Countdown to Terror! (226)

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In an earlier post, I dismissed the varied science-fiction predictions that the world will end on December 21, 2012. Sorry, but as sexy as those ideas may sound, we will not be destroyed by rogue planets, magnetic pole shifts, or planetary or galactic alignments. The evidence is against all of these scenarios and their various cousins. There is no evidence supporting any of those schemes.

But dire warnings of the impending end of the world continue. They continue from the pseudo-science crowd, which persists despite reality, and they continue from other quarters.

My favorite sources of outlandishness are the wilder, less rational segments of the Christian religion. Okay, let’s be clear. Whether you are a believer or not, you have to admit that Christianity is not and never has been rational. It’s a religion based on faith, not knowledge. One is asked to believe despite … everything. And yet there are subsets of the Christian religion that make your average worshipper of Christ look like a science skeptic.

These are not recognized entities. They take the form of televangelists, so-called and self-styled religious scholars, and wild-eyed, unrestrained nuts on the Internet. They claim a lot of things, that the end will come on December 21, just like our friends the Mayans warn us (which they did not). They claim the world will end in 2012, but in May or September for reasons they pull out of various orifices.

As a Christian, I have a problem with predictions by Christians of the end of the world, particularly of the return of Jesus Christ to Earth. My objection is simple. The Christian religion, in it’s own Bible, assures us that the end of the world and the return of Christ are inherently unpredictable occurrences. The Book of Matthew pounds that point into our heads on several occasions.

“Stay alert, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Okay, that’s clear.

“Just as the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be … [The people] knew nothing until the flood took them away. It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man.”

“But as for the day or hour, no one knows it, not even the angels in heaven — but the Father alone.”

…and so on.

So, your own belief perspectives aside, all these people going on about the end of the world and it’s date, even the time of day on that date, are either arrogantly wrong or as smart as God. Which of these outcomes seems the most likely?

This sort of off-base fanaticism was the germ of the reality behind my fictional story Last Days and Times. In Last Days and Times, fanatical fringe Christians get it into their heads that the world will end on the rumored date from the Mayan Long-form Calendar. They do better than make a prediction, though. They build a terrorist network dedicated to making sure that end comes to past, sort of ‘making straight the way of the Lord’. They kill anybody and destroy anything to ensure the apocalyptic prophesies of the Bible are fulfilled in time for Jesus to return at the appointed hour. They expect to be rewarded for their efforts, to be taken in as the elect of the Lord. As Elwood Blues would say, they’re on a mission from God.

We’re used to hearing this sort of stuff in reference to Islamists. What we often don’t choose to see is that the same level of craziness exists in Christian communities, as well. We’ve heard the stories about anti-abortion types attacking women at clinics, bombing Planned Parenthood, and murdering doctors. They’re on a mission from God, too. In fact, this extreme, unacceptable form of acting out is very old. The Crusades were all big Missions from God.

One point of Last Days and Times is one we don’t want to hear: that Christians are mistaken to look down their noses at Islamists, even in the aftermath of 911. Christians can and have demonstrated that they have little regard for their stated faith or for human life.

Another, equally important point of Last Days and Times is that there is redemption and honor in faith fulfilled. Real faith. Real Christianity. It’s a rare thing. For Christianity is not the crazy thing some people twist it into. Christianity, like Islam, is a faith built on love.

The overall theme and guiding principle of Last Days and Times is taken from that section in Corinthians: “These things remain: faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love.”

Last Days and Times is still out there. Does digital publishing ever go out of print? You can get it as an ebook in several formats. You can also order the paperback from either amazon.com or lulu.com, and you can order the hardcover edition from Amazon. It’s a great book, if I say so myself. It’s the antidote to end of the world fever. It’s also a heavy-duty thriller. I think it’s possible to make a point or two and still entertain. Try it, I think you’ll like it. Check out the five-star reviews. Check out the free samples at smashwords.com and lulu.com. Go ahead, it’s free to look. Considering the skinny prices, it’s practically free to buy.

Until next time, happy reading, good thinking, and don’t be a doomsayer.

Countdown to Terror! (304)

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As of this writing, we have just 304 days left on this earth, that is, if you believe some people. The important takeaway is, that you really should not believe some people. Some people are terribly uneducated. Some people are gullible. Some people are just plain nuts. Strong in all these categories of some people are those who have adopted the latest world-wide disaster du jour, December 21, 2012.

