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Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Does Doctor Who promote transgender?

Many Whovians are asking questions.  What is the deal?

In 1966, the first Doctor Who regenerated.  The actor, played by William Hartnell, had started to play Doctor Who in 1962.  By 1966, the actor was having health issues.  Since the production company did not want to end the series, they came up with a plausible reason to switch to another actor without having to reboot.  They called it regeneration.

He transitioned through the metaphysical characteristics of the Gallifreyan race into his next life.  It wasn’t death as we know it.  It was reincarnation: a new body with the memories of the previous existence but without going through preadolescence.

The original principle was that the Doctor, as he is commonly called, had only 12 regenerations.  In each case, he became a white British male of various characteristics.  Short, tall, dark hair, light hair, it didn’t matter the exact model.  They kept the gag running though that he wasn’t allowed to be a ginger.  In the end, the British white male was maintained, even if no other principles were.  Why?  The writers were sampling the waters to determine how far they could push the edge.

Tom Baker, the 4th Doctor, hinted at a possible female transition, and the director used it to keep interest in the show.  However, it was not done.  The Master, Doctor Who’s nemesis, became a woman in “The Doctor Falls.”  The General, another Time Lord from “Day of the Doctor,” transitioned from a white British male into a black British female.

Doctor Who fudged on his regenerations, extending the reincarnations beyond what they should have been.  For a brief period, he even broke his motto of never to kill and evolved into the War Doctor.  All in all, his newest, becoming a white British woman, will technically be his 14th incarnation.  (See the chart at the end of this article.  BBC gives him the 13th based upon the official doctor #.  The unofficial doctor # is 14.)

There have been other Time Lords who were female throughout the series.  There were male and female companions.  However, the one consistency has always been Doctor Who as a white British male, a cornerstone of expectation.

But with the present announcement that the 13th Doctor (Really the 14th) will be Jodie Whittaker, all that is about to change.  Is this a political agenda covered by the facade of Sci-Fi?  If it is, it wouldn’t be the first nor shall it be the last.

There have been other forms of entertainment throughout the ages which have used this idea.  Here are just a few:

Ursula Le Guin wrote “The Left Hand of Darkness.”  It is set in a world where the gender of its inhabitants changes like the seasons.

Robert A. Heinlein wrote “I Will Fear No Evil.”  A dying rich man has his brain implanted into a female secretary and lives out his fantasies.

In the novel “Steel Beach” by John Varley, people can change their gender by mere thought.

But is this what Doctor Who is about?  For many Whovians, Doctor Who being a British white male is a trademark in an iconic series presented by the BBC.


Questions Brought on by Fans Include


Is the BBC promoting transgender?  It appears there could be evidence to the fact.

Are they pushing the envelope and removing some the uniqueness to the series?  Possibly, though they claim to be staying canon.

Will diehard Whovians continue to follow the series?  Maybe.  In any case, it has created quite a division.  The BBC is using the debate for all it is worth.

The acceptance of the series over the next season will certainly be the tell.  Perhaps those Whovians who refuse to accept it will be replaced by a whole new breed that do.

Thanks for reading!

James William Peercy


Regeneration Chart


Unofficial Doctor#
Official Doctor#
Regeneration#
Body Count
Actor Name
Notes
1
1
None
1
William Hartnell

2
2
1
2
Patrick Thoughton

3
3
2
3
Jon Pertwee

4
4
3
4
Tom Baker

5
5
4
5
Peter Davidson

6
6
5
6
Colin Baker

7
7
6
7
Sylvestor McCoy

8
8
7
8
Paul McGann

9

8
9
John Hurt
Refuses to go by Doctor Who because he kills to defend his people.
10
9
9
10
Christopher Eccleston

11
10
10
11
David Tenant



11
11
David Tenant
Regenerates to remain the 10th doctor but in 11th body.
12
11
12
12
Matt Smith



