New Book


fred39

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Hello. I am not certain how to go about this but will try. I have written a new book. Title is: January 20th I am not sure how that went, so the title is, January 20th. I got to this site from the Nathaniel Branden office because I wrote to them to see if they had an editor who would be interested in taking a look at the manuscript to see if they had an interest in editing it. They sent me here. I am going to try and paste a blurb/premise below. Hey, look at that, it was successful. At any rate I did the final editing today and have also produced a cover that has a drawing of Atlas holding the world along with my name and the title on the front, and text on the back cover. Part of that text is reproduced in this blurb/premise. Certainly it does not say that the effort to end democracy is successful on the cover, but for all of you truly great people, it is. The last chapter is the speech of the newly elected president who reveals that they also hold a controlling majority in both Houses of Congress to go along with the White House occupant.

I have everything finished and will probably publish very soon and have it on Amazon after that, but if there is any person out there who is a professional editor who would be interested in having a look before I do, please contact me. I guess I am not supposed to put my email on this message, so I won't. But I did indicate that I would like to receive email, so however that is done, please contact me. The book will be priced at $12.95. If any of you want to get a signed copy, let me know and then I will let you know what you should send in payment, but I do not have that worked out yet. On Amazon, it will be handled via credit card, but I will not have that available. I think it will cost about $3.00 to send it media mail through the post office, but that is just a guess. If it is, and you want to send me a money order for $15.95 I will sign and send to you. That's the only way I can think of right now, or you can buy it from Amazon unsigned. As the days go by, I will update here, so if anyone is interested, just send me an email through this site.

January 20th is a modern, 110,000-word, Objectivist novel—a political/social/thriller about a successful forty-year effort to end American democracy and the control of the Republican and Democrat Parties.

What would happen if a dedicated group of citizens—growing in numbers but remaining secretive—worked to take over control of the United States government without resorting to an armed revolution…and were successful?

Three men—one a teacher from the enigmatic Skull and Bones—one a billionaire Texas oilman/senator—and one an idealistic Northwestern University graduate begin a forty-year journey to end democracy and the Republican and Democrat Parties. Is it possible? Yes, and it happens!

Each man is an individual part of a twisting puzzle of death, sex and power, in a presidential election after the Obama era. Are they covert anarchists, or just true conservatives? Or are they something even more sinister and deadly than the two of them put together? Are they beyond imagination? They are!

Hold on to your hat for a scenario that is tense, logical, and populated with recognizable characters, with a conclusion that is not only astonishing, but also entirely plausible. But be warned!

Faith and religion are exposed as a contaminating force that is anti-reason, anti-freedom, anti-capitalism, anti-American, and evil. If you are sensitive to such criticism, read this book at your own risk.

The Constitution does not mean what it does not say.

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James:

Welcome to OL.

First change I would make is making your first name Stephen.

Plot looks racy and exciting to me.

I like the last line in your blurb a lot.

That triggers my mind, but I love political novels.

Adam

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Adam,

Thanks for the reply, but no, can't change my name to Stephen. After all, I have had a lot of fun with it. I have been an atheist since I was 10 and as the years passed became even more entrenched in my mind. Don't know how I was able to see through all the crap then, but I did. Anyway, about my name. For many, many years I have told people that I just met to put my last name first and it would be easier to remember because there was a famous book of that name. If I am doing the post right I will let you know when it is available. I sure as hell would like to sell the film rights because it would make a great movie. One of the scenes is of a political rally for a candidate that is much bigger than the Obama gathering in Chicago in 08, because it involves 2 huge crowds, one at the Great Lawn in Central Park and one at the Hollywood Bowl.

James:

Welcome to OL.

First change I would make is making your first name Stephen.

Plot looks racy and exciting to me.

I like the last line in your blurb a lot.

That triggers my mind, but I love political novels.

Adam

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Jeffrey: " At any rate I did the final editing today and have also produced a cover that has a drawing of Atlas holding the world along with my name and the title on the front,"

It would be very wrong of you -- and possibly actionable-- to use a drawing of Atlas holding the world on his shoulders on the cover of your book; in the minds of the reading public, it is firmly associated with Ayn Rand and with her title, Atlas Shrugged

Barbara

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Jeffrey: " At any rate I did the final editing today and have also produced a cover that has a drawing of Atlas holding the world along with my name and the title on the front,"

Why is everyone always saying that Atlas is holding the world? He does no such thing, he's holding the heavens on his shoulders. So Rand's metaphor was flawed from the start.

It would be very wrong of you -- and possibly actionable-- to use a drawing of Atlas holding the world on his shoulders on the cover of your book; in the minds of the reading public, it is firmly associated with Ayn Rand and with her title, Atlas Shrugged

But the image of Atlas holding the heavens is much older than Rand's book, I don't see why she would be the only one to be allowed to use that image. A picture of Atlas shrugging or throwing off the "world" might be Rand's own creation, but the standard picture is not different from countless other images that can and have been freely used by artists, symbols like a cross, a swastika, a dollar or art works like Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam or Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, etc.

