Leon Stevens's Blog, page 7
July 29, 2025
Tuesday Atwitter: Whascoin’on?
Where do you get your news? TV? What’s that? Oh, that really big screen. on the wall. Remember when TV’s were small and really, really heavy?
According to stats: “More than half (54%) of people get news from networks like Facebook, X and YouTube”
That’s understandable since so many people have a device that they carry around with them and like Pavlov’s dog, need to respond to the bell because they don’t want to miss anything.
Social media can save lives. Most police and emergency response departments have accounts they use to alert the public of dangerous situations. As much controversy there has been about cellphones in classrooms, the real time information that can be obtained during that many unfortunate school shooting has been beneficial.
Social media can also be used to spread misinformation…but you knew that already, everyone does, right?
Most news outlets have social media feeds, and most people pick their favorite and trust what they see.
10. NBC: Out of all the broadcast networks, why NBC? Probably because of Law & Order. No lying there. And America’s Got Talent? You see it. The talent is right there in front of you.
9. NPR: Funded mostly by private donations, this should ensure well-balanced and unbiased reporting, but the audience demographics show a bit different: 17% Republican, 37% independent, 43% Democratic
8. The Associated Press: We have all seen the initials AP on news stories, and they recently made the news for being booted out of the White House press gallery for refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
7. Reuters: According to Reuters, it is “the world’s largest multimedia news provider” was British but now owned by the Thompson Corporation in Canada.
6. The Wall Street Journal: Owned by Rupert Murdoch, who also owns Trump’s favorite network, Fox, should be in his good books, but recent news stories has changed that and a $10 billion law suit is forthcoming.
5. ESPN: I would think this would be the most trusted because who would make up sports scores?
4. Forbes: Synonymous with business, one can fact check just by looking at the stock ticker.
3. PBS: The Muppets on Sesame Street have told kids for decades to tell the truth, but are now getting evicted from their neighbourhood for spreading woke ideals.
2. BBC: Congrats, the BBC is the second-most trusted news source, probably because the British accent is known to be the most trustworthy sounding. But which one, you ask? According to the 23rd most trusted news source, The Guardian, it’s…well you can google it, but it reminds me of pudding.
1. The Weather Channel: No one has ever planned their outdoor activity based on their weather forecast and have been rained on, right?
-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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July 27, 2025
Songs for a Sunday: Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented.
I tried to find a simple definition of tintinnabuli without to many musical terms like how Elena Tokun—
Who?
I don’t know. Some musicologist who’s sole purpose it to over complicate things by saying stuff like:
“in Pärt’s tintinnabuli music are built on fundamentally different numerical bases – diatonic or polymodal systems. Therefore, they embody a new understanding of simplicity and postulate a new style paradigm of audible simplicity and structural complexity.“
What the…?
The best I can explain is that one melodic line moves in steps (up and/or down) over a single chord creating a meditative or ethereal mood.
I don’t like to tell people how to listen to music but this first piece is best if you just sit back an close your eyes for 10 minutes.
Spiegel im Spiegel (1978) is German for ‘mirror in the mirror’ is a good example of this technique.
Now that that is done, I know you have some house cleaning to do, so get out the duster/polishing cloth (no vacuuming, please, doing dishes is acceptable but run the water first) and see if you can finish in 27 minutes.
-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!
July 26, 2025
Weekend Wrap-up July 26: My Novel (technically)
After a fun week of formatting, I finally finished a task I had set out to do: Put my novella trilogy into a single volume. Why did I do this? The main reason was that Amazon decided they weren’t making enough money off of indie authors so they dropped the royalty rate from 60% to 50% for books under $9.99.
I tried to keep my prices low because I don’t expect people to buy a novella for over $10, so each book is $6.99 which now nets me a royalty of $0.52.
For you math wizzes, I know you have just done the math and it doesn’t work out. 50% of $6.99 is $3.49 1/2. But don’t forget, Amazon doesn’t print it for free and I don’t expect them to. The printing cost is $2.97, which comes out of my royalty.
Now many authors have thought, “Shouldn’t the printing cost come out of the purchase price?”
But remember, Amazon doesn’t want to share the printing cost and would rather have $3.49 rather than $2.01:
(6.99 – 2.97) x .5 = 2.01
So if I sell all three book in my trilogy I get ~$1.56, but If I put the book into one volume…Hmmm.
I still wanted to decrease my printing costs so after reading over each novella (and finding a few minor errors…still. Grrr), I put them into one document, decreased the font size and line spacing to get a 350 page novel that I can price at $14.99, $6 less than having to buy the novellas separately.
