Hugh B. Long's Blog, page 3
July 24, 2017
Postcards From Iceland, #1 – Temporary Street Art
Postcards from Iceland is a 52 week project exploring the magic of Iceland through a series of Personalized Digital Postcards highlighting the stunning Icelandic landscape, the colorful cityscapes of Reykjavik, including the prolific urban art scene, and the mystery of Viking magic!
Subscribe FREE
Let Me Take You Back …
[image error]
Do you remember getting postcards when you were a kid? Remember that feeling of wonder? I miss that. Postcards were like little portholes into mysterious foreign lands. Sure, some people still send them out, but it’s not like it used to be. Those were sometimes our only glimpses into those once mysterious places.
If you’ve never received a physical postcard, that’s ok, you can catch up with these modern digital postcards. I hope to evoke the same feelings that I fondly remember.
If you love stunning landscapes, vibrant urban vistas and visceral street art, then this blog will be just your thing! Also find Viking magic kind of sexy? Got you covered there too!
Welcome to Postcards from Iceland!
Modern folk are not easily impressed, and I get that I have to go above and beyond to get your attention, so let me do just that.
This is the first weekly post of a planned 52 week series exploring the magic of Iceland through a series of Personalized Digital Postcards highlighting the stunning Icelandic landscape, the colorful cityscapes of Reykjavik, including the prolific urban art scene, and the mystery of Viking magic!
With each post I intend to evoke strong emotions:
Wonder: Firstly, each postcard will include the stunning main photo, taken by me personally in Iceland, June, 2017.
(Each picture will is available as FREE hi-rez download (1920x1080) which you can use as a wallpaper on your computer or mobile device. Feel free to share and enjoy these original pictures for non commercial use.)
Hope: Secondly, I’ll include a heartfelt note, written as if I I were speaking to a dear friend. I’ll share my thoughts and feelings as I explored Iceland and was caught up in its splendor.
Joy: Thirdly, I’ll share an intricate Icelandic Magical Stave- you’ve probably seen these drawn as wards in books, or as jewelry or tattoos. I’ll share one of these delightful symbols per week.
Helm of Awe
Empowerment: Lastly, I’ll teach you one verse from the Old Icelandic Rune Poem. You may know that Vikings used runes to write. Their system included 16 runic symbols (the Younger Futhork) that had a corresponding phonetic value and some esoteric meaning – many believe magical. Runes were used for writing, but also to cast protective wards, curses, and to craft enchanted items. They were also used for DIVINATION! (fortune telling, essentially.)
There may also occasionally be BONUS material! Stay up to date – subscribe free.
I photographed most of the postcard pictures on my 2017 Summer Solstice trip. My wife and I enjoyed a week exploring the country, driving south across the bottom of the island all the way to the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon. Of course we experienced the mandatory Golden Circle, as well as the myriad beauties of Reykjavik.
I’ve been blessed to see and do what I’ve done, and I hope this small token from my journeys provides you some joy.
#1 – Temporary Street Art
A temporary mural on plywood construction boards may seem a surprising choice for my first look at Iceland, but it’s a fitting start based on how my preconceived views of Iceland changed after I landed. Sure, there’ll be pictures of glaciers and stunning vistas, but it was the mesmerizing and ubiquitous street art that won me over – even before I even had the chance to be seduced by the land herself – though that would come.
Dear friend, Art is everywhere in Iceland, especially in the capital, Reykjavik. For a country with such bleak weather, the islanders seem to make up for it with their prolific art. The works I loved most were the fleeting street murals – those painted on temporary surfaces like plywood walls at construction sites. Like flower blossoms, these temporary treasures bloom from Reykjavik’s streets … then fade. The magic is in their intensity and fleeting nature.
