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Post by davekersey on Oct 27, 2013 12:20:05 GMT -5
will offer it free if you reply to this post. The second part is done but not published. Currently working on part three, and when done, all parts will be slightly modified to become a print book. One of the reasons I didn't post much in the last year was the time it took to write the first two parts. If any of you decide to read the first part, linked below, would appreciate comments, criticisms, don't hold back. www.smashwords.com/books/view/353964. Type in coupon GN22W to receive it for free. Also have a facebook page promoting it. So far, have sold 52 of the first book at @2.99. I will make it free for you. The second book can be sent via email. www.facebook.com/pages/Buck-Vs-the-Bulldog-Ants/216515971845036EDIT: I took the freebie code down. If anyone still wants to read part one, reply here and I'll fix up a code for you. Also as of today have 63 books sold. BFD, but it's been fun.
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Post by mrdavidjenkins on Oct 27, 2013 14:15:53 GMT -5
I downloaded it, and I'll let you know when I get through it. I am a 4th grade teacher, and I wrote a children's book called, "Superdork." It's pretty short but organized into chapters. I've read it to numerous classes, and the kids always seem to enjoy it. Maybe one day I'll look into publishing it?! Thanks for your offer. I can't wait to read the book.
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Post by marineukfan on Oct 27, 2013 16:24:01 GMT -5
Just downloaded it Dave. Looking forward to reading it as I have the time.
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Post by oldgregg on Oct 30, 2013 20:37:43 GMT -5
Tis good... Well through the few chapters i have read so far. I don't normally read so that is an accomplishment in itself
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Post by BlueSkooler on Dec 4, 2013 16:20:47 GMT -5
Would love to read it Dave. Can I still get it?
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Post by davekersey on Dec 4, 2013 17:10:40 GMT -5
Guys, I unpublished the book. The book I took off sale was 30,000 words. I have now republished it under the same title, but now it has four parts and is 110,000 words. Am searching for a literary agent to see if I can get a hard cover print book going. SO, am making the new longer edition available to anyone for free. www.smashwords.com, search for Buck vs. the Bulldog Ants, type in code FV34Z. You'll get it for free until midnight December 6th, then goes back on sale at $4.99. Have sold 72 copies of it so far, not bad, not great.
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Post by indiacat on Dec 5, 2013 17:59:48 GMT -5
Thanks, Dave. Downloaded and ready. Looks like good airplane reading for my next trip!
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Post by bluejay51 on Jan 5, 2014 19:08:00 GMT -5
Dave, In the immortal words of George C. Scott, "I read your book!".
I am certainly not a literary critic but I have to say I enjoyed it quite a bit. You certainly have a talent for writing. I haven't read a complete book in 20 years. Most of the ones I start get so boring that I am constantly dosing off.
I enjoyed the storyline since I have 6 German Shepherds and in the olden days spent many years training the ones I have had. They are incredible animals and every one I have had has a distinct personality.
Are you still writing, will there be any more?
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Post by davekersey on Jan 5, 2014 22:54:05 GMT -5
Dave, In the immortal words of George C. Scott, "I read your book!".
I am certainly not a literary critic but I have to say I enjoyed it quite a bit. You certainly have a talent for writing. I haven't read a complete book in 20 years. Most of the ones I start get so boring that I am constantly dosing off.
I enjoyed the storyline since I have 6 German Shepherds and in the olden days spent many years training the ones I have had. They are incredible animals and every one I have had has a distinct personality.
Are you still writing, will there be any more? Thanks for reading it bluejay. I did add a few paragraphs to the ending which you didn't receive, nothing major....just the Cleveland news guy spent a weekend fishing and recounting what happened with the killer. I am developing a story now, a totally new one without any of the former characters. The outline is nearly done except for how to end it. May take about six months to write it. Lot of research to do. Glad you enjoyed it. By the way, am attending a conference on book writing. I'd like to develop into a salable writer in time.
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Post by bluejay51 on Jan 6, 2014 10:06:29 GMT -5
I saw somewhere you mentioned telepathic wolves in Daniel Boone park, is that what you are talking about for the next one?
I personally think your Buck book could easily be salable. You have enough loose ends that you could develop another half dozen storylines in a series if you wanted to.
I've always wanted to try writing a book but I suck at making it entertaining.
I look forward to your next project.
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Post by davekersey on Jan 7, 2014 15:03:03 GMT -5
By the way, the ebook...Buck vs. the Bulldog Ants...is available for FREE at www.smashwords.com. Bluejay, the current effort concentrates within the state of Kentucky in part, even mentioning the Cats basketball program. I don't have a clue how this book will end so it will take a while to complete it....maybe even a year, who knows?
