Sunday, November 28, 2010

The Problem with Faith

The problem with faiths, all faiths, including all of the world's religions and often including various forms of secularism to include science, comes when belief becomes a substitute for knowledge.
This would not be a problem except when "people of faith" display a complete lack of trust in the god, gods or goddesses they say they believe in. They often act as though their chosen divinity has very little power and needs their help and the help of civil law.
Sadly, faith often seems to lack any true faith or trust in God. Faith seems to recognize faith is not knowledge and fears knowledge has the potential to knock down the house of cards of the carefully constructed faith system, which is its dogma. In other words, you must believe this or that they say you must believe in while knowing full well they don't know what is true.
Belief is always a substitute for knowledge. It can be a useful tool to gain knowledge.
Science at its best does recognize that what it believes is true today could be proven false tomorrow and is willing to change what it believes is true when what it believed was true is proven false.
On the other hand, religions have a hard time when it comes to changing what they believe even when what they believe is proven to be false. An obvious example comes to mind when the Catholic Church found itself forced to accept the fact that the Earth travels around the Sun and not the other way around.
Looking back at those times, you wonder why it was ever such a big deal. The only answer it seems to me is the basic sin of human pride. How we hate to be proven wrong! But this wouldn't be a problem if we actually had faith (trusted) in God and were not out to prove how smart we are about things we actually don't know for certain.
You might ask, "Is faith a hold-over from a more primitive time, a stick wielded by cynical politicians? Or is it a force for awakening and enriching our lives?"
I would answer by saying it often is both, one in the same at the same time. At its best, it is a trust in the workings of creation without placing any demands upon the One you believe is the Creator.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Books for the Holidays

Books for the Holidays
INDIAN LAKE, NY, November 13, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ravenwolf Publishing has expanded the formats available for its four books, with all books available and ready to ship in time for the Holidays: The Dancing Valkyrie, The Vampire Valkyrie, the second and newly revised edition of Adirondack Hikes in Hamilton County and the recently published Confessions of an Online Male Prostitute.

"The Dancing Valkyrie" (ISBN: 1440432198 | ISBN-13: 9781440432194) begins and ends in the Adirondacks of northern New York. It is the story of a young woman who is an erotic dancer at a topless club in Schenectady, NY, who becomes a vampire while on a hike in the wilds of the Adirondacks.

The novel follows her rapid acclimation into being what she was born to be - a vampire with a lust for both blood and sex, and draws to a conclusion when she meets with a vampire who lives to kill other vampires - and whose name is Van Helsing.

"The Vampire Valkyrie" (ISBN: 1452877793 | ISBN-13: 9781452877792) continues the tale of the vampire Mary Hoffman, a.k.a. Erica, the Dancing Valkyrie, who fights to protect her erotic dance club and her girls from mobsters who want to control her and her club - or kill her if she resists.

A Schenectady City Councilwoman wants to pass legislation to close down or strictly limit the operation of adult businesses, an a upstate crime boss wants control of Mary and her club and a New York City crime family seeks to discredit the upstate crime boss through Mary and her club. Many people die, both the innocent and the guilty, as a result of Mary's determination to save herself, her girls and her club, while wondering if she should stop being involved with humans and just kill all who infringe upon her freedoms as a vampire.

"Adirondack Hikes in Hamilton County" (ISBN: 1453608141 | ISBN-13: 9781453608142) is the first published hiking guide aimed only at trails and attractions in Hamilton County, NY.

In addition to being a trail guide, the book offers tips on many outdoor activities, state campgrounds, local chambers of commerce and who to call in an emergency.

"Confession of an Online Male Prostitute" (ISBN: 145374245X | ISBN-13: 9781453742457) is about a middle aged married man whose sex life with his wife has been absent for a number of years. Yearning for some sex but not willing to go to bars or pay for some mutual fun and not yet willing to divorce his wife, he decides the Internet is the safe way to go and works up the nerve to see if he can get anyone to pay him to take off his clothes and perform what amounts to an online peep show.

One day, one of his male clients asks him to exchange emails to talk and maybe meet. He agrees even though he doesn't consider himself gay. He does because he has unresolved, suppressed issues from his distant past and tells himself this may be a way to see and resolve those issues.

All the books are now available in print and Ebook formats from Amazon in its Kindle edition and other online retailers, as well as from traditional book stores.

Pete Klein, author of the books who is now working on his third vampire book says, "Publishing is rapidly changing. Readers expect a variety of ways to access the written word. This is why I have chosen to make my books available in a variety of formats. The Ebook format is the least expensive way for readers to purchase my books. For myself, I prefer to read a printed bound book but have read several Ebooks and just figure there are many out there who like to read but what to save money and are content to read what they have downloaded, either to a reading device or on their computer."

