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October 1, 2022
October and spooky season
Hello again, Reader.
Some people have let me know that this newsletter is being cut off when they read it - particularly on GMail and Outlook. If you missed the announcement of the winner of the giveaway last time then that might be why. I'm looking into why this happens, but for now you might have to press 'Read More' or 'Continue downloading' when you get to what you think is the bottom. If you've not seen a cat picture, you've probably missed out! This past week I went to Hay-On-Wye just over the border in Wales as part of my 'reward' for reaching 1,000 days of writing in a row. The town is famous for its second-hand bookshops, and if you're a bibliophile like me then there's nothing quite like browsing from one to the next. The bookshops range from tidy, professional setups to converted churches and cinemas. Some have maps and others just let you get lost among the shelves! I restrained myself and got just the one. Well, it's three in one, but I feel that counts. Feast your eyes:
British Myths and Legends from the Folio Society
I'm still working on the 'War of the Worlds' sequels, but my other passion is folklore and fairy stories, so this will be invaluable research for that. What else, apart from Sci-Fi, interests you? It doesn't have to be books, any hobby or pastime is fair game.
Space News
Perseverance discovers signs of organic materials
The rover is collecting rock-core samples from features within an area long considered by scientists to be a top prospect for finding signs of ancient microbial life on Mars. And now "analysis indicates the samples feature a class of organic molecules that are spatially correlated with those of sulfate minerals."
In English, that means that they've found the building blocks of life in amongst minerals that indicate the presence of water in the past. Now the presence of organic molecules don't mean that life created them, but it's one step closer to proving that life did once arise on the red planet.
NASA's Perseverance rover puts its robotic arm to work around a rocky outcrop called "Skinner Ridge" in Mars' Jezero Crater.
Source: nasa.gov
Other Books To Check Out
I've gathered a few great books from independent authors like me, I hope you'll check them out.
And let me know if you have any books to recommend! I'm particularly interested in indie authors, but anything you've read and loved would be awesome.
TBD
Free
Before there was the doctor, there was THE doctor Not suitable for young audiences
Before Dr Hans reached the Asylum to conduct ungodly experiments, there was a doctor who was there first.
A doctor who had to set the Asylum up.
A doctor that didn't understand the sacred ground he was building on, and how it didn't like him being there.
Survivors of the Rising Sea
Free
As the oceans rise higher, Vikings and pirates battle for dominance A Post Apocalyptic Young Adult Thriller
Middle-class Viking Margot is stuck in a dead-end job, working for a powerful, thankless boss. When a sudden workday storm leaves Margot shipwrecked and floating in the raging sea, she's ecstatic to be rescued-until she discovers her rescuer is a mafia pirate.
Cover of 'Survivors of the Rising Sea' - a female Viking and Pirate in front of a fleet of ships
Deak's Choice
Free
On mining Colony 52, it's just another Christmas Eve. Or is it?
Deak is counting down the seconds until Christmas, the day he lost everything, when he's interrupted by a soft knock on his door, and a cry for help. Will he answer the plea, or end his unbearable grief?
Cover of 'Deak's Choice' - a mining colony orbiting a massive planet
Free SciFi and Fantasy Books!
For the whole of October, this set of amazing SciFi and Fantasy books is completely free - and once you've downloaded them, you can keep them forever.
Strange News
Why do witches ride broomsticks?
Via
The earliest known image of witches on brooms dates to 1451, when two illustrations appeared in the French poet Martin Le Franc's manuscript Le Champion des Dames (The Defender of Ladies). The association between witches and brooms may have roots in a pagan fertility ritual, in which rural farmers would leap and dance astride poles, pitchforks or brooms in the light of the full moon to encourage the growth of their crops. This "broomstick dance" became confused with common accounts of witches flying through the night on their way to orgies and other illicit meetings.
Source: history.com
Miscellany
Earthrise
Watch the Earth rise over the moon, courtesy of Japan's Kaguya spacecraft. Since the moon doesn't rotate relative to Earth, the only way to see the Earth rise above the horizon is from orbit. (The music and commentary are a bit much, watch it in silence)
Source: youtube.com
A timeline of Halloween
From its earliest incarnation as Samhain, the Halloween traditions and customs have evolved a great deal over the years. But did you know that trick-or-treating was a medieval custom?
Source: history.com
Premier League promotion aided by a country park?
I've been to Attingham Park a few times, it's a wonderful old building and the grounds (and deer) are fantastic. But at least one visitor is convinced that it can also influence football results...
Source: BBC News
And Finally
I created a book trailer for 'Amy's Story' - featuring a remarkably competent AI voice reading a passage.
Let me know what you think!
And here's Lola cosplaying as a comma. Or just keeping warm now the weather's turning...
Source: youtube.com