Followup to ‘How do I think of these things’

April 14, 2017

Followup to ‘How do I think of these things’

In my last article, I wrote about how I come up with my ideas for my books. I received several comments from people who read my books. I found them interesting.

The first comment comes from a reader who read my first book, ‘The Taste of Honey.’ At the time, this reader wrote me and, if I recall correctly, told me she had a hard time with the story. She considered herself to be a traditional, conservative person and didn’t read all that much. However, a friend turned her onto the book and while struggling with the storyline, discovered an underlying unexpected love story that she loved. It turned her around, and she eventually wrote a compelling five-star review.

The following is what I received in response to the article.

“I found it insightful as well as a confirmation of what I already felt in my heart was the way you find your inspirations. I’ve always believed you to be intelligent and extremely creative. It’s nice to see you finding the right outlet for that creativity (of which you do so well!).” jb

Apparently, she knows me well, and yes, I am acquainted with this person.

Another reader sent me this comment.

“It’s hard to understand how you can write that in such detail and emotion. And, not wonder about you. […] After reading your statements and seeing that your girlfriend felt the same way, I think I feel much better. Maybe, lol.” gd

I am only just becoming acquainted with this reader, having recently received several comments and messages regarding my ‘Her Client’ trilogy. After reading the first book, she contacted with a note indicating how much she liked it. After reading the second book, I received a second comment expressing the need “… to think about this one?” implying that the story might have been a bit over the top for her. [No surprise. This book is intentionally horrific and deals with the real monsters among us.] Her followup to this comment to this book inspired me to write my previous article. The last I heard, the reader was just starting the third book, ‘Her Essentia.’ I have little doubt that she will send me an additional note.

Interestingly enough, the ‘Her Client’ books are my best sellers. I never expected that to happen. As a result, those are the kinds of books I will continue to focus on as I write.

I received many comments on the article. I hope it helps you understand where I am coming from and where I am going. My stories don’t come from personal experiences. Rather, they come from observation and wondering, “what if …”.

That’s how my latest book, ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ came to life. I was at my doctor’s office and as I sat in the waiting room, wondered “what if someone behind the counter and sent the medical history of a patient to someone who had no right to the file?” From there, the pieces just fell into place, and Avril’s story came to life.

Then there’s ‘The Breakup’, a story about what a woman hopes will happen on a date of dinner and dancing. My ‘what if’ revolved around the word, dancing. “What was his definition of dancing?” Ginny is about to find out. The question is, will she be happy about it?

Overall, I don’t really know what to say. If you, my current and new followers, continue to read my books, what am I going to do but keep writing new ones that tickle your fancy and your emotions? I have notes on several ideas for future stories. Stay tuned.

Oh, and I almost forgot. I finally finished putting together my online art gallery. It’s called ‘maggicalExpressions.’ Links to it are on my book site.

Yes, that’s correct. I paint and draw when I need to disappear. Oh, yes, that’s what I do when I write. Well, it’s a different kind of medium, and I enjoy it. I hope you like them.

It’s a nice day today, blue sky, and lots of sun. I’m going to work on my book most of the day, and then I’m going to a party tonight. I can’t wait. It’s a themed party sponsored by a social club I belong to. It’s been way too long since I’ve attended one. I’m looking forward to it.

Have a great day and a better tomorrow.
Rich

Word of the Day: evanescent

October 22, 2016

Cloud Busting — Steve Richard Photography — Source: Steve Richard Photography

Word of the Day: evanescent

evanescent (adjective) ev-uh-NESS-unt

Definition

: tending to vanish like vapor

Synonymons

brief; disappearing; elusive; elusory; ephemeral; fading; fleeting; illusory; indefinable; insubstantial; intangible; momentary; passing; short-lived; temporary; tenuous; transitory; vanishing

Examples

“As stunning as his dishes could be, in the end, the maestro understood its evanescent nature. Furstenberg remembers Richard telling him, ‘It’s supposed to be food.'” — Tom Sietsema, The Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2016

“I think because we are young, issues we encounter with mental health are often excused as evanescent, and therefore not something to be taken seriously.” — Morgan Hughes, The Marquette Tribune (Marquette University), 6 Sept. 2016

Did You Know?

The fragile, airy quality of things evanescent reflects the etymology of the wordevanescent itself. It derives from a form of the Latin verb evanescere, which means “to evaporate” or “to vanish.” Given the similarity in spelling between the two words, you might expect evaporate to come from the same Latin root, but it actually grew out of another steamy Latin root, evaporare. Evanescere did give us vanish, however, by way of Anglo-French and Vulgar Latin.