To be clear, December 21st, 2012 marks the end of the Mayan long-count calendar, an astronomical/agricultural tool developed by the Mayan indians over 5000 years ago. The long-count is what it is: a calendar. It keeps track of time. And this December 21 is to it what December 31 is to all of us, every year. It’s the end.

The rub lies in what it is the end of. Many people have decided, for no apparent reason other than they crave these things, that December 21 is the end of the world. Obviously, when a calendar that has ben in effect for over 5000 years comes to an end, the world must end with it.  That scenario given as true, all that remains is to cast about for a vehicle of ultimate world destruction.

Some people have decided that, on December 21, 2012, the Earth will cross the galactic ecliptic. This will be our downfall. As Earth goes from above the horizontal midpoint of the galaxy to below that line, something bad has got to happen, especially when the Earth commits this act of suicide right at the end of the Mayan long calendar. There may be meteor showers, comet strikes, basically a mean-spirited galactic shooting gallery with Earth as the only target duck. The super-massive black hole at the center of our galaxy may shoot out black holey tendrils to eradicate us folks on the fringe. Gravity may assert a deadly pull that could rip our planet to pieces, flip it over, or reverse its poles. Any of these possibilities would be terrible beyond imagining; they would be the end of all things.

Except that they can’t happen. That’s the crux, guys. These scenarios for the end of the world are impossible for two very good reasons. Reason number one should be the end of the argument: Earth will not pass through the galactic plane on or anywhere near December 21, 2012.

That’s right, they made it all up.

The second argument is more interesting as it allows for a discussion of science. Not a scientist here, and my audience is (mostly) not made of scientists, so we’ll give the Clift Notes here. You see, the heart of the galactic plane doomsday story is that right there at the centerpoint of our galaxy’s thickness, like a dot marked midway through the thick edge of a discus, there is far more mass in the form of stars, planets and other bric-a-brac than when we float above or below the edge of the galactic rim. Above or below the centerpoint, we’re in the ‘burbs. At the centerpoint, it’s all downtown. Since we would be lined up with more stuff between us and the galactic core, more gravity from all those things will pull on us. It’ll pull, and pull, and … do bad stuff.

The only thing is, that simply isn’t true. Gravity is a weak force. It’s power is largely local. All those millions of stars, planets, moons, comets and whatnot strung between us and the middle of the galaxy would have a barely measurable effect on our Earth. Gravity is just too weak to do otherwise.

The galactic alignment destructfest idea is a dumb one due to dumb science and a heavy dose of pointless fantasy. Sounds good, if you’re paranoid, but it’s ultimately nothing more than a bad science fiction plot.

So rest assured, the planet will not be ripped apart by overwhelming gravitational forces just four days before Christmas. That would be a bummer, if it happened, but it not only won’t, it can’t. Then again, a catastrophe of equal proportion may await us.

We may actually have to pay off all those Christmas credit card bills.

In the meantime, read something. How about my book, Last Days and Times, which is based on 2012 hysteria? I, at least, clearly label my thrill-dispensing amazing tale as fiction.

According to some people, you only have 304 days left to read it.

5 by 5

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The web site is back up and humming. This is a great relief to me, as I’ve been messing with the problem for a couple of weeks, off and on. Who would have thought a single little ellipis could cause so much heartbreak.

Anyway, go check out the web site. There’s a countdown clock to December 21, 2012, the date of the ultimate end of all we know. That’s right, the end of the world. Don’t you feel ridiculous for having locked up all that money in those three-year certificates? Well, you can make yourself feel better by reading Last Days and Times, the book with the skinny on our last 304 days in this universe. Some say that, on the appointed date, we’ll be trashed by a rogue planet, our megnetic field will reverse to catastrophic effect, aliens will destroy us, or Jesus will return to damn us all. Only Last Days and Times carries the complete, incontrovertible, authoritative completely wild guess of what awaits us four days before Christmas! Read it before it’s too late!