——–
Download as Free Wallpaper
“Their urban art is like a defiant cry against the short summer. I imagine them declaring, “No! We will not go quietly into that good night!” Instead, they rage against the dying of the light; with little acts of defiance against the concrete jungle, or arctic winter, they nurture the artist’s spark through the long dark nights.” – Hugh B. Long
Postcards from Iceland is a series of 52 blogposts – delivered one per week – exploring the magic of Iceland through a series of Personalized Digital Postcards highlighting the stunning Icelandic landscape, the colorful cityscapes of Reykjavik; including the prolific urban art scene, and the mystery of Viking magic!
The postcard pictures are from my trip there for the Summer Solstice in 2017. We enjoyed a week exploring the country, driving south across the bottom of the island all the way to Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon. Of course we experienced the Golden Circle and the beauty of Reykjavik. Each of these posts includes a free wallpaper picture that can be used on your computer or mobile device. Feel free to share and enjoy these original pictures for non commercial use.
* This series of blog posts is dedicated to my amazing wife, with whom I’ve shared so many great adventures.
BONUS!
Icelandic Rune Poems & Magic
With the first sixteen Postcards From Iceland blog posts, I’ll also include one verse from The Icelandic Rune Poem, which has been called the most systemized of the rune poems. Rune poems are thought to encapsulate esoteric knowledge of the symbol. Such interpretations are used in modern divination and meditation. Learn More?
#IcelandicMagic #Runes #Vikings #Iceland #Reykjavik #PostcardsFromIceland #HughBLong #Amwriting #IndieAuthor
(pictured above is a rune wand that I carved about 10 years ago)
Rune
[image error]
Rune Name
Fe
(Fay)
Old Icelandic
Fé er frænda róg
ok flæðar viti
ok grafseiðs gata
aurum fylkir.
English
Wealth = source of discord among kinsmen
and fire of the sea
and path of the serpent.
Icelandic Magical Staves
Symbol
[image error]
Icelandic name
Ægishjálmur
Manuscript Description
Helm of awe (or helm of terror); to induce fear, protect the warrior, and prevail in battle.
Behind the Scenes
I hope you are enjoying the photo. Many of the photos you’ll see in the coming weeks were shot with a Canon SX540HS but the Temporary Street Art photo was taken with my iPhone 6s Plus then processed through Adobe Lightroom 5. Essentially I desaturated everything in the image except the mural, which I oversaturated. I wanted the image to pop – just like it it did when I saw it on that rainy arctic day.
[image error]
Original Photo – cropped to 1920x1080
[image error]
After adjustments in Lightroom 5
Coming in the next 52 weeks:
Want To Learn More?
Northern Plant Lore
Northern Wisdom
Northern Lore
Enjoy my Stories? Want to Help?
REVIEW - authors live and die by reviews, especially in the time of Amazon.
SUBSCRIBE - sign up to my mailing list so you're up to date on new releases, and all the cool freebies.
I always need people to BETA READ. Help me shape The Covenant!
Write a Review!
Choose a book to review
Subscribe to my mailing list
Subscribe
Become a Beta Rader
Download Beta Copies
The post Postcards From Iceland, #1 – Temporary Street Art appeared first on Author Hugh B. Long.
Postcards From Iceland, #1
Postcards from Iceland is a 52 week project exploring the magic of Iceland through a series of Personalized Digital Postcards highlighting the stunning Icelandic landscape, the colorful cityscapes of Reykjavik, including the prolific urban art scene, and the mystery of Viking magic!
Subscribe FREE
Let Me Take You Back …
[image error]
Do you remember getting postcards when you were a kid? Remember that feeling of wonder? I miss that. Postcards were like little portholes into mysterious foreign lands. Sure, some people still send them out, but it’s not like it used to be. Those were sometimes our only glimpses into those once mysterious places.
If you’ve never received a physical postcard, that’s ok, you can catch up with these modern digital postcards. I hope to evoke the same feelings that I fondly remember.
If you love stunning landscapes, vibrant urban vistas and visceral street art, then this blog will be just your thing! Also find Viking magic kind of sexy? Got you covered there too!
Welcome to Postcards from Iceland!
