Gerald Everett Jones's Blog: Gerald Everett Jones - Author, page 27
November 5, 2023
Searching for Jonah - The Disruptive History Version
My father, Donald Everett Jones, wrote this disruptive book, although the implications of its conclusions may still be apparent mainly to students of theology. It's a brilliant analysis of the Bible story, with some startlingly original insights about what might have really happened, including the strange story of Jonah's being protected in Nineveh by a gourd that grew overnight. Through linguistic analysis and some clever inference, Dad realized that the “gourd” was a coded message about Jonah’s alliance with the pro-Israel Assyrian rebel faction led by Apliya. The gourd reference is a pun on the insurgent leader’s name, Apu-lilu, or "son of the night."
Here’s the story behind the story…Although not published until after Dad had suffered a debilitating stroke, he recognized his name on the cover, and he may have known his caregivers were speaking about him when they bragged about “our author in residence.”
Dad was trained as a chemical engineer. Having experienced the privations of the Great Depression as a child and then the stresses of WWII as a naval officer, when the war was over, he chose a career with an oil company that promised a stable income so he could support a family.
But all through his adult life, he was something of a closeted history professor, and he developed a fascination for Biblical archaeology. Over the years while I was growing up, he’d occasionally mention he was working on a book, usually providing no explanation about its subject. I eventually learned he’d formed an unusual interpretation of the Book of Jonah, including the notion that the prophet was a Hebrew diplomat on a secret mission to Assyria, where his story about surviving a shipwreck caused local storytellers to assume he was the incarnation of an ancient seafaring god.
November 1, 2023
Mystery Writers Panel Recording
Click this link to the IWOSC site to buy ($20 for nonmembers, $5 for members) a recording of this thought-provoking 90-minute webinar.
From cozy to crime, from gore to love betrayed, what is it about all these ways of storytelling that makes them shelved as mysteries? We convene a panel of experienced and prize-winning mystery authors to explore the vast possibilities of this super-genre. As authors and publishers ourselves, we want to know what works and what doesn’t, where to start, and—oh, my!—where and how someone ended it all!
Join us for a full and frank exchange of views, stimulated by queries such as:
Facing the blank page, how might the approach to a mystery differ from, say, writing a memoir or an investigative journalism piece?
What are the distinctions among mystery, thriller, and suspense?
Can a cozy be violent or profane? Can hard-boiled crime be in any way soft? Can dark give hope?
Should we be careful about cultural influences, references, and descriptions?
Must we always start with a dead body?
How thoroughly do you (must you) research? And how?
Okay, give us the scoop. How do you promote a mystery?
Can a standalone mystery be successful, or is developing a series a “must” these days?
Meet our panelists:P. L. Hampton
Emerging Dark Fiction
Phillip draws readers into a world of family, ancient artifacts, and the hidden shadows of the past. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Hampton now serves as a college professor while also pursuing his JD, balancing his academic pursuits with his passion for writing.
His novel, Shadowland, weaves authentic familial lore with intriguing historical truths. Inspired by real events, this gripping tale centers around the mysterious Yoruba Divination Board, an artifact that spirals Aaron Langford and his family into an inescapable path. Hampton skillfully blends fact and fiction, inviting readers to ponder the origins and workings of this central artifact while immersing them in the Langford family’s unanticipated journey.
Before turning to academia and writing, Hampton spent nearly twelve years navigating various sectors of the finance industry, gaining experiences that undoubtedly shape his richly layered narratives. Currently residing in San Diego with his wife, Tonya, he continues to explore the fascinating intersection of history and horror in his works.
Pamela DuMondCozy, Historical Fantasy, Psychological
Pam is a USA Today bestselling author of over thirty-five novels, including cozy mysteries, romance, historical fantasy, and psychological thrillers.
A recent release from this prolific author is The Case of the Sugar Plum Shenanigans in her Cheesehead Lodge mystery series.
She pitched the real-life Erin Brockovich Story to Jersey Films. “Erin Brockovich” the movie was nominated for four Academy Awards, and Pam was featured on “ABC 20/20.”
She’s written visual novels /interactive games for Pixelberry Studios, and worked with TV/Movie producers developing Film/TV adaptations and scripts. Her books have been optioned for Film/TV, licensed for games, and foreign translations.
She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she consumes audiobooks, swims like a mermaid, and is bossed around by cats.
Connect with Pamela on her website pameladumond.com.
