Have you missed me?

In my last post here, I announced I was taking some time off over the holidays. This hiatus unfortunately extended beyond that. Life is always full of surprises!

I still need some time, but I will continue posting articles about reading, writing, and publishing ASAP.

Like many readers of these blog post, I’ll be taking time off for the holidays.

See you the first week of January, 2026.

All the best to you and yours!

While there’s a lot besides books on Amazon now—it ceased being a reliable bookstore decades ago—and most of it has examples of how big bot Jeff Bezos and his army of little Amazon bots fail consumers (you can add “exploit” and “irritate” to “fail”) as they try to be the marketplace of the world, there are many reasons why Amazon fails authors, so many that authors and readers should avoid Amazon like the plague.

The main reason is that the online service, that started as an electronic bookstore, no longer focuses on selling books! It does try to control book prices and sales to the detriment of the rest of the book industry. It also resells books and sells questionable reprints. Add to that features that are only available if an author or publisher is exclusive to Amazon, and you’ve got to wonder why any author or publisher would deal with Amazon.

Exclusivity has another negative: Although it pretends to also be a book publisher as well as a bookseller, it doesn’t distribute authors and publishers’ books to other booksellers, online or otherwise. There are many retail outlets for books, so authors and publishers can do much better by “going wide,” even if it requires ditching Amazon; i.e., having their books for sale at these many other booksellers a lot of readers frequent. In other words, Amazon is not a book distributor! Instead, it tries to be a monopoly. (I hate it when a reader asks if one of my books is on Amazon as if that’s important. The most recent ones aren’t!)

Another negative against Amazon is Bezos himself, of course. Although I’ll admit it’s hard to measure its negative effects on authors and publishers, Bezos is a card-carrying member of America’s greedy fascist oligarchy. He doesn’t even try to hide this anymore, from supporting the “fucking moron” in the White House (that’s a quote from ex-SecState Tillerson) to his laughable attempt to contribute to the space program where he sells tickets to the filthy rich and his garish and lavish wedding where he took over Venice. (That first wife was smart to give Bezos the boot!) At least Putin’s oligarchs have seaworthy yachts; Trump’s oligarch Bezos built one that couldn’t even make it to sea.

Amazon also ignores customers’ complaints, which is probably the consequence of automation, i.e., the bots and soon-to-be-increased indifference as AI takes over. (For example, the bots got the novels in my “The Last Humans” trilogy mixed up, and I could never reach a human who could fix the problem. I had to give up trying to fix the problem. This is explained in more detail in the list of my books found at this website. I haven’t offered any later novels on Amazon as a consequence. And Draft2Digital does a fine job of going wide, Mr. Bezos!)

Amazon has ruined and will continue to ruin American commerce in general and bookselling in particular if consumers allow it. That’s all on Jeff Bezos! And it’s all on us to battle him! It’s time for all enlightened consumers to boycott Amazon!

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Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!

It happens. Arthur C. Clarke imagined comsats long ago; we now have a plethora of them. Isaac Asimov imagined androids and robots long ago too; we now have many of the latter and still fear quality ones of the former (because of a still-prevalent Frankenstein complex?). Versions of AI populate many sci-fi stories, often as villains (remember HAL?); while current models haven’t yet reached the level of what’s been imagined, the anemic and primitive software roll-outs still seem to be all the rage now, the handful of providing companies dominating the stock market.

All this and more relate to some of my own stories, of course, but in this post I want to focus on a recent news item that caught my attention: Google’s claimed advances in creating a quantum computer. From what I saw and read, their efforts looked about as impressive as those first attempts at mainframes now left far behind by the laptop on your desk; they only represent a tiny step forwards despite the hype. (All the cryogenics required seems to imply that we won’t be using a desktop quantum computer anytime soon!)

