Nathaniel Sewell's Blog, page 31

HOPE

Fishing for Light is about hope. More to the point, the character, Eddie Wilcox lost that hopeful spark after his father died. It was from that personal trauma that his genetic code was altered. But I decided to take the metaphor a bit further, and had a little fun.  And that is in part why Professor Quan and Captain Lovins steal the Hope Diamond, and Professor Quan used it for his scientific experiments. I even added a young character, Bill, who happens to be from Hope, Arkansas. (I thought that was a fun twist …)

If you read the book description, Professor Quan searched through the genetic code and he discovered – pure love. I think if you have hope, you can give or receive – love.

NS

 

 

Captain Lovins – why a SEAL?

As you might already understand, I took great care in crafting Fishing for Light. And I admit, there is a political aspect to the story, as in what certain characters represent. I’ll explain those elements, as the phrase goes, ‘down the road’.

I did not randomly pick the Captain Lovins character to be a SEAL.  The character comes from my deep respect for those that defend us. I have friends in the military, and I know they sacrifice so that I can write crazy novels without the fear of being put in jail. As the phrase goes, ‘Freedom ain’t free’. As I began to craft the story, I was trying to think about how would Professor Quan be able to create his experiments, and then test his theory to protect humanity from Ms. Prosperina. He would need some help. And then I realized, who better than those at the ‘tip end of the spear’.

The novel has a lot of cross references, as in Professor Quan unlocked the genetic code. Well, Captain Lovins lived by a code, in fact, I’ve read the ‘SEAL Code: a Warrior Creed’. I recommend every American read their code, and I think you’ll develop a healthy respect for anyone who wears the uniform. I pasted below the two paragraphs that got my attention. Fishing for Light is full of symbolism, the Captain Lovins character realized Professor Quan needed to be protected, and his country needed to be protected from Ms. Prosperina.  To Pythagoras, the number 3, or triad was the noblest of all digits. I’ll explain why the number 3 has a lot of unique aspects in nature, science and religion. But as you will note, the SEALS earn a Trident, and from this, the character, Captain Lovins was created.

“My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the heroes that have gone before, it embodies the trust of those I have sworn to protect. By wearing the Trident I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every day.

My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own.”

NS

 

First Chapter – Words?

I’ve pasted below the opening pages from Fishing for Light. I think it might be of interest to point out a few words and more important, why I chose those specific words. I spent a great deal of time researching content, with the equal challenge to use unique, but simple words. I want the reader to enjoy the read with words that will entertain, but not be condescending. It is a lot harder than I ever imagined.

I chose the Emerson quote for two reasons, my interest in the Transcendentalist core belief in the ‘goodness of man and nature’, and the idea that in a sense, that a higher power, God if you will, might be communicating to us through our instincts. (If we can only stop and listen. )

I did research the exact moment of the Winter Solstice in 1990, because Eddie’s life mattered, I think it was important to be specific because you are born at an exact moment and you die at an exact moment. “Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the basis for civil time in many places worldwide. Many timekeeping devices use this 24-hour time standard, which is determined using highly precise atomic clocks. ~ from DateandTime.com”

I’ll share one more insight, why would a ‘Kingfisher’ build its nest in Appalachia? Actually, it is symbolic, the reference comes from the mythological story of Alcyone. As the story goes, Alcyone was happily married to Ceyx, but they angered Zeus, and while Ceyx was out at sea seeking the Oracle, Zeus hit his ship with a thunderbolt. (This might be useful information to be aware of at the beginning of Chapter 2.) It is from this mythology, the term, ‘halcyon days’ is derived, which today, is generally known to mean, ‘a lucky break’ during a time of adversity.

The reason I’m writing this, is to express that I am committed to writing simple, yet entertaining and in my way, deeply philosophical stories. I want the reader to get something different each time they read, Fishing for Light.

NS

——————————————————————————————————–

“Trust your instinct to the end, though you can render no reason.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 Chapter 1

On December 22, 1990 inside a university hospital complex, Edward Tiberius Wilcox was born at exactly 3:07 Coordinated Universal Time. After the physician snipped the umbilical cord and untethered Edward from his mother Sophia, the obstetrics nurse inspected him. She did not document any obvious defects. His APGAR score registered as a 9, he had brown hair, blue eyes, and an average Caucasian body shape and size. She wrapped him in a soft baby blanket. Then she kindly grinned as she handed him over to his father, Adam, who immediately began to cry as he held his warm son for the first time. His mother’s brown hair tangled and matted along her sweating forehead, she simply beamed up at her men. For the departing delivery team it was just another day, but it was not just another day for Adam and Sophia. From their combined 46 chromosomes, they had created a unique life. It was as random and common as their first meeting on an early Monday morning at the curved counter within a busy Starry Eyed Coffee Hut. That day the barista had wondered who had ordered the black coffees.