Technical Difficulties…

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If you’ve visited my web site lately, you’ve noticed some … problems. Don’t worry, I’m on it. I did some updating of the site and am now experiencing FTP difficulties. Lots of files refuse to upload, or upload wrong, that sort of thing. I’ve tested the web site and it works fine before uploading, so the problem isn’t in the design. I just have to come to some sort of agreement with Cyberduck that doesn’t involve me getting kneecapped or thrown to the fishes while wearing concrete overshoes. Stay tuned. It’ll get better. I promise. Although I do have to say it may take a while. This isn’t my day job, you understand.

Writer’s Digest Magazine on Last Days and Times

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A long while ago, I entered Last Days and Times in a competition, the Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. Okay, so I didn’t win, at least I don’t think I did; it’s been so long, I don’t even recall when the winner would be announced. What I did get from the kind people at Writer’s Digest was a quickie critique of the book. I’m fully aware that this critique may be a bunch of hokum, just some flyaway words tossed to their clientele in order to keep them coming back. Or it might not be. Anyway, if it isn’t hokum, it’s still flyaway. But…

This is what Writer’s Digest had to say about Last Days and Times. On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being excellent, they gave plot, grammar and character development each a 5. Yes, I know, that’s very, very good. They gave production quality and book design (one category) a 4. Apparently, they loved the story and pretty much loved the cover, but thought my name on the cover should be emphasized more. I can live with that, especially since the de-emphasis of my name was a design decision rather than a mistake. I doubt anyone searches bookstore shelves for the names of unknown writers, and the book isn’t available in bookstores anyway.

What did they like best about the book? “Last Days and Times will keep readers riveted from the opening line, all the way to the end”, and they went on in a similar manner. How can the book be improved? They start out with more deep praise, then suggest developing an author web site with character descriptions, author information, and information on upcoming books. They also suggest developing an associated blog. Ta-daa! That’s where you are now, on both counts.

So, according to Writer’s Digest, I did everything right with Last Days and Times except putting my name in a bright, big font on the cover. It’s a hard critique, but I’ll take it (do I really have to put a smiley face here?). I’ll not only take it, I’ll make use of it. It may be an honest critique, or it may be a corporate honey trap. If it is a trap, it’s mine, and I will place their compliments everywhere I can think of where potential readers might find them.

That’s the way we play the game around here. Horn, horn, horn. Toot, toot, toot.

25% Off Books

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The fine folks at Lulu.com are doing their part to get good stuff into your hands. From now through January 31, you can purchase my books at 25% off the regular price. Read Last Days and Times, my supernatural thriller stalking 2012 apocalypse hysteria, and not shell out the big bucks to do so. Or check out the short fiction in Harmonic RES, everything from scifi to fantasy to military fiction to contemporary fiction to romance to comedy. They’re both excellent casual reading fare, but they can also make your brain work without making it hurt. No risk and no mystery. You can read excerpts at lulu, or you can get an even better feel for the stories right here on this web site, with longer excerpts, plot descriptions, character sketches, and actual reader reviews. See, I make it easy for you. You can even click straight through to the Lulu purchase page from the book’s entry on this web site. Support indie publishing! Starting with me :-) .

Should you decide to purchase one of my trade paperback or nicely jacketed hardcovers from Lulu (just go ahead; you know you’ll wanna), use the coupon code LULUBOOK305 at checkout.

I’ll continue to let you know, right here on this page, when my stuff is on sale. I hope you take advantage of the bargains. I may not make a pile of money on these deals, or a pile of money at all, for that matter, but I do like sending my young, literary children out into the world. From the general reaction, I didn’t do a bad job raising them.

There Are A Million Tales in the City…

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Low-res art for Halberd web comic

Halberd, Slow Boil...

So here I am, working on three books at once, and what do i do? I start yet another project. I’m not complaining. I’ll complain not when the muse shouts orders into my ear, but when her voice falls mute. Anyway, I’m in the beginning stages of building a web comic, a detective story hopefully unlike other detective stories. Tentatively titled Halberd: Hard-boiled, it’s at once a send-up and a homage to the square-jawed private dicks of pulp fiction. And, that’s about as far as I’ve gotten. Well, maybe a little further. I’m thinking out loud here. Mark (Frank?) Halberd is a short, red-headed Irishman who used to be a cop and parted from that profession on poor terms. He can’t get a license as a private investigator, but he does the job anyway. His partner is Lilla, the blond on the left, above. The Japanese lady in the blue raincoat is the obligatory police detective who gives our hero hell. I’m having fun figuring ways to walk right up to the genre cliches and, well, not. So, keep an eye out for Halberd and his slow climb toward a cohesive story. It’ll be fun and, for me, a little embarrassing. I’ve never written a mystery before. I’m fairly certain, when this is done, that I still won’t have written one, but we’ll see.

