Broken Keys Publishing's Blog, page 60
December 3, 2015
Jan. 16th: Chapters South Keys Book Signing
Book SigningSaturday, January 16th, 201611:00 am - 3:00 pmChapters, South Keys 2210 Bank St, Ottawa, Ontario
Come down, get one of my books signed and meet me!
The Hunt: Symbiosys
Following immediately on the heels of The Symbiot, its events segue directly into "The Hunt: Symbiosys".
Barely eclipsing global extinction, the Gibbons' couple are forced to flee and hide from clandestine forces intent on their eradication.
Centering between Montreal and Tokyo, this sequel introduces an unimaginable new world threat!
A slow burning intercontinental chess match quickly escalates into its fast paced and violent conclusion!
This book drops delicious hints of the advent of Lovecraftian-mythos monsters! Foreshadowing a hidden but impending doom, this entire sequel is haunted by an unnameable undertow which promises to reach fruition in this trilogy's upcoming conclusion, Necropolis
The Symbiot
"Devoted music enthusiast and accomplished pianist, Lorne S. Gibbons, realizes the grim truth regarding a long lost and forbidden music as an evil entity is unleashed which threatens all existing life of Earth. As a crescendo of unknowable forces prepare to wipe out anyone in their way, Lorne and Veronica begin a race against complete annihilation. With little reinforcements, Lorne and Veronica have to fight against the god-aspiring creature to avoid further bloodshed. However, when godly power collides with humanity, the results are devastating."
Joshua Hubley
"One man's musical passion leads on a temporal hunt through a Lovecraftian world on a collision course with extinction! Reminiscent with Guy de Maupassant's The Horla"
'Seph Sayers, Blogger & Book Reviewer
"In the Symbiot, Weatherall has created a spine chilling tale reminiscent of the style of Stephen King"
TDC Book Reviews
Necropolis
"Woven throughout this entire literary piece are the stories of characters forgotten about from the original novella, The Symbiot. Written as three separate pieces, following 6 story lines set in 3 different ages, Necropolis is intricate storytelling!
"The first piece tells the story of the fall and demise of the ancient Egyptian man-god, Pharaoh Nyarlathotep.
The second brings us back to the characters we left in the previous book, ten years later. The promises hinted at in TheHunt: Symbiosys, do not disappoint and come to fruition in Necropolis, with full blown Lovecraftian-mythos monsters!
"It's Modern Tech versus forgotten aeons-old evil, with a reminiscent flavouring similar to Grandma Death's fictitious book (Donnie Darko, 2001)!
"It has been a decade since The Hunt and the Gibbons' children are humanity's last hope!
""The conclusion of The Symbiot Series spans three millennia - from Pharaoh Nyarlathotep's genesis and demise, to the discovery of the derelict Japanese Destroyer, the Yamayuki, to the world shattering rising of R'lyeh!
"The world is at its end!
R'lyeh has risen!
Cthulhu's high priest has awaken!
Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn!"
'Seph Sayers, Blogger & Reviewer
A Dark Corner of My Soul
"An amazing collection of literary prose which Weatherall has kept locked in a desk drawer for two decades is now a short collection of dark and deeply disturbing poems.
"The reader is transported into the mind of someone suffering and you can see the images of his words as if they were your own.
"As a sufferer myself, I was amazed at just how much he was able to write and convey how mental illness makes a sufferer feel. Those images which are so difficult to explain that haunt the head flow off the page, raw and exposed for all to see.I couldn't possibly choose a favourite in the collection as they were all so powerful and beautifully written. Michel has a true talent and after reading I felt he was extremely brave to share such wonderful, if dark work."TDC Book Reviews After Dark
November 29, 2015
Thorny and Dangerous
Howard Philip Lovecraft was a racist.
I almost want to say, duh! This isn't a secret (or at least shouldn't be).
I knew that. I am surprised that anyone could call themselves a fan of his and not have known that.But ultimately it is the man's work we are familiar with, not his life and personal opinions... but I'm not too sure about that.
Woven throughout his horror fiction is fear. Not only fear of the unknown, fear of what might lurk within ourselves. Fear that we may discover something despised and disgusting within one self. The Outsider makes for a great example. (Think it through. We, as the reader, cannot fanthom this horror without the author's innate fear of his racism).
There can be no denying he was a racist. Recently The World Fantasy Awards Trophy (modeled onH.P. Lovecraft himself) will no longer be. The reason cited being that the author was an “avowed racist” with “hideous opinions”. I have the man's collective works, including all volumes of his Selected Letters. Yeah, there can be little denying it. As a fan, I initially felt compelled to (somehow?) defend him, as I'm sure many have. Not only was he a racist, he was also very much against religion, defaulting to the only truth he believed possible: Atheism.