“What’s up with this?” the Barista had asked.

“I like it black,” Sophia had said. She shrugged.

“Me? Oh it was my father,” Adam had said. He glanced over at Sophia. “Drink it black, so I wouldn’t be disappointed.”

“Oh?” Sophia said. She finger twirled with her straight hair. She whispered, “Mine too.”

At that moment, Adam and Sophia had an instant lover’s connection. In the blink of Sophia’s hazel colored irises, they were married. As they frolicked during their indoor Caribbean honeymoon, Edward’s conception was not the result of any selective breeding process by powerful families trying to protect vast generational wealth. For they had no kingdom for Edward to inherit, they passed on to him the only widow’s mite they equally possessed; they bathed his DNA with their unconditional love.

For the next three months, Adam and Sophia sleeplessly cared for their precious child. During that time, they did the customary things, and they even sent in a birth notice to the Nashville Sun. But not long after, Professor Quan noticed the name in the Lifestyle section on page D6, about mid-way down in tiny black print, Edward Tiberius Wilcox.

“Tiberius?” Professor Quan said. He chuckled. “Must be a Star Trek fan?” After he spread the newspaper across a stainless steel laboratory table, he circled the name with a black ink pen. “No, Tiberius was a Roman emperor from the time of Jesus. Edward’s a king’s name.” From a paper cup, he slowly sipped his green tea. “How interesting-” As he glossed his forefinger across the newspaper, the name caused his instincts to nag at him. And he always listened to his instincts because he thought that was how God talked to him. He snapped open his astronomy logbook. From his astronomical calculations, he realized Edward was born at the exact moment of the Winter Solstice. And it had been the clear night he was observing Orion’s Belt when he saw a Kingfisher build its nest as a Delphian shooting star streak across the Appalachian sky. He knew that happened as rare as a cosmic super bubble. Professor Quan fidgeted with his kaleidoscope; he gazed through the eyehole at the colorful reflected symmetry, aware his particles of time would eventually dwindle down his hourglass. And his creation Ms. Prosperina was quietly becoming quite powerful. She would seek him. He knew it. She knew it. She could not hurt him. But what he did fear was the thought she might discover her ancestral organic material, material that he and Captain Lovins hid deep within the earth encased in a lead box.

So, Professor Quan asked Captain Lovins to do a background check into Edward’s parents and his whereabouts. He easily located Adam and Sophia’s Nashville address, and early one morning hidden behind a thick, barnacled hundred-year-old live oak, Captain Lovins crouched down near the Wilcox’s backyard. He stared up into the sparkly night sky.

“Light from other worlds,” Captain Lovins said. He sipped his black coffee as a wave of grainy steam particles washed across his hardened face. This morning’s home invasion was not like performing a HALO jump off a C-130 flying just below heaven’s gate, but he was happy with his ghostly existence. His cell phone vibrated.”

Lex-ton, Kan-tuck-ee

I was ‘born and bred’ in Lexington, Kentucky, that’s how it gets said there. I am quite aware of the stereotype. So, I do worry about my ‘spell-eng’.

I think as an author, the thought of having a misspelled word within a published work, for me, now that is a nightmare! I know, it happens even to the best of them. But, that dose not take away the sting. Seriously, my name and credibility are on that document. And I’m asking someone to spend their hard earned money, I think it’s important to respect the reader.

BUT, the good news, the one ‘Holy Grail’ I learned about writing dialogue, “don’t be talkin’ pretty, and day don’t talk usin’ proper engrish”.

 

 

 

Professor Quan’s 1957 Buick Roadmaster?

A good question from a friend, “why did Professor Quan drive a 1957 Buick Roadmaster?”

I got the inspiration from watching an episode of “Jay’s Garage”.  Since Fishing for Light is a satire,  to me the car represents the magic of America and the limitless future, and in a sense, how most American’s look forward to the future, pride in their craft, and that they had, hope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpUNT-FqsoM

 

Ms. Prosperina, what in the ‘blank’ is she?

Okay, I’ve gotten numerous questions about Ms. Prosperina, as in how did you come up with that character? I admit, Ms. Prosperina is a seriously nasty ‘it’, because she is not a ‘she’, but rather a ‘Chimera’.  A what?

Let me explain, there is the reality – Chimeric Genetics and the mythology – Chimera.

I’ll use Wikipedia, because it’s an easy source, but there are numerous other sources roaming about the internet, it’s all rather common information.

Chimeric Genetics:  “Chimeric genes (literally, made of parts from different sources) form through the combination of portions of one or more coding sequences to produce new genes. These mutations are distinct from fusion genes which merge whole gene sequences into a single reading frame and often retain their original functions.”