Pete Klein is a reporter at the Hamilton County Express in the Adirondacks of norther New York and author of erotic vampire fiction, bisexual fiction and an Adirondack hiking guide to trails in Hamilton County.

Ravenwolf Publishing Offers Books For Holiday Shoppers

Ravenwolf Publishing now offers a variety of books in paperback and Ebook formats in time for the Holidays

INDIAN LAKE, NY, November 13, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ravenwolf Publishing has expanded the formats available for its four books, with all books available and ready to ship in time for the Holidays: The Dancing Valkyrie, The Vampire Valkyrie, the second and newly revised edition of Adirondack Hikes in Hamilton County and the recently published Confessions of an Online Male Prostitute.

"The Dancing Valkyrie" (ISBN: 1440432198 | ISBN-13: 9781440432194) begins and ends in the Adirondacks of northern New York. It is the story of a young woman who is an erotic dancer at a topless club in Schenectady, NY, who becomes a vampire while on a hike in the wilds of the Adirondacks.

The novel follows her rapid acclimation into being what she was born to be - a vampire with a lust for both blood and sex, and draws to a conclusion when she meets with a vampire who lives to kill other vampires - and whose name is Van Helsing.

"The Vampire Valkyrie" (ISBN: 1452877793 | ISBN-13: 9781452877792) continues the tale of the vampire Mary Hoffman, a.k.a. Erica, the Dancing Valkyrie, who fights to protect her erotic dance club and her girls from mobsters who want to control her and her club - or kill her if she resists.

A Schenectady City Councilwoman wants to pass legislation to close down or strictly limit the operation of adult businesses, an a upstate crime boss wants control of Mary and her club and a New York City crime family seeks to discredit the upstate crime boss through Mary and her club. Many people die, both the innocent and the guilty, as a result of Mary's determination to save herself, her girls and her club, while wondering if she should stop being involved with humans and just kill all who infringe upon her freedoms as a vampire.

"Adirondack Hikes in Hamilton County" (ISBN: 1453608141 | ISBN-13: 9781453608142) is the first published hiking guide aimed only at trails and attractions in Hamilton County, NY.

In addition to being a trail guide, the book offers tips on many outdoor activities, state campgrounds, local chambers of commerce and who to call in an emergency.

"Confession of an Online Male Prostitute" (ISBN: 145374245X | ISBN-13: 9781453742457) is about a middle aged married man whose sex life with his wife has been absent for a number of years. Yearning for some sex but not willing to go to bars or pay for some mutual fun and not yet willing to divorce his wife, he decides the Internet is the safe way to go and works up the nerve to see if he can get anyone to pay him to take off his clothes and perform what amounts to an online peep show.

One day, one of his male clients asks him to exchange emails to talk and maybe meet. He agrees even though he doesn't consider himself gay. He does because he has unresolved, suppressed issues from his distant past and tells himself this may be a way to see and resolve those issues.

All the books are now available in print and Ebook formats from Amazon in its Kindle edition and other online retailers, as well as from traditional book stores.

Pete Klein, author of the books who is now working on his third vampire book says, "Publishing is rapidly changing. Readers expect a variety of ways to access the written word. This is why I have chosen to make my books available in a variety of formats. The Ebook format is the least expensive way for readers to purchase my books. For myself, I prefer to read a printed bound book but have read several Ebooks and just figure there are many out there who like to read but what to save money and are content to read what they have downloaded, either to a reading device or on their computer."

Pete Klein is a reporter at the Hamilton County Express in the Adirondacks of norther New York and author of erotic vampire fiction, bisexual fiction and an Adirondack hiking guide to trails in Hamilton County.

Website: http://www.petekleinvampires.com

---

Press release service and press release distribution provided by http://www.24-7pressrelease.com


Ravenwolf Publishing Offers Books For Holiday Shoppers

Ravenwolf Publishing Offers Books For Holiday Shoppers

Thursday, November 11, 2010

INTERVIEW WITH THE WRITER PETE KLEIN


INTERVIEW WITH THE WRITER PETE KLEIN



WHAT DID YOU FIRST READ? How did you begin to write? Who were the first to read what you wrote?
Probably Dick and Jane. Maybe before Dick and Jane was comics. I don't recall any early desire to write, certainly not before high school. Reading came first. Listening to the radio, watching TV and movies. In grade school, I advanced to Classic Comics. The first major novel in High School was "Great Expectations."
My first creating writing was for a literary high school publication where I published some poetry.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GENRE? Can you provide a link to a site where we can read some of your work or learn something about it?
I consider myself very catholic in my reading. Favorite subjects include religion, philosophy, history, science, outdoors. In the fiction category I prefer horror, sci-fi and mystery.

WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS LIKE? What happens before sitting down to write?
When I was in grade school, I used to like to day dream. I view writing as a form of day dreaming. I play with words and ideas for awhile. Look at a blank page, then put down a word and see where it leads.
Words often act like dominoes. One leads to another. There is a hidden logic behind each word.

WHAT TYPE OF READING INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?
There is not one type of reading leading me to write.
Inspiration can come from any of my five senses.
Inspiration is mostly emotion. Words trigger emotion, as do smells, sounds, taste, sight and touch.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE BASIC INGREDIENTS OF A STORY?
Here I would like to answer with an opinion.
Basically, one could say a story is anything with a start and a finish. How you go from start to finish is called a plot. Here is where I have a problem with the question.
Humans want to believe there is preordained logic to everything. I rather think there is a logic which stems from chaos. I guess this puts me in with free verse, avant-garde and the Theater of the Absurd.
This attitude, no doubt, may cause difficulty for some when I write fiction.
On the other hand, when I put on my non-fiction hat, I strive for objective, logical prose.

WHAT VOICE DO YOU FIND MOST TO YOUR LIKING: first person or third person?
In both fiction, non-fiction and in my role as a reporter, it is always third person.
Only in opinion do I use first person.

WHAT WELL KNOWN WRITERS DO YOU ADMIRE MOST?
Well I certainly need to start with Shakespeare. I've read every play and poem he wrote.
I like Joyce, Herman Hess, Thomas Mann, Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Walt Whitman.
But to list everyone I have ever liked would create a small book and I'd probably still leave someone out.

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR A CHARACTER TO BE BELIEVABLE? How do you create yours?
Oh dear! What is believable? Who is believable? Life is unbelievable.
I think in fiction, as well as in real life, characters do some unbelievable things. Just when you think you know someone, they do something you would never have thought they would do.
Now I have a question for you? Haven't you ever acted out of character and done something you never thought you would do?
Maybe it is doing something unbelievable that a character becomes believable.

ARE YOU EQUALLY GOOD AT TELLING STORIES ORALLY?
What I am very good at is talking BS for the fun of it and being believed.

DEEP DOWN INSIDE, WHO DO YOU WRITE FOR?
I think every writer writes for themselves. The hope is that you end up pleasing others as well. As Ricky Nelson said in a song, "You can't please everyone so you might as well please yourself."

IS WRITING A FORM OF PERSONAL THERAPY? Are internal conflicts a creative force?
I think the answer is yes to both questions. For me, writing is mostly fun. Bottom line, all art is play and play is often the acting out of things both in yourself and in others you find both pleasing and disturbing. Play brings them out from the darkness into the light.

DOES READER FEED-BACK HELP YOU?
I like reader feed-back, especially when it is positive.
Is it helpful? Sometimes yes and sometimes no.
What I would say is every artist must be careful when it comes to feed-back. You want to recognize constructive criticism while not be destroyed by the negative.

DO YOU PARTICIPATE IN COMPETITIONS? Have you received any awards?
No and no.

DO YOU SHARE ROUGH DRAFTS OF YOUR WRITINGS WITH SOMEONE WHOSE OPINION YOU TRUST?
No again except from my longest running friendship, a woman I met when studying acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and who now owns a literary agency in New York.

DO YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE ALREADY FOUND "YOUR VOICE" or is that something one is always searching for?
I believe my voice is always changing and I would hope it continues to be so.

WHAT DISCIPLINE DO YOU IMPOSE ON YOURSELF REGARDING SCHEDULES, GOALS, ETC.?
Because I depend on my job as a reporter for the money I need to live, my discipline is to put that job first.
Because reporting comes first, my creative writing is done whenever possible.
I should be working on my novel instead of doing this.

WHAT DO YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH IN YOUR WORK AREA IN ORDER TO HELP YOUR CONCENTRATE?
Coffee and cigarettes. The coffee goes cold and the cigarettes often burn without any help from me.

DO YOU WRITE ON A COMPUTER? Do you print frequently? Do you correct on paper? What is your process?
The best subject I took in high school was typing. Now I keyboard on a computer.
I use OpenOffice to compose and edit. Since I self-publish, the final draft is saved as a PDF file.

