Thinking About My Country’s 250th Birthday...

Below is a quote that relates to the July 4th Celebration in the United States that occurred on July 4th—two days ago. It relays a perspective on patriotism that I believe is relevant and important to consider during these times.

Quote is from the substack of Reverand Benjamin R Cremer written on July 1, 2026.

Roald Dahl Quote!

"Roald Dahl signed books in the Kinderboekenwinkel in Amsterdam, inventory number 934-3367" by Rob Bogaerts / Anefo is marked with CC0 1.0.

 

I love this quote from Roald Dahl!

“And above all, watch the glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it."

Famous Picture, Quote, & Speech From Carl Sagan!

   

Carl Sagan

Below is a picture as seen from the Voyager spacecraft. It is a picture of Earth, 3.7 million miles away, with a quote from Carl Sagan written in 1994.

 —Carl Sagan, speech at Cornell University, October 13, 1994

“We succeeded in taking that picture, and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives.

The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there — on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light . . .

To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”

Famous Quotes About Diversity: Gene Roddenberry

 

Gene Roddenberry

 

Gene Roddenberry was the creator of Star Trek. I have been a fan ever since the original series! Below are two quotes of his about diversity. What an amazing man!

“The glory of creation is in its diversity.”

“If man is to survive, he will have learned to take delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life’s exciting variety, not something to fear."

More Carl Sagan Quotes

  

Carl Sagan

Below are two quotes from Carl Sagan; the last of which is incredibly prophetic.

"We've arranged a civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology."

"We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces."

Carl Sagan Quote From 1996

 

Carl Sagan

Below is a prophetic quote from Carl Sagan in 1996.

“I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time – when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness…

 

The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance.”

Quotes: Seamus Heaney

 

Seamus Heaney

Seamus Heaney is one of my favorite Irish poets. He won the Nobel prize in 1995, "for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past."

Here are two of his famous quotes.

"The main thing is to write for the joy of it. Cultivate a work-lust that imagines its haven like your hands at night dreaming the sun in the sunspot of a breast. You are fasted now, light-headed, dangerous. Take off from here."

"Strange is the huge nothing that we fear!" 

TO BE A WRITER . . .

 

A Quote From Carl Sagan About Books!!

I love this quote. It came from Carl Sagan's 1980 book Cosmos, Part 11: The Persistence of Memory. The illustration was by Chris Riddel.

New Quote From Chapter 12 of "M"

Below, I have included a recent quote from chapter 12 of my latest fantasy/science fiction/international intrigue novel, "M".

Enjoy!

Trembling from the numbing cold and hopeful that there were no longer any Russians nearby, Tristan fumbled with the small pack that he still had cradled to his chest and took out a flashlight. He forced his way up through the layers of snow above him as carefully and inobtrusively as he could, and broke free. Once through, he hesitated a moment before standing and scanned the area to make sure the Russians were gone. It seemed they were. He sighed, feeling some relief, and then glanced up at the clear, black sky overhead. It was covered in stars and on any other night would have left him in awe, but he had no time for that now. Once he was exposed to the elements, it was dramatically colder. He checked his watch. With the wind chill, it was about minus fifty degrees Celsius. He knew that he would have to find shelter again, and soon. He readjusted his coat and hood to help keep out the cold as long as possible, brushed away the ice crystals from his face, and clicked on the flashlight that he held in his hand.
    He was standing waste deep in snow, and before attempting to move to open ground, shined the light around him and was relieved to see movement nearby. Several of his friends were either just breaking out of the snow as he had or crawling on all fours onto the flat ground just beyond the perimeter of the collapsed snow cave.

New Quote from Chapter 11 of "M"

Below, I have included a recent quote from chapter 11 of my latest fantasy/science fiction novel, "M".

Enjoy!

   Well before sunrise, people had already begun to gather round the lake at the base of Tor Glastonbury. It was one of those mornings when the air was still and cold, the sky clear, and all but the very top of the tor was enshrouded in thick, heavy fog. A half-moon rested at its apex just above Michael’s Tower, lending a silky glow and a feeling of enchantment to the already otherworldly setting.

