VICKIE'S WORLD

COGS & STARDUST

A brand new Chapbook from Vickie Holt, featuring previously published and unpublished works.   It has 149 pages of short stories, essays, poetry, articles and even a short skit.

COGS & STARDUST   is $7.50  plus $2.50 s&h (book rate). 

email vickieholt@cox.net for further information, or to arrange purchase.

The contents of this chap book are:

"Sweet is Revenge": an excerpt from my novel "Vengeance Is Mine".  It's a monologue by the character of Lacroix.

"Before the Invasion":  An article about the historic contributions to the development of Rock 'n' Roll by England's first mega-rock start, Tommy Steel.  The article was first published in Blue Suede News Magazine in February of 2005.

"The Color of Time":  Poem.  First published in the online magazine "Horizons", and later brought to life by a dramatic reading that can be found on "Whispers in the Dark"; a CD of dramatic readings from DragonsLair Studios.

"Untitled" a very short, but effective 2-line poem.

"Possible Reasons Behind the School Shooting Epidemic of the Last Decade":  a speculative essay.

"Of Cabbages and Queens": a longer-than-short short story.  It is a typical fantasy story about sons of noblemen going to war with sorcerous queens and becoming heroes, but the twist is that the text of the story neatly uses 100 song titles by the legendary rock group, Queen.  This story was first published in Powerstar Magazine in 1997.

"Lost in the Daylight":  A poem written for an old musician friend about a rock star's isolation.

"Possible Explanation for the Nature and Purpose of Dreams":  A speculative, scientific essay that might add another choice to dream explanation.  No interpretation here.  Just a theory based on the properties of electricity and the known parameters of human physiology.

"Cranio Morto": an abstract poem.

"Star Struck": an intricate poem

"The Fire Is Dying": an essay on the loss of human spirit, first published in Collage Magazine in 1996.

"Theory on Gravity and Its Possible Effects on Dinosaurs and Avian Evolution": a speculative essay about how an increasing force of evolution over the course of the earth's history may have been responsible not only for the size dinosaurs managed to obtain, but why they may have developed feathers and wings.  Though never published, this essay did get a couple of nods in the scientific community.

"The Vision of Lydia Bates":  a short story about a phone psychic who has to deal with the fact that, one day, she did have a real psychic experience...one that could change the course of the future.

"Violence is Not the Answer...Wanna Bet?":  an essay about the good uses of violence, and how turning our backs on it can cause unbalance.  First published in Collage Magazine in 1996.

"House of Mirrors": a five-minute skit written and performed in 2005 at Roanoke's "No Shame Theater".  Also chosen for that season's "Best of No Shame" special event.

"The Fire Child":  A faerie-tale style story, first published in "New Dominions" in 1995.  A young girls longs to follow in the footsteps of a community's ancient heroine by allowing herself to be taken by the forces of nature.

"Ancient Mesopotamia's Contributions to Modern Judaism, Christianity and Islam - and the Possible Original Homeland of the Hebrew People": a speculative essay based on research, outlining the striking similarities between Mesopotamian Mythology and the oldest stories from the three largest modern religions.

VICKIE'S TRADITIONAL, CONTEMPORARY and INNOVATIVE COOK BOOK

$5.00 plus $2.50 shipping and handling

Please email vickieholt@cox.net for more information or to arrange purchase.

This is a small, chap-book style collection of original creation recipes, family recipies and some others borrowed from friends. Some recipes are even standard fare, like mashed potatoes, but with instructions to make them "a-la Vickie".

Over the course of time, I have managed to create several recipes on my own, and still others were passed down. I got so tired of having to remember everything and having to call my mother every time I made a family recipe, so I decided to put them all together in a little book, which I would then give to family and friends.

But as it turned out, the book was my best selling item at the recent Vision Film Festival here in Roanoke! So, I had more copies made, and now I am making them available to you. Here is a sample recipe. If you like this one, I hope you'll get a copy of the book so you can see even more!

PORK TIPS WITH RICE

A Vickie Holt Original

** All measurements are optional depending on how much is desired

Cuts of Lean Pork

8oz Can of Sliced Water Chestnuts

Kraft Honey Barbecue sauce

KC Masterpiece Honey Teriyaki Marinade

Minute Rice

Butter

Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper

For Pork

1. Cut pork into stir-fry size, thin strips. 1 – 2 inches long, ¼ - ½ inches wide and thin. Be sure to cut away all fat.

2. Place cuts in a bowl and add 8 parts Kraft Honey Barbecue Sauce to 2 parts KC Masterpiece Honey Teriyaki Marinade. Mix until all pieces are evenly covered liberally, but there is no excess sauce pooling in the mixture. Let this set in refrigerator for several hours prior to cooking.

3. When ready to cook, open and drain the can of sliced water chestnuts. Place entire contents of meat/sauces in a frying pan or wok and cook on med high heat. Once mixture begins to fry, add drained water chestnut slices and continue stirring and frying until meat is done.

For Rice

Follow Minute Rice recipe from the box (using equal measures of water-to-rice) However, replace ¼ of the water measurement with butter. (i.e. ¾ cup water – ¼ cup butter – 1 cup rice). Follow remainder of Minute Rice cooking instructions. After rice is added and three minutes has passed, season liberally with salt and garlic powder, and moderately with pepper. Stir all in evenly. Allow rice to set a few more minutes to absorb all water before serving.

To Serve

On plate, lay a bed of rice, then spoon on a portion of the pork/water chestnut/sauce mixture. Serve hot.

