Willie Handler's Blog, page 23

John Glenn Inspired Us To Explore Space

“If a man faces up to the [unknown] and takes the dare of the future, he can have some control over his destiny.” John Glenn

As many followers know, my next novel is a humourous story about the adventures of a man on Mars. The reason that this story is even believable is because of men like John Glenn who took risks to explore the unknown. He and his fellow Mercury 7 astronauts were pioneers just as were the first Europeans to explore the New World.

His first flight in space, on February 20, 1962, was only five hours long. About as long as it takes to fly from Toronto to Los Angeles. Although he was the third American in space, the previous two were suborbital flights. He was the first American to orbit the Earth and that accomplishment captured the nation’s attention. He became a national  hero, which made NASA reluctant to allow him to return to  space. The agency understood the risks of space exploration were and still are significant. Not everyone returns safely.

Even on Glenn’s flight there was a crisis and a real possibility he might not survive the mission. At one point an indicator light was showing that the Mercury capsule’s heat shield was partly detached. If the shield was to come off, the capsule might have burnt up on re-entry. Mission controllers decided to bring Glenn home early and told him not to jettison his aft retro rockets, which allowed him to maneuver the craft in space. Because the retropack was strapped to the heat shield, it was thought it would provide an extra measure of security. His cool reaction to the situation only added to his reputation.

In my Mars story, a permanent colony established on Mars is destroyed. It’s a given that when manned missions to Mars takes place in the next twenty years, not everyone will return. But that will not stop men and women, similar to the Mercury 7 astronauts, from challenging in the unknown. It takes a special type of person – like John Glenn.

How To Survive On Mars

A terrific interview with Andy Weir, best-selling novelist and author of The Martian, which was adapted into a feature film starring Matt Damon as astronaut Mark Watney and received 7 Academy Awards nominations. Andy, a college dropout turned software engineer and card-carrying geek, explains the extensive process of bringing his novel to the screen while remaining more scientifically accurate than most other Hollywood blockbusters. Interviews can be found here.

 

THE ROAD AHEAD Launch Mentioned In Canadian Underwriter

Check out page 62 of the November 2016 issue of Canadian Underwriter. There’s a full page spread on the launch of THE ROAD AHEAD.

 

Weekly Update

This past week was Bookapalooza in Whitby. Sales were a little disappointing but the exposure was good and made some very good contacts.

My first newsletter will be going out in the new year. If you wish to go on the mailing list, please sign up here. I will be providing a preview of my next novel to those who sign up.

I begun working on another chapter of LOVED MARS, HATED THE FOOD. The birth of my first grandchild was a bit of distraction. Mom and baby are doing great!

 

 

Signs That You Might Have Black Friday Syndrome

Black Friday Syndrome is a serious disorder that impairs millions of Americans and some Canadians every year. It suddenly appears in late November and goes into remission for twelve months before resurfacing.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), one of the most widely used systems for classifying mental disorders includes Black Friday Syndrome under  Impulse-control disorders. These are disorders that involve an inability to control emotions and behaviors, resulting in harm to oneself or others.

Below are some of the signs that you might be suffering from Black Friday Syndrome. If you exhibit one or more of these symptoms, you should speak to a mental health professional.

Thanksgiving dinner is moved to breakfast so that the family meal can be dispensed with early in the day.
On Thanksgiving Day, your dining room table resembles a political campaign war room, covered with sales flyers.
You are unable to sleep the night of Thanksgiving Day, so instead you wake and loiter in front of the local Walmart waiting for it to open up.
You have coordinated family and friends to text message door crasher sales.
The phrase “0% financing for 12 months” elevates your heart rate to dangerous levels.
When the doors opened at Best Buy, you rushed forward with the crowd and may have stepped on a woman and her child.
You snatch the last Xbox on sale out of the hands of a teenager and run to the checkout line.
You have a total melt down when you arrive at Harold’s Electronics and learn they are out of $199 48″ flat screen TVs.
You purchased fishing gear at 80% off even though you hate to fish.

This Should Be Donald Trump’s Cabinet

There is so much speculation about who will be in the President-elect’s Cabinet. To be consistent with his anti-Washington demeanor, I’ve put together a pretty impressive list of possible Cabinet candidates. Donald Trump has shown you don’t been any political experience to be President. So why do you need relevant experience to run a federal department.

