Ben Furman's Blog – November 2008 Archive (7)

The narrow dirt path made a turn at the bottom of the hill and continued through a patch of large ferns. Sam hesitated. The woods would be dark soon, but she’d come so far and she really wanted to see where the path led. She parted the delicate ferns and stepped through. “So beautiful!”



The path ended at a small pool that reflected everything around it like a giant mirror. An ancient underground stream above seeped through invisible cracks in layered stones, gathered and tumbled… Continue

“Samantha Mae Costas! Come on, or we’re going to miss the plane!”



Sam knew that when her father used her complete name he meant business. She grabbed her well-worn Yankees ball cap off the bedpost and pulled it down tightly over her long red braids.



It was a dreary, gray day. During the night a blast of cold air rushed down from Canada and brought with it dark clouds and a drenching rain. The mist fogged Sam’s glasses, and after a couple of tries to wipe them off, she… Continue

In the aftermath of 9/11 the world heard the scathing indictment of the U.S. intelligence agencies charged with preventing terrorist attacks. The dots weren’t connected! Why? Because intelligence agencies that had bits and pieces of the attack information hadn’t provided it to their counterparts. There was a myriad of reasons for this, including protecting one’s turf, fear of critical information leaks to the press and the like, but the “stove pipe” analogy was the most troubling. “Stovepiping”… Continue

An interview with Master Telegu, the red dragon, a character from Sam's Quest: The Royal Trident, Book 2. Written by Ben Furman.



“I have just a few more questions, Master Telegu,” the young dragonette reporter for the Dragonian Times said.



“Oh, very well, but be quick about it. I am busy, busy, busy guarding all this treasure,” Master Telegu replied and ruffled his red scales to display his magnificence and signal his impatience.



“You are the most intelligent of… Continue

La Aguja del Caballito del Diablo

A counterterrorism thriller by Ben R. Furman.



Western folklore said the dragonfly was in league with the Devil, and in the dead of night while everyone slept, it would enter bedrooms and sew up the eyes and mouths of misbehaving children, scolding women, and lying men. The dragonfly became known as the Devil’s Darning Needle. I use the term to describe the robotic dragonflies that are the attack vehicles in the story. If the government’s cutting… Continue

This is the first in a series of posts that will deal with terrorism.



If you want to enter a never-ending fracas, just come up with your own definition of terrorism and jump in. Even though terrorism has been used since the beginning of recorded history, it’s still a bear to define.



So where does the term terrorist come from anyway? The Latin word terrere means “to frighten.” The French word terrorisme brought the usage forward in time. The word is associated with the… Continue

Is there room in the box to add one more tip or one more thought about writing? Not much, but I’ll try to wedge mine in somehow. Writing rules and regs change with the times, and what’s in fashion now will disappear over the horizon only to orbit back and become “it” again. This recycling bit is the reason, or in my case, the rationalization I give my wife for not tossing my old ties. I know someday the string bow tie will make a come back.



Have fun writing. I don’t mean dancing… Continue