However, this news item about Google’s efforts made me wonder how fast the advances in quantum computing will make my novel Leonardo and the Quantum Code (#5 in the “Esther Brookstone Art Detective” series) a bit like that old story by Jules Verne, From the Earth to the Moon, relative to last century’s Apollo missions (Verne’s characters traveled to the moon after being shot out of a cannon). Any story featuring future tech can become dated.

In a sense, my novel is a bit like a tongue-in-cheek play (not quite as much as my novel, A Time-Traveler’s Guide through the Multiverse): In Esther’s adventure, an old physics professor, an old friend of Esther Brookstone when she and husband number two Alfred were at Oxford, is motivated by some projection techniques he found in a (yet unknown!) notebook of Leonard da Vinci (the Leonardo of the title, of course) to create clever and super-fast encryption and decryption algorithms for quantum computers. The humorous twist, and the old physicist’s joke on everyone trying to steal those algorithms, is that there are no existing quantum computers; his algorithms can’t be used…yet!

While I know enough about encryption and decryption as well as quantum phenomena to make the story seem real, even though it’s clearly fiction, a bit of sci-fi in a rather unconventional mystery/thriller story, the same question might occur to you as it did to me: How soon might facts overtake my fiction? Better said, how soon will that physics professor’s joke on international spies no longer be valid?

I probably shouldn’t worry. As I said above, Google’s quantum computer looked quite primitive. Moreover, my tale still qualifies as a tongue-in-cheek critique of the Russian and US spy networks as well as the UK’s MI5 competency and research projects. Or, is it just another spy thriller that will eventually become irrelevant with the inexorable advancement of technology? Time will tell.

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[Note from Steve: Readers might be wondering about two things: Why don’t I provide links to the books mentioned above? And why don’t I show their cover images like I used to do? The first answer is a bit complicated: I’m in the process of merging old Smashwords accounts with Draft2Digital—those two companies’ merger has caused some technical software problems for me (and others, I suppose). Also, space limitations for this blog don’t allow me to archive and use cover images when needed. Technology often works against us!]

Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!

I’m no polyglot, but I love languages. I’m fluent in English and Spanish. I’ve read Gabo’s and other authors’ works in Spanish, but I wouldn’t dare try to write a story in that language! I once knew enough German to get into trouble when eating at a restaurant in Berlin and trying to serve as a translator for an irate Arab father (who spoke perfect English) and a German waiter (who spoke none but was desperate to please a customer). I used to know a lot more French than Spanish (not anymore!) and could read Russian; I was sufficiently proficient in both French and Russian to pass two reading proficiency tests in both languages (the other choice was German, not Spanish).

Yes, I’m far from being a polyglot, but I’m a big fan of language, all languages, because they’re what makes us all human (no matter how good AI gets!) and helps us all to hear and read the great works human beings have created over the centuries. (While proud of my own meager contributions, they’re a drop in the bucket among all those famous speeches, tales, treatises, and so forth! And mine certainly can’t be labeled great. Entertaining? Maybe. Enlightening and educational? Sometimes. Fun for me to write? Always!)

Language can be abused, of course. Dictators, wannabe Hitlers or otherwise, can use it to spew thousands of lies on their way to absolute autocratic power. (The Washington Post apparently gave up the counting of our current president’s.) Conspiracy theorists and fanatical spewers of hate abuse language as well, often twisting the accepted meanings of words and phrases to further their own evil agendas.

Language is like nuclear physics, though: Both can be used to improve the human condition; both can also be used in terribly destructive ways. We see both uses of language among authors, some like me, toiling away without many readers to show for it, many others with more readers than they deserve because they create works that are insults to language and thus humanity.

Nowadays, “educated reader” is becoming more of an oxymoron. There’s very little educational value to be found in escapist literature like fantasies, romances, and erotica where we find the majority of today’s readers. There’s a lot more to be found in classic genres like mysteries, thrillers, and sci-fi (but not space opera!). While all such works depend on their authors’ mastery of language, the numbers of all readers are dwindling now in lock step with the increasing abuses of language.

