Edward C. Patterson

Lord Belmundus, now a full member of the Cetrone, assumes a new leadership role - Commander in Chief, while the exiled nation prepares to invade across the Forling to liberate the Kalugu. New weapons are mastered. New strategies are devised; and Harris Cartwright brings all his knowledge to the great enterprise as Cetronia strikes back against their Yunocker oppressors. Cetronia Strikes Back is the fifth book in the fifteen book series, The Adventures of Lord Belmundus, a remarkable tale of others worlds, strange customs, beauty and warfare; and, in its grips, lands a young celebrity, who has the chaps to play the many parts this great journey requires. In the fifth book, Lord Belmundus rises to lead the Cetrone in their great enterprise - to cross the Forling Desert and liberate their fellow Cetrone from the Kalugu. With the aid of new technology from the Culpeeper brothers, they learn to drive Seecoys and fire Blunderboomers and master communications using Sillifoons. Come join the surprises on this dangerous invasion. Come penetrate the phitron walls with a generous blast of wadi-wadi.

While Lord Belmundus voyages back to Farn on the Gananadana, the Battle for Montjoy continues to rage. The Danuwa have liberated the Kalugu and now set their eyes on the Porias and the Yuganawu. But General Tarhippus is not an easy critter to defeat and sets forth a strategy to turn the tide back in Montjoy's favor. Cetrone valor, once set in motion, proves indelible, despite any doubt coming from the Ayelli Hill.The Battle for Montjoy is the sixth book in the fifteen book series, The Adventures of Lord Belmundus, a remarkable tale of others worlds, strange customs, beauty and warfare; and, in its grips, lands a young celebrity, who has the chaps to play the many parts this great journey requires. In the sixth book, the Cetrone continue to liberate their comrades in Montjoy in the name of their Didaniyisgi, Lord Belmundus. Then, he returns - expecting to be chastised once more for breaching the Ayelli trust, only to discover he has risen in the eyes of the Elector Kuriakis. Peace is desirable, but as long as General Tarhippus treads the ground, peace is unlikely. So, with negotiations in mind and unexpected allies at his side, Lord Belmundus prepares for the grandest of battles. Come, bring your blunderboomer and join the fray.

The actor, Harris Cartwright has been drawn by the Sceptas Charminus into the world of Farn. Although unwilling, he is now Lord Belmundus, Co-consort is a strange family living in Mortis House on the Ayelli Hill overlooking Montjoy City. He is on the brink of pleasing his mistress and his father-in-law, the Elector Kuriakis by participating in stage productions, wild animal hunts and soon stands to take on greater responsibilities and titles. From the high Ayelli hill, Lord Belmundus descends into the tangled by-ways of the many races of Montjoy. Soon he becomes a Didaniyisgi - a Provost for the Market Quarter of Yuyutlu. The adventure continues.The Didaniyisgi is the second book in the fifteen book series, The Adventures of Lord Belmundus, a remarkable tale of others worlds, strange customs, beauty and warfare; and, in its grips, lands a young celebrity, who has the chaps to play the many parts this great journey requires. In the second book, Harris Cartwright becomes the Provost of the Yuyutlu, a mercantile district in Montjoy City. He travels to the Zecronisian quarter, where the three-legged, triple breasted inhabitants celebrate his promotion. As Didaniyisgi, Harris and his new contingent of Thirdlings, tour strange factories and meet the Gurts and the Yunockers, including one fierce critter, who instantly becomes Lord Belmundus' nemesis. Come continue the adventure through this looking glass world, which will wink back at you in its reflection.

Lord Belmundus has escaped from the Katorias prison and has managed to reach the walls of Montjoy. But what prospect is that? The Forling, a desert of red kowlinka sands looms endlessly before him, crawling with dangerous creatures - porcorporian, gasuntsgi, Noya Tludachi and Tippagores. His only chance for survival depends on his Cabriolin to cross the sands to far-off Cetronia. The odds are against him; but what are the odds anyway to a star of stage and screen who is powered by a Columbincus and a sword named Friend Tony.Across the Forling is the fourth book in the fifteen book series, The Adventures of Lord Belmundus, a remarkable tale of others worlds, strange customs, beauty and warfare; and, in its grips, lands a young celebrity, who has the chaps to play the many parts this great journey requires. In the fourth book, Lord Belmundus crosses Farn's great red-sand desert with many harrowing experiences, only to reach the Cetrone place of exile in a conflicted state. His salvation settles upon embracing native customs and aligning his course with revolutionary policies. Come, take the plunge with Lord Belmundus as he goes far a-field in this mystical world.