Freebie
Freebie
Matt Smith
Old Time Lord’s regenerate body.  May be considered a freebie.
13
12
13
13
Peter Capaldi

14
13
14
14
Jodie Whittaker

Wednesday, July 5, 2017


Title: The Brandon Fisher FBI Series
Author: Carolyn Arnold
Publisher: Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc.
Genre: Thriller, Police Procedural

Profilers. Serial killers. The hunt is on. Do serial killers and the FBI fascinate you? Do you like getting inside the minds of killers, love being creeped out, sleeping with your eyes open, and feeling like you’re involved in murder investigations? Then join FBI agent and profiler Brandon Fisher and his team with the Behavioral Analysis Unit in their hunt for serial killers. This is the perfect book series for fans of Criminal Minds, NCIS, Silence of the Lambs, Seven, Dexter, Luther, and True Crime. Read in any order or follow the series from the beginning: Eleven, Silent Graves, The Defenseless, Blue Baby, Violated, Remnants. Grab your copy of the first book, Eleven, for FREE on Kindle and Nook!

Meet today’s guest, Carolyn Arnold.

She is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series and has written nearly thirty books. Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark, POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Today, she answers a few questions for us and gives us insight into her life and journey as a mystery author.


Have you ever been on a manhunt or at the scene where a dead body was found?

I took part in my local police department’s Citizen’s Academy. As part of this, I received an inside look at seventeen divisions over a ten-week period. As an added benefit, each student was afforded a ride-along. And mine… Well, I went on the perfect one for a crime writer.

My ride-along actually started out with a manhunt. I experienced the excitement of wanting to find the guy and found myself scrutinizing every male I spotted in the area just to make sure he wasn’t the one we were after. Unfortunately, the search moved to the downtown area from the eastern end of the city where the hunt had begun, and the sergeant signed off the investigation. By the end of my ride-along, about five hours later, the man still hadn’t been found.

After the sergeant left the investigation, he turned to me as he was driving and asked if I had ever seen a dead body. I told him I had at memorials and funerals and then asked why. I soon found out that our next stop involved one.

I figured I’d catch a glimpse of the deceased under a tarp or being wheeled away, but I got far more than that. I received a front-row seat to a death investigation. For hours, the sergeant and I were mere feet away from the body. I witnessed firsthand how it changed color over time, but I also found that I went into detective-mode. The forensic identification unit—essentially CSIs—was called in and arrived with collection kits. The team members gloved up, snapped photographs, took fingerprints from the deceased, and more.

The entire time that I was on scene, I noticed myself going into a detached state—the result of adrenaline. Later that evening, it began to sink in that I had spent hours with a dead body, and I was nauseated. As more time passed, I became weepy as it sank in that the deceased had been a husband, a father, a lover, a friend…a person. That night I dreamed about the man. It wasn’t a nightmare, but I was an officer trying to figure out what had happened to him.

I couldn’t imagine returning to the field the next day and having a similar experience or witnessing something even worse, like a violent murder scene or that of a fatal car accident.


What do members of law enforcement say about your books?

Many testimonials attest that I am pleasing readers in law enforcement. They love that my mysteries are accurate in that regard, and they view that alone as a sign of my respect for them.

Here are a few testimonials that I have received on Eleven (Brandon Fisher FBI series):

“I spent thirty-eight years with a major police department in Missouri, fifteen of which were in the homicide section. I also had numerous dealings with the FBI throughout my career, mostly bank robbery, interstate shipment thefts, and a few kidnappings. Eleven kept my interest piqued throughout… Loved it.”
Richard Bartram, Sergeant (retired), St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, St. Louis, MO

“I am a forty-year veteran of police work. All local, no Fed. Eleven was a great read. All the descriptors and nomenclature were spot on.”
–Joe Danna, Police Officer, Katy Independent School District Police Department, Katy, TX

“Very good! I worked as a police officer for eleven years and with the Federal Bureau of Prisons for twenty-two. I have also dealt with the FBI.”
–Richard Smith, Facilities Development Manager (retired), Federal Bureau of Prisons, Central Office, Washington, DC

“A great police procedural! … Full of twists and turns. The characters are well-developed and a mix of interesting personalities. … Holds your interest to the end!”
–Mark Davis, FBI Special Agent (retired), Washington, DC


What did you do before you became a bestselling author?

