My Bart Ehrman Obsession Grows Exponentially with each Book Release

So I'm psyched that I can now pre-order...

Book Cover Description -- “We may never know what drove these people . . .to hide their own identity and to claim, deceitfully, that they were someone else. Their readers, had they known, would probably have called them liars and condemned what they did. But in their own eyes, their conscience may have been free from blame, and their motives may have been as pure as the driven snow. They had a truth to convey, and they were happy to lie in order to proclaim it.”—from Forged

It is often said, even by critical scholars who should know better, that “writing in the name of another” was widely accepted in antiquity. But New York Times bestselling author Bart D. Ehrman dares to call it what it was: literary forgery, a practice that was as scandalous then as it is today. In Forged, Ehrman’s fresh and original research takes readers back to the ancient world, where forgeries were used as weapons by unknown authors to fend off attacks to their faith and establish their church. So, if many of the books in the Bible were not in fact written by Jesus’s inner circle—but by writers living decades later, with differing agendas in rival communities—what does that do to the authority of Scripture?

Dr. Ehrman investigates ancient sources to:

• Reveal which New Testament books were outright forgeries.

• Explain how widely forgery was practiced by early Christian writers—and how strongly it was condemned in the ancient world as fraudulent and illicit.

• Expose the deception in the history of the Christian religion.

Ehrman’s fascinating story of fraud and deceit is essential reading for anyone interested in the truth about the Bible and the dubious origins of Christianity’s sacred texts.

Forged  has a release date of March 22nd, 2011. Expect a full review to follow shortly thereafter.

I Think I Overthink Things

this is an immediate ramble which will likely help no one. but i want to write it down before i forget that it happened in my brain.

i was just outside battling the two inner-me's, having a hard time determining who was who. usually i have a pretty basic "good side" and standard "bad side". but the lines tend to blur and get confusing when i'm thinking about more serious subjects.

the one i thought was the good side was saying things like "but don't give in to one side just because it's usually right." and then another voice said, "those are some fighting words."

and it's true: they were. they were [cleverly disguised] fighting words. the "good" side of my brain was trying to manipulate me into taking its side while feeling as though i'd done the better thing-- almost as if i hadn't taken a side at all. but manipulation is by no means a trait of the better side.

so maybe there was a third side, or maybe the good side has bad sides too.

as i was thinking about whether or not there was actually a correct answer to my problem, the right side of my head started feeling heavier. and i realized that i had been leaning my head toward the right slightly from the start.

then i realized i usually do.

i leaned it to the left to see what would happen. it felt floaty and refreshing. it also felt slightly unfamiliar, but the thoughts i began to think were very much from the good side-- if there is one.

it's also possible the entire experience was a meaningless self-fulfilling prophecy and only felt different because i wanted it to. and it's also possible the head-tilting experiment only existed to take my mind off my circular thoughts about what the most right thing to do actually was. or perhaps i've just gotten a very slight amount of sleep lately and it's costing the stability of my mind. if you're willing to accept that my mind sometimes is actually stable.

but, feeling that, i started to wonder which side i commonly leaned toward-- what way i sleep.

unfortunately, my alarm clock controls my sleep. i sleep facing my alarm clock; i sleep facing the spot in my room easiest connected to an electrical outlet.

currently that means i sleep on my left shoulder-- in other words, my brain is resting on the left most nights. i wonder if our sleeping position-- and therefore the position of our brain-- has anything to do with our moods and personalities.


have there been any studies on whether or not it has anything to do with our inclination to art or math? granted some people will say, "i sleep on my back" or "i sleep in a new position every night because i'm a free spirit", but some people will always say something. i've also heard that the whole "right brain" and "left brain" bit is just a mythical category and we all use both sides equally.

but i'd be curious to know if there is any correlation between sleeping sides and brain strengths.

also, i'd like to know if our personalities can be partly pre-determined by the type of mood our mothers were having during the pregnancy. like if they were in constant fights with their husband, would it affect the child? would the child have a likelier shot of growing up aggressive because of the chemicals flowing through the mother's brain and, therefore, through the child's body?

okay, good night.

