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Famous Christina Engela Quotes

“Some children are threatened with loss of privileges such as money, cell phones, cars or even eviction from home if they do not ‘toe-the-line’ and ‘act straight’. I don't think parents who do such things consider for a moment the kind of irreparable emotional damage they are doing to their children – or that they’re thinking beyond their own feelings about the situation – which will not change or go away simply because of their denial of it.”

MoneyPhonesASomeStraightToe The LineOf PrivilegesOr EvenThink Parents
Book:Pearls Before Swine
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“The original KDF-wagen as it was called was basic and rudimentary, but essentially the same as the later post war production cars that followed. Features of this vehicle included cable operated brakes (!!) and a tiny 800cc flat four motor with a single exhaust, 16 inch tires and the KDF twin glove compartment (without lids) dash. Oh, and last but not least – probably the most famous and sought-after rear window in automotive history!”

HistoryWindowTinyVehicleSingleTheACarsMostProductionCalledWasLeastFollowedTwinDashExhaustOhCloveRearIncludedEssentiallyRudimentary
Book:Bugspray
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“Anyways, that very same night there was a fight in the casino on B Deck. Some of the passengers got in a set-to that looked to be more about who was eyeballing whose boyfriend than who had the right to wear the same outfit that two of the ladies appeared to be wearing at the same time. Or possibly, what it was really about was who was wearing said outfit better.”

TimeBetterDeckTheToAOfWhoLadiesWasWearOrLookedAppearedAnywaysWhoseEyeballing
Book:Space Vacation
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“Being captain of such a vessel was not a stressful job, despite the sheer size of the thing. Everything was automated, and this meant that this behemoth could be efficiently handled by a far less seasoned captain. Besides, hiring mature skippers with actual experience would cost real money. And hey, the computers ran everything anyway – and that’s how Bran Johannsen enters this story – as a fine young inexperienced graduate of the Merchant Space Academy in Mars City, who only got his Executive Officer’s ticket four short years ago.”

RealYoungMoneyFourFineHeyRanStoryBeingCityTheABeThingWithWhoThisCaptainTicketBranSeasonedAgoMeantMerchantEfficientlyStressful JobSkippersBesidesEverything AnywayJohannsen
Book:Black Sunrise
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“Death was right on time. He staggered backward on legs of ether. He could see it – a dark shadowy shape. His stomach turned with terror. What remained of the bridge lighting seemed to be fading away. It was there – not the frightful illusions the others had seen – but the thing itself, unmasking itself to its last victim. Somehow the reality was much more frightening. It advanced on him, the rhythmic click of Death. If he were to start screaming now, he knew he would go irretrievably mad. Instinct had left him cold, frozen.”

DeathTimeColdVictimTerrorStomachFrighteningFrozenStartTheMoreItAIllusionsGoBridgeHimAwayThereShapeTurnedUnmaskingBackwardEtherSomehowRhythmicStaggeredIrretrievably MadScreaming NowSeen Itself
Book:Demonspawn
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“Oval Window, 1953 - 1957 In 1953 came the first major changes in Beetle styling. Rear view was increasingly a problem and so the boys in Wolfsburg cut out the centre post and made the split into an oval. Some callous butchers are known to have manually cut the center post of the split rear window out either to improve rear visibility or to make their cars look newer! This window stayed in vogue until 1958 with the first small square rear window model. Note that the rear bonnet was the same as the Split, except for minor changes such as handle and ‘popes nose’ designs. Taillights are larger and also oval shaped. Outer lens is GLASS, not plastic and has a distinctive honeycomb pattern. These Bugs also came with pop-up (semaphore) indicators in the b-pillars.”

KnownWindowCentreBugsChangesDistinctiveToACarsIndicatorsInImproveSameOvalWithAreModelGlassThisTheirPatternAsPostCutIntoSplitNoteDesignsSuchTheseOuterBeetleShaped1957StylingTaillights1958B PillarsIncereasinglyNewerSemaphoreWolfsburg
Book:Bugspray
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“Now I don’t know how many people like to drive a Beetle at that kind of speed (on purpose) but I know I’d rather go down Brickmaker’s Kloof on a bicycle with no brakes! Driving any car at that speed in anything other than an expensive German luxury car on a long, straight autobahn is enough of a risk (let alone the risk of hitting anything) – but if you try that with a Beetle and add a light crosswind, factor in some rubber peeling off your tire, and you’ll more than likely find yourself dancing alone in a dark corner without any music.”

