Conor and the Crossworlds by Kevin Gerard
Topic: Blog Tours

Over the next few days, we will be visiting with Kevin Gerard, author of the Conor and the Crossworlds series.  Today we get to meet Kevin Gerard and get a general idea of what this YA fantasy series is all about. Tomorrow, I'll go a bit more in depth about each book and introduce you to a contest that will be coming soon.  Wednesday, I am honored to share with you a guest post by Mr. Gerard.  Finally, on Thursday, I will share my views on this series.  To keep you occupied until tomorrow's post, please visit Kevin's website http://www.conorandthecrossworlds.com to download a free Conor and the Crossworlds ebook to get background information.

About Conor and the Crossworlds

Conor and the Crossworlds series. This series opens with book 1, Conor and the Crossworlds, when 10-year-old Conor Jameson unconsciously calls forth the power of the Crossworlds creators who send the mystical beast, Purugama, to accompany the boy on a fantastic journey into the realm of the crosswords. This immense collection of mystical worlds connects by organic "corridors" that allow creators, champions, seekers, and at the other end of the spectrum, destroyers, shadow warriors, slayers and keepers to travel between worlds as easily as Conor walks between the rooms of his home. In book 2, Peril in the Corridors, the story continues when Conor and his huge mentor disturb the integrity of the Crossworlds corridors, and must join the Lord of the Crossworlds Champions, Maya, on a mission to repair them, with all of creation hanging in the balance. In book 3, Surviving an Altered World (due to be released in December 2008), Conor and Janine Cochran, two everyday high school students find themselves caught in a race to save an altered world after Conor ignores his mentors' warnings and divulges secrets about his past.

About the Kevin Gerard:

After running three companies and working a variety of jobs during his life, Mr. Gerard returned to school and earned a master's degree in sociology from Humboldt State University. He returned to San Diego after completing the program and worked with two professional research organizations over the next seven years. In 2004, he resigned from the second position in order to pursue a writing career. While still teaching at the university, he spends the bulk of his time writing for publication. The Conor and the Crossworlds series provided the main impetus for his decision to permanently extricate himself from formal employment.

 

"Stepping away from full-time work was the best decision I ever made. Writing this story has given me tremendous personal satisfaction, and it has shown me an avenue for expression I will always treasure."

 

Kevin Gerard lives in San Diego, California, with his wife and four children. He teaches sociology and statistics for the California State University. When not writing or teaching, Mr. Gerard enjoys walking the grounds at the San Diego Zoo, golfing with his father, hitting the waves and his favorite pizza hangout with his brother, nieces and nephews, and loving his wife and kids. He also enjoys playing Halo on the internet; look for him in the rocket games as Drazian, the destroyer in the first Conor and the Crossworlds adventure, Breaking the Barrier.

Books from this series can be purchased at:

http://www.amazon.com/Conor-Crossworlds-Surviving-Altered-World/dp/1934937274/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223067457&sr=1-3

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Conor-and-the-Crossworlds/Kevin-Gerard/e/9781934937273/?itm=3

http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781934937273?id=4163981983288

Searching for A Starry Night----A Review
Topic: Book Review

When Sam, her best friend and her mother undertake to catalogue the possessions of her deceased great aunt, the two younger girls are not particularly thrilled.  Who wants to spend warm summer days going through old jewelry and paintings hardly bigger than an average postage stamp?

The two girls soon discover that the paintings are more interesting than they had believed-and that there is a mystery just waiting to be solved. The miniature painting of Van Gogh's A Starry Night has been replaced by a not-so-great imitation and the two best friends set out to find the original.

Searching for a Starry Night is a YA mystery in which Christine Verstraete cobines her love of writing with her love of miniatures.  I found myself captivated by not only her realistic characters, but also the mystery. 

Ms. Verstraete teaches the reader some interesting facts about the world of miniature art and art in general, without the reader realizing they are learning.  I felt her excitement for the subject coming through her words.  Her exitement caused me to keep reading in order to learn more and to find out what happened to the original picture. This is one mystery I did not solve before the characters!