Modern folk are not easily impressed, and I get that I have to go above and beyond to get your attention, so let me do just that.
This is the first weekly post of a planned 52 week series exploring the magic of Iceland through a series of Personalized Digital Postcards highlighting the stunning Icelandic landscape, the colorful cityscapes of Reykjavik, including the prolific urban art scene, and the mystery of Viking magic!
With each post I intend to evoke strong emotions:
Wonder: Firstly, each postcard will include the stunning main photo, taken by me personally in Iceland, June, 2017.
(Each picture will is available as FREE hi-rez download (1920x1080) which you can use as a wallpaper on your computer or mobile device. Feel free to share and enjoy these original pictures for non commercial use.)
Hope: Secondly, I’ll include a heartfelt note, written as if I I were speaking to a dear friend. I’ll share my thoughts and feelings as I explored Iceland and was caught up in its splendor.
Joy: Thirdly, I’ll share an intricate Icelandic Magical Stave- you’ve probably seen these drawn as wards in books, or as jewelry or tattoos. I’ll share one of these delightful symbols per week.
Helm of Awe
Empowerment: Lastly, I’ll teach you one verse from the Old Icelandic Rune Poem. You may know that Vikings used runes to write. Their system included 16 runic symbols (the Younger Futhork) that had a corresponding phonetic value and some esoteric meaning – many believe magical. Runes were used for writing, but also to cast protective wards, curses, and to craft enchanted items. They were also used for DIVINATION! (fortune telling, essentially.)
There may also occasionally be BONUS material! Stay up to date – subscribe free.
I photographed most of the postcard pictures on my 2017 Summer Solstice trip. My wife and I enjoyed a week exploring the country, driving south across the bottom of the island all the way to the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon. Of course we experienced the mandatory Golden Circle, as well as the myriad beauties of Reykjavik.
I’ve been blessed to see and do what I’ve done, and I hope this small token from my journeys provides you some joy.
#1 – Temporary Street Art
A temporary mural on plywood construction boards may seem a surprising choice for my first look at Iceland, but it’s a fitting start based on how my preconceived views of Iceland changed after I landed. Sure, there’ll be pictures of glaciers and stunning vistas, but it was the mesmerizing and ubiquitous street art that won me over – even before I even had the chance to be seduced by the land herself – though that would come.
Dear friend, Art is everywhere in Iceland, especially in the capital, Reykjavik. For a country with such bleak weather, the islanders seem to make up for it with their prolific art. The works I loved most were the fleeting street murals – those painted on temporary surfaces like plywood walls at construction sites. Like flower blossoms, these temporary treasures bloom from Reykjavik’s streets … then fade. The magic is in their intensity and fleeting nature.
——–
Download as Free Wallpaper
“Their urban art is like a defiant cry against the short summer. I imagine them declaring, “No! We will not go quietly into that good night!” Instead, they rage against the dying of the light; with little acts of defiance against the concrete jungle, or arctic winter, they nurture the artist’s spark through the long dark nights.” – Hugh B. Long
Postcards from Iceland is a series of 52 blogposts – delivered one per week – exploring the magic of Iceland through a series of Personalized Digital Postcards highlighting the stunning Icelandic landscape, the colorful cityscapes of Reykjavik; including the prolific urban art scene, and the mystery of Viking magic!
The postcard pictures are from my trip there for the Summer Solstice in 2017. We enjoyed a week exploring the country, driving south across the bottom of the island all the way to Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon. Of course we experienced the Golden Circle and the beauty of Reykjavik. Each of these posts includes a free wallpaper picture that can be used on your computer or mobile device. Feel free to share and enjoy these original pictures for non commercial use.
* This series of blog posts is dedicated to my amazing wife, with whom I’ve shared so many great adventures.
BONUS!
Icelandic Rune Poems & Magic
With the first sixteen Postcards From Iceland blog posts, I’ll also include one verse from The Icelandic Rune Poem, which has been called the most systemized of the rune poems. Rune poems are thought to encapsulate esoteric knowledge of the symbol. Such interpretations are used in modern divination and meditation. Learn More?
