Leon Stevens's Blog, page 54
February 24, 2024
Weekend Wrap-up Feb. 24th: Movie Review
In my Music Monday feature, I’ve been taking a trip down memory lane, visiting some of the music that I used to listen to. Some bands had completely disappeared off my radar and it was quite pleasant to rediscover them. Others, I have to shake my head and apologize to my mom and dad for putting them through that.
Let’s talk movies. On Tuesday, I mentioned I watched The Whale with Brendan Fraser who’s claim to fame started with the comedy, Encino Man, which was about a frozen caveman thawed and revived in 1980s Los Angeles. With a co-star like Pauly Shore, how could you go wrong?
Many comedic actors have crossed from their forte to dramatic acting. Robin Williams is an obvious one, but Steve Martin, Melissa McCarthy, Eddie Murphy, and Whoopi Goldberg are just a few others of note.
Ray Romano, best known for his stand-up career which lead to his hit show, Everybody Love Raymond, wrote and directed the dramatic movie, Somewhere in Queens, starring another comedic actor, Laurie Metcalf.
It is about a father who works for his father (along with his brothers and nephews) in the family construction business, and who struggles to make the right choices to give his own son a different path than his own.
Right from the start, he and Metcalf pull off great performances that make you forget how they started their careers. Of course there are some funny moments, and one in particular that made me laugh out loud, even watching it alone.
Worth a view. 4/4 stars.
On my blog this week:Weekend Wrap-up Feb. 24th: Movie ReviewFree Book Friday Feb. 23: Free Short StoryThursday is Bookday: Reviews that isWeird Wednesday Feb. 21: A Post PostMovie Tuesday: Feb 19Hope 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, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
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C’mon, space stuff!
February 23, 2024
Free Book Friday Feb. 23: Free Short Story
Since I give my first collection of sci-fi stories away for free (with newsletter sign-up) I’d might as well share a few here. Here is a post-apocalyptic story:
There’s No Place Like HomeHe was going to run out of fuel soon. Not quite yet, but soon. Does gas go bad? He might have read that somewhere. He also thought of installing solar panels or even a windmill, but he couldn’t really Google it, could he? And anyway, batteries were heavy, and he would probably wind up electrocuting himself. So, it was a waiting game; then it would be time to move on.
The garden was producing, but the last two winters had been harsh. His forays had taken him farther and farther from his “stronghold,” in an ever-increasing radius that had reached the limit of the safety of daylight. The last incident had confirmed his fears. He took too long at the warehouse—it seemed too good to leave—and the weight of the supplies put a strain on the axles. Had he gotten a flat on the return, he most surely would not have made it back. Now, the possession he relied on the most was showing wear and tear that he was hesitant to try to repair. Oh, for just a few hours of Google, or a library—something he hadn’t found yet, not for lack of trying.
How far had he gone? Twenty miles? Thirty, tops. He had never gone that far even as a child. Stayed close to home because his parents didn’t travel. He wished he’d attained all that worldly education he now desperately required. The maps never told him much. Oh, he could find his way from point A to B, but he wasn’t a good judge of terrain or distance, and the maps didn’t tell you where the hotspots were.
When was the last time he had talked aloud? Not to himself, but to a person. Talking to yourself doesn’t count. It just proves you’re crazy. In the early days, lots of people were broadcasting on the radio. All you needed was a radio and a good set of batteries. Slowly, one by one, those voices had faded. The last rumor he’d heard on the airwaves was that there was a stronghold in Denver and another one in Toronto or somewhere north of there. Something about the cold. Well, it’s cold here, and I want to leave. The problem was that both were equally far away, so that was the decision. Tomorrow …
Morning comes, and I begin the way I always start my day—with a fresh cup of coffee. That coffee press was the best thing I ever found. The percolator worked well, but I thought I would get fancy when I saw it at the kitchen store, and I’ve never looked back. And coffee keeps. Sitting on the balcony, watching the sun come up the way it’s come up for millions of years, makes you think how insignificant we are—how insignificant we are becoming, slowly disappearing off the face of the Earth, one by one. What’s that Charlton Heston movie? The Omega Man. That’s what I’ll call myself. Omega. The last.