My Take

Surprisingly, I like researching words of the day. Why? I find so many related interesting things. Today’s word, evanescent is a fabulous word, full of innuendos, subtleties, and possibilities. Today, I found a wonderful photographer by the name of Steve Richards. Is he a kindred soul perhaps? I don’t know, and I don’t care. I just love the pieces I found on the web and his site. Check him out.

Getting back to the word, meaning to tend to vanish like vapor. I like the wispiness of the word. To me, it seems that I can use in many, interesting ways. Not just with the images I found, but in other areas as well. Typically, the word can describe anything that seems to disappear as you watch. In actuality, it can be used to describe a receding sound, thought or idea, or feeling. Anything that involves the five senses can, in many circumstances, be described by the word evanescent. Just look at the list of synonyms I included. The possibilities are endless.

What other ways do you think one can use it? I challenge you to try it out. I will. I hope you will too.

If you share this post by clicking any of the twitter buttons, you will offered a second, sexier image from Steve Richards gallery. My gift to you. Thanks for stopping by.

Please share your comments. I’m sure we would all enjoy reading them.

Brought to you by Merrian-Webster, Word of the Day.

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Word of the Day: Invective

October 5, 2016

Word of the Day: Invective

Invenctive

noun | in-VEK-tiv

Definition

1 : an abusive expression or speech
2 : insulting or abusive language : vituperation

Examples

“The ongoing collapse of responsible broadcast and cable journalism and the explosive role that social media has assumed in this campaign have made for a nasty brew of invective, slurs and accusations….” — Susan J. Douglas, In These Times, July 2016

“At a moment when American political discourse has descended to almost unimaginable levels of … invective, we need our teachers to model a better way to discuss our differences.” — Jonathan Zimmerman, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 14 Aug. 2016

Did You Know?

Invective originated in the 15th century as an adjective meaning “of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse.” In the early 16th century, it appeared in print as a noun meaning “an example of abusive speech.” Eventually, the noun developed a second sense applying to abusive language as a whole. Invective comes to us from the Middle French wordinvectif, which in turn derives from Latin invectivus, meaning “reproachful, abusive.” (Invectivus comes from Latin invectus, past participle of the verb invehere, one form of which means “to assail with words.”) Invective is similar to abuse, but it tends to suggest not only anger and vehemence but verbal and rhetorical skill. It sometimes implies public denunciation, as in “blistering political invective.”

My Take

It’s a shame really. I think everyone, at one time or another, have been either the victim or abuser of invective language. I don’t care to use it, and I can’t recall a particular instance over the last several years where I have used it. However, I do know that I have, as the feelings I sustained at the time, remain with me to this day. Push comes to shove; I will fall prey to using it. I have also been the victim of such language. For me, it can be degrading, demoralizing, and an outright assault upon my psyche.

That said, it’s a word that I intend to strive to remember and avoid practicing. Searching for an appropriate image found numerous examples, most of which are products such as guns, which I will not promote. Finding a generic one was harder. Persistence prevails so that I may bring one to you.

In my writings, you will find little invective speech, especially in the Mona Bendarova Adventures. Sure, there is coarse language, flavorful language, descriptive, and erotic language, but little in the way of abusive language. Oh, sure, a couple of my characters may utter short abusive outbursts, but they usually don’t last more than a sentence or two. Perhaps I should incorporate more of invective language in my stories.

What do you think? I would love to know. Feel free to share your comments with me.

Brought to you by Merrian-Webster, Word of the Day.

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Happy Saturday

August 27, 2016

Happy Saturday

That’s right. The weekend is here. Two whole days of not having to go to work. Two whole days of skipping the grind that pays the bills and keeps food in my belly and a roof over my head. It’s a beautiful day here in Rochester, NY. Blue sky without a cloud in sight. Moderate temperatures and low humidity, I think I’ll spend the bulk of it out on my patio, soaking it all in.

So for me, the day is starting off well. I got almost nine full hours of sleep. I can’t remember the last time that happened. Certainly well before my knock on the noggin. more “Happy Saturday” …

Get Your Blood Moving

August 24, 2016

Get Your Blood Moving

Is there a song that once it starts playing on the stereo, you just have to stop what you’re doing, turn up the volume and lose yourself to the music?

