Errors in a Published Book?

Before I get started...

I just switched internet hosts to Hostinger where I got a great deal and I like their interface more. So, I revamped my websites. I haven't gotten around to being 100% done with them yet (I haven't touched the Purpleism site yet, but I have high hopes there.).

• JZMurdock.com (author/filmmaker website)
• LgNProductions.com (my production company)
• Murdockinations.com still brings you here.
• Journaled.com (still online since 1995 when it was just a webpage)
• Purpleism.org (an absurdist religion in the vein of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster)

From ChatGPT

Now, on errors in a book...

When asked, "If an author presented you with their book and you noticed editing errors, how would you approach it?" 

My answer depends on several factors, especially the edition and publisher.

First editions, even from major publishers, can have errors. What matters most is whether the book is good. For instance, "The Martian" was self-published and still went on to become a bestseller and a major motion picture.

I had a similar experience with my horror/sci-fi book DEATH OF HEAVEN (which has garnered incredible reviews and won the 2024 NYC Big Book Award Horror for Horror). A reviewer initially criticized it as being “full of errors.” However, the issue turned out to be that the book’s longest story was written from a British perspective, so I used British spellings. Once I explained this, they kindly updated their review.

Ultimately, it all comes down to whether the story is compelling and well-written. Ideally, books should be polished and error-free, but perfection isn’t always the standard. Any student of medieval literature knows that spelling inconsistencies were the norm due to a lack of standardization. Context matters.

That said, dismissing a self-published book outright smacks of elitism and can mean missing out on some incredible reads. Researching whether a book is worth your time is a reasonable first step—after all, not all self-published books are great. But I’ve also read poorly written books from big publishers, so the problem isn’t exclusive to self-publishing.

If an author handed me their book with visible errors, I’d approach it based on the severity. A couple of typos? I’d mention them. Dozens or hundreds? I’d still give feedback but might suggest prioritizing the story’s quality over nitpicking, depending on whether fixing them would be worthwhile.

Finally, my university professor once told us, “Sharing a first draft with anyone is like showing them your shit. Don’t do it.” If it’s in published form, significant errors become less forgivable because they reflect on the finished product. That said, even perfectly written manuscripts can go through the publishing process and still turn up with errors.

Cheers! Sláinte!

Weird Fiction, Cosmic Horror, and a Book Award – 'Death of heaven' Takes the Spotlight!

First up, I won a book award for Horror for my book, "Death of heaven"!

There is a press release out on AP (Associated Press) and elsewhere around the world for it.

"Author JZ Murdock receives national recognition through the NYC BIG BOOK AWARD®!"

Cover art by Marvin Hayes

Amazon

What is the New York City Big Book Awards?

The New York City Big Book Award is a prestigious competition that welcomes submissions from a wide range of authors and publishers, both independent and major. The event is held annually and celebrates literary excellence across various genres and formats, including fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and audiobooks. The award’s scope is global, attracting entries from countries like the UK, India, Australia, and Canada. This diversity in participation highlights its significance in the literary world.

The NYC Big Book Award emphasizes quality content and presentation. Books are judged based on their editorial merit and audience appeal, allowing smaller independent presses to compete directly with larger publishing houses. This competition creates a level playing field, promoting the democratization of the publishing industry. Winners and distinguished favorites receive recognition in multiple categories, helping them gain visibility and credibility in the crowded book market. The award is positioned as a celebration of outstanding ideas and content, making it a valuable honor for authors looking to expand their reach and gain recognition.

For 2024, my book's recognition in the horror category places my work among the top in its field, highlighting its impact and quality in a competitive genre. The NYC Big Book Award’s focus on both independent and major publishers underscores the significance of such an accolade, especially for gaining broader visibility and elevating your work in the literary landscape.

So, there it is.

Anyway, "weird fiction"...

Wait! Hey, there's a video book trailer for this book, too.

Anyway, again...friend and fellow director Kelly Hughes sent me a link to:

Weird Fiction Explained | Horror Explored by Daniel J. Blackwood

Kelly shared this video with me about weird fiction thinking of me and my writings. See, as I've described below to Daniel, people always seemed to have trouble working out where to put my writings. Publishers were confused, saying my story (whatever story I had sent them) was too much this, not enough that, or they weren't quite sure if, or...sigh...whatever.

I knew it was good, and they often praised the story. But where to fit it, always seems to confuse them. I've always tried to produce what I found fascinating or to not do what's been tried and true. One learns the rules, then breaks them. Something that got me a medal in the military and various awards in other areas all through my life.

It also led me to leave a note on the video to its creator, Daniel J. Blackwood:

Daniel,
Great video! A fellow director Kelly Hughes just shared it with me. Probably because of my own writings and films. I was a fan of Robert E Howard as a kid in the late 1960s, Poe before him, and HP Lovecraft. I was deep into sciFi before that. I've found myself in a never-ending cycle that goes from SF, to fantasy (weird, horror, or otherwise), then science fact, renewing that cycle throughout my lifetime.
It's been hard for some to categorize my fiction and weird fiction certainly fits. BTW I don't have a problem with your pronunciation, I just assumed it was somewhere near Scotland.
I'd offer two other stories, turned onto my psych class in phenomenology (my concentration) at university (as a psych major) by my advisor Dr. Rees, which has influenced me. Even as a foundation of one of my books (Death of heaven):
Secret Snow, Silent Snow by Conrad Aiken and
Over The River by P. Schuyler Miller.
Perhaps one of my own, Poor Lord Ritchie.
Thanks for the effort and video.
Cheers! Sláinte!

There it is, or was.

