many characters floating around in my head. ;)

Book Details:
File Size:  934 KB
Print Length:  59 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage:  Unlimited
Publisher:  Solstice Shadows (November 26, 2014)
Publication Date:  November 26, 2014
Sold by:  Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language:  English
ASIN:  B00PSJ7DJO

3)  Places and Times

Places and Times, by Arthur Turfa, is a beautiful book, descriptive and revelatory as the poems take us along on travels and adventures in Europe and America.  Walt Whitman and Robert Frost came to mind as I read, although the author's style is unique, expressing at once wisdom, nostalgia, reverence, and humor.  An authentic and inspiring read, I highly recommend this collection.

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Author Bio:  About half of my life has been spent in various parts of Pennsylvania.  Most of the rest has been spent in New Mexico, California, Virginia, South Carolina, and Germany.  My career path has been bivocational; I am a Lutheran pastor and Army chaplain (Retired Reservist with veteran status) and educator on secondary and post-secondary levels.  I wrote a lot of poetry when younger, then I took a 20-year break, and resumed around 2002.  eLectio Publishing released my first book of poetry, Places and Times, in April 2015.  Currently I live in the Midlands of South Carolina with or near my family.

Book Details:
Paperback:  64 pages
Publisher:  eLectio Publishing (April 7, 2015)
Language:  English
ISBN-10:  1632130963
ISBN-13:  978-1632130969

I Am Plural (music)

I Am Plural (album)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0iFhMSsBZk

1)  Challenge the Sun
2)  Sovereign Seeds
3)  Amputated Folk
4)  The Swimmer
5)  Something for the World to See

     * I Am Plural is a duo comprised of Jason Beckring and Ryan Barker

Jesus Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us.

Afternoon (book review)

Reviewed by Lisa McCombs

When high school junior Drew finds himself in an unexpected conflict with his friends on the last day of school, he contemplates the existence of guardian angels, or higher powers that interfere with destiny.  The Sink is a local hangout full of mystery, but never danger.  The Sink is the meeting hole for young folks in town and that is where he, Daniel, Angie, Jane, and Robby go to begin the first day of summer vacation.  Drew is already at odds with his mother because of his decision to spend money on a 1969 Fender Stratocaster guitar instead of paying the balance on his Guatemalan mission trip.  He insists that his journey to Guatemala is in his plans and he assures her that he will be responsible for his debt in an attempt to ease her already concerned motherly mind.  Drew’s life decisions are just not in line with her expectations of him at the moment.  But Drew is content with his commitments and content with his friendships until he and Daniel conflict at The Sink.  Neither of them had ever entertained the idea of inflicting bodily harm on one another.  Was Drew destined to die at the hands of his friend?  Was this his destiny?

Afternoon, a novella by Robert Lampros, introduces a different view of teenage conflicts faced today.  Drew wants to maintain his friendships but he struggles with the existence of Jesus and his own faith responsibilities.  The uncertainty of sharing his experience with friends and family reflects a common uncertainty in each teenager’s life’s decisions.  It is refreshing to find YA fiction based on a religious/spiritual theme.  Thank you, Robert Lampros, for publicizing this touchy subject for your young adult readers.  Afternoon is a very readable, age-appropriate story that will surely appeal to those readers in need of acceptance.

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Green Photos

Ping Pong

                                       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQik1A9LkvQ

The Beatitudes

Family Dogs

Life Song

                                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hipojLvNR74

Need

              https://youtu.be/Ryp97R6zSEg

Afternoon (book release)

Afternoon is available to purchase now on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.  It's a novella for young adults about courage, faith in Jesus Christ, and growing up in a surreal and challenging world.

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Afternoon-Robert-Lampros/dp/1515259803/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438948268&sr=8-1&keywords=afternoon+lampros

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/afternoon-robert-lampros/1122459706?ean=9781515259800



An excerpt from Afternoon, by Robert Lampros:

“Will you feel good about this decision tomorrow?”

“It’s a guitar, Mom, it’s not like I’m dropping out of school.”

“What about Guatemala?”

“I’m not bailing on that.”

“You just spent all your money on a guitar.” 

“It’s not just a guitar, Mom.  This is a nineteen sixty-nine Fender Stratocaster, exactly like the one Dave Gilmour played on the Dark Side of the Moon tour.  And I didn’t spend all my money.  I spent four hundred and eighty-five dollars.  That’s a steal, Mother.”  I squinted and wiggled my eyebrows like a gunfighter in an old western movie.

“You’ve got three months to pay the fee, Andy, don’t wait until the last minute.  This is a great opportunity to serve the Lord.”

“I’ll get the money, Mom.  Sheesh.”  I’d have to pick up some extra shifts at Ramsey’s, that was all.  Two people had just quit so Ron was probably looking for someone anyway.  The thing about my mom, she’s really cool most of the time, but then she’ll get super-strict for no reason.  She thinks I don’t care about Guatemala.  I care, okay?

Three cars.  No, four cars.  No.  Five.  Stay calm.  Peace.  Peace be with you.  Mix the drink.  Pour the stuff.  Add the whipped cream, sprinkle the chocolate thingees, snap on the lid.  “Presto!”

“You’re holding up the line, Drew.  You’re squelching my whole operation.”  Ron started using words like ‘squelching’ recently to avoid cussing at his employees.

“If I move any faster I’ll catch fire.  This whole place might go up.”

“Just bring it, alright?  Your A-game.  All I ask.”

“Yes, sir.”  The orders kept piling up.  My eyes burned from sweat.  You can try the best you can, you can try the best you can, the best you can is good enough.  Singing at work has spared me countless nervous breakdowns.

“More sprinkles here, Drew.  The ticket says extra sprinkles, see?  Right there.”

“My bad, Ron.”

Ramsey’s was a good place to work most of the time.  Ron opened it three years ago afterreturning from Arizona.  He’d been in the desert for almost a decade, working at a camp for troubled teens.  They did stuff like venture into the mountains for weeks with nothing more than a bag of rice and some water.  He named the place after his mentor who’d gotten bit by a rattlesnake out there and died.  Upon returning to civilization Ron saw all the cafés and figured coffee was a good way to make a living.  He didn’t seem very at home in the world.  I think that’s why people liked him.

“How we doing on drivethru?” he asked. 

“Down to three, no, five cars.”

“Good work, team!  Keep it up!  What’s this?”

“They wanted soy, not two percent,” said Jenny.

“Spam it!  Okay, Drew, will you fix this, please?  Spam-a-lot!”

The sun beamed at me through a pink and blue swirled haze as I left Ramsey’s that night.  Double shifts always induced a sort of amnesia.  I’d gradually forget everything that existed beyond our red and beige coffee den until the time came to exit through its tinted glass doors.  It was a Saturday.  I checked my phone.  3 calls and 1 text, all from Robby.

Doooood!!!!!!!!  I have one word for you:  THE SINK!!!

A shock of cold crashed over my head rushed down my back and legs then out through the soles of my feet.  Darkness turned deep blue fading lighter and washing away into a clear night sky. 

Wish You Were Here

                     Wish You Were Here

The Parable of the Sower

     That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.  Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.  And he told them many things in parables, saying:  "Listen!  A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up.  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil.  But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away.  Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.  Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  Let anyone with ears listen!"
     Then the disciples came and asked him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"  He answered, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance, but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.  The reason I speak to them in parables is that 'seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.'  With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:
     'You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive.  For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn---and I would heal them.'
     "But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.  Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.
     "Hear then the parable of the sower.  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart.  This is what was sown on the path.  As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.  As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.  But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."   (Mathew 13:1-23)