C.D. Verhoff's Blog

Prophecies About the Future in Comet Dust

These days the prophecy of St. Anthony springs to mind a lot.

 

A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, “You are mad; you are not like us." 

       -St. Anthony the Great (3rd Century)

Prophecies like the one above, which come from sources other than Scripture and Sacred Tradition, fall under the heading of ‘private revelation’. No matter how holy the saint, even if he or she claims it came from the mouth of Our Lord, belief in private revelation isn’t binding upon the faithful. I do recommend approaching such material with caution.

At the back of Comet Dust (published 2016), I broke down the prophecies on which it’s based into five different sections: The Future, Illumination of Conscience (The Warning), The Miracle, Three Days of Darkness, The Era of Peace.

I included some general prophecies that don’t necessarily point to The Warning or other mystical events. Yet, they were helpful in building the setting for the time in which the protagonist lives.  Political unrest, economic upheaval, rampant immorality, hostility toward religion, and general confusion reign in Gina’s world.

You don’t have to purchase the book to read the prophecies or to see how some of these predications are quickly coming to fruition in real life.

 

SECTION 1: The Future

(Politics, Religion, Morality and Ecology)

Luke  21: 25-26

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Our Lady of Akita, Message To Sister Agnes Sasagawa (1973)

As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests.

The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres … churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them.

Sister Elena Aiello (1895 - 1961)

Oh, what a horrible vision I see! A great revolution is going on in Rome! They are entering the Vatican. The Pope is all alone; he is praying. They are holding the Pope. They take him by force. They knock him down to the floor. They are tying him. Oh. God! Oh, God! They are kicking him. What a horrible scene! How dreadful!

~

 

Russia will march upon all the nations of Europe, particularly Italy, and will raise her flag over the dome of St. Peter's. Italy will be severely tried by a great revolution, and Rome will be purified in blood for its many sins, especially those of impurity. The flock is about to be dispersed and the Pope will suffer greatly.

Sister Lucia (January 3, 1944)

I felt my spirit flooded by a light-filled mystery, which is God, and in Him I saw and heard: the
point of a lance like a flame that is detached, touches the axis of the Earth and it trembles. Mountains, cities, towns and villages with their inhabitants are buried. The sea, the rivers, the clouds exceed their boundaries, inundating and dragging with them in a vortex houses and people in a number that cannot be counted. It is the purification of the world from the sin in which it is immersed.

*

Note: This vision, which seems to describe a comet hurling toward Earth and its aftermath, allegedly occurred while Lucia was praying before the tabernacle at her convent. She wrote it down in her diary, but it wasn’t made public until recently. It’s authenticity hasn’t been confirmed (or denied) by her convent. Use extra discernment with this one.

Pope Pius IX (1792 - 1846)

The present wickedness of the world is only the beginning of the sorrows which must take place before the end of the world.

Pope St. Pius X (1835-1914)

“What I have seen is terrifying! Will I be the one, or will it be a successor? What is certain is that the Pope will leave Rome and, in leaving the Vatican, he will have to pass over the dead bodies of his priests!" He then cautioned the witnesses, "Do not tell anyone this while I am alive.

 

~

Just before his death, Pius had another vision. "I have seen one of my successors, of the same name, who was fleeing over the bodies of his brethren. He will take refuge in some hiding place; but after a brief respite, he will die a cruel death. Respect for God has disappeared from human hearts. They wish to efface even God's memory. This perversity is nothing less than the beginning of the last days of the world.

Hellen Wallraff (19th century)

Someday a Pope will flee from Rome in the company of only four Cardinals…

The Ecstatic of Tours (19th Century)

Before the war breaks out again, food will be scarce and expensive. There will be little work for the workers, and fathers will hear their children crying for food. There will be earthquakes and signs in the sun. Toward the end, darkness will cover the Earth. When everyone believes that peace is ensured, when everyone least expects it, the great happening will begin. Revolution will break out in Italy almost at the same time as in France. For some time the Church will be without a Pope.

Blessed Rembordt (18th Century)

God will punish the world when men have devised marvelous inventions that will lead them to forgetting God. They will fly like birds and have horseless carriages. But they will laugh at God thinking they are very clever. There will be signs in the heavens but men in their pride will laugh them off. Men will indulge in voluptuousness and lewd fashion will be seen everywhere.

