Leon Stevens's Blog, page 13
May 30, 2025
Just for Fun Friday: Authors are Readers Too.

Back in 2020 I was on the cusp of greatness—
Greatness? Really?
Jeez! You scared me. Don’t sneak up like that.
Sorry. You were saying how great you were…continue. I really want to see where this goes.
As I was saying, in 2020 I had published the next great poetry book—Don’t look at me like that.
I didn’t say anything.
You were thinking something.
True.
Fine. Today I thought I would repost the very first self-interview I did after the release of my first poetry book. But true to form, I decided to give it a twist by interviewing myself as a reader.
Leon Stevens, the Author, interviews Leon Stevens, the Reader
Today we sit down with Leon Stevens, the reader. We haven’t chatted for a while, how have you been?
I’m doing well, thanks for asking!
Tea?
Oh, yes please.
[clinking of fine china teacups]
Say when.
When?
When you want me to stop pouring.
Can’t you tell when it’s full?
[silence]
Well then, enough of the small talk. Let’s get started, shall we? First question:
What was the first book that you remember reading?
Ever?
Yes.
Wow, that’s a great question.
I thought it was.
I guess if I try to remember all the way back, I’d have to say, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
That’s the one with all the holes in the pages through the apples.
-Yup. I think that I got my finger stuck in one of them.
I think we all did.
[laughter]
Any others worth mentioning?
I do recall reading Curious George, Pippi Longstocking, Hardy Boys, and I liked pop-up books. Oh, and the Highlights magazines.
Next Question: What was the first book that fascinated you?
That’s an easy one, A Wrinkle in Time.
Why that one?
My fifth-grade teacher read it to us. I looked forward to that time. He was a great reader, and I was sad when the book ended. It was a kind of a dark adventure for that age group.
Did you like reading?
I didn’t dislike it, but I wasn’t a voracious reader.
Were you encouraged to read?
I think so. My dad would read to me at bedtime. He would make space stories for me. I later found out, when I started reading science fiction on my own, that many of those “made up” stories were ones he had read before. I don’t fault him for it. It was funny reading a story and thinking, “Hey, Dad didn’t make that up!”
Do you have a favorite genre, or do you have a variety of interests?
I usually read science fiction, and I prefer the older works over new. I do enjoy historical non-fiction, especially about explorers. I do enjoy some fantasy from time to time, as well as crime dramas.
What book have you re-read the most?
I would have to say, Klondike by Pierre Burton, followed by Alive by Piers Paul Read, and The Chronicles of Narnia.
Favorite book?
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.
Any newer books that I might know that you have enjoyed?
Umm, you know the same books I do.
I suppose that’s true…Well?
Ready Player One and The Martian would be the most recent. But again, you knew that.
Have you ever not finished a book?
Yes.
Care to throw it under the bus?
Nope. Not fair to the authors. Sometimes a book just doesn’t fit with the reader.
I understand. Well then, last question: What will you be reading next?
I’m waiting for you to finish your science fiction book.
It’s getting there, don’t rush me.
I’m just yankin’ your chain, I’ve liked what I have read so far.
Thanks. I appreciate that.
I knew you would.
I knew that you knew that I would.
I’m not playing that game.
[silence]
I guess we are done then. It has been a pleasure interviewing you.
Well, thank you. It was fun! We should do this again.
Agreed!
[sounds of shaking hands (which doesn’t sound like anything…)]
Want more? Here are all the interviews in one place (kind of)
Leon Stevens Interviews Himself

Don’t feel like buying the book?


Sci-fi not your thing?
Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

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May 29, 2025
Thursday Thoughts: Blogger’s Block

I thought I had it figured out. Music on Sunday and Monday, angry tirade on Tuesday, something weird or wacky on Wednesday, a dive into my opinions on Thursday, book promos on Friday, then recap it all on Saturday.
It’s to easy to get into politics these days, so I feel I’ve overdone it over the last few months, I don’t feel like ranting as much, and my cartooning days have seemingly disappeared from the mix.
I’ve also been trying to resurrect my guitar playing, but with no desire to perform, there’s not a lot of incentive, and unless I play consistently, the pieces fade and have to be relearned again and that’s not enjoyable.
On a more positive note, the first draft of book three my Orion Arm Alliance series is coming along. I do try to set a goal of 500 words/day, which for some is very low, but I know I’m a slow writer, so I’m okay with that.
On an unrelated topic, here’s a new song I like:
-Leon

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

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Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

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May 26, 2025
Monday Music: More Beautiful Voices
Georgia Harmer is a Canadian singer-songwriter, whose debut album Stay in Touch was released in 2022 on Arts & Crafts Productions. She is the niece of Sarah Harmer who I showcased here: Beautiful Voices. If you are familiar with Sarah Harmer you will hear the similarity in their voices.
Carson Gray is from the islands of Haida Gwaii off the the coast of British Columbia.
-Leon

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

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May 24, 2025
Weekend Wrap-up May 24: Canadian Politics?

