Dancers of the Reef

Seahorses mate in mid-water, during an elaborate mating “dance” that can last for several hours before the transfer of eggs takes place. The male and female swim together both to bond and also to coordinate their movements so the female can deposit her eggs in the male’s pouch. (Not an easy feat when you have to accomplish the task in a current without any arms or legs.) So far, Cygnus and Ceti haven’t actually managed a successful transfer. Ceti bred twice with her previous mate (little Ghillie, now abandoned in favor of the larger – though less intelligent – Cyg) but

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A Measure of Peace

Every rose variety has an individual name, granted by the developer and used by growers around the world to identify the cultivar. One of my father’s favorites (and mine) is known as “peace.” Just before the German invasion of France during World War II, French horticulturalist Francis Meilland sent cuttings from his newest hybrid tea rose to colleagues in allied nations, so the rose could be protected and cultivated. The rose was officially named “Peace” on April 29, 1945, a date which coincided with the fall of Berlin and the end of World War II. A fitting name for such

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An Interview With Deanna Raybourn

Please welcome New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn, who’s talking with us today about her new release, A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS (Harlequin MIRA, April 2013): A sixth-generation native Texan, New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a double major in English and history. Deanna makes her home in Virginia, where she is hard at work on her next novel. Paris, 1923 The daughter of a scandalous mother, Delilah Drummond is already notorious, even amongst Paris society. But her latest scandal is big enough to make even her oft-married

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Improving My Home … With Rose-Colored Memories

April in Sacramento heralds the end of a cold, rainy winter. I clear away weeds, mow the lawn, and get ready for hot,sweaty summer days. In April, I also get to enjoy the first rosebuds of the season – which makes me happy every year, because I love roses and also because these roses mean something special. I transplanted them from my father’s garden. At one point, my father had over a hundred hybrid tea roses in a garden that stretched the entire length of his house and wrapped around into the yards on either side. He spent every weekend

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Do I Need A Literary Executor?

Today’s Wednesday post takes a closer look at how to choose an executor (or trustee) to manage your copyrights and other intellectual property after death. After your death, your copyrights will be owned by your heirs or beneficiaries. These are the people who inherit the right to ownership of and to enjoy the financial benefits of your work. Unless you appoint a separate executor or literary trustee to manage your works on an ongoing basis, your heirs will also inherit the right to control and manage your creative works. If you would like for one person (or set of people)

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Life at a (Turbocharged) Snail’s Pace

Many people consider snails a pest, but in the reefkeeping world snails fill a vital role. I have many different species of snails in my aquarium, each of which has a different “job” with regard to cleaning up the reef. In combination, this slow but efficient “clean up crew” will eat almost every kind of detritus and algae. Unfortunately, they don’t always get along well with the other inhabitants of the tank. The seahorses mostly ignore the snails (except for the occasional harmless hitch on a passing shell) but I cannot say the same for the shrimp and crabs. Escargot

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An Interview With Robin Martinez Rice

Help me welcome Robin Martinez Rice, author of the historical novel IMPERFECTA (January, 2013) Robin Martinez Rice was born in Oakland, California many moons ago. She earned a degree in Psychology at Mills College and her Masters of Sciences degree in Counseling/ School Psychology at Cal State Hayward. After many years as an Educational Psychologist and Marriage Family Therapist she retired to follow her dream of writing. Robin has family roots in Northern New Mexico. She has traveled back to the Southwest many times, as the magic of this place invaded her spirit. Her writing ranges from mystical tales to

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A Salyut to Space Stations, Old and New

April 19, 1971: The USSR launches the first space station, Salyut-1. Salyut-1 launched unmanned. Its first inhabitants arrived on June 7, 1971, as part of the Soyuz-11 space mission. The cosmonauts lived on Salyut-1 until June 30, at which time they attempted to return to earth, but perished when their capsule accidentally depressurized shortly before re-entry to earth’s atmosphere. Six months later, Salyut-1 ran out of fuel and “de-orbited” (essentially suffering the same fate as its original human crew). As a space station, Salyut-1 didn’t offer much room. It measured only 20 meters long and 4 meters in diameter at its

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A Word or Two About Seppuku

Seppuku (sometimes also referred to as hara-kiri) is a form of Japanese ritual suicide. Throughout most of Japanese history, only samurai were allowed to commit seppuku. The first recorded seppuku was that of Minamoto no Yorimasa, a warrior and poet who committed suicide by slashing his stomach open with his sword after suffering defeat in battle. During the medieval period, samurai committed seppuku for several reasons, most commonly to avoid being captured after suffering a defeat (in the manner of Minamoto no Yorimasa), as a penalty for shameful or criminal activity, or to expunge the shame of surviving a battle in which

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Trusting … But Not in the Force (Author Trusts, Part 2)

Last week we started our examination of trusts in the author estate plan with a discussion of the four steps for selecting the right trustee. Today we’ll take a look at how to divide your copyrights and other intellectual property within the trust itself. Dividing your copyrights among your heirs essentially boils down to two different – but equally important – questions: Who you want to benefit from the copyrights after your death? and Who do you want in charge of managing the copyrights after you’re gone? Many authors consider question #1, but fewer pay attention to #2 – even

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