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (17th Century)

The fifth period of the Church, which began circa 1520, will end with the arrival of the holy Pope and of the powerful Monarch who is called “Help From God” because he will restore everything. The fifth period is one of affliction, desolation, humiliation, and poverty for the Church. Jesus Christ will purify His people through cruel wars, famines, plagues, epidemics, and other horrible calamities. He will also afflict and weaken the Latin Church with many heresies. It is a period of defections, calamities and exterminations. Those Christians who survive the sword, plague and famines, will be few on Earth.

During this period, many men will abuse of the freedom of conscience conceded to them. It is of such men that Jude the Apostle spoke when he said, “These men blaspheme whatever they do not understand; and they corrupt whatever they know naturally as irrational animals do.” They will ridicule Christian simplicity; they will call it folly and nonsense, but they will have the highest regard for advanced knowledge, and for the skill by which the axioms of law, the precepts of morality, the Holy Canons and religious dogmas are clouded by senseless questions and elaborate arguments.

These are the evil times, a century full of dangers and calamities. Heresy is everywhere, and the followers of heresy are in power almost everywhere. but God will permit a great evil against His Church: Heretics and tyrants will come suddenly and unexpectedly; they will break into the Church. They will enter Italy and lay Rome waste; they will burn down churches and destroy everything.

Maria Laach Monastery (16th Century)

The twentieth century will bring death and destruction, apostasy from the Church, discord in families, cities and governments; it will be the century of three great wars with intervals of a few decades. They will become ever more devastating and bloody and will lay in ruins not only Germany, but finally all countries of East and West. After a terrible defeat of Germany will follow the next great war. There will be no bread for people anymore and no fodder for animals. Poisonous clouds, manufactured by human hands, will sink down and exterminate everything. The human mind will be seized by insanity.

Mother Shipton (16th Century)

The great chastisement will come when carriages go without horses. It will come when thoughts will fly around the world in an instant. When the many taxes are funded to levy wars.

John of the Cleft Rock (14th Century)

Towards the end of the world, tyrants and hostile mobs will rob the Church and the clergy of all their possessions and will afflict and martyr them. Those who heap the most abuse upon them will be held in high esteem. At that time, the Pope with his cardinals will have to flee Rome in tragic circumstances to a place where they will be unknown. The Pope will die a cruel death in his exile. The sufferings of the Church will be much greater than at any previous time in her history. But God will raise a holy Pope, and the Angels will rejoice. Enlightened by God, this man will rebuild almost the whole world through his holiness. He will lead everyone to the true Faith.

Johannes Friede (13th Century)

When the great time will come, in which mankind will face its last, hard trial, it will be foreshadowed by striking changes in nature. The alteration between cold and heat will become more intensive, storms will have more catastrophic effects, earthquakes will destroy great regions, and the seas will overflow many lowlands. Not all of it will be the result of natural causes, but mankind will penetrate into the bowels of the earth and will reach into the clouds, gambling with its own existence. Before the powers of destruction will succeed in their design, the universe will be thrown into disorder, and the age of iron will plunge into nothingness.

When nights will be filled with more intensive cold and days with heat, a new life will begin in nature. The heat means radiation from the earth, the cold the waning light of the sun. Only a few years more and you will become aware that sunlight has grown perceptibly weaker. When even your artificial light will cease to give service, the great event in the heavens will be near.

Saint Hildegard (12th Century)

The time is coming when princes and peoples will reject the authority of the Pope. Some countries will prefer their own Church rulers to the Pope. The German Empire will be divided.

Before the comet comes, many nations, the good excepted, will be scourged by want and famine. The great nation in the ocean that is inhabited by people of different tribes and descent will be devastated by earthquake, storm, and tidal wave. It will be divided and, in great part, submerged. That nation will also have many misfortunes at sea and lose its colonies.

[After the] great Comet, the great nation will be devastated by earthquakes, storms, and great waves of water, causing much want and plagues. The ocean will also flood many other countries, so that all coastal cities will live in fear, with many destroyed.

All sea coast cities will be fearful, and many of them will be destroyed by tidal waves, and most living creatures will be killed, and even those who escape will die from a horrible disease. For in none of those cities does a person live according to the Laws of God.

A powerful wind will rise in the North, carrying heavy fog and the densest dust, and it will fill their throats and eyes so that they will cease their butchery and be stricken with a great fear.