Death of heaven is a hybrid narrative that blends various storytelling elements, embracing genres such as horror, science fiction, revisionist history, and cosmic horror. It delves into Lovecraftian themes, emphasizing the terror of the unknowable and incomprehensible, rather than relying solely on shock and gore—though some visceral moments are present. The novel spans the creation of the Earth through to its possible demise, exploring profound existential questions and the interplay of fate and choice in an ever-unfolding cosmic tapestry.

Where to go from here? I thought, perhaps, a history of my evolution as a writer could be useful. To someone. Or not.

Moving on...

ChatGPT:

JZ Murdock is an author, filmmaker, and producer, known for his work in horror, science fiction, and speculative fiction. He has a diverse creative background, producing films, writing books, and working on various screenplays. His storytelling often involves dark, surreal themes, including cosmic horror, virtual reality, supernatural adventures, and psychological terror. He has produced a variety of works across different mediums, including a manuscript that was a finalist for the 2024 American Legacy Book Awards and a short film that won 13 international awards.

Murdock co-founded the Gorst Underground Film Festival and the Slash Night Monthly shorts festival. Though the latter ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Murdock acquired COVID-19 on February 9, 2020, which led him to write the first hand account of his experiences and research on the disease in the book, Suffering "Long Covid". He also contributes to blogs and has been actively selling his books on platforms like Amazon. His projects explore themes ranging from deep personal experiences, like his battle with Long COVID, to more fictional explorations of horror, mystery, and science fiction.

Some of his notable works include a screenplay titled "The Teenage Bodyguard," a project that has nearly been produced multiple times, and "Ahriman," a screenplay involving themes of virtual reality and interplanetary conflict. Additionally, Murdock has been working on adaptations of works by other authors and original stories for film.

Gemini AI:

Death of Heaven is a horror novel by JZ Murdock that delves into themes of trauma, friendship, and the supernatural. The story follows two boys who bond over a shared childhood trauma and later find themselves entangled in a web of horrifying events that lead them to uncover a dark secret about the world they inhabit.   

Key elements of the story include:

• Eldritch Horror: The novel leans heavily into the eldritch horror genre, featuring cosmic entities and otherworldly forces that are difficult to comprehend and terrifying to encounter.   
• Trauma and Healing: The characters' experiences with trauma play a significant role in their development and relationships, exploring the lasting effects of such events.
• Friendship and Loyalty: The bond between the two main characters is central to the story, showcasing the power of friendship in the face of adversity.
• Dark Secrets: The novel unfolds a series of revelations that challenge the characters' understanding of reality and the world around them.

Without revealing too much, here's a brief overview of the plot:

• Childhood Trauma: The story begins with two young boys, James and Jimmy, who share a traumatic experience that bonds them deeply. James and Jimmy are two childhood friends who share a traumatic experience and later find themselves drawn into a terrifying world of cosmic horror. Their bond and their journey to uncover the truth about the supernatural forces that threaten their lives form the heart of the story.
• James: Often described as the more level-headed of the two, James is a character who strives for normalcy. His experiences with trauma have deeply affected him, and he seeks to understand and cope with the extraordinary events that unfold around him.
  Jimmy: More impulsive and often drawn to the mysterious, Jimmy's curiosity leads them into dangerous situations. His connection to James is profound, and he relies on their friendship to navigate the challenges they face.
• Unveiling the Truth: As they delve deeper into their newly uncovered history of the world, they uncover a horrifying secret about the world they inhabit and the nature of reality itself.
• Cosmic Horror: Over the course of the novel, introducing a new twist on Lovecraftian Eldritch entities and otherworldly forces that threaten to consume everything, the two friends experience various stories of others throughout the book who have been "touched" but greater and frightening forces leading them by the end to understanding what the world is truly all about. And more, because the truth lies far beyond the edge of Earth's biosphere.
• The Battle for Survival: James and Jimmy must confront their fears and fight for their lives as they become entangled in a terrifying cosmic struggle.

Death of heaven is a haunting tale that explores themes of trauma, friendship, and the terrifying unknown. If you're a fan of cosmic horror and psychological thrillers, this novel is definitely worth checking out.

There it is...

Cheers! Sláinte!

DEATH OF HEAVEN, a reflection (SciFi/Eldritch Horror)

I just reread my Literary Titan review of my book. Interesting. Odd to write something and hear another's informed view of it. I seem to produce works that are of a specific nature for a certain type of consumer. One for the odd, or disturbing, the unique and bizarre.

See, I've had a setback this past week on Facebook. They killed 14 years of my account on there, with groups, with band pages, all affecting myself and many hundreds of followers with an utter lack of care or customer service. I've repeatedly contacted them to no avail. 

And so in the end I've had to recreate a page on Facebook. That led to (once past the frustration and loss) creating a new page here. That led me to some marketing efforts to gain followers as well as perhaps sell some books and film views.

I've been marketing some of my works this past week, my films and writings. Like my film "Gumdrop", a short horror which I came to realize I was shooting for a "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" kind of vibe. Great little flick and if you saw it (Henry) and if you did not like that one, you certainly won't like mine. 

There is also my short filmic poem/historical WWI documentary, "Pvt. Ravel's Bolero", where I used all public domain media. Until I put it on YouTube when there was a licensing issue for the main song (Bolero) from NAXOS and maybe also (though I don't think so) with, Universal Music for the written song. Finally today, after years I got an answer from PDinfo.com:

Sound Recordings get 100 years copyright protection in the USA.  It is our understanding that a sound recording with a 1930 copyright will not be PD in the USA until January 1, 2031.

Lynn

Public Domain Information Project PDinfo.com

Also, my non-fiction memoir and rather well-researched (and well-received) health book, Suffering "Long Covid". 

