Leon Stevens's Blog, page 21
March 8, 2025
Weekend Wrap-up March 8: Executive Privilege
One of the perks of being in power or being higher up on the corporate ladder is getting to use the executive bathroom. No 1-ply in sight. Not even 2-ply. Rumor has it that they have 6-ply…
But “With great power comes great responsibility“. Wait. Who said that? Was it Voltaire or Uncle Ben? Wait. Uncle Ben? The rice guy? No. Uncle Ben, Peter Parker’s father’s brother. Wait. Peter Parker? You mean Spiderman?
Yes. Here’s another quote. Lord Acton, an English historian and moralist who lived in the late 19th century said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
You probably know where this post is going. Let me give you a few more quotes and see if you can guess who said them:
“I want to not use too many executive orders, folks. Executive orders sort of came about more recently. Nobody ever heard of an executive order. Then all of a sudden Obama, because he couldn’t get anybody to agree with him, he starts signing them like they’re butter. So I want to do away with executive orders for the most part.”
“The country wasn’t based on executive orders. Right now, Obama goes around signing executive orders. He can’t even get along with the Democrats, and he goes around signing all these executive orders. It’s a basic disaster. You can’t do it.”
“The problem with Washington, they don’t make deals. It’s all gridlock. And then you have a president that signs executive orders because he can’t get anything done. I’ll get everybody together.”
“He doesn’t work the system. That is why he signs executive orders all the time because he can’t get his own people to go along.”
“You’ve got to close the door and get things done without signing your executive orders all the time. That’s the easy way out.”
“Right now, we have an executive-order president. He just keeps signing.”
You have Republicans, Democrats, you’re supposed to get together and pass a law. [Obama] doesn’t want to do that because it’s too much work. So he doesn’t want to work too hard. He wants to go back and play golf.”
Yup. That guy. So the person who though that signing executive orders was “the easy way out” has now broken the pervious record of 277 set by Obama in his two terms.
I guess Pesidenting is hard, but you wanted the power, now you have is so don’t screw it up.
Oh, yeah. Too late.
-Leon
In case you missed my blog:Weekend Wrap-up March 8: Executive PrivilegeFree Book Friday March 7: Tariff-free books!Weird Wednesday: The Curse of Hoax Island / CartoonTuesday Top Ten: Signs of SpringMusic Monday: Boy Golden
Book two of the Orion Arm Alliance series is out in April, so time to read books one! http://books.linesbyleon.com/
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
March 7, 2025
Free Book Friday March 7: Tariff-free books!
Or are they? Yes. Yes they are.
That’s all I’m saying about it, and yes that is a mastiff collecting a tariff.
-Leon
Check out this week’s book promos below.
Buy Euphrates Vanished (Kindle/KU)Preorder A Matter of Sabotage (Kindle)Don’t feel like buying the book?
Sign up to review Euphrates VanishedSign up for an Advance Review Copy of A Matter of SabotageSci-fi not your thing?
Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words
Deals and Reads From StoryOriginFree books to review!
Starts Feb. 27The story behind Free Book Friday: 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.
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
March 5, 2025
Weird Wednesday: The Curse of Hoax Island / Cartoon
“There is an island in the north Atlantic…“I admit it. I was excited in 2014 when History Channel aired their new series “The Curse of Oak Island.” I remember in the 70s, reading a reprint of the same article that treasure hunters, Rick and Matry Lagina did in Reader’s Digest about the possibility of buried treasure on a Nova Scotian island.
What young boy isn’t fascinated by buried pirate treasure?
If you are unfamiliar with the story, let me give you the abridged version. Dates and facts might not be entirely accurate because I’m going by memory.
In the early 1700s, three young men rowed to Oak Island. There had been rumours of strange lights and sounds coming from there for years, so I suppose it was about time someone checked it out.
Under a large oar tree there was a depression in the ground and a piece of rope hanging from a branch above. Hmm… I’m sure the first thing they thought was “pirate treasure.” So they dug and discovered a platform of logs. Hmm…
With the help of others, they kept digging until they found another log platform 10 feet down. Hmm… Continuing on, they found wooden platform every 10 feet, until at a depth 90 feet there was a flat stone with strange markings on it, embedded in a layer of clay. Once pried up, the shaft began to fill with water.
To make this long story short, over the last 250 years the island has been divided into lots, farmed, and dug up in an attempt to find the treasure, to the point where when the Laginas took over the project, the location of that original shaft—called “The Money Pit”—was questionable.
To make this next 12 year old story short, the island has been radared, seismically mapped, drilled, and multiple shafts dug to as deep as 250 feet, and have discovered evidence of tunnels and large water-filled voids along with digging tools, bone, and leather boot heels.
But no treasure.
