Lisa Agnew.com

Well, of course I'm not surprised. The 'open-minded' religionist gave me a bad review and, from that review, it appears that he has not even bothered to read the whole book. Needless to say, I find that type of reaction typical. The guy has to protect his fantasies at all costs. Damn actual INFORMATION. Gets in the way of a good story.

Haven't blogged for awhile. Very naughty, I know. The writing gets in the way somewhat. 

By the Pricking of my Thumbs - well, I sent it electronically to a rampant religionist and, to my surprise and admiration, he's reading it! That is my definition of open-minded! Would that more 'people of faith' were as open-minded.

http://www.amazon.com/By-Pricking-my-Thumbs-ebook/dp/B007873EVU/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348528162&sr=1-2&keywords=by+the+pricking+of+my+thumbs

Sales are going well, so I'm quite stoked and feel able to write more compelling non-fiction in the future. In the meantime though, I'm back to writing fiction. This time it's set in New Zealand. So New Zealand publishers, prick up your ears!

I have recently returned from Melbourne and the Global Atheist Convention. As I stayed next door to the Convention Centre, at the Hilton, it was easy to shuttle back and forth. The speaking luminaries were also staying at the Hilton, and I got to run into a few of them during the course of breakfast. I enjoyed my time there immensely. It was worthwhile and I will go again when the next Atheist Convention is on - wherever it may be held. I feel strongly about the damage done to the world by religion and the arrogance of religious belief. I won't bang on about it here, but I am motivated enough to join (and possibly go on the Committee of) my local atheist/humanist group.

Looking forward to attending the Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne, Australia, this April. Three days of lectures from world renown speakers including Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Daniel Dennett, A. C. Grayling, Eugenie Scott and many others! It's going to be a blast!

This is my first foray into the world of non-fiction. Ponerology is the study of evil, primarily from a religious and political viewpoint. This book is an attempt to pull together the many subjects that need to be examined for a thorough investigation of the premise of evil in today's world. The book is available as a Kindle download for $5, and a paperback for $15.

This link = http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/pc/realitycarnival.html - is good for blowing one's mind! I've found my way to many an awesome page via the links on this page. Clifford Pickover is nothing if not eclectic!

I'm quite keen on a spot of genealogy, even to the degree that it has featured in my most recent fiction - The Pius Documents. I've accumulated a family tree with nearly 10,000 names. Some individuals are, of course, more interesting than others. I contend that the vast majority of us can find our way back to various regal dynasties if we had access to all the relevant information. There are many such luminaries in my tree, but I'm more interested in people like George Kendrick, born around 1788 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England.

In 1805 George joined the Army. The 52nd Foot Regiment were heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars, and in 1806 they were stationed in Sicily to help train the local soldiers. The battalion was taken from Italy to the Baltic to assist the Swedish. A dispute between the 52nd’s Commander, Sir John Moore and King Gustavus IV, saw the 52nd Regiment sent to Spain in October 1808. At Salamanca, they heard that Napolean had defeated the Spanish, and the army had to retreat to Corunna over mountain roads during the bitter winter. The French caught up with the British at Corruna, and they evacuated back to England. The 52nd returned to Portugal and completed an extraordinary march of 42 miles in 26 hours to reach Talavera to support colleagues at the battle. The 52nd were involved in several battles including the Battle of Côa, the Battle of Bussaco, Casal Novo, Sabugal and Fuentes de Onoro. With a brief respite in England the 52nd returned to Spain and manned several outposts including Almeida. They were involved in further battles in Badajoz, Salamanca, Vitoria, the Siege of San Sebastian, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes and the final battle at Toulouse, by which time Napoleon had abdicated. On 6 June 1814, the 52nd alongside their colleagues from the 43rd and 95th stood at the quayside in Dover as part of the official welcome of the Allied sovereigns in England. The 52nd were then billeted in Hythe and Chatham. In January 1815, the 52nd left Portsmouth for Cork, and were then due to sail onto America to fight the War of 1812, but gales kept them in Cork, and then news reached them that Napoleon had escaped from Elba. The 52nd were assigned to II Corps and were based south-west of Brussels. The 52nd were the largest battalion at Waterloo and the advance of the 52nd on the 4th Chasseurs was a pivotal moment in the battle. Following the Battle of Waterloo, the army was reduced and Bugle Major George Kendrick was discharged from the 52nd Regiment. He returned to Wokingham, married and settled down having a daughter, Lydia in 1819. The death of his wife saw George and Lydia move to Kent, for a fresh start, near to Hythe where he was previously billeted. He married, Phoebe Richards, from Canterbury, and they had a son William. The family settled down at Bee House in Smeeth, where he lived off his pension and a small farm that he managed. George passed away at the grand age of 87 on 12 March 1875, at Beehive Cottage, Smeeth, from heart disease.

Such is the stuff that books are made from!

Sunday morning here, and the birds are tweeting. Late spring now - with the promise of a good summer. 'Good' is a double-edged sword in Auckland. Early summer can be nice, but then comes the humidity! One hundred percent humidity saps bodily strength and leaves you feeling like there is water running through your veins. The garden suffers. I love my garden and have made sure that it's quite hardy and can look after itself for the most part during prolonged days of rainlessness. By the end of summer, I'm hanging out for autumn and the cooler temperatures. Let's see how the summer of 2011/2012 pans out.

New Template hopefully comes over as a lot more professional.

It's Guy Fawkes here tonight. Animals hate it. Callow youths and kids love it. I can take or leave the fireworks on the night, but the several days' build-up annoys me. Keep it for the actual night, people. 

Just learnt, via my newspaper (online) about the Catacombs of the Capuchins. As I have a macabre streak, anything like this highly interests me. The catacombs are in Palermo, Sicily. As I plan to be going to Rome sometime in the future with my daughter, I may just make a side excursion to Sicily.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capuchin_Catacombs