Richard Verry's Blog, page 33
September 1, 2016
Interview Snippets on Mona’s Stories-4
(Part Four)
Q: Speaking of the Doctor. Does he have a name?
A: Of course he does. His name is Doctor.
Q: But that is a title or function of what he does. That’s not a name.
A: In Mona’s society, they are the same. He is the Doctor and his name is Doctor.
Q: Fair enough. Tell me about the ‘BLOODLINE’. Can you elaborate on that?
A: The ‘BLOODLINE’ is still a work in progress. I haven’t yet worked out all of the details related to them. Right now, they are an unknown to Mona and her supporters. They have a personal agenda that seems contrary to the society Mona lives in. They have been working on this agenda for at least three generations and frankly, she’s scared.
Q: So, she has no idea of what their endgame is?
A: No, she doesn’t. And neither do I? The ‘BLOODLINE’ was an invention developed in my second book in the series, ‘Broken Steele’ to explain tainted meat and the widespread the effects it had on a significant portion of the society.
Q: So, are the ‘BLOODLINE’ a villans?
A: Could be. I don’t know at this point. But they are a good source for conflict in Mona’s society. For tens of generations, Mona’s community has lived in peace and harmony, everyone knowing their place and everyone contributing to support the whole. Mona was born to a time when this harmony is about to falter, where stress and conflict are being felt for the first time in centuries.
Q: Are you saying that the ‘BLOODLINE’ could be the good guys?
A: Again, they could be. They don’t have to be the power-hungry, arrogant subculture that most of our books and movies assume. They could be advancing their own agenda in attempt to reverse the need to consume their own to stay alive. It remains to be seen as I work out the next couple of books.
Q: So, there are more books in the future?
A: Yes, I have outlines for at least two more books as well as a possible sixth book.
Q: I look forward to reading them.
A: Thank you. I hope you continue to enjoy them.
Feel free to comment and agree or dispute my opinions. I love a challenge. Till next time, have a great day!
August 31, 2016
Interview Snippets on Mona’s Stories-3
(Part Three)
Q: Do you really believe that once we survive an extinction event, our very nature will be radically changed?
A: Yes, I do.
Q: I am a woman. Am I livestock in your books? A food source for others to consume?
A: I hope not, after all you are a beautiful woman. However, in the society that I have dreamed up, yes you are. In fact, so am I. Everyone is destined to become nourishment for others. From the moment of your birth, you will know without a shadow of a doubt, that one day, others will consume your flesh, produce products to stay warm, enjoy life, and fertilize crops with what’s left.
Q: That’s a particularly horrific view of the future.
A: It is, isn’t it. I’m not saying that it will happen. I’m just speculating of what could happen. It probably won’t but it is not impossible. Nature has a way of reorganizing beings to deal with environmental conditions. In Mona’s world, nature is still trying to find a way to circumvent the constraints that man of the past imposed upon it. It may take tens of thousands or even millions of years to settle down. One thing I know, without a shadow of a doubt, nature will always find a way. Biology is a wonderful thing.
Q: So, what’s next for Mona and her society?
A: I’m still writing her story. The one thing about Mona, she is determined to find an alternate food source. She hates the idea of sending off her human stock to the conversion processing to be turned into steaks, roasts, etc. just so that others can live another day. In ‘Lucky Bitch’ she actively stopped the practice until she found out that her family was slowly starving to death, despite the fact that they were expecting to feed their household. Finding an ally in the Doctor, together they are trying. They many not solve the problem in their lifetime but that won’t stop Mona from trying. She has suburb investigative skills and working with a scientist like the Doctor, there is a chance that something will come out of it.
Feel free to comment and agree or dispute my opinions. I love a challenge. Till next time, have a great day!
August 30, 2016
Interview Snippets on Mona’s Stories-2
(Part Two)
Q: Are you an activist, passionate about stopping the practice of genetically modifying organisms?
A: I’m not an activist. In fact, I’m not an activist about anything. I just write stories based upon my passions. If anything, I subscribe to facts science reveals. Take for example, obesity rates in the U.S. My country has been modifying our food sources for nearly a century in order to increase profits. In the 1940’s, obesity was a rarity. Today, it is the norm.
Check the statistics. For example, in the 1950’s,
the widespread use of corn syrup was added to our food supply as a cheaper way to produce food. Compare the graphs of the introduction of corn syrup to the obesity rates in this country. You will find a near perfect duplication of the charts, separated by only a decade. For every change in the production of our food supply, an exact change in the obesity rate occurs a decade later. 70 years later, corn syrup is now a staple in our diets. I try to avoid it but it is virtually impossible.
Q: How does that relate to the premise in your books?
