Sometimes I write to try to figure something outI hadn’t understood before, that somebody else has said.I’ve no idea what “the divinity within” might mean,And yet I’ve heard it said so often that it must mean somethingEveryone recognizes, whether they know what it really means or not.It could mean we’re created in God’s image, if […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/10/03/the-divinity-within-john-koethe/
Now there are creases that curvefrom the flanges of my noseto the scissure of my lips.And a deep cleft, like somethingleft by a hatchet,above the bridge of my nose. The brusque, impersonal obstinacy of aging. Weeding around the bushes in frontof our house, I breathe in the slightly licoricescent of rotting leaves. Though it’s twilight, […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/10/03/from-mojave-ghost-forrest-gander/
Jonathan Schell published “The Village of Ben Suc” in the July 15, 1967, issue of The New Yorker when he was twenty-three years old. (That same year the article came out as a book, published by Knopf.) I’d been Schell’s classmate and friend since we were very young, and in 1967 I had thought we […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/10/03/the-end-of-a-village-jonathan-schell/
Michel Leiris’s literary memoirs belong to a form almost unrecognizable today; they are driven not by plot—the narrative arc—but by words.
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/10/03/the-posthumous-autobiographer-frail-riffs-michel-leiris/
“My work always follows one rule: make images that remind the viewer they are images.”
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/09/14/ways-of-seeing-julien-posture/
Vitalerium: Descent into the Void follows a rogue criminal living in the golden age of space exploration who winds up at the center of a conspiracy of a government faction looking to implement a Machiavellian vision of utopia. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for Vitalerium – Descent into the Void, though stemming from numerous influences, is first and foremost a result of my life-long love of science fiction. I have always admired the ability of sci-fi writers to extrapolate a vision of the future (and how that vision could go terribly awry) through the lens of their own knowledge and experience. The restorative property of escaping to worlds filled with technological marvels, glorious triumphs in space combat, and endless possibilities of the future is something I cherish. I also find the dystopian elements so commonly captured to be humbling in a way; reminding us that we are still human, and thus prone to err no matter how advanced the world around us becomes. There’s value in identifying potential pitfalls and unexpected difficulties that lay in wait for humanity in the uncharted waters ahead. Although progress is inevitable, we could just as easily progress into a burning building as we could greener pastures. I pull from many authors’ examples that came before me, including some of the greats in classic sci-fi writing, cinema, and video games. I even went so far as to leave small easter eggs within the first book that highlight some of my influences. That part was a lot of fun for me, and I hope the readers will enjoy finding them, too.
Other sources of inspiration came from within. “Write what you know” was a phrase I never fully understood until I started hitting the keyboard at regular intervals. I tend to pull from real-life experiences to craft narratives throughout the book. Vitalerium documents the rediscovery of purpose and the growth of numerous characters throughout their trials and tribulations. Although the stakes are certainly higher in Vitalerium than in my own experiences, the lessons learned are undoubtedly transferable. A number of the major characters in the book are based on people I know or have met that made a lasting imprint. I feel this breathes life and sincerity into their personalities. Even the dream sequences that emerge are altered versions of some of the most vivid dreams I’ve ever had. Sleep paralysis is something I experience on a regular basis. For those of you who understand the feeling associated with the phenomenon, I’m sure you understand how impactful the experience can be. Ultimately, I find that if I’m focusing on the right things, I can find inspiration anywhere, and everywhere.
Current events also provide plenty of fuel for the fire. Today’s world presents no shortage of inspiration for the potential emergence of a dystopian world. All one has to do is turn on the TV or open their preferred news app. To watch the way narratives are portrayed and subsequently spun by both sides of the aisle is like watching two different planets reporting on entirely different stories. The dichotomy of left and right today is portrayed as a vast chasm, where only the extremes are highlighted by each respective camp. The resulting weight of interpreted division is one that we carry into our daily lives, whether we realize it or not. Nuance is a thing lost to the binary world of left or right, right or wrong, win or lose, omitting the infinite shades of gray existing between them. Although this manufactured portrayal of the world is far from reality, where people have more in common than they are told to realize, its effects endure.
In Vitalerium – Descent into the Void, I forecast a world where this vision is carried forward—one where obedience means surviving, and disagreement means suffering (for those who remember their high school English curriculum, this is undoubtedly Orwellian-reminiscent). For when perceived division accelerates and is pitted against itself, and the populations lose all sense of the common ground on which they walk, the only option left is for one side to emerge victorious; and that is when all of society loses.