EnoughPurposeMusicDancingLuxuryHittingTireYourselfNowDriveToANoAndIsGermanOfInDownWithAnythingOnAnyFactorBrakesYou LlBrickmaker SCrosswind
Book:Bugspray
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“Beaming into the thick of a tree without becoming a lifelong tree hugger was a tricky business. A precision job. Scrooby’s job at the Time Saving Agency was a tough one. Billions of lives depended on him not screwing up. Literally billions and billions. Once, he’d screwed up in only a very small way and people wore those little yellow smiley faces on t-shirts for decades afterwards – and that was just a small screw up. He sighed. Here he sat, in the branches of an apple tree in an apple tree orchard – and without a single apple in sight. Below him, Isaac was waiting to get bonked on the noggin with an apple so that he could fulfill history by toddling off to invent gravity and shape scientific and mathematical principles for generations to come. Only one problem – no apples.”

ProblemBecomingBillionsMathematicalSatJobToASmallLittleAndThatUpInForHimComeGetVerySoWithoutOnAppleThoseOnceOffBeamingSighedBelow HimDecades AfterwardsGenerations ToIn SightJob AtJust ANo ApplesOnly AScientific AndScrooby SSingle AppleThe BranchesTough OneTree OrchardTricky BusinessWaiting ToWas A
Author:Christina Engela
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“The Doktor was very vond, I mean fond of Vluffy, so he gave him a flame-proof doggie-jacket. It was dull grey, but it had a tartan pattern on it. Vluffy liked his doggie-jacket and wore it all the time. When things went ‘bang’ he could just roll over, dust himself off and quickly scamper off with the doggie jacket flapping on his back. So in short, Vluffy was a very happy little dog who spent a lot of his time hiding under furniture. But the point is that he’d had a lot of time. Much more than those who went (up in smoke) before him.”

TimeHappySmokeHidingGreyFurnitureTheItALittleAndOfShortWhenHimWhoBackOverHisThoseUnderHadOffRollTartanHe DDoggie JacketFlame ProofOf TimeScamperVluffyVond
Book:Innocent Minds
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“Jonn Deire picked up eight yellowed and dog-eared cards from the pile, grumbling ‘garrn’ under his breath, while chewing on a frazzled looking toothpick. Skooch threw down a five of reds and said nothing. There was an impatient pause as the players waited for Beck to remember he had to play for Peeping William, who was still grumbling softly and rolling his eyes at intervals.”

PlayEyesNothingBreathIntervalsToAAndDownThereOnStillJohnWasGrumblingPlayersWilliamWaitedThrewToothpickDog EaredGarrn
Book:Loderunner
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“Rise of Science Denialism The problem is, in a world where some people (even in the USA, where someone like Donald Trump was allowed to rise to the level of a serious presidential candidate in 2016) have descended to such levels of ignorance that science itself is dismissed by leaders, political and religious as ‘an agenda’, and frightening numbers of people cling to ignorance and superstition because it suits their conservative anti-human rights views and objectives.”

PeopleReligiousNumbersConservativeObjectivesPresidentialUsaLeadersFrighteningSuperstitionLikeRiseTheToAndIsSomeoneSomeTheirAgendaCandidateItselfSuchDenialism
Book:The Pink Community - The Facts
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“Where would tourism be without a little luxury and a taste of night life? There were several cities on Deanna, all moderate in size, but the largest was the capital, Atro City. For the connoisseur of fast-foods, Albrechts’ famous hotdogs and coldcats were sold fresh from his stall (Albrecht’s Takeaways) on Lupini Square. For the sake of his own mental health he had temporarily removed Hot Stuff Blend from the menu. The city was home to Atro City University, which taught everything from algebra and make-up application to advanced stamp collecting; and it was also home to the planet-famous bounty hunter – Beck the Badfeller. Beck was a legend in his own lifetime. If Deanna had any folklore, then Beck the Badfeller was one of its main features. He was the local version of Robin Hood, the Davy Crockett of Deanna. The Local rumor mill had it he was so good he could find the missing day in a leap year. Once, so the story goes, he even found a missing sock.”

