Raymond Gaynor's Blog, page 43
March 5, 2021
A REAL BOOK
I used to know what a book was: “a written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers.” Not any more. Now there’s downloadable digital ebooks and audiobooks that have no intrinsic substance until purchased and “decoded” onto a virtual format on a computer screen. And some strike me more like copyrighted electronic entertaining “ideas” for sale and distribution (e.g. “flash fiction,” “flash non-fiction,” or, well just text messages in Rebus (a representation of words with icons, pictures, letter names, or symbols that suggest the sound of the words, e.g. R-U-O-K? texted on a cellular). Add to that the growing popularity of downloadable digital audiovisual “books” e.g. screenplay novels (a Savant/Aignos specialty), Apple “extended” ebooks with multimedia content and “interactive” ebooks scattered all along the line from “traditional” printed books to subscribable, view-on-demand, fee-for-service “movies.”
Now, me, I prefer a printed book to hold in hand that doesn’t require power and can be shared until it’s worn out. Give me a “real” book any day over its modern successors. And, as an author, I’ve noted that ebook purchasers often don’t read the book but rather “hoard-collect” them to read some other time, and, whether they ever do read the ebook or not, a reader review is rarely forthcoming. Furthermore, despite all the hoopla over high and rising ebook sales, my books sell in printed format 6:1 ebook despite the lower price and instant receipt of the product. Go figure.
Having said all that, I invite you to a special discount reading of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Savant/Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor in “real” printed book format: Go to the Publisher’s Store or your nearest online Savant Bookstore (Atlantic, Midwest, Pacific or Honolulu) and order a copy for 25% off the Suggested Retail Price with free shipping within the USA including Alaska and Hawaii using “MARCHMADNESS” discount code at checkout. Tuck away all the wires and electronics, and tuck into a ridiculously priced, “real,” book-in-hand, good read. Oh, and please post a reader review on Amazon when you’re finished. Pretty please!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je6CC...
Now, me, I prefer a printed book to hold in hand that doesn’t require power and can be shared until it’s worn out. Give me a “real” book any day over its modern successors. And, as an author, I’ve noted that ebook purchasers often don’t read the book but rather “hoard-collect” them to read some other time, and, whether they ever do read the ebook or not, a reader review is rarely forthcoming. Furthermore, despite all the hoopla over high and rising ebook sales, my books sell in printed format 6:1 ebook despite the lower price and instant receipt of the product. Go figure.
Having said all that, I invite you to a special discount reading of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Savant/Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor in “real” printed book format: Go to the Publisher’s Store or your nearest online Savant Bookstore (Atlantic, Midwest, Pacific or Honolulu) and order a copy for 25% off the Suggested Retail Price with free shipping within the USA including Alaska and Hawaii using “MARCHMADNESS” discount code at checkout. Tuck away all the wires and electronics, and tuck into a ridiculously priced, “real,” book-in-hand, good read. Oh, and please post a reader review on Amazon when you’re finished. Pretty please!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je6CC...
March 4, 2021
ZERO-SUM
ONE of the great attributes of democracy is that it involves so much communication and compromise, that it results in what I think of as zero-sum government. The opposite of totalitarianism, democracies allows people time to discuss, argue and slowly adjust without chaos. Or at least that’s how democracy is supposed to work. Weaponized, popularized totalitarianism grasps directly for one extreme and typically takes it to the limit. Okay during wartime, maybe, but not for non-wartime “government as usual.”
I think the same can be said for authoring. Novels that are extremist can quickly catch the public eye and sometimes “go viral” simply because they focus tightly on an extreme. But enduring works, in my experience, tend to be zero-sum. In romance literature, for example, we sometimes call the zero-sum “HEA” (for “happily ever after”). In science fiction, it’s about imagining and rejecting an extreme future, mollifying us into thinking our current situation “isn’t that bad [or good] after all.” In thrillers, it’s about an eventual return to “life as usual” (though often not as what was “normal” before the events, meaning the ending situation may be quite different from the beginning, creating a “new normal.” This latter is often the case with LGBTQ, erotic and/or sexual works especially when incorporating or focused on violation or violence, and more so when graphic.
Add together, mix well and and you have THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, neither a utopian nor a dystopian SciFu (Science-based Futuring) novel that provides a mirror for the reader to look into and examine his or her thoughts and ideas of both the future and contemporary world.
Taking up where TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009) by Raymond Gaynor and William Maltese left off, NewAmerica, a shadow of its former United States of America, provides a challenging and dangerous future place for three young firebrands to live.
