Monday Musings

 On June 21st, I sent out a teaser about my next book. I have an update. I began my first novel two years ago, while in Siberia traveling on the Trans-Siberian Railway. During the trip, we visited an enclave of Old Believer, adherents to the original Russian Orthodox faith. This sect serves as the source of inspiration for one of the groups in my book. How did the concept begin? I wrote a short story in response to DJ Cooper's prompt to use five keywords to write a piece for Apocalyptic Winter: An Angry Eagle Anthology . But then I realized I had broken a cardinal writing rule, "show don't tell" and even more, I decided there was so much more to say about the subject at hand. When I returned from my travels, I set out on another journey. I embarked upon writing my first fiction novel, my own post-apocalyptic tale. In the spirit of full disclosure, I spoke with DJ about my idea and asked her permission to proceed. She agreed, and in fact, was enthusiastic about my plot...

As an author, I strive to write on a daily basis, many times my work consists of individual poems, but I continue to labor on my first novel. Indeed, lots of coffee is required to turn out books. As readers, we celebrate Book Lovers Day. Early writers transcribed their thoughts onto clay tablets and papyrus scrolls. Eventually, the Chinese invented paper and woodblock printing, in the 1st century AD. The 15th century Gutenberg printing press widened the availability of books to the common person. In America, our  o ldest bookstore is in Bethlehem, PA. The Moravian Book Shop opened in 1745. Hardback books were prestigious in the early 1900s, but in 1937 paperbacks burst into the market. Computer technology permitted digitized books. In the 1980s, the first CD format book, an encyclopedia, was produced. Today’s bibliophiles may still hold an actual book in their hands or turn to more current options, like ebooks or audiobooks. What are you reading? Author JL Huffman