Premol (5th century)

Everywhere there is war! Peoples and nations are pitted against each other…but mercy, mercy for Rome! But Thou hearest not my entreaties, and Rome also collapses in tumult. And I see the King of Rome with his Cross and his Tiara, shaking the dust off his shoes, and hastening in his flight to other shores. Thy Church, O Lord, is torn apart by her own children. One camp is faithful to the fleeing Pontiff; the other is object to the new government of Rome which has broken the Tiara. But Almighty God will, in His mercy, put an end to this confusion and a new age will begin. Then, said the Spirit, this is the beginning of the End of Time.

St. Anthony the Great (3rd Century)

A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, “You are mad; you are not like us.”

 (You can find these and other predictions listed at the end of Comet Dust)

Stay tuned for prophecies related to The Warning that aided me in writing the fictionalized version! Thanks for reading.

Solar Flares and Mass Hallucinations

A solar flare credited for global hallucination – is this from
prophecy?


No. This was an invention of mine. I figure when the Illumination of Conscience goes down, the secular world will desperately try to explain away the possibility that it came from Divine origins. So I needed an event large enough to affect the whole world; something science and the secular media could embrace. 
After brain-storming a few days, I decided the sun was big enough to take the blame. The only remaining question was . . . can a solar flare cause hallucinations? From what I found, the answer is probably not. Not giving up, I kept digging for a natural source that might trigger hallucinations. Then I stumbled upon the subject of Infransonic Sound. 

The term "infrasonic" applies to sound  sound waves below the frequencies of audible sound, basically anything under 20 Hz. Sources of infrasound in nature include volcanoes, avalanches, earthquakes and meteorites.  And, the best part, according to a study done in 2008, exposure to levels above 80db between 0.5Hz and 10Hz causes vibrational movements within the ear’s functions, which are said to cause psychological changes such as fear, sorrow, depression, anxiety, nausea, chest pressure and hallucinations (ECRIP. 2008. Infrasound. Retrieved from http://www.eastcoastrip.org/did-you-know/ infrasound). Other sources claimed that infrasonic waves can even cause deeply religious experiences. Eureka!
I had my source, but the questions continued. Can solar flares cause infrasonic waves? I wasn't able to find anything definitive. Nonetheless, the scientific community in my novel confirmed that the solar flare caused infrasonic waves, which resulted in massive religious hallucinations around the globe. After all, Comet Dust is fiction, and making stuff up is the fun part of writing in this genre!
It was recently brought to my attention that a work of non-fiction about The Warning, or the Illumination of Conscience if you prefer, mentions that a solar flare will be given the credit by science and the media. It was published just last year. The odds that the another author came up with the exact same idea are rather slim. So I just want to be clear that there is no prophecy that I’m aware of that says anything about a solar flare getting the credit for a global hallucination. It's from me, the author, taking poetic liberty.
However, truth sometimes follows fiction, (for example, the corona virus, and Eyes of Darkness), so who knows?

Sign Up To Win A Soap Rock!

Click Here for AmazonClick Here for these other fine RetailersMy Inspiration for this Giveaway: The Wish ThiefThe teen heroine of The Wish Thief, Glory Alley, comes from a poor and painfully dysfunctional family, but that doesn't stop her from pursuing her dreams. She plans to grow up to be a geologist, but her current goal is to strike it rich in Queen's Mesa. The money wouldn't be just for her though. She plans to use it to keep her struggling family from falling apart.So on winter break, Glory busies herself exploring the mesa's underground tunnels in search of gems with her best friend Clash. Against the odds, she finds a treasure beyond compare, but wouldn't you know it, nothing is that easy. Otherworldly beings show up to steal it away. However, they have never met a girl like Glory. A battle of wits versus magic magic ensues. As the stakes go up, Glory must decide if her ungrateful loved ones are worth the risk.
So in honor of my favorite spelunker and her passion for petrology (the study of rocks), I'm giving away Soap Rocks*. Which may prompt you to ask, what the heck are Soap Rocks?  
Well, they are soaps that look like rocks. Yep, really. They retail on Amazon for $12-$18 a bar.
They look awesome, smell great, and the best part--I have a handful of Soap Rocks to giveaway! Some will go to new subscribes and others to those who have followed me from early on. 
There will be random drawings up until Christmas. The scents and styles vary. Winners won't know what they're getting until it shows up in their mailbox.
HOW DO I SIGN UP FOR THE GIVEAWAY?Super easy.
If you already follow my blog, there is nothing more to do. You are already eligible.
If you want to subscribe now, CLICK HERE or use the form off to the side of the screen. You are now eligible to win a Soap Rock and automatically eligible for future giveaways.* 

Good Luck!