Zero-sum.
Total Meltdown: A Tripler and Clarke Adventure
The Edge of Madness
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859
I think the same can be said for authoring. Novels that are extremist can quickly catch the public eye and sometimes “go viral” simply because they focus tightly on an extreme. But enduring works, in my experience, tend to be zero-sum. In romance literature, for example, we sometimes call the zero-sum “HEA” (for “happily ever after”). In science fiction, it’s about imagining and rejecting an extreme future, mollifying us into thinking our current situation “isn’t that bad [or good] after all.” In thrillers, it’s about an eventual return to “life as usual” (though often not as what was “normal” before the events, meaning the ending situation may be quite different from the beginning, creating a “new normal.” This latter is often the case with LGBTQ, erotic and/or sexual works especially when incorporating or focused on violation or violence, and more so when graphic.
Add together, mix well and and you have THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, neither a utopian nor a dystopian SciFu (Science-based Futuring) novel that provides a mirror for the reader to look into and examine his or her thoughts and ideas of both the future and contemporary world.
Taking up where TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009) by Raymond Gaynor and William Maltese left off, NewAmerica, a shadow of its former United States of America, provides a challenging and dangerous future place for three young firebrands to live.
Zero-sum.
Total Meltdown: A Tripler and Clarke Adventure
The Edge of Madness
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859
March 3, 2021
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO INTERACTIVE EBOOKS?
I vaguely recall reading about an effort that was directed towards creating interactive eBooks (e.g. https://appleinsider.com/articles/10/...), but I never noticed anything to come from it. However, I’ve never stopping imagining how such products might affect me as an author, an ostensible source of all reader and viewer content. What would “penning” an interactive ebook look and feel like? Would it force me into acquiring and applying even greater “coding” knowledge than today’s eBooks require? Would “creating” (if penning became only a small part of interactive content creation) eventually be taken over by audio/video production teams, or even artificial intelligence (AI) programs? Would I become an anachronism within my lifetime?
The latter concern isn’t keeping me from sleeping at night. As a young author, I “teethed” on Philip K. Dick, and in all deference to the title of his visionary “Blade Runner” work, have never forgotten it’s original title “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” So, if AI programs have to take over authoring in order to produce interactive eBooks, then what stories would be of interest to them? Yeah, sure, they’d have to write for their human target reader audience or give up the title of “author” altogether. Or would they? With human readership historically on the decline, perhaps a better audience would be other AI programs. Perhaps programs that are engaged in other “creative” areas like the sciences, or sociology (be it human or AI), or politics God(dess) forbid though we’ve certainly not done very well in either of these last two knowledge areas, or even romance (=> empathy => affection => love => sex). This last one, why not? At least romances would be more reasonable and logical, always being directed at its sole purpose of procreation. And, hey, maybe they could eliminate violence/violation entirely from all the new AI genres that would likely result. Why not? What’s in it for AI’s to hurt, rape, maim, kill or make war?
I’m trying to imagine an AI-written novel, replete with a never-before-written twist (I assume, perhaps incorrectly, that they would have immediate access to the sum of all knowledge via the Internet or some ethereal connection developed by AI’s solely for AI’s. I’m trying but with little success. And even less interest. Still, the prospect of an interactive eBook, even written by an AI program, is intriguing. Especially a LGBTQ thriller romance. Especially the interactive part. Hmmm.
But let’s not stop there. Let’s go to THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, were anything goes, even AI-based Enforcers. And what exactly might they be enforcing? I wonder…
The Edge of Madness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je6CC...
The latter concern isn’t keeping me from sleeping at night. As a young author, I “teethed” on Philip K. Dick, and in all deference to the title of his visionary “Blade Runner” work, have never forgotten it’s original title “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” So, if AI programs have to take over authoring in order to produce interactive eBooks, then what stories would be of interest to them? Yeah, sure, they’d have to write for their human target reader audience or give up the title of “author” altogether. Or would they? With human readership historically on the decline, perhaps a better audience would be other AI programs. Perhaps programs that are engaged in other “creative” areas like the sciences, or sociology (be it human or AI), or politics God(dess) forbid though we’ve certainly not done very well in either of these last two knowledge areas, or even romance (=> empathy => affection => love => sex). This last one, why not? At least romances would be more reasonable and logical, always being directed at its sole purpose of procreation. And, hey, maybe they could eliminate violence/violation entirely from all the new AI genres that would likely result. Why not? What’s in it for AI’s to hurt, rape, maim, kill or make war?
