Philip the Bard's Harappan Blog: Harappa and Kusha

Greetings wonderful readers. Thanks for being here. I had a great time at the park this weekend. It was nice to see some of my readers there. Glad I got to meet you and hear your ideas about what you’d like to read in the blog.

My interest has been Harappan history for some time. Of course I include Kusha since most Harappans moved here after Harvest Day. When we got here it hit me that there was soon to be a physical end to Harappa, the world of my birth. 

I didn’t see anyone else doing it so I took it on myself to compile what history I could. I have been traveling around Kusha gathering what stories I can about Harappans and their time on our Homeworld.

I’ve met some interesting people and gathered some fine stories, big and small.

I’ll be sharing some of these stories with you over time. But this week I’ll tell you a little about the world itself. Its ecology, its environment, its creatures.

We don’t know too much about how Marcus Johnson found the planet. He did not keep many records from his time on Earth. What we know is that his observations about the world were very sketchy. He knew that it had an oxygen rich atmosphere and a gravity that humans could live with. He knew that its days and years were similar to Earth’s. He knew that there was lots of water. He also knew that the orbit was not all that stable. There was a wobble in it that he could see from Earth.

We now know that the instability of the orbit was a result of the Blue Moon. The Blue Moon was a small gas giant planet that had fallen into Harappa’s orbit. The illumaphane on Harappa held the larger world in place. 

The Harvest Day Blast broke the bond between Harappa and the Blue Moon. The blue Moon flew off on its own path and Harappa started a spiral towards its sun. Harappa should meet its final end in just a few months from now. There are scientists from around the Galaxy gathering to monitor the situation. The Death Watch has started.

Tomorrow: How Harappans are viewing the end of their Homeworld.

Never Mix red wine and Oodo.

Philip Normer

Kushan Year 87

Earth Year 2479

Notes from Bubba's Desk: Why I want you to read my book.

Notes from the Author: Musings from Bubba’s Desk

The writing is the easy part.

When I am writing, especially the first draft I am right there with my characters. I go on the emotional amusement park ride that I send them on. When my hero is swinging from the chandeliers my adrenaline is rising. When she cries I am sad. When she is safe I am relieved. I don’t want to tell you what happens when she has sex.

The writing I love, it’s is all the other stuff that I and I think most writers dislike. Why do I do it? Why do I drive to the library five days a week to post this blog? Why do I spend time trying to get people to look at my book when I’d rather be writing the dramatic conclusion of my (and Max Gavaskar’s) story?

Because I love Little Max, that’s why.

I originally started writing the Max Gavaskar series as a way to promote Harappa, the sci-fi saga I wrote a few years ago. In the process of writing Max’s story I came to understand that everything I had written before led to her story. I understood that Max is the central character in my saga.

I have huge plans for her. I am just now finishing the sequel to “The Gavaskar Field” called “Kusha”. I have found it much easier to write Kusha since it is more action packed and action is one of my strengths as a writer. I have also started the first draft of “The Mother of the Galaxy” which will conclude Max’s story and I hope to have it ready for summer reading.

I expect the “Mother” to be a bit more work to complete. The plot is more complex and a bit more internal. On the other hand it is more emotional. Both these issues are more difficult for me as a writer.

Not long ago I was pitching this story to a literary agent who asked me, “Why are you pushing this story?” 

I’ve asked myself many times why I went the self publishing route.

. . . because I wan’t Max’s story to see the light of day no matter how it is done. I still have hope for a publishing deal but if the big guys don’t want to give Max a little push I’m going to do it on my own. If Max’s story only gets read by my friends and family then so be it. At least she will be out there where she belongs. I know deep in my heart that the world will fall in love with Max Gavaskar once they get to know her.

Earth Year 2013

Never mix red wine with Oodo.

Philipthe Bard's Harappan Blog: The Tarsans Today

Philip the Bard’s Harappan Blog: The Tarsans Today

Welcome gregarious readers. We’ve been discussing the history of the Tarsan movement. Many people, myself included, saw them as the villains for many years. Indeed, the Tarsan prosecution of their crusade on Earth was a bloody mess.

While I still don’t buy their spiritual teachings we can hardly call them villains any more can we?

History has shown us that the driving force in their villainous ways came strictly from Mary Carmini alone. Once she was out of the way the Tarsans halted their crusade. I guess their weakness was their willingness to go along with someone whom they thought represented them with a way to achieve their goals. Sadly, Mary Carmini’s “way” required the Tarsans to abandon many strongly held beliefs.

That the Tarsans abandoned their expansionism and turned themselves around speaks highly of their moral fibre. It is a difficult thing to admit that you have been wrong for generations.

That the Tarsans are now the spiritual leaders of the Milky Way speaks to their openness. They have certainly turned the corner. Humans living on Kusha and Lava can now look to the Homeworld with some pride. Now that Earth has become the center for spiritual studies for the entire galaxy we can point towards home without the thought that humanity is broken. Through the Mother and the Tarsans we have learned that humans can work for true peace. 

When we Harappans were having our first conflicts with the Earthers I would have never imagined that humans would eventually become the Peacemakers of the Milky Way. Go figure!

My band the Gutterminds will be playing at Lindemeyer Park Sunday afternoon. If you happen to be near Harappa City come by. There will be beer, wine, and Oodo served as well as lamb, Kushan Cow and as much Kushan Yam as you can eat. It’ll be a great time.

If you don’t know where the park is, take Rodin Road North along the river till you come to the turn off for Miller’s Grove. Turn right and follow the signs to the park. People should be gathering by noonish and we’ll start playing when everyone has had a chance (or two) at the buffet line. See you there! We'll do our best Toxic Idols and Rolling Stones tunes and maybe a few originals.