Bankrolled by the History Channel and the two brothers, the mystery is just not about the treasure, it’s about what was going on there in the 1600s or earlier. Previously unknown structures—cobble roads, stone foundations, and retaining walls have been found along with Spanish and Roman coins, British military buttons, glass beads, and pottery fragments.
If I had one complaint, it would be that because they always want to attract new viewers, there is a constant barrage of recaps throughout the show every time something is discovered. Which is why I now record it and fast-forward through the redundant sections. Cuts a 45-minute show to about 35.
Theories abound about what might be buried there.
Theories abound about how long the History Channel can drag this out.
Theories abound about why I keep watching it.
“Treasure…”
-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!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
Join my email list
RECEIVE A FREE EBOOK WHEN YOU SUBCRIBE TO MY WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
March 4, 2025
Tuesday Top Ten: Signs of Spring
I was going to do the top ten spineless things, listing several creepy-crawlies and ending with a bunch of Trump’s lackeys, but instead, since we just passed meteorological spring, I’ll take the high, potholed riddled road and leap into…
Top Ten Signs of Spring in Canada
Geese: There are always the ones trying to get the “Early Bird Special.” Potholes: The bane of the spring driver. It’s an obstacle course plus a game of reverse Whack-A-Mole all in one.Puddles: Yes, they shroud the aforementioned potholes, and they give something for drivers to relocate to the sidewalks, usually at the exact moment a pedestrian walks by.Dog s#!t: I can’t say this enough. “You lazy a-hole, pick up after your dog.” And if you do, those bags go in the garbage can.”It’s cold, then it’s warm, then it’s cold again: It’s icy, then it’s wet, then it’s icy again.T-shirts and shorts: After -20 C weather, 0 C feels like summer. It’s not, but it feels that way.Dirty cars: If it’s warm enough to wash your car, it’ll be dirty by the time you get home.Garbage: Like those dog poop bags, garbage goes in the can. Brown grass: It slowly creeps toward the center of the lawn from the edges of the walkway. Open windows: Fresh air without the dust…for a couple of weeks at least.-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!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
March 3, 2025
Music Monday: Boy Golden
When I hear a new song (or a new to me song) that I like, I jot down the name for future inclusion in my Monday posts. I don’t usually include in-depth bios and histories, but I do look up other songs to include.
And therein lies the problem. Artists release songs they think will appeal to the musical audience, which, not surprisingly, are the ones they think are the best. You’re not going to showcase the dreg track you threw on to the album at the end to fill up the record.
So, often, the songs I choose to include are the “Hey, that’s as good/great song,” “Hey, that’s a pretty good/a good song too,” “That’s alright,” and “I’ll throw this one at the end to fill up the post.”
I don’t expect musicians to write gem after gem (some do a good job, others are our one-hit wonders), just like I don’t expect writers to hit it out of the ballpark every time.
Is there a musical artist that you can honestly say you enjoy every song they’ve written?
Boy Golden is the stage name of Liam Duncan, a Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
-Leon
Book two of the Orion Arm Alliance, A Matter of Sabotage, will be out in spring 2025, so time to get reading book one!
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
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
March 2, 2025
Songs for a Sunday: Pillow Fite
According to their website:
Pillow Fite (Art Ross (they/them) and Aaron Green (he/him)) is Halifax, Nova Scotia’s most exciting new musical duo. Pairing tender, heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics with catchy alt-rock instrumentals and folky ballads, the genre lines get blurred in a way that keeps the project dynamic and binge-worthy while giving listeners all of the feels.
-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!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
March 1, 2025
Weekend Wrap-up: March 1: 70/30
The garage where it all started.People forget that Amazon started as an online bookseller. When Bezos moved into independent publishing, it opened a path for authors to finally get their creations in front of readers they would never be able to reach before.
Now, you could say it’s now too easy to publish a book, and in many ways I do agree. There are many examples of poorly written books out there, many now created by AI, and it does give indie authors a bad rap, usually because of lack of editing, which you don’t need to do (but you should).
Now, in the past I have made fun of the frustrations I have had with Amazon’s publishing division, KDP. But, without it, I wouldn’t have 8 self-published books. Oh, I would have used one of the other platforms, but the reach of KDP (60-70% of the US market share) is alluring.
70/30
That’s a fraction which is important to indie authors. Amazon’s Kindle Publishing takes a 30% of an author’s sale on eBooks priced over $2.99. Under that price, the cut increases to 65% because presumably it costs more that 35 cents to distribute an eBook.
Am I okay with paying that amount? Well, it beats having to invest in the software, hardware, and distribution infrastructure, along with hiring employees to get my book in front of millions of readers.
There is a movement to not support Amazon in protest to the amount of money Bezos makes and some of the work practices, but remember that many, many authors and merchandise sellers make their living taking advantage to the massive distribution network Jeff has created, not to mention the jobs that have been created.