On my epic portmanteau novel reviewed below, the reason for today's blog, even if you're not interested in reading my book, the review is something to remark upon. That being said, it is not the type of book you can pick up and read a few pages and think you know the rest. Those who have done that might have loved the rest, but the initial story is only a few pages and vastly different from the rest. However, it sets the tone for how this is not a typical book. And the adventure one is about to embark upon.

When you read the next and first full chapter, a story of two boys' horrific event and how it reshaped their futures, it does not even then offer insight to the next and following chapters, where from there, it descends into madness. But of a crafted type. It is a story that is multi-layered and "meta" in a way that is rather unusual.

The book is based upon the final novella, "Andrew" in my first collection of short stories, "Anthology of Evil". 

My non-fiction article Marvin produced the cover for, below.

For those who are confused by my book covers, do follow the old adage about not judging a book by its cover. I do like the covers. Some of them are done by my younger half-brother who is a brilliant artist in his own right. But these covers give you a bizarre consideration of what's inside. His art has always awed me. You can get an idea of how great he can be by checking out his works on Redbubble. You can even purchase them for your devices. 

Above, three of the "Gods" from DEATH OF HEAVEN (again, art by Marvin). Perhaps think of the Starz series, "American Gods" based on Neil Gaiman's book. But these are very different "Gods".

All that being said, welcome to one of the reviews of my book...

DEATH OF HEAVEN

Literary Titan Review

"Eldritch Horror is a narrative style that is defined by the names of those who create works within its genre: H. P. Lovecraft, Clive Barker, and now, JZ Murdock. To speak of the overarching plot of Death of heaven is to speak of madness, depravity, and incomprehensible horror of both mortal men and unimaginable beings, for both the characters in the world, and for the reader of the book.
"Death of heaven captures the essence of what makes Eldritch Horror spectacular-entities that are difficult for the mind to fathom are front and center within the narrative. True to the form of the genre, their interactions with the mortals of planet Earth are always interesting and usually end quite poorly for the mortals who receive their attention. JZ Murdock does an exceptional job with his narrative crafting, and the main protagonists of Jimmy and James provide an understandable vessel through which to view the narrative events as they unfold. They are, as characters, perfectly imperfect, each shaped by their experiences both with the incomprehensibility of life and the even greater incomprehensibility of the beings that have now taken note of them. To read this story is to gaze into the abyss, which is one of its greatest strengths.
"With that being said, however, it is important to note that this book is, by all merits, predominantly an all-consuming abyss and, by its nature, is often devoid of anything vaguely resembling happiness, hope, or basic decency. JZ Murdock's world is established as a world in which the conceptualization of God or gods is a radical misunderstanding of the true structure of the world, and the moral fashioning of those who live within this world reflects that quite well. This book plays freely and loosely with morality, divinity, and concepts that are generally felt to be too dark to be included in any form of media, making it entirely unsuitable for any who are not committed to Eldritch Horror as a genre: if Hellraiser was too much for you as a film, leave Death of heaven on the library shelf and choose another tome. The words of Dante match this work quite well: "All hope abandon ye who enter in."
"The story expands and balloons dramatically, and I felt that it is often difficult to understand what is a core event of the plot, and what is simply window dressing to make the experience "darker" or "more macabre." This leads it in places to leave the confines of Eldritch Horror and take on the feeling of the film Knowing starring Nicholas Cage. The core plot, I feel, takes readers on a headfirst spiral toward the end of all things, but there is an overarching sense of curiosity as to what is truly important for that end.
"Death of heaven earns its place in the Eldritch Horror pantheon (an ironic turn of phrase, considering), and while its tone and construction may eliminate many who would read it, those who can find enjoyment within the dark and twisted works of Lovecraft and Barker will undoubtedly find joy in the words of Murdock." - Literary Titan ★★★★

JZ Murdock's "Death of Heaven" lured me in with a sense of poignancy as childhood friends James and Jimmy played treasure hunters in the suburban yard. It seemed like such a sweet tale. Until I turned the page and discovered abject horror. This novel is unrelentingly unique, defying the norms of the classic horror genre. JZ Murdock doesn't think outside the box: he IS outside the box. Expect nothing "normal" here.
With an imagination that brings to mind certain hallucinogens, the author takes the reader on a mind-numbing roller coaster ride in a haunted mansion. There are highs and lows, twists and turns, but all of them happen in the eerie darkness. James and Jimmy have grown into adulthood, but both have struggled to overcome their childhood trauma. Now they've got to rely on each other as they begin receiving disturbing messages about the potential destruction of all they know. But that's part of the paradox here; the more they find out, the more apparent it is that all they've ever known is... incorrect. Unfortunately for them, things begin spooling up at such an incredible rate that they don't have time to process all they've received. They're racing against time and doing it on thin ice.
JZ Murdock presents his readers with a highly imaginative and unique read. It's a bit of a "Frankenstein" piece if you will. Made up of previously written short stories and wrapped with an overarching meta storyline that strings them all together, this is decidedly not your normal horror or sci-fi novel. Within its pages, readers will find viscerally gritty scenes of unimaginable (except to the author) inhumanity. Yet there are also pages of amazing prose dealing with philosophy, psychology, the human condition, and man's reliance on religion. My mind may have blown a fuse or two making these transitions.
"A dark character rode my mind, I knew that. A dark rider who made no compromise and rode in ways both surreal and inexplicable. Eventually I began to believe him. Someone was indeed out there. And in here."
This is high-functioning fiction, not designed for those who just want a quick, light read. It demands attention from its readers with its profundity and its depth. So often I read a novel and think to myself that I would love to see that story brought into production. I don't ever see that happening with this novel- all the thought, rhythm, and mystery of this piece simply wouldn't translate to a movie screen.
While I profess the storyline is remarkable and highly creative, I struggled with the inconsistent pace as the author led his readers from horror into philosophy, then on to his next whim. For me, this felt like the literary equivalent of a Jackson Pollock painting. The reader will most likely get out what the reader puts into this story.
I can easily see this novel becoming a cult classic in the vein of HP Lovecraft. With its polarizing style, it's fair to anticipate that most readers will either love it or loathe it- there is no in-between. If you enjoy reading avant-garde literature that shatters genres and tropes, this one's for you. - Reader Views

