My daughter is right - -

My daughter recently emailed me the link, posted below, to an article in the New York Times reporting on the latest savage episode of gang rape going on in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is what she said:

"This recent event reminded me of the gruesome rape scene in your book. It's understandable that people were shocked by that part of The Manhattan Prophet, it seems too horrific for this world. But really, that scene is tame compared to what's going on in the Congo. I bet the same people who were shocked by that part of the book would see this headline "At Least 150 Women Raped in Weekend Raid in Congo" and look the other way. But we shouldn't look away - people do terrifying, horrible things to each other all over the world, and if knowing about it doesn't inspire us to create positive change, it should at least inspire us to appreciate the safety and prosperity in our lives and gain perspective on what's important. Glad you're standing strong by that part of the novel, you never know, maybe it will help spread awareness and break open the bubble."

Truth is always stranger than fiction. If I wrote a scene in my book similar to the account of systematic rape in this NYT article, people would think I have one very sick mind! - - When someone goes to a savage war movie, or something about the holocaust, the violence portrayed is to elevate the consciousness about the evil of war, and how it could turn ordinary people into monsters. So in essence, every war flick is an anti-war movie. In that way, the rape scene in the Manhattan Prophet is anti-cruelty and anti-violence against women. It is there to set up the depraved quality of life that innocent people condemned to Shantypark are forced to live. - - My daughter was right - -

Here's the link - write something in this blog, lemme know what you are thinking - :)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/world/africa/23congo.html?ref=africa

February is Upon Us

February is upon us. The long winter stretching out time without slowing it down.

First Book Signing is this Week

The first, hopefully of many, book signings is this Thursday, October 1, at 7pm at LI's most prestigious independent book store, The Book Revue, located at 313 New York Avenue, Huntington, NY. I am somewhat nervous and really don't know what I am going to say yet.

First Review

I got my first review today, less then one month since The Manhattan Prophet was released. They say you always remember your first. It was from Fantasy Book Critic. - http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/ - This is what he wrote to my publicist after reading the book:

-- I finished the book yesterday and it blew me away - great book and I hope there will be more in its universe. I put impressions on sffworld and the full Fantasy Book Critic review will be in the first available spot - we have a full slate for this and the next 2 weeks but I hope the first week of August will do.

We also will have a 'notable 2009 books so far' posts this weekend (Sat will be fantasy/mainstream and Su will be sf and mainstream fantastic) and I added Manahttan Prophet as a co-#2 in mainstream fantastic - I would rank it co-#1 since I was so impressed but I need some time from reading for that to see how the book stays in my mind...

Great, great book and thank you very much for it." --

Go see his impressions about the book at sffworld:

http://sffworld.com/forums/showpost.php?p=533583&postcount=26

Hey, hopefully just the beginning -

A Fable - - -

The Manhattan Prophet is a fable about what could happen if the world was visited by a modern miracle, just like it was reported over 2000 years ago with Jesus, and a few centuries later with Mohammad. Both those stories are shrouded in mystery as there is no hard evidence to support any of it. Religion as we know it took those stories and created huge geo-political movements that are now perched against one another in what could be a devastating armed conflict. Combine that with the new 'religion' of science and technology, whose misuse through human greed and avarice has created what 98% of today's best minds believe will be a major cataclysmic change to our planet's ability to support life as we know it, then we will be in a pile of shit! How do we get out of that mess? In my book a new global spritual movement spontaneously evolves just as civilization is ready to sink in its own refuse. It is embodied in one man, or prophet, whose origins are also veiled and vague, just as the existing major religions were, and whose exploits are also impossible to verify, until - - - Well, I guess you have to read the book.

The fourth universal rule you can always count on, the limitless glory of God, is a metaphor for how incredible it is to just be here, conscious amongst the bounties of the universe, able to talk about it, sing about it, and paint pictures about it.

What is most important is that I hope the story gets people thinking about these things, and talking about these things. Because when I talk about 'spirituality' with others and hear their thoughts and perceptions, I feel better, and more able to relax into the major tenets of modern religions: treat people like you would want to be treated yourself, be kind to the downtrodden and less fortunate, and live amongst men in a moral and ethical way. When we live in conscious awareness of the divine (and by divine I do not mean a godly figure dressed up like an old man with a white beard, but the eternal and constant, yet everchanging universe within which we were created but will never fully understand) then we are better able to practice living like the existing religions preach. Human minds can't conceive of the always and the infinite, so that is where faith has to come in to play.

Anyway, that is some of what I think - Waddayouthink?

Happy July

July 4, 2009 - The country declared itself independent from Great Britain 233 years ago, New York purchased from native Americans 385 years ago, Columbus given the credit of being the first European to see America 517 years ago, Jesus has been dead on the cross for 2009 years, and that was the last time a major part of the human family agrees upon the credibility of a reported miracle, albeit one which didn't leave any actual evidence behind allowing for tangible proof by scientific means. For me it somehow always comes back to this. Anyway, Happy Birthday America, and many, many more - -

The Book is Finally Available

After 3 years of writing and a year of editing and getting it to print, the book is finally available on the website. I truly hope people read it and communicate to me on this blog with their thoughts on the writing, the theme, the premises, etc. For instance, one of the issues I brush against in the story is the 'faith vs. science debate'. I think this discussion is still very heated, especially since people are so sensitive about their concept of God and death. Against the backdrop of a world in the near future that is severely compromised by the modern industrial complex, I have tried to redefine faith in this book by giving people the choice to believe in something communally spiritual - - coming from within the individual heart on out, instead of century's old values, rituals, and beliefs passed down from the top through organized religion. I think the "God" vs. 'Technology" issue is very touchy and I would love to see this blog be a forum for discussion about something like that, as well as the other themes developed in The Manhattan Prophet.


Up to now the only feedback I have had is with a few people who read the first draft and my 2 very helpful editors. I welcome more. Now, The Manhattan Prophet is in your hands.