I’m trying to imagine an AI-written novel, replete with a never-before-written twist (I assume, perhaps incorrectly, that they would have immediate access to the sum of all knowledge via the Internet or some ethereal connection developed by AI’s solely for AI’s. I’m trying but with little success. And even less interest. Still, the prospect of an interactive eBook, even written by an AI program, is intriguing. Especially a LGBTQ thriller romance. Especially the interactive part. Hmmm.
But let’s not stop there. Let’s go to THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, were anything goes, even AI-based Enforcers. And what exactly might they be enforcing? I wonder…
The Edge of Madness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je6CC...
March 2, 2021
THRILLERS: PSYCHOLOGICAL, CRIMINAL, EROTIC AND/OR PSYCHOTIC?
LET’S start this question with a few basic definitions. Thriller: a novel, play, or movie with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage; a very exciting contest or experience. Psychological: affecting, or arising primarily in the mind. Criminal: an activity that is illegal, illicit, evil, shameful, or wrong. Erotic: relating to or tending to arouse sexual desire or excitement. Psychotic: denoting a perceptive break from common reality. Exciting, primarily mental, illicit, arousing and/or uncommon (my collective take). So, what kind of a thriller is THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor. The kind I like to write: psychological, erotic and psychotic (mentally exciting and arousing in the realm of the uncommon), most of which makes it entertaining fiction.
But it’s also a study of the ramifications of a socio-politico-techno-scientifically plausible, even probable future. SciFu (science-based futuring) or future study at what I hope is the newest and best. This is, in my opinion, what gives the work enduring value.
Enduring Entertainment Value.
Reviews:
“Exciting…intriguing…mysterious…unpredictable…entertaining. There were some sexual situations and scenes between two male…and between male and female characters, but they weren’t [offensively] graphic or extreme in any way. I would recommend this book to adults and younger adults who like science fiction and mystery books about the future.”
“Author Raymond Gaynor, in this sequel, to his naughty TOTAL MELTDOWN, manages a successful tear in the time-space continuum that provides his readers with an insightful glimpse of society’s future. It’s not always a pleasant picture. In fact, it’s sometimes bordering on the truly shocking. That said … all of his prophetical premises seem to have logical underpinnings based upon historical facts, including what’s obviously at play within our own Twenty-First Century. It’s a fascinating read, experienced through the eyes of three protagonists from birth, through adolescence, and into maturity. Their journey is often difficult and often dangerous. Never, though, is it boring.”
“Radically original while chilling and shocking. A…vision of the future reminiscent of Brave New World but on steroids. The title page should be plastered with a warning: “Not for the sentimental or feint of heart. This is not a game. Enter…at your own peril and keep a defibrillator handy.” THE EDGE OF MADNESS by Raymond Gaynor is one those realities that makes you instantly appreciative of nature walks, the aroma of good coffee and the cheer of a crackling fire. At the same time you aren’t sure that it’s a good idea to doze…and take the chance of a techno-nightmare that reprises the madness…without hope of return. Be very afraid.”
Available in printed book format at 25% off Suggested Retail Price with free shipping within the USA using “MARCHMADNESS” discount code during checkout from
The Publisher’s Store at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Savant Bookstore Atlantic at https://www.savantbookstoreatlantic.com/
Savant Bookstore MidWest at https://savantbookstoremidwest.com/
Savant Bookstore Pacific at https://www.savantbookstorepacific.com/
Savant Bookstore Honolulu at https://www.savantbookstorehonolulu.com/
ALSO AVAILABLE at Suggested Retail Price in book and/or eBook format from Amazon, printed format with free shipping worldwide from Book Depository, and in eBook format for android from GooglePlay.
Soon to be an Amazon Audible audiobook read by Peter Pollock. Optioned for TV and cinematic treatments by K. Simmons Productions.
But it’s also a study of the ramifications of a socio-politico-techno-scientifically plausible, even probable future. SciFu (science-based futuring) or future study at what I hope is the newest and best. This is, in my opinion, what gives the work enduring value.
Enduring Entertainment Value.
Reviews:
“Exciting…intriguing…mysterious…unpredictable…entertaining. There were some sexual situations and scenes between two male…and between male and female characters, but they weren’t [offensively] graphic or extreme in any way. I would recommend this book to adults and younger adults who like science fiction and mystery books about the future.”