From the Author

This is one of my favorites of my books and writings. It was a complicated journey writing it and an intricate interweaving of many dark stories on many levels that all culminate into a fascinating tale that is larger than we are. Larger than humanity is, and encompasses the entire galaxy, if not that of the universe. Contained herein are tales of many kinds, and many times. Of youth abused. Of love gone awry. Of a dark love the color of congealed blood. Of friendships torn asunder for desire and power. It is based in two stories of mine. "Andrew" a novella contained in my first collection of short horror titled, Anthology of Evil. Andrew is a young boy who has seen horrible things and he too has to find a way to grow and live and eventually, he finds his place in the universe. The second is a very short piece I wrote for a psychology professor of mine during my university years. It is titled, "Perception" and is about how easily and from the very beginning, we as humans have misperceived so very many basic things. Misunderstandings that have led us to here and now. For all the good or bad it may one day be judged to be. In the end I believe this is an engrossing and entertaining read. Others have agreed. I hope you will too!JZ Murdock

From the Inside Flap

"A dream you dream alone is only a dream.A dream you dream together is reality." John Lennon

From the Back Cover

WHERE DID WE COME FROM?Throughout human history many philosophers and religions have pondered this ultimate question. James and Jimmy, brothers in arms since childhood, will learn that the answer is what nightmares are made of. They, along with all of humanity, will experience firsthand the...DEATH OF HEAVEN

Cheers! Sláinte!

My newest anthology, Anthology of Evil II Vol. I and Anthology of Evil II Vol. II.
On these, I shot the photos and crafted the book covers, but Marvin worked on enhancing them the photos.

 

Walkabout Thoughts #62

My thoughts, Stream of consciousness, rough and ready, while walking off long Covid and listening to podcasts…August 18, 2023, Friday

Weather for the day… 59° starting out, 62° when I got home
Almost a bit chilly starting to walk today. Overcast maybe there’s a bit of moisture in the air cool it down water temperature so it feels cooler than it is.

Podcast "The Foundation official podcast" from the show S2E3 "Why the Gods Made Wine", finishing off an episode I started yesterday when I was working in my yard. Then S2E4, "In Seldon's Shadow".

This post is much more on Entertainment and the Arts than usual, on a path I have long wished to take...


We have little control over in our life beyond our epidermis layer of skin. Beyond that it’s just wishes and guesses. The further we get away from that outer layer of skin to apply our desires out into the world and onto others, ever increases the amount and degree of abuse we put out into the world. And here’s the kicker… We don’t really have that much control over the area under our outer layer of skin either, we just think we do. Then we get into determinism and fate...

So it’s been a few days since my last walkabout. Since my last walk, I’ve gotten the previous thoughts before that last walk posted yesterday and I think I’ve gained like three or five new international awards for my films since then. Just today my film "Pvt. Ravel‘s Bolero" is now a nominee in the Beyond the Curve festival. It’s always a lovely thing to wake up to.

I’m starting to submit my rewritten screenplay with producer Robert Mitis consulting on it, “The Teenage Bodyguard “, to festivals.

A week ago today or this evening anyway, my sister and her husband picked me up and drove us up north to our cousin's and attended, an event where she is a museum docent and they were throwing a wine tasting benefit. They held it outside in their lovely park grounds. I ran into my old neighbor and friend (who I joined Freemason’s with at his behest, over 10 years ago) and his wife. He made it to Senior Warden, and had to quit because of a new job. I worked my way up to Senior Warden, then had to quit because of family matters. I’m only just now making the connection. We both almost made it to the head guy in the lodge and then, had to leave. I have since moved to a different lodge area here in Bremerton, but have yet to pick up that path again. Still, it was a very fun wine tasting event though I only had hard alcohol from the vendor tables from different distilleries and vineyards and breweries available. We also got a tour of the mansion on their grounds and their museum. I mentioned this in part because, that was last Friday and I think on Wednesday our cousin notified us she tested positive for Covid. We all tested ourselves and we all came up negative. Although I did have some digestive problems this week, which I didn’t have through all my previous three years of Covid issues. I also had dizziness one night this week, which seem to be cured with an antihistamine at bed time. I've felt fine for a couple of days now. Covid can kiss my ass. Although I did waste at least a couple of years with it in which I’ve produced three books (2 fiction, 1 non-fiction on long covid), 2 films (a narrative flm noir and documentary) and have won many awards, so…

Also, since I mentioned it in previous walks, I think I had trouble even walking on my left ankle the last few times, definitely the last time. Since then I have iced and applied heat and some CBD salve and it’s feeling pretty good today.

On this podcast on Apple+, “The Foundation”. I loved reading the Foundation trilogy as a kid. I can’t remember when exactly but it was either the late 1960s or early 70s. So much has come from those books, written in the 40s and 50s, I believe. It’s given us so many things and so many things came from so many things. Star Wars being one. But I do like this rendition in this new series. I found after the first season and into the second, if you keep up, really helped to show me the things I’ve missed in the show and the things different from the books I read so many decades ago. I also hadn’t known until this past month that there were two other books Asimov wrote in the series. I may have known that before… but never knew he never finished the series. Which would now be a sextuplet I suppose. 