With my printing cost now at $4.91, and being able to get the higher royalty, I now will get $4.08 and the reader gets a wonderful novel to read and enjoy.
I just have to wait to get the proof copy delivered to make sure it’s good to go.
-Leon
In case you missed my blog:Weekend Wrap-up July 26: My Novel (technically)Not so Fun Friday: In MemoriumThursday Thoughts: Formatting in Word (and beating your head against a wall)Weird Wednesday: All Aboard!Tuesday Top 10: UNESCO sites in the USAHope 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!
July 25, 2025
Not so Fun Friday: In Memorium
Ozzy Osbourne, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Hulk Hogan, Chuck Mangione, and Felix Baumgartner. We lost a lost of famous people this week.
Everyone knows who Ozzy is. Even if you don’t like heavy metal, pop culture has solidly imbedded him in our lives. Malcolm on the other hand might not ring a bell until you realize he played Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show.
Hulk Hogan? Yeah, you know him as the wrestler and more recently as a supporter of a certain political figure, but he’ll always be the Hulkster to me.
As for Chuck Mangione, unless you are a avid music fan you may not know that he is a famous jazz trumpeter.
Felix Baumgartner? He might be a bit more obscure to the public. He came onto my radar when he took a balloon up to the edge of space (~120 000 feet) and…
Jumped.
You might think that’s what killed him, but no. He made it. But the famous daredevil BASE jumper did die in a paragliding accident.
What I’ve learned about getting older (other than don’t jump out of a space capsule at 120 000 feet) is that the longer you live, the more people you know or are aware of will pass.
Here is some smooth jazz to lighten up the post.
-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!
July 24, 2025
Thursday Thoughts: Formatting in Word (and beating your head against a wall)
[Note: I needed to brush off this post from 2022 due to current events]
Adding page numbers to a Word document.
Does that send shivers up your spine? Induce a feeling of nausea? Make you utter words that you never want to say in front of your mother? Bring on a headache? Cause you to run away screaming or just sit and pull on your hair?
If you answered “Yes” to any of those, then . . . You’re normal.
When I first published my novella, The View from Here, an astute reader of my latest book pointed out that there were no page numbers in my paperback. Well, that was interesting, I said. I never noticed. I can’t remember the late time I noticed (or used) page numbers in a book that I was reading. So, I went into my manuscript, and lo and behold, no page numbers.
My poetry book had them, so why didn’t this book—wait a minute, I chose not to name my chapters, so a Table of Contents would look odd—so maybe that’s was why. Well, that’s easily remedied, I said (see where I’m going with this?).
[Now back to the present]
Now I am currently putting all three of my novellas into one book to create a single edition of the trilogy, because stupid Amazon cut the royalty rates for any books prices under $9.99, and since each novella in the trilogy is a reasonable $6.99, and readers might as well read the whole thing anyway …
So, I open up each document, save the first book as “Trilogy Compete Volume 2025” then just copy and paste each of the others and voila, a complete mess when it comes to page numbers.
Now, what did I do that last time? Oh, yeah, I wrote this handy cheat sheet.
Here is a handy guide to adding page numbers to a Word document:
Take a deep breath and do what makes sense (A)Doing “A” produces result “B”Result “B” is not what you wantedReading the help menu directs you to do “A” but only if action “C” is selectedFollowing step 3 produces result “D”, but numbers start on the wrong pageRepeating step 3 produces a different result entirelyUsing you preferred search engine, spend an hour locating everyone else in the world with the same problem.Read “Easy steps to insert page numbers in Word.”Yell at screen, “That’s what I did!”Try something else and get something else which looks close but numbers start at “1” and disappear on subsequent pages.Do a sequence of steps that you will never be able to repeat and marvel that all the page numbers are there, but—you didn’t want to start on the very first page, but the page with chapter 1.Following more research, create a “section break” which, if the instructions are correct, should solve the problem.That doesn’t solve the problem, but does result in two sections with both interlocking and independent connections.Take a deep breathNo, Deeper.Do everything you just read in every permutation possible until—Hey, there they are. Roman numeral for the first 6 pages, then regular starting on chapter 1.Stop. Save the document. Push chair gingerly backwards as to not disturb the desk. Stand up and walk away.-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!
July 23, 2025
Weird Wednesday: All Aboard!
My first introduction to Ozzy Osbourne was the iconic riff from the song Crazy Train. Even if you don’t like heavy metal, you know it.