WHAT SITES DO YOU FREQUENT ON-LINE TO SHARE EXPERIENCES OR INFORMATION?
There are numerous author groups I belong to on the Internet. I do attend local author book signing gatherings where I get the chance to talk with other writers.
Most of the sharing I have done is on my BlogTalkRadio show -http://www.blogtalkradio.com/TheAdirondackBookhouse- where I have interviewed many authors.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH PUBLISHERS?
I'll tell you a short story.
A dear, dear friend is an agent who owns a major Literary agency. Before I decided to go with self publishing, I sent a manuscript to her. She liked it well enough to send it out to several publishers. I think it was the third publisher she sent it to that didn't get back in the usual time. She checked with them and - they lost it!
This was back before I had a computer. I did not have a backup copy. It was gone, gone, gone.
She did not object when I said I wanted to self-publish. My reason to self publish was simple. I was beyond the age of 60 and was in the mode of not knowing how long I might live. I didn't want to wait the years it can take from the time you finish a book to the time it MIGHT be eventually published by a traditional publisher.
We still keep in close contact and I’m hoping my third vampire novel can be sold through her.

WHY HAVE YOU WRITTEN THE BOOKS YOU HAVE WRITTEN?
"Adirondack Hikes in Hamilton County" was the result of hikes I took with my twin granddaughters. The stories were first published in the paper where I am a reporter, The Hamilton County Express. Several readers of the paper suggested I publish the hikes in a book form, which I did.
The two vampire books, first "The Dancing Valkyrie," then "The Vampire Valkyrie," were the result of a long fascination with vampire stories and my desire to do something different. Though I like all forms of fiction and horror in particular, I am a bit of a skeptic. I don't believe in monsters of any sort to include ghosts, werewolves, zombies and vampires. I figured: if there were vampires, they would be natural creatures. This belief resulted in my approach to my vampires.
The latest, Confessions of an Online Male Prostitute, was the result of needing a break from the vampires and a desire to switch from sex scenes involving two women and see if I had the nerve to write about two men having sex.
Though I regard myself as heterosexual, I believe everyone as a bit of the bisexual in them and we shouldn’t be afraid to acknowledge its existance.

WHERE ARE YOUR BOOKS AVAILABLE?
My three published books are available at local book stores and libraries (and any book store by order if not in stock, as well as at many online sources including Amazon and Google.
Let's not forget my own web pages at http://www.lulu.com/ravenwolfpublish and http://www.vampirevalkyrie.com and http://www.petekleinvampires.com

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?
I have two vampire novels, "The Dancing Valkyrie" and "The Vampire Valkyrie," and am now working on the third in the series, tentatively titled "And God Created Vampires."

WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND I DO WITH ALL THOSE THINGS I WROTE YEARS AGO BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO BRING MYSELF TO SHOW ANYONE?
Show them! Publish them! Be naked and don't be afraid.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

My political positions

Now with the Republicans and Tea Party people excited over their victories, I can only wish them luck. But the reality may soon be very different for them when the economy does not suddenly turn around.
I predict: Happy Days will not soon be found.
For myself, everyone I voted for was elected except for one candidate. I did not vote for Andrew Cuomo,only because I knew he would win. Knowing he would win, I voted for Christin Davis, the Manhattan Madam. Otherwise, I voted straight Democratic and all won.
I voted for Davis because I firmly believe prostitution and all drugs, not just marijuana should be legal.
I firmly believe all religions should stay the hell out of politics. Let them control their members without trying to use the government to enforce their rules, regulations and beliefs.
You let Christians draft laws to bolster their beliefs and things you must not do and before you know it, you will have Muslims pushing for their religious laws to be enforced by the government.

Win books

Thank you for your interest in my book - here's a gift for you
You get 1,000 points, with my compliments, to use on Freado.com - the world's biggest book winning site. My book - 'The Dancing Valkyrie', appears in the games on this site. Just click anywhere in this box, and follow the instructions.

Monday, November 1, 2010

The American Nightmare

Simple solutions for simple minds.
We need to realize the foundations of our current problems have been brewing for over 30 years and maybe even more.
The foundations I am referring to are automation, growing populations and globalization.
Automation requires fewer people to produce more goods. More people simply means there are more people looking for fewer needed jobs. Globalization means companies can tap from the entire world to find where they get the best bottom line.
Both we the people and government at all levels have used borrowing to fill in the gaps.
As governments and people now start looking for ways to lower their budgets, more and more people will be out of work or accept work they wouldn't have dreamed of accepting at lower wages.
Forget about bandwagons. How many people can get on a life raft before the life raft sinks?
Sorry to be so negative here but I only wish to point out how quick and simple solutions will not work.
Create jobs? Sure but jobs are not created by snapping the fingers. First there NEEDS to be a product or a service for which there is a demand and people who have the money to purchase the product or service. Remove just one item from the equation and you get what we now have.
I guess after all is said and done, and all things are considered, we all went a little too far out on the limb. It seems to me the so called American Dream was designed and marketed by business and government to get us to want more and more of everything, and it didn't much matter if we really needed it. Buy, throw away and buy so you can throw more away. Borrow if you can't afford it but whatever you do – BUY! Not to buy became Un-American and the American Dream became the American Nightmare.