The Weekend in Reverse: Part 1

last friday travis, travis, and i were headed to the usa hostel on post-- where our friend yuko was working/celebrating her 25th birthday. i hadn't been off work long and left the house without thinking about my bladder. i remembered to grab a road-beer-- and was proud to be able to afford the option of a road-beer.

but i was having a gentle pee-mergency in my body and could not wait to get inside the hostel to urinate properly. in fact, my anxious bladder got me past the hostel security much faster than both travises who did not have to pee. and had it not, i would've blamed the wetness on the rain, and the smell on the tenderloin.

anyway, the hostel was recently rated the #1 hostel in the united states-- complete with a semi-bar, pool table, smoking room, and an onslaught of french folk.

at first, it was a bit awkward because we not only knew no one but couldn't speak any of the languages circling us.

and also because i was the guy who had to ditch his friends before they'd even gotten inside in order to prevent pissing his pants.

after a while of standing and smoking and having no idea how to start talking to all the strangers, i decided to shout the most universally pleasant word one could shout at a hostel full of poor artist-type travelers:

"MARIJUANA!"

from there, conversation began.

though, i might have hung out with some of the swedish friends too long, because there was a moment later in the night when a man mistook me for swedish and, in turn, i mistook him for swedish. neither of us were swedish then, and to the best of my knowledge neither of us are today. but he approached me asking if i am a student at the academy of art and i told him i'm not. then he asked if i could speak swedish and i told him i could only speak english-- and not even very well. then it got awkward and i left.

i would've tried to save the conversation, but i was worried he wouldn't understand what i was saying unless i said whatever it was i had planned in swedish. and that wasn't happening.

a few of our friends showed up, and simon came by after he got off work around 11pm. but in the end, when liquor had thoroughly infested our blood streams, a lot of people seemed to get less friendly. no one was outwardly rude (except for the spanish people who pretended that cerrado was not a word after i heard them use it and asked "como se dice cerrado en ingles?"), but it did seem that groups clung to each other the drunker they got instead of a normal party where everyone is anxious to meet one another.

i had hoped that being surrounded by people from all around the world would've been more interesting than it was. some people were friendly, but most conversation seemed to be locked in a "where are you from" sort of path. and only a select few of the groups wanted to really engage in mind-blowing conversation.

but, i did run into the-man-who-was-not-swedish a second time. and this time, he was speaking italian with simon. and i realized there was likely a misunderstanding when we'd first met.

he ended up being italian, and one of the coolest people at the hostel. he and i preached about art back and forth and his thoughts on the purpose of comedy were something my ears could use hearing more often. i snagged his business card and checked out his website despite his numerous warnings that "it's pretty crappy and i have better stuff that's not up yet."

i liked it.

on the way out of the party, we ran into the silver man from fisherman's wharf-- unpainted, sipping an o.e.-- and had a pretty alright conversation with him about daft punk, kraftwerk, and weather forecasts. but it was 3 or 4am and my brain had already fallen asleep long before. i mostly wanted to get home to sleep and wake up for saturday.

i suppose i'm glad i went. by no means did i have a bad time. i think i had just expected it to be 5x more epic than it was-- i'll blame that one on movies-- but i still got good and drunk and hung out with friends in a chaotic environment. and that's always nice.

but this friday-- today-- i might nap. i need it.

though i have a feeling i'll be convinced otherwise tonight.

Aspiring Author Interview with Misha Gericke

Let's start off with something simple. Who are you?

 

Not all that simple really. I am me. And just when I know who that is, I surprise myself.

 

Could you tell us a little bit about your work in progress?

 

I am mostly busy with Doorways, a YA Fantasy epic that will be book 1 in a series of 4. It involves the lives of five people. There's a continent at the edge of war, and one of those people might just cause everything to fracture.

 

What is the first story you remember writing? What was it about?

 

Hmmm... I don't know about writing, but I was creating stories since kindergarten. My cousin, brother and I played like that. Didn't really help us to fit in with the hop-scotch crowd. I think the story might have involved, Peter Pan, Robin Hood... or something like that.

 

Are you more of a “plotter” or a “pantser”?

 

Pantser. Until my rewrite. I had to create a plot to keep the stories in some semblance of an order.

 

All writers need encouragement. Who first encouraged you to write, and who is it that encourages you today?