What is racism? What is racism really?Racism belongs under the umbrella of sexism, ageism, religious intolerance and discrimination. Racism ultimately is a form of discrimination. But it is more then that. Racism necessitates action. And more importantly in its definition, racism involves both hatred and malice .
I think sometime we lose sight of this with our current Political Correctness. (I'm not of fan of Political Correctness). Sally Kohn (during a TED Talks speech) makes a fantastic point. She makes the distinction between Political Correctness and Emotional Correctness . She bothers to ask the question, what is the motive behind the statement? Is it friendly, naive, malicious? There are differences. We cannot paint with the (ill-founded) broad stroke of Political Correctness.
I am not going to attempt to find excuses to defend H.P. Lovecraft's position. He was racist. He was wrong. But let us look at the world he lived in. He did most of his writing during the late 20's and early 30's. What definitely would have been considered racist today was not only tolerated, but possibly even accepted then.
Certain concepts had not yet been hammered out. The concept (theory? Hypothesis?) of a superior and genetically dominant (human) race was still a viable question. Don't think so? Check out the orginal subtitle of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species. (It was: “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life”).
This scares me. The Origin of Speciesis the corner-stone Evolution was build upon. It is the founding bedrock many staunch Atheists hold as their truth. Let's reintroduce H.P. Lovecraft's disdain for religion and his default to Atheism. It reminds me of the recent fiasco here in Ottawa over whether (free)yoga classes are 'cultural appropriation'. The assumption being that it's actually possible have a secular default system. This too is a byproduct of Political Correctness.
Newsflash: Secularism and Atheism are still just another Belief-System trying to muscle it's way as a dominant belief. (I am not necessarily supporting Religiosity, but Spirituality is part of the Human Condition).
Sadly, Lovecraft believed this too. So far it's 0 and 2 for him.My point in this is simple. To some degree, we are a product of our environment. We cannot judge a 1930's man by a 2015 measuring stick. He was not an island. He was not isolated. He was misinformed and ignorant. (In fact, the man was a recluse. In today's world, he might be the equivalent to all those people out there on the internet with their Ph.D's from Google and Wikipedia).
There is a great article entitle A Student's Guide to Lovecraft: Live in the Grey. A young lady (black I might add - or is that politically incorrect? African-American?) said the following:
"H.P. Lovecraft was a racist. Now he's dead. His work lives on, and you want to know what I think we should do with it? To me, it's simple. I'm gonna make that jerk roll over in his grave by reading his work and liking it! Why should my enjoyment of the written word be jeopardized by his ignorance?
"History is full of imperfect people. In fact, that's all there is. That is not to say that HP Lovecraft's racism is any less disgusting or more forgivable; but it is the responsibility of the living to sift through the ashes of those that came before us to find what is still culturally salvageable and worthwhile. What this young lady was capable of understanding while I stood sheepishly by was that we can learn a lot about life from those that we stand fundmentally against. In our day and age of knee jerk political polarity, a young lady shook me out of my misconceptions of black and white to see that beauty that can only exist when living in the grey."
November 28, 2015
Are you Ready?
Over the past several months since I began this writing-publishing-books-thing, I have had many people ask me many questions.Some were what prompted me to do this. Others were what inspire me, and even others still were about advice should they choose to follow this (or a similar) path, but often the question is of the fear of failure.(Fear's a big one).Yes, if the haters and naysayers want to they can definitely throw stones at you. It's easier to stand in the safety of shadows and throw stones than it is to put yourself out there - even knowing you might be their target.
Yes, it is scary.Yes, there is definitely a chance at failing.No, I never really thought I was ready.Yes, it can be an emotional rollercoaster ride.But so much better then that:It is exhilerating!It is inspiring.The people you meet, and converse with, and old friends and acquaintances, rekindled!It is so much better than living in the shadows!Dream. Dream big!If you try, you cannot fail. Failure is never attempting it.
I stumbled across this recently. I says far more than I ever could.
Yes, it is scary.Yes, there is definitely a chance at failing.No, I never really thought I was ready.Yes, it can be an emotional rollercoaster ride.But so much better then that:It is exhilerating!It is inspiring.The people you meet, and converse with, and old friends and acquaintances, rekindled!It is so much better than living in the shadows!Dream. Dream big!If you try, you cannot fail. Failure is never attempting it.
I stumbled across this recently. I says far more than I ever could.
November 26, 2015
TV Interview with Derick Fage and Danielle Allard
Did the TV interview with Derick Fage and Danielle Allard of Daytime Ottawa!