Sincerely,
C.D. Verhoff

Click here to read about Soap Rocks.


*Soap Rocks is a registered trademark of T.S. Pink and I have no affiliation with them. 

**Please note, only continental United States addresses are eligible for giveaways because shipping costs are crazy.

Escape the Machine . . . today!

If you enjoyed Resist the Machine (Avant Nation, Book #1) , now is a good time to read the sequel, Escape the Machine (Avant Nation, Book #2). 
It' only $0.99 for a limited time. 
To see Escape the Machine on Amazon: Click Here
In Avantica, it's work or perish.The Avant Nation series . . . opens after the Second Civil War has dissolved the United States. The south is now Avantica, a nation built on genetic engineering. In the north there’s the Liberty Union Democracy, a nation violently opposed to Avantica’s ideologies. Clara, the protagonist, is a young medic caught in the middle. The questions she finds herself asking are issues we face today. How much influence should the government have over healthcare and education? How will genetic engineering shape the future? Who will control the gene pool? In exchange for comfort and security, what freedoms are we willing to give away? However, the novel’s focus isn’t on politics or science.  It’s a suspenseful coming-of-age story with lots of action and a touch of romance.
The main character, Clara Spinner . . . is an Avant. An Avant is someone from the nation of Avantica, where everyone is genetically engineered. Their genetic codes, occupations and expiration dates are predetermined by the government.  Clara was created to be a good match for a job in medical field. She is supposed to be studious, compliant and compassionate by design. Her adventurous streak and sense of humor are aberrations that could get her exiled to the mysterious colony for for Avants who deviate from their genetic blueprints. Suppressing her true nature is a constant struggle. Nonetheless, she takes the view that no system is perfect. Despite a few negatives, Avantica is still the best country in the world.Guided by the philosophy that the good of the nation outweighs the good of the individual, Avantica has grown wealthy and strong. Clara doesn’t question the rhetoric until she enters the workforce as a medical technician, specializing in the field of memory retrieval. Seeing the government’s heartless policies applied to the sick and injured is a wakeup call. She loves her country, but comes to doubt the motives of its leadership. Clara keeps her concerns to herself and works hard to impress her superiors. Eventually, her memory extraction skills capture the attention of the military and she’s recruited for a mission into the Liberty Union Democracy.Undercover behind enemy lines, Clara’s convictions begin to falter. Not knowing who to trust anymore, all she wants is the truth, and the freedom to act accordingly. In book one, Clara begins to question the system. In book two, it's taken to the next level. It's escape Avantica or die. I am working on the exciting final chapters of the series. At this point, I still don't know if it's going to be a three or four book series. I'll have to see how the cutting and editing goes. Stay tunedhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...  

Fiction 101: Writing A Killer Opening Paragraph (An Analysis)

In Common Newbie Writer Mistakes and How to Avoid Them, I warned new writers to avoid opening their novels with a Wake Up Scene. This is where the protagonist literally wakes up. There’s often a stretch and a groan involved. The main character might go over last night’s events in his or her head, suffer from amnesia, or begin making plans for the new day the with interior dialogue. In an attempt to build character, many of these scenes also include the protagonist throwing the alarm clock. Oftentimes the character proceeds to shuffle bleary-eyed across the room to study his or her image in a mirror so the author can "sneak" in his or her physical description. Does this sound uncomfortably familiar? If the answer is yes, please don't be embarrassed. I consider the Wake Up Scene a right of passage for newbie writers. After all, we all have to start somewhere, but a professional writer would never begin their novels that way. Or, would they? 

Heck, yeah. 

Take The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, for instance. The story begins with the main character, Katniss Everdeen, waking up. The author gets away with it  because, besides being a brilliant a plotter and writer of prose, she knows the five important tasks of a novel's very first paragraph. 

  A Killer Opening Should:
1.   Establish the mood and setting.2.   Introduce the main character.3.   Build empathy.4.   Present the conflict (a problem to overcome).5.   Show, not tell.
The order of the five essential tasks doesn't matter so much as long as they are all included. When done correctly, readers will want to keep turning the pages until the character's problems are solved. 