 

My Gran. She writes too and taught me everything I know.

 

Which authors have had a significant influence on your writing?

 

My Gran, who got me to write in the first place.

CS Lewis, who inspired my story.

Tolkien, who is the master.

 

What music, if any, do you enjoy listening to while you write?

 

Muse. Enough said.

 

Seriously. They should be given their own genre.

 

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses as a writer?

 

Strengths: Dialogue and Characterisation.

Weaknesses: Weak Verbs and (sigh) adverbs.

 

What do you hope to achieve with your writing?

 

Right now, the goal is to get the rewrite done by 30 April. I hope to be ready to query by February next year. I'll see where I'll get then.

 

What was once traditionally a print medium is now rapidly branching out into many digital formats. What do you think of this trend?

 

I think it is wonderful that more writers can find their audences now. Still, I think that the Publishing Houses should still have a place - even if they need to redefine it.

 

What was the last sentence that you had to re-read over and over again because of its awesomeness? What struck you about it?

Hmmm...

"He's a good boy..." Reiterated by said boy's mother after she stabbed a cop in the back. Chilling, when read in context.

 

What book(s) have you recently read that you would recommend to the readers of this blog?

 

Bodies Left Behind by Jeffrey Deaver (and/or his Lincoln Rhyme series)

The Alibi Man by Tami Hoag

 

I've been into murder mysteries and/or procedurals recently. Now I've moved into the classics.

 

What advice do you have to other aspiring authors out there?

 

Stop looking at other authors. Everyone's road is different and you need to keep your eyes on yours.

 

An apocalypse destroys the entirety of human literature, apart from the work of three authors that you can magically save with your wizardry – what do you save from imminent destruction?

 

The Bible

Lord of the Rings

Lord of the Flies

 

Our time is at an end. For our curious readers, how can we follow your progress?

Mostly through my blog: http://sylmion.blogspot.com

But I also tweet @MishaMFB

 

Thanks a lot. :-)

***Are you an aspiring author willing to do an interview for my little blog? If so, click here.***

Two Worlds Collide

i couldn't do it. i hung up the phone.

"why did you hang up? i told you to leave her a message if she didn't answer," my boss shouted, "we need to make sure she knows we delivered her order."

"this is going to sound bad-- i already know," i said, "but i hung up because she said her last name in the outgoing voice-message."

"so?"

"do you know what her last name is?" i asked.

my boss has cyborg's brain, and i know he knows every single client by name, and company-- some by phone number, even. there is no way he didn't know this client's full name. but there is also no way i was the only one who found it unbearable.

"yeah," i said, "well, i panicked when i heard it. i was pretty sure i'd laugh in the message and that's worse than just calling back and leaving a message now that i'm calm."

"why is her last name funny?"

really? i know i tend to see things more immaturely than others, but this one was a freebie. i couldn't be alone.

"because it' hamdouche," i asked.

he mostly stared blankly.

"you know, like a tool for cleaning pig vaginas? or a really theatrical asshole?"

he continued to stare, but started to tilt his head the same way a puppy does when it's unsure of a noise.

i think i was watching his mind get blown.

"oh my god," he said, "i never noticed that."

"how can you not notice that? hamdouche? really?" i laughed, "oh man, and it's even spelled "hamdouche". i would change my name."

"wow," he said again, "it's farsi. it means "shoulder to shoulder" like two people who bear the same responsibilities. you know, they walk side by side and carry the same weight. sort of like business partners or trustworthy brothers."

i think i was probably making the mind-blown face after hearing that sentence.

"huh," i muttered, "that sounds a lot better than what it means in english."

before i clocked out, he stopped me to laugh about "hamdouche." and we both agreed that it was a brilliant moment of discovery in two directions. how, by speaking farsi, my boss had seen the last name as nothing but a farsi word. and how my lack of cultural linguistics, combined with my high level of immaturity, lead me to see it differently.

and then we traded knowledge.

and it was magical.

Aspiring Author Interview with Jenni Merritt

Let's start off with something simple. Who are you?