Marvin J. WolfViolence, Intrigue, and Rabbinic Wisdom
Marv is a distinguished past president of IWOSC who began his career as a photojournalist and investigative reporter. He has written hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles and authored, co-authored, or ghost-authored twenty-five books, including novels, history, biography, true crime, and business.
Wolf understands human conflict, its means and its motivations. He spent more than three years in the US Army infantry, rising to sergeant by his nineteenth birthday. After two years in line units, he became an instructor in hand-to-hand combat at Fort Benning’s Infantry School. During the Berlin Wall Crisis of 1961, he served as a drill instructor at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina.
His Rabbi Ben mystery series fuses his religious heritage with intricate plots. He describes M-9, one of his edgy Chelmin and Spaulding CID mysteries, as “like being in the front seat of the world’s wildest roller coaster… When you hit that last page, you get the feeling of, ‘Ah man, this can’t be the end already.’”
He lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his adult daughter and two neurotic Chihuahuas.
Read more about Marv at marvinjwolf.com.
Gerald Everett Jones, Host
Among Gerald’s thirteen novels (so far) are the award-winning Preacher Evan Wycliff mysteries. His “Thinking About Thinking” Substack series muses on all things literary, and he’s the host of the GetPublished! Radio podcast. He’s a longtime member of IWOSC and serves on our board.
Click this link to the IWOSC site buy ($20 for nonmembers, $5 for members) a recording of this thought-provoking 90-minute webinar.
Feed your curiosity with a paid subscription to this Thinking About Thinking blog. You’ll gain access to all the content that’s here, and you’ll be helping us build our worldwide community through storytelling and self-expression.
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October 31, 2023
Book Review - 'Final Warning: Return of the Neanderthals' by David Drum
David Drum is a longtime friend and colleague. At various times we’ve served on the board of the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC).
I was a beta reader of his previous novel Heathcliff: The Lost Years. It’s a sequel to Wuthering Heights, and I expected a dark romance. But in recounting the details of Heathcliff’s disappearance, Drum gave us instead a seafaring yarn reminiscent of Master and Commander, combined with bitter depictions of the slave-trade brutality and British mercantilist greed.
The cover of Final Warning suggests a broad-scope science-fiction adventure, and the book is every bit of that. I was surprised to see this genre from this author, but then I reflected how Margaret Atwood turned a corner from literary to dystopian fiction in The Handmaid’s Tale, then into sci-fi with Oryx and Crake. Like Atwood as in Drum’s historical novel, the brooding social themes are there in Final Warning, just beneath the surface - including the destiny of human evolution and the fatal consequences of unchecked avarice.
Final Warning - improbable fiction with real-world consequences. Released today!
The engine of the plot kick-starts when scientists stumble upon a group of Neanderthals. To complicate matters, powerful interests in the developed world are bent on exploiting the find, compounded by their misuse of a new telecommunications technology. Oh, and if this mashup isn’t bizarre enough, there are elements of extraterrestrial visitation, Wiccan traditions, and Celtic prophesies.
Humor is clearly the intent of the entertainment. Brooding on the fate of human civilization would be all too gloomy if it weren’t so amusing.
Final Warning: Return of the Neanderthals is released today, October 31, available in Kindle and paperback here.
Feed your curiosity with a paid subscription to this Thinking About Thinking blog. You’ll gain access to all the content that’s here, and you’ll be helping us build our worldwide community through storytelling and self-expression.
October 22, 2023
Book Teaser: 'Get the Cheese: Let the Other Mouse Go First!' by Damian Andrews
My friend and colleague from Oz, Damian Andrews, will be releasing this new book, which may get shelved with self-help, business how-to, and personal development. But its perspective is wiser than those trivial labels. It will take a book-length discussion and a series of amusing fables to describe what demotivational motivation means and how it can not only support your life and goals but also enrich your relationships with friends, associates, and community.
There’s More CheeseThe complete book is set for release in November 2023. Damian’s unconventional marketing approach offers you the opportunity to be a “pre-release purchaser.” Having downloaded the pre-release chapters, you can start reading right away. Then, on or after the release date, you can claim a discount for the full book.
So, want Cheese before everyone else?Send an email to iwantcheese@damianandrews.com if you want an early sample of Get the Cheese: Let the Other Mouse Go First!
For more information, the Amazon book page is here.
Here’s a teaser…
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” - William Shakespeare“Why read this memoir?” asked Kali the QuokkaSince the dawn of our existence—well, our thinking existence—we’ve been curious. We had an inherent need to understand, to grow, and to find meaning. Life is a symphony. The chords of motivation push you forward. You dream big, you want more, and your passions fuel your desires.
