• Blog
  • Books
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
Bascomb James
Author | Scientist | Science Fiction Fan

Writing With the Blood of My Enemies

8/26/2017

4 Comments

 
Picture
"He's writing with the blood of his enemies," a co-worker explained to the group as I cleaned the grip of my fountain pen with a damp paper towel. I had filled the converter with Noodler's Antietam ink the previous evening and there was a small amount of residue on the grip. My finger was red and the damp towel wicked the color, making it look like I was bleeding profusely. Working in a clinical laboratory, the first reaction from the staff is to attack the problem with bandages and bleach. Fortunately, I needed neither. 

I cleaned the offending spot and put the towel in the hazardous waste bucket. The ink isn't hazardous but I didn't want a colleague to worry that blood had somehow been discarded into the normal waste stream. That would be a serious Biosafety violation.

Antietam, blood of my enemies; I thought of those things as I initialed documents, batch records, and quality assurance forms that morning. I was using a Lamy Vista demonstrator pen and the fine cursive italic nib was laying down crisp bloody lines on the crappy paper we use in our laser printers. It seemed somehow fitting that a clinical scientist would use an ink resembling dried blood to mark-up documents. The color is distinctive, dark, and saturated, and it reproduces well in the copier. 

Writing with the blood of my enemies. The phrase seems poetic and horrific. I wouldn't be surprised to find it in the Game of Thrones or a horror fantasy novel. The phrase and the ink appeals to the writer in me.

Backstory: Antietam Fountain Pen Ink
Nathan Tardif, the founder of Noodler's Ink likes to create commemorative and classic ink colors for his company. Always on the lookout for new ideas, he purchased a vintage 1800s inkwell and rehydrated the dried ink to discover a brown-red fluid that looked like dried blood on the written page. Nathan reproduced the color using modern ink components.  Because of the color, he named it Antitam (see below). 

The behavior of Antietam fountain pen ink is variable depending upon the paper type and the width/amount of ink applied to the paper. The ink feathers on cheap paper, producing a dried blood appearance. Broader nibs produce more shading as the ink absorbs and dries. This characteristic is valued by writing and drawing aficionados. On less absorbent papers, the ink has a more unified, red-brown coloration.

Fought on September 18, 1862, the battle of Antietam was single bloodiest day in the history of the United States. There were 23,000 casualties and at Burnside Bridge, the casualties were so high that survivors said that Antietam Creek ran red with blood. 

4 Comments

WSFA Small Press Finalist

8/19/2017

0 Comments

 
I am really geeked to announce that Neil James Husdon's story, The Mytilenian Delay, is a finalist for the WSFA Small Press Award. Neil's story first appeared in the Hyperpowers military and space opera anthology published by Third Flatiron Publications.

In his Tangent Online review, Steve Johnson described The Mytilenian Delay as follows:
"The Mytilenian Delay by Neil James Hudson posits a tradition of blowing up entire inhabited worlds to maintain an Empire. Partly technical, partly traditional, a delay is built into the destruction ritual, to give the Empire time to change its mind. In real life, Mytilene was spared because Athens countermanded the destruct order just in time. Will the Captain spare a possibly-innocent world this time? The twist, when he reaches his decision, is delicious, reminiscent of Eric Frank Russell."
Neil and the other finalists will be honored at the WSFA award ceremony on Saturday, October 7, 2017 at Capclave (http://www.capclave.org ) the annual Washington (DC) Science Fiction Association (WSFA) convention.  Capclave will be held October 6-8 in Gaithersburg, MD.  

Congratulations to Neil James Hudson and publisher Juliana Rew for this well deserved honor.
Picture
Hyperpowers
Edited by Bascomb James
Series Editor:  Juliana Rew
Publisher: Third Flatiron Publications
Publication Date:  May 15, 2016
Available at:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/630060
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EBBVCZK 

0 Comments

Moonlight Lovers

8/19/2017

0 Comments

 
Classic poetic form with rhyme.  I wanted to write something with rhythm while maintaining the ethereal feeling.  I hope this works.  

Moonlight Lovers

She walks in misty moonlight
Wearing a gossamer gown
Fourteen steps away, her lover
Fourteen steps of hallowed ground

Each step, anticipation
Builds with nary a sound
Fourteen steps to arms that hold her
Fourteen steps to hearts that pound
 
She pauses with ardent trembling
Gossamer pools on the ground
Fourteen steps she traveled to find him
Fourteen steps and loving is found


 
0 Comments

    ​@BascombJ

    Follow @BascombJ

    Archives

    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    Categories

    All
    Completion
    Earth Day
    Earthrise
    Environment
    Far Orbit
    Fountain Pen
    Horror
    Hyperpowers
    Last Outpost
    Poetry
    Prompt
    Published Stories
    Publishers
    Pushpin
    Science
    SciFi General
    Sharing
    Space
    Thank You
    Up North Stories
    Writing
    Writing Help

    RSS Feed

    Tweets by @BascombJ
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.