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Whether it’s “actionable” or not, it’s a major turnoff. Now I mean this as constructive criticism, for me the subheading “Objectivist Novel” triggered an immediate eye roll, head shake, and dismissal, sight unseen. I don’t believe Rand ever called her books Objectivist Novels, and to assert that your work rates a place in her company is presumptuous. Terry Goodkind, Kay Nolte Smith, Erika Holzer, and Andrew Bernstein don’t call their work Objectivist Novels. Note that Howard Roark didn’t call his buildings “Cameronesque” or such-like.

It’s fine to say: I’m influenced by Ayn Rand (or I’m an Objectivist) and here’s my new novel, give it a shot. Take Rand’s brand or imagery and you're pushing your luck.

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Jeffrey: " At any rate I did the final editing today and have also produced a cover that has a drawing of Atlas holding the world along with my name and the title on the front,"

It would be very wrong of you -- and possibly actionable-- to use a drawing of Atlas holding the world on his shoulders on the cover of your book; in the minds of the reading public, it is firmly associated with Ayn Rand and with her title, Atlas Shrugged

Barbara

Titles are not copyrightable. Original works of art are. Dialog and characters are copyrightable. Is an illustration of Atlas a trademark? If so that might be protected under trademark copyright law.

Ba'al Chatzaf

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Jeffrey: " At any rate I did the final editing today and have also produced a cover that has a drawing of Atlas holding the world along with my name and the title on the front,"

Why is everyone always saying that Atlas is holding the world? He does no such thing, he's holding the heavens on his shoulders. So Rand's metaphor was flawed from the start.

Check out this site:

ATLAS (Atlas), according to Hesiod (Theog. 507, &c.), a son of Japetus and Clymene, and a brother of Menoetius, Prometheus, and Epimetheus; according to Apollodorus (i. 2. § 3), his mother's name was Asia; and, according to Hyginus (Fab. Praef.), he was a son of Aether and Gaea. For other accounts see Diod. iii. 60, iv. 27; Plat. Critias, p. 114; Serv. ad Aen. iv. 247. According to the description of the Homeric poems, Atlas knows the depth of all the sea, and bears the long columns which keep asunder, or carry all around (amphis echousi), earth and heaven. (Od. i. 52.) Hesiod only says, that he bore heaven with his head and hands. (Comp. Aeschyl. Prom. 347, &c.; Paus. v. 18. § 1, 11. § 2.) In these passages Atlas is described either as bearing heaven alone, or as bearing both heaven and earth; and several modern scholars have been engaged in investigating which of the two notions was the original one. Much depends upon the meaning of the Homeric expression amphis echousi; if the signification is "the columns which keep asunder heaven and earth," the columns (mountains) must be conceived as being somewhere in the middle of the earth's surface; but if they mean "bear or support all around," they must be regarded as forming the circumference of the earth, upon which the vault of heaven rests apparently. ...

So, there seems to be some controversy as to the original tale.

Darrell

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I have to agree with Ninth Doctor on stating it's an Objectivist Novel. I know Terry Goodkind and he's never put the word Objectivist in any of his novels. I didn't even know of his association with Objectivism until he told me about Ayn Rand in a phone conversation...6 books into his series.

You also limit your audience by categorization. Anyone who dislikes Objectivism will not buy the book, much like I would never pick up a book that was categorized by the author as being a Communist Novel.

If the characters are well fleshed philosophically, that association will come to light soon enough. Stating their philosophical slant before opening to the first page means the reader loses out on character development, a key ingredient in any successful novel.

Outside of that, a 40-year journey to change our government sounds very, very intriguing! I wish you the best of luck ;)

~ Shane

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Jeffrey: " At any rate I did the final editing today and have also produced a cover that has a drawing of Atlas holding the world along with my name and the title on the front,"

It would be very wrong of you -- and possibly actionable-- to use a drawing of Atlas holding the world on his shoulders on the cover of your book; in the minds of the reading public, it is firmly associated with Ayn Rand and with her title, Atlas Shrugged

Barbara

Barbara, I finally got some reaction from you. I tried email and that didn't work. As for the drawing of Atlas, Rand doesn't own it, or the word Objectivist, but I may remove that from the cover. I have tried to get help with editing this book, and I do not make any claim that I am in Rand's league of writing. I am definitely not!! But I did write the book over a very long period of time after being heavily influenced by her. So much so that in the last chapter, which is the inaugural address of the newly elected president, he reveals something not mentioned in the story--he is an atheist, his veep is a Jew, and he regards Rand as the second greatest American behind Washington. In the Author Note, he also tells the reader that he, (my) opinion is that if Rand had had a seat at the table when the founders wrote the Constitution, she would have insisted they require elected officials to obeythe Constitution. Of course, Barbara, you knew her and I did not. Perhaps I am wrong about that. But I do believe she had one of the greatest minds in history.

