Uncategorized – Page 6

Why Is The Prodigal Band Available As A FREE PDF Download?

Folks, the last time I counted the number of downloads of the FREE PDF The Prodigal Band, the third novel in The Prodigal Band Trilogy, that number exceeded 500! This is not counting the number of downloads prior to July, 2019, when the number of downloads of uploaded files was not recorded by WordPress but the number of visits to the download page was recorded, and there were lots of visits there.

Here is the link to the page that tells about the third novel The Prodigal Band, including the content of Chapter One, and here is the link to the download site at the top of this page.

But why is The Prodigal Band available as a FREE PDF download? Since the trilogy book published by Lulu is available to be purchased, why just give away the third novel in the trilogy?

The third novel The Prodigal Band is a FREE PDF download because this is the novel that completes the prodigal band’s journey to redemption, whereas the first novel, Battle of the Band, tells of the band’s fall into crises after crises after reaching the goal of fame and fortune and then the crash, while the second novel, The Prophesied Band, has the band recovering physically and psychologically on the road to recovering spiritually, which occurs in the second part of The Prodigal Band. In other words, as with the Gospel of Luke Chapter 15’s The Parable of the Prodigal Son about his fall, recovery, and then the journey home to his father, Battle of the Band is about the fall; The Prophesied Band is about the recovery; The Prodigal Band is about the journey home to redemption. And this journey to redemption was the point of it all, why I wrote this trilogy in the first place. But I also had to write the two previous novels to show and tell what the redemption meant and why the redemption was necessary. And the battles between Good vs. Evil as well.

It would certainly help if the reader read the first two novels to find out why redemption was necessary and the details about the battle between Good and Evil, to read about the crises and the beginnings of understanding what was necessary to see one’s was out of the morass the band members (and their women also) had put themselves into while reaching rock god status. But I will leave that up to the reader as to whether the reader wants to read the other two novels.

But The Prodigal Band has a redemption message, and it is in fact a FREE message that one can use FREE WILL to decide if one is to accept the message or not. I do not feel as if I need to ‘charge’ anyone a ‘fee’ so to speak to get this message, and I also think since it is a FREE WILL message it should be made available for FREE as a PDF download (since PDF files are easy to download and easy to add to one’s e-book device….just follow the instructions on the download page!). So while I won’t be earning money this way, that’s not what this ‘mission of God’ is all about, and besides, I’m doing fine financially, thanks to God’s blessings. Cheers!

And that is why The Prodigal Band is available as a FREE PDF download!

Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy Controversial Topics Series: Episode Five-Evolution vs. Creation-Intelligent Design (Part 1)

The previous episode on “It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know” ended thusly:

The next controversial topic will be played in two parts, dealing with the feud between Creation, or its more scientific calling card, ‘Intelligent Design,’ and Evolution. Featured will be a ‘would-you-believe’ fact about evolution founder Charles Darwin that shocked the heck out of me, in Darwin’s own words straight out of ‘Origin of the Species.’ Spoiler alert—Darwin isn’t who you might think he is! And that was the shock! The topic will heavily feature band keyboard-synthist Bry, whose parents were staunch atheists, humanists and evolutionists.

The actual snippets will be posted in Part 2; this episode will feature facts about Darwin’s Theory of Evolution that are not taught in any public school or Christian School because that would go against the narrative that Charles Darwin was an atheist and humanist and rationalist that supposedly came up with this theory to try to prove that Creator God did not and does not exist by stating that various forms of life began from two living particles which somehow turned into the so-called “Big Bang Theory.” Two particles collided creating more particles and more particles, and the rest of the story. Then various life forms evolved from there.

But what the narrative does not say is who or what created those two particles. After all, just as one cannot divide by zero or nothing, something cannot come from nothing. So something had to create those first particles.

And, to my shock—since I’ve never read “Origin of the Species” by Darwin—I had no idea that Darwin actually knew that whatever came to be and then evolved had to come out of something.

According to this post here called “Demonizing Darwin,” the final paragraph in “Origin of the Species”—the original versions that is—states the following:

“There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed BY THE CREATOR into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”

In other words, Darwin was NOT an atheist and had to have believed in THE CREATOR (that is, God) in order to state such an ending statement. It is almost as if he’s quoting the Book of Genesis Chapter One, when God breathed life into Adam (and of course into all creation)!

Continue reading “Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy Controversial Topics Series: Episode Five-Evolution vs. Creation-Intelligent Design (Part 1)”

Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy Controversial Topics Series: Episode Four-“It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know.”