While it incorporates the ethical dilemmas and cutthroat politics of an advanced civilization, Vitalerium remains non-partisan. The thematic focus is on philosophical exploration, and the often-blurred lines of morality the human condition exposes us to…and yes, it’s got lots of action! So, for those of you who are sick of being preached to in every book, movie, play, or fading sticker you happen to read on a bathroom stall seeking to teach you the error of your personal leanings, don’t worry. It’s my belief that adults can make their own decisions, and I wouldn’t bore you with that horseshit.
I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?
I have always been fascinated with space travel. Although my professional career took me down a different path, I still maintain that childlike curiosity when it comes to new cosmological discoveries, breakthroughs in modern physics, or anything else that falls into the realm of exploring the great void. Perhaps in an attempt to fulfill my own desires to explore the cosmos, I created the element Vitalerium: the gravity-bending catalyst to accomplish such a monumental feat. However, the ability to traverse any space poses an important question: to where, then, do we go? Although the exact number is not known, it is calculated that anywhere between 200 billion and 2 trillion galaxies exist in the observable universe. Zoom in a little closer, and you’ll find there are anywhere between 100 and 400 billion stars in the Milky Way alone—each with their own potential for harboring orbital exoplanets: each with the promise of life in some form. So, why couldn’t we assume that given our current limitations in measuring such things, that a planet similar to our own exists somewhere in the celestial neighborhood (so to speak)?
For planet Deorum, where the majority of the first book takes place, I wanted to create similar conditions to Earth as I began to expound on this fabricated universe: one where a futuristic take on modern life was possible, yet even the smallest differences in conditions could lead to massive disparities in flora, fauna, and the course of evolution on its surface. A planet so close to the source of vitalerium, the book’s strange new addition to the periodic table, is bound to provoke some very interesting wildlife. As the series progresses, I plan to incorporate more planets with even stranger conditions and cultural traditions. Perhaps one planet was optimally positioned but required terraforming to be inhabited, resulting in a strange uniformity of flora, and a subsequently stark uniformity in its society. Conceivably, one planet’s surface could be covered entirely by water, creating a business hub for water and sea life commodities. Maybe I’ll create a planet where tectonic plate activity is much more extreme compared with Earth’s. To find out, you’ll simply have to read on, friends.
Another source of my perpetual curiosity lies in mythology, and the ruins of past civilizations. Understanding the roots of our species and the emergence of civilization fascinates me to no end: an unremitting cascade of inspiration. This was especially helpful in crafting the ruins readers will discover on planet Deorum. In the book, the Coalition’s perceived lack of desire to explore the remnants of this dead civilization mimics our own dearth of answers in regard to our predecessors.
The story has changed drastically since my initial mapping, and its future remains flexible to this day. Although there are major events that I plan for, I base how we get there off the characters, for whom I attempt to give a mind of their own. Currently, I’m about 150 pages into the second book, which promises to be even more exciting than the first. So, for the potential readers out there, I’ll leave you with a friendly forewarning: the first book was created with the entire series in mind, and thus some of the themes in the overarching narrative are left unrequited…for now. There is, however, no need to fret. Each new release in the series promises to provide new characters, new planets, new concepts, and technologies, and yes…closure for narrative cliffhangers, while potentially opening new ones.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book? Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
Descent into the Void, though a gripping tale of its own, is only the beginning of what’s to come. It is a thrilling yet heartbreaking glance into spacefaring civilization in a technologically advanced, dystopian universe. In the first book, the reader is dropped into the story just prior to its tipping point. This starting line serves to shed light on how the immense external pressures of a hybrid authoritarian society form our protagonist, Roman Matthews, as well as other threads in this multinarrative odyssey. The horrific life experiences Roman endures shape the man we follow throughout the majority of the book. Readers will get a front-row view of his bitter evolution from a clean-cut boy with a bright future, to an aimless lost soul whose circumstances have forged a hardened roughneck; and then, his transformation into something else entirely.