I am Jenni, of course.  I am a stay-at-home mom of two little guys, and try to find time to write amidst their extreme energy and my utter lack of it.  Right now I live in good old Oregon state, and never plan on leaving the Pacific Northwest.  I love the green too much.  When I am not writing, I am procrastinating by taking and editing photos, reading stacks of books, and watching too much tv.

Could you tell us a little bit about your work in progress?

The one currently attempting to suck away all my free time is a YA Dystopian titled Prison Nation.  It was my NaNoWriMo 2010 project, that I successfully “won” with.

In a nice, super summary, its about a future America that has barricaded itself in and set mega-strict laws with harsh punishments.  Around 80% of the population is incarcerated at all times, those who are born into the prisons are raised in them until they turn 18.  That’s where you meet Millie 942B, and join her in her experience of being released and coming to find out that the truth truly is, and what is honestly worth fighting for.

What is the first story you remember writing? What was it about?

I do believe it went somewhere along the lines of “I love my cat”  I was about three, and it is still my prized work.  After that I do remember a crazy long short story I created, all about the Wizard of Oz, but totally backwards and crazy.  I think it was in second grade.  The only reason I kept writing it was to crack up my fellow bus riders, and I seriously think about finishing it someday.

Are you more of a “plotter” or a “pantser”?

I am most definitely a pantser.  The idea of plotting, planning, outlining and webbing literally sends my mind spinning and my desire to write hides in a dark corner and cries.  I get a general idea of what I want, then go.  Life isn’t planned out, why should my writing be?  Not to mention, its just much more fun that way.

All writers need encouragement. Who first encouraged you to write, and who is it that encourages you today?

I have to go with the cliché answer, but it is so true: My parents.  I am very lucky, in that both of my parents have done nothing but encourage my love of writing since I can remember.  My mom used to sit with me on ferry rides home (we lived on a small island in Washington state) and helped me make up crazy stories one noun at a time.  I don’t think she realizes how much those moments still mean to me.  My parents helped wake up my mind.  My imagination hasn’t stopped since.

Today, I am even more lucky.  My family, my amazing husband, along with close friends and the awesome writing community I have discovered really keep me going.  Without Kimmie (my NaNo war friend) and Keary Taylor (awesome fellow crazy writer), and Jessie with all her red marks, all of which constantly yell at me to keep going, I think I would still very much so be a “one day novelist.”

Which authors have had a significant influence on your writing?

I have a crazy love affair with the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.  Its one of those series that somehow struck a cord in me, and managed to pull me through some really rough patches of my life.  I would love to hear someday that my writing did the same for someone else.  Along with that, I do look up to most everything Orson Scott Card writes.  He rocks, enough said.

What music, if any, do you enjoy listening to while you write?

It really depends on what the mood of the scene is that I am writing.  I bounce between Secondhand Serenade, Tatu, Within Temptation, Dave Matthews Band… along with some amazing David Lanz instrumentals.  Then my post writing recovery music is always: Mika.

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses as a writer?

Oh man.  Are you really going to make me acknowledge these?

Strengths.  My sister-in-law recently told me that I come up with amazing ideas.  And that if I ever come to find out that I suck at writing, I should be an idea person.  I will take that as a compliment.  Aside from that, I have been told I am good at painting the picture, that people can truly see the scene in their minds.  Oh, and sarcasm too.  I excel in sarcasm.

Weaknesses.  Wow.  As much as I love this art and know inside that I am good at it, I really do lack in confidence.  That is something I really need to work on… Also, dialogue.  I never seem to get it right.  He said, she said, all the quotation marks and conversations.  I need major classes in coping with that.

What do you hope to achieve with your writing?

To be perfectly honest, I don’t want utter fame.  As amazing as it is for those folks like Rowling and Meyers, and as very welcome as that income would be, that isn’t my goal.  I want to get my thoughts out there.  My theory is that we write to live forever.  If I can get my stories into that handful of heads and let them escape like I have with so many books, I will be happy.

What was once traditionally a print medium is now rapidly branching out into many digital formats. What do you think of this trend?