#IcelandicMagic #Runes #Vikings #Iceland #Reykjavik #PostcardsFromIceland #HughBLong #Amwriting #IndieAuthor
(pictured above is a rune wand that I carved about 10 years ago)
Rune
[image error]
Rune Name
Fe
(Fay)
Old Icelandic
Fé er frænda róg
ok flæðar viti
ok grafseiðs gata
aurum fylkir.
English
Wealth = source of discord among kinsmen
and fire of the sea
and path of the serpent.
Icelandic Magical Staves
Symbol
[image error]
Icelandic name
Ægishjálmur
Manuscript Description
Helm of awe (or helm of terror); to induce fear, protect the warrior, and prevail in battle.
Behind the Scenes
I hope you are enjoying the photo. Many of the photos you’ll see in the coming weeks were shot with a Canon SX540HS but the Temporary Street Art photo was taken with my iPhone 6s Plus then processed through Adobe Lightroom 5. Essentially I desaturated everything in the image except the mural, which I oversaturated. I wanted the image to pop – just like it it did when I saw it on that rainy arctic day.
[image error]
Original Photo – cropped to 1920x1080
[image error]
After adjustments in Lightroom 5
Coming in the next 52 weeks:
Want To Learn More?
Northern Plant Lore
Northern Wisdom
Northern Lore
Enjoy my Stories? Want to Help?
REVIEW - authors live and die by reviews, especially in the time of Amazon.
SUBSCRIBE - sign up to my mailing list so you're up to date on new releases, and all the cool freebies.
I always need people to BETA READ. Help me shape The Covenant!
Write a Review!
Choose a book to review
Subscribe to my mailing list
Subscribe
Become a Beta Rader
Download Beta Copies
The post Postcards From Iceland, #1 appeared first on Author Hugh B. Long.
May 10, 2017
Pen Names, Genre, and Demographics
I’ve written under two names for years now, and yesterday I decided to add one more to my growing stable (my version of Pokemon Go!). As many do, I started writing under my own name, first for magazine articles back in the 90’s. Years later I decided to write a book on pre-Christian Northern European culture and present day manifestations (Northern Lore). That book was written under my pen name Eoghan Odinsson.
Eoghan is simply the Gaelic form of Hugh, and Odinsson is a tribute to Odin, god of knowledge and wisdom (and madnesss – yikes!) Most of my non-fiction is written under that name.
Genres and Demographics
So why did I do this? Mainly to tell readers what they could expect from my work, to differentiate the genres and demographics. [image error]
Genre is the type of story being told – Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction, etc. Demographics, or Market segments, describe the structure of the population – usually referring to age groups.
Books for younger readers tend to be grouped by age regardless of the type of story. e.g. Early Readers, Chapter Books, Young Adult (YA). Each of those demographics could have stories about pirates, ghosts, spaceships, or family situations. As we get older, our reading preferences become more defined and we (arguably) benefit from having genre based groupings.
YA is the most prominent example of how genre and demographics can be blurred. Many adults prefer YA focused stories because they can have less overt sexual content, less profanity, etc. Not always.
[image error]People buying a historical romance are less likely to read a science fiction book by the same author – unless you’re a big name like Diana Gabaldon. Not that she’s written SF, but she is a scientist by training, so it could happen! (Paging Ms. Gabaldon!)
My son used to love R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series. Would you shop for a book on physics or gender studies by Mr. Stine? Not likely. Though he is a talented man.
With a pen-name that reflects your target audience, readers come to know what to expect of your writing. Why do we like McDonalds? Because we know what to expect.
The Real Slim Shady
My literary identities are as follows: (with Facebook links)
Hugh B. Long (The original me) – my default name for journalism and all fiction to date.
Eoghan Odinsson – For my non-fiction dealing with pre-Christian history, culture, and mythology.
