Dan Antion

It Begins – SoCS

“This publishing process is interfering with my beauty sleep.”
The perfect lime wedge.

It’s Saturday, but there was a little issue with the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. It seems Bigfoot tripped over the extension cord that powers Linda G. Hill’s neighborhood. She asked me to fill in – please don’t question her judgement – so I have a prompt from me to wrestle with at the bar,

“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘cent/scent/sent.’ Use them in any form you like. Use one, use two or use them all. Bonus points if you use all three, and Cheryl will put your next drink on David’s tab. I know, you used to get bonus points for two, but inflation… Enjoy!”

If we were having a beer, you’d be wondering why I am here.

“Hi Dan. I’m surprised to see you here today.”

“It’s Saturday, David, why wouldn’t I be here?”

“Well, I know you have this book launch thing coming up. I figured you’d be preparing for that.”

“He’s all prepared, David. Here’s your Corona, Dan.”

“How do you know, Cheryl?”

“Because, silly, I’m a stop on the tour. Dan will be visiting my blog on Monday. He already sent me everything I need.”

“And you’re ready, Dan? Done? All set to go?”

“Well, I’m ready for this week.”

“This week? Please don’t tell me it’s going on longer than that, Dan. I mean. I get it, you wrote a book, but I already bought it, so…”

“The launch only runs one week, David, but there are a couple people who offered to help but had a conflict this week. They are letting me visit later.”

“OK. And what about your blog? Are you joining the launch with your own posts?”

“No. Things will be business as usual at my place. I will reblog the launch posts, but if you’re looking for Cee’s Fun Foto on Monday, or Linda G. Hill’s One-liner on Wednesday, have no fear.”

“No fear? That’s a good one, Dan. I’m not surprised you wrote a novel, given you write several hundred words to get a one-liner out the door.”

“Well, I can’t make any promises, but I’m going to try to go easy on the word count next week.”

“Welcome relief, Dan.”

“Thanks, David.”

“You boys want another round?”

“That sounds good, Cheryl. This beer went down easy.”

“As did this first glass of John Howell’s Bourbon. It must be the cherries.”

“You want me to skip them this time?”

“Don’t even joke about that, Cheryl. I need to fortify myself.”

“They do say you should have a couple servings of fruit each day.”

“I’m not sure three cherries in a glass of bourbon constitutes a serving of fruit, Cheryl.”

“Don’t make waves, Dan. Fruit is fruit. These cherries, the lime in your Corona, they all count.”

“OK, as long as you’re sharing the credit.”

“Speaking of sharing the credit, who are the people who are hosting you on this tour?”

“The tour starts tomorrow at the Priorhouse Blog.”

“Then my place on Monday. Here’s your bourbon and your cherries, David. I’ll freshen the seltzer in a minute. Dan, here’s your beer.”

“Thanks Cheryl. And remember, this is all on my tab.”

“Two cents worth of seltzer will be added in a minute.”

“I suspect the bourbon is a bit more. Anyway, Dan. Please go on.”

“Teagan will be hosting me on Tuesday. I’ll be visiting Marian Allen on Wednesday; Jan Sikes on Thursday and it wraps up at Miriam Hurdle’s blog on Friday.”

“Will anything be revealed that I don’t know from having read the book?”

“I think there are a few things, I had some hard questions.”

“I’m surprised Teagan has time for you to visit. Didn’t she just release her latest Journey?”

“She did, David, and it’s everything I hoped it would be.”

“Will you let me read that when you’re done?”

“No. I finally have the complete set of fourteen Journeys. I’m not going to lend you one of the paperbacks and have it disappear. But, since you paid for these drinks, I’ll gift you a Kindle copy.”

“That’s decent of you, Dan.”

“Oops, Dan, I forgot your lime. Here, let me shove this in there for you.”

“Yikes. Cheryl the lime juice squirted in my face.”

“I’m sorry Dan. Here’s a napkin. It’s a nice scent. Tell people you’re wearing ‘hint of lime’ cologne.”

“I thought they put the limes in to keep the bugs away, Cheryl. Although that does sound like the kind of cologne…”

“David, be nice.”

“I paid for the beer, Cheryl.”

“Fine, be nicer!”

“Cheers Dan, and good luck with the launch. It sounds like you have some wonderful people helping you.”

My set is complete, and my questions are being answered.
The Korean dogwoods are blooming.
They’re repairing the sidewalk at the entrance to the park.
This grows outside the bar. I don’t know what it is.
MiMi is reclaiming some of her favorite spaces
Smokey likes to sit on the Big Green Egg.
The little guys are eating and growing.
These guys weren’t there to play ball.
I was hoping for a wings up shot, but I managed to get three of these.
These belong to one of the houses I pass while walking.
These bushes are at the entrance to the part.
They are getting ready to put in some better sidewalks.
“You keep feeding the squirrels. I like peanuts.” (and he gets them).
Bigger bunny eating along the driveway.
We haven’t had much rain, but we’ve had several cloudy days.


If you like magical realism with suspense, action and a bit of family sarcasm, you will enjoy these books:

Knuckleheads
The Evil You Choose
When Evil Chooses You

Series page on Amazon

My profile page (and books) on Lulu

All available on Kindle Unlimited!

