#raymond walker

[iskra008]

Saint Moses the Ethiopian by Raymond Walker + Martin Luther King Jr. is the one of the greatest bearers of the Christ spirit in history, but have you heard of Saint Moses the Ethiopian? He was a Coptic Christian saint in Egypt from 330-405, known as Moses the Ethiopian, the Black or the Strong. His story is a parable for our times, because Abba Moses was an ex-slave, became a thug and lived a thug's life, but became a priest and one of the great apostles of non-violence. Here's some spiritual encouragement from St. Moses: Let us desire peace to protect ourselves from hatred.

Let us posses patience and long suffering because it will protect us from pettiness of the soul.

Let us posses pure love for everyone to protect us from envy and jealousy.

Let us be humble in every act and every deed.

[raynayday]

The Snow Child By Eowyn Ivey

Over the years many of my own books have been compared to “The Snow child” by Eowyn Ivey and so I have always meant to read this book and I, eventually, have. I have written many Faerie Tales, where a creature of Faerie interacts with the lives of “normal” humans to change them for the better or worse much as this tales does but that is where all comparison between myself and Ms Ivey ends. I love this book, sure it tells the old faerie tale and so is not based upon an original thought but that is where all similarities with the faerie tale stop.

Firstly this is beautifully written and well told, Ms Ivey can let loose the fanciful and stylish allusions, delightful descriptions and language when she wishes but mostly the book is restrained and she only lets her literary-self loose on occasion. This restraint makes the book flow better, makes it easy to read leading to an “unputdownable” book so do not be surprised if you are still reading in “The wee sma hours”. I will not give you a summary of the book other than to say it is the old Russian faerie tale retold in 1920′s Alaska where an older couple that cannot have children build a girl of snow and she comes to life. The characters are believable, in parts the book made me recall “Miss Smilla’s feeling for Snow” and that is a high recommendation. 

[raymondwalker-co-uk]

I love it when people disagree with me. Perhaps they know something that I do not and if so I would like to know it, sometimes people do not like it if you disagree with them. Today was one of those days. I have forums on a couple of my websites and try to keep up to date with them. I am a little known but moderately successful author and want to know what my readers think about my books and me. Often the comments are quite insightful, sometimes funny and often clever, I really like seeing them. I rarely respond to be honest but occasionally I do; today was one of those days. I had to respond to two comments, neither particularly bad or nasty. The first was to a statement from an aspiring new writer, that he would never give up his day job. The second to an already published novelist who reads the magazine about target audience.

My response.

Sorry here, I have to do a couple of disagrees. 1. Sometimes, kicking the day job is what you need to do. I followed Sam's advice and kept my day job after the first book came out and even after the second and third. This put me at a distinct disadvantage to those that wrote constantly, were able to market when asked, rather than when I could fit it in, attend signings on order etc. I finally did give up the day job after my fifth novel because I had no choice, the company I worked for were going to fire me and so I fell upon my sword and left. It was a big wrench, very difficult at first, but all that unused time allowed me to write for magazines and newspapers, work on my novels and market. Soon I had my own writing business though i was still earning much less than I had as an employee. As people knew me more, and trusted my articles and short stories I was given a couple of columns in local newspapers and the book review section's. Soon I was earning the same kind of money I had whilst being employed (though from fifty different sources rather than one). I suppose that in a way I still have a day job, but now the day job is one I love and that is writing. At the time that my then employer was thinking of letting me go, I hated them after the long hours and hard work that I had put in for them but it seems now, with hindsight, that they were doing me a favour. 2.. Bernadette, I feel sure, means well and believes in her advice but I only write for myself. Many others (far more successful than I) also do so. You have to write what you would enjoy reading. It is the only sure basis you have to know what others think. If you have bought a book and enjoyed it, and write in a similar vein then it has already at least one reader (You, and remember you bought that book). If the book happens to be a bestseller and you like writing like that even better. I would say, Always write for yourself, never your audience. People are fickle. If you write a good book that you like you have already won. I have never kept a journal, it is rare but I have fooled around with diaries in novels. Here i cannot really think of a successful one. Kidding. Anne Frank, Robinson Crusoe, Almost every book by Johnathan Aycliffe and Susan Hill, Candide, Dracula, how many weeks do you wish me to go for..... (sorry Bernadette, did not mean to get at you but as you can tell I disagree) LOl and just to be dreadfully awkward I love Dante and also Gustav Dore (sorry have no accents on this keyboard to get dore right).