Hugh MacGregor – my newest pen name which I plan to use for Fantasy projects.
Hugh North – in reserve. I had planned to use it for modern Thrillers (and yes, I have a draft thriller written!)
All of my pen names and internet domains will point back to this website for simplicity.
The post appeared first on Author Hugh B. Long.
April 13, 2017
Review: Building Harlequin’s Moon
Building Harlequin’s Moon by Larry Niven
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An insightful and fascinating look at terraforming and generation starships. It follows travelers as they skip and hop across the galaxy, across the light years, and through tens of thousands of years.
It’s also a beautiful story about coming of age and emancipation. Niven and Cooper were a perfect match – what a great book!
The post Review: Building Harlequin’s Moon appeared first on Author Hugh B. Long.
April 5, 2017
Abhuman: Redemption First Draft Complete
Whew! I’m very glad to have finished this. I had a few plot mechanics that were giving me headaches, so the first draft is a few weeks late.
Now the real fun begins! The framework is in place. Time for the artist to color in his sketch.
The post Abhuman: Redemption First Draft Complete appeared first on Author Hugh B. Long.
Writers at work
Some pics of writers who have inspired me, doing their thing.
William Faulkner
Gertrude Stein
Vladimir Nabokov
Margaret Mitchell
[image error]
Truman Capote
Roald Dahl
John Updike
E.B. White
(of Strunk & White’s)
Kurt Vonnegut
Stephen King
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Anne Frank
Agatha Christie
[image error]
Ernest Hemingway
Hunter Thompson
Ray Bradbury
Susan Sontag
Aldous Huxley
Jack Kerouac
F. Scott Fitzgerald
H.G. Wells
“If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn’t expecting it.”
The post Writers at work appeared first on Author Hugh B. Long.
March 6, 2017
And the winner is … The United Kingdom!
Following last week’s Oscar mixup, Goodreads sent me the list of winners for my giveaway for 10 copies of Abhuman: Resistance. As I glanced down the list I was somewhat surprised to see so many UK winners. Then I realized all 10 winners were from the UK? What?
[image error]My mistake. Somehow, when I added the UK to my list of countries for the giveaway, I must have deselected other countries. So the UK cleans up this round!
In the spirit of fairness, I will immediately sponsor a new giveaway for the USA & Canada starting tomorrow, March 7’th 2017
Sorry for the glitch!
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Abhuman
by Hugh B. Long
Giveaway ends April 07, 2017.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
The post And the winner is … The United Kingdom! appeared first on Author Hugh B. Long.
January 1, 2017
Hand of God – Frank Miller meets The OA
Wow. Another great show from Amazon. I just watched The Man in the High Castle last week, but back to Hand of God. After the first episode, I was sure someone had thrown Frank Miller in a blender The OA.
The visceral in perfect harmony with the cerebral.
The post Hand of God – Frank Miller meets The OA appeared first on Author Hugh B. Long.
December 28, 2016
Red Shirts One – A Star Wars Story
Redshirts One: A Star Wars Story
I just got home from seeing Rogue One. Not a bad movie, nor was it the epic new format that would crush all previous
versions (imho). I liked it. I prefer dark, more gritty movies and tv–generally speaking. The Battlestar Galactica (BSG) re-boot is one of my all-time favorites, along with Stargate Universe, both of which presented darker versions of the shows pervious incarnations. This movie spinoff is clearly aimed at a different slice of the moviegoer demographic.
I thought the casting was superb and the acting flawless. I did feel that they first half wandered a bit slowly, and perhaps murkily for me. I saw it in 3D which was a mixed bag – made it slightly harder to see the early parts that were quite dark, but when the battles in space popped up – damn! Those were spectacular. I plan to see it in 2D as well though.