Also, I recommend having a likable protagonist because who wants to hang out with a jerk for 250 pages? Of course, some stories don’t lend themselves to likable main characters so the writer will have to make up for it with a super juicy problem. In my opinion, a novel that does everything correctly at the beginning is The Hunger Games. It features a flawed, yet empathetic heroine, and an intriguing problem for her to overcome. Also, it shows her depressed circumstances instead of simply stating them (more on this is a moment). Personally, I was enthralled by this trilogy. I couldn’t stop turning the pages until I knew the final outcome, so I’ve chosen the opening paragraph of book one as my example:

“When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping.”

At a glance, this paragraph seems to be one of those cliché Wake Up Scenes I warned you about. The novel ought to be a disaster, but it’s not. Over 27 million copies have sold! Why does a wake up scene work so brilliantly in this novel whereas so many others fail? Because the author followed all of the other rules, of course! 
Let’s take a closer look to see how Collins did it so well. While we’re here, I want you to pay attention to how she Shows rather than Tells, a strategy that separates seasoned writers from the newbies. Notice how Collins never states that the Everdeens are impoverished, oppressed, and afraid. She plants all of the clues and lets the readers figure it out themselves.  

Line 1: When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.
Not the most memorable line ever, but it has instantly built setting and character. How is that? Because when Katniss notes that the bed is cold, the reader knows someone warm must normally belong there.  
Line 2: My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress.
I’m amazed by how much character and setting-building Collins has accomplished in this one little line. When Katniss reaches out for Prim’s warmth, their love is revealed. Readers are already feeling a connection with the Everdeens, especially Katniss because the story is told from her point of view. Although she never says outright that she loves her little sister, the gesture reveals a lot about their relationship. Speaking for myself, being allowed to make these kind of deductions on my own, without the author shouting the obvious in my face, is what makes reading so enjoyable and satisfying.
Later in the novel, readers will realize that Katniss is physically strong and capable, yet vastly unhappy. The harshness of life has made her hard. She has become emotionally distant from her mother and has a difficult time relating to people. However, little sister Prim is a warm safe place in the cold and dreary world. Although, this doesn’t come out in the first paragraph, the process has started in line two. It's already building empathy, showing the main character's vulnerable side, how she needs her little sister’s warmth. Later, when Katniss sacrifices herself to stand in Prim’s place, we can believe this is exactly what she would do. Nonetheless, we are completely invested in this courageous girl and must know know how it all turns out.
Line two also gives big clues about the setting. It might have been easier for the author to tell you, “The Everdeens are so poor, they can’t afford heat or satin sheets.” But, no. She opted to show us instead, which is so much more fun. From line one we already know that it’s is cold and she shares a bed with her sister, which raises questions in the reader’s mind. Can’t they afford to heat their house? Why don’t they each have their own bed? The cover of the mattress isn’t cotton or linen—but canvas. And, it’s rough. Not exactly a comfortable material for a mattress—did they have no other options?When you add up the clues, the reader instinctively knows that the Everdeens are living in poverty.
Line 3: She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother.
As small as it is, this line introduces the conflict by creating questions in the reader’s mind, while continuing to add to the story’s setting. For example, when Prim climbs into bed with mother, but no father is mentioned, we wonder about his absence. Is he a deadbeat dad? Is he on a trip, imprisoned, or dead? Inquiring minds want to know! On top of those questions, Prim’s bad dreams hint that trouble is afoot. What's on her mind that makes her so afraid?  The reader only has to go to the next line to be drawn deeper into the conflict.

Line 4: Of course, she did.
This short sentences reveals that the bad dreams are warranted, not something to dismiss as the product of a young girl's overactive imagination. Oh my, the reader wonders, what has the entire Everdeen family so on edge?
Line 5: This is the day of the reaping.
Bam. Collins smacks us in the face with the premise of the book. The conflict. It doesn’t matter that the  “the reaping” is still a mystery at this point. It’s enough to know that it is bad and it is happening . . . today. Yikes! If your reaction to the opening paragraph of The Hunger Games was anything like mine, your brain was telling your hands to hurry up and turn the page, we must find out more about this reaping thing and why the Everdeens fear it so much! As a fiction writer, that's the response you hope readers will have to your own novel. Half the battle is to hook them with a likable protagonist and a juicy conflict at the beginning, which is easy to suggest, but much harder to do. 

