S.W. Hammond's Blog, page 16
May 22, 2017
Leibniz: Human Freewill *Wink
I wonder if Leibniz, somewhere deep inside himself, had this overwhelming feeling of giddiness when he wrote “Primary Truths”?
While he couldn’t predict the future, something within the eternal truth of himself must have tingled with the thought of philosophy students—350 years later—reading his words. Some part of his subconscious swelling because the version of his perfected-self, the version that God decided would be best for the world, was one where he is to be echo throughout history and pop culture.
Ah, but Gottfried was modest; “every individual substance contains in its perfect notion the entire universe” (266). He’ll be the first to admit the profound nature of a leaf or blade of grass—and that his mind is no better than yours or mine.
April 27, 2017
Goodreads Giveaway: Win The Final Book: Gods!
Enter to win 1 of 5 signed hardcover advanced copies of The Final Book: Gods!
Want to get your hands on a copy of my new book? Want to be way cooler than everyone else and read it before it even comes out?? Head on over to Goodreads and enter the giveaway!
From now until May 18th, I’m hosting a giveaway of 5 beautiful, stunning, awesome hold-in-your-hand hardcovers from the initial first-ever-printed-batch of press copies of The Final Book. Call me old fashioned, but there’s just something about holding and reading a hardcover… On top of that, I’ll be personalizing and signing each copy for the winners.
You can enter the giveaway through Goodreads, and while you’re there be sure add the book to your reading list and follow my author page. It’s another fun way to interact and share your thoughts and love for other books and authors.
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Final Book
by SW Hammond
Giveaway ends May 18, 2017.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway
April 22, 2017
For Review On NetGalley — The Final Book: Gods
UP FOR REVIEW TODAY. PREPARE FOR 5 STARS—IT'S THAT GOOD!
“We help readers of influence discover and recommend new books to their audiences. If you are a librarian, bookseller, educator, reviewer, blogger or in the media, begin reading the latest books for free today.”
LAS VEGAS, NV, April 24- Surf Star Media presents its latest title The Final Book: Gods by SW Hammond on NetGalley for review.
NetGalley is the premier book discovery and review service for professionals within the literary industry. Booksellers, librarians, reviewers, educators, and the media use NetGalley to see what new books will be hitting the market in coming months, and gives publishers the opportunity to allow these professionals to read an advance copy for review.
NetGalley is used as a marketing tool for publishers big and small, and Surf Star Media is proud to place its titles alongside Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, and IBPA. If you are interested in an advance reader copy (ARC) of The Final Book: Gods, please visit NetGalley and download your free copy today. The title will be available on NetGalley until 10/15/2017.
Multi-cultural, multi-historical, and spanning man's faith across time, The Final Book: Gods is a controversial and blasphemous last chapter of humanity. Zeus and his Pantheon return in an effort to save mankind before they destroy themselves. Set in three periods—modern day, the 1960s, and ancient Mesopotamia—this epic blends human history, ruthless mythology, science fiction, and the supernatural to tell a love story of the future.
The Final Book: Gods is available for digital pre-order through all major online retailers and in hardcover and paperback on 6/13/2017. Hammond is available for interviews and appearances. Please contact info@surfstarmedia.com for booking.
April 17, 2017
Press Release - The Final Book: Gods
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BE THE CATALYST!! YOUR DESTINY IS HERE, AND IT’S WAITING FOR YOU.
“Multi-cultural, multi-historical, and spanning man's faith across time, The Final Book is a controversial and blasphemous last chapter of humanity.”
LAS VEGAS, NV, April 17- Author and former music and sports industry professional Sean “SW” Hammond of Las Vegas, announces the release of his long awaited visionary fiction novel The Final Book: Gods as part of Surf Star Media’s Publishing line.
In the beginning there was love. The Goddess of Life in an elated romance with a beloved mortal. Her sister killed him. Their combined actions ripping a hole in destiny and plagued mankind with an age of unprecedented corruption, vicious holy wars, and religious absolution.
Hammond blends mythology, history, and religion to create a timeless saga of the self-destruction of man told through the eyes of the Gods. Zeus and his pantheon return in this modern epic as they struggle to turn the tide of time by sending test subjects of Project Genesis back to key points in history in an effort to change outcomes and correct the future.