Several snippet posts seemingly back the idea that in order to succeed in the popular music industry and the entertainment business in general, one must “sell” his or her soul “to the devil.” That mind-set has been around many, many years but became a dominant theme during the period when rock music reigned supreme and continues even harder in these days of rap/hip-hop supremacy as rock seems to have faded into a background within the mainstream. For instance, it is getting harder and harder to find classic rock radio stations in places like El Paso, yet rap and hip-hop stations there are much easier to find. I have my suspicions as to why, but I won’t go into that here. Simply, it is the way industry moguls want it to be.

Interestingly enough, some of the more popular rock bands these days hail from Asia, especially Japan and Korea with J-Pop/Rock and K-Pop/Rock (the GazettE, a Japanese rock band, for example, is my daughter’s fave rock band, and they have toured the US twice on world tours…their record label is SONY as far as I know). Europe still has some of the more popular grunge and death metal bands, as well. So while rock is not “dead,” it isn’t what it used to be in the US.

These snippet posts don’t cover this notion, but do deal with how rock or any recording artists come to be targeted for fame and fortune in the first place. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” was a saying I remember as a kid in the 50s and applied to many career threads or business success. In the 60s and 70s rock and roll era, it was obvious, as several friends (and including a band I was in for a short time) could verify that they wouldn’t become “rock stars” because they didn’t “know” the “right people.” They might know local bar or night club owners, but not any of the “big boys.” I did have a college friend that played in a band that performed in a large NYC pub venue, but that was as far as they got in the early 80s.

While the first novel in The Prodigal Band Trilogy, Battle of the Band, starts off with a “prayer” for success as the band Sound Unltd began its contest-winning national pub and small venue tour, it doesn’t really cover the “who” they “knew” aspect of the beginnings of their success. The third novel, The Prodigal Band, however, does begin with introducing the “who” they “know” people that helped create the group, including influencer parents and adoptive parents as well as ancestors. And these ‘parents,’ having been in the business themselves twenty years earlier, “knew” others, higher-ups so-to-speak, with more clout who would assure early success, and who “knew” others even higher up who would make sure they’d make it big.

All of the following snippets come from The Prodigal Band.

Continue reading “Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy Controversial Topics Series: Episode Four-“It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know.””

Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy Controversial Topics Series: Episode Two-Religion

Nothing—according to many pundits and persons—is as controversial as these two topics—politics and religion; politics was covered in Episode One of this Controversial Topics Snippet Series within The Prodigal Band Trilogy. Ipso Facto, Episode Two deals with religion.

While the trilogy books do mention Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and the Druids of Wales (in the context of their practices against their fictional enemies, Crynnwagg and the Crag-Dwellers who were cannibals, whom the Druids ‘tied to oak trees’ as revenge for their rituals against the Druid priesthood youth), only the fictitious New Age cult led by Swami Negran and Cole Blessing, the Church of the Circle of Unity—and its red crystal of Corion, and Christianity are prominent. I made up the Unity Church cult based off the real cults of Hare Krishna (I had a friend years ago victimized by this cult) and Transcendentalism (led by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who influenced the Beatles and others).

I look at Christianity in a different way than most Christians and non-Christians do—a true Christian follows the Way, Truth and Life of Jesus Christ and accepts the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God the Father, and puts these ahead of doing what most folks think Christians do—go to church, tithe, hand out religious tracts, go to ‘mission conferences,’ and engage in conservative politics, among other things… and partake in Communion, baptism, marriages in churches, and other rituals that attach to various denominations (Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and other groups not affiliated with these). Yes, I was baptized (three times—as a baby, in a church where I was teaching in the 80s during Bible study sessions, and in a local baptistry). Yes, I do Communion at the local non-denominational church. Yes, I was married in a Catholic church (because my parents wanted it that way…I really wasn’t a practicing Catholic then). Yes, I read the Bible (without which I never could have completed this trilogy!). Yes, I pray. But that is not what makes me a committed believer on Christ. And that is not why God gave me the trilogy-writing mission to tell the world why they should consider accepting Christ as Savior. It is commitment to Christ by one’s own free will and then doing as such, not religious doctrines, dogmas, and rituals, that makes one a true Christian.

Continue reading “Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy Controversial Topics Series: Episode Two-Religion”

Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy Controversial Topics Series: Episode One-Politics

Welcome to the latest Snippet Series within The Prodigal Band Trilogy, Controversial Topics! In the previous post I mentioned two of the most controversial topics within the trilogy, evolution and indentured servitude, both topics relating to two of the prodigal band members. But I will begin the series with a topic that does not get a lot of play within the trilogy, politics.