It’s not always a smooth road. Doubts, challenging beliefs, and questioning your worthiness can plague you. This could be minor bumps in the road or massive, locked, and fortified steel gates blocking your path.
Yet, what if those negative obstructions were actually your greatest source of inspiration? Is it only a matter of perspective? Could internal and external conflict end with a deeper understanding? One that questions holding onto your prejudices?
Take the title of this book. “Get the Cheese. Let the other mouse go first!” Does it mean strategic patience, learning from others’ mistakes, and being innovative? Or does it mean opportunism, lack of initiative, and over-caution?
Our evolutionary survival has often hinged on identifying something as ‘good’ and ‘bad’. Tasty, nutritious berries evoke a different response than a sabre-tooth tiger. No, “Here, kitty, kitty” uttered back then. As we evolved, the ability to organise vast amounts of “information served us well. We made decisions faster. Simplifying the process of categorising information gave us a greater chance of survival.
We developed a broader thinking capacity. We wondered why we were here and what the purpose and meaning of life is. Finding purpose helps you feel significant. It keeps you from feeling lost in chaos and randomness. Moral and ethical frameworks came next. These helped guide your behaviour. Fostering shared values gives you a sense of belonging and identity.
Control and predictability come from categorising events and actions into understandable frameworks. Do A, and you get a kiss on the cheek. Do B, and your backside feels the sensation of a stinging slap. Plus, shared beliefs about right and wrong enrich unity, trust, and direction. This promotes cooperation and reduces conflict.
Throughout history, stories have imparted life’s lessons. Stories connect you and provide understanding, often tempered with emotional resonance. Their entertainment provides you with a temporary escape from mundaneness and stress. The lessons from stories help you make sense of the world. They provide inspiration and motivation. Plus, they give you an opportunity to reflect and grow.
The stories that follow aim to encourage questions. Are those things that discourage you actually holding you back? Instead, could they be the very key to your most profound growth?
Get the Cheese. Let the Other Mouse Go First! is an invitation to experience the world from a unique perspective.
Feed your curiosity with a paid subscription to this Thinking About Thinking blog. You’ll gain access to all the content that’s here, and you’ll be helping us build our worldwide community through storytelling and self-expression.
October 18, 2023
Book Review: 'Mixed Blood' by Tim Warren McGlue
First, by way of introduction, I must disclose that I was Tim McGlue’s roommate in Paris during l’epoque des barricades in 1968. We weren’t activists. Our group of underclassmen from Wesleyan’s College of Letters was nominally registered at the Sorbonne, but we took classes with tutors, including Roland Barthes, who became famous as the father of semiotics. Most of that, including reasons for the student riots, was over our heads at the time. We probably thought the unrest was a protest against the war in Vietnam. Back then, Americans sometimes received an indifferent reception in France because - having recently abandoned their own stake in Indochina - the French seemed offended by the notion that U.S. troops kept trying where theirs had failed. It turned out - and I don’t remember when I learned this - that the protests were mainly a rebellion against the aristocratic track system of the University of Paris, which not only favored the wealthy but also placed them in cushy jobs after graduation.
Sound familiar?
Available in paperback and ebook from Polyverse Publications and booksellers worldwide.
Anyhow, McGlue, who hails from Indianapolis, unaccountably was wonderfully fluent in French. I’d had several years of study myself, but I could barely get a few words out. My short stature and dark features made me look like a Belgian or a Brit if the locals caught my atrocious accent. But my friend was tall and sandy-haired, sporting cowboy boots and corduroys. When they heard his mellifluous speech, amazingly, he was “un cowboy de Far West qui parle couramment!”
Ah, yes. Enough of personal history.
McGlue has thoroughly researched the life and work of his nineteenth-century forebear, William W. Warren, who grew up on the edge of the western frontier, son of an Ojibwe mother and a white trader father. As historical fiction, Mixed Blood: Last Winter in America is both earnest and ambitious - coming in at 498 pages.
Besides coping with his mixed-race parentage, Warren’s world is colored by the U.S. government's forced removal of Native Americans from their ancestral lands in 1850s Minnesota, as it had been occurring in the Midwest for decades.
Warren's learning both Ojibwe and English languages and embracing the traditions of both cultures cast him in the role of interpreter and mediator between the Ojibwe and the white settlers.