Christine Verstraete has writen a book I not only would not hesitate to give as a gift to young adult readers, but would consider presenting to adults as well.  Her characters are well-developed, her mystery intriguing and her writing style fresh and easy-flowing.  I look forward to more works from this wonderful author.

Getting to Know Christine Verstraete
Topic: Author Interview
Christine Verstraete the person:

1. What three words do you think describe you as a human being?

Funny, short, dedicated

2. How do you think others would describe you?

Impatient, talented, obsessed

3. Please tell us what you are most passionate about outside of writing.

Miniatures, animals, family, friends, faith

4. Do you have any pets? If so, introduce us to them.

Shania is my mixed malamute. A funny, fun dog that happens to "talk" a lot. Then there are finches and angelfish. I must be related to Dr. Dolittle.

5. What is your most precious memory?

Times spent with parents and as a family are always cherished.

6. What is your most embarrassing memory?

Which one? Ha!

7. If you weren't a writer, what would you be doing with your life?

Probably waitressing or preferably making miniatures.

8. In two paragraphs or less write your obituary.

Glad I'm not too superstitious, but I'd prefer not to see myself dead yet.

Christine Verstraete the writer

9. Can you describe the time you realized you were indeed a "real" writer?

When I got my first newspaper job writing for Pioneer Press in northern Illinois. It's different once you're on staff.

10. What is going on with your writing these days?

I'm trying to finish an adult mystery (adult-oriented not the other kind, ha!), hoping to get some Sam short stories published and always exploring new ideas.

11. What are your future goals for your writing?

I'd like to get an agent and publish in other areas. We'll see.

12. Can you describe a typical writing day for you?

I'm always writing. I write for newspapers, magazines, press releases, whoever will pay me. (Emails welcome!)

13. Why do you write?

I can't "not" write. I'm not good at much else, ha!

14. What writer most inspires you? Why?

I admire those writers who can put out book after book, story after story. I'm not always as "quick" a writer when it comes to fiction, but I do get there. Eventually.

15. How do you define your writing?

Steady. I try to be inventive and experiment with different styles or genres. I learn as I go.

16. In one sentence-what do you want people to say about your writing in fifty years?

She was good.

Christine Verstraete the details:

17. Can you tell us where to find more information on you? Website? Blog?

Web: http://cverstraete.com

Blog: Candid Canine

18. Is there a place where readers can reach you?

http://www.myspace.com/cverstraete

http://twitter.com/chrisverstraete

Book Place

19. Can you list all your book titles so people can look for them?

See cverstraete.com/books or individual links.

* Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery Quake/Echelon Press or Amazon.com

* Also read another adventure of Sam (from Searching For A Starry Night) in The Heat of the Moment Anthology, Echelon Press

* The Witch Tree at Fictionwise

* In Miniature Style, cd or ebook on miniatures with how to's at Reader's Eden

20. For new readers-what can they expect when they read your book(s)?

To: A. learn something new (groan); B. Have Fun, (yay!) C. Be a little spooked (boo!) or D. All of the above.

In conclusion:

21. I love to write and share my interests. Readers get to enjoy a fun mystery and learn about miniatures and miniature painting in Searching For A Starry Night. Or they can see some amazing miniatures and learn about the creators in In Miniature Style or just get a little creeped out in The Witch Tree. I like variety. That way you never get bored. Ha!

 

 

Excerpt from Searching for a Starry Night
Topic: Blog Tours

There was one thing good about the tedious sorting she'd done all afternoon--it had kept her busy. Right now, all she could think about was how dark and deserted it was outside. It would be a prime location for a Peeping Tom. Images of Mrs. Drake and Mr. Jensen flashed through her mind. No way. The thought of seeing either one of the older people lurking unseen in the bushes outside was pretty funny. The idea of Mrs. Drake decked out in a hunter's cap and jacket hiding deep in the weeds made her giggle.