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Post by davekersey on Jan 8, 2014 15:45:00 GMT -5
Here's a teaser. Opening lines, subject to change, of the new book:
The redeye flight from L.A. to Atlanta was the easy part. The next stage of the journey would be the more difficult….the drive through north Georgia, Tennessee, and then the most problematic, the wilderness of southern Kentucky. He had solemn concerns as to the wisdom of the journey, yet Adele had strongly urged him on. Who is this man simply named Joshua, the recluse living in the remote hinterlands of the Daniel Boone National Forest?
Adele had described him as “amazing”. Atypical of his female comrade, like himself also a professor, she was evasive, offering nothing more than adjectives, such as remarkable, and incredible, when mentioning the telepathic abilities of Joshua with no last name. She did say to expect a profound experience, that Joshua was much more than a telepathist. And so he drove the rental car in stupefaction, half wishing he had stayed in southern California, the other half in blind anticipation. Finally he arrived in Williamsburg, Kentucky at six pm, three hours advanced of his California time, and called Adele.
“Listen, you heifer, this better be worth it? I am in Williamsburg at a Days Inn.”
“You listen, numb nuts. You just might be blown away. The real trip will be after you arrive. You’re about two hours away and it won’t be a cakewalk getting there, but you’ll enjoy the scenery, some of the best this country has to offer.”
“You’re sure he’s expecting me. I don’t want to be staring down at double barrels?”
“Yeah, he’s on board. I told him to expect you around noonish tomorrow.”
“So how is it with you in Lexington, and I’m sorry about your precious Wildcats.”
“You hush. Do you remember meeting Namanda two years ago?”
“Sure do, amazing twelve year old savant from India. Have you heard from her?”
“I have. We need to talk, but only after you meet with Joshua. He’s different, Jamison, you’ll see. Be prepared to experience something more bewildering than Namanda, you hear me? I want you to call me tomorrow once you’ve sat and talked with, uh, make that experienced him. OK? And another thing, you’re discoveries are strictly confidential. You’ll see why.”
“Will call you tomorrow. Stay off the Makers Mark, sot.”
“Fat chance. You’re too late.” She hung up.
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Post by bluejay51 on Jan 8, 2014 18:57:29 GMT -5
Sounds good, now just another 100,000 words or so and you'll be done with another one.lol
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Post by davekersey on Jan 12, 2014 19:34:15 GMT -5
Sounds good, now just another 100,000 words or so and you'll be done with another one.lol Well here's a few more words towards that hundred thousand: Jamison Vance, professor of behavioral sciences at the University of California at Irvine, a fifty-five year old academic who had seen and screened hundreds of savants, prodigies, and otherwise noteworthy case studies bordering on clairvoyance, prescient abilities, and those sagacious well beyond the norm, was intrigued by Adele’s description of Joshua as being different. Adele Meadors, professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, would not use the term “different” cheaply. Yet she was deliberately withholding information from him and that was not her usual dutifully thorough style. The only reference she made was to Namanda, an incredibly gifted savant who by the age of eight had total recollection of country names, in alphabetical order, and their capital cities. Jamison knew of several savants worldwide and to a person each had extraordinary abilities but also handicaps in brain function. Autism was the leading trigger, but not in every case, some being brain trauma through injury. Adele said Joshua would be “different”, and adding to the furtiveness was the fact that she didn’t include the SOTs via teleconference. SOT, an acrostic for Searchers of Truth, an assemblage of watchdogs worldwide of which he and Adele were two of forty-two members, was usually notified about a discovery of extraordinary intelligence. She cautioned him to keep his discovery confidential. He wondered why. He awoke the next morning after suffering the nocturnal aftereffects of smothered, covered, and chunked fare at the adjacent Waffle House, in which the plump waitress had screamed his order to the short order cook merely ten feet away. Thankfully the sky over Kentucky was cloudless and intensely blue, a good day to travel the snaky, undulating roads into the wilds of the National Forest. And indeed the terrain was wild, rough, unsullied by the Spartan fabricated metal dwellings that tainted the roadside for a few miles southwesterly of Corbin. Once inside the Park, the interplay of foliage and rocky cliffs spoke of an ancient geologic event that forcefully ripped up through the earth. He navigated a hairpin turn on the Cumberland Falls Highway, then gasped with surprise at the cinematic spectacle that lay just beyond its apex, the Cumberland Falls, affectionately named “the Niagara of the South”. He took advantage of the parking area populated by dozens of sightseeing cars and used the facilities, and also used his cell phone to snap a few pictures of the waterfall and Romanesque bridge over the Cumberland River. He was grateful Adele had recommended