For a living, I worked in accounts receivable for a few different companies collecting from businesses. Yet, despite working full time, in 2006 I was reunited with writing. I wrote every chance I got—before work, on lunch breaks, after work, on the weekends. I became so focused on writing and the publishing world that hardly a day went by without them being a part of my life, and since the summer of 2014, I’ve been a full-time author.


How do you know so much about what criminals think?

I can’t answer that without incriminating myself… Just kidding.

Everyone has what we call a “dark side.” In writing these books, I suppose you could say I tap into this side of my psyche. Whatever I can scheme up is possible, and I write that which scares and excites me.


When did you know that you had hit the big time with your books?

When I got to say good-bye to my day job! Even before I fully resigned, I had cut back a five-day a week job to four days, then to three. It got to the point, though, that I loathed going in for that many days, and I knew it was time to make the move and become a full-time author. That was in the summer of 2014. Since then, I incorporated my own publishing company in the summer of 2015, and, at the start of 2016, my husband joined me there full time.

Connect with CAROLYN ARNOLD Online:


And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter for up-to-date information on release and special offers at http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters.

AmazongoodreadsBN

 photo Carolyn-Arnold-Author-Photo-Hi-Res.jpg
  CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international best-selling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures. Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™. Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower. She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada.

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Tuesday, May 9, 2017

The basics are simple. All it takes is commitment.

What basics, and who is being committed?  No asylums for me!


Isn't that the first question we ask?  When faced with something new, people tend to try and explain it, so the maximum number of people will understand, accept, and go along with the hypothesis.  However, there are those rare few that back up, look you in the eye, and say, "What are you talking about?"


What am I talking about?

A fellow author asked a question.  I concurred it sounded like fun.  If you read to the end of the article, let me know if you agree.

Oh, come on.  It's not a requirement.  If you don't have fun, there's no obligation. *grins*

Sales pitch?  No.  Review?  Could be.  Can it answer the ultimate question, the question billion of years have waited for?  The verbalization that the great Douglas Adams, himself, put forth in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?  Maybe.  Only one thing is for certain.  If you choose, it can change your life, along with the number 42, of course.


Oh, time to get to the point. 

Many years ago, I was a university student.  No one's giving the exact year.  Yes, I went to a real live university.  They called it that because the education plan laid out a broad range of classes.  These were designed to help you not only specialize but also aid you to better focus on practical uses for your degree.

It was great.  I loved it!  However, with a lack of physical education, I soon found that I needed more than only head knowledge to stay in shape.

I graduated, married, and went to work.  For about ten years, I maintained my Kenpo Karate training.  But as work became more time-consuming, I gradually tapered off and one day woke up 35 pounds heavier.

I didn't look bad.  However, I had noticed I felt more plump than before.  Looking at my past pictures was somewhat of a shock.  My blood pressure measured a minimum of 131/82.  It wasn't bad.  It just was not good.  I didn't like what I had become though I was still physically able to do about anything.

Stress, work, and family on top of an unhealthy lifestyle had final started to take its toll.  Then my dad died, suddenly and unexpectedly, from a pulmonary embolism.  The event woke me up.


You and I are not guaranteed one moment to the next.

If there is something we need to do, we should do it now.  But you can't do it if your body is not ready to meet the demand.  If I was going to live, I wanted to give myself the best chance to survive.  And so, I began to change my life for the better.

I already knew the process worked.  I had created my own program and saw it through in the past.  But if you would like a step up, a jump start, a way to get ahead more quickly, meet Ace Antonio Hall.