My only disappointment (SPOILERS!!!!!), is that the ENTIRE team dies. Yeah yeah, price of freedom, blah blah. Dramatic ending, yada yada. Missed opportunity I say. Sure, the ending was poignant, but as a fanboy, I’d rather look forward to more side-stories set in the Star Wars Universe. What? Those characters weren’t in the future movies? Of course not, but that isn’t to say they don’t have important and interesting side quests. I mean, come on … even George R.R. Martin didn’t kill the whole fracking Stark clan! (well, not in one season anyhow – LOL). I felt like I was watching an episode of Star Trek with all Red Shirts, hence this post.
Great movie.
Go see it.
BUT, here is the “Honest Movie Poster”
Honest Movie Poster?
Love Star Wars? Check out these books:
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A Relatively Nice Place
Closed Beta, Science Fiction, Time-Travel
The Tribes of Yggdrasil
Star Viking
Closed Beta, Science Fiction, Space Opera
Star Fury
Star Wolves
The Yggdrasil Codex
First Contact, Science Fiction
Enjoy my Stories? Want to Help?REVIEW - authors live and die by reviews, especially in the time of Amazon.SUBSCRIBE - sign up to my mailing list so you're up to date on new releases, and all the cool freebies.I always need people to BETA READ. Help me shape The Covenant!
Write a Review!
Choose a book to review
Subscribe to my mailing list
Subscribe
Become a Beta Rader
Download Beta Copies
The post Red Shirts One – A Star Wars Story appeared first on Author Hugh B. Long.
December 26, 2016
Night Terrors
Here’s a short scene I may add to Abhuman: Revelation. I wanted to explore what it might feel like to be stalked at night, in the comfort of your own bed–normally a sanctuary.
They always came at night.
When you were still and warm and peaceful. Your heart making a tiny patter, your feet warm, and your head heavy. That’s when they came. That’s when it happened.
The commotion in the hallway woke Cheska. Ngome City was as still as the vacuum of space during the night cycle. Even essential workers, who’s jobs demanded odd working hours, made every effort to glide through the city like silent ghosts.
Someone began yelling. “No!”
That’s what had disturbed Cheska’s slumber. Then loud thumps, hard crashes, and the sharp rapport of objects breaking.
Her heart, which had been barely beating a few seconds ago, now pounded in her chest. She wanted to sit up, to look around. But she was terrified, because she knew exactly what was happening.
Yesterday Wei Lu had been sentenced to the Core for being a deviant (a death sentence), but the Covenant didn’t stop there. When a deviant was discovered, they expunged all living consanguineal relations—all family members up to, what people used to know as, great grandparents. But in Covenant society one never knew their direct biological contributors; each child was carefully crafted in-vitro, their progenitors chosen from the optimal genetic match within the 10,000 or so meticulously curated residents of Ngome City.
And that was the terrifying part about someone being sentenced to the Core—you never knew if you might be next. The convict could be a direct relation. Then the next night, after they were sentenced, designated members of the community would sneak through the city, extracting and extinguishing all consanguineal relations.
It was for the good of her people—she knew that. Still …
Cheska heard powerful sobbing outside the door to their quarters. She kept her head pressed hard to her pillow, forcing herself not to look up. She pulled the blankets over her eyes and tried to conjure up the most recent qvid she’d gone to experience with her best friend, Azara. Dolphins. She imagined their rough skin and playful chirping. She longed to see a real one someday, but she didn’t think their gene bank had samples to seed Krijese with. Not that she would ever see them, even if they had the samples from Earth. It would be centuries before Krijese had oceans capable of sustaining large aquatic life.
Loud voices, more sobbing. The sounds were growing more distant—it was done. Whomever had been related to Wei Lu was now heading to the Core. At least their end would be swift.
Why didn’t The Covenant adopt a more humane process for dealing with deviants? After all, they now grew their protein in vats; partly in deference to the suffering of animals, but also for efficiency’s sake. Couldn’t they reform these deviants? It seemed wasteful to her, but then, Cheska was only fifteen. She supposed there was a lot she had to learn.
She also had everything to lose if they discovered her secret—she was one of them.
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