this scenic route which was mindful of an understated version of the Colorado Rockies, and a welcome departure from the synthetics of human intervention. In ten more minutes behind the wheel he reached another scenic overlook, that of a rock formation known as the Natural Arch, to which he aimed his cell phone. The GPS furnished by the car rental agency indicated he was just two miles away from his destination. Those two miles were dirt roads, more aptly paths tunneling through overarching hardwoods, and which rose in elevation rather brusquely. At the crest of the knoll stood a large barn and rustic dwelling off to the port side. He parked near the barn, stepped out of the car, and took in the beauty of the hillsides that flanked both sides of the property and joined together approximately a half mile straightaway, as if he was standing in the gigantic bow of an earthen sailing vessel. Beyond the barn the terrain sloped downward to a valley completely enfolded by the hillsides, and there, some fifty yards beyond and below him, was a monumentally bizarre sight. Jamison wasn’t a biblical scholar by any means, but the man standing in the valley, and in the midst of a twenty fold herd of deer immediately conjured up the image of Jesus, perhaps in a valley near Gallilee, who was beckoning the children to come unto him. Jamison wasn’t a biblical scholar by any means, but the man standing in the blue grassed valley, and in the midst of a twenty fold herd of deer immediately conjured up the image of Jesus perhaps in a valley near Galilee beckoning the children to come unto him. The shoulder length ebon hair and beard, and the full length white garment bolstered the impression. So this was the mystery man, the Joshua of no known last name. The man acknowledged his visitor with a wave and an unintelligible sound that caused the deer to hurriedly scatter to the safety of the surrounding tree lines. He slowly began to walk up the slope which stirred a wave of nervousness in Jamison, as if he was about the meet a renowned luminary. “Hello, you must be Dr. Vance?” The Jesus man offered his hand. “Jamison Vance, but people call me Van. And you are Joshua?” “I am.” Jamison studied the man’s face. Strong features, smooth skin, and incredibly blue eyes….Paul Newman eyes that expressed empathy like the movie icon possessed. “No last name?” “Not yet. Come.” Joshua, a rather tall, maybe six-two, slender man of perhaps thirty years of age, began walking toward the prodigious barn. Jamison followed in silence without the knowledge that his life was about to change forever.
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Post by davekersey on Jan 15, 2014 18:05:49 GMT -5
“Oh my God.” Jamison stood aghast at the entry and could not believe his eyes. The entire interior of the barn, or so it seemed, was a forest, divided into sections by expertly crafted granite pathways. Overhead blue ultraviolet incandescent light shown down on the gardens which created a psychedelic syrup of earth and sky hues. Softly instruments played in a sound best described as a current of melodic whirring. And there was the pleasant odor of freshly cut flowers permeating the air. “Follow me.” Joshua walked to the center of the area then turned to his left. He held out his arm to the left side garden in passing. “This is native vegetation. Mixed in with the eucalyptus are beets, cabbage, dandelion, rosemary, peppermint, lavender, asparagus, and fennel.” He continued walking on the granite path to the left side of the barn. Then he lifted his arm to the right. “This is the aquatic station. Here I have brahmi, also called bacopa minnieri, black root maca, tongkat ali, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and mineral water.” He turned and backtracked past the entry walkway to the right side of the barn. “To the right is yerba mate, golden root, some call it mountain flower, kava, imported basil, and Mexican yam.” “To the left is my lounging area that is surrounded by Arabica, do you know what that is?” “I’m afraid I don’t.” Joshua laughed. “It is coffee. Quite good for you if use it moderately and you don’t adulterate it with sugar. There are closed off rooms to the rear. One is for the scat of my animals that is used to fertilize. There is a bigger room that contains my workbench and storage that is refrigerated. Come and sit with me.” Enclosed by the coffee trees was a round table with four chairs. The two took their seats, yet neither spoke for a few moments. Then….. “Joshua, what are you doing here? What is all this?” “I will call you Van since you brought that up. So Van, are you taking, or have you taken, prescription medicines, especially warfarin or Coumadin?” “No, I take nothing other than baby aspirin in the morning.” “Good. And as a psychologist, you have a good deal of understanding about the brain, I assume?” “I could always learn more, but yes, I suppose I do.” Then added, “But not so much about why the brain works, just how it affects behavior.” “How old are you?” “I’m fifty-five. And how old are you, by the way?” “Thirty-three. Van, how many neurons do you have in your body?” Jamison laughed. “How could I know that with any degree of accuracy? I’d guess nearly sixty billion.” “That’s low. More like eighty-five billion, with about twenty billion of those in the cerebral cortex. How many do you think are firing right now?” “Again, how could I