The novel is set in three primary time periods—present day, the late 1960’s, and ancient Mesopotamia. The mysterious narrator of the story also sprinkles in occasional “Artifacts” that hinge around key moments in human history, bridging past and present.
Most notable about the novel is the unsuspecting love story that contrasts the staggering brutalities committed by man. Readers have become enthralled with the love letters latent across time, desperately awaiting the recipient to embark upon his destiny.
Gods eerily reflects a modern disposition toward the current state of society and politics; showing that little has changed since man began ruling over one another. However, the novel attempts to provide solutions—only you being the catalyst for change!
The Final Book: Gods is available for digital pre-order through all major online retailers and in hardcover and paperback on 6/13/2017. Hammond is available for interviews and appearances. Please contact info@surfstarmedia.com for booking.
Watch the book trailer:
April 13, 2017
Cover Reveal – The Final Book: Gods
Today’s the big day—the long awaited cover reveal for The Final Book: Gods!
It’s been fun, lots of posts on social networking. Big thanks to Juniper Grove Book Solutions that coordinated a bit of publicity—I was getting tweets all day! I took the book on a road trip across the Southwest and stopped at a bunch of unique spots for a picture–kind of like my version of the traveling gnome. It’s been neat. Kind of different and more fun than just tossing up the graphic.
I’ve been sitting on the cover for more than a year—I knew what I wanted and how it was going to look a long time ago. However, it’s been fun seeing the response. There were probably only 3 or 4 people who had seen the cover prior to today, so I wasn’t sure of what kind of reaction it would get. So far, people seem to really it—the biggest surprise being on the back of the book and that I incorporated Cloe’s letters. Everyone who has read the book absolutely loved that element—they really got excited when they saw her words to Josh, haha. The letters also seemed to generate a lot of interest and intrigue from those who haven’t read the book, so hopefully it hooks them too.
The 12-pointed star on the front is simple, but entrenched with symbolism (just like the entire book); each point representing a pillar of Olympus and Zeus’s Pantheon. The meaning behind the star is quite important to the Gods and shows up several times throughout the book. The magenta glowing ball of light shining through the star is the only part of the front cover that is in color—but works well and really makes things “pop.” The artwork contrasts in such a way that the center of the star actually seems blindingly bright—like you’re staring into the sun and can only look at it for a second. I really like how it came out—it’s a “logo” that can certainly carry the weight of the entire series.
The “dust” around the edges and the swirls in the lower right aren’t just for show—it all ties very closely with key elements and characters. That will make sense when you get into the book, but for the casual observer it adds a feelings of grit and grunge—a bit of dirt to suggest that the Gods aren’t as pristine as one may think—which Dr. Hork would be the first to admit.
It was a bit of a process to create the design. Starting out, I knew I wanted something celestial and I wanted something twelve. Twelve was important. But I also wanted simplicity. I wanted to strip everything away, which is what this book is all about—the foundation of who and what we are.
The Final Book: Gods
Pre-Order The Final Book: Gods Now!
Multi-cultural, multi-historical, and spanning man's faith across time, The Final Book is a controversial and blasphemous last chapter of humanity.
In the beginning there was love. The Goddess of Life in an elated romance with a beloved mortal. Her sister killed him. Their combined actions ripping a hole in destiny and plagued mankind with an age of unprecedented corruption, vicious holy wars, and religious absolution.
Though long forgotten by the mortals they serve, Zeus and his Pantheon continue to foster and protect mankind which is tearing itself apart—but even God isn't infallible. After failed diplomacy, the King of the Gods is left with no choice but to take the persona of a modern man—the famed genetic scientist Dr. Hork. In an effort to preserve the future by reshaping the past, Dr. Hork uses Project Genesis—the transfer of consciousness—to send subjects back in time. However, not without devastating failures. Subjects of the experiment wreak havoc upon humanity until a familiar character is reborn to correct the course.
Reincarnated and ready to fulfill his true destiny, Joshua Bach is the catalyst the Gods have been waiting for—and Dr. Hork’s final beacon of salvation. Ferociously idealistic, the free-spirited young man struggles to come-of-age in a time and society ruled by money and corruption. Under the wing of the Gods, Josh rediscovers his purpose, along with a love that can only be considered timeless.