“Author Raymond Gaynor, in this sequel, to his naughty TOTAL MELTDOWN, manages a successful tear in the time-space continuum that provides his readers with an insightful glimpse of society’s future. It’s not always a pleasant picture. In fact, it’s sometimes bordering on the truly shocking. That said … all of his prophetical premises seem to have logical underpinnings based upon historical facts, including what’s obviously at play within our own Twenty-First Century. It’s a fascinating read, experienced through the eyes of three protagonists from birth, through adolescence, and into maturity. Their journey is often difficult and often dangerous. Never, though, is it boring.”
“Radically original while chilling and shocking. A…vision of the future reminiscent of Brave New World but on steroids. The title page should be plastered with a warning: “Not for the sentimental or feint of heart. This is not a game. Enter…at your own peril and keep a defibrillator handy.” THE EDGE OF MADNESS by Raymond Gaynor is one those realities that makes you instantly appreciative of nature walks, the aroma of good coffee and the cheer of a crackling fire. At the same time you aren’t sure that it’s a good idea to doze…and take the chance of a techno-nightmare that reprises the madness…without hope of return. Be very afraid.”
Available in printed book format at 25% off Suggested Retail Price with free shipping within the USA using “MARCHMADNESS” discount code during checkout from
The Publisher’s Store at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Savant Bookstore Atlantic at https://www.savantbookstoreatlantic.com/
Savant Bookstore MidWest at https://savantbookstoremidwest.com/
Savant Bookstore Pacific at https://www.savantbookstorepacific.com/
Savant Bookstore Honolulu at https://www.savantbookstorehonolulu.com/
ALSO AVAILABLE at Suggested Retail Price in book and/or eBook format from Amazon, printed format with free shipping worldwide from Book Depository, and in eBook format for android from GooglePlay.
Soon to be an Amazon Audible audiobook read by Peter Pollock. Optioned for TV and cinematic treatments by K. Simmons Productions.
March 1, 2021
LOOKING FOR A LITERARY AGENT
LITERARY agents are funny ducks. If you truly need one, most to none will want to take you on. If you don’t need one, they’re suddenly coming out of the woodwork. That’s not to disparage having a literary agent, just an acknowledgement of the process being a lot like having a “real” or “traditional” publisher, publicity agent or influencer. If you need one…
It comes from (my opinion) the “old” style of publishing: Namely, a work get’s just a few weeks when released to claw its way into the top 100 sales wise, or relegated to the backlist. Back. Not necessarily black, though one could argue with some efficacy that they are one and the same. Once one becomes a backlisted author, it can quickly become a publisher problem. You know, “if you need one…”
Many of my author colleagues decry having to do so much personal publicity and marketing. You know, chatting, blogging, one-on-one emailing, personally coaxing out legitimate book reviews and entering legitimate book award contests — what the many and constantly increasing number of pay-per-service vanity presses require “at author expense” making post-publication more of a major gambling effort, again, largely at the author’s expense. I have always kept to my own advice to others: Never spend what you haven’t received in royalties. Never gamble, only invest, and by investing, I mean outlay money that includes a contract-guaranteed return of the investment if sales falls short. That way, the only variable is return over initial investment. Quickly separates out the “gambling with my money” the literary promoters that accost me after every new release. It requires putting one’s money where one’s advertising mouth is. In the SciFu world of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, these folks, present now in all field of business, government, education, travel, tourism — are collectively called “Fast Eddies.” And everyone in the future world is a Fast Eddie, not necessarily by choice, but through a combination of needs, wants and desires.
The Edge of Madness
I don’t think I’m really that different from every other author. I want to spend my time doing what I do well: writing. On the other hand, I realize that in today’s literary market, the one thing people still have some trust in is the author. After all, “advertising” costs money; so why would a company advertise a book if it really is already a bestseller? Hey, just my opinion.
Raymond-Gaynor5-LRG
Raymond Gaynor – Author of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020), co-author with A. G. Hayes of QUANTUM DEATH (Savant 2016) and with William Maltese of TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009)
Author website at https://garymartine.yolasite.com/raym...
Author Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/raymond.gayn...
Author Twitter site at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Amazon author page at https://www.amazon.com/Raymond-Gaynor...
