Ruins of Empire II or The Earth Swallows the Master's House

We were right by the Whitney Museum as well, so it was well worth a visit. It's also a good point from which to pick up the High Line, but more of that later. America is in the run up to the Presidential elections and we once again found ourselves in the middle. I was struck by this artwork, which is a piece of the White House, made from earth and fixed to the roof of the Whitney. Being made of earth it has a strange life of its own, which includes baking in the summer heat and significantly crumbling away.The stars and stripes flutters upside down from its roof. The artist Kiyan Williams is somehow an activist and their other work, also on the roof is a likeness of Marsha P. Johnson.

Some will recognise the original protest photo from which this was taken and which showed Marsha P (Pay it no Mind) Johnson outside Bellevue Hospital, captured by Diana Davies.

Oh yes, we visited the New York Public Library too. And here's the version of the picture, as a sculpture on the roof of the Whitney.

“I may be crazy, but that don’t make me wrong.”

And there's so much more, just within the walls of this one building.

I need you, I don't need you and all of that jivin' around.

This time we were staying around Chelsea, an area I once worked close to and rather different from the part of New York that most tourists gravitate towards. We were staying close to the Chelsea Market and the High Line, both of which are busy yet different somehow from the Times Square vibe.

Of course the Chelsea Hotel is well-known and had rebirth recently, under new ownership. 

Many well know of the folk that have stayed there: I'll list a few: Chet Baker, Nico, Tom Waits, Jim Morrison, Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, Jeff Beck,Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Iggy Pop, The Grateful Dead, Edith Piaf,Bob Marley, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack, Cher, Madonna, Dee Dee Ramone, Joni Mitchell, John Cale, Marianne Faithfull, Bette Midler, Stanley Kubrick, Sid Vicious. Nancy Spungen, Jimi Hendrix, Canned Heat, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Janis Joplin, Dennis Hopper, Uma Thurman, Jane Fonda, Viva, Elliott Gould, Edie Sedgwick, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Mark Twain, Arthur Miller, Arthur C. Clarke, Tennesse Williams, Sam Shepherd, Jack Kerouac, Quentin Crisp, Valerie Solanas, William S. Burroughs, Gregory Corso

...to name but some.

And the immediate area has the pretty cafes like in Europe. We enjoyed lunch in Pastis, a twist on a French pavement cafe. People from the ship, natives of New York, had recommended a whole string of places to us, all within short idle. 

Just around the corner is the bustle of the Chelsea Market and we're only a couple of Blocks from the Hudson River.

Oh, and did I mention that the cabs have changed? They used to be slab-like Ford Crown Victorias, but now they are nearly all Toyota SUVs or similar van creations. I could still spot the cabs from across the river which still looked traditional, but even the green suburban cabs have changed. Apparently Ford stopped making the iconic taxicab in 2011 and now there are just two left in the city. 

Its a helluva town

 

These are some clearer shots after the sun had risen. Liberty and Lower Manhattan, from our cabin (aka stateroom) on the liner.

Verrazano

 Well, we finally sighted the Verrazano Bridge, which is the way into the waters around Manhattan. It was about 03:30 in the morning and from the Sat Nav to our sighting seemed like a matter of seconds. I'd expected to capture its approach, but instead got a picture already underneath the bridge.

The area of water is called The Narrows and we sailed through, at the same time scrabbling to get up on deck to watch the unfolding of the morning and the approach of New York.

Then my worst ever zoomed picture of approaching New York...

I guess its 'in the moment'.

novel moment

Another fun thing were the around 20 plus 'events' scheduled for each morning, and then another 20 for the afternoon and maybe 15 for the evening. Some were inappropriate, but I found a few session on novel writing, both as a couple of presentations and then as some workshops in a slightly secretive part of the ship. 

Come to think of it, I'm not sure where this elephant cocktail fits exactly, but never mind.

I attended the first of the novel writing sessions, which was like a weird continuation of the sessions I attended on the South Bank in London a few weeks ago. There seemed to be more emphasis on  use of writing agents in these sessions, but I was able to listen with my own opinions as the topics unfolded.

It briefly brought me back to thinking of my own revisions and republication of novels, but I mentally put that to one side because this was 'holiday time'. That and the elephant.

I'll prepare a post about all of that when I'm back on dry land.

wasn't born to follow

So we had Roger McGuinn from the Byrds on the crossing and he was only too pleased to tell of his very varied musical career. 

Fascinating that some of the Byrds setup was entirely pre-meditated. They studied the Beatles, and watched a Beatles movie to write down the names of each of the instruments being played. Oblong-sunshaded McGuinn uses a 12 string Rickenbacker - which looks deceptively like a 6 string.