Almost everyday I get asked, “Leon, as a Canadian, why don’t you write funny posts about Canadian politics?*” To which I respond, “That’s a good idea, we just have to wait for some farcical event to happen on Parliament Hill.
[silence]
Oh, you’re still here?
Okay. Well, there’s not as much fodder up here, but we did have “Juicegate” where:
Conservative international development minister Bev Oda charged taxpayers for $16 orange juice, staying at a $665 per night hotel and ordering a limousine ride at a cost of $1000 per day to shuttle her 2km between the hotel and the conference venue. Oda paid back $1,353.81 after she was exposed by the media.
In 2011, deceptive robotic and live calls were made to voters in multiple ridings, in contravention of Elections Canada rules.
In 2018, Justin Trudeau and his family were photographed donning traditional Indian garb during a trip to India. Canadian and international media criticized the prime minister.
Sure there are more, but two stand out to me, the first being the famous “Shawinigan Handshake”.
Or maybe you remember Fuddle Duddle?
-Leon
*No, I never get asked this.
In case you missed my blog:Weekend Wrap-up May 24: Canadian Politics?Friday: A Penny for Your ThoughtsThursday Thoughts: The Plane TruthWeird Wednesday: Large low-shear-velocity provincesMonday Music: Marry Me (Alvvays)
Hope you enjoyed the recap! Feel free to share it with others.
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

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May 23, 2025
Friday: A Penny for Your Thoughts

Do you remember May 2012? That’s when Canada stopped producing pennies. But we were not the first.
New Zealand did it in 1889, Australia did it in 1991, and other countries like Estonia, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Finland, and Belgium are all opting out of their lowest denomination of coin.
Besides the fact that it costs more than face value to mint a penny, it does make sense to eliminate it with most consumers using credit and bank cards to make their purchases.
As a kid, I remember looking through my change to find the earliest date, hoping to find that one rare coin that would fetch millions at auction*. A pocketful of pennies would fill a small paper bag with germ-covered candies from the communal bins at the corner store.
At some point, I started to save all my change, paying only with bills, and tossing the coins into a jar to, at the end of the year, roll them up in those brown paper sheets the bank would give you for free. There was an art to coin rolling, with the failure rate of 50% resulting in the collapse of the coin cylinder, spilling the metal discs across the table.
The game changer was the invention of the coin tube, which the bank would give out for free until they realized they could make money selling them. Later, banks would put automated coin counters beside the ATMs into which you could pour that jar of coins into and it acted like a reverse slot machine, doing all the work for you until someone realized some were miscounting by a few cents on the tens of dollars and launched a lawsuit which led to the demise of that.
Do I miss the days of standing behind someone trying to count out exact change for their purchase? Nope. Just tap and move on, dude.
If you haven’t hear yet, the US government voted on a bill that if passed would discontinue their penny, saving $56 million/year which is fiscally more responsible than firing government employees or ending life-saving aid programs**.
-Leon
*No, I never found it…
**I almost got through a whole post without a critique of the US government.

Don’t feel like buying the book?


Sci-fi not your thing?
Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words

I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?
Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. Therein lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.
Some free book offers require a newsletter sign-up, which is a small non-monetary price to pay to try out a new indie author.
Purchase/Sales Links

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

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May 22, 2025
Thursday Thoughts: The Plane Truth

I can see it. Some people don’t. tRump accepting a $400 million jet from a foreign country is corruption. And it will cost taxpayers one billion dollars to retrofit it for presidential use.
It will be ready in about 3 years, just in time for it to be transferred to the presidential library which then can be used for personal travel by…
Get it?
Now Kirsti Noem wants in on the plane action, requisitioning a new $50 million jet for her use.
But wait, there’s more. Tonight’s exclusive presidential dinner for the top 220 investors in tRump’s memecoin takes place tonight, and it is estimayed that his World Financial scam business has netted him $900 million in transaction fees.
That’s not corruption?
Wait. Yes it is.
-Leon

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

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May 21, 2025
Weird Wednesday: Large low-shear-velocity provinces

Scientists have discovered the remnants of a planet that crashed into the Earth billions of years ago leaving to large blobs of dense material on opposite sides of the Earth’s core.