Amazon Goodreads author page at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Savant Books and Publications | Aignos Publishing author page at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Available from Savant Bookstore Atlantic; Savant Bookstore Midwest; Savant Bookstore Pacific; Savant Bookstore Honolulu
Distributed by Savant Distribution at https://www.savantdistribution.com/
It comes from (my opinion) the “old” style of publishing: Namely, a work get’s just a few weeks when released to claw its way into the top 100 sales wise, or relegated to the backlist. Back. Not necessarily black, though one could argue with some efficacy that they are one and the same. Once one becomes a backlisted author, it can quickly become a publisher problem. You know, “if you need one…”
Many of my author colleagues decry having to do so much personal publicity and marketing. You know, chatting, blogging, one-on-one emailing, personally coaxing out legitimate book reviews and entering legitimate book award contests — what the many and constantly increasing number of pay-per-service vanity presses require “at author expense” making post-publication more of a major gambling effort, again, largely at the author’s expense. I have always kept to my own advice to others: Never spend what you haven’t received in royalties. Never gamble, only invest, and by investing, I mean outlay money that includes a contract-guaranteed return of the investment if sales falls short. That way, the only variable is return over initial investment. Quickly separates out the “gambling with my money” the literary promoters that accost me after every new release. It requires putting one’s money where one’s advertising mouth is. In the SciFu world of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, these folks, present now in all field of business, government, education, travel, tourism — are collectively called “Fast Eddies.” And everyone in the future world is a Fast Eddie, not necessarily by choice, but through a combination of needs, wants and desires.
The Edge of Madness
I don’t think I’m really that different from every other author. I want to spend my time doing what I do well: writing. On the other hand, I realize that in today’s literary market, the one thing people still have some trust in is the author. After all, “advertising” costs money; so why would a company advertise a book if it really is already a bestseller? Hey, just my opinion.
Raymond-Gaynor5-LRG
Raymond Gaynor – Author of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020), co-author with A. G. Hayes of QUANTUM DEATH (Savant 2016) and with William Maltese of TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009)
Author website at https://garymartine.yolasite.com/raym...
Author Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/raymond.gayn...
Author Twitter site at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Amazon author page at https://www.amazon.com/Raymond-Gaynor...
Amazon Goodreads author page at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Savant Books and Publications | Aignos Publishing author page at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Available from Savant Bookstore Atlantic; Savant Bookstore Midwest; Savant Bookstore Pacific; Savant Bookstore Honolulu
Distributed by Savant Distribution at https://www.savantdistribution.com/
February 28, 2021
IN, ABOUT OR AROUND?
ONE idea that has always tickled my author fancy is whether to write in, about or around a topic, typically these days, violence. I’m not a violence fan, so when I write about it, I typically take a 1940s approach and write around it. No sociopathic murder or scintillating gore. The story is about before and the after effects. Think THE MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett or the movie CASABLANCA (based on the unproduced play “Everybody Comes to Rick’s” by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison. I avoid books and authors who write graphically about or immerse in the violence. I simply don’t enjoy the supposed “thrill” of pain or death that is so pervasive throughout world society today. Call me a “softy,” but I prefer to immerse myself and readers in the results of events emphasizing our innate humanism and the few “proofs” available to humans over the centuries: empathy and emotion, reasoning, science, statistics, and that newest “proof,” M-Superstring Theory. And that’s exactly what I do in THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor. Placing the emphasis this way, in my opinion, transforms a work from one of simple sensationalism to one enduring human value.
Raymond Gaynor
Author of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) and co-author with A. G. Hayes of QUANTUM DEATH (Savant 2016) and with William Maltese of TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009)
Author website at https://garymartine.yolasite.com/raym...
Author Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/raymond.gayn...
Author Twitter site at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Amazon author page at https://www.amazon.com/Raymond-Gaynor...
Amazon Goodreads author page at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Savant Books and Publications | Aignos Publishing author page at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Distributed by Savant Distribution at https://www.savantdistribution.com/
Soon to be an Audible audiobook read by Peter Pollock, THE EDGE OF MADNESS is currently purchased for cinematic treatment by K. Simmons Productions (http://www.kspllc.media/)
The Edge of Madness
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859
Raymond Gaynor
Author of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) and co-author with A. G. Hayes of QUANTUM DEATH (Savant 2016) and with William Maltese of TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009)
Author website at https://garymartine.yolasite.com/raym...
Author Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/raymond.gayn...
Author Twitter site at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Amazon author page at https://www.amazon.com/Raymond-Gaynor...