I go through all my supplies. My stuff. My collection. My life for the last five years. Make two piles: need, don’t need. I-don’t-need pile: books. That’s pretty much it; everything else I need. OK, so now I need to travel light. Only take what I really, really, really need. I start with my guns, then ammo, crossbow, axe, hammer, chisel, screwdriver, another screwdriver, and my Swiss army knife. Now on to the food. I don’t need too much; I’m sure to pick up some along the way, but I need enough to get by for a few days at least. My eyes glance around the room. There’s a lot of stuff here that I wish I could bring. I’m going to miss the pictures. And the reminders. I go outside, light a fire, and smoke a cigar. One of the few things I enjoy doing, I think to myself. It would be easy to become an alcoholic. Alcohol doesn’t go bad. Beer, yes. I’ve had some pretty bad beers in the last little while. Twenty-three-year-old brews are not good, but the whiskey keeps, and the tequila and the rum and the bourbon—and don’t forget the vodka. Like I said, it would be easy to become an alcoholic.
The sun comes up, and it’s time to go. I get into the truck and start it up. It sounds a little rougher than when I first found it—I’m not much of a mechanic. I pull away. I’m not looking back, I say to myself. The roads are fairly clear for the first hour, since I’ve been this way a few times and have made a pass through the rubble, but I wonder when it’s going to start getting cluttered again—unless someone’s been doing the same thing as I have, although I would have seen them. Off in the distance, I can see the crumbling buildings that I never got any closer to than this, not because I was scared but because I didn’t think it was worth it. I approach the on-ramp to the Interstate, and to my surprise, there are no cars. Well, some cars, but they’re in the ditch. Did people just run off the road when it happened?
Pretty uneventful for the first two hours. This was always a sparsely populated area of the country, a few cities here and there, and a whole lot of nothing in between. I see a gas station up ahead, and I pull in. Covers are still on the tanks. I wonder if it’s worth it to get out. Rolling down the passenger-side window, I listen. I think my hearing has become very acute. I don’t want to shut off the engine in case I need to make a getaway. The entrance is far enough away, so I grab my flashlight and risk a look-see down into the tanks. The light reflects off something at the bottom. Kinda smells like gas, but it could be years of water. Not worth the time or effort.
On my way again and the roads are still clearish—have to slow down a bit to get around, but nothing that will put me off schedule. Not that I have a schedule. I take the next off-ramp when it starts to get dark. The population sign says 523, which means that either no one is there anymore, or no one has bothered to loot it because they think it’s not worth it. Little trick I have learned: it is worth it, usually.
The thing about small towns is that everything is centralized. You can hole up in the tallest building (never that tall) and be within walking/running/sprinting distance of pretty much everything you need. Case in point: the main street has a grocery, pharmacy, sporting goods store, and a gas station.
It’s getting late, so I pull into the fire station. Another trick I’ve learned: block off the stairs with as much as possible. Makes for a better night’s sleep, and I’ve never seen them climb. It’s relatively clean, so I lay out my sleeping bag, make sure my gun is ready, and try to get some sleep.
I awake with a start. The noise is so haunting and shrill, I automatically jump up and press up against the wall. Looking out the window, careful not to expose too much, I see several dark shapes darting down the street. My heart is beating so hard I think I can hear it. The shrieks seem to be moving away, but it doesn’t give me much comfort. I wonder if the daylight will be adequate for my foraging tomorrow, or if it would be better to try elsewhere. I think about what I need immediately: Gas? I could last a bit longer, but it’s never worth the risk of running dry. Food? I’m good there. Weapons and ammo? Never enough.
I try to get some rest but sleep never comes. I keep hearing things. Or do I? There is a scraping sound downstairs; I hear a rattle of the cans I put on top of the barricade. Shit, shit, shit. Grabbing my gear, I head up one more flight and look down the opening where the brass pole is. In the dim morning light, I see shadows moving below. I look up too late as a blur is upon me. I duck and roll and feel it soar over me. Smelling the acrid stench, I immediately throw up. Kicking as I crawl towards the pole, I aim my gun and unload the entire clip.
As I turn, I see the bag with all my gear tumble into the opening. It crashes to the ground below, and I see it being dragged away. More noise coming from the stairwell. Why did I leave my home? I start to shake, and I look at the chamber of my gun. I didn’t use them all. There’s one left.
Thank God…
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C’mon, space stuff!Lines by Leon Magnificent Bi-Weekly Newsletter Extravaganza Can it be that good? Only one way to find out.
The 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.
Featured AuthorsFeatured Author: Julia HuniJulia Huni grew up in the Pacific Northwest. After college, she served nine years in the US Air Force. Over the years, she’s been an IT guy, a stay-at-home-mom, a college professor, a NASA executive assistant, a NATO branch director, and that lady at the information desk in a tourist town
Featured Author: Tom Dell’Aringa
Tom Dell’Aringa is a science fiction writer from the Chicago area who loves great characters. Rick Deckard. Dirk Gently. Ellen Ripley. Roland Deschain. You know who these people are, right? His stories have believable worlds populated with people you’ll learn to love – and possibly hate. Either way, his readers call his books “page-turners” for a reason. Each chapter is like the end of that latest Netflix show you are binging… just… one… more
Reads From StoryOrigin and BookFunnel StoryOrigin and BookFunnel allows authors to advertise their books to each other’s audience. I hope you have been able to discover a new favorite!