At the heart of the narrative lies the tragedy of Sandy Lake, a pivotal event that forces Warren to confront the harsh reality that progress, as defined by the U.S. government, must not be halted. Unfulfilled promises of food and annuities result in hundreds of Ojibwe deaths from starvation, disease, and exposure. This crisis prompts Warren to believe that safeguarding the oral traditions of his community must be his life’s mission.
The novel's crux is Warren's decision to embark on a perilous journey to collect and record the oral histories of the Ojibwe elders. His manuscript, History of the Ojibway People, becomes a beacon of hope in the face of cultural erasure. His journey to New York during a harsh winter becomes a symbolic struggle against failing health, his own laudanum addiction, and societal bigotry.
The novel masterfully describes Warren's challenges as he struggles to find his identity, race, culture, and history. Predictably, Warren's publishers reject his manuscript. White culture has no wish to hear versions of history as told by the vanquished.
Sound familiar?
The novel recounts Warren's untimely death in 1853, marking the end of a dedicated individual who strived to preserve his tribe's legacy. However, the recovery of his lost manuscript eventually completes his mission. Published in 1887, History of the Ojibway People became prominent by offering a unique perspective from the words of Ojibwe grandfathers.
The existence of Warren’s book is not a fiction contrived by McGlue to tell a story. It’s hardly surprising today to read its catalog descriptions, which point out that indigenous people may disagree with Warren’s account.
Let the debates continue!
Historical fiction is all about today. Contemporary minds look back on events through lenses colored by everything that has happened since. We might identify with our forebears, but we can only guess at their thoughts as if translating from some obscure tongue.
McGlue's narrative resonates with themes of courage, sacrifice, resilience, and the determination to preserve a unique and valuable culture.
Why should we care about history - especially the painful incidents that might make us cringe?
Anyone who thinks seriously about thinking knows the answer.
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October 15, 2023
Book Review: 'The Marriage Plot' by Jeffrey Eugenides
These days it’s the billionaire boyfriend or the rockstar, but the arc of the romantic love story is much the same as it was in Jane Austen’s era:
If she doesn’t get the guy, she’s toast.
I wrote this review years ago and posted it on Goodreads. It has stimulated a long discussion thread and 242 Likes. This book and The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes have made me think about thinking more than perhaps any others.
A theory of semiotics suggests that we wouldn't have notions of romantic love if we hadn't been told stories about it.
Masterful on many levels.
At first I wasn't drawn to any of the three characters in the love triangle - Madeleine, Leonard, and Mitchell. Each seemed deeply flawed, and they are. Except you read along and find that Eugenides thinks we all are, just as deeply in our unique ways, and are none the lesser for it. That's the way people are, and the way life goes. We stumble through it, thinking we are somehow in control, and it's what happens nevertheless while we are furiously busy making other plans, or simply fretting about making up our minds.
October 11, 2023
My name is Gerald and I'm a book addict
Forget to eat. Yes, that’s true enough. I’m most productive in the morning, but I rarely miss breakfast, starting with strong coffee. Working through lunch is a real risk. But forgetting to pee or stand can be downright uncomfortable. If stressed, neglecting to stand while peeing is permissible, perhaps mandatory, depending.
Love a rainy day.When I lived Back East, I did like those chilly, rainy days with a log on the fire and perhaps a blanket around me in the easy chair. Now that I live Hollywood-adjacent, rainstorms are infrequent but tend to be of biblical proportions, followed by muck and mudslides. At the very least, I’ll be too worried about roof leaks to muster the required attention span for anything longer than a blog post.
Picture my dream home with shelves?My Kindle can hold a thousand books. I have LPs, CDs, and DVDs in storage. I don’t know what to do with them. Practically all of those discs have scratches, so they’re hardly collectible or salable. I could try donating to a school, but then their question would be, “What are these?” I could try finding a library, but then Siri would ask, “What’s a library?”
Book better than the movie?Almost always, yes. But in the case of just about all of the screen renderings of John le Carré’s novels (The Night Manager, the most recent) - very nearly as good as. Bestselling novelist James Patterson admitted in his Masterclass that only two of his mysteries have been made into movies, and for one of those, the producer kept only the title. I can remember at least one other time they used just the title: The Joy of Sex was a movie inspired by a derivative how-to book, its title borrowed from The Joy of Cooking.
Dream of book worlds.As for me, not so much. I’m chilled when a fictional book world seems truer than my reality, when a story makes me pay attention to what I may have been missing all around me. But I will say that fantasy reality seems to be particularly effective at helping tweens escape into safe, alternate worlds where they can learn to contend with monsters and demons that stand in for the genuinely fearsome bullies in their daily lives.