VENGEANCE IS MINE

BASED ON THE VAMPIRE-COP FANTASY TELEVISION SERIES, FOREVER KNIGHT

A NOVEL-IN-A-FANZINE

Vengeance Is Mine was originally intended as a submission for Berkley/Boulevard's Forever Knight novel series. They had signed a contract with the Sony Corporation (the company that currently owns the show) for three novels, and upon the sale of those, they would renew the contract and continue the series. And in fact, I had received notice from Berkley that when the contract was renewed, they'd be asking me to send the manuscript.

However, after the third book sold out and went back for reprint, the contract was dropped. After a bit of inquiry, directly with Sony, I learned that it was actually Berkley that had dropped it. I spoke further with Sony about the rights being granted to other publishers, but eventually, they released a notice that they would no longer be signing out the rights to Forever Knight for any kind of merchandising, including books. They locked it down, and effectively cut off any chance of this story enjoying official publication. But I wasn't the only one. I understand that several other authors also had finished manuscripts waiting. Then one of those authors decided to self-publish. She spent the money to have actual, official-looking paperbacks made up. She sold a great many of them before Sony's lawyers stopped her.

But I have followed this author's example, except for one significant detail. I'm not trying to make it look official. So, here is my Forever Knight novel, "Vengeance Is Mine", comb bound on 8 1/2 x 11 paper - fanzine style - and I am making it available to you!

Here is a review of the story, written by Angela K. Williams, who at the time wrote movie reviews for The Roanoke Times & World News:

Holt has taken up the threads of a cancelled television series and woven a strong, powerful tapestry.  In this tightly plotted mystery, Nicholas Knight faces not only human devils, but nuances of his own vampire nature that threaten to cut him off from his mortal friends.  Knight and his homicide detective partner, Tracy Vetter, are on the trail of drugs and murder in Toronto, Canada. Complicating matters considerably are Tracy’s imperious father, Police Commissioner Vetter, and a strange murderous compulsion that threatens to destroy Knight.  The subtle undercurrents of the story deepen what could have been paper-thin characters. “Forever Knight” was first conceived as a comic book, and the unevenly executed stories often sacrificed character development to action.  Holt, however, brings insight and depth to the psychologically intriguing premise of FK, as it is known to its fans. In the end, all of the plotlines as well as the trademark flashback sequences are prismatic reflections of the same theme – the struggle to achieve equilibrium within relationships based on power and control. Tracy reaches understandings with the two men who are stifling her own personal growth – the vampire Vachon, and her overbearing father. Knight has to establish yet another level of compromise with the vampire within - –he source of his primal conflict. All of the peripheral characters, even those obviously meant as foils for the main story, exemplify the successes and failures of human attempts to manipulate and use one another.  There are a lot of nice touches in this impressive first novel. Minor characters are not simply tossed in for effect, but contribute substantially to the development of the story. Holt moves the action along in spare, clear prose with the occasional wistful pause for a bit of the poetry in the souls of her characters to be revealed. Fans of the television series will be completely happy with LaCroix’s oily musings, Vachon’s whimsy and Knight’s intensity. Natalie continues true and unwavering in her complicated role as Knight’s only mortal confidante, and Tracy finally grows up a little.  Holt’s take on Screed, however, is worth the price of the book.

And here is a small excerpt:

Vachon woke with a start, knowing immediately that Tracy was in danger. He jumped from the couch, raced for the room’s only window and leapt out into the morning. Instantly, he came crashing to the ground behind the old church, writhing and smoldering in the relentless rays of the sun.  

With every sinew of his body on fire, he searched madly through yellow eyes for safety. The doors were on the other side of the building. He’d never make it. He’d be ashes before he rounded the far corner.

Suddenly, he spied a thick line of bushes growing along the stone wall only yards away. Like a spider caught away from its nest, he scrambled for the cool darkness of the tunnel created by the overgrowth.

He pulled himself far up the row and the shade immediately began to cool the boiling blood in his veins. But the cover was imperfect, and pinpoints of filtering light stabbed at him like a thousand stinging ants. Working quickly, he began flipping dirt and dead leaves into the air, burying himself under a thin layer of loam.

Even as his blood cooled from the torture of the sun, it began to boil with anger. With a final, soul-wrenching scream of frustration, he flipped a fold of his jacket over his face and slipped into oblivion.

The price of the book, which covers copying, the color printing of the covers and the comb binding, is $10.00.  Shipping and handling in the US is $3.00.  $5.00 to Canada, and $8.00 to anywhere else.

Email vickieholt@cox.net for more information or to arrange purchase

For more information on Forever Knight itself:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103417/

Also, go here and listen to the radio show broadcast that will give a better outline of what Forever Knight was to the industry:  http://www.sonypictures.com/cthe/foreverknight/player/

VENGEANCE IS MINE ON CD!

A RADIO-PLAY STYLE ADAPTATION, WITH A FULL CAST OF VOICES, SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC

BY DRAGONS LAIR STUDIOS

Shortly after I began making the "Vengeance Is Mine" fanzine/novel available, I got an email from DragonsLair Studios http://www.dragons-lair-studios.com/index.htm  asking if I might allow them to adapt it to radio play and record it.  They had already created several Forever Knight audio products, but most of them were comedy spoofs.  They were currently finishing up an adaptation of the story the other author-in-waiting for the Berkley series had written, and were planning their next project.  And as it turns out...their biggest project.  It took many months of coordination to complete, but was finally released in 2003.  It's a 4-CD set, and the story lasts for almost 5 hours!  Proceeds go to Children's Hospital.

You can purchase copies from DragonsLair Studios' website, of course, but I also have a small inventory...the proceeds of which go to DragonsLair so that they can, in turn, go to Children's Hospital.

The 4-CD set is $20.00 plus $5.00 shipping and handling to the US and Canada.  $8.00 shipping overseas. 

Email vickieholt@cox.net for more information or to arrange purchase.

For more information on Forever Knight itself:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103417/