Never Mix red wine and Oodo.

Philip Normer

Kushan Year 87

Earth Year 2479

Philip the Bard's Harappan Blog: Early history of the Knights of Tarsus

The Early History of the Knights of Tarsus

The earliest recorded mention of the Knights of Tarsus was in Earth year 2194, ten years after the Greenies took ofer planetary governance. They probably existed before that but history does not know of their earlier actions. It is suspected they grew out of the ashes of the collapsed Christian church.

Christianity dies along with most other Earth religions when the Greenies took over and made their Green Bible the law of the planet. Any other religious thought was considered heritical and banned. Once the Greenies fell some two hundred years later it was learned that these religious movements had not died, only gone underground. Islam, Christianity, Judiasm, Hindu, Buddhist and a varitey of Nature religions all came out when they no longer feared the Scribes of the Greenies.

The Tarsans adopted Mary Carmini as their spokesperson and that seemd to be a turning point for them. From then on they were a militant, expansionist, dogmatic army of zealots.

Fanatical to their core they were difficult to oppose. They claimed to have never lost a fight. On Earth that may be true but we all know that they did loose a fight on Kusha, and the one fight they did win here led to Mary Carmini’s end.

Tomorrow: The Tarsans Today

Never Mix red wine and Oodo.

Philip Normer

Kushan Year 87

Earth Year 2479

Philip the Bard's Harappan Blog: Mary Carmini joins the Tarsan movement.

Mary Carmini joins the Tarsan movement.       

The Founder Marcus Johnson commanded his followers to abandon all connection with Earth when they first settled on Harappa. He wanted to cut ties with the Homeworld and establish a new paradigm. He told his followers to not even mention Earth to their children.

It wasn’t until the Arrival, when the Earthers came, that we discovered that Marcus Johnson had not followed his own edicts. The Salusians arrived at the first meeting with the Earthers amid great fanfare bearing an ancient Earth religious text called the Christian Bible.

Marcuc Johnson’s son Andrew had found this book and used it, in part, as a basis for his new cult. The tragic humor in this is that at the time the Greenies ruled Earth and the Christian text was considered hiretical there.

However, when Mary Carmini from Salus went to Earth she found that there was indeed a Christian underground who called themselves the Knights of Tarsus. 

The Tarsans had origionally targeted Dorian Thains as the Harappan they most thought open to their message. When he was abducted by the Friends they turned to Mary Carmini who turned out to be very sympathetic to their cause and she joined whole heartedly.

She moved up in their ranks and into a leadership role in an astonishingly quick fashion. We now know that she went to Earth with the Goal of securing sepcial recognition for Salus above all other Harappans. She sasw the Tarsans as an opportunity for Salus to take the lead in Earth/Harappan relations.

Tomorrow: The Early History of the Knighst of Tarsus   

Never Mix red wine and Oodo.

Philip Normer

Kushan Year 87

Earth Year 2479

Philip the Bard's Harappan Blog: Mary Carmini on Earth

Mary Carmini on Earth

Welcom dear readers. Thanks for being here. We’ve been discussing Mary Carmini’s involvement with the Tarsan movement. History suggests that she was the driving force in their expansionist leanings. After her demise on Kusha the Tarsans almost immediately began suing for peace.

Some people now see her as the prime villan in the Earth Revolution. Perhaps Dorian Thain is given more credit for lighting the flame but Carmini used that flame as a torch.

Before Carmini’s involvement the Tarsans were a minor undergound religious movement with no direction. Afterwards they became much more inclusive and less dogmatic. I choose not to be involved in anything the Tarsans do but I understand that they have become quite the wonderful hosts. Their spiritual retreats  on Earth are attended by species from all over the Milky Way.

Tomorrow we’ll discuss just how Mary Carmini became involved with the Tarsans.

Never Mix red wine and Oodo.

Philip Normer

Kushan Year 87

Earth Year 2479

Notes from the Author: Maybe we really are the center of the Universe.

Notes from the author, Bubba the Science Guy: A defense of my theory on the nature of the Universe.

Those of you who have been following this blog (thank you BTW) know that a part of the reason for writing my sci-fi series of novels is about espousing a thesis of mine on the nature of the Universe. I recently heard a point that if true would disprove my theory.

The thesis: I believe that there are multiple universes. Further our Universe is defined not by star stuff and empty space but rather an underlying foundation I call the Gavaskar Field. Further I contend that this structure is spinning. I claim it is centrifugal force that is causing the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe, not dark matter (which we have no proof for).

I recently heard on a science program an astronomer claiming they have proof that the Universe is not spinning because they can’t see an axis. That doesn’t look good for my theory . . . unless . . .

If the Milky Way galaxy was on or very near the axis how would we see it? The galaxies, dust clouds and other structures in the Universe would all be spinning around us but we would not be able to see the relative motion. So, maybe we are indeed the center of the Universe as many of us already believe on a personal level.

There is an astronomer in Minnesota who has claimed that he has evidence of hemispherical differences. He believes that he has preliminary proof that things on one side of us spin in one direction and on the other side they spin in the opposite direction, much like drains on Earth flow in opposite directions in the Southern Hemisphere compared to the Northern.

So, I am holding on to my theory for the moment. I’d hate for my theory to be debunked before I end my sci-fi series since it plays an important part in the plot of the last two novels.

Have a great weekend! See you next week with more about Mary Carmini and her influence on Earth and on Friday more about my writing process and thoughts from Bubba’s office.

Earth Year 2013

Never mix red wine with Oodo.