A loud crack outside stopped Sam's giggles cold and made her flinch. Snap! A second later, there was another crack, almost like a twig breaking. An unwelcome thought came to her. Like someone walking outside. She took a deep breath. Her eyes widened. An animal. Had to be. But what was big enough to make twigs snap, crackle, and pop like breakfast cereal?

Sam tried to keep quiet as she tiptoed across the room to Lita, who sat partly huddled under the quilt. "Sam," she whispered. "What was that?"

Sam held her finger to her lips as she made her way to the wall. Carefully, she pulled herself up on the chair, placed her hands on the brick wall in front of her, and slowly stood upright. She carefully pushed a corner of the makeshift curtain aside. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she began to make out familiar shapes in the moonlight. Thick evergreen bushes, scraggly lilac bushes without the flowers, the stand of maple and oak trees, and the dip in the ground that went down to the creek. All looked normal. Nothing different.

Another crack made Sam jump. The curtain almost came down when she noticed the large, dark shape standing right between a group of trees off to the side. Heart pounding, she watched and waited. Several seconds went by. It remained quiet. She swallowed. Her mouth was dry. She could use a drink of water but that would mean leaving the window. Nothing stirred outside. It was probably just her imagination. She was making herself jumpy, that's all. Sam groaned as an even more unwelcome thought came to mind--maybe it was just Old Grandpa Sylvester coming to get ya!

Sam moaned. Great. Of all the things to think about! Why in the world did she have to think of him now? She grasped at something to block the direction her thoughts were headed. Lyrics to a song. The melody. Anything. A phrase from that annoying Barney song came to mind. After a few words, she gave up. Movie themes, her favorite movie scene... She motioned to Lita, who set Petey down on the floor and rose to her feet. She told him to stay. For once, the dog listened.

Sam watched the dog move his head side to side several times, then creep slowly toward the door. He's like a canine radar station, she thought. "I don't see anything and I didn't see mom come out of the house. You think it could've been a deer? Maybe I should open the door..." She shivered when she felt Lita's cool fingers wrap around her hand.

"Don't you dare open it," Lita whispered. "You've seen all those scary movies. You know what happens when the boy or girl goes outside by themselves..."

"Oh, c'mon Lita," Sam groaned, "how could you do that to me? I've been trying not to think of Grandpa Sylvester again and you--"

Her words were cut off by the sound of a thump outside. Petey flew forward in a spasm of barks. His legs left the ground with each violent growl. Sam wasted no time and jumped off the chair almost into her friend's arms. The two hugged each other and watched, wide-eyed, as the doorknob slowly started to turn.

The panic threatened to choke Sam. "Lita," she whispered, "please tell me I locked the door."

 

A Visit with Chris Verstraete
Topic: Blog Tours

Chris Verstraete combines her love of miniatures in her writing when possible. Over the next couple  of days, we will be getting to know Chris beter and taking a look at Searching for a Starry Night and Witch Tree. Please join us on this visit.

 

 "Searching For A Starry Night" ISBN 9781590805794

Isn't that an adorable cover??

Asked what inspired this book and Chris said: I collect dollhouse miniatures and thought it'd be a unique, interesting addition to the mystery field to focus on miniature art.

 Christine Verstraete
Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery (Ages 10+)
From Quake/Echelon Press - www.quakeme.com ISBN 978-1-59080-579-4

Buy at: Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Searching-Starry-Night-Christine-Verstraete/dp/1590805798/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212111273&sr=1-1

(Also at Books-a-Million.com, Barnes&Noble.com, Palm, Fictionwise. See links at http://cverstraete.com/Starry_Night.html) or ask for it at your favorite bookstore.

Blurb:

Samantha Ann Carlton would rather spend her summer vacation anywhere but a spooky old house in Wisconsin...like Lake Geneva!