November 24, 2015
TDC Book Review: A Dark Corner of My Soul
A New book review of A Dark Corner of My Soul, by TDC Book Reviews!
A Dark Corner of My Soul by Michel Weatherall****Trigger Warning - This collection of poems tackles the themes of mental illness and rape ******Title: A Dark Corner of My Soul
Author: Michel Weatherall
Genre: Poetry
Review : An amazing collection of literary prose which Weatherall has kept locked in a desk drawer for two decades is now a short collection of dark and deeply disturbing poems.
The reader is transported into the mind of someone suffering and you can see the images of his words as if they were your own.
As a sufferer myself, I was amazed at just how much he was able to write and convey how mental illness makes a sufferer feel. Those images which are so difficult to explain that haunt the head flow off the page , raw and exposed for all to see.
I couldn't possibly choose a favourite in the collection as they were all so powerful and beautifully written. Michel has a true talent and after reading I felt he was extremely brave to share such wonderful, if dark work.
The only thing that let's this book down is the cover colour, it has an amazing image of a skull but the green makes it unappealing to look at.
Rating: 5 stars
Link to Authors Page
Where to Buy
A Dark Corner of My Soul by Michel Weatherall****Trigger Warning - This collection of poems tackles the themes of mental illness and rape ******Title: A Dark Corner of My Soul Author: Michel Weatherall
Genre: Poetry
Review : An amazing collection of literary prose which Weatherall has kept locked in a desk drawer for two decades is now a short collection of dark and deeply disturbing poems.
The reader is transported into the mind of someone suffering and you can see the images of his words as if they were your own.
As a sufferer myself, I was amazed at just how much he was able to write and convey how mental illness makes a sufferer feel. Those images which are so difficult to explain that haunt the head flow off the page , raw and exposed for all to see.
I couldn't possibly choose a favourite in the collection as they were all so powerful and beautifully written. Michel has a true talent and after reading I felt he was extremely brave to share such wonderful, if dark work.
The only thing that let's this book down is the cover colour, it has an amazing image of a skull but the green makes it unappealing to look at.
Rating: 5 stars
Link to Authors Page
Where to Buy
TDC Book Reviews After Dark : A Dark Corner of My Soul by Michel Weatherall
TDC Book Reviews After Dark : A Dark Corner of My Soul by Michel Weatherall: ****Trigger Warning - This collection of poems tackles the themes of mental illness and rape ****** Title: A Dark Corner of My Soul A...
November 16, 2015
Ottawa Pop Expo!
Ottawa Pop Expo,
Saturday November 21st, 201510:00 am - 7:00 pm
Sunday November 22nd, 2015
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
I will be sharing a booth with Dancing Twig, here in Artist Alley!
Come down and meet me! I'll be there promoting by two new books and doing book signings.
Ottawa Pop Expo is located at the EY Centre, 4899 Uplands Dr. Ottawa, Ontario
Ticket information available at the Pop Expo website where you can discover all other exciting events lined up!
I'll be there promoting my two new books!
The Symbiot
"Devoted music enthusiast and accomplished pianist, Lorne S. Gibbons, realizes the grim truth regarding a long lost and forbidden music as an evil entity is unleashed which threatens all existing life of Earth. As a crescendo of unknowable forces prepare to wipe out anyone in their way, Lorne and Veronica begin a race against complete annihilation. With little reinforcements, Lorne and Veronica have to fight against the god-aspiring creature to avoid further bloodshed. However, when godly power collides with humanity, the results are devastating."
Joshua Hubley
"One man's musical passion leads on a temporal hunt through a Lovecratian world on a collision course with extinction! Reminiscent with Guy de Maupassant's The Horla"
'Seph Sayers, Blogger & Book Reviewer
"In the Symbiot, Weatherall has created a spine chilling tael reminiscent of the style of Stephen King"
TDC Book Reviews
The Hunt: Symbiosys
Following immediately on the heels of The Symbiot, its events segue directly into "The Hunt: Symbiosys".
Barely eclipsing global extinction, the Gibbons' couple are forced to flee and hide from clandestine forces intent on their eradication.
Centering between Montreal and Tokyo, this sequel introduces an unimaginable new world threat!
A slow burning intercontinental chess match quickly escalates into its fast paced and violent conclusion!
This book drops delicious hints of the advent of Lovecraftian-mythos monsters! Foreshadowing a hidden but impending doom, this entire sequel is haunted by an unnameable undertow which promises to reach fruition in this trilogy's upcoming conclusion, Necropolis
November 3, 2015
Now Available at Comet Comics!