Secretary of State – Alec Baldwin

After lampooning Trump on Saturday Night Live, why would Donald Trump ever want anything to do with Alec Baldwin. It’s quite simple. Appoint him to State and have him spend the next four years out of the country visiting foreign leaders. The next best thing to throwing him out of the U.S. Since Trump plans on being an isolationist, it’s not like there will be any foreign policy work to be done.

Secretary of Defense – Dick Butkus

Butkus was named the top defensive player of the year in the NFL and made eight Pro Bowl games. I can’t think of anyone more qualified for this Cabinet position.

Secretary of the Treasury – Jordan Belfort

The Wolf of Wall Street is a no brainer. The U.S. national debt is almost $20 trillion and Belfort knows how to make money. If he’s not available then how about Michael Miliken?

Attorney General – Julianna Margulies

Margulies may not be a lawyer but she plays one on TV. That should be good enough for the Trump Cabinet. Besides that, she’s a good looking woman and we know Donald Trump likes good looking women.

Secretary of the Interior – Marc Emery

I had to think about this one for a while before I came up with Marc Emery. I know he’s Canadian but he has spent time in U.S. prisons. Most notably in 2009 when he served a five-year sentence for selling mail-order cannabis seeds into the U.S. I just think he could make some good use out of federal held land and generate some income for Treasury.

Secretary of Commerce -Ivanka Trump

What better way to make sure Trump’s business empire thrives during his presidency but to have Ivanka run the Commerce Department. You know she is going to get some appointment so why not Commerce.

Secretary of Labor – Pee-wee Herman

Let’s face it, we know Trump doesn’t give a shit about the Department of Labor. So handing it over to Herman should take the labor movement back 50 years.

Secretary of Transportation – Elon Musk

Tesla, SolarCity and SpaceX, this guy is just super cool.

Secretary of Homeland Security – Steven Seagal

Seagal is getting a little old but still who wouldn’t love to see this guy storm into the home of a suspected terrorist and take him down on his own. Definitely, he would inspire confidence.

Secretary of Agriculture – Howard Stern

I know what you’re thinking. What does this New Yorker know about farming? Nothing. But he gets along with Trump and would be fun to have at drab Cabinet meetings.

Disappointed With The First Episode Of Mars

I doubt many people were looking forward to the new National Geographic series, Mars, as much as I was. I am really caught up with idea of humankind permanently living on Mars.

The series is half documentary and half drama and takes place in 2033. Sounds like a novel idea. Except that the documentary parts are great and the drama portions are as flat as week old beer. In the first episode, the crew of six spend a lot of time staring at computer screens. The dialogue is dull. You look forward to the breaks in the story when the cut over to interviews with people involved in space exploration, including Elon Musk. The 2015 film, The Martian created a lot of interest in Mars. The story was compelling and Matt Damon carried the film. None of that exists in this series. At least not in episode one. But I’m committed to seeing it through to the end.

 

 

 

 

Bookapalooza This Week

On Saturday I will be signing copies of THE ROAD AHEAD at Bookapalooza in Whitby. It’s a great event with books and crafts for sale, panel discussions, giveaways and a silent auction.  There will also be a draw for free signed copy of my novel, which will make a nice gift with the holidays coming up.

Weekly Update

I’ve been very pleased with the online reviews of THE ROAD AHEAD but I would love to get more. The rating on Goodreads is 4.33 based on nine ratings. There is only on review on the Canadian Amazon site. If you have read the book and willing to share your opinion online, I would really appreciate it. And let your friends know about it as well.

I’ve signed up for another book fair. I have reserved a table at The Bookshelf which is held in Newmarket on May 13, 2017. I’m on the look out for similar events in the new year. I’ve also joined the Writers’ Community of York Region. Don’t forget I will be at Bookapalooza in Whitby on November 19.

I’ve decided to publish a quarterly newsletter to highlight some of my activities and to keep friends and followers up to date on my next project. If you would like to receive a copy you can sign up here.

Weekly Update

Another week has gone by already. I just haven’t been able to dedicate as many hours as I like to my new manuscript. However, I did manage to get a first draft of chapter 11 of Loved Mars, Hated The Food completed. Hopefully, I’ll do better next week.

I have all my props for Bookapalooza on Saturday, November 19 sponsored by the Writers Circle of Durham Region. I will post pictures of my display on the 19th. Come visit if you can and, of course, I’ll be signing copies of THE ROAD AHEAD.

I am planning on distributing a quarterly newsletter and spent an entire day trying to embed a signup button on my blog. You will notice I wasn’t successful. However, there is now one on my Facebook page. If you are interested, please sign up.

That’s it for now. Happy reading!