Somehow Sam knows it is going to take more than a couple days to find a missing painting no bigger than her hand. But maybe things won't be so bad, she thinks, since she gets to take a friend's lovable, nosy, and often mischievous Dachshund, Petey, and her best friend, Lita. If they're lucky, the three of them can find the miniature replica of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and help Sam's mother get it to the museum, where it belongs.

It's not going to be easy, Sam realizes, when she discovers that her family has some spooky secrets. Then Petey digs up an ancient curse and Sam fears her friendship with Lita is doomed.

Can Sam find the miniature masterpiece before it's too late? Will she and her best friend go home forever friends - or enemies?

*** 

Christine Verstraete thinks you're never too old to play with dollhouses, so when she's not writing, she is probably working on a new miniature project.

Christine also is an award-winning journalist whose stories have appeared in various newspapers and magazines. Her short fiction has been published in print and online.

Her short horror story, "The Witch Tree," was a contest winner published by Echelon Press. She also is author of the e-book, "In Miniature Style," with stories about collectors, photos of their miniatures and how-to projects.

Check out more of Christine's miniatures and writing at http://cverstraete.com  and at her blog, Candid Canine, http://candidcanine.blogspot.com  and www.myspace.com/cverstraete  

Midnight Hours by Vivian Zabel--A Review
Topic: Book Review

One by one, disabled men find a friend in Midnight.  The picture they receive has them captivated and they fall for the luscious beauty. One by one, each man meets with death-and one woman collects each and every insurance policy.  Now, injured police officer Martin has met Midnight.  He has her number though and it is a race to see who will win.  Will Midnight finally be caught or will yet another man meet his final destiny?

Vivian Zabel has woven a psychological thriller that will have everyone who uses a computer wondering just who is connected with the name and face on the other end.  Her knowledge of the inner workings of both the detective and killer minds is incredible. The characters were very well developed and dialog true-to-life. 

Skillfully woven clues will lead you through this story, giving you a chance to discover Midnight's identity as the detectives do.  I found myself so involved in the book that I read for several hours straight, something I rarely do.  Ms. Zabel's writing flows smoothly, yet at a pace that keeps pulling you forward.  This is definitely a "just one more chapter" book.The ending leaves you satisfied-yet anticipating. This is a combination found rarely in today's mysteries of cut-and-dried endings.  I was pleasantly surprised that there is still an author out there that leaves me actually hoping for a sequel. 

This is one mystery I would not hesitate at all in recommending. 

***

For more stops on this blog tour, please visit the following:

Oct. 31 Aidana WillowRaven http://coverchatter.blogspot.com
Joyce Anthony https://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog

Nov. 1 Crystalee Calderwood http://crystaleecalderwood.blogspot.com

Nov. 2 Vivian Zabel http://vzabel.multiply.com/journal and http://VivianZabel.blogspot.com

and don't forget the contest:

Prize: $25 gift certificate from Amazon.com

Rules:
1. Each person who comments on a blog stop receives one entry. For example, if a person leaves a comment on four blog stops, he has four entries.

2. Each person who purchases a copy of Midnight Hours from the 4RV Store (http://4rvpublishingllc.com/Store.html) or directly from the author receives fifteen (15) entries per purchase. Since we cannot receive notification from other places in time, we need people to use the publisher's store.

A person may have entries from a purchase and from leaving comments.

An email address will be needed to notify the winner and to send the gift certificate.

November 5, a random drawing will be held using a program online to choose a winner. I will notify the winner by email and will post the result on my blogs at Vivian's Site and Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap.

Everyone who comments and/or purchases a book needs to sent an email to president@4rvpublishingllc.com  with the answer to the question,"When does Midnight meet Martin on the online game site?"

The email with the correct answer validates the entries

A Talk With Vivian Zabel
Topic: Author Interview

1. What three words do you think describe you as a human being?

Trusting, determined, caring

2.  How do you think others would describe you?

Took a poll: Tenacious, caring, conscientious

 

3.   Please tell us what you are most passionate about outside of writing.

My family: my husband of over 46 years, three living children, ten grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and another on the way.

