Sneak Peak Part 2: Thus Arrived The Lights

Arriving May 8th!

These are exciting days in the Peter Schnake Empire (Thank's J. for the moniker). It's just over one week until my second book, Thus Arrived the Lights, is released on Amazon Kindle. To celebrate, I have posted the first chapter on my website!

One of the motifs I thread through the piece is a play on metallurgy. In Alchemy, gold was the unrealizable goal, and so too, my characters are surrounded by unrealizable hopes and dreams, while haunted by fears.

auric - golden.

gild - to overlay with gold (not to be confused with geld!).

sybaritic - overwhelmingly decadent. From the ancient Greek city of Sybaris.

cuirass - a piece of armor which covers the torso (from neck to waist), such as a breastplate.

I also play with other textures in the prose, like precious stones and glass.

hyaline - glassy, translucent; of glass.

cabochon - a very small and round gem.

I can't wait for you to read the book! Have you seen my behind the scenes videos yet? Check them out on my facebook page!

Sneak Peak: Thus Arrived The Lights

Having just announced the upcoming release of my second book, Thus Arrived the Lights (coming this May!), I thought you might enjoy a look inside at the delicious words:

venery - the hunt; or the game which is hunted; or as I use it, the pursuit of another in a sexual nature.

ensorcell - to entrance, put a spell on.

canicular - of the dog days of summer.

aestivate - to hibernate during the summer months. This word is used most often to refer to animals of the southern hemisphere, but I take licence.

Interested? Check out the synopsis on my website. And be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news.

Princess of Mars

Most famous for penning Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs also wrote the John Carter of Mars series. I haven't seen the newly released Disney movie, but the trailers prompted me to start reading the books. The first in the series, A Princess of Mars, (originally published in 1912) was quite enjoyable.

After the Civil War, John Carter, a former confederate officer, turns to prospecting in Arizona, where a strange encounter in a cave finds him mysteriously transported to the surface of Mars and into the clutches of the fifteen-foot tall green martian warriors with four arms and not an iota of kindness. He escapes death when he discovers that his athletic prowess is enhanced under the decreased gravity of the smaller planet. It is a well-plotted action story which introduces us to several tribes of Barsoomians (Martians) warring for survival on a dying planet.

Owing to its age, the book does contain a few uncommon words. Luckily I was reading on the Kindle so with the touch of a finger, I could see their definitions. Here are a few of them:

atavism - reversion to the past, to the outdated. The green martians do not praise atavism. However, in America, retro looks quite often resurge.

doughty - brave.

celerity - quickness, speed.

exigencies - the actions which need to be taken immediately to remedy a state of urgency.

importunity - an urgent request; a plea.

Who Done It?

Didn't I warn you that I couldn't stay away from Ms. Christie? Thanks to my good friend, Meg, for cleaning off her shelf and letting me read it!

I find this collection of short stories more easily solvable than some of her other works, but there are one or two that did fool me. And one or two words that caught my eye...

Torpid - dull, slow, sluggish.

Florid - flowery in style; or a ruddy, flushed complexion. Christie usually uses the latter definition when describing characters.

Piquant - spicy or stimulating; also charming.

Assiduously - with unrelenting attention. One must apply oneself assiduously to solve these mysteries.

Holy Week

The week before Easter is marked by many people around the world as they ponder Jesus' passion, death and resurrection. It begins with shouts of "Hosanna" on Palm Sunday and progresses into cries of fear as Jesus overturned the money changers' tables on Monday. And in solemnity we watch Jesus wash his disciples feet on Thursday giving a new commandment and a new sacrament. And though we are sleepy we watch as Jesus is betrayed in the early morning of Friday and handed over to be crucified. We wait on Saturday, and return on Sunday to celebrate his triumph over death.

Dolor - extreme sorrow. From the Latin, from which we also get the name "Via Dolorosa."

Flagellate - to whip; Those (like a certain order of monk) who whip themselves in public for personal atonement of sins are called flagellants (not to be confused with flatulence).

Tenebre - from tenebrous, which means shadowy or dark.

Strepitus - the sound of a Bible being slammed shut to signify the stone being rolled in front of the tomb at the end of a Tenebre service.

A new command I give you: Love one another. John 13:34