Ebooks.  Huh.  Well, to be nice first, I do see them as a great opportunity to get your books out further and faster than ever before.  I think even more people are reading now that they can just click a button and the book appears on their screen.  I do not own a Kindle.  Or a Nook.  Or even a smarty-pants phone.  And I do not see myself ever owning any of those in the future.  I love my books.  I love holding them, turning the pages, smelling them (yes, smelling them.  They smell amazing.)  It really is sad to see so many turning away from our paper-bound friends.  My one escape I take every few weeks is into the aisles of a bookstore, and years from now you can plan on still seeing me hiding there with my stacks of yummy paperbacks.

What was the last sentence that you had to re-read over and over again because of its awesomeness? What struck you about it?

I have been reading so many books, blogs, tips and tricks lately everything has bled together.  But there is one sentence from Terry Goodkind series that is repeated through out that is always in the back of my mind, every day.  “Your life is yours alone.  Rise up and live it.”  It is too easy to forget that, and reading it in print surrounded by the epic characters and their struggling fight made me realize that it was something I should never forget.

What book(s) have you recently read that you would recommend to the readers of this blog?

Lately I have been trying to read books that are in the genre that my WIP has settled itself.  Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien was a good read.  Along with The Well by A.J. Whitten.  And of course I have to mention my good friend Keary Taylor’s book Branded.

What advice do you have to other aspiring authors out there?

You can do it.  Hey, don’t argue.  Yes, you can do it.  I spent forever wanting to finish one of the thoughts in my head, and never got past chapter five.  Just buckle down, slap yourself silly, and do it.  If you love it, and want it, it will happen if you just let it.  And when you type that last sentence… well, I will let you see how that feels yourself.  Oh, and caffeine.  Lots of it.

An apocalypse destroys the entirety of human literature, apart from the work of three authors that you can magically save with your wizardry – what do you save from imminent destruction?

1. The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind (Mostly due to my absolute love of it and how I could not live without the ability to reread it whenever I can.)

2. Harry Potter, all of them of course.  We all need a little magic…

3. The Bible.  As much as everything it says is debated and stretched and interpreted, it is truly monumental in who we are.

Our time is at an end. For our curious readers, how can we follow your progress?

Follow me!  *skips away*

Blog:  http://jennimerritt.blogspot.com

FB:  http://www.facebook.com/jennimerrittwriting

Website:  www.JenniMerritt.com

***Are you an aspiring author willing to do an interview for my little blog? If so, click here.***

Breakfast at Hitler's

the worst thing you can do is hand me a microphone during the time when the coffee has yet to kick in and i'm not entirely sure if i'm awake or if i'm in the lawnmower man.

but a good way to trick me into taking the mic is by promising free bacon and eggs.

earlier in the week, my boss told me he wanted me to attend a business networking meeting as his spokesperson. this meeting would include me dressing nicely, and trying to charm business-folk into becoming clients via seven-minute pitch. and waking up at 6am.

the meeting was at schroeder's, which seemed to be a german bar-restaurant hybrid, and i arrived too early.

"doesn't it remind you of springtime for hitler?" a random old lady asked.

i ignored her because i was still frightened by the fact schroeder's was not providing free coffee with the free breakfast-- just tea.

"you know, that mel brooks movie?" she asked, while poking me in the elbow.

"the producers," i told her, "that's what the movie is called."

"this whole place reminds me of hitler," she went on, "we should all sing springtime for hitler before the day is over. look at these murals!"

there were pre-wwii paintings spattered across the walls, but 6am is too early to discuss 1930's artwork, hitler, or musicals. i just tried to keep ignoring her while stealing as much bacon as possible.

"i'm jewish," she exclaimed, "so i can have this one. it's all we have. there's only 2% of us left now. so we have springtime for hitler and we can sing it, and we can laugh, and everyone else is left out."

