writing – Gunpowder and Ink!

Just to brag a bit…

West of Prehistoric has now passed Man Corn: Cannibalism and Violence in the Prehistoric American Southwest in number of reviews and ratings on Amazon.

May not seem like a big deal, but if you search for ‘West of Prehistoric’ on Amazon, that book always pops up below it.

So, yay beating people eating!

In other news, my dad sent me this article a while back and I just got around to reading it. It’s a short article, so I’ll post it in it’s entirety, with some BOLD emphasis added by me for those who like to skim. Growing up as a voracious reader, often reading many years ahead of my ‘educational’ level, I agree with all of what was found. (I think I read Beowulf in 6th grade or something.)

Here’s the article:

Growing Up Surrounded by Books Could Have Powerful, Lasting Effect on the Mind

Research has already suggested that opening a book may help improve brain function, reduce stress, and even make us more empathetic. Now, a team led by Joanna Sikora of the Australian National University is looking into the benefits of growing up around a book-filled environment; as Alison Flood of the Guardian reports, the researchers’ expansive new study suggests that homes with ample libraries can arm children with skills that persist into adulthood.

The 2019 study, published in Social Science Research, assessed data from 160,000 adults from 31 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Turkey, Japan and Chile. Participants filled out surveys with the Programme for the International Assessment of Competencies, which measures proficiency in three categories: literacy, numeracy (using mathematical concepts in everyday life) and information communication technology, (using digital technology to communicate with other people, and to gather and analyze information).

Respondents, who ranged in age from 25 to 65, were asked to estimate how many books were in their house when they were 16 years old. The research team was interested in this question because home library size can be a good indicator of what the study authors term “book-oriented socialization.” Participants were able to select from a given range of books that included everything from “10 or less” to “more than 500.”

The surveys, which were taken between 2011 and 2015, showed that the average number of books in participants’ childhood homes was 115, but that number varied widely from country to country. The average library size in Norway was 212 books, for instance; in Turkey, it was 27. Across the board, however, it seemed that more books in the home was linked to higher proficiency in the areas tested by the survey.

The effects were most marked when it came to literacy. Growing up with few books in the home resulted in below average literacy levels. Being surrounded by 80 books boosted the levels to average, and literacy continued to improve until libraries reached about 350 books, at which point the literacy rates leveled off. The researchers observed similar trends when it came to numeracy; the effects were not as pronounced with information communication technology tests, but skills did improve with increased numbers of books.

So, what are the implications of the new study? Take, for instance, adults who grew up with hardly any books in the home, but went on to obtain a university degree in comparison to an adult who grew up with a large home library, but only had nine years of schooling. The study found that both of their literacy levels were roughly average. “So, literacy-wise, bookish adolescence makes up for a good deal of educational advantage,” the study authors write.

Further research is needed to determine precisely why exposure to books in childhood fosters valuable skills later in life, but the study offers further evidence to suggest that reading has a powerful effect on the mind. And so home library size might be important because, as the researchers note, “[c]hildren emulate parents who read.”

***

So, pretty cool. Teach your kids to read and instill in them a love of reading, and they’ll never be bored, and you’ll be more likely to have a ‘Honor Student’ bumper sticker on your car. Also your kid will turn out better.

The Death of Terry Goodkind

I read his Sword of Truth series way back when in the early 2000’s until I caught up to where he was writing then pursued other books. Fast forward over 15 years, and a couple of months ago, I decided to start re-reading them as I’d heard much more had been written. So I started over with the first book, Wizard’s First Rule, and carried on from there. Now I’m on the 7th book, The Pillars of Creation.

Then, this weekend, I heard about his death. Man, what a shame. The guy was an amazing writer, sold something like 25 million books, and did it with a strong touch of Ayn Rand guiding his hand. The philosophical commentary he implemented into his writings was superb, especially about individual freedom.