69 comments

  1. Hi Dan – all the best to you and Teagan with your book tours … good to have a drink along the way. Try a hydrangea for your blue plant, but those roses must be beautiful to walk past – I hope they have a gorgeous scent. Cheers – happy weekend – Hilary

    Liked by 2 people

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  2. It would seem to me that a book launch is almost as big an accomplishment as writing the book itself! I hope it goes well and brings in lots of interest. That dogwood is an elegant blossom, isn’t it? Very nice capture of the bird — a hawk? Birds aren’t very cooperative as photo subjects.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Thanks Maureen. I’m new at this whole book thing. This was a lot of work, but people are so generous and supportive, it’s truly heartwarming.

      That hawk was most uncooperative. I even offered him bonus points 😏

      The dogwoods have such a simple blossom, they really are elegant.

      I hope you have a great weekend.

      Liked by 1 person

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  6. Best wishes on the tour, Dan. I love how bloggers and authors come together to support each other.
    That flag picture is very impressive today, Dan. Good job!

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  8. You aced the prompt! Good luck with your tour.

    MiMi looks so comfy and relaxed. The Korean Dogwood is such a beautiful tree and those roses are gorgeous.

    Smokey looks like a happy camper on his favorite perch and the bunnies have their own private dining space on your lawn. How great is that!

    Even on a cloudy day, without much breeze, Old Glory looks outstanding. She is definitely a grand old girl!

    Hope you have a pleasant Father’s Day Dan.
    Ginger

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks Ginger. The cats are getting used to owning the house. They are claiming every space that used to belong to Maddie, but they are also doing their best to fill in for her.

      We don’t have as many squirrels visiting. I’m not sure if the predators have been coming around or if these guys have moved on. I can’t imagine they found a better offer. The ones we have seem happy to be here, as do the blue jays and the bunnies.

      I forgot to include the flag for a few days. It’s still there, and I’m still walking by most days.

      I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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  9. Congratulations, Dan, on Knuckleheads. It was a great read! And, all the best on the launch! I wish the same for Teagan. This will be a busy week for both of you. There’s so much to celebrate! ✨🎉✨

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  10. Some great bird photos today, Dan. Wings down is still a beauty to me–good photo. Good luck on the book launch! Oh, that David–you do give him some wonderful lines.
    Enjoy the weekend and Father’s Day!

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  11. After reading the comments I’m not sure what I can add but I do love how people support one another in the blogging community, especially the authors. What a difference that makes! I got some good laughs from your post, always a good way to start (more or less) the day and I also wish you and Teagan all the best. Enjoy the weekend, Dan, and keep eating that fruit!!

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  12. Wings up or down, that’s a terrific shot of the hawk, Dan. I’m downright giddy about your photo of my “final journey.” I wasn’t expecting to be so much a part of this visit to the bar. Thank you so very much.
    I’m looking forward to hosting your book launch on Tuesday. Hugs on the wing.

    Liked by 1 person

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  13. I confess to chuckling at, “given you write several hundred words to get a one-liner out the door,” even if it’s usually an exaggeration. I’m a slow reader but enjoying Knuckleheads. You are the king of interesting details. The plant looks like a hydrangea. I hope the bird of prey stays away from the bunny!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks JoAnna. I’m glad to hear you are enjoying the Knuckleheads. There must be lots of different kinds of hydrangeas. I’ve posted three in the past month – none of them look alike – but they are all hydrangeas. I was happy to see the hawks in the park and not flying over our house. I can go one quite a bit when telling a story. I hope to stay lean this coming week.

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      • I already know I will learn from reading your novel while I’m being entertained. Taking journalism and technical writing in college, (no creative writing) I tend to be concise and need to add details to my fiction project.

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  18. Good luck on the book tour. I’ll be sure to check on you from time to time.

    Remember lemon-lime shave cream? It was the biggest thing since menthol shaving cream, neither of which you can get any more… Cheryl squirting you with a lime made me think of that….

    Liked by 1 person

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  19. Lucky that lime juice didn’t hit your eye, Dan. 🤭Enjoy your reading and see you Monday! I doubt I’ll make the SoCS prompt. I’ll be screaming through a cold shower later. No, not what you might think. Our hot water is out and likely won’t be back till Monday. 😱

    Liked by 1 person

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  20. Dan – this was a clever way to fill in for the prompt host and also prompt the book tour!

    ☀️📚

    ((And please check your email as soon as you can – I need to touch base about my post)

    Oh and enjoyed the closing photos

    Liked by 1 person

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  22. That was a fun dialogue today, Dan. It looks like a great line up of promotions this week for your book. I’ve got my copy but I’m saving it for an upcoming trip. I’ll begin reading it on the plane and have it to read in the evenings when there’s nothing on TV in a hotel room.

    That hawk in flight is great!

    Liked by 1 person

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  24. Congratulations on Launch Week!! Wow – that’s a busy week ahead! Good thing you’re retired. ;-) I’m supporting you too. I’m using small increments of my available time reading your book in my tea house. It’s been a fun read so far! Despite my limited time, it’s been easy to pick up where I left off. I wish you a great week!!

    Liked by 1 person

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