It has been theorized that this collision also knocked out enough material to form the moon.
According to science (and Wikipedia):
The current leading hypothesis for the LLSVPs is the accumulation of subducted oceanic slabs. This corresponds to the locations of known slab graveyards surrounding the Pacific LLSVP. These graveyards are thought to be the reason for the high velocity zone anomalies surrounding the Pacific LLSVP and are thought to have formed by subduction zones that were around long before the dispersion—some 750 million years ago—of the supercontinent Rodinia. Aided by the phase transformation, the temperature would partially melt the slabs to form a dense melt that pools and forms the ultra-low velocity zone structures at the bottom of the core-mantle boundary closer to the LLSVP than the slab graveyards. The rest of the material is then carried upwards via chemical-induced buoyancy and contributes to the high levels of basalt found at the mid-ocean ridge. The resulting motion forms small clusters of small plumes right above the core-mantle boundary that combine to form larger plumes and then contribute to superplumes. The Pacific and African LLSVP, in this scenario, are originally created by a discharge of heat from the core (4000 K) to the much colder mantle (2000 K); the recycled lithosphere is fuel that helps drive the superplume convection. Since it would be difficult for the Earth’s core to maintain this high heat by itself, it gives support for the existence of radiogenic nuclides in the core, as well as the indication that if fertile subducted lithosphere stops subducting in locations preferable for superplume consumption, it will mark the demise of that superplume.
Naw…I didn’t read it either.
-Leon

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

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Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
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May 19, 2025
Monday Music: Marry Me (Alvvays)
I don’t know why I came up with this theme. I did decide to go with Canadian talent, otherwise I would have included Train, Thomas Rhett, and Bruno Mars’s similarly titled songs.
Now Cardin’s song doesn’t have “Marry Me” in the title, but it has always been a song that I don’t mind listening to. Is it a love song from someone reaching out for a love that’s unreachable? According to Cardin:
“I went into this rabbit hole of Jim Carrey interviews. He discusses ego in an interesting way. In his perspective, our need for acceptance holds us back from embracing who we really are. The track explores getting rid of your ego. You can decide what your destiny is if you take a risk and accept to be who you really are at the fullest. It’s a metaphor, but marrying Jim Carrey is a good way to start the inner work.”
Charlotte Cardin is a Canadian singer and songwriter.
As far as I know she is still single…
Many Canadians will recognize Molly Rankin from her work in the group, The Rankin Family.
Alvvays (pronounced “always”) is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2011, originating from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and subsequently based in Toronto, Ontario. It consists of Molly Rankin, Kerri MacLellan, Alec O’Hanley, and Sheridan Riley. Their self-titled debut studio album, released in 2014, topped the US college charts
I forgot how many Alvvays songs I like, so here are a few of them.
-Leon

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
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Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
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May 18, 2025
Songs for a Sunday: Mo Kenny
There are some artist I enjoy listening to but can’t name a single song because I hear them on the radio and sometimes don’t hear or remember the title. Mo Kenny has won several awards including the song “Sucker” winning the SOCAN Songwriting Prize for the best song by an independent Canadian musician, three Music Nova Scotia awards: pop recording of the year, female artist of the year, and new artist recording of the year and new/emerging artist of the year, at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
Mo Kenney is a Canadian singer/songwriter based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Catching the ear of noted Canadian rocker Joel Plaskett while still in school, Kenney released their first album in 2012.
And finally, in case you are wondering who won the the Eurovision Song Contest, here are the results:
JJ: Austria – I thought he might rank high for his voice and theatrics. Yuval Raphael: Israel – Powerful voice but that’s about it.Tommy Cash: Estonia – Kind of goofy but very entertaining. KAJ: Sweden – They were the odds favorite but the voters thought otherwise. I hoped they would take it.-Leon

Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

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Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
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May 17, 2025
Weekend Wrap-up May 17: Hot and Cold

On Monday and Tuesday the temperature hit 40 C. Last night there were snowflakes.
Yes. The climate is changing…
-Leon
In case you missed my blog:Weekend Wrap-up May 17: Hot and ColdFree Book Friday: New WordsMonday Music: Eurovision PredictionsMother’s DaySongs for a Sunday: Eurovision 2025 (Voices Edition)
Hope you enjoyed the recap! Feel free to share it with others.
Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words, and his latest sci-fi mystery, Euphrates Vanished.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/

Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