 

4.  Do you have any pets?  If so, introduce us to them.

I have one funny faced tabby cat, named Funny Face. He thinks he owns me, and has for over seven years. He also is my attack cat. He growls if anyone is in the yard that shouldn't be. If my husband isn't home, and I try to go outside after dark, Funny Face stays by my side yowling until I go back inside. A dog come toward me outside, no matter how large, and Funny will try to attack him.

5. What is your most precious memory?

Only one? Not fair. Should I choose holding my first born in my arms? Or my second or third or the few moments with my fourth, so tiny and whose life was so short? Maybe the first grandchild or the others who came? Ah, the great-grandchildren.

But none of those would have been possible without the moment when I walked down the aisle toward the man who thought me so beautiful, who loved me so much that he still sees me through eyes blinded by that love.

6. What is your most embarrassing memory?

Oh, I wrote a story about that, titled "Crazy-woman Dance."  I was pregnant with my fourth child and on the way to my oldest child's kindergarten Christmas program. I had taken the dress I wore and the coat from the cleaner's plastic bag (it was the first cold time that year, after Thanksgiving, unusual) to wear that night.

On the drive from the house to where the program would be held, I made the statement that I was going crazy.

As we exited the car, something sharp circled my middle, racing around and around where my waist would have normally been. I wiggled, jiggled, and squirmed as I stood on the sidewalk. People stopped and stared, including my husband and children. Suddenly a mouse plopped on the ground between my feet and rushed off into the bushes.

My middle child and older son told everyone, "Momma's doing the crazy-woman dance."

7.  If you weren't a writer, what would you be doing with your life?

Let's see, I'm already been a bookkeeper, office manager, inventory clerk, teacher, mother, wife.

I suppose if I weren't a writer I'd be bored. Of course I'd probably still be a publisher. I'm a glutton for punishment.

 

8.    In two paragraphs or less write your obituary.

Trying to get rid of me already? Huh. Vivian Zabel gave all she had to her family, her students, her friends, the authors and illustrators from her company. When nothing was left, her spirit joined God.

***

For more information, please visit:

 http://midnight-hours.weebly.com/  is the Midnight site.  The book can be bought on the publisher's website: http://4rvpublishingllc.com/Store.html.

and don't forget the contest:

Prize: $25 gift certificate from Amazon.com

Rules:
1. Each person who comments on a blog stop receives one entry. For example, if a person leaves a comment on four blog stops, he has four entries.

2. Each person who purchases a copy of Midnight Hours from the 4RV Store (http://4rvpublishingllc.com/Store.html) or directly from the author receives fifteen (15) entries per purchase. Since we cannot receive notification from other places in time, we need people to use the publisher's store.

A person may have entries from a purchase and from leaving comments.

An email address will be needed to notify the winner and to send the gift certificate.

November 5, a random drawing will be held using a program online to choose a winner. I will notify the winner by email and will post the result on my blogs at Vivian's Site and Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap.

Everyone who comments and/or purchases a book needs to sent an email to president@4rvpublishingllc.com  with the answer to the question,"When does Midnight meet Martin on the online game site?"

The email with the correct answer validates the entries.

Talking With Midnight and Martin
Topic: Character Interviews
  Today I have two special guest, Midnight and Martin--the main players in Midnight Hours.  Enjoy this rare opportunity to get to know these characters.

1.  Can you tell us your name and the title of the book you live in?

Martin:  I'm Lieutenant Martin Rogers. I helped Vivian Gilbert Zabel write Midnight Hours, aided her in her search for the answers to the mystery of Midnight.

Midnight: What are you talking about? Midnight Hours is about me. You're just lucky you're still alive. Just wait. Just wait.