LifeMissingTaughtLifetimeUniversitySizeLuxuryFeaturesStoryApplicationCityCollectingSockEverythingHoodCapitalTheFolkloreToLittleBountyAndAllOfYearForHeThereFromMenuWasLocalWhereMake UpWereOnceHadSquareGoesModerateBlendDavyMillBeckDeannaStallBadfellerAlbrecht SAtroColdcatsCrockettFast FoodsPlanet Famous
Book:Loderunner
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“The passenger liner Ossifar Distana was one of the most luxurious of its kind in space anywhere. It ferried the cream of society across the void in opulence and style. Only the wealthiest could afford an apartment on this ship for a trip of any duration, even a short one around the proverbial block. Even the crew was obliged to pay rent.”

SpaceSocietyStyleBlockApartmentObligedDurationTheOneAndOfInProverbialWasAnRentAnyAnywhere
Book:Dead Man's Hammer
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“The Imperial Senate, ever conscious of the weight of public opinion resting on the tip of the pencil come voting day, wanted to be fair and just – or at least appear that way. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, there was little love lost between Imperial troops and the locals who viewed each other with little short of open hostility, and often through the sighting devices attached to weaponry of various diverse descriptions.”

WayWeightDevicesSenateDiverseTroopsDayHostilityTheToBeAndOfThatJustOtherThereWasEachAttachedRanchTipDescriptionsImperialMeanwhile
Book:Dead Beckoning
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“Advocacy groups in the USA, as in other countries, may not be able to silence this hateful, cowardly and deceitful attack upon people’s humanity – but they can put out the correct, factual, scientifically and medically accurate information in an attempt to counter the ignorance and to restore the balance.”

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Book:The Pink Community - The Facts
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“Swallowing, he entered the second code. Then there was a sound like a marble dropping on the floor - bouncing slowly, gradually getting faster as it dropped lower and lower… The thing was toying with him! Where was it? He strained his hearing, but all was again silent. He wanted to shout and scream obscenities at it, but he fought the impulse. It might not really know his location after all - and that would've led it right to him. It must be coming for him! It must be by the door by now, looking for a way in. Time was running out. He hastily keyed in the third and last code. Death the destroyer never is late!”

RunningWantedDeathLateSilentHearingImpulseCodeDroppingMarbleNowNotItBeAndAllThatInSwallowingOutHimWithHisReallyWasComingByAtThenFloorSlowlyThirdLowerGraduallyDroppedToyingWould Ve
Book:Demonspawn
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“It was a mild winter’s evening in ‘Japp’s Saloon and Speakeasy’, in the northwest corner of the only legal red-light area of the city. (The S.O.D.s believed in crime management.) Timaset Skooch leaned back in the aluminum framed chair, checking his cards carefully while wearing his best poker face. Across the table from him sat Jonn Deire, a large man who was trying very hard to out-poker face him and who didn’t enjoy jokes about his name much.”

TryingCrimeManagementFaceNameItAndOfHimWhoBackMuchFromHisWasCornerChairWearingSaloonThe CitySpeakeasyNorthwestCheckingDeireJapp SLeaned
Book:Loderunner
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“This was his first trip on the Ossifar Distana, his first real splash in life. Look what it got him. Mister Smiff liked anonymity. He kept a low profile, often traveling under assumed names, claiming to be anything from a banker to a (very) successful life insurance salesman. He’d never broken the law, at least not irreparably. He was quite generous, well liked, sponsoring many charities anonymously – which is why it was so surprising to find him floating face down in the private spa in his apartment, murdered. He had been murdered, unless it was a freak shaving accident. Those old razors weren’t called cut-throats for nothing. Yikes.”