Mythology, Chimera: “The Chimæa (/kɨˈmɪərə/ or /kaɪˈmɪərə/, also Chimaera, Chimæra; Greek: Χίμαιρα Chímaira) was, according to Greek mythology, a monstrous fire-breathing creature of Lycia in Asia Minor, composed of the parts of three animals — a lion, a snake and a goat.”

Ms. Prosperina was formed from Professor Quan’s ‘genetic starter’. If you are a baker, or make your own pizza dough, you’ll understand what a ‘starter’ is, which is another method to form dough, versus using a commercial ‘yeast’. You’ll have to read the novel to understand what’s in the ‘starter’, but rest assured, it is a NASTY collection of DNA.

And just to answer another question, why did I name the character Prosperina? “an ancient Greek goddess, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, abducted by Hades to be queen of the underworld. the Free Dictionary.com”.

As the author, I decided if I’m going to make a nasty character, why not go to the source? I thought something that lived in ‘Hades’ for most of the year would be a good option. Well, I’ll not give anything else away from the story, but her ability to shape shift, is actually related to religious symbolism.

Let me know what you think.

NS

So, how would you get DNA? And what would Professor Quan do with it?

Okay, so yesterday I provided some insight as to the why I wrote Fishing for Light. And I provided a few pages from the novel with the list of famous targets that Professor Quan wanted specimens. But why? And for what purpose?

I used the below quote as one of the satire’s inspirations.

“Trust your instinct to the end, though you can render no reason.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I believe if we listen to our instincts, a higher power will lead us toward our rightful spot in the universe. I think most people don’t listen, and they do what they think they are supposed to do, now that’s not being authentic.

So, from my first post, we know Eddie has a crazy list, and then, he will begin a journey for no other reason than his instinct encourages him to head into the unknown. And I promise, it will be an adventure that is so close to being real, you’ll begin to wonder.

And I recognize there is an ‘bio ethics’ issue, but we’ll get to that down the road.

NS

Fishing for Light – Background Knowledge

I love satire, my early author influences were Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, and then television with Monty Python, and then Steve Martin, Dan Aykrod, and even today, I do enjoy Steven Colbert’s odd humor.  I may not always agree with their politics, but I love to laugh at the absurdity of modern life. I read Fahrenheit 451, and Something Wicked This Way Comes and then in high school, Jailbird. I suspect the first time I realized I was a bit, odd, was in 7th grade, my red-haired buddy Mitch gave me, ‘A Wild and Crazy Guy’ by Steve Martin. I listened to that vinyl record over, and over, and over and over, because I found a ray of sunlight into another world. I didn’t understand what Steve Martin meant when he sang, “Grandpa bought a rubber.” But for some odd reason, he made me laugh. And if you read my first novel, Bobby’s Socks, you’d realize why I needed to laugh.

Fishing for Light is a satire, it is intended to be absurdly funny, and a bit complicated. I like to read books with a broad subplot and to provide the reader with unique characters that they might not learn about in their daily life. The basic premise comes from the idea that some people in life win the ‘sperm Olympics’, and get lucky in life, so they must have special DNA. So Professor Quan goes on a hunt within the genetic code to find those magic genetic traits that encourage some to be Elvis. And then there are those people like Eddie Wilcox, who have magic DNA, but they never emerge, so I wondered why? So I wondered about our rather voyeuristic culture, and thought, who has magic DNA?

Below is from Fishing for Light pages 135 and 136:

“What?” Eddie said. He wiped his moist forehead. He stared at the envelope for a few moments. Then he ripped it open.  “Bizarre?” Eddie whispered. Enclosed, within the basic white business envelope, a simple single piece of notebook paper with what appeared to be just a random list of recognizable names:

Wish List

Stephano Martine Aykroyd

Ophelia Bin Frey

Biff Soxworthy Miller

Henry James O’Rahilly, Jr.

Regan Jeanne Fryingpan

Cando Hillary Grain

Peggy Bay Smitten

Lionel Bobby Forest

Deanna Elvis Crawled

Gates Warren Jobs

Sasha Night O’Canada

G. Willis Krauthammer

Farley Dresser Peters, PH.D.

Items of personal nature delivered, and verified. Exchanged items are non-returnable. Any deviation from communication protocol will end relationship.

“This is insane.” Eddie typed. He flicked the paper and envelope across his kitchen counter top. He paced back and forth.

“We have a network, but our work needs to remain secret.” Captain Lovins typed. “We need living samples.”

————————————-

More to come, let me know your thoughts, who would you steal DNA from?

NS

 

 

[contact-form]

 

Silly Walk

I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, but I’m afraid my walk has become rather sillier recently.

~ Monty Python / Ministry of Silly Walks