2. Describe to our readers what your role in the book is.

Martin: My role, and my team's, is to find Midnight and stop the serial murders. But Midnight ... the search leads to one dead end after another.

Midnight: I wonder why. Think it might because I'm smarter than you, maybe? Oh, yes, I do believe that's the truth.

3. How did you convince your author to put you in this book?  For example, did you visit a dream or make yourself known some other way?

Martin: I "visited" with Vivian and let her see the struggles I faced. She discovered my Internet relationship with Midnight. She didn't approve, but she trusted me to come to my senses sooner or later. She had more faith in me than my friends, who at least acknowledged that I needed some way to escape the pain and frustration cause by the slow recovery from a gunshot wound effecting the use of my legs.

Midnight: Let's just say I was her darkest nightmare.

4. Is your author easy to work with or controlling?

Martin: Actually she was rather easy to work with. She let me have my say in most cases, but she's a stickler for correct grammar and all that unless someone is talking.

She also didn't like us using too much profanity, but I don't use much, well, not too much, anyway.

Midnight: She let me have my way, and then she destroyed my plans. She's fortunate that I can't get my garrote on her neck.

5. Would you tell us about one of your favorite friends from this book?

Martin: My best friends are Frank and Kyle. We attended the academy together. Then, well, Lisa came into my life, indirectly due to Midnight.

Midnight: Friends? You gotta be joking. Friends are for jerks, or to be used.

6.  Do you plan on appearing in another book or are you happy to be where you are?

Martin: I'm working on that. Lisa and I have more story to share, as do Frank and Kyle. And there is always suspense and mystery around detectives and an assistant district attorney.

Midnight: One never knows, does one. Remember it is darkest before dawn.

7. What would you like our readers to know about you?

Martin: I'm not perfect, but, well, Lisa likes me as is. Seriously, I want the murders stopped, and the bad guys put away.

Midnight: Aw, h-(Vivian slaps hand over mouth).  Okay, okay, but he's so goody, goody, makes me sick. I'm the one people need to remember. I'm the one who gets rid of the worthless trash. Me!

8. Did you learn anything during your adventure in this book?

Martin: I learned to beware of Internet relationships and to be wary of anyone who comes on too strong but won't give any information about herself.

Midnight: Ha! Only some good breaks for Rogers and some bad ones for me keeps him alive, but he's on my list. I can't let him win. I won't.

9. Is there anything you would like to have done but your author stopped you?

Martin: Well, uh, she gave me a rather strict sense of honor. A little more ... Nah.

Midnight: Do you really think she could keep me from doing whatever I want? Not likely.

Martin: Oh, really? Wait until people read the book and see what you  do and don't do.

10. Here's your chance to speak your mind.  What do you want to tell everybody?

Martin: Everyone needs to find out how vicious Midnight was, how malicious and manipulative. Evil comes in many forms, and according to her photo, her form was one to catch any man's interest - until he died.

11.  Please tell everyone where they can find out more about your story and where they can purchase it.

Midnight: http://midnight-hours.weebly.com/  is the Midnight site.  The book can be bought on the publisher's website: http://4rvpublishingllc.com/Store.html.

***

Tomorrow, we will get to talk with Midnight Hours author, Vivian Zabel.  Please stop by and give her a shout!

Don't forget the contest:

Prize: $25 gift certificate from Amazon.com

Rules:

1. Each person who comments on a blog stop receives one entry. For example, if a person leaves a comment on four blog stops, he has four entries.

2. Each person who purchases a copy of Midnight Hours from the 4RV Store (http://4rvpublishingllc.com/Store.html) or directly from the author receives fifteen (15) entries per purchase. Since we cannot receive notification from other places in time, we need people to use the publisher's store.

A person may have entries from a purchase and from leaving comments.

An email address will be needed to notify the winner and to send the gift certificate.
 

November 5, a random drawing will be held using a program online to choose a winner. I will notify the winner by email and will post the result on my blogs at Vivian's Site and Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap.