LifeLawNamesSuccessfulGenerousFreakSurprisingApartmentNothingOldNeverProfileSalesmanTravelingTheRazorsAnonymityNotToItLookWhatInWellAccidentForHimVeryThisSoOftenLikedClaimingUnlessMurderedYikesCharitiesHe DAnonymouslyDistanaIrreparablyOssifar
Book:Dead Man's Hammer
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“Swearing, d’Angelo entered the elevator. Fortunately, that was also still in order. When he got to the bridge, everything looked pretty ordinary – except for the third body of the day, which was lying spread-eagled on the deck with an almost comical look of surprise on his face. Jang was dead, although d’Angelo couldn’t see the cause, but then, he was no doctor. He sighed dismally. Now he hadn’t a navigator either. Or a crew for that matter.”

MatterLyingOrderDeadEverythingFaceSeeDoctorTheSwearingCauseComicalWhenHeWasThenAlmostElevatorThirdEitherLookedNavigatorSighedFortunatelyDismallyJangSpread Eagled
Book:Blachart
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“At forty two years, Sona Kilroy stood tall and strapping, a powerful figure. Rising to the rank of Admiral in the Corsair fleet was no easy feat. It took intelligence, talent, determination, resilience, creative thinking, brute force, and sheer cunning to achieve – and perhaps also a large slice of luck.”

ThinkingYearsForceCreativeAchieveTalentDeterminationLuckIntelligenceResilienceTallTheToOfWasAtFigureFeatFleetAnd Strapping
Book:Dead Beckoning
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“Dollying the rest up is your baby. (Btw, did I mention it’s cheap?) Most of the procedures described can be done by virtually anyone with the parts currently residing on their drive-to-work banger. The rest are low-budget (cheap!) and can be carried out with household or garage tools. All of these are things that I did to one or more of the Beetles I’ve had.”

BabyToolsProceduresGarageTheOneToBeCanCheapByDidHadVirtuallyBangerLow BudgetCurrentlyResidingDollyingI Mention
Book:Bugspray
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“Tracey hurriedly shut the door behind her to prevent the flames that had been licking hungrily at her caboose all the way down the corridor, from following her inside. Then, almost falling into one of the gravity couches, she hurriedly strapped herself into it before punching the emergency release. She hoped the escape system still worked. It did. The explosive dead-bolts fired, shaking the pod loose, dislodging it from the rapidly disintegrating wreck, just about shaking the crap out of her on its bone-jarring way into the great wide open.”

WayReleaseGravityEscapeShakingCouchesSystemTheToHerInsideOpenDownLickingWorkedEmergencyBeenThenDidIntoLooseFiredWreckExplosiveHerselfRapidlyCorridorStrappedDead BoltsDisintegratingDislidgingTracey
Book:Prodigal Sun
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“The last week hadn’t been any better, come to think of it. On Monday they arrived at Gorda, just to find that the cargo of electronics he was to ship to Beowulf had been taken by another freighter for a lower fee. It took him until Wednesday before he found another cargo – which had to reach Earth by Saturday. The last straw was when his crew mutinied a day out of the Hermes system and demanded a pay increase. The union tended to call that sort of thing “collective bargaining”, not actually mutiny, but hey – the results are the same. He tended to favor the term “piracy”, but this wasn’t the high seas and out here, there were real pirates to worry about. His former crew had also wanted more time off and a better cook – at least one who knew how which end of a frying pan to hold. He was unable to comply, and so was forced to stop at Beowulf anyway. That was the last time he saw them. Fortunately for him, Weaver, Fuller and Jang opted to stay with him. Whether it was out of loyalty, or perhaps just convenience, he never knew.”

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Book:Blachart
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“Beetles were made from 1938, in pre-war Nazi controlled Germany. The few actual civilian cars that were produced were used as staff cars and propaganda tools. It is a well known fact that not one of the original civilian orders for the cars were ever fulfilled, at least until the 1960’s when a law suit brought about a settlement for a small number of successful claimants.”

