"End of the World" Special--get Part 3 of the Trilogy for your Kindle--free this Friday and Saturday (if we're still here! - ha!)

‘Mountaintops and Valleys’ – Part 3 of ‘The Peaks at the Edge of the World’

 

Follow further adventures of the “Peaks” characters as they face new challenges—even though they have finally found the mysterious planet Maia, which few seem to even know exists.  Is this the true home of humankind?  What makes it so special that the System has tried to erase it from all records and memories?  Does the seemingly mythical True Fountain exist—and will Jon, Jael, and Martina ever find it?

‘Searching for Maia’ – Part 2 of ‘The Peaks at the Edge of the World’

Jon and Jael have finally released Jael’s sister from her bondage to the dark forces she fell prey to with the Redlarks, but now they must venture into the unknown Far Wilds of their planet Terres.  As they do this, Jon decides to try a daring experiment involving parallel worlds—by bringing two Twenty-first Century Earth children into their bodies, to experience their journey with them.  And so Danny joins with Jael, while his sister, Ginna, joins Martina.  No one knows what impacts this experiment may have on each of the young people involved.

Thanks to Jon’s ability to Cross the GAP, they find a way to leave Terres, and begin searching for a planet called ‘Maia’—said to be the original planet of mankind—encountering many hazards along the way.  In addition, no one they meet in their travels seems to know where it is—or even if it is a real place, at all—and then they are captured by Rebels, the most feared force in the Galaxy.

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Part 1 of "The Peaks" Trilogy - 'Finding the Light'

‘The Peaks at the Edge of the World’ –Part 1, 'Finding the Light’

On the distant planet of Terres, far in the future, a young boy—Jael—finds his family being torn apart by dark forces of the Galactic System.  Raised by his mother, and older siblings--who believe in a distant ruler called the True King—he soon finds himself alone in a world that is falling apart.  Now he must put his trust in a stranger named Jon, who claims he has the ability to cut across space and time—by Crossing the GAP.  Jael convinces Jon to take him across their planet—toward the mountain peaks at the edge of their world—to help him find his runaway sister, Martina.  But Martina has become possessed by the dark forces of the Redlarks, people who live in the Wilds.  Will Jon and Jael be able to release her, and escape to a better place?

This book asks “What if Christianity were to survive into the distant future--perhaps even another millennium?” Would this ancient religion have any meaning in a complex, future technology?  What would life be like for a tiny remnant who are severely persecuted, and trying to cling to ‘Old Ways?’

Looking for Hope

Boy, some days it is hard to get out of bed with a happy heart.  All the news is so depressing--people talk like the world is going to end soon.  Was the Mayan Calendar right, and the world ends on the Winter Solstice this year - 12/21/2012?  (Does this mean there's no point in Christmas shopping?)

I keep hoping it is 12/21/2112  Doesn't that number have more balance somehow?  Gives us another 100 years to try to get straightened out.

You know I have been watching history/documentaries lately--history can be as depressing as the future, but then it's over and humankind has survived.  The Black Plague in the 12th and 13th centures seemed like the end of the world to the people it affected.  The Dust Bowl of the 1930's here in the Great Plains seemed like the end of the world to the people there.  But here we are--still kicking, and making a mess...

I don't know the answer, but I guess it just goes to show that maybe things aren't always as bad at they seem--when we are in the middle of them.  If we step back, perhaps we can get a better perspective.

And last but not least, the One who is in charge is the only one who really knows the plan.  And to Him, "a thousand years is as a day, and a day is asa thousand years."

"The Book" and my book - A Foreword

This is the Foreword I wrote for my first book, "The Peaks at the Edge of the World" - which is available as a trilogy on Kindle at present. 

"The Peaks" has been bubbling in my mind for most of my life.  Some of the thoughts came to the surface and are printed inside it, while others are still hiding in the undercurrents of my mental synapses.

Some readers may find it ironic that I write a book about a time when all forms of print and writing are considered archaic--and therefore forbidden.  I find it no coincidence--in this future I write of--that the primary surviving book is The Book--the one that bears this as its only title.

Perhaps this is because throughout my life this Book has had a central influence on my thinking (even though it was not commonly read in my home, when I was a child).  Somehow, I just kept being drawn to it.  Oh, I have questioned it!  And I have read many other books and opinions.  But none of them seemed to reach deep down into my psyche like this Book does--none have the same ring of truth and authority.

Iwould by lying if I didn't say that many inspirations for "The Peaks at the Edge of the World" have come during moments of studying The Book.  Flashes of insight seem to come suddenly, and feel similar to descriptions I have heard from those who meditate.

Please understand that I make no claims to be 'spiritually enlightened' or 'inspired by God'!  All I am is a humble mouthpiece--trying with my own stumbling words to relate things I feel have been shown to me.  Like Eli in the Desert (Part 3), I am just a voice...

On Another Planet

Okay, I have been away.  Between fighting a head cold... and self-editing...feel like I've been on another planet.  I have been doing a lot of thinking as I try to breathe, and listening to music from the Lord of the Rings movies.

As I think about Tolkien and his books, I see that a lot of truth about our world is in them.  I think that is part of the beauty of what he accomplished...

  If you have read all of his Middle Earth writings, you see an interesting pattern.  If you start with the first book he did, The Silmarillion, and try to go in his "historical order" you may find what I did--that it gets depressing after awhile.  The evil forces seem to keep on overpowering the elves, and then the men.  Galadriel (who has been around from almost the beginning of the First Age) calls it "The Long Defeat"...

And it seems a lot like what the world looks like these days.  Just one disaster and defeat after another. It's not surprising that he came up with a lot of this when he was in the World War I trenches...

And here we are still struggling in the Post-war world, after TWO wars that were supposed to end all wars...

BUT  if you read all the way to the end of The Return of the King, good finally triumphs at last!

I sure hope Tolkien is right!

I guess if I didn't have some of that hope myself, I would find it hard to keep on keepin' on.  And I guess this is also the hope that I want to portray in my books, too.  The first one, which is a trilogy (in emulation of Tolkien, of course) is called "The Peaks at the Edge of the World."  It is a religious/fantasy/sci-fi with a bit of romance thrown in.

Currently each of the three books are available on Kindle.  Soon I hope to have the whole trilogy for sale on Create Space.

Welcome to My First Blog

Okay,  I am new to this.  The idea of putting my own personal thoughts out in cyberspace feels a bit like I'm getting undressed in front of an open window...

However, I do want people to know that I love writing and reading sci-fi, especially if it has a spiritual dimension.  Hopefully this will be a place where I can get some of my ideas looked at, and hear some ideas from others too.

Some of my all-time favorite books include "The Lord of the Rings"  The original "Dune" books, and Azimov's "Foundation Trilogy"  I have also enjoyed Anne McCaffrey's "Pern" books.  Any story that creates its own world has a big appeal for me. 

I think I am more of a Star Trek person than a Star Wars person....in other words, I prefer Sci-fi that has an intellectual twist to it. 

Over 40 years ago I began getting (and jotting down) ideas for a series that I call "The Peaks at the Edge of the World"  Now, thanks to the new world of e-pubishing, the first three of these books are available for Kindle!  I am looking into other Indie publishing opportunities, too.

So, here's to trying my wings!