Visiting With Vivian Zabel
Topic: Blog Tours

Over the next few days, I am honored to say we will be visiting with Vivian Zabel, author of the book, Midnight Hours. Doesn't this sound excellent:

While struggling to recover from a debilitating gunshot wound, homicide lieutenant Martin Rogers discovers an online "interest" may be a serial killer, responsible for the death of several disabled men.

Martin’s interest changes from that of a man for a woman to the interest of a homicide detective for a suspect when Midnight attaches a photo of herself to an email – identical to that of one folded in the pocket of a dead paraplegic. Confusion reigns when an Assistant District Attorney is discovered to be the unknowing model for the face in the photo.

Lt. Rogers and friends set up a sting to capture Midnight, but she disappears like wisps of fog. Every lead results in dead ends and more confusion. Midnight brings death on the internet. Preying on helpless men, she offers love but gives them a grave, but who and what is Midnight?

Martin must find this killer before she can add him to her list of victims.

Let's meet the author:

Vivian Zabel (aka Vivian Gilbert Zabel and V. Gilbert Zabel) started writing when a child. She told friends that someday she would write a novel, but their laughter didn’t deter her ambition.

While teaching for 27 years, she couldn’t carve enough time from her days to write a book, but she wrote poetry, short stories, and articles, which were published. After leaving teaching and entering the writing field full time, she finished two young adult and three adult novels.

A lover of mysteries since she discovered Nancy Drew, Vivian always wanted to write one. Finally, she conquered her tendency to hurry to the end, jumping over needed leads and red-herrings, and created her first suspense/thriller novel, Midnight Hours.

Vivian lives in Edmond, Oklahoma with her husband of over 46 years. Her interests, besides writing, include her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and reading.

To find more of Vivian Gilbert Zabel's published works, visit the Vivian Gilbert Zabel ~ Author website. 

Cover Design for Midnight Hours was a collaboration between Vivian Zabel and Aidana WillowRaven. WillowRaven Illustration & Design

***

Order your copy of Midnight Hours now: $27.99 plus shipping. (Note: retail price $31.99 plus shipping  http://midnight-hours.weebly.com/reserve-midnight.html

***

Contest:

Prize: $25 gift certificate from Amazon.com

Rules:
1. Each person who comments on a blog stop receives one entry. For example, if a person leaves a comment on four blog stops, he has four entries.

2. Each person who purchases a copy of Midnight Hours from the 4RV Store (http://4rvpublishingllc.com/Store.html) or directly from the author receives fifteen (15) entries per purchase. Since we cannot receive notification from other places in time, we need people to use the publisher's store.

          A person may have entries from a purchase and from leaving comments.

         An email address will be needed to notify the winner and to send the gift certificate.

         November 5, a random drawing will be held using a program online to choose a winner. I will notify the winner by email

More Excerpts from The Sage Age by MaAnna Stephenson
Topic: Blog Tours

The Rational and the Intuitive

In our daily lives, each of us incorporates our rational “knowings” and our intuitive “knowings” into a wholistic matrix that helps us make sense of our world. It’s likely that each of us leans a little more toward one way or the other type of knowing depending on personal preference.

The phrases “rational scientist” and “intuitive practitioner” are used extensively throughout The Sage Age. These are not mutually exclusive types of people. Rather, they represent schools of thought in perception and focus. For example, “rational scientist” refers to those who primarily make use of the intellect in the methodical investigation of reality. The term “intuitive practitioner” refers to those who primarily use a supersensible means of perception in a wholistic investigation of reality. In other words, they use senses other than the five associated with the tangible world. The term “intuitive” is a little different than the word “spirituality” in an important way. The intuitive arts are concerned with the esoteric sciences meaning that they deal primarily with the investigation of metaphysics in a methodical manner. Spirituality, on the other hand, is personal and subjective and focuses on how each person relates to everything in accordance with their beliefs.