UsedToolsGermanyFulfilledOneCarsAboutNumber1938Claimants
Book:Bugspray
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“Joe!” he groaned, attempting to speak clearly. “Joe! Good ol’ Joe!” “Captain, you’re drunk!” Lofflin said, stating the obvious while trying to keep his voice level. Blaine grinned at him lopsidedly and giggled, almost choking. He slapped the table, knocking his empty glass over. “Ye-ss, I am! Don’t ssup-pose you – think I co-uld ssit here an’ calmly wait t’die – dýou? Weee-ll, not ssob-er anyway. Ha ha ha.” Disgust and hopelessness were swelling inside him. He felt like punching that drunken face till it was either sober or unconscious. “Damn it, Captain! We need you – the crew needs you! You’re turning your back on them – in our most desperate time!”

SaidTimeSpeakEmptyDrunkDamnUnconsciousYouThinkCrewTheIThatSwellingHeHimBackKeepLevelOnHisDisgustCaptainOrTableJoeAmClearlyDrunkenAnywayChokingStatingGroanedDyouGiggledGlass OverHaHa HaInside HimLopsidedlyT DieWeee LlYe Ss
Book:Demonspawn
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“The Exo went pale when he realized what we were dealing with. Well, what he thought we were dealing with. I never really thought he was a paragon of courage, mister ‘I’ll-be-Captain-one-of-these-days’ Beckett. He wanted to turn a blind eye as it were, and keep going. Of course we didn’t want to break the law – or tempt karma… so the Captain over-ruled him and decided to stop. It was. A trap, I mean. But nothing like we thought – not something as mundane as Corsairs. Oh, no. And it didn’t spring on us till days later, when we were light-years away.”

MeanKarmaNeverOfWellHeBeckettButWithAwayGoingSoTrapWasDealingOhCorsairsExo
Book:Space Vacation
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“Before We Begin Is Your Bug A nice clean original car that looks almost like it left the showroom yesterday? P.S. All work should be carried out in consultation with a reliable workshop manual with regard to torque settings, gaps, procedures, sequences disassembly, reassembly, where to hide the leftover parts, etc. I will accept no responsibility for anything resulting from you or anybody else trying anything as described in this document whatsoever – but if it works or you end up with some amusing stories to tell someone else’s grandchildren, please feel free to drop me a line. (No death threats please.) Sincerely, Christina Engela”

LooksLeftResponsibilityPleaseYesterdaySettingsGapsYouGrandchildrenSincerelyProceduresAmusingMeItIsThatBeginInForButFromSomeBeforeAsConsultationLinePartsManualLeftoverWorkshopWhatsoeverDescribedDisassemblyElse SP SReassembly
Book:Bugspray
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“Corrigan crept up to the bar, cautiously moving around it. It looked like he was copying all the moves he’d seen in old cop movies and westerns, and doing it rather badly. He lowered the pistol. There was no one behind the bar. There was however, an open trapdoor. And that would mean the bounty hunter was - . “Don’t move!” Came Beck’s distant, slightly muffled, barked order. “My turn, I think!”

OrderThinkOneMoveAroundHunterBarTurnWouldPistolDistantWesternsHoweverLookedBadlyMuffledCorriganLoweredTrapdoor
Book:Black Sunrise
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“Same time as every day, Fyl..." she fussed, the rest of the bridge crew seeming to hold their breaths. "TWELVE THIRTY!" came the chorus. The next hour dragged by, in about the same way as the hour before that. At twelve twenty-five, Commander Ortez found himself stepping out of an elevator into an equally mundane grey steel corridor on his way to the mess hall. Turning a corner, he met with a stream of crewmen milling around between shifts. Some off-duty personnel were lounging around in civvies, which consisted mostly of re-revamped 60's hippy fashions. Of all the places on the ship, the mess was the most spacious, (i.e.: it was a big mess.) The command officer’s balcony overhung the rest of the crew dining area. Ortez sat at his usual place, wincing as he remembered to get someone to fix the springs in his chair. An ensign, 3rd class dressed in chef’s white, served him with a plate of what either ended up feeding the chefs latest pet - or strangling it. Marnetti, Barnum and the sciences officer Commander Jaris Skotchdopole filed in, not necessarily in that order, and found seats. After a few bites, Marnetti -- who was the first officer and navigator, put up a hand and signalled a waiter. The lad approached fearfully, appreciating the highlight of his day.”