This may be the only show other than the "Westworld" series, or possibly "Game of Thrones" where I feel I need to re-watch episodes after watching a new episode. Those I was good with, but they were complicated. This series I feel like I really could benefit from re-watching each episode immediately after watching one. Listening to the podcast has really helped and I highly recommend it if you’re into the series, especially if you’ve read the books. Especially, if you’re into film productions.

To give you an idea of the esteem at which I held Isaac Asimov as a child and into my adulthood, my first published horror, sci-fi story as I’ve said before back in 1990 was “In Memory, Yet Crystal Clear“. The title of which was a tribute to Asimov’s first autobiography “In Memory Yet Green“. I didn’t tell them to follow religion then in that story, but I should’ve. I had previously read "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein. 

But in hindsight, now I look at my book “Death of heaven“ and I can see the same orientation towards religion from those two authors. As one reviewer on Amazon said of it… "Really great story. Interesting take on the view of our planet and the evolution of religion, without it being only about religion! And if you like gory stories, this one's for you!!!" I do not know that person. 

Religion is an organized system of belief. And once you create one, it immediately starts to devolve and dilute as it spreads through time and around the world. As with the Catholic religion that repeatedly splintered. But my book “Death of heaven” takes entirely another tact, and is a most deeply explored fiction book on the misunderstanding or misinterpretation of religious belief, perhaps ever written. And that’s not even braggadocio, but mere fact. Or at least I like to think so.

That book is written as if one were walking by something happening on the street and then the story is told about the path walked next to it, describing actuality as opposed to the delusional reality of that event on the roadside. Which is religion throughout the history of humankind. That’s why I would say my book is so epic in proportion. It does after all go from before the Earth was created until potentially, it’s ending, by the end of the book. And what happens then, I will leave up to the reader to discover. 

Any sequels I write to follow it, I’ve been considering for the decade or so since I wrote it. Just this past month I came up with the most viable sequel to this story. One I've long planned to dovetail with my screenplay about two demon hunting women, "Gray and Lover The Heart Tales Incident", with one of the greatest endings I've ever seen. Or written.

I’m not trying to be "more than", in saying this ("Firefly" reference). However, I’m starting to see a lot of structural parallels between The Foundation series in my book "Death of heaven". There are things like the unreliable narrator. Things like, who are these voices speaking around an entire planet and species? Plus the origin of this book comes from a previous book in the final novella in that book. That book being my first ever published collection of my older short stories, ending with a novella, as mentioned, “Anthology of Evil”. That novella is titled, “Andrew“, which begin as a short story. The first one I wrote for my Intro to Fiction class at Western Washington University towards my degree in Psychology and Phenomenology. I think perhaps it shows in that story. But it was my first experience in blowing away an entire room of writers, readers, and a writing professor. That story was on such another level from what we had been reading, as all of us were at the time, beginning writers. Although I would say I was probably a writer long being a reader on my way, when I wrote my first short story that I wrote within hours of finishing Frank Herbert's book, "Dune", in 1970, that I titled,“10 Steps to Shadow-Kandom”.
The story that my 10th grade mind came up with, after having read Asimov's "The Foundation" trilogy, and then "Dune", both regarding one youth’s shattered illusions in the path they were on. I belonged to a science fiction book club as a kid, then later while in the USAF.

It’s funny and ironic that 10 steps story I wrote as a 15-year-old was already exhibiting my questioning authority and the concept of shattered illusions. Which comes out again in my novella "Andrew" (in an odd sort of way), which evolved along with my one page short story “Perception“, into my epic, “Death of heaven".

Changing the subject drastically, sort of… Kelly Hughes and I, and put that “I“ out there rather gently, as I'm trying to stay in the background for these events, especially since long Covid… we are gearing up to our next iteration of the "Gorst Underground Film Festival" we started some years ago and which grew out of the small community of Gorst, Washington. Just on the edge of Bremerton. Kelly has acquired a small venue in Silverdale, the next town over, a hub for the area and the Navy and has grown into a shiny shopping center of sorts. There’s a small production studio on its outskirts in a business Park, all owned by the same family. Oh yeah, I forgot, Kelly asked me to watch a short film by the Laszlo‘s who were one of our supporters and would show up, have drinks, show their films at our monthly, late evening events at the historic Roxy theater here in town. They and their films were always a joy to behold. Those were our monthly “Slash Night“ events. Those were a lot of fun. Alas, Covid killed them. From those monthly events, we also got to see and know of the works of the Darkow brothers, Travis and Tyler. We’re still in touch with Tyler and enjoy his Facebook posts about his working on film productions, mostly as an actor now.

Speaking (yet again) of my book "Death of heaven", it is still in the free little library I just walked by...an orphan. Brand new book, never been read itself, and no one’s picking it up. I think the problem with that book has been its title and cover. It gives the wrong impression. Especially since the title has a lower case “H“ in the title for "heaven". Which started out as a cover artist mistake, since the book got reprinted with version two. So I just went with it. I thought he did it on purpose and he later said he didn’t even realize it but somehow it passed muster until it got onto Amazon. Then they started questioning it because you can’t have improper capitalization in a title. Well, fuck them for that. I’ve long put a lot of weight into my titles saying that a title can be half of the meaning of a story. And you have no right to screw with an artist's conception. Proper title grammatical form is the capitalized "H" in Heaven, as a place, or as a religious conception, or merely out of respect. And I leaned on that latter most in giving the word no respect. Why? Well, you have to read the book, so the title's indicating something and it's not just about the capitalization of the book, It indicates something that not just the book cover, as any kind of cover animative graphic. Not hyper realistic like book covers are today. It gives it a feeling of something it’s not. The cover artist, Marvin Hayes, said he thought it added to the breaking of rules in the book. Right, but I think for most people that’s not how they’re taking it. It’s not just something that draws their attention, but may repulse them somewhat. Say, if it’s sitting on a bookstore shelf. No offense intended to the artist, as I think it’s a pretty cool graphic. And it kind of shows the story in one single image, but it also gives people the wrong impression that it’s a book about angels, or something. It is not. There is one story about an angel in the book and that's a misperception by the protagonist in the story. While there are beings in the book that can be misperceived as gods. And their interactions with humanity, over the course of all of human life, from beginning to end (of the book and timeline), does lead to stories of a perhaps religious deity (deities) interacting with humans. While there is something entirely different going on. And that was the purpose in my mind of a lowercase in the word, "heaven".

