Category: The Pool

The Indie Athenaeum has opened!

Chris is one of the best book reviewers I know. He has a new blog. Check it out.

The Indie Athenaeum

Hello and thank you for stopping by! My name is Chris Fried and I’ve been a book reviewer since May 29, 2013. It’s now April 17, 2019, so I’ve been doing this consistently for almost six years now. In that time, I’ve read and reviewed over 391 stories to date with many more to come. That’s including a wide variety of short stories, novellas, anthologies, and full-length novels.

download.jpgI wrote my first book review back in June 2008 for Peter David’s “Tigerheart”. I had gone to New York Comic-Con in April 2008 and stood on a long line to meet Peter, as he was signing advance copies of the novel his publisher was giving out. After reading the book, I remembered how much I had enjoyed it and wanted to tell others about it. So, I wrote a book review and submitted it to Amazon the day the book went…

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The First Paragraph

This is the first paragraph of my latest. Have a look at Melody 8. Remember that this is unedited.

 

My mother used to sing to me when I was scared at night. When shadows, in corners turned into drooling creatures who wanted to eat me. When the wind wasn’t just benign air, but a drooling demon bent on eating my soul, and my body, bit by sweet bit. I’d lay my head on her chest to feel the vibration of her singing. The song would come out in low tones and hurried breaths, and just slightly off-key. I always thought my mother’s inability to hold a perfect tune made the song better. It was as if mom had put her own touch on the song she’d chosen to sing. Her voice made pleasing chills go down my spine, and make my skin turn to goose pimples. I’d burrow deeper into the blankets smiling into my pillow. Mama would end the song and ask if I wanted to hear another one. If I was asleep she would plant a kiss on my head. The moisture and the soft smack of my mother’s lips would wake me up just enough to see her walking out of my room. Most times I wasn’t asleep, and I’d answer with a muffled yes that came deep from my pillows and blankets. Mama would answer with the same response every time. “Okay smart one.” I never knew why she called me this, and it’s funny to look back now and realize, I’d never asked her why she called me smart one.

I loved the sound of my mother’s voice. All the way up to the day she was put to death because of it.

Get Melody 8

MELODY 8 (6)

Finished in the nick of time

My name is Ernie, and I am a procrastinator.
I think admitting that you have a problem is the first step to recovery. SO why am I talking to you about this problem of mine? Well, I had almost four months to finish my story for the upcoming Tales from the Canyons of the damned paranormal issue. My story was only 2500 words. And today, July 1st was the deadline. I turned it in about five minutes ago… I’m hopeless. Hey, but I got it done! The only other time that I ever cut things this close was when I did a pre-order for my book, The Pool. That, however, was a large manuscript and I think I lost the rest of my hair on that one. I do however think it was some of my best work. Well, anywho back to writing. I hope you’re having a great day!

10 change your life books

This blog post is not a self-help post. When I say change your life books, I guess I mean change your perception books. And if you ask me, those sorts of books can be more transforming then some theory about how you’re doing it wrong, (Life that is). I believe reading is a fundamental skill that needs to be used daily. It is an immersive way to figure out new and enlightening things. Meaning, you have to actually think about the content, rather than watching something and cutting out an important part of the learning process. I’m not going to give too much of a description of these reads because, one, you can just look them up on Amazon, and two, I hope you read them and form your own opinion.

These are books that have changed my thought process, and my perception of the world. Or I guess you could say my reality.

#1 Robert Anton Wilson, Cosmic Trigger 1: Final Secret of the Illuminati Robert antonA journey into an agnostics mind. When do too many coincidences make you a believer?

#2 Graham Hancock, Fingerprints of the GodsFingerprintsCivilization is much older than we think it is. Graham Hancock offers up some new evidence that will change your perception of humanities origins.

#3 Aldous Huxley, Brave New World BraveAldous Huxley told the future. The World he constructed in his most famous work, mirrors today in a lot of ways.

#4 Neal Stephenson, Seveneves SevenevesThe Earth is about to become uninhabitable. Humans find a refuge in space. What will humanity even look like in 5000 years?

#5 Peter Clines, The FoldThe FoldTeleportation is impossible for a reason. But what some people say is impossible, is another’s possibility. A whole set of horrific possibilities.

#6 Stefan Bolz, The TravelerThe TravelerThe love of a father and daughter transcend all time and space.

#7 Ray Bradbury, Zen and the Art of writingZen writing there ever was a writer who could change your perception of the world, it would be Ray Bradbury. Part writing manual, and part autobiographical.

#8 Paulo Coelho, The AlchemistAlchemistSee the signs, and read the many messages along life’s path. A mystical masterpiece.

#9 Jeremy Narby, The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of KnowledgeCosmic serpentA true tale of a rational man who finds that there is still a lot of mystery in the world. You just have to know what to ingest.

#10 Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of TimeBrief historyTime stops for no man. Because it doesn’t exist in the first place.

cropped-blog-pic1.jpgErnie Howard is a husband, father, and author. You can find his books on Amazon