Wednesday, October 31, 2012

"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...

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

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.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

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!