I think the prime concept of "Death of heaven" is to be careful what you believe, you may be 100 percent incorrect. And here are examples of that.

There’s some great actors and work done on the Foundation show series. But I would like to mention one of the main characters who plays "Brother Day", Lee Pace. I first noticed him in the series, "Halt and Catch Fire" some years back, about the invention of the home PC. And then I see him in a few other things. I noticed him the other day in "Captain Marvel". He’s a big guy, and a great actor.

On the Foundation series, there’s some parallels between the Donald Trump administration's efforts, and MAGA. Foundation has individuals who have become somewhat unhinged, for a variety of reasons. Good reasons. Donald Trump and his administration are also unhinged. And now they are paying the price through the judicial system as they try to claim political divisiveness against those prosecuting them. Typical with criminals at large. Which is ridiculous in this case, because this entire process has been overtly purposely cut off from the political system and executive branch. It’s interesting how the characters in Foundation are unhinged yet people still follow their orders, just as we see with Donald Trump and his fascist autocratic movement of sheer and utter bullshit.

I need to check if my two version screenplay book on Amazon ever got approved because I never heard anything about it and it’s been plenty of time. My first two scream playbooks I got up there recently, were approved pretty quickly. So what the hell? [Update 8/19/23: OK it's up and online and...I just ordered a few, then I'll unpublish it, for now]

By end of 3rd mile I’m happy to know I can do a fourth, but my left hip's feeling something not... comfortable. Which reminds me of two of my good friends since high school. One I've known since I started college in 1980. Both of them having health problems now in our late 60s. I’m not so much myself, except for Covid. Although my knees and left ankle have been a problem since I was born, I think. First world problems? That is, industrialized  nation problems?

OK as much as I want to do a 5th mile today, I’m calling it a day. At least I got four done and at least I got out for a walk at all. I just don’t wanna overtax my left ankle. Although I would like to listen to more of this Foundation podcast, I have only this one and one more and then I’m caught up to the episodes I’m now watching weekly for season two.

It’s nice to know as from the beginning of these walkabout thought blog posts, I’ve been wanting to get more into entertainment, and out of politics. Which is hard because we’re in a politically insane, autocratic nutcase period in American history. And after all Trump's abuses, I look forward to his being abused by way of sentencing and punishment and prison. He's supposed to turn himself in to the police in Georgia next Wednesday, according to himself, then said he's pushing it to the last minute. What a putz. Just get it over with buffoon. According to that police official he will go through, the process every criminal goes through there he will. Seems fair (finally). To which I do so hope we hear what fat boy's actual weight is. Pushing 300lbs? One wonders if his vanity will kill him on that day.

Adding to what I was saying above about my first short story from 10th grade that I wrote, to my book, "Death of heaven" evolved from my novella "Andrew", which started out as a short story and turned into my Intro to Fiction at University, it's prime concept being one of disillusion, and then those I have to add to that, my first screenplay, written my last quarter at Western Washington University, which I titled “Ahriman“, is a sci-fi screenplay about a prince/prophet on a desert planet, unceremoniously and inadvertently transported to earth via a scientific experiment gone wrong. 

Funny how I keep impinging upon that concept. My story, “EarVu” is about an experiment gone wrong. My newer story “Quantum History“ is about kind of the same thing. Also, my latest fiction book which  began as a novella for that series, but grew into a book unto itself (because I was having so much fun writing it, and THAT is what you want to hear from an author), thus the novella intended for the sequel as, "Anthology of Evil II" evolved into book II with that second book becoming, "The Unwritten". I only refer to this because of the three universes in that book where one has suffered through their "Religious Wars" and then their "Science Wars", where in the end, Science wins out. Yeah, reminds me of earth and our religions there to replace science which was non existent until it was existent so religion could die out to be replaced by more sane considerations and yet, nope, still not happening. Well let's hope it doesn't mimic my book...

Cheers! Sláinte!

Walkabout Thoughts #52

My thoughts, Stream of consciousness, rough and ready, while walking off long Covid and listening to podcasts… July 13, 2023, Thursday

Weather for the day… 58 degrees starting out,

Podcast Prosecution of Donald Trump and Pod Save the World

 

I bought some Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) Wireless Earbuds with noise cancellation to replace my wired iPhone earphones. It was unsettling the first time I popped them in. But it’s very cool not having a wire catching on things. They fit in my ears really well. So far I’m a fan of these things. I got the best ones I could find and they were a couple hundred bucks on Amazon Prime Day.

Damn this long Covid. As I’ve said before it felt like it was going away a couple months ago but now it seems to be lingering, again. I’ve had to take more Benadryl daily. Which to be honest has only been half or a whole pill all day. I’m debating taking a half a pill on my walk, but sometimes getting a mile or two down, makes me feel better so I don’t need it. I think one of the most disturbing symptoms of this is a kind of physical disassociative feeling. I can be sitting still, and yet there’s a feeling of movement within my body. Like the essence of who you are moves normally as if your body is attached and moves with it as a cohesive whole. Sometimes it feels, not like that. It’s not dizziness but I see how people could see it that way. Though I could see how it could evolve into that. Either way I have found it a sign that long Covid is a little more active than normal. And if that keeps up, I find if I take half a Benadryl, within 20 minutes it’s gone. So I assume it’s got something to do with histamine levels.