Starting from this vantage point also allowed me breadth to illustrate how the Coalition for Prosperity—the government on planet Deorum—operates. Their centralized shift from governing to ruling creates a society where authority is the only currency that carries weight. The result is a stark transition from keeping its people safe, to keeping its citizens in line. When powerful “public servants” begin to serve themselves and their perceived greater causes rather than the populace they no longer feel obligated to, a ripple effect radiates outward from leadership with dire consequences. The resulting conditions create a harsh world where no freedom, or person, is safe. Together, these concepts provide only a glimpse of the storm on the horizon, one of blind ambitions, and a lack of understanding of the larger forces at play.
Although we dive into ethical dilemmas, political factions, and some hard-hitting action, the book also sets the stage for a much greater theme: That in the scope of the universe, humans are but a few atoms of a bacterium on a speck of dust floating through a never-ending black field. Humanity, in all its glory of exploration and colonization, when examined on the grand stage that is our plane of existence is magnificently miniscule, yet important none-the-less to the harmony of order and chaos. The universe, as we will discover, has a narrative of its own that it intends to see to fruition; ever balancing the forces of equilibrium on a scale that our consciousness may not fathom due to the physical limitations of our organic vessels.
Descent into the Void is only the first of seven books I have planned in the Vitalerium series, and that number could be a low estimate. When I first mapped out the universe and started writing, I realized the book I had storyboarded for was far too long to be a single novel. The reality hit me when I was starting chapter 15 on a flight to Boston and noticed the number at the bottom of the page: 229. Most of my writing is done on a plane due to the incessant travel requirements of my job in medical device sales. The majority of the first book was written at 36,000 feet. Whether it was the opportunity to disconnect from the internet and other distractions in life, or the fact that I was just a hair closer to the void of space itself, I’m not entirely sure. Whatever the case, I found it to be the perfect writing office for Vitalerium. Writing this series has been my proverbial construction of an interstellar spacecraft to explore and enjoy that which I can only dream of. It is my only hope that you all board, and enjoy the ride…
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Nearly six centuries have passed since humanity’s discovery of vitalerium, which ushered in a golden age of space exploration and colonization. Planet Deorum’s society is centered around this illustrious, gravity-bending blue crystal. The year is 2701.
Following a near-fatal disaster, roughneck freelancer Roman Matthews becomes unwittingly trapped at the center of a harrowing conspiracy. Hunted by Deorum’s government, the Coalition for Prosperity, Roman must use his deadly skillset to survive against all odds.
Roman and his band of unlikely allies will discover that the Coalition’s indiscretions threaten the delicate balance of advanced civilization. As a sect of the Coalition prepares to implement their Machiavellian vision of utopia, the proverbial pendulum begins to swing toward chaos…
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/09/14/storm-on-the-horizon/
The Ark and the Whale follows a man moving through dream states who is searching for identity while living with existential dread. What inspired the setup of your story?
I’ll start with the existential dread and the search for identity that normally accompanies it. In Sartre’s memoir, “The Words”, he introduces the idea of a train’s ticket inspector (Chapter 12) walking down the aisles, asking the riders for their tickets, or, in other words, asking for the existential justification for their presence on the train.
Ever since the second grade, after the passing of my grandfather, I have been firmly convinced that I do not belong or deserve to be on the train. To paint it with broad strokes, I was my grandfather’s favorite out of the twenty-something cousins that I had at the time. I was resented for it, and my flaws were often highlighted by my cousins when my grandfather was still alive. When he died, all that I had were the judgments passed on me and the new conviction that I did not deserve his love to begin with. In the end, his favoring of me made these new dark thoughts unbearable, and I have spent the 28 years following, almost entirely, developing this line of thought. My identity has been fixed since then.
Concerning the dream states, I understood, even from such an early age, without hearing or learning about the subconscious, that my dreams were rooted in who I was as a person. I knew that no matter how terrible or extreme my dreams were, their seed was in me. Because of this, I have never viewed my dreams or subconscious as being alien to me, or outside the boundaries of my world and its significance to me.
There is a Gestalt psychologist that I reference, too subtly, in my second chapter 6, entitled Human. The long and short of his theory: all people live in a sort of snow globe that has been tailor-made to fit them, and their unique blend of sensory faculties, either by evolution or God or both. This idea is connected to the ark motif in my story, as well as the subconscious which forms a sort of context to our conscious thoughts.
The writing in your story is very artful and creative. Was it a conscious effort to create a story in this fashion or is this style of writing reflective of your writing style in general?
