August Release

August Release

When thoughts are archived and searchable, the only choice is to obey. Anything else leads to punishment, which can include a trip to the recycler. Over 7 tales, citizens discover harmony is a mirage created by the ruling Institute for Reproductive Synergy, a body founded in wartime to mass-produce soldiers. That old conflict is a reminder that peace at any cost is better than the alternatives.

After two years of crafting, plotting, and polishing, my new book, The Recyclers’ Paradise is out. It’s the first book (a prequel) in the upcoming Dust of the Gods series.

Have you ever wondered about the grand questions in life?

  • Where did we come from?
  • Why are we here?
  • Are aliens real, and if so, what are they up to?
  • How will the world end?

This sci/fi fantasy offers perspectives on all of that through a series of seven, loosely-interconnected stories, most of which are set in the Milky Way’s galactic capital world.

How the stories came to into their current state is a tale of twists and turns and rabbit holes. (No actual rabbits were involved.) The original version came in at only 20,000 words, but it lacked all the detail and world-building that I believed was needed. Plus, at the time, it had fewer stories. As a result, much of that first draft was reengineered over the course of the first year of development. (This should not come as a surprise to fellow writers; rewriting is part of the game.)

But even that was not enough despite growing to 70,000 words. Still, there were missing elements, and there was an opportunity to delve deeper into the galaxy’s distant past, which plays a part in many of the attitudes and fears of the galactic citizenry.

The second year was all about editing and polishing, and here, insights gathered from beta readers helped seal the last remaining gaps in the story lines. Great thanks go out to Sue McKerns, for her reactions and suggestions were invaluable. You can learn about how that engagement went by reading the Goodreads post below (look for “message 27” dated March 31 post by J.N.).

See goodreads post here

Here’s an interesting tidbit: inspiration for this book came from tales my wife told me regarding her childhood in a foreign land. Of course, none of the book’s stories are about those experiences per se; instead, they set the tone that guided me forward.

Now, it’s time to pop some champagne and celebrate, and once the corks settle, it will be time to focus on the next project. The Dust of the Gods series will be epic in scope, but I don’t want to spoil anything. You can get a tiny glimpse of the series’ central struggle in the final story of The Recyclers’ Paradise.

In addition to epub and paperback editions, this book is also available as a hardcover. For more information, please visit its amazon page at the link below.

Tourists from Outer Space

Tourists from Outer Space

On the evening of May 17, 2023, my wife and I stepped onto the terrace of our room at the Hotel de la Cité in Carcassonne and snapped a few night pictures. The views were spectacular, and the illuminated Chateau Comtale was in the backdrop.

A little while later, while reviewing the pictures we took, we noticed something odd. Consider these two images, which were taken only 1 second apart using an iPhone 11.

Image 1.
Image 2, taken 1 second later.

At first glance, there is no real difference. Taking two or three pictures of the same thing in rapid succession is one of our habits, in case one of them appears blurry or has a weird contrast. But, we noticed a tiny light hovering right above the castle in first picture, and it was not there in the second.

The next image showcases the light in question, and it has a zoom bubble showing it in more detail.

The anomaly is shown in greater detail within the bubble.

That’s interesting. What could it be?

First, we thought it might be an airplane or a helicopter. But the light was nowhere in sight 1 second later. Planes and choppers move in a steady and discernible trajectory, and they tend to have a steady white light and a blinking red one. It should have to be in the second image, but it wasn’t.

Could it have been some weird glow caused by the iPhone? Unlikely, since the second image was taken 1 second later, under the exact same conditions, and from the exact same vantage point and angle. Any issue with the iPhone would have probably manifested itself in the second image, too.

Was it an optical flare from a nearby light? Again, unlikely, especially since we would have noticed any rotating or spinning lights.

Perhaps it was a weather balloon? Nope. Like airplanes or choppers, it would have been in the second image, too, especially since balloons move much slower than propelled aircraft.

So, it’s not an airplane, helicopter, or balloon, and it’s not something caused by the iPhone or nearby lighting. What does that leave?

Aliens!

Of course!

Let’s look at a close-up of that strange light again.

The anomaly isolated and zoomed.

It’s comprised of 6 lights arranged in a 2-by-3 grid. That does not look like lights on a plane or other man-made flying apparatus. And the fact that it was gone the next second is kind of weird, too.

But, if it was aliens, why were they over the Chateau Comtale in Carcassonne, or over Carcassonne in general? The economy of the city does not rely on aerospace or military industries. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne#Economy).

So, why where they there?

Why was I there?

I was there to see something special—a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To walk the narrow medieval streets of a city that has been around since Roman times; the initial fort was built around 100 BC.

The simplest answer is usually the right one, right? That means the aliens, like myself, came to see the ancient sites, too! They were, in essence, tourists from outer space.

Silver Award Winner!

Silver Award Winner!

I just received the Silver Award from Literary Titan for Health Reformation: Murder, Medicine and Rehab in the Age of Pandemics. This is a tremendous joy for me, and now I can profess that I’m an award-winning author. Thank you to everybody who made this possible.

Below is the list of winners for March, including both the Gold and the Silver categories. Congratulations to each author!

Literary Titan Book Awards March 2021

And free healthcare for all!

And free healthcare for all!

