John C.A. Manley's Blog, page 9

42x Increase in Childhood Mortality: I thought this was hyperbole at first

Blazing Reader,

Last week, my friend Wolfgang Wurzbacher (co-owner of Pfenning's Organic & More) told me he'd read that Europe has seen a 42x increase in childhood mortality since the COVID-19 shot rolled out.

I initially thought he'd meant a 42% increase — as a 40% increase in death has generally been seen in most countries since the clot shot started circulating in people's bloodstreams.

After all, 42 times more children dying sounded like a phenomenon that would be impossible to sweep under the "coincidence" carpet.

But then I realized, childhood deaths are rare. All adults die, but most children don't. A 42x increase in adult deaths would probably wipe out the planet. But a 42x increase in the death of little ones would be hard to notice.

Wolfgang later sent me a link to the data, showing that so far this year there has been an excess of 442 childhood deaths in 26 European countries (Ukraine was intentionally excluded from the death toll for obvious reasons).

442 excess deaths, spread over 26 countries and six months might not be immediately noticeable.

Thank God for statistics and the honest journalists at Expose News: https://expose-news.com/2024/08/30/42x-increase-in-excess-deaths-among-children-in-europe-recorded-since-covid-jab-was-approved-for-children-compared-to-pre-jab-levels/

Stay sane & read great books,
John C.A. Manley

Butterfly 9/11

Blazing Reader,

Two years ago, on September 11, 2022, my late wife didn't show up for her thrice-weekly dialysis treatment. Nicole's kidneys had failed eleven years earlier. Eleven years of having her blood removed from her body, filtered and pumped back in was enough for her. She was done with dialysis. Nine days later she passed away, at home, in my arms, about as peaceful as one could be going face-to-face with the Grim Reaper.

I didn't take it peacefully. A butterfly of shock and horror still flutters in the centre of my chest when I think of those last days.

On her final day of dialysis, she went out to the Shakespearean Gardens, in our town of Stratford, Ontario, to release a caged monarch butterfly newly emerged from its cocoon. The video of this decisive moment has been one of the more popular on my YouTube channel. You can view it here: https://youtu.be/xH3FB-RQKDA?si=nZHUkAaumV8V-eCV&t=177

In the background, as the butterfly takes flight, you can see the local jailhouse. Nicole said stopping dialysis felt like she had ended a prison sentence. She believed death would only give her soul wings to fly free like that butterfly.

John C.A. Manley

"The heart hardly has a chance to get around one thing before..."

Blazing Reader,

Two weeks ago, the day before my mother went into ICU, I gave a proof of my forthcoming novel to my neighbour Karen Goldthorp. She's a sweet, grandmotherly lady who thoroughly enjoyed Much Ado About Corona, yet whom I felt certain would not take well to All the Humans are Sleeping. I suspected it would be way too dystopian for her.

The next day, I had just arrived home around 5 pm from the ICU to make some dinner and head back to the hospital. That's when Karen called. I was expecting her to tell me that my new novel was just too dark and she couldn't continue.

My concerns were not mere conjecture. A year ago, I had lent her a copy of Wool — a fantastic dystopian novel by Hugh Howey — and she couldn't read past the first few chapters.

However, with All the Humans are Sleeping, she told me she had read all 65,000 words in one sitting.

"It was such a page-turner," she told me on the phone. "I couldn’t put it down. So action-filled. The heart hardly has a chance to get around one thing before... oh my God, what’s going to happen next? Loved the ending. Left me wanting to read book two."

Well, that was a pleasant surprise.

I guess I added enough humour, humanity and hope that it relieved the dystopian weight of the story.

Here's a photo of Karen in the chair in which she completed her marathon read, holding her proof of All the Humans are Sleeping (complete with the "Not for Resale" strip across the cover):

https://blazingpinecone.com/news/2024/09/09/#photo

Stay sane & read great books,
John C.A. Manley

P.S. With my Mom's passing (and other mishaps) I'm delaying the release of All the Humans are Sleeping until later this fall. But I have released the cover, which you can view here (without the "Not for Resale" strip): https://blazingpinecone.com/news/2024/08/15/

Two weeks of intense karma

Blazing Reader,

It's been an intense two weeks:

On Saturday, August 17, my mother (who lived down the street) was admitted to ICU with end-stage lung disease.

The following Wednesday, she passed away at 12:20 am with me at her bedside (see My oldest proofreader is dying).

The same day, my assistant and housekeeper fell sick, followed by a serious accident on Sunday, resulting in a hospital stay.

With her out of commission, I suddenly found myself caring for her three-year-old daughter (who is super adorable).

I went from caring for a woman at the end of her life to caring for a little girl at the beginning of hers. It's nice to stay balanced.

My impromptu babysitting was followed by a trip to the big city for my mother's visitation, funeral and burial.

Getting back home on Wednesday, I discovered my assistant won't be able to return to work and I need to find a replacement.

And then yesterday morning, while running, I was leaping over a bench — you never know when you might need to do this (see chapter "91. COVID Breakout" of Much Ado About Corona) — and I landed on a hidden log, which rolled forward, causing me to sprain my ankle.

As a result of all these mishaps, I must delay the release of my next novel, All the Humans are Sleeping. While I could hustle and get the book proofed and formatted by the September 11th release date, I would not have time to finish the promotional material. Plus, I have an eerie feeling my run of intense karma hasn't fizzled out yet.

So scratch off September 11th on your calendar and I'll let you know when All the Humans are Sleeping will be available.