Here is one definition of politics: the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power. (Source: Bing search engine)

I chose politics as the first in the series not only because of the mess regarding the recent presidential election in the US—and I did not vote for either Trump or Biden as I do not support either one, nor am I Republican or Democrat, nor am I left-wing or right-wing…and in my opinion what was defined as left- or right-wing back in the 60s and 70s has changed greatly over the last twenty or so years. In other words, I am apolitical. As for who will actually wind up in the White House next month, I have to hand it to George Wallace (his awful racism aside), who said this truth—“There’s not a dime’s worth of difference between a Republican and a Democrat.” (Note: Wallace was Democrat, which today would seem extremely contradictory since he really was racist and today’s Democrats act like “social justice warrior” types (but I still think they are closet racists…what exactly have they done for blacks other than keep them in poverty? The nation’s poorest blacks all live in Democrat-run cities like Baltimore and Detroit!).

Well, enough of “politics”! BTW, I hate politics! It’s all about power, after all.

No matter what definition I use for politics, it is the ‘ruler’ over the politics that remains hidden to most voters or otherwise. In some nations this ruler is the one with the most money, or rules over some dictator, or rules over some general, or is seemingly an oligarch or bankster or criminal even. Some nations are monarchies like the UK that have governing bodies like Parliaments and some are ruled by religious types or are backed by religious leaders (think Iran and Israel here). In my novels, the seeming ‘rulers’ are extremely wealthy bankers and oligarchs and aristocrats, within Britain (do I even mention the Royal Family? Hardly…but these books are fictional, after all).

Continue reading “Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy Controversial Topics Series: Episode One-Politics”

Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy Biblical References Series: Episode Five—If a prostitute, a tax collector, a synagogue ruler, a Pharisee, a Roman Centurion, and some likely wealthy ship owners can accept Christ as Savior…Can supposed “Devil Worshipers”?

I have watched many YouTube videos created by supposed Christian preachers claiming that many entertainers that claim to believe on Christ are faking their beliefs. I will not post links to these videos because they are readily available to anyone who might follow rockers and rappers and singers and actors and athletes and other wealthy celebrities who claim to have converted to Christianity or were born that way.

Now some of these celebrities may be faking it, but some videos imply all of these celebrities are faking it. (Note: these folks never seem to think of the possibility that some celebrities that are supposed Satanists might also be faking it! But anyway….).

To just flat out say all these celebrities are phony Christians, however, with no verbal proof from the celebrity that they are faking it, is wrong. Folks who call themselves Christians shouldn’t be ‘making stuff up’ either! And this snippet post is a response to this rumor-mongering, which these folks ought to know Christ abhors.

Continue reading “Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy Biblical References Series: Episode Five—If a prostitute, a tax collector, a synagogue ruler, a Pharisee, a Roman Centurion, and some likely wealthy ship owners can accept Christ as Savior…Can supposed “Devil Worshipers”?”

Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy: Biblical References Series, Episode Four: “Born Again”

The Gospel of John Chapter Three makes clear what Christ meant by “being born again”—that is, not physically, but spiritually. I need to make this clear because many folks take this whole “born again” theme as similar to Hinduist “reincarnation” or that Christianity practices a “murder” of sorts in order to be “born again.” After all, those who hate Christianity are going to make whatever excuses they can to claim it supports the notion of “murder” in order to be “born again,” using the fact that Christ Himself was crucified so that He could shed His own blood for the sake of taking on the sins of the world…He died so all believers could be born again, which some claim means Christians support murder! Seriously. I watched a video that actually made that claim, and it was not an atheist who made the video! (I have no idea what this person’s religion is….as for me, I do Christ, not religion, the hand, not the glove, and I let him know that in the comment section!)

But one does know Christ arose from the dead, soooooo…. Was He too “born again”?

Anyway…. John Chapter Three, when Christ is speaking to the Pharisee Nicodemus, tells him that ‘ye must be born again,’ to which Nicodemus answers how he’s supposed to do that since he is already old. Christ tells him it is a spiritual rebirth. It is not a matter of physical rebirth, or Hinduistic reincarnation.

Continue reading “Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy: Biblical References Series, Episode Four: “Born Again””

Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy: Biblical References Series, Episode Three—“The Parable of the Laborers of the Vineyard”

Several New Testament Parables given by Christ to His Apostles influenced how and why I wrote the three novels in The Prodigal Band Trilogy. One of these is from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Twenty, verses 1 through 16. It is called “the Parable of the Laborers of the Vineyard.” It is cited below, from the copyright-free public domain King James Version of the Holy Bible, the PDF version.