Kindle Unlimited
Sales/Purchase LinksCurrent promos: Discover New Authors
Review Copies (These are free!)Review copies: Like reviewing books? Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book (poetry or science fiction or both): Leon’s Newsletter
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, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
February 22, 2024
Thursday is Bookday: Reviews that is
Because I tend not to do things conventionally, I’ve started book reviews in the style of some book promotions popular on Instagram and other social media platforms.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
This book was OK. I’ve heard people raving about it. Jimmy Fallon was saying how good it was and using it as a month-long group read-along. I’m sure that generated a few sales for Ms. Zevin.
So, what was it about? Some young university students decide to become game designers and game company founders. But before that, let’s throw in one of Zevin’s countless info-dump flashbacks which are often squeezed so tight in the narrative that you have to stop and make sure you’re in the present again.
It is a story about relationships, flawed of course. Perfect couples don’t make for enthralling reading, do they?
Damaged characters? Sure, physically and mentally. Not all of them, though. The grandparents seemed nice, and a couple of the programmers were unremarkable.
I rated it a 3-star since I couldn’t cut one of the stars in half and I was able to finish it. On Goodreads it has this score:
More readers liked it than hated it. I figure that’s a win.
-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, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
February 21, 2024
Weird Wednesday Feb. 21: A Post Post
One day, many eons ago—
Eons? Really?
Well a few years, but it feels like eons. Anyway, an undetermined amount of time ago, I sat and decided to sketch something. Anything. Turns out, I’m pretty good at drawing posts. Can’t draw people worth a damn, but posts? Sure what the heck, I’ll take that.
For me, the hardest thing to do is to stop drawing before I make that one extra line that wrecks the picture. Oh, “So close”, he says as he tries to erase which only creates a palimpsest of gray.
Palimpsest?
palimpsest: /ˈpaləm(p)ˌsest/ noun: something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form.
Don’t feel bad, I had never heard that word before until I read it in a novel (review coming tomorrow)—
And Tomorrow?
You caught that, huh?
Anyway, I saw the word, and from the context I was able to comprehend it’s meaning (or maybe I had seen that word before) but in the same book it came up again and I wondered, “How many times should an author use a unique word before it seems annoying?”
Turns out for me, twice. Don’t ask me why, but it annoyed me.
-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, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
February 20, 2024
Movie Tuesday: Feb 19
Some movies make you go, “Wow”, and other make you sit back and say, “What the hell was that piece of crap?”. Most fall somewhere in between.
I recently watched The Whale.
Wow.
Brendan Fraser has been in a lot of movies. Over 40 to be exact. He stared in some of those too. Not all of them good.
What? C’mon. Encino Man? Dudley Do Right? Monkeybone? Not good?
Nope. But The Whale?
Wow.
-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, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
February 19, 2024
Music Monday: 1985
There is a radio show on CBC here in Canada that occasionally does a feature called SYNTH: Songs You Need To Hear.
Now, I can’t say to someone, “You’ll like this song” (or book for that matter) because I can’t presume that others will share my taste in music (or books), so it is safer to say, “You might like this” and if they don’t like it, so be it.
Maybe you will find a new favorite.
CBC MUSIC, Central · Mornings with CBC Music
1985. The year I graduated high school. I couldn’t wait to get out of that dead end town. But first there was some music listening to take care of.
My friends and I were still the headbangers of the school, but there was plenty of mainstream music played at school dances, so if you wanted to dance with that girl you had your eye on…you kinda had to go with it.
Corey Hart, seen here doing his best David Duchovny impression had a hit with Never Surrender.
Other good slow songs (headbangers didn’t fast dance, you know) were: I Want to Know What Love Is/Foreigner, Crazy For You/Madonna, and Can’t Fight This Feeling/REO Speedwagon
USA for Africa came out with the fundraiser song We are the World. Not to be outdone, Canadian musicians did what they do best—copy the States—and produced their version of a famine relief fundraiser with Tears are not Enough.
Other notable news: David Lee Roth left Van Halen and released his cover of California Girls and we all thought Van Haven would not survive. Boy, were we wrong. Nice work, Sammy.