What will become of humanity when good uses of language are degraded so much as to become the bastardization of language found in internet-speak? I don’t want to think about that too much…and I’m happy I won’t be around much more to see language in its final death throes. I’m not happy to think that younger human beings won’t realize that their lack of appreciation for language will make them less human.

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Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!

Fiction published by the Big Five publishing conglomerates, who now fight over what small number of readers are left, could never be called controversial! First, many of their editors and authors are far from being liberal and are okay with the Big Five trying to appeal to every reader by publishing fiction that’s mainly bland pablum. (I rarely read their books anymore as a consequence.) I doubt that someone like Huxley or Orwell could ever publish anything with them these days where fascism dominates our American lives. Of course, most of those old authors and publishers are greedy and dedicated to making lots of money, so a reader will find all sorts of opinions in the nonfiction books (except in those books written for celebs by ghostwriters).

One obvious positive about being a (mostly) self-published author I’ve enjoyed in my writing career is my freedom to include many plots and themes that no Big Five publisher or author would even consider. My fiction covers social topics like human-, sex-, and drug-trafficking; conspiracies, crimes, and murders; and many fanatical politicians and their policies. I began reading British-style mysteries because of Covid; I continue to do that because those British authors—and a few others, most of them not Americans!—also dare to write about those plots and themes.

One topic that’s often intertwined with those plots and themes is fascism. My campaign against fascism and fascists began with my very first published novel, Full Medical, and hasn’t ended with Fear the Asian Evil, my last published novel (so far). (I’m mostly writing short fiction now and giving it away. A lot of that is anti-fascist too. See the list on the “Free Stuff & Contests” web page at this website.)

Will these plots and themes turn off readers? Undoubtedly some, especially those with far-right and fascist proclivities! In the past, that’s gone from a Midwestern woman who complained about my use of swear words—her email carried the stench of an extreme religious right-wing fanatic—to ardent fascist fanatics—thankfully, no death threats so far. And do I give a damn? Not really! (If it’s any comfort for complaining readers, I have characters who echo their extreme opinions as well. My stories, unlike most published by the Big Five, reflect the reality I observe, not some Big Five editor’s prejudices. And readers have other books to read, including the Big Five’s pablum, if they find mine not to their liking!)

I’m not Superman, but I see my storytelling as one of the only tools I have to fight against what’s wrong in our world. The “fucking moron” in the White House and his horde of MAGA maniacs can try to silence me, but they will fail!

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Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!

Most everyone has seen videos or visited old houses’ moldy smelling libraries or studies with their old desks and floor-to-ceiling bookcases filled with old books. Whether the titles there are just for show or actually have been read, such rooms give a house a lot of character. In our case, our study is a third bedroom filled with two work tables, our laptops atop and printers on the side, and yes, floor-to-ceiling bookcases along one wall and smaller bookcases in back of the office chairs.

We’ve had a similar setup for years wherever we’ve lived, but it came to a point where the bookcases, loaded with so many books, began to have shelves that sagged. Ebooks were invented just in time to save the situation, though. We still have too many hardbound and paperback books—most of the latter form my collection of sci-fi classics—but we’ve also given a lot of those away for charity and school book sales because my Kindle’s cloud does a great job of archiving old ebooks I’ve read (sometimes a few times for various reasons) and new ebooks I intend to read.

I’ve always been a voracious reader. (I don’t have much respect for an author who isn’t, unless they have some disability.) Long before ebooks and before I could afford to buy many books (back in the third or fourth grade!), I was reading adventure (now called thriller), mystery and crime (for example, Christie), and sci-fi stories (for example, Asimov, Clark, and Heinlein), I was a weekly visitor to the public library downtown (thanks to mom). I inherited my older brother’s sci-fi collection when he went off to college (all hardbound books from some sci-fi book club) and began to make my own paperback purchases, so the books started accumulating. My many years as a book hoarder began, only interrupted by moves across the west to east coast of the US and back a few times, and back and forth to Colombia, for school and work.