   For as far back as anyone could remember, the faithful and the curious had gathered at the tor in the dark to watch the sun come up on the day of the winter solstice, but this year the size of the crowd was much larger. The obvious reason was the dramatic return of the lake. After over a thousand years, the tor was once again circumscribed by water, and many saw it as the return of Avalon - the return of The Isle of Glass.  And as they stood together cloaked in the inky blackness of early morning, the hushed sound of lapping at the shore seemed to carry the thought that was on everyone’s mind, ‘This can’t be a coincidence?’

   Then the crowd's attention was drawn towards the center of the lake. It seemed that there were lights flickering and dancing within the dense fog that hung above the water. The lights became even more agitated in their movements and started to rise. They ascended rapidly and then burst into the open air around Michael’s Tower. This happened just as the sun’s light was touching the horizon, and the birth of a new winter was about to dawn. Once the lights had escaped the fog, the crowd could clearly see eight green and lavender spheres of glittering light, swirling around the base of the tower. A collective gasp could be heard from the gathering, and then someone yelled, “Fata Morgana – the lights of Avalon!” But the vision only lasted a few more moments and was rapidly overtaken by a sunrise unbelievably dramatic and vibrant. Silence reasserted itself, leaving the onlookers staring in awe, wondering, and confused.   

New Quote from M: Dream Sequence

Below, I have included a quote from my latest fantasy/science fiction novel, "M".

This quote is a dream sequence for one of the characters near the end of chapter 10.

Enjoy!

     The opaque, black clouds covered the sun, and lightning bolts were erupting from the rise overlooking the battlefield. The dead on both sides lay strewn about like decaying leaves on dark, bloodstained soil after a great and violent storm. I saw myself lying there amongst my comrades - a sword wound leaking blood from my side, and a young warrior crumpled over a spear nearby. One end of the spear was penetrating his chest, and the other, I was holding in my right hand. I knew I had killed him, and he…he had dealt with me with his sword. I, too, would soon die. Then a voice called to me. I glanced up and saw a saint kneeling over me. His hand was on my shoulder. His white hair and beard created a halo around his face. I could feel his power and thought for a moment that I knew him. He then said my name again and again and shook me as if to call me back from the dead…

"M": A New Quote From The Beginning Of Chapter 10

Below, I have included a quote from Chapter 10 in my latest fantasy/science fiction novel, "M".

This quote is from the first two paragraphs in the chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Convergence

November 15, 2022

Shuffling down an alley, the homeless man had stopped looking at people’s faces several days ago. A few during his ramblings on the streets of Glastonbury had offered him coins or small bits of food, and on rare occasions a bottle of water, but most avoided his gaze and simply walked by. He knew he looked haggard – maybe even a bit frightening to some. He stopped for a moment and stared at himself in a shop window. His eyes were bloodshot; his hair and beard were long and unkempt and filled with bits of food and grass. He wiped those away, but it didn’t help much. The clothes he’d been given at the shelter were now soiled and beginning to stiffen and fray. His shoes and the bottom of his pants were caked in mud.

    He still had no idea who he was or how he’d gotten himself into such a mess, but his predicament was quickly becoming his reality. He’d sleep by day, usually in a Abbey Park where he wouldn’t be bothered by anyone, and walk most nights to stay warm. He could get one or two hot meals every few days at one of the shelters in the city or through someone’s generosity, but it really never seemed to dampen his constant hunger. He’d lost weight and muscle mass from an already weakened frame, and he’d often wondered, ‘Maybe I should have listened to Gwawr and stayed at the shelter?’ But for him, it just didn’t work. He had to get out of there. It felt like a prison, and at the time, he was convinced that if he just went out on his own, it wouldn’t be long before he’d meet someone who recognized him. He’d convinced himself with the thought that, ‘Someone has to know me!’

