Leon Stevens's Blog, page 4
September 1, 2025
Monday Musings: Free Book
Free you say?
I gave away one of my poetry books for free a few years back hoping that I would get some reviews and that readers might purchase my other poetry collection. The result? 140 downloads, no reviews and no sales.
I suspect that some of those downloads are still sitting unread.
So, why try it again? I got a good deal from a promo company that I have used in the past and I thought I’d give it a shot again. If the result is the same, I’ll probably put the free book marketing onto the “do not use” list.
Get The View from Here for free!-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!
August 31, 2025
Songs for a Sunday: Big Crime
‘Nuff said.
-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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My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
Weekend Wrap-up Aug 31: ‘Tis the Season(ing)
It’s still summer. Meteorological autumn starts tomorrow, though, but if you’d rather wait till astronomical autumn, that’s on September 22nd.
For me, fall felt like it started when we went back to school and that hasn’t changed even though I’ve been out for … well, let’s just say a while.
Which brings us closer to the W word: Winter. When astronomical winter begins (December 21st) I feel I have already gone through at least two months of it. November here can be chilly, and snowy. So can October but let’s give autumn at least two months, shall we?
We could also start the seasons depending on when stores put out the seasonal displays which would mean autumn starts when you see the Halloween decorations in August, and the Christmas stuff in October.
But most people consider the beginning of Autumn when they can order this vile beverage:
-Leon
In case you missed it:Songs for a Sunday: Big CrimeWeekend Wrap-up Aug 31: ‘Tis the Season(ing)Not so Fun Friday: Waste(ing away) in MargaritavilleWeird Wednesday: Crazy CrazesTuesday Tidbits: Are you afraid of the clowns?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!
August 29, 2025
Not so Fun Friday: Waste(ing away) in Margaritaville
OK. Margaritaville isn’t in Florida. But I’m sure the drink is enjoyed somewhere in the state. Anyway …
What can you do with 250 million dollars?
You can build a detention center in the middle of the Florida Everglades and let it run for a couple of months before it is ordered to be scuttled.
Or…
You could build 8000 tiny homes to house the houselessFeed a quarter of a million kids meals at school for a year Fund mental health supportsHire more police for Washington DC so you don’t have to pay the National Guard a million dollars a day to pick up garbage (Yes, that’s what they have been doing)I could go on but I won’t.
-Leon
Last chance before price increase.
Euphrates Vanished (Kindle/KU)A Matter of Sabotage (Kindle/KU)Don’t feel like buying the book? How about reviewing for free?
Sign up to review Euphrates VanishedSign to review A Matter of SabotageSci-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/
Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
August 27, 2025
Weird Wednesday: Crazy Crazes
I remember pet rocks. Flat round rocks, mine was painted with eyes that I could have made at home for about twenty-five cents. In hind site, it was probably a counterfeit. I often wonder what happened to mine. Did it get tossed in the trash or buried in the garden or did I break it apart searching for the guts?
Cabbage Patch Dolls, Beanie Babies, Smurfs, Tamagotchi, Pokemon, Bratz, Trollz. I could go on, but the key element to the most successful of the toy/doll fads is scarcity. Riots broke out to get a one of a kind doll, or a limited run issue.
So what’s the next craze? If you are a parent, I’m sure you have already said Labubu.
Brief history: In 2015, artist Kasing Lung released a book called “The Monsters” featuring the Labubu, “kind-hearted and eager to help — though their good intentions can sometimes lead to chaos.”
A toy version was released but it wasn’t until the toy company Pop Mart took over did sales explode. It was also helped by Lisa from BLACKPINK (a K-pop group) who sported one which launched it’s visibility.
Part of the marketing are blind packages, so you don’t know what you are getting. So yeah, you have to buy a lot of packages to get the rare ones. If that sounds familiar, you might remember buying hockey cards trying to get the Gretzky or the Lemieux or the Crosby.
So, have fun this school year as your kids complain that “All the other kids have one” becomes a familiar refrain in your home.
-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!
August 26, 2025
Tuesday Tidbits: Are you afraid of the clowns?
Circuses have changed a lot over the years. With more regulations now when it comes to animal safety there are no bears on bikes, lion tamers, and elephant tricks. But there are still clowns. Lots of clowns.
The only thing worse than having sit through a clown show is having to sit through a clown show you don’t want to sit through.