At this point in history we have the opportunity to combine all ways of knowing to understand informed energy in an entirely new way thereby resolving many of the dilemmas we face today. The Sage Age highlights the information that each way of knowing brings and blends them into new models for new thought.

How do you combine your rational and intuitive knowings to form a wholistic view?

Einstein and His Famous Equation

When most people hear the name Einstein, the next thought is usually his famous equation, E=mc2. Believe it or not, Einstein’s Nobel Prize was not awarded for this revolutionary discovery, but for his lesser known paper on the Photo-Electric Effect also published in the same year. A good deal of the confusion about Relativity Theory is that most folks think it is one theory. It is actually three different ideas submitted in three different papers. The equation showing the relationship of energy to mass can be found in an addendum he submitted three months after publishing the Special Theory of Relativity in 1905. He began work on the General Theory of Relativity in 1907 and finished it in 1915. With it, he added the effects of gravity to his original equations and revolutionized how we view the makeup of the universe. And then there’s the confusion about that light speed squared business. What’s that all about?

Einstein’s first paper was titled “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies.” This eventually became known as the Theory of Special Relativity. It dealt primarily with how space and time were related, showing that they were actually two descriptions of the same phenomenon known as 4D spacetime. (A description of spacetime and how it differs from 3D space with an added element of time can be found in my article titled “Dimensions.”) It also explained the time dilation between objects which were moving near the speed of light and those that were moving very slow compared to the speed of light.

The paper showed time to be relative to its frame of reference. For example, if you and a buddy are standing in the aisle of a moving jet and tossing a ball back and forth, the two of you seem to be still and the ball seems to be moving at a normal, slow rate of speed. But, to an observer on the ground the ball, you, your friend, and the jet are all moving at 200 mph. The plane provides you with a different frame of reference than the one the observer on the ground has. Both Galileo and Newton understood this concept and called it an “inertial frame.” Einstein enlarged the inertial frame by stating that everything including you, the jet and the observer on the ground were all moving at speeds far below that of light. When one of the objects in the scenario gets ramped up to light speed, everything changes.

Because of this, no one observer had a privileged frame of reference. In other words, if an event happened and was observed in two different spatial locations, the event might appear to have happened simultaneously to one observer and as two separate events to another observer. The different perspectives were due to each observer’s motion in relation to the event. Therefore, both observations would be correct to each observer respectively. It would be impossible for either observer to claim they saw the event the “right” way.

Just as Einstein’s first paper showed that space and time were two descriptions of one phenomenon, similarly, the addendum to this paper showed that energy and mass were also two descriptions of one phenomenon. Energy and mass are not equal, as is often misquoted. They are intra-convertible. A very small amount of mass can be exchanged for a very large amount of energy, as demonstrated by experiments in atomic and nuclear physics. It’s considered one of the most elegant formulas in all of physics because a few characters demonstrate the complex concepts found in the original equation which is big enough to fill a blackboard.

Einstein applied this equation to whether or not an object of mass, any mass, could be accelerated to the speed of light. That’s also were the c2 part of the equation comes into play. The whole thing is about speed, not light. Let’s roll a rock to see how that works. It’s a rather large rock, so it takes a good deal of energy to get it rolling. The energy from that initial push is now stored in the rock as kinetic energy, which it dissipates as it rolls. Any additional pushes just store more kinetic energy than the can dissipate and now it has velocity. So, when we want to stop the rock from rolling, we have to absorb the extra energy it contains. The kinetic energy is proportional to the speed squared. So, if you give the rock twice the energy it can disperse, it will take four times as much energy to stop it from rolling (twice the energy squared is four times the energy). In Einstein’s equation, c represents the speed of light, emphasis placed on the word “speed.” His famous equation then, is the ratio of the energy required to move a mass proportional to the speed of light squared.

Some content excerpted from The Sage Age – Blending Science with Intuitive Wisdom
© 2008 MaAnna Stephenson
Content may be used freely with proper credit and a link to www.SageAge.net

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