“All Aboard!! Ha ha ha ha.“
Do do. Do do, do do, Do do.
“I, I, I.”
Okay. I’ll spare you the phonetic rendition of one of the greatest heavy metal songs of all time.
As newly teened teenagers, there was nothing better than playing air guitar to this song. Not to mention that all of our parents hated him. And he bit the head off of a bat!
I may have heard some Black Sabbath sounds before 1980, but I can’t recall. My only access to music was rural AM radio, which wasn’t known for anything other than top 40 pop, rock, and disco.
When I got an electric guitar, I learned to play the opening of Smoke on the Water and then the opening Crazy Train. I was the king of playing intros, don’t ya know.
He was known for his onstage antics, excessive drug and alcohol use, and was always a target from religious groups for being satanic. The world got a different view when his reality show “The Osbournes” aired.
At the age of 76, weeks after his final concert delivered sitting on a black throne, The “Prince of Darkness” passed away from years of hard living compounded by Parkinson’s disease.
He will be missed.
-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
July 22, 2025
Tuesday Top 10: UNESCO sites in the USA
UNESCO is the United Nations organization that promotes cooperation in education, science, culture and communication to foster peace worldwide.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.
The United States Has 24 of the world’s 1248 heritage sites. Here are just a few:
Grand Canyon: A vast canyon carved by the Colorado River.Yellowstone National Park: Famous for its geysers, hot springs, and wildlife.Mesa Verde: Well-preserved Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings.Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: active volcanoes and diverse volcanic landscapes.Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site: An important Mississippian settlement.The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright: A collection of Wright’s iconic buildings.Yosemite National Park: Known for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, and giant sequoia trees. Independence Hall: A historic building where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed.Everglades National Park: Known for its unique subtropical ecosystem. Statue of Liberty: A symbol of freedom and democracy.But wait. Didn’t the President just withdraw the US from UNESCO? You bet your ass he did. Why?
According to a White House statement:
“President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO — which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November.”
You know what? Canada will take all those of your hands.
-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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July 21, 2025
Music Monday: Lous and the Yakuza
Marie-Pierra Kakoma, known professionally as Lous and the Yakuza, is a Congolese-Belgian singer, rapper, songwriter, model, and artist. She rose to prominence after the release of her debut single “Dilemme” in September 2019, which was followed by “Tout est gore” in December 2019 and “Solo” in March 2020.
All but one of the songs are in French and no, I don’t know what the lyrics say.
“Aren’t you Canadian? Don’t you have to learn French?”
Well, yeah. We have to learn it in school, but once you graduate you are no longer required to use it. Would I have like to be more proficient? Of course, but unless you have the opportunity to speak it on a regular basis, the fluency tends to fade over time.
You mean, “Utilisez-le ou perdez-le?”
Exactement.
-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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July 20, 2025
Songs for a Sunday: Mariel Buckley
According to her website:
Unapologetically genuine, wry, hard-headed and soft-hearted – Mariel Buckley has planted her flag firmly as a songwriter who’s in it for the long haul. She aims to find herself squarely on the fringes and exactly where she belongs: singing songs for the underdog. Her candor and magnetic live show have been charming listeners since her debut album, Driving In The Dark in 2018, and the critically acclaimed, genre-defying follow-up, Everywhere I Used To Be in 2022.
-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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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
July 19, 2025
Weekend Wrap-up July 19: Streaks and Lies (and really fat rodents)
I had a good streak going. 35 days of blogging. Not too bad.
I was going to do a Tuesday Top 10 list of lies (untruths) that Trump has spouted but that was too easy. Then for Wednesday I was going to post a picture of a fat marmot.
I’d like to see that!
Okay then.
How about those lies?
Okay then.
Trump told a story about his uncle teaching Ted Kazinski at MIT (which he did not. Kazinski went to Harvard). He asked his uncle about teaching the Unibomber to which his uncle “said” he was very smart and always correcting everyone.
The problem there is that Trump’s uncle died years before Kazinski was named as the Unibomber.
Trump was complaining about Jerome Powell’s opulent renovation of the Federal Reserve building, saying that he’s making it into a palace to live in (No one lives in the Federal Reserve building). He said this while sitting in the Oval Office he renovated with gold everywhere.
Now you tell me, who wants to live in a palace?
-Leon
In case you missed my blog:Weekend Wrap-up July 19: Streaks and Lies (and really fat rodents)Sci-Fi Friday: Is Science Fiction Funny?Thursday Thoughts: World Emoji DayTuesday Top 10: Dog FactsMusic Monday: Random SongHope 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