Collins was able to get away with the verboten Wake Up Scene because she knows the rules before she decides to break them. Once you've learned them too, if you remain convinced that a Wake Up scene is right for your book, by all means, go for it! And, may the words be ever in your favor. Happy writing! 

This is an updated edition of a blog post from 2014. 

Get THE WISH THIEF for a steal!

More than once I've been asked of all of the books I've created, which one is my personal favorite. Hands down it's The Wish Thief because of all of my main characters, Glory Alley is the best friend I would have liked to have had at fourteen. She's adventurous, a bit of a science geek, a mix of Tom Boy and Girly Girl, but not into fashion because her entire wardrobe consists of hand-me-downs. Plus, she wouldn't look down on me for being poor and overweight because so is Glory. Used to struggling to survive at both home and school, little does she know her biggest challenge is around the bend, down in the forbidden caverns of Queen's Mesa. Did I mention that Glory is a cave explorer and wannabe geologist? Very cool attributes in a best friend! 

When Glory finds a priceless treasure beyond compare, she thinks all of her dreams are about to come true, but as bad luck would have it, magical creatures arrive to foil her plans. However, dauntless Glory faces them with her own kind of magic--the power of never giving up. And, the fight is on! 

_______________________

During the holiday season, I'm offering you this mystical fantasy adventure for the temporary low price of $0.99 (Reg. $4.99). Click here to go to Amazon page.
The Wish Thief: A Modern Fantasy With Holiday SpiritThis is a stand alone book, but I could easily make it into a series. I love Glory, so I have some big ideas floating in my head. Happy for input, so feel free to send me your ideas.

Join the October BOHO Book Club discussion on Resist the Machine

The BOHO Book Club was started by the lovely Alisha, a self-described geek blogger, mom, wife, and reader. She is the creator of the  The Bohemian Housewife website and happens to be one of the best reviewers out there in cyberland. I'm honored to have my book chosen as her club's October Book of the Month. If you decide to join you'll be privy to drawings for autographed paperbacks and cool little swags. Each month there's something different to look forward to from the club. Prizes in September included a game, gift card, and a box of goodies. October's includes a one month subscription to Owl Crate (fans of YA will especially love this), autographed books, and more. Fun! Fun!
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BOHO? CLICK HERE


BOHO Book of the Month for October

She's a genetically engineered medic designed to care about people. He's a soldier built to kill. No one knows that together they will topple the nations—least of all, them. 

Resist the Machine is the first book in my Avant Nation series. It's a dystopian sci-fi with a dash or romance. The story centers on a young Avant named Clara Spinner as she makes the perilous transition from school into her first job. You will come to know Clara's secret longings and question the system alongside her. The average rating is 4.5 stars.    

"Keeps you on the edge of your seat. You never know what will happen next. Keeps you wanting to turn the page and not put the book down." ~ Belinda, Goodreads                                    "It's been a long time since a book made me want to keep reading no matter what else was happening in my life. One that I thought about, even when I wasn't reading it. Avant Nation was that book." ~ Long and Short Reviews  

"Just as William Golding cleverly wrote his powerfully, persuasive 1954 anti-war story, Lord of the Flies, for a younger audience, the author, C.D. Verhoff, explained the book was written for a young adult market, but I'm in my early forties and can tell you the book appealed me. In fact, I formerly taught ethics at the college level, and this book would appeal not only to my friends but also my students." ~ Brooks Kohler, Founder of Laptiast     

Click Here to Find it on Amazon Today
Please note: The Avant Nation mug offered on the World of C. D. Verhoff website is a separate giveaway, not related to The Bohemian Housewife or the BOHO Book Club. To sign-up for the mug click here.

Win an Avant Nation Coffee Mug

I'm celebrating the release of Escape the Machine , book number two of the Avant Nation series, by giving away a nifty coffee mug. 
The front is of the main character, Clara Spinner. The image symbolizes how she is caught in the daily grind of the cosmic machine, like so many cogwheels, spinning around and around: 


The back of the mug reads:
Avant NationCaution: Cogs at Work 
The mug is a fun little giveaway, a way of paying homage to my writing fuel of choice, coffee! 
To enter all you have to do is sign-up to follow my blog here or already be a follower. Regretfully, only those of you living in the United States are eligible (because shipping costs are crazy).