No chance of recovery?Oh, I don’t know. When your friend publishes a book you fear may be better than any of yours, you may stop reading and start to write.
Or, drink enough, you’ll pass out and at least get some rest.
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October 8, 2023
Mystery, thriller, or suspense?
The reviewer here seems to appreciate picking up on clues, making guesses, and ultimately finding out (sometimes on the last page) what happened, who did it, or why - or any and all of those deliberately missing elements.
A mystery may be a puzzle that craves a solution.
Suspense - especially the way Alfred Hitchcock defined it - has the audience knowing more than the victim or the investigator - and tantalized by anticipating when the lethal blow will be delivered.
Anticipating and guessing may be thrilling. But perhaps a thriller need not be either mysterious or suspenseful. In the entertainment business, at least, thriller as a genre implies violence.
All three elements are likely to be stirred into a potboiler.
Perhaps these genre labels are most useful to bewildered librarians and booksellers who must decide what goes where on their crowded shelves.
Next question: Is literary fiction an oxymoron or simply redundant?
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October 3, 2023
Kindle free today only
Are you considering a shape-shifting, role-switching lifestyle change? Moira steps out of the courtroom and onto a stadium concert stage.
Amazon has also reduced the paperback price.
Best of all the indies and the Big Five novels submitted in the Romantic Comedy category.
Feed your curiosity with a paid subscription to this Thinking About Thinking blog. You’ll gain access to all the content that’s here, and you’ll be helping us build our worldwide community through storytelling and self-expression.
September 30, 2023
Guest Post: 'The Knife Witch' by Susan diRende
If you’re puzzled as to what genre she’s writing in—I’d call it fun.
A village kitchen girl has few choices in life until a slip of her knife causes invading barbarian pirates to think she’s a witch. They kidnap her to get the “witch” bounty offered by their home coven. She goes willingly enough with only the clothes on her back and her favorite boning knife.
Available in paperback and ebook formats from Aqueduct Press
Dubbed “Knife Witch” by the barbarian captain, Volzh, and his crew, she saves the ship—twice—thanks to what they insist is magic and she protests is nothing more than an itchy disposition and her mad skills at carving and filleting. They start to think of her as “their” witch, and she starts feeling responsible for them as if she actually had the power to protect them. Which is not what she wants. She doesn’t see herself as capable of defeating anything larger than a chicken headed for the soup pot. That she manages to skewer a kraken before it sinks them all does not help her case. Side note: the kraken is telepathic and develops an amorous fascination with her. Claiming she’s just a kitchen girl, she goes on to wreak havoc with the evil coven, an even evil-er Empire, the kraken determined to marry her, a world-breaking volcano, and the gods themselves.
Be as must be.
Knife Witch by Susan diRende offers seafaring, kraken-haunted adventure centered on a kitchen maid from a coastal village whose “luck” turns out to be witchery. She soon endears herself to a band of pirate raiders and to the reader. It’s pure pleasure to discover, along with diRende’s spiky narrator, how magic and other forces work in this novel’s archipelago universe. Thoughtful readers will appreciate diRende’s dissections of monstrousness and barbary, but the tale itself is primary: you have to root for this sharp young woman with knives stashed in her hair as she outwits every power ranged against her, from small-town bullies and corrupt witch councils to far greater natural—and supernatural—entities. —Lesley Wheeler, author of Unbecoming and Poetry’s Possible Worlds
Susan diRende’s unique voice marries funny to fantasy in this rollicking feminist tale of a kitchen worker who discovers she’s a powerful witch after she’s captured by pirates. She takes on krakens and kings, not to mention other witches, all while protecting others (including a dog and the pirates) and doing good (mostly). And she does it her way. —Nancy Jane Moore, author of For the Good of the Realm and The Weave
Susan diRende’s published works range from serious academic to sci-fi space farce. Her art and videos have been shown in exhibitions and film festivals in the United States, Mexico, Belgium, and New Zealand. She has won numerous awards and grants for her writing and art from, among others, the Artist Trust, the Philip K Dick Awards, Seattle Arts Commission, Montgomery Arts Association, and the Dixie Film Festival.
Feed your curiosity with a paid subscription to this Thinking About Thinking blog. You’ll gain access to all the content that’s here, and you’ll be helping us build our worldwide community through storytelling and self-expression.
Gerald Everett Jones - Author
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