A: To me, human arrogance is the relate. We presume to know better than what Mother Nature and millions of years of natural selection has produced. I believe we are digging a hole that the human race will find difficult to get out of. It may not happen in our lifetime or our children’s lifetime but I believe it is coming. We ourselves are going to cause a massive extinction event. Assuming our species survives, will be radically changed forever.
Q: And that is what ‘The Taste of Honey’ and the follow-up books speculate.
A: Yes, exactly. I don’t wish it to happen to anyone but I do feel powerless to prevent it. I believe an extinction event is inevitable and we will have caused it. How our extinction manifests itself is the question. All I know is, and I am firm in my belief, we will be causing our own extinction.
Feel free to comment and agree or dispute my opinions. I love a challenge. Till next time, have a great day!
August 29, 2016
Interview Snippets on Mona’s Stories-1
(Part One)
Q: Richard, as you talk about the Mona Bendarova books, it seems to me that you are passionate about them. Are you?
A: Yes, I am. I’ve been dreaming up this society for years now. I have picked at it, revised it, poked holes in it, reworked it, revised it and re-examined it for a very long time. I tend to compare Mona’s culture to the world I see around me in my everyday life. Even in my sleep, my dreams compare the two. Frankly, it scares me. This really could happen.
Take, for example, my new book ‘Lucky Bitch’. In this story, Mona, the submissive property of Charles breaks through the glass ceiling to become the Mistress of her own estate. As Master and Mistress, she is owned by no-one. She is her own person, responsible to no one but her house and all it contains. She is eager to do well and break the cycle developed hundreds of years before her time. A cycle developed due the arrogance of her ancestors.
Q: By ancestors, you mean us, people living today?
A: Yes, I do. The society Mona lives in is a direct result of what we are doing to our planet today. People talk about global warming. Some believe it, just as I do. Those that do not are fools.
I think we should be just as concerned with what our food-producing industry is doing to ever increase profit. They are playing with the genomes of every living organism on the planet. Grafting plants are one thing. Mother Nature will either integrate the graft or it won’t. However, we are splicing genes at the genetic level, extracting one gene sequence and replacing it with another.
They believe they know what they are doing. But really? Do they?
How many mistakes have been made that the public are not aware of? Take for example the news surfacing over the past couple of years. Deadly substances such as Anthrax, plague, and Ebola are accidentally transported from high secure facilities around the world in unsecured and vulnerable containers.
In my mind, it’s not a matter of if something goes wrong but rather when. What will we do when a wildfire genetic maelström is released upon the planet. Will we be powerless to undo its damage?
Q: And?
A: And when it happens, all life on this planet will be affected. My stories of Mona’s culture is simply one possible result of the extinction event that we are building towards all on our own.
Feel free to comment and agree or dispute my opinions. I love a challenge. Till next time, have a great day!
August 28, 2016
What’s on Tap-2
Yesterday, Saturday, did in fact turn out fantastic. Except for my ongoing, continuous headache, I couldn’t be more pleased. I am trusting that today will be more of the same, regardless of the weather, sun and heat. Whatever it turns out to be, I’m ready for a glorious day. Perhaps I’ll go see a movie?
Over the past month, I have been posting portions of an interview I gave several months back. Frankly, I was happy to transcribe portions into my blog. It not only helps my readers to more fully understand the basis of the books I write but it’s been helping me get back into sync with these stories. I have many more planned and I need ways to keep them fresh in my mind.
Starting tomorrow, I will be posting a number of smaller snippets from the interview. Generally, they are short answers to individual questions that move from topic to topic. I hope you enjoy them. Look forward to them starting Monday.
As always, I look forward to your comments. Please feel free to write me and let me know what you think. I always enjoy reading them.
Feel free to comment and agree or dispute my opinions. I love a challenge. Till next time, have a great day!
Please accept my apologies for the repeat post. Circumstances beyond my control screwed up the first post.
Go Topless Sunday
Yesterday, I read somewhere that today is ‘Go Topless Day‘. So, I wrote a quick note to spread awareness. In honor of the ‘Topfree Seven‘ here in New York and all the topless communities around the world, I ask that you support and appreciate all those that support this fine endeavor.
For those of you who have not heard of the ‘Topfree Seven’, let me fill you in. Some years ago, in protest of laws requiring women to cover their chests, seven women protested around the state by going topless. Over time, new legislation was passed in New York that decriminalized toplessness in none profit making establishments. Within a week, I saw my first topless woman, riding her bike along one of the streets I just happened to be driving on. I didn’t stare. I didn’t gawk. I simply appreciated the view and kept right on driving. That was my first and only sighting. Why? I wish I knew. Our predilection to cover up God’s gift to mankind is astonishing. In this age where violence against another is move acceptable that the sight of a bare chest is unbelievable. I will never understand why.