Then, they acquired suitable hairstyles and found the Bob Dylan track, fresh at the time, which became their greatest hit. McGuinn is a highly accomplished musician and decided to adapt the tune to a Beatles-esque lead line and listened to various twiddles of George Harrison to get a suitable accompaniment to the song. They played it back to Dylan and made the song, which was 2 minutes and 40 seconds of history.

Roger McGuinn had played with many other bands and singers before this and knew the likes of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Ritchie Havens, Barry McGuire, and many of the troubadours who played in Greenwich Village. He even played the guitar for Simon and Garfunkel on their Sounds of Silence demo.

A deep dive into McGuinn soon yields Dylan Baez and McGuinn playing together.

The 'Byrds' mis-spelling was also in deference to the Beatles.

And its fascinating to see him  start out as a jobbing muso playing 12 string and banjo for other acts.

Passengers

Our fellow passengers were such an interesting part of the journey. The first evening at dinner, we sat next to some American women, who kind of blanked us. I know, our 2:2:2 tables were set about 15 cm apart, to give distance, but nonetheless. 

Then I realised we'd got a 'Red Card' mentality and needed to think like seasoned travellers. So from then on, we sat at the larger tables and could commune with the other passengers. 

It came as a great surprise that we were almost the only 'newbies'. I casually asked the people next to me how many cruises they had been on and they replied '8'. Then the people the other side of me said '23'. Okay. 

And the stories were always so fascinating too. One couple we met had decanted their lives into a truck and trailer and were now either in their caravan or else they were on the road. 

Their blog shows this combo, but I have a feeling they updated it to the similar setup below, based upon their fun business card.

And their extensive blog is here.

It was interesting because we have travelled several of their routes, both in the USA and also in Europe, but in our case we've not 'cut loose' in the way that they have. Long may they continue.

Another day we sat with one of the on-board workshoppers, who was providing art classes. And I even attended the creative writing/publishing sessions in the Planetarium. And a chance encounter with another traveller has given me a major boost in my knowledge of Greek stories.

Then there was Mr Tamborine Man - Roger McGuinn. I think I'll save that for another day.

transatlantic

The Atlantic Ocean has its own character, from the beginning when it brushes against the English Channel, to the mysterious fog banks on the way from the United Kingdom and then into the deceptively deep sections midway across.

Double-hulled V shape

 

We knew nothing about ships, but soon learned that the QM2 was specifically built for Atlantic crossings.  It has a more linear shape than many 'cruise' ships and this ensures greater stability, which is desirable on the Atlantic. It was other guests that gave us most of the Intel, and we were surprised to learn that many of them had made multiple Atlantic crossings and many other voyages. We were the newbies. We had the 'Red Card' passes for everything, and soon learned that this goes up through Silver, Gold, Diamond and beyond. We were also assured that our status would have improved to Silver by the time we disembarked in Brooklyn.

We also discovered that just about everything except drinks on board was included in our fare and we could eat from any restaurant at any time. Even order room service without those little extras like 'Orange Juice' being added.

And at the start of the voyage we were swamped by the sheer size of the vessel. Yet it seemed remarkable tranquil and uncrowded too, once the initial flurry of boarding had subsided.

Check out a small part of the Britannia restaurant.

rocking

We certainly left Southampton with a good party-style send-off. Champagne by the pool and a band playing 'Rocking all over the world' in the sunshine.  This promises to be an interesting trip.

Queen Mary 2

This seems to be the year of the ship for us, and this time we are upscaling to something bigger. No mere ship, this is the last ocean liner - The Queen Mary 2, which we've decided to take from Southampton to New York.

Click on the paperback

This should route to the paperback version of The Square.

This is just a test

My test novel (The Square) seems to be appearing in multiple channels now., although some are still picking up the original cover, like this German site.

 

However, some sites (like Apple) are rejecting the novel because I've embedded a link to the next novel, which inadvertantly bypasses Apple's ordering service.

They say:

"As a result, we cannot send this book to the following sales channel until you have corrected the matter:

Apple

The types of material at issue include:

Competitor Links: The content contains links to sales channels that are in direct competition with the chosen sales channels. Please check your book's content for any direct links to eBook retailers. Remove these links to ensure compatibility with all of your selected vendors. Typically, these links are found in the front matter or back matter of your book.

Sales channels not listed above continue to receive this material at this time."

Oh well.

repeat of a radio interview

Some time ago, but I thought I'd add it into the flow.