Amazon Goodreads author page at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Savant Books and Publications | Aignos Publishing author page at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Distributed by Savant Distribution at https://www.savantdistribution.com/
Soon to be an Audible audiobook read by Peter Pollock, THE EDGE OF MADNESS is currently purchased for cinematic treatment by K. Simmons Productions (http://www.kspllc.media/)
The Edge of Madness
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859
February 27, 2021
SEX AND LUCID DREAMING
IN a recent CNN article, Real-time talk with a sleeping person is possible — and they can even understand it (https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/18/world/...), the idea of not just recording, but projecting ideas into individuals during lucid dreaming, in effect, controlling dreaming and resulting unconscious thoughts after awakening, has become reality, or nightmare depending on one’s point of view. In the article, researchers “say that their methods could be used for further research on memory, nightmare therapy, spiritual development and problem solving.” All good objectives. But in our contemporary world where business and money rule, I wonder if it might be almost immediately highjacked as an effective alternative to our failing advertising (also made me wonder who was paying for the research). It’s hard enough to protect oneself from the current onslaught of highly propagandized, psychologically-designed advertising we’re subject to every day. Think forced pre-adverts before CNN videos, YouTube videos even streaming “entertainment” content. Also think sex-industry for “entertainment.” I can imagine that an individual’s “barriers” would be significantly lower during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep for the many, lucid dreaming for the few.
Not that I’m against lucid dreaming or sex. If there’s two things in life that overarch everything else, it’s what we think and sex. Without them there would be no more Homo sapiens with whom to play. But I wonder, as I do in THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, how technology, society, government and the more perfidious business-for-money sectors would harness new opportunities for control and product sales, in this case, perhaps “trips” of various kinds for various prices during sleep, with the effects bleeding over into conscious life after awakening. I’m not a naysayer, either. I’m not thinking good or bad here, simply about how such technologies might be used by the ever-increasingly powerful corporate cartels to secure that elusive “increasing profit” idea necessary to operate “in the big leagues.”
Be it compliance, affection, romance, gender, desire, eroticism or sex, technologies of this kind lend to applications that both satisfy human needs, wants or desires while providing willing fodder for new businesses all ultimately involving power and control. Good or bad, by their very nature, technology, society, government and business will continue to evolve separately and together, ultimately defining our future.
The Edge of Madness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je6CC...
Not that I’m against lucid dreaming or sex. If there’s two things in life that overarch everything else, it’s what we think and sex. Without them there would be no more Homo sapiens with whom to play. But I wonder, as I do in THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, how technology, society, government and the more perfidious business-for-money sectors would harness new opportunities for control and product sales, in this case, perhaps “trips” of various kinds for various prices during sleep, with the effects bleeding over into conscious life after awakening. I’m not a naysayer, either. I’m not thinking good or bad here, simply about how such technologies might be used by the ever-increasingly powerful corporate cartels to secure that elusive “increasing profit” idea necessary to operate “in the big leagues.”
Be it compliance, affection, romance, gender, desire, eroticism or sex, technologies of this kind lend to applications that both satisfy human needs, wants or desires while providing willing fodder for new businesses all ultimately involving power and control. Good or bad, by their very nature, technology, society, government and business will continue to evolve separately and together, ultimately defining our future.
The Edge of Madness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je6CC...
February 26, 2021
SHOULD CORPORATIONS HAVE ACCESS TO OUR THOUGHTS?
IN my recently released SciFu (science-based futuring) novel, THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, “Billie braced himself with a hand against the towering plate of storefront glass. Shivering in the night air, he imagined for a moment the sight he must be presenting to the shoppers inside the whole-block-occupying, megalithic…24-hour BOPIS (“Buy anything” in this case sexual “online and pickup in store”) warehouse front. Laughing nervously, he sighed, shook his head in disbelief, and turned his thoughts back to his lover, Draff…”
“Advertisement programs, typically in sleep mode, when sensing excitement in a crowd, would immediately switch into active mode, in this particular location, initiating sexually-laced sales algorithms that would not just play to, but enhance each person’s most erotic, most potentially heavily draining sexual fantasies. Take that into account, and Draff and Billie’s appearance…resulted in nearby retailers resolutely hyping [their] every possible aspect…including offering clothes similar to those the couple had doffed, their jewelry, body marks, makeup, even the style and color of their head, pubic and body hair, including Draff’s TARS-AID prehensile tail, as well as any props or other proprietary add-ons, whether pre-planned or serendipitously appearing at the event. The BOPIS wholesale merchandiser’s idea was to lure customers to spontaneously purchase high-drain items which they could presumably use to re-experience the event again later, at that same time associating the resulting thrill with that particular business.”