[raymondwalker-co-uk]

My new book (livery included this time) Will hit the shelves in little more than a month now. It is cool and (I hope) wonderful. Unusual and different but hopefully clever and unexpected with it. 

Children lost at sea, girls lost in the woods, boys lost in castles, And they scream silently for help. They scream always. Rob, the poor fool, the poor ranger cares not, does not wish to save them, does not care for all his hope is gone. But the screams of the lost, the lonely, the bereft and the forsaken live in his mind. He cannot forget them.

[raynayday]

I decided to take a trip both back in time and into the future and read Gregory Benford’s Galactic Centre series of books. They are considered Science Fiction classics but for some reason I have never read them. This was the time to make up for that shortfall my book pile dwindling for the first time in many years due to illness. I read his Novel “Foundations Fear” (part of the Bear, Benford, Brin, Isaac Asimov legacy) many years ago and thought it truly magnificent but somehow I had never read what is considered his masterwork.

This is the first novel in a series of eight and so expect more reviews on them salted through others.  I have to be honest and say that this novel was a terrible disappointment though it is not bad. I suspect that it had its time in the early seventies and has faded as other more impressive Sci-fi writers have come along doing the same things but having learned from the likes of this man know how to do it better. I do not mean to fault it, as it is a well put together tale. For the time this was written I suspect it was faultless but the likes of Iain M Banks and Dan Simmons make the originality look woefully old and creaky though i suspect it was groundbreaking at the time.

Like many of these Hard Science fiction books I suspect that if i had read this in the seventies I would have said; wow. It is dated and was clearly of its time even if visionary. I must say that I feel rather rotten but two stars out of five. I apologise to Mr Benford. I suspect it is the period when it was written rather than the novel itself.

[raynayday]

The Silence of Ghosts By Johnathan Aycliffe.

Another Glorious work of art from Mr Aycliffe (Danial Easterman). There are few in the world that can write a ghost story such as this man. I only aspire to write as well as he.  In this tale he follows standard routes yet even then the tale is creepy , the setting wonderful and strange. A master of the art in my opinion. 

[raymondwalker-co-uk]

I often think that new authors do not completely imagine what they have done. What they have accomplished, what they have created, that they have given birth, brought life into the world and I consider it something like a piece of magic, a small miracle. (the author, of any name) will have created something that will out live them, in fact, may live forever, in one form or another.

  I may act less bothered now with many years of writing behind me but I am only pretending to be smart, worldly wise, and assured of my just desserts as that is simply a facade, a mask that I don so no one see's my childish glee in getting to see the first copy of my new book. Inside I could be nine years old and It's Christmas. 

For all the hopelessness in the world there is great beauty. Sometimes, it is right in front of you like a majestic mountain or Ancient forest. A church full of wonders but at other times, it lies in a poem or story that makes you feel good, scares you, amazes you or enchants you. It can be in a work of art, set in gold or lapis lazuli that entrances your eye, or a photographers vision of a dying tramp. The realism of life, the wonders and woes all caught up in one single blink of an eye. More Than that even, writing exits, even when photographs fade. Bob Hope once said, that the money and good food were great but what he lived for was the smile on peoples faces. We writers do not always make them smile, laugh or make people happier but what we do is make a photograph that never fades, a joke that will always live, funny or not, a reminiscence that never dies. Take your moment. 

[raynayday]

Fires of Eden By Dan Simmons

Dan Simmons is one of my favorite writers and has been for many years now. I found his novels "Drood", "Endymion" and "Hyperion" excellent in every way rating them five stars for each. "The Terror", "Illium" and "The fall of Hyperion" all received four stars out of five. Yet even the best of authors such as Mr Simmons occasionally can write a novel that will not entertain as much as many of his others.

This, I am afraid, is one of those.  It is still a good novel and had it been from an author that was new to me this would have had a great review but Mr Simmons has written so many excellent novels that perhaps I just expect a little more from him.

This comedic horror novel, spans two centuries and is set in Hawaii where the gods of the mountain decide to wreak revenge upon unsuspecting Japanese businessmen on holiday.

Add into this, roiling cauldron, Mark Twain's female companion upon another trip to the island. The story is told deftly (as you would expect from an author of such great stature) and It is certainly worth noting that Mr Simmons has conquered yet another genre in the writing of this novel. Not his best novel but still very enjoyable, well written, planned and executed. To anyone that has not read one of Mr Simmons books, you will love this, it is excellent but when you read another of his (and you will) you will realize that this novel is on one of the lower rungs of the authors lofty and impressive list of books.