This book will probably go nowhere. It should be on Amazon soon, because I have been unable to get past gatekeepers at publishing houses and literary agents to actually see if it has any merit. I believe it does. It is not a long book. The story takes place very quickly, even though it is a forty-year period. It is not intellectual. I am not an intellectual. But it does explain in plain language a great many things that are and have been wrong with American government. One of those is this, and it is in the book, even after I have stated that I regard Washington as the greatest American. Who was the first person to violate the Constitution. It was Washington, by adding words, (so help me God) to his Oath of Office. Also on the cover is a single line. The Constitution does not mean what it does not say.

At any rate, Barbara, I believe Rand does not own the right to use Atlas. In the text of the story, the great Atlas, America, is shrugging. I assume from what you have written that that cannot rightly be part of the text, but assuming has gotten me in trouble many times in my long life. I am 70. So I will continue and say that the word, fountainhead, not capatilized, is also there and so is Ayn Rand.

My thanks to everyone for replying. This is the most response I have ever received in any way regarding this book, titled, January 20th. I thank you all and hope you will buy a copy when it is ready. Please respond to this, Barbara, and anyone else who has something to say. I am not good with these things, which is why it is located where it is. I just did not understand and do not understand where it should go. Having heard of Barbara I decided to put it there. I did try to get some attention from your ex, Barbara, and was transferred to Leigh, who said that she sent mail to you about what I was looking for but you have not responded until now on OL. Thanks. If anyone has an idea on where I should put info on the book, please let me know. And once again, thanks from an old man.

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It just occurred to me, what is this doing in Barbara's Corner?

I'm moving it, but I will leave a link behind for a while since it stayed in Barbara's Corner for a while.

Michael

Michael, how do you move it, and have you seen my reply to Barbara? I just made a post there.

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Why is everyone always saying that Atlas is holding the world? He does no such thing, he's holding the heavens on his shoulders. So Rand's metaphor was flawed from the start.

Nevertheless, she's in good company among sculptors.

Atlas_Farnese_Globe-1.jpgAtlas_New_York.jpg

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This book will probably go nowhere. It should be on Amazon soon, because I have been unable to get past gatekeepers at publishing houses and literary agents to actually see if it has any merit.

It has been well said that an author who expects results from a first novel is in a position similar to that of a man who drops a rose petal down the Grand Canyon of Arizona, and listens for the echo.

P.G. Wodehouse, Cocktail Time

Good luck regardless.

Edited by Ninth Doctor
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Jeffrey: " At any rate I did the final editing today and have also produced a cover that has a drawing of Atlas holding the world along with my name and the title on the front,"

It would be very wrong of you -- and possibly actionable-- to use a drawing of Atlas holding the world on his shoulders on the cover of your book; in the minds of the reading public, it is firmly associated with Ayn Rand and with her title, Atlas Shrugged

Barbara

Thanks for making a comment. I have thought about what you said and have decided you are right, at least about it being wrong. But not about it being actionable. If that were the case, everyone, including yourself and Nathaniel could have action taken against you because without Rand, you would not have been able to write what you both have written and you very well may not have thought about Objecitivsm at all. Every person who has anything to say about it does so on Rand's back. She is the one with the fantastic mind, not the rest of us. I do wish I had known her, and I do believe that if she was one of our Founding Fathers, then changed to Founding Fathers and Mothers, which is how it is mentioned in January 20th though not about Rand, we would have a much different and better country than we do have.

I learned about 90% of what I know about Objective Reality by reading her books--Atlas at least 10-12 times cover to cover and the same for Fountainhead. I have also read her non fiction books many times. I guess the rest of what I have learned came mostly from Robert Ringer. Restoring the American Dream is the book that actually got me to Rand. Until that time I had not read her. I do not have the advanced formal education many of you have, and found it necessary to learn by reading. I also have a DVD of A Sense of Life. So anyway, relax. I am reworking the cover with another image, and it is the American flag merged with the Statue of Liberty. Will let you know when it is ready. One last thing. I would send some of you review copies for you to pan if I knew how. So, can anyone tell me how I can learn of physical addresses for some of you who might want to receive a review copy? I have no idea how to do that except to publish my email address and I think I should not do that. So what to do. Is anyone interested?

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I learned about 90% of what I know about Objective Reality by reading her books--

Most of physical reality is understood through the science of physics. In which case you should ask for a refund. By and large Rand and many speakers for Objectivism are abominably ignorant of physics and mathematics.

Ba'al Chatzaf

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Part of the myth that is interesting is that Atlas was relieved of his burden temporarily by Hercules...to go pick some apples. The representations of the world are interesting especially since people weren't convinced of a round world until Columbus/Galileo et. al..The circular representation as Dragonfly points out were the heavens..with many constellations in them and I seem to recall from Aristotle that he talked about planetary and stellar spheres...hard for us to understand since they were apparently solid in his mind.

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