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Meet Theodore Webb |
This week at the Mess I am happy to have Theodore Webb, a poet, novelist, short story writer and
playwright. Mr. Webb is a co-founding member of
Morgantown Poets, a monthly literary arts event serving the literary arts
community in north-central West Virginia. He has composed numerous poems,
including "America in Dreams," published by Pine Mountain Sand
& Gravel and “Star Bus,” selected for Mountain Line’s 2010 “Poetry on the
Move” program to feature poetry with Morgantown's public transportation.
Webb is the author of the
dystopian fiction novels, "Lifeline,”
“Crucible,” “Colossus” and “Inferno,”
the first four books in “The STARLING
Series," available for Kindle on Amazon.com. (Note: All four books are
available as one volume, titled, "The
STARLING Connection.") His short stories are also available online,
including "Desperate Engine"
on Amazon and "Family Hour"
available in various formats on Smashwords.com.
But for now, grab that morning cup of coffee and sit back as Theodore shares with us this morning.
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Thanks Robbie Cox for welcoming me to The Mess. I LOVE
Robbie's blog! I fully agree with Robbie on the idea of "authors helping
authors." I do the same on theodorewebb.com.
Moreover, I'm glad to see the "Bloggers against
Bullies" button/link to the group's Facebook page on The Mess. I'm
thankful for the efforts of Robbie and others to fight bullying. If you haven't
done this already, be sure you read Robbie's Aug. 12 post on The Mess, titled
"Bloggers against Bullies." Great work Robbie and Stephanie Neighbour.
Thank you.
Robbie, Stephanie and supporters, I share your mission to
fight bullying. Through writing, I strive to build consciousness within myself
and, through sharing my creative work, with others.
In this spirit, I'll share an excerpt from the dedication of
my dystopian fiction series, "The STARLING Connection."
"This series is
dedicated to all those who have been ignored, cast out, ostracized, harassed or
beaten; especially, to all those who have been attacked, exploited, abused
and/or murdered. The STARLING Connection is for all who have risked everything
in the search for their deepest selves, who pay the full price of true
friendship, love, understanding and compassion for others."
"The STARLING Series" examines bullying on all
levels of society, from top to bottom, to build a deeper understanding of the
issue.
"STARLING" shares the story of 15-year-old high
school freshman Simon Laramie. Through Simon's voice, we learn what life is
like in the near future.
"Silver-metallic aircraft
with sleek lines that look like spaceships fly over us several times a day.
Every town is assigned at least one, the cities have several. Everyone calls
them 'The Drones.'"
Simon explains that in the so-called "U.S.A." of
2045, everyone is completely "connected" via a massive system,
SUPERNET. Everyone's constantly watched via electronic devices, radio frequency
identification (R.F.I.D.) chips implanted into everyone's bodies, and drones.
Officials claim these draconian measures "provide
perfect peace and security." However, as we soon learn, it is in fact the
system itself, enabled by powerful new technologies, that represents the utmost
violence.
Simon initially has high hopes when he enters high school,
but quickly finds himself attacked by a gang of ruthless genetically-engineered
bullies.
"We just call
them G’s in school. I’ve heard G’s are designed from birth to compete at the
top professional national level, sport-wise. Pretty wild, huh? I’ve heard
people say that to compete at that level, G’s must be designed to be way more
aggressive and violent than regular people."
Simon survives the bullies' attack, thanks to a
hard-charging, rebellious and brilliant senior named Jaya Ceyes.
Jaya introduces Simon to Flower Wildwind and Peter Arnold.
Together, the teens embark on a mission to break the SUPERNET by starting their
own independent website. STARLING allows everyone to share their voices without
being censored.
But giving STARLING life is only the beginning of the challenges
facing the teens.
I wrote the "STARLING Series" to prove Love is
Greater than Fear and Freedom more Real than False Promises of "Perfect Security."
My deepest goal is for the "STARLING Series" to share love, friendship
and hope with those fighting to survive, to let you know you are not alone.
Here's the Amazon link for the "STARLING Series."
Share this on your Facebook page and Twitter!
"The STARLING Connection" by Theodore Webb
Thanks again Robbie for welcoming me to your blog. Keep up
the great work!
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Thanks, Theodore, for joining us here at the Mess. I appreciate your efforts as well in taking a stand against bullies and look forward to checking out your Starling series. I am sure several of our readers will as well. Come back and join us anytime. I also love the hat!
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Did you enjoy what you read? Leave me a comment and then join me at
The Mess that Is Me on Facebook!
Thanks for visiting The Mess! Keep chasing your dreams!