This is the first story that I have written since the second grade. I have made a point not to develop my written rhetorical skills since middle school because of my firm belief that rhetoric is only good for making the weaker argument stronger. I’ve always wanted my ideas to speak for themselves. I began writing this book as an experiment. Its working title for the first 8 years or so was “For a Lark”. I did not expect anything to come of it. When I started writing, I was in an environment that was alienating and did allow me to express myself. As a result, my first draft wrote itself. The characters and ideas were bubbling out of me, which is the only reason I considered writing in the first place. The first draft took about two years. The next ten years or so I spent editing. I was not born to be a writer. The artfulness I learned over those ten years.
Finally, I am by nature a wrestler, mentally and physically. Those ten years were, essentially, spent wrestling Proteus.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Self-consciousness. It was a moment of true self-consciousness that was the precursor to the chapter 0 in my life. I have spent my life since then wondering how exactly to share that experience.
Existentialist thought. All of my favorite authors are existentialists, all the way back to Sophocles and Homer.
Gestalt psychology and the umwelt. The subconscious I consider to be a part of that.
The nature of God and God’s love. Despite how solipsistic I and the main character are, it’s a big world and so is God and God’s love.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I’m a middle school math teacher. I chose to teach partially so I could spend more time with my kids. Considering it took me 12 years to write my first book, it will be some time. I’ve been thinking about my second book to some extent for about 8 years. I’ve got the meat of it already in my head. It will be an Odyssey as well, although the nature of it is very different. It will, once again, require me to learn a new sort of artfulness.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
2024 StoryTrade winner for Literary Fiction
2024 StoryTrade finalist for Urban Fantasy
2023 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Finalist for Southern Gothic fiction.
2024 Literary Titan Silver Book Award
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/09/14/existentialist-thought/
Town and Country: Voices from the Mid-Ohio Valley, by Carl Parsons, is a collection of short stories divided into two parts, each offering a glimpse into the lives of small-town and rural characters. The book delves into the experiences, regrets, and sometimes peculiar situations that define life in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Parsons brings to life a world filled with nostalgia, longing, and an ever-present connection to place, capturing the essence of this region through a cast of vividly drawn characters.
Right away, Parsons’ knack for setting the scene stands out. The details pull you in. The first story, “Regrets,” hits hard with a wave of melancholy. The main character returns to his hometown, and the changes he sees stir up deep emotions. The descriptions and streets once familiar have now been altered by time—strike a chord. They spark a bittersweet sense of longing. His journey through old memories are heartbreaking and real. Small moments, like feeding his cats or driving past old spots, anchor the story in a way that feels personal and true. At times, the writing takes its time, allowing the reader to fully immerse in the scene. In “Hot Date,” the banter between the poker buddies is a perfect example. The dialogue is realistic, capturing the easy flow of conversation among friends. While the exchanges linger, they effectively portray the laid-back pace of small-town life. Parsons skillfully uses these moments to create a vivid sense of place, grounding the reader in the leisurely rhythm of everyday life. Themes of love, regret, loss, and time are timeless but Parsons gives them fresh life. “Judith and Phillip” is a standout. The story explores young love and its inevitable heartbreak. The innocence of their relationship shines through. Their separation feels gut-wrenching. Parsons doesn’t sugarcoat reality. Things fall apart, and the pain lingers. This story, like others in the collection, taps into emotions we all recognize. But it does so with a voice that feels distinctly Mid-Ohio Valley.
Town and Country is a reflective, thoughtful collection. It resonates with anyone who feels a deep connection to a place, whether with love or a sense of being stuck. This book is for those who enjoy literary fiction. It’s for readers who appreciate character-driven stories and settings that come alive. If you’re drawn to tales of small-town America, full of complexity and heart, Carl Parsons’ work is well worth exploring.
Pages: 181 | ASIN : B0DBH3RZDT
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/09/14/town-and-country-voices-from-the-mid-ohio-valley/
Immortal Wounds follows a woman with magical abilities who travels back in time after witnessing her mother and husband’s death by a vampire claiming to be her father. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Well, I have to confess that Immortal Wounds began because I got a bad case of FOMO (fear of missing out!). One evening during my night writer’s group many of the authors had started new stories, all of them about vampires. I was currently writing a crime thriller but thought “Hey! I LOVE vampires too!” I am definitely a “Twihard”, a loyal follower of Anne Rice, and who doesn’t love Dracula! At the time, I was also hugely obsessed with the series, Outlander, which was my definite inspiration for time travel. I immediately filed the thriller away and began a new story.