Lord Belmundus, that is, the actor Harris Cartwright, is drawn by curiosity. Now in his position as the Didaniyisgi of the Yuyutlu, where he regulates commerce and mediates disputes, he finds his responsibilities of limited interest. It does afford him the opportunity to explore - and explore he does, pushing the boundaries into forbidden places. Such a place is the Cetrone Ward - separated from the rest of Montjoy by a bridge over a motley stream. This place draws Lord Belmundus' curiosity more than any other. This place is The Kalugu.The Kalugu is the third book in the fifteen book series, The Adventures of Lord Belmundus, a remarkable tale of others worlds, strange customs, beauty and warfare; and, in its grips, lands a young celebrity, who has the chaps to play the many parts this great journey requires. In the third book, Lord Belmundus pushes his luck to the limit, crosses a forbidden bridge and enters a proscribes zone, thereby breaking a sacred treaty. Within the Kalugu, Harris, as Didaniyisgi, discovers many secrets, although not the one he expected. Come enter the Kalugu with Lord Belmundus and get your hand caught in the cookie jar also.

Harris Cartwright, actor of stage and screen, is as attractive as he is attracted. The world is his oyster and his red carpet. He earns his living in the land of make-believe. His finery is fakery, and yet it boosts his roles and mesmerizes his many fans. Little does he know that out in the darkened theater of life there lurks a hook to lure him through what, most call, a break between worlds, but might be categorized as an adventure without parallel in this world or any other. Harris Cartwright, actor of stage and screen, is about to slip the bonds of reality and land somewhere between Oz and the rabbit hole.The Rise of Lord Belmundus is the first book in the fifteen book series, The Adventures of Lord Belmundus, a remarkable tale of others worlds, strange customs, beauty and warfare; and, in its grips, lands a young celebrity, who has the chaps to play the many parts this great journey requires. In the first book, Harris Cartwright slips into twilight, journeys by strange means to a palace overlooking the City of Montjoy, where he learns his fate - bound to it by a fierce prophesy. Come enter the world of Farn, where East is West, and North is South; and some citizens walk seamlessly through walls. Come begin this adventure with . . . Lord Belmundus as he rises.

Willa Goodheart, down to earth and friendly, undertakes a new position at work - a promising opportunity. However, upon coming home she discovers she is a person of interest connecting her to a string of murders in the bay area. Willa, true to her last name and who would never hurt a soul, is sucked into a series of mysterious events - a whirlwind progressively dampening her good prospects. She does the only thing she can do. She dives into matters attempting to connect the dots and clear her name.Willa Goodheart is a mystery tale set in the San Francisco of 1995. Willa, her family, her co-workers and neighbors hammer out their lives to a frantic beat. The Goodheart family has a few skeletons in their closet; and who doesn't - secrets abounding in every corner. It's a shadowy world, enigmas wrapped in fog and phantoms riding the wind. And in the thick of it, Willa Goodheart tries to stay the course to push towards an unlikely finish line. Crooked business folk, old Chinese fortune tellers, ritualistic cults, drag queens and dead grandfathers line the hills of San Francisco, where the California Street cable car sings its clarion bell song. Will they get clear of the wheels in time? Come, make a list and learn.

"Being a ghost is a difficult thing, let me tell you, as I've tried it several times during my existence. Like most members of a ch'i-t'ang, I come and go as the call summons - sometimes in the dead of night; sometimes when I'm squatting to rid myself of a good meal. But still I'm hampered by this thing we call life and, in my case, not a noble life, but a servant's existence, my master being indentured to a mystical jade bird and its warrant to end everyone's existence at a future time." Thus begins Vagrants Hollow, the last installment of the Southern Swallow series, the biography of Li K'ai-men (Nan Ya). When we revisit him now, he is in residence at the Sung Capital, Lin-an, and restless to complete his warrants, but tied to court intrigue and responsibilities. He's a very old man now, as are the members of the ch'i-t'ang. At 88, the world has changed, but Nan Ya's purpose has not. Weary, he will take a final excursion in his adventurous life into a mythical land - The Realm of the Mountains and Seas. This last installment is the most magical and fantastical of the series. Book V of the Southern Swallow - Vagrants Hollow, like its predecessors (The Academician, The Nan Tu, Swan Cloud and The House of Green Waters) is told by K'u Ko-ling, servant to the Grand Tutor, Li K'ai-men. It tells a tale of palace intrigues and a nemesis dark wizard, who tries to prevent Nan Ya from his quest to fulfill the Jade Owl's warrant. It will take you through strange rituals, through the Ghostlands and into a Chinese alternative universe, a land of mythical beasts. It's a tale of family ties, love requited and the strength of loyalty which form when men, beasts and relics bond. The Southern Swallow Series: The Academician The Nan Tu Swan Cloud The House of Green Waters Vagrants Hollow

When deep in the soul the true self stirs and arises to remove the mask; when nature overtakes art and courageously comes out of the night into the day; when the closet opens and fills the room with light - then we have The Awakening. Capturing the heart-soaring moment when a person faces themselves and then the world - a brave new world, which calls forth the best and heals the lies, is a momentous time. Like the first fireflies on a summer night, to share yourself with first one person; and then another, and then those closest and those furthest until the world knows - a world fresh and new, yet dangerous, being aware that many would prefer you live the lie. But there is only one life per customer and only one awakening of the soul. If the lie persists, life withers on the vine. The Awakening is one man touching a new world expressed in verse. It's the spirit bursting onto the scene with green ecstasy. Through the sights and sound outside the closet, this work seeks nothing more than to exist - to be when we need to be. Victory over self-darkness is no mean feat. Triumph over the demons that put us down is the best triumph of all. Leaving a secret in the swamp and savoring life's new vibrancy is better. This is my Awakening in song and verse.