This epic blends human history, ruthless mythology, science fiction, and the supernatural to tell a love story of the future—bringing Gods across all faiths down to earth in the modern age and within your reach.
Pre-orders available through the following major book stores:
Watch the book trailer:
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April 10, 2017
Legally Married With Children: A Conversation
See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.
While there is absolutely no moral equivalency being drawn between good and evil—right and wrong—this exposé on same-sex marriage and modern families is completely about turning a blind eye. How I looked the other way—simply because everyone else did. We are afraid to ask the simplest of questions just because of the way it makes us feel. Ignorant. Confused. Fearful of the future. A whole host of complex questions that require considerable thought, vulnerability, and stirs deep emotions.
Meet Ginger; a longtime family friend and who would be the closest thing I have to a sister. My dad and her dad have been friends since the mid 1970s. They met while at work; my dad being a construction manager and her dad, David, owning a painting company. The two played competitive softball with each other for many years. As the stories go, it was a tight-knit group of friends and the ballgames were much more than obsession—it was their life. My mom had a significant role in Ginger’s young life, acting as an close-to-the-family babysitter for her and her brother for several years. Ginger’s mom and dad were always very much involved in her life, but appreciated the extra help while working full-time jobs and managing softball teams. Eventually I was born and my mom looked after all three of us. Though I was only a toddler, Ginger was my favorite and I followed her around like a duckling.
April 3, 2017
Visionary Fiction Alliance
I'm the new guy in the group, but it's reassuring to know that there's a band of authors out there still practicing a bit of continental philosophy. The Final Book has definitely found its genre and this fine group of people are also helping it find its audience. If you dig this sort of thing, be sure to check out other authors in the genre and read the alliance’s blog—it’s all quite interesting.
Visionary Fiction embraces spiritual and esoteric wisdom, often from ancient sources, and makes it relevant for our modern life. Gems of this spiritual wisdom are brought forth in story form so that readers can experience the wisdom from within themselves. Visionary fiction emphasizes the future and envisions humanity’s transition into evolved consciousness. While there is a strong theme, it in no way proselytizes or preaches.
Visionary is a tone as well as a genre. The ‘visionary’ element can technically be present in any genre and set in any time.
“Visionary Fiction speaks the language of the soul. It offers a vision of humanity as we dream it could be.” ~ Jodine Turner
March 30, 2017
'The Final Book: Gods' Cover Reveal & Release Date
A few important dates on the horizon:
Thursday, April 13—Cover Reveal
Sign up for the Facebook Event and be sure to watch the new trailer that premiers alongside the cover reveal!
Thursday, April 13—Goodreads Contest: Signed Advanced Hardcovers
Sign up to win one of ten advanced hardcover! Get your copy months before the public!
Tuesday, June 13—Release Date, oOoOo!
Pre-orders for Kindle and iBooks will up soon. Hardcover and Paperback will be available to order on the release date.
June 23-25—Amazing Comic Con, Las Vegas!
Stop by artist alley and say hi—might even get on a panel or two. Can’t wait for the craziness!
Lots happening in the next few weeks—follow me on Twitter and Facebook for updates as they happen. Can’t believe it’s all finally coming together…
Sean
March 15, 2017
Descartes' Wax: More Important Than God
First, let’s consider a question: if a thinking mind didn’t contemplate a piece of wax, would the wax even exist?
According to Rene Descartes, existence is predicated upon thinking. In order to know if something truly exists, it must think. So can wax not exist because it doesn’t think? Or does the wax not know that exists because it doesn’t think? Or do we, thinking things, give the wax existence simply by virtue of us thinking about it? But then what thought about us?
Before we can attempt to answer any of these questions, we must first define existence. “Let us consider those things which are commonly believed to be the most distinctly grasped by all: namely bodies we touch and see” (45). We can touch, taste, smell, and see the wax—we use our empirical senses to define its existence. “But notice that, as I am speaking, I am bringing it close to the fire” (45). The wax heats up, it changes shape, it loses its scent, it turns to liquid. “Does the wax still remain? I must confess that it does; no one denies it; no one thinks otherwise” (45). But if so, what happened to all of the empirical data that was originally collected to verify its existence? Those same attributes—its shape, the way it feels, smells, sounds—all are no longer accurate, but yet the wax still remains.