WhiteBreathsMessThirtySeatsPetBitesTwelveCrewGreyDayMundaneSeemingTwenty FivePlaceChorusThePersonnelSheThatSomeoneInOutSameShipOfficerAroundFewGetAnWhichWereHourStreamCornerChairCommanderEitherEndedHallBalconySteppingSciencesServedAppreciatingFearfullyMarnetti60 SHippy FashionsSkotchdopoleSpaciousWincingA WaiterAnd NavigatorAnd TheBetween ShiftsCivviesConsistedDining AreaDragged ByEnsignFussedHour BeforeJarisNecessarily InOfficer SOn TheSignalledStrangling ItThat OrderThe CrewWith A
Book:Space Sucks!
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“Despite the honor of being remembered as the first colonist to set foot on Deanna, he was also credited with discovering crabby-grass, the aforementioned life-form that disliked being stepped on. However, this also led to the unintended consequence that Mr Lupini also set the record for being the first person to actually swear on Deanna. He still lived on Deanna, and attended the Founder’s Day Ceremony every year, in safety boots. Not surprisingly, the bronze Lupini didn’t look very amused. Beside the representation of Lupini, stood Deanna’s national bird. It was supposed to be a symbol of the early colonists’ determination to stay and make a success of the colony, but its expression only made it look slightly constipated.”

BirdConsequenceDespiteBootsColonyAmusedNotYearRecordColonistsActuallyHoweverSupposedConstipatedCreditedDeannaSteppedSurprisinglyAttendedCrabby GrassLupini
Book:Dead Man's Hammer
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“People who have practiced occult religions for many years are being told that they don't know the first thing about their own religion and its beliefs and practices - and that a bunch of zealots from another religion posing as 'experts' (in a religion they despise/ fear/ oppose and who peddle slander and misinformation about occult religions), are more credible than they are. Non Seqitur. This does not follow.”

ReligionFearExpertsDespiseBeliefsOccultSlanderMisinformationReligionsNon SequiturOpposePracticesZealotsPracticedPeddle
Author:Christina Engela
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“The Tourist Office would put it back up again before somebody noticed and didn’t come to Deanna for a holiday on the white sandy beaches, where they could watch little marsupial Braking Dolphins swimming backwards through the tour boats’ propeller in the strong current, or to blow up Cocka Snoek in the Whatoosie River with a little help from the Skeggs Valley Dynamite Fishing Club.”

WhiteBlowSwimmingRiverTheToDolphinsLittleUpWatchComeAgainBoatsCurrentClubTourDidn TSandy BeachesWhatoosieSkeggsVallley
Book:Innocent Minds
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“Apparently some rustlers had been swiping red-horned wildebeest from farms in the San Fedora area and transporting them off-world to other colonies where they would sell them. And these were known repeat offenders. He could make a packet if he got the whole bunch of them the same time. The pickings were kind of slim in Atro City lately and he could use the money. He didn’t like feeling like a leech around Cindy-Mei.”

TimeMoneyFarmsLikeThemCouldApparentlyTransportingCindy MeiPickingsSwiping
Book:Dead Man's Hammer
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“Sumone Yiden Smiff was a businessman of note. Was, past tense. Through years of sweat and swearing and amazingly smart (or lucky) deals he’d built up a mining empire that spanned the sum of known space. At 74 years, he had reached the apex of a career stretching half a century. His companies mined precious commodities like Impervium, Obstinatium and Bitanium. He wasn’t really famous, or ostentatious. In fact he only ever made the cover of Fortune One Billion once, twenty-five years ago. He’d never married, had lots of children – light-years apart, apparently.”

YearsChildrenKnownCenturyMarriedSmartTenseFamousMiningPreciousEmpireOstentatiousOnceNoteAgoApparentlyBitaniumImperviumSumone
Book:Dead Man's Hammer
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