I have a number of topics to talk about in this newsletter, so I'll get busy and start rolling with them.
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I'll start off with the Artificial Intelligence, otherwise known as AI, controversy jumping up everywhere. There appears to be a lot of it pertaining to the writing industry. NANO, an organization that I wrote well over 1,500,000 words for over the years, is allowing it. The Horror Writers Association, as of yet, has no clear decision on it as it pertains to the Bram Stoker Awards. The SFPA, the Science Fiction And Fantasy Poetry Association, is dead set against it and won't allow anyone using it to be eligible for any of its awards. As for the writers and others doing work for these organizations, most are against allowing the use of AI. I fall in with the majority of writers here. I won't use it because it's cheating, plain and simple. Also, let it be known that I will no longer participate in NANO. Just saying.
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I keep walking by storefronts in my town and see advertisements for St. Jude and many other worthy organizations. If you are able to contribute to these well deserving folks, please do so. You will make a lot of people happy. Thank you if you can. If you're unable to, maybe you can spread the word around.
Thank you.
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I'll be spreading pictures of me holding a lot of authors' books soon. As soon as I get pictures taken, I'll get busy with that. As strange as it sounds, I don't own a phone. Thus, I can't take the ever-popular selfie. When I get someone to take pictures, I'll post them.
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I would like to recommend that people look around when they get their news. I worked for a while with a newspaper and wrote a number of editorials. Not all of them got the play I thought they deserved. I asked the owner of the paper about that one day and he told me that controversial pieces got the most play because they sold more papers. That's the reason so many hot items fizzled out in a hurry. Yesterday's news had no more pizzaz. The same thing goes for online and magazine news.
Become informed, and read from many sources. Then use your head. Make wise choices.
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As you know, I quit Twitter a while back. Since I have, my search engine numbers have dropped way down. A lot of other people who have quit Twitter have wandered off to other places, but I haven't followed their example. I see no advantage to that. I don't like what I see on any of them. For now, at least, I'll keep going the way I'm going now, that being to write here on my Press site and my Patreon page.
My main focus right now, as far as my writing is concerned, is to write. I'm doing that. So I'm on course.
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My Woman In Horror this week is Terri Delcampo. You can go to
www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4527027449764294729/6295528165249994
to read a post about her I did a couple years ago.
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BOOK REVIEW FOR: THE SHIP - BY MK ALEXANDER
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0852NFWYY/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
The Ship, by MK Alexander, is my kind of novel! This book is a Steampunk delight. I've been having a difficult time lately finding Steampunk I enjoy reading. No more. MK's writing hits the mark. And, on top of the salty-dog jargon I find in this tale, I am happy to find humor, shenanigans of all kinds, a star-studded list of story people, thrills, drama, and fantastic science fiction. What more could a reader expect?
MK writes new, exciting stories to add to the mysteries that surround all of us. If only we dare to shake off the shackles binding us to mediocrity. Believe me, there is no mediocrity in the writing of MK Alexander.
Read this great book. A great adventure awaits you.
Blaze McRob
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Book description by the author:
Aye, welcome aboard, mates!
I can say little more without issuing a spoiler alert. Sorry…
I can say it’s about the largest vessel ever built by humankind. Embark on an unforgettable voyage with its peculiar crew. Come under attack as they sail into the dark void and parts unknown. Find yourself trapped below decks, and rely on young Ensign York to reach the Bridge and save everyone on board.
Steampunk of sort, set at the turn of the century, though I’ll not say which century. Save Our Souls, Ship in Distress…
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author’s note:
Save a scant few, all the characters aboard ship are named for famous engineers of a bygone era. This is meant as a tribute to their contributions to humankind, and in no way reflects on how the fictional characters are portrayed in this story.
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MK Alexander has been writing fiction for 20 years and has recently published five new titles, as well as several short story collections. He has been a reporter and editor for many newspapers, and worked for The New York Times for well over ten years. Winner of the BBC Short Story Award. "No genre is safe from me! One thing that irks me is the accusation that I am too subtle. I like to give my readers some credit: I always assume they are clever, educated, and have a good sense of humor..."
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I always purchase books on Amazon when I find some I believe I would enjoy reading. The free sample tells me everything I need to know. Bingo goes the one click digit! Easy peasy. However, I am unable to leave reviews on Amazon because of the way they have changed their system. One must purchase a certain number of books using a credit card. I purchase well beyond the required number of books, but I always use Amazon gift cards which I purchase. I desire a certain amount of privacy and don't wish everyone to have that kind of access. In the past, I was allowed to leave reviews after purchasing books via the gift card route. So, nowadays I write reviews on my blog. I hope the authors whose books I love to read understand.
Blaze McRob
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Toxic Communities, by Dorceta Taylor
This book is one I stumbled upon and am glad I did! It is well researched and superbly written. The author explains how low-income and minority communities have been dumped on, contaminated, and exposed.
Uncovers the systemic problems that expose poor communities to environmental hazards.
From St. Louis to New Orleans, from Baltimore to Oklahoma City, there are poor and minority neighborhoods so beset by pollution that just living in them can be hazardous to your health. Due to entrenched segregation, zoning ordinances that privilege wealthier communities, or because businesses have found the ‘paths of least resistance,’ there are many hazardous waste and toxic facilities in these communities, leading residents to experience health and wellness problems on top of the race and class discrimination most already experience. Taking stock of the recent environmental justice scholarship, Toxic Communities examines the connections among residential segregation, zoning, and exposure to environmental hazards. Renowned environmental sociologist Dorceta Taylor focuses on the locations of hazardous facilities in low-income and minority communities and shows how they have been dumped on, contaminated and exposed.
Drawing on an array of historical and contemporary case studies from across the country, Taylor explores controversies over racially-motivated decisions in zoning laws, eminent domain, government regulation (or lack thereof), and urban renewal. She provides a comprehensive overview of the debate over whether or not there is a link between environmental transgressions and discrimination, drawing a clear picture of the state of the environmental justice field today and where it is going. In doing so, she introduces new concepts and theories for understanding environmental racism that will be essential for environmental justice scholars. A fascinating landmark study, Toxic Communities greatly contributes to the study of race, the environment, and space in the contemporary United States.
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This book packs a lot of punch! It's a must read.
Blaze McRob
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That's it for this issue. I hope you got something out of it.
Blaze McRob
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