I am proud to announce that both
The Symbiot
and its sequel,
The Hunt: Symbiosys
are both now available at the newly opened
Comet Comics,
1167 Bank St., Ottawa, Ontario!
613-260-8076
The Symbiot and The Hunt: Symbiosys both are still available at Kobold's Corner
430 Hazeldean Road, Kanata,Ontario613-836-3030FacebookTDC Book Reviews: The Symbiot by Michel Weatherall
TDC Book Reviews: The Symbiot by Michel Weatherall: Symbiosis: Interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association. (Oxford dictionary) In the Symbiot, Wea...
TDC Book Review: The Symbiot
New book review of The Symbiot from TDC Book Reviews!
Symbiosis: Interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association. (Oxford dictionary)
In the Symbiot, Weatherall has created a spine chilling tale reminiscent of the style of Steven King.
Lorne S. Gibbons has a passion for music, but deep down he knows there must be something more than the eight note octave the tediously repeats itself. “Man learns to write sounds, music and rhythms on paper and…What? Calls it quits? (The Symbiot Page 4). In his quest to prove that there is more to music then we realize; Lorne discovers the work of Erich Zann. Though Erich Zann is no longer living his Grand-daughter has continued his research and Lorne knows he must visit her.
Lorne, his wife and his in-laws, Henri and Veronica, travel to Oxford England to meet with Nadia De Lafontaine, the grand-daughter of Erich Zann. What happens next will chill you to the bone.
While Lorne and his family are visiting, Nadia begins to play the music her Grand-father had discovered. It is nothing like you have ever heard before and will hope to never hear again.For instance on page 10,“We were riveted to our seats by the spectacle before us. The whistling kettle seemed to strangely accent her furiously screeching viola. I noticed her fingers bleeding. It was now hard to discern whether Nadia played the music or the music played Nadia. The four of us sat in horror as we witnessed Nadia’s symbiosis between human, instrument and music”.
This never before heard music was kept a secret because it opened a portal of horror that caused Nadia to become merged with Nylarlathotep, a creature that has existed since before man was created. You will have to read more to find out what happens to Lorne, Marie, Henri, Veronica, and Nadia. I promise you, that this story will leave you shivering in your seat.
While I felt Weatherall’s writing was creative and descriptive there were times where the story fell flat and felt like the author lost his momentum. I have studied music and appreciate the analogy of the musical terms in relationship to the symbiosis storyline. However, I feel those who have no or limited knowledge of musical terms may find the beginning of this novel confusing. Overall I would rate the Symbiot a three out of five-star Novel. Weatherall has a bright future as a writer. I am looking forward to reading more of his work.
Symbiosis: Interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association. (Oxford dictionary)
In the Symbiot, Weatherall has created a spine chilling tale reminiscent of the style of Steven King.
Lorne S. Gibbons has a passion for music, but deep down he knows there must be something more than the eight note octave the tediously repeats itself. “Man learns to write sounds, music and rhythms on paper and…What? Calls it quits? (The Symbiot Page 4). In his quest to prove that there is more to music then we realize; Lorne discovers the work of Erich Zann. Though Erich Zann is no longer living his Grand-daughter has continued his research and Lorne knows he must visit her.
Lorne, his wife and his in-laws, Henri and Veronica, travel to Oxford England to meet with Nadia De Lafontaine, the grand-daughter of Erich Zann. What happens next will chill you to the bone.
While Lorne and his family are visiting, Nadia begins to play the music her Grand-father had discovered. It is nothing like you have ever heard before and will hope to never hear again.For instance on page 10,“We were riveted to our seats by the spectacle before us. The whistling kettle seemed to strangely accent her furiously screeching viola. I noticed her fingers bleeding. It was now hard to discern whether Nadia played the music or the music played Nadia. The four of us sat in horror as we witnessed Nadia’s symbiosis between human, instrument and music”.
This never before heard music was kept a secret because it opened a portal of horror that caused Nadia to become merged with Nylarlathotep, a creature that has existed since before man was created. You will have to read more to find out what happens to Lorne, Marie, Henri, Veronica, and Nadia. I promise you, that this story will leave you shivering in your seat.
While I felt Weatherall’s writing was creative and descriptive there were times where the story fell flat and felt like the author lost his momentum. I have studied music and appreciate the analogy of the musical terms in relationship to the symbiosis storyline. However, I feel those who have no or limited knowledge of musical terms may find the beginning of this novel confusing. Overall I would rate the Symbiot a three out of five-star Novel. Weatherall has a bright future as a writer. I am looking forward to reading more of his work.