 

 

There’s a Sale at Lulu!

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For those who don’t want an ebook, sorry, I don’t have as much control over venues other than Smashwords. I mean, you can also find my ebooks at the Kindle Store, the Barnes and Noble Nook Store, on Apple’s iBookstore and other sites, but they’re all a bit more expensive than Smashwords.

My books are also available in good ol’ paper. Both come in beautiful hardcover editions as well as trade paperback, and they’re on sale right now at Lulu.com. Go to Lulu through January 6 and take 25% off your purchase price with coupon code ONEMORETHING305. So, let’s see. If you would like to purchase Harmonic RES  for 25% off, in hardcover, go here. If you’d like it in paperback, sorry, that’s available through Amazon, though the price is pretty good, you might want to check it out. If you would like a copy of my supernatural thriller Last Days and Times, at 25% off at Lulu, go here for hardcover and here for paperback. Don’t forget the coupon code!

If You’re Reading This, Here’s a Free Book

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As a little something for those who have come to check out my new web site additions, I’m offering a free download of Harmonic RES from Smashwords.com. Harmonic RES is my collection of short fiction, everything from very short stories to novellas, from science fiction to slice-of-America, from serious to comedy. This is yours just for coming here and snooping around. Just click the link above for Harmonic RES, check out some of the info there, and click the link that corresponds to Smashwords. When you get to Smashwords, chose the file format you’d like, go through the purchase process, and use the coupon code PQ66K at checkout. This is an ebook purchase, so you’ll need something that can read ebook formats. Hint: you’re staring at one right now. Smashwords offers versions for Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Sony Reader, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, any smart phone, and Palm. They also offer RTF, HTML and plain text, all of which can be read on any computer. Yes, your non-iPad tablet can also read ebooks if you have an ebook app installed. Just download the file appropriate to your reader. Don’t delay, though. This free book coupon is good only through January 9, 2012, and only through Smashwords.

I hope you take advantage of this giveaway. I ask only one thing of you, that you offer up a review of the book on the Smashwords site, if you like it. You can place a review even if you don’t like the book, but don’t feel obligated :-) . When you finish the book, and only if you have a minute or two, go to Smashwords and post your critique, complete with star rating. If the reviews are good, it helps visibility for the book. Thanks and enjoy. Like the man says around here: I don’t want to make money, I just loooove to sell books.

Countdown to Terror! (356)

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That’s right, if half the delusional, fantasy-prone personalities are to be believed, we have only 356 days left until the end of the world. Not that the world will end on December 21, 2012, or if it does it will be for some wholly unforeseen reason not even the crazies can predict. A rogue planet zooms toward Earth (though no such planet can be detected, and should be easily visible by now). Zombies will rise and eat our brains (and, if they did, they’d find them less filling than they expected). The magnetic poles will switch, destroying the continents (even though the magnetic poles have switched before, to no noticeable disaster). In my novel Last Days and Times, Jesus Christ himself is expected to return to Earth on the indicated date, ushering in the Rapture and Apocalypse (though Christianity and Mayan civilization have nothing in common and never had contact at the time the calendar was developed. Also,  that would seriously mess up the boy’s birthday).

All of this is nonsense. It makes good stories, as in the case of my book. It makes bad ones, too, as in that movie 2012, which should remain undescribed and unlinked. Thing is, people still believe the horrors are to come. Tom Cruise has even built himself an anti-apocalypse bunker, and he isn’t the only one.

I ran across this article on Space.com. Here, NASA actually officially tries to calm the nerves of end-of-the-world worriers. It’s like the government officially announcing that the sky will not fall, or that Santa Claus did not die in that plane crash. It’s wierd and sad, but a great number of people cannot tell the difference between science and science fiction.

Anyway, read the article. And buy my book. You only have 356 days to finish it, and if you read as slowly as I do…