"i'm not sure i follow," i mumbled, "but as long as you're laughing."

the little lady left me to my bacon, and moved on to ask another business networker about his thoughts on a hitler sing-along.

i know my boss could not have warned me that there would be an old jewish woman with the social skills of a cat-lady, but he really didn't tell me a whole lot of anything beyond the free bacon. i had asked what i'd need to do when i arrived at the meeting and he told me i was going to talk about our company-- but he didn't elaborate. when i asked what the general age demographic would be, he told me this:

"stop asking so many questions! you're good at bullshitting: you'll be fine!"

for the record, i really only asked two questions. and one of them shouldn't count because it should've been answered without my asking.

so.

i sat with my breakfast, occasionally introducing myself to other attendees as they entered-- mostly because the general demographic turned out to be more specific than general, and it was specifically late-middle-aged white business men and women. there were no young people, no seeming artists, and no weirdos. other than the lady who really wanted to sing springtime for hitler.

the first speaker was a lady from austria (and i caught the jewish lady seethe), she informed us that "austria" is not where kangaroos come from. and then told us that we may be unaware of her past as a go-go dancer. then she provided pictures to prove that she had once danced in a tiny bikini top and shiny metallic pants at clubs across the world. and then she segued into her pitch as a marketing consultant. she segued poorly.

before she was done, she handed us each a ruler-- it was 12 inches long, wooden, and had her company logo printed across it.

"this is not for measuring," she said, "no. this is for a little spanking!"

was i actually the only normal person in the room?

after the kinky austrian marketing consultant, we all heard from a public relations man. he was charming-- as i would've hoped-- and told us of his various tactics, successes, and knowledge of dog-breeds. i think he may have only mentioned the dog-thing to get us to laugh, but it was still slightly more professionally implemented when compared to the option of go-go dancing.

when it was my turn to speak, i realized i had absolutely nothing prepared. my mind had been dwelling on the lack of coffee and the over-abundance of weirdos.

"thank you for having me," i started, "this is my first time here, but i really appreciate the free bacon."

the crowd laughed. good.

"i recognize some of you from our building," i continued, "but for those of you i've never met, i want to explain what me and my team do."

and then i sort of realized i had no idea how to put what we do into words. some of the words that went through my head were accurate, but extremely boring-- and that didn't help either. so i just paused for a while.

"if you can imagine the over-achieving older brother of kinkos, that is probably close to what we are," i said, "except not mean."

that one didn't seem to make sense to anyone.

"look," i said, "as someone who has never been here, i cannot get over how many documents and business cards i've seen pass around the room-- and it's only been thirty minutes-- well, we specialize in those sorts of prints. and not just that: we engrave, emboss, we do litigation, perfect-binds, velo-binds, coil-binds, and just the other day we shipped nearly 2,000lbs of custom-made binders to our visa clients in singapore. we're kind of a big deal-- and there's not much we can't do."

they liked that.

"i mean, name something. what would you like to see made for your office? anything at all."

"what about themography business cards?"

"oh, those are great!" i said, "and yes, we do them. we also do foil prints, if that's your thing."

"what's your turn around time like?"

"the best thing to do is check yelp," i said, "because you won't believe me. but i'll tell you now that if you've got an important order, we'll just stay open late and finish it for you. be reasonable about that one though, because i already work 55 hours a week."

everyone seemed happy enough, and i wasn't sure how to end the speech-- the 7-minute buzzer had not gone off, and so i tried the only other thing i knew to do.

"does anyone else have anything they'd like to ask?"

the crazy jewish lady stood up.

"oh, it's springtime, for hitler and germany!" she sang, "deustchland is happy and gay..."

she looked around to see if anyone else would join in. she had a horrible singing voice. and, by the looks of most people, i was not the only person she had approached before the meeting to discuss how she felt the restaurant-pub resembled a hitler hangout.

"there is going to be a precipitous downfall in financial times, march 23rd," she stated sternly, "we are headed to bad times."

and then she sat down. she was an astrologist. for real, that is her job and this was her marketing.

after the business networking experience i was very concerned that i may have still been laying in my bed, walking around in a lucid dream. but, to the best of my knowledge, all of that actually happened and i was actually conscious.

anyway, i strolled into work after finally grabbing some coffee and quietly went to file some invoices. i needed to sort of readjust after everything, and invoicing always needs to get done anyway.

"so how did it go?" my boss asked.

"it went well" i said quickly, "hey, so i have a question about this invoice..."

SUBJECT AVERTED.

p.s. - if you're starving, and feeling risky, you can easily walk into schroeder's at 7am on wednesday and eat the free breakfast. as long as you're dressed nicely no one is going to be the wiser. till they ask who you work for.

p.p.s. - i personally recommend that you do not try the above p.s.