Ok, yeah it also has a great love story and icky stuff like that. But there’s also some awesome BATTLES and of course, wisdom such as this:

“Cut. Once committed to the fight, cut. Everything else is secondary. Cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no commitment that overrides that one. Cut. The lines are a portrayal of the dance. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resolutely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gap in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don’t allow him a breath. Crush him. Cut him without mercy to the depths of his spirit. It’s the balance of life: death. It is the dance with death.” – Faith of the Fallen.

I highly recommend reading his books. They are fantastic. (If a bit…. verbose in their descriptions.)

And for fun, here’s a few more great quotes:

“Charity, if you have the means, is a personal choice, but charity which is expected or compelled is simply a polite word for slavery.” – Pillars of Creation.

“Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent.” – Faith of the Fallen.

“Not everyone is willing to embrace liberty; liberty requires not just effort, but risk. Some people choose to delude themselves and see their chains as protective armor.” – Chainfire.

“Wrong doing must be punished. If not, it will proliferate until anarchy wears the robes of tolerance and understanding.” – Blood of the Fold.

“If something is wrong, it matters not if a thousand men are for it; you must still oppose it. If something is just, no amount of popular outcry should stay you from your course.” – Naked Empire.

“Laugh all you want. I know my own worth and don’t need to prove it to someone who doesn’t know theirs.” – Faith of the Fallen.

“Culture carries no privilege to exist. Cultures do not have value simply because they are. Some cultures, the world is better off without.” – Soul of the Fire.

“Enemies,’ the wizard said, ‘are the price of honour.” – Debt of Bones.

Rest easy Terry Goodkind. You’ll be missed.

Book is back from the Editor.

I’ve got to go over the changes made and see what I accept or don’t.

So far, I’ve only found one that I don’t accept. And that’s in reference to the phrase, “I felt like I’d been shot at, missed, shit at, and hit all over.” Everything else appears to make the book tighter and better.

But it’s pretty cool to see what a professional editor thinks of my writing. It’s like, BAM! Run on sentence. BOOM! Apostrophe here. Ka-POW! Make this not suck. Yippee Kay Yay! Semi-colon.

We’re getting closer and closer to publication! Yeeehaw.

Some of you have done NOTHING with your life and you’re mad about it.

You have a college degree & a smartphone with access to virtually *anything* and you can barely get out of bed in the morning while you spit on people who built a whole world with nothing but a horse, map, & axe.

You’ve made nothing with access to everything. You’ve conquered nothing. Hell you can’t even conquer yourself. So go tear it all down. Scream into the void how unfair it all is. It’s not that you’ve wasted your short time here. Surely not.

Don’t bother with your own legacy your busy shitting on the long dead who aren’t here to care. Go burn down every Starbucks. That’ll show them. Torch the Target. Tear down every monument. Deface every memorial. But what have you built? What do you leave behind?

So take your benzos. Watch your porn. Get Uber to drop off your dinner. Buy an adult coloring book. Have sex with strangers to ease your crippling anxiety. It’s not you. It’s the system really. It isn’t fair. Go cancel someone. Dox someone. They deserve it. You’re the good guy.

Don’t write an epic novel worth building a statue to remember you. Go troll seven year old problematic tweets ever on the hunt for the boogeyman. See now you’ve accomplished something. Cancel everyone. You’re a warrior now. A real hero.

And lastly whatever you do never ever take even a moment to self reflect on your own failures. Never own them. Never take a hint of responsibility. Remember you’re just a helpless victim of circumstances beyond your control. This all means nothing. It’s like you weren’t even here.

-Twitter Rant by Luinalaska.

‘Nuff Said.

Publishing Contract Signed!

Severed Press will be publishing my book.

http://www.severedpress.com/

I’m pretty stoked. From everything I’ve read, they are an amazing publishing company and best of all their covers are works of art. (Yeah, I’m shallow like that. Nothing sinks a book faster than poor covers… except poor writing!)

Woohoo!