In my revisitation of my metal years I have come across many bands I have forgotten (some on purpose because in hindsight they aren’t that good) and not included, so some honorable mentions go to: Raven, W.A.S.P, Celtic Frost, Loudness, Armored Saint, Tokyo Blade, and Hanoi Rocks who did a great cover of a CCR song:
And no, this is not the Green Day song:
I did not know they were a Finnish band until I put this together. I think they were one in the first wave of glam bands because there’s an eerie similarity to Poison (looks and sound) who would put out their first album a year later.
I have to give a shout out to Canadian bands Helix, Anvil, Krokus, Coney Hatch, Kick Axe, and the first Canadian thrash metal band: Razor.
If you are expecting lyrics on this next one, you’ll be disappointed. If you don’t like thrash metal, you probably didn’t listen to the previous one.
Megadeath put out their first album and in no direct relationship it was also the beginning of the end for my thrash metal/metal journey. I bought a few more albums from them and Metallica (Master of Puppets is a great album) but my musical tastes were changing.
Speaking of Metallica, if you think Mechanix by Megadeath bears a resemblance to The Four Horsemen by Metallica, it’s because the music was written by Dave Mustaine before he left the band.
I do want to issue a public apology to my mom and dad. After hearing what I was listening to as a teenager, I appreciate them putting up with me.
Last week I ended with Cyndi Lauper and this week I’ll leave you with another beautiful song from 1985 by ‘Til Tuesday.
What was in store for me in 1986? Hmmm.
-Leon
Want to read more music blogs? Here are some of the ones I follow: Mostly Music Covers, Take it Easy, Beetley Pete, A Sound Day, PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture
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, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
February 17, 2024
Weekend Wrap-up Feb. 17th: Nothing to write about today.
So, here’s what I wrote about this week.
On my blog this week:Weekend Wrap-up Feb. 17th: Nothing to write about today.Free Book Friday Feb. 16: Newest Project Sneak PeekWeird Wednesday Feb. 14: It’s Valentine’s Day (I couldn’t have planned it better)Music Monday: 1984Weekend Wrap-up Feb. 10rd: SwiftyBowl EveHope 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, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
February 16, 2024
Free Book Friday Feb. 16: Newest Project Sneak Peek
Reader often ask: “Do you read all the books that you promote?“* To which I say: “No.”** To which they reply with: “Why not?“***. For my response, which is often never considering this conversation rarely (never) takes place, I say: “Because. That’s a lot of books.”****
I do however look at blurbs, read the sample that most platforms offer, and peruse the reviews. Do I ever refuse a book? Not often, but If I feel it isn’t a match my readers and subscribers would like, then I will politely decline.
I try to offer a variety of books, not just in the genres I write, because most readers don’t stick to one.
My newest project: Euphrates Vanished
My goal for my next book, Euphrates Vanished, is for it to be 50 000 words, thereby classifying it as a novel. My trilogy, if you mash all the books together is also a novel, but since I released each book as a separate novella, I don’t count it as one.
Currently it is the alpha reading stage. The draft is essentially complete, the characters have gone through their trials and tribulations, and the story’s ending has been written, so it is off to a reader I trust to give me their first impressions of it. I hope to learn what areas need more explanation/detail, if there are and glaring continuity errors, or the worst case scenario, if it sucks.
Some of you are probably wondering how to get in on an early sneak peek. I will be looking for beta readers next (I already have some lined up from previous books), which will help me polish the story before sending it to my editor.
After that, The ARCs (Advance Review Copies) will be made available. I’ll be sending out requests in the coming months, so if you are interested, keep an eye out for those emails. I would prefer that you have read The View from Here trilogy (or at least the first one) so I know you are familiar with my style.
So….what’s the new book about?
Well, here is an early mock-up of the book blurb and covers:
“This is not a drill!”
He wakes up to the sound of his alarm and the announcement blaring.
Looking around the room, he realizes he is a member of a starship crew. There’s only one problem: he doesn’t remember who he is or how he got there. With no time to think, he finds his way to the bridge, while being careful not to call attention to his predicament.
The first problem is piecing together the puzzle of his missing memories to reveal his knowledge, rank, and friendships. Another problem is being stranded on an alien planet during his first away mission.
I hope this intrigues you! Feel free to reply to this email with your thoughts.
Leon
*That’s a lie.
**That’s the truth.
***If the first question was a lie, then…
****If all the books I feature were laid end to end, people would probably give me weird looks as I was attempting the feat.
Can it be that good? Only one way to find out.
The 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.