Ace started in a similar way.  Though he was healthy at the beginning, time dragged him down.  Realizing he did not have to live that way, the man turned his whole life around.

Lord of the Flies: Fitness for Writers by Ace Antonio Hall

Mr. Hall shares with the reader not only how but why it is important to stay fit.  As the book points out, so many of us get caught up in the day to day living that we forget to keep ourselves in good physical condition.  A healthy body leads to a greater enjoyment of life.

This book tells a story of one man’s journey to renew what he had lost.  It was done through persistence with certain key exercises that helped build muscle groups he desired.  It gives great tips to any person who wishes to begin the basics of moving into a healthier you.


And in truth, I can agree with his findings.  Simply exercising about thirty minutes in the morning and at night is sufficient to bring down weight, drop blood pressure, and revitalize the human physique.  Of course, there is a little more to it.  The old saying you are what you eat is paramount.  So is the idea of finding that time when you can let go of life's everyday events and just be.

The rewards are astounding.  Muscles and joints become stronger than before.  There is a boost of positive thoughts.  Troubles do not enter the mind as easily.  The psychological benefits are just as important as the physical.  For anyone, this is a matter of life and death.


Where did I hear about this book?

You can thank Jaidis Shaw for that.  As a fellow writer, she asked if anyone would like to take a look at Lord of the Flies: Fitness for Writers and become part of the magic.

So, if the idea intrigues you and if you have wondered what it would be like to feel better about yourself, dive in.  Pick up a copy.  It's a short read.  You’ve nothing to lose and only benefits to gain.

Thanks for listening.

I hope you had fun!

James William Peercy
www.JamesWilliamPeercy.com



If you want to find out more about this event, visit http://junipergrovebooksolutions.com and ask a few questions!




Monday, April 17, 2017

Within the Heart of Silence Celebrates National Haiku Day

Outer Banks, Nags Head, North Carolina
photography credit Jacqueline E. Smith
So in celebration of National Haiku Poetry Day, I wondered, what would it be like to convert one of the poems in Within a Heart of Silence to haiku?  Jacqueline E. Smith, the photographer, and I, James William Peercy, the poet, collaborated on Within the Heart of Silence.    Selecting the poem for Outer Banks, Nags Head, North Carolina, I discovered it would take five haikus to do what was done in the book if I were to stay close to the original wording.  Here is the result.  What do you think?




 Here are the five haikus.  They are based upon
 Jacqueline’s photo, Outer Banks, Nags Head, North Carolina.

Poem 1
Footsteps lost upon
The sand fading as we watch
The sea no one’s land.


Poem 2
Corroboration
That mortal man walked the grains
Quite unplanned in froth.


Poem 3
Waters drift upon
Our feet swishing on the toes
Washing off our woes.


Poem 4
Run your fingers through
The mist caressing the skin
With salty love borne.


Poem 5
Whispers of life’s breath
Clings to hearts that see within
A wandering soul.







Outer Banks, Nags Head, North Carolina
photography credit Jacqueline E. Smith
Here is the original poem:


Footsteps lost upon the sand
Fading as we watch,
Evidence that mortal man
Walked the beaches quite unplanned
Into a sea of froth.


The waters drift upon our feet,
A soothing of our toes.
The gentle splash of warm embrace
Washes off our deepest
Woes.


Run your fingers through the mist.
Feel it touch the skin.
Love the whispers of life’s breath.
Cling to hearts that see within
The soul.


They do make us whole.


Similar yet different?  Perhaps it is not unlike the conversion of a book to a movie or a movie to a book.  The very nature of the format forces the difference.  Hopefully the meaning is still clear.
If you like photography and poetry, please visit our website at www.WithinTheHeartOfSilence.com
This book was published by Wind Trail Publishing.  Check out their other books!

Thanks for reading!

James