So, should corporations have access to our thoughts? Or should our thoughts be ours to copyright and license to others, news reports, businesses, corporations and governments. And what about personal romantic, erotic or sexual thoughts? What about LGBTQ thoughts? Should “complete thought transparency” be the law or at least the rule? Or should we be allowed to pre-edit our thoughts, and/or edit them ex post facto?
As the author, I dare you to search our currently fledgling internet for “THE EDGE OF MADNESS – Raymond Gaynor,” get hold of a copy and walk boldly up to and peer over the edge of madness for yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you see!
The Edge of Madness
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859
THE EDGE OF MADNESS soon to be an audiobook read by master reader Peter Pollock!
“Advertisement programs, typically in sleep mode, when sensing excitement in a crowd, would immediately switch into active mode, in this particular location, initiating sexually-laced sales algorithms that would not just play to, but enhance each person’s most erotic, most potentially heavily draining sexual fantasies. Take that into account, and Draff and Billie’s appearance…resulted in nearby retailers resolutely hyping [their] every possible aspect…including offering clothes similar to those the couple had doffed, their jewelry, body marks, makeup, even the style and color of their head, pubic and body hair, including Draff’s TARS-AID prehensile tail, as well as any props or other proprietary add-ons, whether pre-planned or serendipitously appearing at the event. The BOPIS wholesale merchandiser’s idea was to lure customers to spontaneously purchase high-drain items which they could presumably use to re-experience the event again later, at that same time associating the resulting thrill with that particular business.”
So, should corporations have access to our thoughts? Or should our thoughts be ours to copyright and license to others, news reports, businesses, corporations and governments. And what about personal romantic, erotic or sexual thoughts? What about LGBTQ thoughts? Should “complete thought transparency” be the law or at least the rule? Or should we be allowed to pre-edit our thoughts, and/or edit them ex post facto?
As the author, I dare you to search our currently fledgling internet for “THE EDGE OF MADNESS – Raymond Gaynor,” get hold of a copy and walk boldly up to and peer over the edge of madness for yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you see!
The Edge of Madness
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859
THE EDGE OF MADNESS soon to be an audiobook read by master reader Peter Pollock!
February 25, 2021
PAST LIFE, ANYONE?
BORN conscious. Born with foreknowledge. Born with past knowledge. Ancient ones. Intriguing, possible even, if fanciful. In my newest book, THE EDGE OF MADNESS, Draff, the principal protagonist is born conscious, the first chapter recounting his pre-birth and birthing experiences from his unique perspective. Most newborns, if indeed conscious, seem to erase all pre- and post-natal memories, it is assumed due to the trauma of entering this world being so great. Draff does not forget, however, and his subsequent life experiences are tempered by the knowledge and wisdom being born conscious has imparted.
Not very important, you say, given that the longer one’s life experiences are from the birth experience, the less any memories of pre-birth and the birthing event would be important. Not so in the SciFu “future” world of Draff’s NewAmerica. Then and there, a person’s “soul” is known to be a collated collection of life’s experiences, acting as an unconscious “guide” to direct that soul to the next universe, a heaven or hell depending on that person’s life experiences. Those who “remember” have a smoother transition after death into the next universe; those who have forgotten birthing will have to struggle significantly more to re-adapt.
Where did all this come from? A decade or two ago while visiting New Orleans, a friend and I prowled the nighttime streets from music hall to music hall in search of that mythical creature, jazz. Once, between halls, we joined a small crowd in the middle of a wet, glistening, midnight street. There, a nondescript old man was standing next to a cauldron dangling precariously from a tripod and was talking to a seemingly mesmerized crowd. Slipping closer, he noticed me, stopped speaking and pointed a gnarled finger at me, hailed me as an “ancient one.” I turned to my friend and blinked my tired eyes, only to find that the old man, tripod and cauldron were no more, and the circle of people had morphed into just another group of midnight “jazz vampires” walking dazedly past in search like us of our common prey: “real” jazz. Strange. And I was VERY tired. But then, I have all my life “talked” with animals. At least, they listen intensely to what I’m saying or thinking, And I do recall bits and pieces of my birth and first three months surprisingly clearly, as confirmed by my mother and others. And, yes, I do feel a strong and timeless connection between certain historical events and this life’s past, present and future. So you can say, if you like, that I’m actually writing as Draff about Draff. If you like. If you want to. Really! Or, you could just get hold of a copy of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859
Not very important, you say, given that the longer one’s life experiences are from the birth experience, the less any memories of pre-birth and the birthing event would be important. Not so in the SciFu “future” world of Draff’s NewAmerica. Then and there, a person’s “soul” is known to be a collated collection of life’s experiences, acting as an unconscious “guide” to direct that soul to the next universe, a heaven or hell depending on that person’s life experiences. Those who “remember” have a smoother transition after death into the next universe; those who have forgotten birthing will have to struggle significantly more to re-adapt.