For other things, I’m not a hoarder; and the only things competing with books has been sheet music, CDs, and LPs. Almost all books on my Kindle are fiction (there are a few mostly worthless ones on book marketing that I perused when I started to publish). In my bookcases, you’ll find textbooks, reference works, and a few hardbound and paperback fiction book that survived my purge when ebooks appeared. Even with that purge, I still dread any future moves!

I rarely reread others’ fiction so only sentimental attachment makes me keep their books around, but I sometimes reread or scan my own creations when I’m writing the next book in a series or some story related to previously published works (mostly for fear of being repetitive with plots and themes).

But the books I have at hand either in my bookshelves or on my Kindle are mostly old and valued friends, so maybe I’ll revisit them more as I become a doddering old fool whose memory is going. These old friends have kept me sane throughout my life (especially during the Covid pandemic); I hope they continue to do that.

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Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!

Our current POTUS has used AI to create images of himself feces-bombing some of the many thousands of marchers on “No Kings” day protesting his fascist policies. Of course, his sycophantic MAGA maniacs just laugh that off, ignoring that it’s neanderthal humor and not in the least presidential. That’s one negative example of AI we’ll probably continue to see in the future.

Using AI invaded publishing long before the feces-bombing images of the “fucking moron” (ex-SecState Tillerson’s description of our infamous president, not mine): AI can be told to study any author’s style and mimic it; I know because my son did it to me (it was an abject failure because I don’t have a unique style—it can change from story to story). Both the study (it’s often buried in the “training” of the AI) and the mimicry I deem illegal, although the legal eagles seem slow to pursue that illegality. (And that’s why I put a disclaimer now on every copyright page informing readers that no AI is used in my storytelling—if I can remember to do so! Of course, the copyright itself, any publisher or author’s, should legally prevent the hackers from using the published material with their AI. Pay attention, copyright lawyers!)

POTUS’s tomfoolery represents real danger, though. Political leaders, diplomats, other officials, actors, composers, writers, engineers, scientist, and other creatives can be mimicked and/or abused by using AI; and viewers usually can’t tell the difference! (While the situation is absurd, that AI version of fat-fascist Trump sure looks real and very much like a modern Red Baron!) And this is only using the current AI technology that’s still very primitive. That’s the present situation. Who knows what abuses the future might bring?

I can imagine an AI version of Vladimir Putin swearing peaceful coexistence with AI while bombing the hell out of some European capital with nukes. Or just helping the real Putin spread more lies while tightening his puppet strings on our POTUS? Human beings already have quite a propensity for evil high jinks. AI is yet another powerful tool in their technological tool boxes.

Even now, AI’s negatives far outweigh any of its positives. The province of Ontario used AI to produce visuals and reproduce President Reagan’s spiel knocking tariffs; his words were real, though, and our current POTUS reacted with yet another boorish and childish tantrum and cancelled all future tariff negotiations with one of our biggest trade partners. (I guess he can feces-bomb crowds and laugh about it; but, like most bullies, he can’t take it!) Whether your reaction to the Canadian ad is positive or negative (forget Trump’s—he’s just a pea-brained schoolyard bully) for either Canada or the US, there’s no denying that AI was used as a tool.

The overarching lesson here? In this period of initial and primitive use of AI, your motto should always be “Trust no one and nothing!” because, chances are, your encounter with AI will not be a happy one and often as disgusting as Trump’s created feces-bombing images.

Now, you might ask why didn’t our infamous POTUS just use AI software to hide the fact that he was destroying the famous East Wing of the White House? Was it just his lack of imagination? (Does the “fucking moron” have any, or does he just depend on more intelligent sycophants?) Or is a truly criminal and fascist mind not able to hide his crimes…with AI?

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Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas…without AI!