know? Twenty percent maybe?” “That could be about right if you are at rest. During the course of a full day you probably use every single one of them unless there is damage to an area. A constant lightning storm without the thunder. You are undoubtedly familiar with the hippocampus?” “Yes, of course. Part of the limbic system, the area that largely contributes to behavior, memories, and emotions. Also the olfactory center.” In the center of the round table there was a platter upon which was a pot the size of a gravy boat and four sake sized cups. Joshua poured from the pot into two of the cups. “Adele said you should try this if you weren’t specifically medicated.” “What is it?” “It’s mostly the oils of the plants you have seen, mixed with mineral water, and it also contains a potion sent to me from Arizona. If you want to try it, first smell the fragrance by holding the cup below your nose.” He did so in the same manner as did Joshua. “The sense of smell is important isn’t it?” “Yes, important in the three areas affected by the hippocampus that were mentioned. Like the smell of apple pie just out of the oven should bring back memories for most people, and then elicit related emotions. I know it does for me.” “Now wet your lips with the liquid and let your tongue lick your lips. Do you remember the exact roads you took to locate me?” “I think so, but there were many twists and turns and road changes, and I had the help of a positioning system.” “What if, in twenty years, you returned here without using your electronic gadget, or a map? What if you could do it strictly from memory and without one single wrong turn?” “That would take a miracle, a one in a million undertaking, I would think.” “Now take a small sip, like this.” Joshua barely tipped the cup to his lips. “Van, are you familiar with long term potentiation, otherwise called LTP?” “Yes, it’s the possibility of the fixation of memories into permanency, or long term, LTM, as opposed to short term disposable memories, and widely thought to be caused by increased signal strength in the neuron transmitters. Frankly I don’t know a whole lot about it since I’m not a neurologist. I’m simply trained in neuropsychology, the science dealing with brain related behaviors.” Joshua didn’t ask more questions for at least two minutes. He simply gazed into Jamison’s eyes. Jamison then asked, “Joshua, how can you know all these things? Can you tell me more about your background? And how do you know Adele?” “How many words in a list of ten can a subject repeat accurately.” Joshua was being evasive. “Between four and five, rarely above that.” “What if a subject could recall all ten, or twenty, or perhaps a thousand?” “I’ve seen phenomenon, like in an Indian teenage girl who could recall massive amounts of material. But in normal humans, ten items remembered, without having internalized memorization tricks, would be an anomaly.” “The girl from India will be here tomorrow. I trust you can stay for that.” “What? She’s coming here?” “Yes, her parents will be in Orlando at Disney, and Namanda will join them after she has met with us. There will also be a chaperone who can translate for her. Tell me, how are you feeling?” Jamison thought about that and realized he had not moved one muscle, nor twitched, itched, scratched, shifted or drummed his fingers. He also sensed a pleasantness that was almost euphoric, and in complete calm. “I am relaxed and feel good. Wonderful actually. Have I ingested a narcotic or opioid?” “No. Can you name the nine items of vegetation in the first garden I pointed out to you?” “Oh, goodness, let’s see. There’s eucalyptus, and….uh, fennel. Maybe cabbage and beets.” “You named four of nine. That’s normal, and it’s normal to remember the first and last items mentioned. That’s a trick salesmen have used successfully for ages. Ok, eucalyptus, beets, cabbage, dandelion, rosemary, peppermint, lavender, asparagus, fennel. Can you name them now?” “Eucalyptus, beets, cabbage, dandelion, rosemary, peppermint, lavender, asparagus, fennel. How did I do?” “You remembered the list because of what you drank. Van, every one of these ingredients in the entire room is well known all over the world. They are not magical nor mystical, yet there is one element no one else has introduced to the phytochemical cocktail yet. It is what separates the good from the best. And I don’t know what it is exactly, yet I have it.” “You lost me there.” “Adele will be here soon. She needs to hear my answer to that as well as you.” “What? She made no mention of that to me.” “I know, I wanted to sit with you first. You are a good man, Dr. Vance. She was right about you. I think we can move forward.” “Joshua, you don’t answer my questions. Why is that? And just what would we move forward to?” “Yes, I haven’t answered your inquiries and please forgive me for that. I will answer all your questions the best I can, including my past and how I became interested in this endeavor. As far as Adele, I’m sure she can fill you in when she gets here, but I can tell you, despite her brusque manner, she is my mentor and hero. And now, if you will excuse me, Van, I believe I hear the Sheriff pulling in. I have to check on Ben.” “Who is Ben?” “Ben is a black bear that checks up on me from time to time. He doesn’t particularly care for the Sheriff. I’ll be right back.”
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