History intrigues me, particularly the times of the witch trials in both Europe and America and the suppression of women. I also find fascinating the idea of supernatural abilities, and how fear can force a (logical) belief when there is no viable explanation. I immersed myself in books like The Discovery of Witches, Practical Magic, and Hester, along with several other fiction books that contained excerpts of real diary entries from women who were accused of witchcraft. Then having no idea what I was doing I took a deep breath and started writing a story that entangled bloodline witches with my most favorite supernatural creature, the vampire.
How long did it take you to imagine, draft, and write the world your characters live in?
Once I got started on Immortal Wounds I would say it took about two years from the first rough draft to publication. My imagination went crazy with my story idea, but it was actually a 75,000-word manuscript I wrote two years prior, under a different title, and whose plot points came to me in a dream that brought the world of Immortal Wounds to life. When I finished writing that earlier manuscript I realized that the story had ended, but yet the whole story had not been told. Being a new writer it took me a few weeks to figure out that what I needed to do was write was the beginning, Immortal Wounds.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Family, individual strength and resiliency, naivety, and fate were the most important themes I hoped to portray. I strongly believe that these themes impact real life and our response to situations within each of them is what makes us who we are.
What is the next book that you are working on and when can your fans expect it to be out?
Luckily for fans, there is no wait! A Prophecy Awakened, book two in the Immortal Wounds trilogy, was released June 13, 2024. And while it does pick up where Immortal Wounds left off, there are also some new (amazing) characters that take the reader through the middle part of the story.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | BookBub | Amazon
After witnessing the brutal deaths of her mother and husband, Isobel overhears a confession from one of the murderers, a ruthless vampire who claims to be her father. For fear that she and her unborn daughter’s death could come next, Isobel uses the only magic she possesses and summons a portal to take her two hundred years into the past to revisit an ancestor in Scotland who she believes may know the truth of her parentage. However, in her haste, Isobel lands in the wrong century. Before she realizes her mistake, she stumbles upon a family: a ferocious Highland warrior and his two sisters, one of whom is a witch with secrets of her own who instantly draws Isobel in.
Isobel could not have prepared herself for what she discovers during her stay: the vampire who claimed to be her father, alive three hundred years in the past! With the help of Meg, the youngest sibling, and Mariam, both women’s ancestor, Isobel finds herself belonging in a world she never dreamed of—one entangled with vampires and webbed with revenge, curses, and a prophecy that has dictated all of their lives for the last four hundred years. Did Isobel make an error in landing in the wrong time, or was it part of her destiny?
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/09/14/strength-and-resiliency/
We All Want to Be Happy is a heartfelt exploration of life’s simple truths. The story is told through a collection of reflective essays and personal stories. The author draws from her own experiences over eighty years. She shares her journey toward finding happiness and contentment. Each chapter touches on different aspects of life like love, loss, resilience, and the pursuit of joy. Each chapter offers readers both wisdom and comfort.
Anne Mullen-Martin’s writing feels like a warm conversation with a friend. Ann’s voice is clear, inviting, and tinged with nostalgia. She shares a childhood memory of her mother teaching her to focus on what makes her happy. A simple notebook that is used to jot down joyful thoughts becomes a powerful tool for shifting her mindset. This story, like many others in the book, serves as a gentle reminder that the most straightforward practices can have deep effects on our well-being. Ann’s willingness to share her vulnerabilities touched me. She openly discusses the emotional impact of turning sixty-five. The reality of aging hits hard. I found her honesty about facing these feelings refreshing and relatable. There’s no sugarcoating, it is just a real and raw reflection on what it means to grow older. Her eventual acceptance offers readers a comforting perspective on this inevitable part of life.
The book is also filled with practical wisdom. Ann emphasizes the importance of appreciating the present. I think she suggests that we often fail to recognize that we’re already living the dreams we once had. It’s a simple yet powerful reminder to take stock of where we are and find joy in the moment. This advice encouraged me to pause and see the value in my life.
We All Want to Be Happy is an engaging read for those who enjoy reflective and personal narratives. Ann Mullen-Martin shares her life lessons with warmth and sincerity, offering inspiration and comfort. This book is perfect for anyone who needs a gentle nudge to appreciate the small joys in life and to find happiness in the here and now.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/09/14/we-all-want-to-be-happy/