Where did all this come from? A decade or two ago while visiting New Orleans, a friend and I prowled the nighttime streets from music hall to music hall in search of that mythical creature, jazz. Once, between halls, we joined a small crowd in the middle of a wet, glistening, midnight street. There, a nondescript old man was standing next to a cauldron dangling precariously from a tripod and was talking to a seemingly mesmerized crowd. Slipping closer, he noticed me, stopped speaking and pointed a gnarled finger at me, hailed me as an “ancient one.” I turned to my friend and blinked my tired eyes, only to find that the old man, tripod and cauldron were no more, and the circle of people had morphed into just another group of midnight “jazz vampires” walking dazedly past in search like us of our common prey: “real” jazz. Strange. And I was VERY tired. But then, I have all my life “talked” with animals. At least, they listen intensely to what I’m saying or thinking, And I do recall bits and pieces of my birth and first three months surprisingly clearly, as confirmed by my mother and others. And, yes, I do feel a strong and timeless connection between certain historical events and this life’s past, present and future. So you can say, if you like, that I’m actually writing as Draff about Draff. If you like. If you want to. Really! Or, you could just get hold of a copy of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859
February 24, 2021
MORE FLOATING ANXIETY, ANYONE?
SUSPENSE is my favored genre besides my newly introduced, SciFu (Science-based Futuring or Science-based Futuring Studies). Suspense is all about excitement based on uncertainty about what may happen next. In my mind, it’s a prerequisite to a good mystery or thriller, especially one that doesn’t involve criminal violence. A mystery or thriller based on criminal violence or these days, grotesque violence, is fairly commonplace and — in my opinion — totally passé. An intellectual, psychological, emotional or romantic mystery or thriller not steeped in violence, on the the other hand — less common and in my opinion significantly harder to write — is often the enduring winner. Call it “light” suspense (or just laugh if you like), but in the Savant/Aignos literary world, I think immediately of Natalie Roers (BENEATH THEM), Lynne McKelvey (A REAL DAUGHTER), Bentley Gates (THE HANGING OF DR. HANSON), Tima Z. Newman (ELAINE OF CORBENIC), David B. Seaburn (CHARLIE NO FACE, CHIMNEY BLUFFS and MORE MORE TIME) and, on the even lighter side, Charlotte Hebert (BIG HEAVEN) and R. Page Kaufman (TROPIC OF CALIFORNIA). In the shadow half-literature, half-video anime world, I think of Isuna Hasekura (“Spice and Wolf”), Clamp (“Chobits”) or Hayao Miyazaki (“Spirited Away”). And, of course, within the cinematic world I think first of that master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, where, if violence is central to the plot, it is more suspenseful by being unclear. Or multi-award-winning Savant author Richard Rose (“Static”) currently in cinematic production by K. Simmons Productions.
What all these works have in common is not just suspense, aka anxiety — something I suspect everyone living in 2020 has experienced in their life almost daily — but non-violent suspense, aka a sort of “floating anxiety” or anxiety without an obvious cause, sometimes bordering on ennui. My latest novel, THE EDGE OF MADNESS, is, in addition to being to the best of my knowledge the world’s first declared SciFu novel, a non-violent suspense novel as well. That is, it doesn’t directly include violence to create suspense, instead, relying almost wholly on emotional suspense, addressing the question, “What are the various interacting characters going to feel next?” Struggling with 2020 anxiety withdrawl? May I suggest THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859
What all these works have in common is not just suspense, aka anxiety — something I suspect everyone living in 2020 has experienced in their life almost daily — but non-violent suspense, aka a sort of “floating anxiety” or anxiety without an obvious cause, sometimes bordering on ennui. My latest novel, THE EDGE OF MADNESS, is, in addition to being to the best of my knowledge the world’s first declared SciFu novel, a non-violent suspense novel as well. That is, it doesn’t directly include violence to create suspense, instead, relying almost wholly on emotional suspense, addressing the question, “What are the various interacting characters going to feel next?” Struggling with 2020 anxiety withdrawl? May I suggest THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859