One of those songs that does that to me is Sir Paul McCartney’s ‘Live and Let Die‘. The title song to the James Bond movie by the same name, I can’t help but crank up the volume and lose myself to the bars as Paul plays his way through the song. I don’t know what it is about this song, but it just moves me. more “Get Your Blood Moving” …

Gratitude

August 22, 2016

Gratitude

What is gratitude? The way I see it, it is being thankful for someone or something that enriched a person’s life. The way I feel when I see people buying my books. Thank you. You are all awesome. A special thank you to those that recently purchased ‘The Taste of Honey‘ and ‘Broken Steele‘. I really appreciate it. Be sure to look for the third book in the series, ‘Lucky Bitch‘, coming soon.

I would be especially grateful if after reading my books, you would post a review. Reviews are the lifeblood of a book. I appreciate each and every one of them.

Plus, sales aside, reviews lift my spirits and soothe my soul. Thank you for your kindness and your review.

Thank you

August 14, 2016

Thank you

A new fantastic review of ‘The Taste of Honey’ appeared on Amazon the other day. Thank you Reenie K for your comments. I do appreciate them. BTW, I hope your prophecy comes true. Wouldn’t that be something. Gotta keep writing, that’s all there is to it.

I also want to thank all of my readers out there who continue to buy my books. It’s really nice to see the sales charts documenting all of the hits. What’s really cool is to see the numbers not just from Amazon but the other eBook retailers out there, including Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo to name a few. Thank you to each and everyone of you.

Thanks too to my loving girlfriend and partner in crime. She puts up with a lot to help me get these posts and stories out. I have two projects going at once and sometimes, I hole up in my office writing, leaving her to wander the rest of the house doing who knows what.

After months of little rain, we finally experienced significant rain as well as a few thunderstorms over the last couple of days. It is a welcome relief. I love my thunderstorms. Every chance I get, I sit in the safety of my garage and watch the light show around me as the wind drives bullet sized rain onto the ground. Weather wise, I love living in the northeast U.S. Our weather is mild compared to the rest of the country yet diverse enough that I am never bored.

Finally, a quick report. A month ago tomorrow, as many of you know, I suffered a severe concussion. I saw a galaxy of stars in that moment. While I am progressing, I am still not past it yet. Constant headaches, fatigue and short term memory loss are still an issue. I am back to work, though on half days. That’s good. I need the job to support my writing. I see Doc again this week and I can’t help wonder what will come out the other side. Crossing my fingers.

It’s been a good week overall and I am looking forward to the coming weeks ahead. How about you? Are you in a good space? Either way, feel free to comment. I look forward to reading them. I am Richard Verry, reporting to you from my home office, drinking my first cup of coffee. Delish.

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Cultural Changes of The ‘Purge Plague’ (Part 5)

August 12, 2016

Cultural Changes caused by The Purge Plague

Over the last four segments, I wrote about the roots of the plague and the causal effects on Mona’s community. In this segment, I cover the cultural effects which resulted.

It should be noted that while the plague was halted, it was not eradicated. Over centuries, people made many attempts to revive the extinct species. Huge stores of seeds were set aside on the chance that one day, they could be replanted. Attempts to germinate these seeds failed. A millennium later, survivors made little progress finding an alternate source of high protein food stores.

In the early days, societal controls fell apart as starving people sought ways to find the nutrition they needed. Populations started to diminish once more. On the verge of succumbing to extinction, the survivors banded together to deal with the stresses of trying to live. Through trial and error, often violent, they eventually settled on a systemized process to select candidates for conversion through random selection. Over centuries, everyone accepted that one day, they would help feed the future generations.

Population Disparity

Due to the disparity of numbers between men to women, it became commonplace for sterile women to supply the bulk of those converted for food. Afterall, they represented more than three quarters of the population. Still though, everyone submitted to conversion processing at some point in their lives. There were no exceptions. From birth to conversion, people lived their life based upon this eventual fate. In between, everything they learned, did and produced was focused meeting the needs of society. They became the primary producers, workers and sex toys. In short, each person lived to serve and contribute.

In summary, due to the inability to satisfy basic nutritional needs, they turned to each other. To manage the conversion process, a complex society arose to fairly deal with the new reality. No one was immune from this fate but a culture developed to de-horrify the practice. In time, the stigma of consuming themselves disappeared. It became a simple fact and accepted as a part of life.

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Excerpts

Excerpts from an interview I gave some months ago. The question explored dealt with the ‘Purge Plague’, a vehicle I invented to explain how Mona’s culture came to be. This is the final installment in a five-part series published over the past several days. Feel free to comment on the link at the bottom. I welcome your insights and opinions.