Featured AuthorsFeatured Author: Julia HuniJulia Huni grew up in the Pacific Northwest. After college, she served nine years in the US Air Force. Over the years, she’s been an IT guy, a stay-at-home-mom, a college professor, a NASA executive assistant, a NATO branch director, and that lady at the information desk in a tourist town
Featured Author: Tom Dell’Aringa
Tom Dell’Aringa is a science fiction writer from the Chicago area who loves great characters. Rick Deckard. Dirk Gently. Ellen Ripley. Roland Deschain. You know who these people are, right? His stories have believable worlds populated with people you’ll learn to love – and possibly hate. Either way, his readers call his books “page-turners” for a reason. Each chapter is like the end of that latest Netflix show you are binging… just… one… more
Reads From StoryOrigin and BookFunnel StoryOrigin and BookFunnel allows authors to advertise their books to each other’s audience. I hope you have been able to discover a new favorite!
Kindle Unlimited
Sales/Purchase LinksCurrent promos: Discover New Authors
Review Copies (These are free!)Review copies: Like reviewing books? Try my two poetry collections: Lines by Leon and A Wonder of Words
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book (poetry or science fiction or both): Leon’s Newsletter
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, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
February 14, 2024
Weird Wednesday Feb. 14: It’s Valentine’s Day (I couldn’t have planned it better)
I know what you’re thinking: “What is the origin of Valentine’s Day?” To that I respond, “The real one or the made-up satirical one?” And you say, “The real one please.”
Okie fine.
One day in ancient Rome—which at the time was an Italic settlement (named for the inhabitants who always had a forward lean from plowing the fields) a humble actor, Rudolfus Valentino, still in his costume from his role of Friar Tuck in “Robin Hood, The Musical”, came across two lovers kissing on a park bench—known then as ‘a rock’ since park benches hadn’t been invented yet (DaVinci actually drew several sketches but were accidently burned when he left the hot plate on after making ramen. True story.)
After grabbing a stick and hitting them with it while yelling, “Get a room!” he accidentally stabbed one of the lovers hard enough to draw blood.
“What the hell did you do that for, you old geezer,” the man (we’ll call him Walter) said.
Shocked at the unplanned result, Rudolfus used his rosery as a bowstring to send the incriminating evidence into the river Tiber and fled.
The female (we’ll call her Mabel) was so impressed with Walter’s chivalry that she immediately fell in love. At the wedding reception, one of the groomsmen man incorrectly retold the story—due to being slightly inebriated—saying something along the lines of a monk turning into a flying baby archer.
Mabel, quite embarrassed, turned to Walter and said, “I told you we shouldn’t have invited him.”
True story.
-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, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
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February 12, 2024
Music Monday: 1984
There is a radio show on CBC here in Canada that occasionally does a feature called SYNTH: Songs You Need To Hear.
Now, I can’t say to someone, “You’ll like this song” (or book for that matter) because I can’t presume that others will share my taste in music (or books), so it is safer to say, “You might like this” and if they don’t like it, so be it.
Maybe you will find a new favorite.
CBC MUSIC, Central · Mornings with CBC Music
Cue keyboards?
You can’t talk about 1984 without talking about…
A-Ha’s, Take on Me. (I’ll talk about Van Halen later). It was a ground breaking video, and and singer who could hit some really high notes. And then there was Spinal Tap. Best. Movie. Ever. Best? Well it is a very funny movie, especially for teenagers into heavy metal. Bon Jovi’s first album came out and we all know where that got him.
Then this guy showed up: Yngwie J. Malmsteen. What in the heck was neo-classical metal? We didn’t know but move over Eddie. Play your little synth keyboard if that’s how you think it is to rock. Yeah, we were disappointed in Van Halen, but we had the album.
!984 was a crossroads in heavy metal. You still had the likes of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Dio, and Deep Purple, but thrash metal was starting to take over with Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax to name a few. But there was a thing called Glam coming into popularity, but we won’t go there.
Staying on the radio friendly side of music, Kim Mitchell, formally of Max Webster put out his first solo album, Akimbo Alogo which was a monster.
You can’t beat the catchiness of the riff in this one, and then the bass kicks in. And those video effects…yikes!
A bit more obscure for many, Rick Santers had a hit with I Can’t Shake You. Good guitar playing even if the song is pretty formulaic.
I’ll end off with what I think is one the most beautiful songs…ever. Did I appreciate it them? I think I did, but much more later on.
-Leon
Want to read more music blogs? Here are some of the ones I follow: Mostly Music Covers, Take it Easy, Beetley Pete, A Sound Day, PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture
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, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.
My new book page: http://books.linesbyleon.com/
Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and receive a free book!
Oh, pick me!
C’mon, space stuff!