Go topless today. You have my undying appreciation.
Good Morning Sunday!
I woke up this morning to another beautiful morning, temperate weather, blue skies, and comfortable humidity. Wonderful! The only problem I found, is that my site broke overnight, disconnecting all of my social sites that publicize and distribute my ramblings. Grrrr…. This is the second time in two weeks it has happened.
It should be fixed now but I am concerned that it won’t stay fixed. I have little idea as to the root cause of the problem but I will be looking into it for sure. The main issue is that it takes about 24 hours from message to response to the support center. It’s a frustrating wait and I’m tired of dealing with these issues. If anyone has any ideas, I would greatly appreciate it. I’ll send you a free set of all of my books if you come up with the solution.
Alas, my problem and not yours. Thanks for being patient.
This is Richard Verry, writing to you from the porch of my house, soaking in the morning respite.
What’s on Tap
Yesterday, Saturday, did in fact turn out fantastic. Except for my ongoing, continuous headache, I couldn’t be more pleased. I am trusting that today will be more of the same, regardless of the weather, sun and heat. Whatever it turns out to be, I’m ready for a glorious day. Perhaps I’ll go see a movie?
Over the past month, I have been posting portions of an interview I gave several months back. Frankly, I was happy to transcribe portions into my blog. It not only helps my readers to more fully understand the basis of the books I write but it’s been helping me get back into sync with these stories. I have many more planned and I need ways to keep them fresh in my mind.
Starting tomorrow, I will be posting a number of smaller snippets from the interview. Generally, they are short answers to individual questions that move from topic to topic. I hope you enjoy them. Look forward to them starting Monday.
As always, I look forward to your comments. Please feel free to write me and let me know what you think. I always enjoy reading them.
Feel free to comment and agree or dispute my opinions. I love a challenge. Till next time, have a great day!
August 27, 2016
Go Topless Day
I just read somewhere that tomorrow, Sunday, is ‘Go Topless Day‘. How about it everyone? Everyone, let’s support our ladies and shed own shirts and go topless.
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. Lately, I seem to waken at all hours and find it nearly impossible to fall back asleep. When I’m healthy, I can deal with it. Often, my best story dialog formulates in my mind and I am anxious to get up and get it all down on paper (well computer screen these days). Doesn’t happen these days since my concussion. It’s frankly disconcerting. If I am not going to get the sleep I need, it had better be for a good cause.
When I started writing this blog, I was inspired by the fact that it is a beautiful day and I don’t have to go to work. Great for sure. Yet, I can’t help but be reminded of the days when I was forced to take extended days off from work. That is, when I was laid off and out of a job.
I’ve suffered three extended periods of unemployment. The first was in the mid-nineteen nineties. I was to sole breadwinner, a mortgage to be paid and a toddler to raise. My support system consisted of my wife who turned out to be a real bitch and my church. Yup, in those days, I was a church goer. Today, while I still talk to the MAN, I don’t use the crutch of an organized religion to do converse with him (her? To me, it doesn’t matter). I found out that they are just as much a user and hypocrite as the best of them. But that story is for another day, or not.
My second stint of unemployment was during the recession of the early 2000’s. I was one of over a thousand software engineer’s let go in a population that could not absorb them in other areas. When 9/11 hit and I was already out for nine months, I knew in an instant my joblessness would continue at least another six to nine months. It turned out to be a total of 26 months and it sucked. I lost my home, crashed with a friend and found a kind soul who threw me a place to live in exchange for managing his inner urban apartment building. Years later, I love him and thank my lucky stars for his kindness. I feel indebted to him even now though off course, he and his wife fluff it off. We hang out regularly and I enjoy spending time with them.
My last stint of unemployment occurred in 2009, when working for a not-for-profit agency hired me to run their IT infrastructure. That stint lasted 18 months. I was hired to coördinate the move of their corporate headquarters and server room. I worked hard and accomplished miracles on a limited budget. After it was done, I was publicly acknowledged and given a cash bonus. Six weeks later, I found myself on the streets again. I was literally discarded as soon as they finished chewing me up and sucking the marrow out of my bones. And before you say it, I was warned before I started with them but I had notion that I would be able to deal with it and overcome the challenges. Say-la-vie.
Today is a beautiful day and I have the weekend off. I am happy to have the weekend off. More importantly, I am grateful that come Monday, I have a job to go to that I enjoy, knowing what the alternatives could be.
As usual, comments are welcome and I love reading them. Feel free to toss me a line or two.