The ‘Purge Plague’ (Part 4): Physical Changes

August 11, 2016

Physical Changes caused by The Purge Plague

Besides high male mortality rates and a shift in a woman’s difficulty in carrying children, there were other changes to human physiology. The last-ditch gene splicing efforts manifested itself in significant physical changes to the human body.

Woman tended to have longer legs, shorter torso, wider hips and fuller breasts. Fertile women were constantly pregnant, averaging several dozen multiple birth deliveries. Besides feeding their young, they also became the world’s milk and dairy producer. Expressed milk was turned into yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products.

Emotionally, all women became extremely submissive, exchanging power for security. At the same time, most lost their maternal instincts. They were easily sexually aroused, eager to find opportunities to enjoy frequent sexual relations.

Men tended to grow taller and stronger, especially in the shoulders and legs. They picked up the nurturing gene that women lost. They cared for the women and progeny within in their homes. Like women, men were eager for sexual release. Testicles grew larger, tripling daily semen production. Prostates grew in size and strength, producing larger volumes of seminal fluid and stronger ejaculations. As a result, men were more easily able to attain and maintain an erection, capable of delivering vast quantities of viable semen on a daily basis.

For both men and women, lack of regular sexual orgasms resulted in a diminished quality of life. As a consequence, lack of sex lead to irritability, discomfort, anguish, and physical suffering. For men and women, sexual releases several times a day became the norm. Quite literally, life became painful without regular sexual contact among all members of the community.

In my next post

I will summarize the changes to the human race as a result of the ‘Purge Plague’.

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Excerpts from an interview I gave some months ago. The question explored has to do with the ‘Purge Plague’, a vehicle I invented to explain how Mona’s culture came to be. This is the fourth installment in a five-part series that I will publish over the next several days. Feel free to comment on the link at the bottom. I welcome your insights and opinions.

Consequences: The ‘Purge Plague’ (Part 3)

August 10, 2016

The Purge Plague: Consequences

Solving the human extinction event wasn’t without its consequences. Besides finding an alternate food source, other changes occurred. The new genome made significant changes to human physiology. Sickness had been wiped out. The common cold, cancer, infections, and the various maladies associated in pre-plague days were nonexistent. Within one hundred years, no one ever got sick.

Life expectancy shortened. Three out of four women were born sterile. The rest became prolific baby factories, capable of delivering multiple babies in each pregnancy. As such, the terms ‘bitches’, ‘litters’, and ‘sows’ came into common everyday language. Cycles shortened from 28 days to 23 days. Gestation periods dropped to under 30 weeks. Over time, those that could bear children were highly sought after. Those that could not bear offspring, eventually contribute their meat.

Over time, sterility became defined as either not being able to conceive or conception was difficult and rarely came to term. For example, despite having been pregnant, since her offspring weren’t viable, Mona is considered sterile. Over time, population censuses implied that women of this class were evolving into a third sex. However, in Mona’s time, this was not yet the case. Women in this class became the workers and playmates to their masters. They were also the primary livestock for the community.

Men weren’t immune to change

The single most significant physiological change occurred in men. Mortality rates for men skyrocketed, resulting in near 100% mortality by age 1. Of those that did survive past age 1, matured slowly, enfeebled and frail. With 30% dying each subsequent year, not until nearing the age of 20, did surviving males began to thrive, grow and mature. By 25, they were virtually assured of a long and prolific life, one among 10,000 women.

Within a century, a man’s primary role was to impregnate as many women as possible. Women became the producers of all other necessities of life. In short, women had all the power in their society but due to their submissive nature, exchanged it to satisfy their own needs.

In my next post, I will explore further physical and psychological changes as a result of the “fix” to the ‘Purge Plague’.

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Excerpts from an interview I gave some months ago. The question explored has to do with the ‘Purge Plague’, a vehicle I invented to explain how Mona’s culture came to be. This is the third installment in a five-part series that I will publish over the next several days. Feel free to comment on the link at the bottom. I welcome your insights and opinions.

Richard Verry, writer

Opening the mind to what is possible.

Tag: iartg

Followup to ‘How do I think of these things’

Followup to ‘How do I think of these things’

Word of the Day: Invective

Word of the Day: Invective

Definition

Examples

Did You Know?

My Take

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Happy Saturday

Happy Saturday

Get Your Blood Moving

Get Your Blood Moving

Gratitude

Gratitude

Thank you

Thank you

Cultural Changes of The ‘Purge Plague’ (Part 5)