It's the golden time of year, when hearths are fired to chase away the chill; and hobgoblins are carved and set out waiting for the moppet parade. All that has blossomed begins to shed. All that beamed under the summer sun, seeks cover in the woodshed and warmth under plaid blankets. It's a cozy time, when things mature, trying to cast off thoughts of winter's coming. Words are brash and bronze, shunning silver's hastening. The yawning of the year - my Gay October, creeps into my bones and spurs me to versify - quiet words and jocular ones and sly and pure. The ale bubbles and the fish turns well on the grill. It's the season of inward turning and chopping wood - sweeping and mending and storing and saying farewell to youth; and yet remembering the lessons that Gay October teaches the young preparing them for the long haul of winter. I am prepared as I stand up to my ass in snow.

In memory of lives spent and lives cut short during the plague years of the 90's, words come to the edge of ground broken and spill like tears to both mourn and comfort. When age takes its toll, we embrace it. But when the young are taken with no apology or succor, verses seem hollow and depleted. Still, the vibrancy of a cautious line, scrawled as an epitaph for all to see, can stir long past the fall and last beyond a spade full of loam. In the time of AIDS, I served with the new army of caring hearts who embraced those fallen - angels thought to be abandoned by neighbor, community and governing forces. I survived and survive it, but need to vent my pen in the deepest thoughts known - the thoughts of Ties and Rings.

For all the softness verse instills, there's an uncontained fire beneath, which burns until the skin wears thin and the flames burst forth. There's a time for nuance and a time for hammering, not to put a too-fine ecclesiastical point on it - and this is the time to assure the word becomes the sword - the word provokes reaction. A mighty battle is being fought by the cultural warriors in the land - a war to be recognized as equal and unique. Normal is an ubiquitous label not fit for the American collective conscious. It runs counter to the soul of the nation. So, sometimes soft words and rounded corners gives way to forthright honesty and nothing minced. There's a time when pools of verse need to coagulate into rousing song. These are my songs. You can compose the music. Anything will do as long as it's a march. This chapbook is dedicated to Maya Angelou, after I met her at the Gay & Lesbian Choral Festival in Tampa, and after she inspired - no, incited me to turn my words into anthems. Songs: Not Just Survival came from heart to head to paper in one go - a steady stream written on concert program booklets during the flight back home. It's my proudest moment as a poet because it tries to memorialize what Maya said to us - said to me. No one can tell me what I be when I be what I be. No one. Is that defiance? No That's the founders of this nation's message to King George. Songs: Not Just Survival.

Outrageous and unleashed, words can light a fire under the meekest soul - a conflagration of the soul, melting all those near and far. To those near, it's infectious, encouraging singing and dancing. For those far, it lifts a lamp for them for follow through the night and shout to sleepers to arise and join the reveling. It's an ancient tradition this - this gathering and celebrating under the moon and beneath the stars, imbibing life in every gulp and not caring whether the sun will rise again. Such is the Festival at Thebes. This is my brazen self calling you to ponder lightly and engage much. Because those who remain at home and shun The Festival of Thebes - the noisy, reckless flight of the spirit's gush and gall, they will crawl to the dawn's window and squint in life's mundanity. But for those who frolic the night away and sleep the days to oblivion, they enjoy the gift of comradery and the spoils of amnesia - the remembrance of nothing of note, but the moment's passing.

Life is filled with inspiration, joy and sorrow. Still in every corner there is poetic justice - the rhythms and rhymes in verse which carry us forward on our daily paths. Emotions can be encapsulated in words and music - a web of sound that evokes every humor and every flavor. The senses come alive when words gush from the heart and then are tamed by the Poet's craft. Images sane and insane. Thoughts sacred and profane. Taken together, shapes form and landscapes spring to mind. A world without a touch of poetry in it is a world best shunned by sentient beings. Catherine and Other Poems are the sins of youth, when this poet first set pen to paper and dashed off dozens of verses a day. From that mountainous pile has been mined a few worthwhile morsels gathered in this vessel and offered to the world because, as we know, a world without a touch of poetry in it is a world best shunned by sentient beings. I am a descendant of Robert Herrick and poetry courses through my veins.