To sum up the message: The “householder” (God) “hires” “laborers” (missionaries) to reap new fruit (believers on Christ) within the vineyard (the world), beginning with those hired early in the morning (that is, early in the life of the “laborer”; children, teens or those in their twenties), then hired mid-day (“laborers” in their thirties), then later (“laborers” in their forties or fifties), then later (sixties and seventies) then the “eleventh hour” (those on their death beds or close to it…I actually know a couple of folks who accepted Christ as their Savior days or even hours before they died or ‘passed on’!). I myself, while I (with one exceptional time period I described in an earlier snippet) believed in God and Christ, never fully committed to God and Christ until I witnessed a miraculous event while in my mid-forties. The “laborers” in question are those who not only accept Christ but tell the world about why they should consider accepting Christ as well (and EVERY Christian author, fiction or non-fiction, needs to partake in this however God guides them!). That is, these “laborers” are on their “mission of God,” an expression I use often in the trilogy. The final verse, 16, says the last (to accept Christ) will be first (as they will die shortly) and the first shall be last (as they have a full life ahead of them, God willing), and that “many are called but few are chosen.” And among these “few” there just might be those that prior to accepting Christ led extremely evil lives! And the “few” that are “chosen” are “chosen” for a reason; for one thing, among these “few” that are chosen are those that “choose” to be “chosen.” God is calling the entire world, basically, but only few will choose this “calling.” The “payment” of course, is eternity with God in Heaven. And it doesn’t matter to God at what point in the lives of the “laborers” they do become workers for God, and it shouldn’t matter to one who works his or her entire life for God gets the same reward as one who works for God at the end of his or her life—so it shouldn’t matter to anyone working for God, either. Below is the parable.

Continue reading “Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy: Biblical References Series, Episode Three—“The Parable of the Laborers of the Vineyard””

Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy: Biblical References Series, Episode One—“The Outer Darkness, Where There Will Be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth.”

Of all the Bible verses spoken by Jesus Christ Himself I have been aware of for many years, this and other verses in Matthew and Luke speaking of “the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” has stuck with me for many, many years. I figured the “outer darkness” referred to Hell and this “weeping” by those who were in Hell made sense. Who wanted to die and go to Hell? It was the “gnashing of teeth” part I had no idea about.

The word “gnashing” in the dictionary means this: to bite or chew by grinding the teeth together, striking the teeth together by grinding.

A similar word I used often in The Prodigal Band Trilogy, “gnaw,” has this meaning: to bite, chew on, or erode with the teeth. The word “gnaw” usually refers to rodents chewing or “gnawing” on wood, nuts, plants, or whatever rodents gnaw on for food or shelter, prominently with large and long upper front teeth. I use “gnaw” mostly referencing the devil character, Corion, as well as his Demons, warning his evil minions to do what he asks, “…or I will gnaw your bones forever.” In Hell, or the Abyss in which he resides (on God’s or The Creator’s orders), which is where Corion’s evil minions will find themselves after judgment.

Note: Since those who do the will of the devil character will find themselves in Hell anyway unless they repent of their evil, and Corion would gnaw on them anyway, why is Corion even threatening these folks if they do not do his will? Because these folks worship Corion and believe this evil devil is in fact god! So they force themselves to do these evil deeds not realizing he is only deceiving them. Corion, the Satan of this trilogy, is in fact the father of lies and deception within the trilogy.

This post is on the “gnashing of teeth” reference; the “gnawing” on bones forever reference will appear next week. But the themes and context are similar though the words are somewhat different. Gnaw and gnawing are used once each in the Bible, in the Old Testament Book of Zephaniah and the New Testament Book of Revelation.

Continue reading “Snippets of The Prodigal Band Trilogy: Biblical References Series, Episode One—“The Outer Darkness, Where There Will Be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth.””

My Interview Hosted by Esther Rabbit

Several months ago when the Corona Virus event began I had posted in a Goodreads comment on the Author-Reader Forum regarding ways authors could advertise their books for free, saying to post links to your book site on websites that would attract possible readers of the novels the author writes. Esther Rabbit, who is an author, mentor to indie authors, interviews authors of all kinds of novels and non-fiction books, and promotes indie author books on her Esther Rabbit site, asked me to choose seven interview questions from her site and answer the questions for an online-interview.

Here is the link to the interview. Enjoy!

Questions include how I came up with the books in the Prodigal Band Trilogy, the publishing history, the inspiration, as well as (to use author-speak) the ‘plotter vs. pantser’ issue…I am both, especially pantser. So that makes me a ‘plantser’!

When you go to the site you’ll see that funny-looking ‘old lady’ at the beginning…that’s me. I sent in a portion of a picture taken on my son’s cell phone. I do not have a cell phone and do not want one. I do not like being tracked and traced if you know what I mean–I am a very private person. And because I have no cell phone I have very few photos of myself, and I am 67 years old, that’s the best of the most recent photos I had access to. Believe me, I was not prepared for my son’s decision to take that photo! Hopefully that goofy looking lady in the picture does not discourage folks from reading the interview!

Thanks, Esther! Blessings!

Note: Esther also has a YouTube author-mentor channel and Goodreads channel as well.