So, don’t think twice when you want to buy that hidden gem by a new author who is just trying to entertain as many readers as possible.
-Leon
In case you missed my blog:Weekend Wrap-up: March 1: 70/30Free Book Friday Feb. 28: Made in the USA?Thursday Thoughts: No News is…Weird Wednesday: Geographically ChallengedTuesday Top Ten: Lies and Broken Promises
Book two of the Orion Arm Alliance series is out in April, so time to read books one! http://books.linesbyleon.com/
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
February 28, 2025
Free Book Friday Feb. 28: Made in the USA?
I’m almost done with my rants about what’s going on south of the border…
Let’s talk cars today. The president said that the US doesn’t need to import cars from Canada and wants to build them all in the USA. Okay, but did you mean build as in every single component or build as assemble?
Let’s look at the easy one. Assembly. Canada has several plants, 5-7 to be vague, that produces vehicles to export to the US. For The US to assemble all their own vehicles, they would need to…
Yeah, you made that conclusion too, right? Build 5-7 plants at about 3-4 billion each that would take years to complete. The companies are not going to fork out the full amount, so would have to rely on government support. It’s a good thing the government will have extra money after firing employees, shutting down government agencies, and slashing foreign aid.
What about building cars from scratch? The US imports 25% of their steel and 50% of their aluminum. So we can stop there…
Oh, keep going? what about lithium for batteries? The US doesn’t have a significant supply, but guess who does? Ukraine. Hmm, the US is poised to sign an agreement with Ukraine for access to their rare earth minerals, as payback for helping them defend against Russian aggression.
Wait, payback? I thought NATO does what it does because it’s the right thing to do…
I suppose the new motto is, “You owe me one.”
-Leon
Check out this week’s book promos below.
Buy Euphrates Vanished (Kindle/KU)Buy A Matter of Sabotage (Kindle)Don’t feel like buying the book?
Sign up to review Euphrates VanishedSign up for an Advance Review Copy of A Matter of SabotageSci-fi not your thing?
Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words
Deals and Reads From StoryOriginFree books to review!
Starts Feb. 27The story behind Free Book Friday: 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.
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
February 27, 2025
Thursday Thoughts: No News is…
From PEW Research I admit, I’m a bit of a news junkie. I like to know what’s going on in the world. “But,” I am often asked, “where do you get your news?”
According to the chart at the top, pretty much the same the people who answered that survey, with the exception of the last two, where radio outranks print. I do get some information from social network posts, but I always deep deeper to disseminate fiction from fact (spoiler alert, it’s a lot of fiction).
Mainstream network news is still among the most trusted to report the truth, although some might say Fox news needs quotation marks around the word.
I listen to CBC radio each morning, which is Canada’s publicly owned broadcaster (that only means it’s supposed to be unbiased and lose the money that the government pumps into it every year). As long as I remember, CBC has been a part of my existence, so, maybe I have been brainwashed by the “Corporation” to believe whatever they say…
Late night talk and satirical news shows highlight the absurdity of what our political leaders are doing, but it does require some investigation to find out where the truth is behind the jokes. There are many times that I will watch and think, “That cannot be true,” then after some research finding out there is truth what I just saw. Case in point, yesterday’s post about globes:
Weird Wednesday: Geographically Challenged
I don’t want my posts to become to political, but lately it seems there’s just too much fodder.
-Leon
Last day for the Indie Poetry Sale!
https://kemreads.com/indie-poetry-sale/
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
February 26, 2025
Weird Wednesday: Geographically Challenged
When I saw this on one of the late night talk shows, I just knew I needed to dig deeper for Weird Wednesday.
For only $250 (US dollars of course) you can own this geographically accurate globe. But something doesn’t quite seem right…
Newfoundland is attached to Labrador. I guess the cartographers are taking the Newfoundland AND Labrador literally.Lake Superior is now Lakes SuperiorWell, okay, they got their little slice of Lake of the Woods correct. But if you follow the 49th parallel you’ll find it’s not so parallel, terminating at the 60th parallel.Baffin Island is attached to the mainland.Sure, there are a few more errors but if I’m going to spend $337.50 Canadian, I want a quality globe:
There, that’s better. Wait? What? Okay the borders are accurate, but did we just get more great lakes? Nice…and the outflow from Lake Winnipeg has dramatically increased.
And the giant fighter jets are a nice touch.
-Leon
Don’t forget to check out the Indie Poetry Sale!https://kemreads.com/indie-poetry-sale/
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
Join my email list
RECEIVE A FREE EBOOK WHEN YOU SUBCRIBE TO MY WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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!
books.linesbyleon.com/Newslettersignup
