My name is Bill Devonshire. I write under the name Jon Elliott and have a few sci-fi based short stories on Alfie Dog Fiction in the UK. I live in a small town called Orton in Ontario Canada. Small enough that the pavement ends just outside the town. To say it is quiet and serene is an understatement. Combined with the walking trail that kindly meanders past my house, this is an idyllic place to live (as long as I can keep paying the taxes!)
My mother gave me the middle name Jon Elliott in the hopes that one day I would become a writer. Although my life has taken many different paths, here I am, finally, typing bits to sdram. I love it. IF she still graced this earth, I hope she would be proud (except that she loved historical fiction and, although an avid Trekker, may or may not have been a fan)
I am compelled to recall the day when she arrived late after work with a small 13" color television. She worked for Motorola in the TV division and using her employee discount had ordered a 24" color TV mounted in a beautiful wood console. It would not arrive for two months! In the mean time she devised to scam the local television retailers by researching available TV's and then bringing them home for a week or two on a trial. (You could actually test drive a TV back then). At the end of the trial she would take it back and decline purchase and then try a different one. Once the retailer got tired of her saying no, she would move on to the next retailer and repeat her plan. The weeks rolled by as color TV after color TV of different sizes and types graced our living room.
Finally, the 24" console Motorola TV arrived and Mom took the last trial unit back to the last disappointed retailer. "No thank you," she said with a wry smile, before speeding home to setup the new living room feature, whip up some sandwiches and settle in for an evening of blissful entertainment.
But that 13" TV started it all. After adjusting the rabbit ears and setting the three color dials for optimum flesh tone, Captain Kirk's face filled the screen.