Yesterday I came in too late to watch from the beginning and so I recorded a later showing to watch today with the FBI Director Christopher Wray testifying before another ridiculous Republican Congressional committee" on  the weaponization of government (which, ironically, Trump got the GOP ever more into doing, both...weaponizing government AND blaming Dems for what they do all the time). These clowns are such a bad joke. I’ll post here are some of my social media posts from this morning about the Republican mentality, which are interesting. Well, one. I had better but had these two handy:

"RFK Jr. and Alex Jones are two of our greater Fools."

"I've noticed that for some of late stupidity truly is eminently addictive and "fun" in such a way as to indicate mental illness.
One thinks of not Donald Trump as much as those citizens who worship & follow him & worse, take what he says as gospel, or government enablers.
MAGA, you're not supportive of Donald Trump, you're actually exhibiting forms of "WORSHIP" toward Him.
Government supporters of him, you're using politics that criminal has weaponized in order to further YOUR OWN personal wealth & power.
Seek help, or attorneys."

It’s amazing how obvious what these MAGA Republican types are doing like Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz and other buffoons beholden in worship to their patron saint Donald Trump, and our "First Criminal".

The nice thing about these air pods is that they cancel external sounds pretty good, not completely, however because of that silence, I can hear every step in a lower register resonance, which is hard to describe, but kind of annoying, though I assume I’ll eventually get used to it.

For the record, Ukraine only needs one cluster bomb set to go off in the same room with Vladimir Putin.

Regarding these cluster munitions we're giving to Ukraine, who want them because we don’t have the other kind of munitions that we’ve run out of in giving them all we have though  we’re working on making more. Considering Russia is using cluster bombs, I would argue they asked for this. I agree it’s sad about children, citizens in years to come, or farmers. or whomever. Though Russia has already made that unacceptable. Though there are things Ukraine can do to in monitoring their deployments and track these down later to clean up, which some say is questionable. But considering this is an ugly situation, and Ukraine’s back is up against the wall, and Russia doesn’t play fair into the realm of war crimes, this does have the side benefit of depleting our own stock. Which I would argue under the circumstances we should make use of to get rid of them, then not use them again and sign onto not using them again, since we are not yet signed onto the international agreement now. Nor is Russia. But maybe that would help force Russia to also do so at some point. In part because they are depleting their own stockpiles.

As they point out in the podcast I’m listening to, "Pod Save the World", they're against cluster bombs, as I am essentially. But the Russian occupation is much worse than the issue about cluster bombs. In the short term, it’s bad. And we are not a signatory. In doing this, it may lead to us becoming a signatory in having gotten rid of our cluster bombs and not having anymore. So, in the long term, historically speaking, is this a greater good kind of situation? Sad is sad. Putin's war is sad. His ego is sad for humanity and Russia, and Ukraine. This driven despot in Russia, who wouldn’t be in such dire straits, if he and his oligarch friends hadn’t been robbing Russian coffers for 24 years now, going back even to before he came to power after Yeltsin.

It’s interesting to note how weak Putin is since Prigozhin is still alive, and how much Putin needs his more experienced Wagner group. It’s also interesting to note that the Russian army did not stop the Wagner groups march to Moscow. but apparently Putin‘s FSB para-military troops did. Indicating pretty obviously that Prigozhin had support from Russian military leadership, even though he’s very against some of them at the top. While one of them, Prigozhin's friend, has now disappeared.

A reminder to Russians in Moscow or wherever Putin is, #OnePutinOneWindow is not the only option. #PoloniumCocktail. Or #PutinCocktail are also available. Also, Putin accidentally bumped into near an open elevator door with the elevator one floor up, is also an option. Just be sure there’s a few others in his inner circle who go down with him because at least one or two of them are way worse than Putin. Remember how badly things went in Iraq after the demise of Saddam Hussein.

USSR and Russian Federation... fomenting instability and chaos worldwide since 1917.

PSTW: Putin doesn’t usually assassinate oppositional leaders until those have fallen from leadership. Those with a voice but no governmental powers, as with journalists, or once Prigozhin is out of power, that's when you better watch out.

Assuming rather easily that for Prigozhin bent the knee to Putin, it could be he’ll end up even more so deeper into Putin‘s inner circle.

The far right in Europe topped out at 15 or so percent (but not near 20%) back in 2015–16. It would be good to think that finally people are seeing that autocracy is a good route to abuse. Sure, democracy is ever problematic, but at least you don’t have a single point of failure. At least you do have some form of a "voice".

America has always been a little late to the game going on in Europe. So as autocracy has been weenie waning in Europe, about that time is when Trump came to power. So this downswing for them in Europe may well be the death knell for the Republican Party who leaned into autocratic rule, and a criminal megalomaniac and Donald Trump, hopefully also on the demise.

It’ll be interesting to edit this blog for today. It occurred to me if speech to text comes out better with these new air pods maybe it was my iPhone wired earphones and their microphone not picking things up as well or something.