My 5th book is out! Earlier this year, I was working on a different story, and this idea had been rattling around my head for a while, though not in its current form. With the advent of covid-19 and the specter of lockdowns, I tweaked and kneaded this unformed plot until it crystallized around the main character—her profession, her crimes, and her name (no spoilers–don’t worry). So I switched gears around March and focused on this nascent endeavor instead.

It’s a tale of free universal healthcare with a dystopian twist set in the near future. It has many of the traits that stained this year, 2020, minus the politics. It has globe-circling epidemics and protests, plus a pinch of corporate malfeasance. And in addition to tackling medical access, it also dives into the future of how prisons might evolve–again with a dystopian twist.

While many intellectuals will argue about how best to design such a deep and far-reaching benefit, this book offers a glimpse into an implementation long on good intentions but short on many fronts. Blended with other societal reforms and global market impulses, don’t think this couldn’t happen.

I do hope you find this peek into a possible future as much as I enjoyed writing it!

27th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

27th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

Below is the feedback I received from the judge for my entry. Although I did not win the category, I loved the comments, and appreciate that the judge took the time to send them. The comments follow below, unredacted.

Entry Title: Midnight in the Garden of Doom
Author: J.N. de Bedout
Judge Number: 22
Entry Category: Genre Fiction

Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 5
Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 5
Production Quality and Cover Design: 5
Plot and Story Appeal: 4
Character Appeal and Development: 4
Voice and Writing Style: 5

Midnight in the Garden of Doom has the makings of an ancient epic, as it tells a grand story of war, vengeance, and political ambition. There are a lot of moving parts, and seemingly random plotlines throughout the Chinese Empire that come together for a grand finale.

The majority of the characters are unlikable, or downright despicable, such as Sangey and Empress Wu, and yet, they are so well characterized, that likability becomes irrelevant: even Erik, who transforms into a savage madman by the story’s end, is redeemable, because readers understand his pain, and his motivation.

The amount of details sprinkled throughout the novel is impressive, and as a result, the reader’s experience is that much more immersive.

That said, there were moments in which the details were overwhelming, particularly when it came to the bloodshed. Violence is an integral part of a warrior’s life, and while illustrating both Erik’s excessive violence and the terrors of the Garden of Doom are key to the plot, providing a reader with a detailed descriptions of every murder might not be necessary. That said, Mariko’s silent vow at the end of the novel to not let herself “fall victim to the same cycle of violence and revenge that plagued” gives the reader hope that she will succeed.

Breathtaking in its scope of drama and storytelling, Midnight in the Garden of Doom is a tour de force of one warrior’s rise to infamy–and the wreckage he leaves in his wake.


— Judge, 27th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards
Finalist!

Finalist!

I have devoted most of my time to writing the next book. When I completed the Legend of Sithalkaan series, I figured it would be interesting to submit one of the books to a book awards contest. After some searching and refining, I did just that, not really knowing what to expect as a result.

I am hereby pleased to announce that Midnight in the Garden of Doom finished as a finalist in the Historical Fantasy category.

This is a thrill I hope to repeat with this and future books!

Your Vote Counts!

Your Vote Counts!

Please visit the TCK Publishing Readers Choice award voting page at the link below and vote for your favorite book. Your action will help support your favorite authors.

Of course, I humbly appreciate if anybody finds my entry, under fantasy, which is listed on page 8, deserving of their consideration.

2019 Reader’s Choice Voting Page

My entry, Midnight in the Garden of Doom, is the fourth and final book in the Legend of Sithalkaan series. Unlike the previous 3 books, which were set in feudal Japan, this prequel transports you to ancient China during a period of upheaval within the Tang Dynasty–a thousand years before the main story line. Think of it as the “origin story” of Sithalkaan. I hope you enjoy browsing the collections of books on offer. And if you enjoyed my previous books, or are intrigued by my latest offering, that is great too.

You can find Midnight in the Garden of Doom here and the series page on Amazon here.

Thank you for your consideration!

Nobunaga’s Siege of Mt. Hiei

Nobunaga’s Siege of Mt. Hiei

Most people I come across are not too familiar with Japanese history. One of the events that inspired my books is Oda Nobunaga’s siege and destruction of the fortified monastery on Mt. Hiei. (And if you read “The Legend of Sithalkaan”, you’ll get a re-imagined version of this event, complete with a different “original” location and a conspiracy theory to explain how it sits over Kyoto nowadays.)

Below is the Wikipedia article on the siege (it’s brief):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Mount_Hiei

Another account:
http://otsuke.blogspot.com/2015/04/mt-hiei.html

And another:
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_mount_hiei.html

Last, some insights into the warrior monk sects:
http://www.oocities.org/azuchiwind/monks.htm

Interestingly, I visited Japan after publishing the first book. Of course, we went to Enryakuji Temple (on Mt. Hiei) and got to walk around the sprawling complex and listen to the monks chanting.

If you visit Kyoto, it’s worth the visit! The link below provides official visitor information on the site. You can reach it by cable car; if you choose that route (instead of the bus), you get a great panoramic view of Kyoto. The road down from the site (if you go by bus) will also give you excellent panoramic views over Lake Biwa on the other site of the mountains.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3911.html

And if you’ve read “The Legend of Sithalkaan”, and find yourself in Kyoto, definitely go. You can contrast how its described in the books with what you see on the ground.

Final note: Spring and Fall have cherry blossoms, so the crowds will be much heavier. But, the extra color and nice climate is well worth the trouble.

Enjoy!