I don’t want to write about American politics as much as I do, but sometimes a certain orange-faced clown makes it too easy, as does his entourage of unqualified cabinet members.
Blatant misuse of power which circumvents the congressional process, putting personal profit ahead of helping the average American, and retaliation against people how have criticized him of his policies are some of what we have witnessed over the last seven months.
Oh, the lies. Don’t forget the lies.
I’ve been to Chicago. Didn’t see the killing fields that Trump described. He said since the National Guard arrived in Washington, there has been no crime, but we all know that that is impossible. I also know that the US does not subsidize Canada. His polling indicates a low approval rating, but he picked the most favourable one to tout. Gas is not below $2, and prices are not dropping.
I’m going to take a break from reporting on the circus for a while…
I hope. No guarantees, though.
-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!
August 24, 2025
Songs for a Sunday: Indigenous Singers
It’s great how many Indigenous musicians are succeeding in the Canadian music business. From William Prince, Beatrice Deer, and Snotty Nose Rez Kids, there always seems to be another artist who catches my ear.
Cree singer-songwriter Sebastian Gaskin was the winner of the Juno Award for Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2025
On Song for Granny: “When a loved one passes on, sometimes the grief is too great, too intense, to even imagine processing all at once. Eventually, though, you find yourself wanting to speak with those you’ve lost, to update them on the little things that have happened since they left. I wrote this one as a sort of catch up with my late grandmother Charlotte.” – S.G
Growing up, most of the Indigenous musicians I heard played country music but in the last several decades, more and more have embraced rap and hip hop because of the similarity of the racism and oppression they faced as the black community.
Wolf Castle is an Indigenous rapper, producer and singer from Pabineau First Nation, New Brunswick
-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
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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!
August 23, 2025
Weekend Wrap-up Aug 23: Hitting the Road
After spending a few days with my parents, it’s time to hit the road. So just a recap for today.
-Leon
In case you missed it:Weekend Wrap-up Aug 23: Hitting the RoadJust for Fun Friday: Roll Out the (Cracker)BarrelThursday Thoughts: Border SecurityWeird Wednesday: I, RobotTuesday Tirade: World EventsHope 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!
August 22, 2025
Just for Fun Friday: Roll Out the (Cracker)Barrel
Cracker Barrel, the US restaurant and countryish style store, launched a rebranding this week, going from the one on the left featuring an “old-timer” sitting on a porch to the one on the right, a more simplified style.
And the result, as expected, was the stock tanking, losing 12% of its value before a bit of a rebound.
Why did investors dump their stocks? As expected, many people were outraged, saying the company was too woke.
Woke? Yeah, that term that started out as a good thing meaning, “being aware of and attentive to issues of racial and social injustice” and morphed into a bad thing as “a political catch-all for anything considered left-leaning, insincere, or overly focused on identity politics.“
The last time this type of backlash occurred was when Bud Lite featured a transgendered female in a commercial, prompting Kid Rock to shoot up a bunch of beer cases with an assault rifle.
Now I’m no stock market expert, but to be so volatile that it can’t wait out the end result of a company marketing campaign, it doesn’t seem to be the safest way to invest your savings.
The real reason for the logo change?
-Leon
Euphrates Vanished (Kindle/KU)A Matter of Sabotage (Kindle/KU)Don’t feel like buying the book? How about reviewing for free?
Sign up to review Euphrates VanishedSign to review A Matter of SabotageSci-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/
Free books? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and choose one or more!
August 21, 2025
Thursday Thoughts: Border Security
The Mexican side of the border wallThe quote “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results” is often attributed to Albert Einstein, but there’s no evidence he actually said it.
In 2020, Trump ordered the border wall between the US and Mexico to be painted black. The reasoning was that the sun would heat the metal faster and make it less pleasant to climb.
Even when advised against it, saying the paint would peel and would increase maintenance costs, the plan was implemented. A year and a half later there were still the same amount of climbers and the paint began to peel, increasing maintenance costs.
Fast forward to 2025 and Trump has ordered the border wall to be painted black as to discourage climbers because the black paint would make the metal fence hotter.
The quote “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results” no matter who it is attributed to is apt in this situation.
In contrast, here is a section of the border between the US and Canada.
Maybe if it was painted black, Canadians would burn their feet if they tried to cross … oh, wait. There is a more effective deterrent to stop cross border travel: Elect a dictator.
Well, done.
-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!