Stay sane & read great books,
John C.A. Manley

PS I have over 200 emails in my inbox and will respond to everybody soon. Thank you to anyone sending condolences about my Mom's death. You can see a picture of her and read her obituary here: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/brampton-on/barbara-manley-11950704

"...in the dark and in the glow..."

Blazing Reader,

From Martin Kerr's song, "Blissful Lands":

Now I'm above and I'm below
I′m the river and I′m the flow
I'm closer to you than you know
I′m in the dark and in the glow
I'm closer to you than you know

My mother listened to this song over and over again on Tuesday, as she prepared to "shuffle off this mortal coil."

Martin Kerr was my late wife's favourite folk singer-songwriter. He released this song six months after her passing. It sounded so much like how Nicole talked about the afterlife, I can't help believe she had an angelic hand in it composition.

You can click here to listen to "Blissful Lands" on Martin Kerr's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaMhgMmwHg0

Stay sane & listen to great folk music,
John C.A. Manley

Wrestling the Angel of Death

Blazing Reader,

My mother passed away this morning at 12:20 am while I was holding her hand and stroking her hair. Forty minutes earlier, she had decided to discontinue the life support she had been on since entering the intensive care unit four long days ago.

She said to me that she realized she was putting herself through purgatory only to delay heaven. She also said it was "such a joke" the doctors were playing on her — pretending she could somehow survive.

Unlike my wife's passing — which seemed like she grew wings and flew away — my mother's transition felt like she was wrestling the Angel of Death.

As painful as it was watching this literal fight to the death, the feeling of peace Mom exuded when she breathed her last was worth the entire ordeal.

For the last hours of her life, we listened to this wonderful playlist of classical music selected specifically for "dying softly" — including works of Handel, Mozart, Schubert, Vivaldi and Brahms. These haunting masterpieces were what ushered my mother to the other side: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcjv7nKYDsk

I love you, Mom and hope you're having a great time in the great beyond.

John C.A. Manley

My oldest proofreader is dying

Blazing Reader,

My mother was the first person to proofread any of my writings — beginning with my retelling of the The Three Little Pigs in grade two. Fast forward to 2022, she was one of the final proofreaders of my 500-page novel, Much Ado About Corona — catching a subtle but significant typo that passed the radar of the seven other proofreaders.

Mom was eager to review the proof of my next novel, All the Humans are Sleeping. But when I brought it to her on Thursday she was down with a bad cough and feeling rotten. By Friday her condition was much worse. On Saturday morning, she was rushed to the hospital and quickly transferred to intensive care, where she has been since.

Instead of her reading the proof, I've been reading All the Humans are Sleeping to her amidst the beeping and frequent interruptions of ICU. I'm not sure if she'll hear the end of it — at least not from this side of the grave.

As the opening dedication of the novel says, addressed to my late wife, "I sure hope you can read books in heaven."

You can see a pic of me and my (at the time) 77-year-old mother and her reaction to my first novel here: https://blazingpinecone.com/news/2023-05-04/

Stay sane & read great books,
John C.A. Manley

Integrating "fantasy and reason, dragons and science"

Blazing Reader,

Over on her Fictionosophy Substack, Angelica Walker-Werth reviews a fantasy series I'd never heard of before but have now added to the top of my gotta-read-it list: The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan.

Here's how Angelica (a self-proclaimed objectivist) describes this story about the study of dragons:

&qout;The Memoirs of Lady Trent integrate fantasy and reason, dragons and science, adventure and personal growth, passion and perseverance. Its tale is benevolent, exhilarating, and fascinating, and it grapples with moral and political questions without becoming dark or dreary. For explorers of both the intellectual and the fantastical persuasion, it’s a fabulous read.&qout;

You can read her full book review at: https://fictionosophy.substack.com/p/the-memoirs-of-lady-trent-by-marie

Stay sane & read great books,
John C.A. Manley

"Excellent creepy artwork"

Blazing Reader,

With Thursday's post, I released the new cover for my next novel, All the Humans are Sleeping — created by Washington State's most dissident fine artist, Jordan Henderson.

Here's some feedback from readers:

“Excellent creepy artwork. I think the cover art is brilliant and evokes a feeling of the vulnerability inherent in our humanness.” —Gwyneth Cann, Quebec

“That front cover is striking to the maximum.” —Dr. Gary Magder, Ontario

“That's a fantastic cover, Jordan really is a gifted artist. I love the gripping artwork.” —Jeanette Thiessen, British Columbia

"Henderson's image is quite striking... even powerful.” —Pete Toccaline, Ontario

"Brilliant! I love the artwork! Please tell Jordan he's done a fantastic job, and evoked exactly the right feel for your new book." — Mary Radder

And here I was concerned people would find it too horrifying.

If you haven't seen it yet, you can view it the creepy cover here: https://blazingpinecone.com/news/2024/08/15/

Stay sane & read books with great covers,
John C.A. Manley

P.S. When All the Humans are Sleeping is released on September 11th, I'm hoping I can talk Jordan into joining me for the book launch webinar, where we'll share earlier versions and sketches and explain we brainstormed the concept.

P.P.S. Until then, check out my video interview with Jordan Henderson (back in 2021) in which we took a detailed look at his narrative painting exposing the vaccine slaughterhouse, titled Sheep, Shepherds and a Goat at: https://blazingpinecone.com/new-normal-wolves/

Worldwide unveiling of the cover to my next novel, All the Humans are Sleeping

Blazing Reader,

Here's a photo of Jordan Henderson working away at the cover art to my forthcoming novel, All the Humans are Sleeping: https://blazingpinecone.com/news/2024/08/15/

John C.A. Manley