"M": A New Quote From The Beginning Of Chapter 9

Below, I have included a quote from Chapter 9 in my latest fantasy/science fiction novel, "M".

This quote is from the first five paragraphs in the chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 9 Quote

Every member of the Russian agencies that had met in Tomsk was blurry-eyed and downing coffee like water. They’d eaten little since yesterday and had been up all night with their teams trying to find a way forward. The return call from President Zima was only about an hour away when Andrej Orlov called them back together.

They all shuffled in. Some remained standing. Others sat in the dark oak chairs around the massive table in the meeting room of the old house. It seemed no one wanted to begin the conversation, as an uncomfortable, heavy silence sprawled out across the room.

Andrej had been the one to initiate their long night of discussions, so he took it upon himself to begin the meeting. He pushed against the arms of his chair, came to his feet, and hesitated one last moment as he finished off his cup of strong, bitter coffee. His colleagues glanced in his direction, waiting.

“We don’t have much time. The president will be contacting us soon. We all know that we have a decision to make. So, let’s go around the room, one team at a time.”
    He waited for someone to volunteer. No one did, but just as he was about to call on someone, Vadik, the head of the GRU military specialists, came to his feet.

"M": A New Quote From The Beginning Of Chapter 8

Below, I have included a quote from Chapter 8 in my latest fantasy/science fiction novel, "M".

This quote is from the first paragraph in the chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 8 Quote

Curls of heavy smoke swirled up to the ceiling within the dimmed room with half-empty bottles of vodka set out randomly amid laptops, documents, and trays of mostly-eaten finger food on a heavy, dark, wooden table. The only natural light in the room was from the setting sun, which at this time of year was extremely bleak no matter the time of day. It entered the room through a bay window framed in black Russian bog oak that ran from floor to ceiling, containing pains of etched leaden glass. The conversation had ebbed and flowed from loud and boisterous to somber and silent, depending on the moment, ever since the members of the various government agencies had started meeting in early November. One large screen at the opposite end of the room from the window remained on, displaying a map of Siberia with areas of red - each of which had been expanding over the last four weeks much more rapidly than anyone had ever expected. There was little doubt at this point that the situation was becoming more and more deadly with each passing day. A decision would have to be made, and soon.

New Quote: Medieval Character's Awakening in Chapter 7

Below, I have included another quote from Chapter 7 in my latest fantasy/science fiction novel, "M".

This quote is from one of the famous medieval characters that remembers how he was awakened in the year 2022. It is a pivotal moment in the book. Enjoy!

Chapter 7 Quote

I had been submerged in a pool of thick, all-consuming blackness since time unknown, moving in and out of a surreal unconsciousness, etched with bits of life and snippets of moments long past. My gods had clearly abandoned me, but the lady whose face I’d first seen eons ago entered my desolation at moments, providing some small semblance of hope and sustenance within the molevolant blankness that enshrouded me. Days, months, years, upon years, upon years passed as I floated somewhere between life and death with little understanding and no final decision on either. Until one day…the earth shook.

It was just a night, or two, or three ago, I’m not sure really, but I can now recall it in great detail - the desperate sound of my first breath sucked into my lungs, the rapid hammering of my heart against my chest, and the total confusion and unsettling dizziness of coming out of such an immense, deathlike trance. And amongst all this, the earth continued to tremble and beat against me. Pieces of rock struck my face and body from above, and my mind began to register the rumbling of rocks, breaking away and falling to the ground; then a wrenching motion beneath me was followed by a loud and thunderous shattering of stone. I was almost thrown from where I lay.

Then, as rapidly as it had begun, everything ceased – the sounds, the violence, the fury, the quaking. I finally dared to crack open my eyes but was still met with total and unending darkness, a darkness so complete that my mind began playing tricks on me, issuing forth bright flashes that gave no warmth, nor did they allow me any discernible vision. Without knowing it, I had been grasping the sides of the platform where I lay so firmly that my fingers ached. I released them and slowly brought my hands up close to my face, but no matter how hard I stared, I saw nothing – no movement, no fingers, nothing.