I feel compelled to hammer on this issue. I don’t steal story ideas from anyone. And I don’t use AI software to create more stories “in my style.” (Because I have various styles, I’d likely drive any AI nuts!) I’m also not a famous celeb who pays a ghostwriter to write or even polish my stories.

Every story is mine and mine alone. I discount the contributions from traditional publisher’s editors who all too often tried to ruin “my voice” or multiple voices used in my storytelling. And sometimes my name’s not on a story, but my fans probably know why. (Hint with an accompanying wink: A.B. Carolan is a very special Irish friend!)

All the stories, articles, and posts I’ve written during my relatively short time as an author of mystery, thriller, and sci-fi tales or posts like this one are my own creations and influenced or motivated by my personal background, although there are a few writers who have inspired me to write my stories: Asimov, Christie, Clarke, Heinlein, Haggard, James, Lewis, Orwell, Steinbeck, Tolkien, and many others, although that inspiration has only the common characteristic that their stories greatly entertained me as a young reader. (Yes, I read far beyond my age!) Some of these authors even inspired me to be patient and become a scientist first, postponing my storytelling until my “retirement.” (The last is probably the wrong word to describe authoring the many tales I’ve written after turning my back on a scientific career.)

I suppose some MFA student could write an erudite thesis about me and my oeuvre that no one would care about, one that analyzes my many plots, themes, settings, characters, and so forth. I wouldn’t recommend that, though. I’m not dead yet; the what-ifs still come. What’s now lacking sometimes is grasping the right word or phrase as I write. But I have far more ideas for stories than I’ll ever be able to turn into manuscripts that I can publish (or give away, as in my free PDF downloads).

I’ve been creating stories all my literary life and even before. (For example, the idea for Esther Brookstone and Bastian van Coevorden came to me long ago when I asked myself as a young lad reading Christie’s mysteries, “Why didn’t Dame Agatha put her two famous sleuths, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, together to solve a crime?”)

I’ll continue to create stories as long as I can. But never fear! They will all be my own creations…no one else’s!

“Write what you know” is stereotypical advice writing coaches serve up. It’s complete bullshit, of course! In the collection Howling at the Moon where my short story “Gamin” appears, I write about a copper and urchin fighting crime on the moon. Obviously I’ve never been to the moon, so I can’t know what it’s like. That story sprung from my imagination!

I’ve never been to China either (and until that country becomes a democracy, I refuse to go!). But in Aristocrats and Assassins, NYPD Detective Dao-Ming Chen was in Beijing; and so was Mary Jo Menendez at the end of Goin’ the Extra Mile. Again, these were imaginary travels I made in my mind to write two stories. Chen’s trip to Beijing was related to later action that took place at an air force base in Germany…that I never visited!

I took Esther Brookstone and new husband Bastian van Coevorden on a riverboat cruise down the Danube in the novel Death on the Danube, and my wife and I took a similar trip where I took copious notes and then wrote the novel. Of course, there were no murders on our real trip, but I made good use of the information collected. Authors can use real experiences in their stories, but they don’t have to do so…and sometimes that’s impossible.

But none of that’s the key point here. It’s not the settings; it’s the characters. A fiction author’s characters don’t necessarily come alive by putting them in real settings. They come alive if they seem to be real, whether the settings are imagined or real. All the characters named above seem real (at least to me); and, to achieve that, I had to be a keen observer of human nature. Every fiction author must become an amateur psychologist who spends time observing real human beings.

Yes, I know that’s not easy. I once wanted to be an anthropologist, so I read a few classic tomes on the subject. (Imagine what the old librarian thought when that pudgy kid struggled out with all those heavy books!) But I soon decided that humans are very complicated. I still think that, if not more so, but after observing a lot more people, I believe I can create believable characters.

Plots, themes, characters, settings, and dialogue are the ingredients of fiction. Authors can make all those better with observation and some imagination. Get to it!

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Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!