Click HERE to check out Escape the Machine (Avant Nation, Book #2). Thank you for your interest in my work and good luck!

Independence Day and Washington Have Gone to the Dogs

Oh, happy fault. Pedigree made a short documentary about General George Washington and his enemy's lost dog. It's a clever ploy to plug their products, but who cares? The video accurately captures a little piece of history during the War of Independence and I love it!



From the evidence gathered, George Washington appears to have loved dogs. He was partial to Staghounds, a hunting breed similar to what we call we call Greyhounds today. Sweet Lips, Vulcan and Scentwell were some of their names. He also had several Black and Tan Coonhounds, including rascals Drunkard, Taster, Tippler and Tipsy. Could it be that their owner was a bit of a Boozehound himself? After all, Washington did own the largest distillery in America and enjoyed a fine imported Madeira every now-and-then. However, he was no drunkard. The man was a model of moderation and self-control.


There's a rumor among dog breeders that Washington bred the Black and Tan Coonhounds with his Staghounds, which resulted in America's first Foxhounds. After studying the comparison, what do you think? 

Hmm . . . maybe.

Anyway, back to the commercial. The scene takes place in Pennsylvania, October 1777, during the Battle of Germantown. Cornwallis had previously marched into Philadelphia and claimed it for the British, so spirits were low. Of course, as the video captures so well, Washington never lost his sense of integrity.  

If you want to know more about the incident, there's a really cute children's book about the incident called George Washington and the General's Dog , by Frank Murphy. If you want an adult version, check out General Howe's Dog , by Caroline Tiger.


The original letter Howe wrote to Washington has been preserved for history. To see it, click here.

I wasn't planning on doing a blog entry today, especially not about dog food, but after I watched the commercial I couldn't stop myself. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Happy 4th of July! 

Avant Nation Publishing News

Here's a list of what's been going on over here in "cog" land:


Title Changes
When novel one was released back in 2015 it was simply called Avant Nation. I recently went back to give it a subtitle, Resist the Machine. Available here. Avant Nation  is now the name of the entire series.  Sequel Release Info
The title of the second book is Escape the Machine. Gingerman Editorial has given it a thorough content edit and now it's currently with Mitey Editing for a line edit. At this point, I can't give a precise publication date. My best guess is September 2017, thereabout. Fingers crossed.
Book Cover Switch-A-Roo


I had planned to commission the same cover artist to do all of the books in the series, but he has dropped out of the business. Talk about bummed. I absolutely adored the image of Clara clinging for dear life on a giant cogwheel, but whaddaya gonna do?I decided to use the opportunity to rethink the vibe I wanted it to give off.  Since Avantica is a place where the government uses advanced technology to exercise total control over its citizens, I wanted book cover 2.0 to wed Technology with Big Brother Is Always Watching for a creepy  Utopia Gone Wrong  effect. Do you think the new cover is effective that way? Feel free to comment. 

Available on AmazonA big thank you to my new cover artist, Keith Draws. When I approached him, I had a totally different idea in mind that I later scrapped. He was infinitely patient with my indecisiveness. Check out his webpage  here .
Evolution of Avant Nation's Lingo

I made a few small editorial changes to the world building in book one. For starters, I gave names to technology that hasn't quite come to fruition yet in the real world. 
If you have read book one, you already know that flat screens are a thing of the past in the advanced nation of Avantica. Three dimensional viewing is everywhere. Images from video games and television are projected into the air. The Avants call these images video clouds. Vloud is the slang term (video + cloud). The clock makers wear telescopic goggles now instead of sunglasses. I didn't give them a special name, but I wanted to let you know.In keeping with my own vision of the future, the majority of vehicles in Avantica are now driverless. The citizens summon them like taxis and simply tell the on board computer where they want to go. No human driver required. I decided to keep calling them cars and trucks. The reason being is that Avants assume a vehicle is driverless unless someone says otherwise.The young Avants in the artificial wombs at the population factories are no longer called children. They're potentials. Since every powerful culture develops its own vernacular, I think it makes sense the Avants would as well.  

Now you're up-to-date and hopefully eager for book two. 


In my next post, I’ll either try to entice you to be an early reviewer for Escape the Machine (Avant Nation, Book #2)  or talk about some of the cool things commonly found in dystopian cover art.