My breath quickened. Panic set in and overwhelmed me. I had no idea at that moment who I was, where I was, or what had happened to me. I simply remained still and reticent, unable to think or act rationally. A few more moments passed – a few more breaths deeply inhaled – then I knew I had to move. I had to do something.

It was unbelievably difficult. Every muscle, every joint, even my skin screamed from the pain of immobility, but I persisted and finally rose to a sitting position. I was sweating from the effort and felt weak and shaky. I didn’t know if I could continue, but knew I must. I again gathered my strength and swung my legs over the edge of the platform. Then I scooted forward, not knowing how far it was to the floor below. I felt around for something to drop over the side and found two items. One seemed to be some type of head adornment, possibly a crown, the other, a small ring. Curious. Then I dropped the ring and could tell that the floor was only a short distance away. I prepared to lower myself off the platform by first hitching up the long, thin cotton garment that inconveniently hung down to my ankles. Turning over, I lowered my feet over the side very slowly and hung on to the opposite edge of the platform. I couldn’t quite reach the floor with my feet and knew that I had to let go. I didn’t have the strength to control my fall. I felt my arm hit the crown as I fell, causing it to strike the floor with a sharp, metallic sound. I landed with a thud, knocking the breath from me, and lay still until the muscles in my chest relaxed enough to allow me to breathe comfortably again.

Whatever energy I’d had at the beginning of all this had almost entirely left me. There was no way I had the strength to stand, so I started crawling, cautiously reaching ahead with my hands to protect myself and feeling my way forward. As I did, I caught my garment with my right foot and tore off a piece of the hem. It didn’t concern me. I just needed to find a way out of this terrible blackness.

I could tell from the sounds echoing from wall to wall that I must be in a chamber of some kind, probably underground, and I could only hope that it had an exit. I moved forward on trembling limbs until my hands detected a wall. I followed it for a short distance and discovered what I’d been looking for. There was an opening. I felt around for something to throw and found a pebble. I threw it into the opening, and it took some time to land. It had to be a passageway. I crawled through.

I soon reached what felt like a stone stairway. I blew out the breath that I’d been holding and after a short rest moved forward again, crawling upwards. It was extremely steep for a stairway, but as I progressed, I was rewarded. Just ahead of me was a slightly less dark shade of black. My heart jumped, and my adrenaline kicked in, pushing me onwards. Reaching the end of the stairs, I passed through and sat on a flat surface. The fresh, cool night air shocked and invigorated me, and as my eyes adjusted, the moon’s silver rays lit up my surroundings. I could see that I was sitting on the floor of a circular room with two tall archways on opposite sides. I sighed and took a deep breath then crawled to the one on my left. Through the opening, I could just see a grassy knoll, a glorious night sky, and the moon that had lit my way. I immediately fell to the ground and spread myself out on the luxurious grass, letting out a heavy sigh of relief. It wasn’t long at all before I slept. When I opened my eyes again, the sky and moon were gone, and I was shivering. A dense and moisture-laiden fog had rolled in.

I could tell that I was stronger after the rest that I’d had, but regardless of my newfound energy, I knew that I had to find a way out of this fog or die, especially considering the flimsy cloth that covered my body. I returned to my hands and knees and started moving again. The ground seemed to be slanting downward, and soon my hands touched another slab of rock. I crawled forward and found a second one, slightly lower. I was on another stairway, less steep but much longer. It hurt my hands and knees to continue, but I did. When I reached its end, I scrambled forward a few more feet and then fell over, exhausted and completely spent. I curled up on the wet grass and closed my eyes. I knew that I was done and that whatever was to happen now was not up to me. It was up to the gods.

UPDATE: WORKING ON CHAPTER 7 OF NEW BOOK

Below, I have included a quote from the first paragraph of Chapter 7 in my latest fantasy/scifi novel, "M".