Starting mile four…

My book “Death of Heaven" at the Lafayette Avenue Little Free Library kiosk, is still there. I’ve long wondered, although I like the title, if the cover wasn’t incorrect. Marvin Hayes did a great job on the cover. But there’s really only one angel(as seen on the cover) in one story within that book. It’s an important story. And while the split off of the “tiny colony” are or would be seen as “gods”, religious elements, they are and that is really the exact opposite of what the book is about. The title references the idea that the story contained in the book, blows the concept of religion and heaven out of the water, and everything we’ve ever known about the history of the planet. Earth and humanity is not what it seems. The book has elements of all kinds of things in it. But it’s essentially horror/sci-fi. I’ve had at least one reviewer say they thought the ending was a little cavalier. But I object to that because you should by the end of the read, understand the relationship of the two main characters since childhood. You have to understand what they’ve been through in the book and how you have to, in my own experience, have a sense of humor about danger and disaster. You have to act appropriately, but you have to act and be functional. Whenever I’ve been in terrible moments, I’ve acted appropriately, and if I fell apart over it, it was much later. I’ve always had a sense of humor about it even if it seemed at times a bit dark. Something you see in operating rooms (operating room humor) or with soldiers or first responders at time While people in the moment with me felt a bit of relief in my orientation or humor, in some cases maybe some a little shock at my taking things so lightly. Not my actions, but my comments and attitude. Stay cool, act professionally, quickly and effectively. I began my first responder military style training in the Civil Air Patrol when I was in eighth grade in 1968. So that along with martial arts starting in fifth grade and fighting tournaments (facing fear of fighting scary people at times as a kid), all played into my attitude as well as... what I think is a reasonable end to my book. As one of my professors said in the theater department at Western Washington University, sometimes a story just has to end.

Reckoning over Israel’s current government policies is coming here in America. Even the democratic old guard pro Israel contingent are having trouble as someone just said, “carrying the water” for this guy… That being, BB Netanyahu.

It seems obvious to me regarding China that somebody at top levels from both countries should at least once a week  I would say, be on a zoom call or some such technology establishing some human connection that's hard to avoid with frequent calls. And we need more of that. In the early 70s Nixon dealt with a China. No one wanted to deal with them. And look where it’s brought them today from then. Cutting off communication utterly, canceling people, just isn’t a viable paradigm. It was for a bit, when people started to realize you could "vote with your wallet" in not buying toxic products, in making them know why sales were down, until it got to be so widespread that now it's just bad in the other direction. Not talking is dangerous. We do need to hear from those we don't like. The idea was yes, Nazis can speak on campus, because better angels and intelligence will win the day. Except it's kind of not. Still, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer". Which does not say "keep your friends close and cut your enemies completely off". And for good reason.

That being said, when you get a clown like Donald Trump, the only way to handle him is to physically cancel him. Charge him for his crimes, hold him accountable, make him responsible, lock him up and for God's sake, seek capital punishment. If not for him now, make it clear the next insurrectionist POTUS is headed that way.

Some mad dogs? You just have to put down. Legally. OK? Legally.

How our laws are like our education, they are made for the masses. For the general. "Cookie cutter" concepts not accounting for or expecting, the exception or extreme. When you get that exception, such as a Donald Trump, even if he never breaks laws, he may just need to be removed from public access. He is the exception to the rule that needs to be eliminated in order to protect the rule and therefore, the citizens, the government, the democracy, the freedom. While that sounds autocratic, it’s actually just reality. Of course, it should be done in the most legal ways possible. 

I just said the word "possible", and my speech to text on my phone translated that has "boss of war." Nope. Just, "possible".

It’s really odd that too many Republicans cannot see their bullshit actions related to Trump, autocrats, and MAGA could lead us all to the end of democracy and into autocracy. It's right there, in my statement and in what they're doing. And destroying America if not evoking and fomenting a world war if they keep this shit up. Some of their nonsense about China, too, has got to stop.

I knew that as you get older exercise becomes more important. Not as when you’re younger, you can’t skate for long periods without it anyore. But if I have to walk 5 miles every other day for now just to keep long Covid at bay? Hopefully when that’s gone, hopefully within this next year, I'll just need that exercise to maintain my health and quality of life. But that kind of sucks. Although, I do like being in good shape, always.

I took a 10 mg aspirin this morning because getting into bed my left forearm was still hurting and I thought it might be a strain. At this point I can see it’s not a strain and must be blood clotting. Yeah, long Covid and for some people I guess, old age does this to them. So which is it for me? Might be a little of both. Good times...

My last mile to make up 5 miles for the day…

Because of China being so disingenuous and trying to grab ocean space, it’s time in the world change the name of the south "China Sea". It's not. Apparently in the new "Barbie" movie you can see a map with the “9-line” Chinese designation of where they think their ocean border goes to and Vietnam saw it and said, "Oh not you didn't!" They rejected it and banned the movie from their country. Apparently China is doing the same kind of crap in wanting to see things like that in American films they allow into their country. It's something like that shouldn’t even be on a map in a movie, certainly not "Barbie", unless it’s a documentary or a political statement movie. Maybe the filmmakers of the "Barbie" movie could’ve just put it on copies that went into China but not for the rest of the world. I'd argue, don't put it on a movie for China though. Is this all really that difficult? Yeah, I get it. China is THAT big of a profit center.

So a "Taiwan" patch was removed from a top gun flight jacket in the film? Which pissed Taiwan off? Kind of understandably so.

NATO had said Ukraine could become part of them in 2008 and then in 2014 Putin invaded and took Crimea. Putin had been talking about becoming part of NATO before all that. So I don’t buy that he’s so fearful of NATO. Unless he's a coward. Which I also don't buy. Something else entirely is going on.

I know the "Mission Impossible" movies are impossible. But Putin needs to disappear from Russia, and then suddenly re-appear at the World Court for trial and under guard.

Let’s face it. In hindsight, we can now see that before Putin invaded Ukraine last year, the year before Ukraine should’ve been brought into NATO. Now? Too late.

NATO is about to make a generational shift in their war plans to protect every member. After 9/11 NATO shifted to fighting terror around the world and now this is a coming home to them and they're finally recognizing that terrorism is now coming from Russia and in their backyard.


Cheers! Sláinte!