The writing of the book is moving ahead, but at a slow pace. It's a very complex story with many layers, intertwining plot lines, a considerable cast of characters, and a lot of research.

Chapter 7 Quote

The morning after the earthquake that had originated in the Bristol Channel, the air and ground were saturated with moisture. It had stopped raining, but the dense fog that remained was almost impenetrable to the eye, and the thick grass hung limp and damp with dew. Alyn Hughes and Floyd Davies stood side by side, dressed in their work trousers and yellow vests, shaking their heads and gazing out across the newly formed lake that now covered the low-lying fen around Tor Glastonbury. Neither of the men could believe what they saw. They had both grown up near the tor, and just last month had been there with their families, joining in on one of the many festivals that took place there. It had been a glorious early autumn day, and they had met to celebrate, eat, and raise a glass together. But now, they couldn’t even reach the tor except by boat. It had become an island, encompassed in impenetrable mist and encircled by water.

"M" UPDATE: QUOTE FROM CHAPTER 5

Below, I have included a quote from the first paragraph of Chapter 5 in my latest fantasy/scifi novel, "M".

The writing of the book is finally picking up. Chapter 5 is almost completed. It's going to be a wild ride!

Chapter 5 Quote

The crystal shards lay upon the dark floor of the cave, reflecting the amber, yellow-gold, deep crimson, and blue of the fire that flickered at the very center of the chamber. Their combined glow, although not bright enough to take away the cavern’s black façade, still emitted just enough light to soften the overwhelming darkness and warm it slightly. It reminded M of thousands of multicolored fireflies cast about in the grass on a shadowy eve, preparing to rise and fill the air with their small lanterns of light. The only sound that caught his attention and cut through the heavy silence was the popping of the burning wood, which echoed off the round dome of the rock ceiling. The only smells were the dank earth and smoke-saturated air giving off the odors of an old familiar place, doing its best to remind him from whence he’d come.

New Fantasy Novel CAVE OF DREAMS: Chapter 4 Quote

CAVE OF DREAMS

Below, I've included a quote from the first paragraph of chapter 4 of my new fantasy novel, CAVE OF DREAMS. I've been working on it now for about a month. It's going slowly, but I'm having a great time writing it, and I wanted to share this with you.

“His sight, as he dreamed and stumbled through a world beyond knowing, was like a patterned collage of images, moments, and times from the past, present and future. Most in color and as real as the creases in his own hand, but some in black and white, flat and two-dimensional like white cave drawings swirling about on black walls. Each picture held meaning and foresight, but only if he could truly see and understand them; only if he could sort them, classify and arrange them in a way that would bring insight and coalesce into prophecy.”

THE CHOSEN: First Cover Sketches & Two Chapter Quotes

THE CHOSEN

I've almost completed the fourth and final draft of my new adult science fiction novel, The Chosen, and Greg Opalinski has started sending me the first sketches of the cover. I'm really pleased. As usual, Greg is doing a wonderful job. It will be fun to see the cover develop as the process moves along.

On October 21, 2014, I gave a preview of the first paragraph of each the first five chapters of The Chosen. If you'd like to read that entry, Click Here. In this entry, I'm going to give you the first two paragraphs of Chapter 23, which I've provided below. There are 26 chapters in the book.

You can also read a complete excerpt of the first two chapters by clicking on the the Bob's Books' tab above.


THE CHOSEN: First Two Paragraphs of Chapter 23

    "Bodo’s living space was warm with the lights dimly lit but comfortable. The early morning sun on M-78 had just touched the horizon, setting off a golden glow in the distance and casting the soft light of morning onto the lifeglobe surrounding The City.
   Bodo had been the first to open his eyes and sit up on one elbow. He blinked away the sleepiness, yawned, slowly inched his body out from under his soft blanket, and gazed at his three compatriots. Each of them was still asleep, curled up and breathing quietly. He thought about how vitally important today was, yet there was a part of him that didn’t want to alter this calm, serene moment – a part of him that wanted to go back to sleep."