Not entirely covered

I started with Ingram for print editions of my novels. It was back in the dark age and every revision cost money. 

I used an original Ingram default size and have stuck with it all along. Even when I switched some of my printed books to Amazon I retained the same formatted size for my books. Now, it looks as if I will need to revise the covers and text layouts if I want to move platforms again.

I guess I'll need to take a few deep breaths.

Ed Adams Novels and Back Matter

As a start toward my marketing, I'm revising the Back Matter of my novels. I've never paid much attention to it, to be honest, but I guess if it tells the reader the next book in the sequence, then that can be a helpful thing. I remember being told that there needs to be three books as a minimum to create 'read-through'.

At the end of my first book ever (The Triangle), I'm now including a reference to the next book along (The Square) and even putting a picture from the cover art. Above is my original sketch, and below is the current cover art for the novel - which I now include as a page in the back of the prior novel. Then follows the 'Back Matter' which describes all my novels, and which I should be able to insert consistently into every novel, as I republish them.

I'll also consider moving some of the paperback novels to an Ed Adams storefront.

The Square

Nervous Weapons of Mass Destruction. The transport of materials across Egypt, with very unintended consequences

TRIANGLE COLLECTION

The first series. Fast paced, international thrillers featuring how Clare, Bigsy and Jake formed The Triangle.

T1 The Triangle: Dirty money? Here's how to clean it. A London crime story with international dimensions.

https://amzn.to/3c6zRMu 

T2 The Square: Nervous Weapons of Mass Destruction. The transport of materials across Egypt, with very unintended consequences

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T3 The Circle: The desert is no place to get lost. Deserts and missile ranges in Arizona.  

https://amzn.to/3qLavYZ 

T4 Cosy: Cosy Crime in Devon, Agatha and Cluedo with a modern twist. 

https://amzn.to/3wQVNED 

T5 Church: Devon crime rains down: The power from the church is not what it seems.

https://amzn.to/463vFao

T6 Dark: Control is power: A powerful woman seeks control.

https://amzn.to/4eZKPld

ARCHANGEL COLLECTION

Another asset joins the Triangle in the form of Christina Nott. We need to know a little of her back-story too.

A1 Archangel : Sometimes I am necessary. Icelandic born, Russian trained agent Christina Nott.

https://amzn.to/2Y9nB5K 

Now we have Jake, Bigsy, Clare and Christina working together. Political thrills in corridors of power. Now introducing Brant Technologie and Raven Holdings.

A2 Raven:  An eye that sees all between darkness and light. Big business gone bad. Very bad.

https://amzn.to/2MiGVe6

A3 Card Game: The power of Tarot whilst throwing oil on trouble. A story ruled by mysterious cards.

https://amzn.to/2Y8HLgs 

A5 Play On, Christina Nott : Money, Mayhem, Manipulation. Christina Nott, on Tour for the FSB. What a cover story. Moscow, Tokyo, Seattle with the band.

https://amzn.to/2MbkuHI 

A6 Corrupt : Parliamentary corruption. Trouble at the house. 

https://amzn.to/2M0Hn0w 

A7 Sleaze: More political intrigue, as electric automobiles are on the agenda. Politics and Gstaad. There is snow. 

https://amzn.to/3sE3UDt 

BIG SCIENCE

From modest science to an end for the universe

B1 Coin : Get rich quick with Cybercash-just don't get caught. Students, eh?

https://amzn.to/3082wmS 

B2 Pulse: Sci-Fi dystopian blood management with nano-bots. Want more? Just stay away  from the edge. This predicts some of the events of other novels, yet the pieces are still fragmentary knowledge shards,

https://amzn.to/3qQIBvL 

B3 An Unstable System : Creating the right kind of mind. Inventing a cyclone, with unforseen side effects.

https://amzn.to/2PRJciF 

B4 Jump:  Some kind of future. Forward in time, but with an ever increasing dilemma.

 https://amzn.to/3sCzK3h 

B5 The Watcher : We don't need no personal saviours here. A short story about the whole of time.

https://amzn.to/3kTFWjg 

B6 Rage : A madman's war: Our Watchers arrive unexpectedly in Ukraine.

 https://amzn.to/3MEuKIL 

B7 Artificial : Where is my mind? Inside the RightMind there is an Artificial Intelligence.

https://amzn.to/461LONJ

B8 Luka : Can artificial intelligences fall in love. How Luka sees he interaction with a human.

https://amzn.to/468yjMi

BLADE’S EDGE TRILOGY

The effects of Brant’s technologies far into the future.  Earth has a predicament.

E1 Edge World end climate collapse and sham discovered during magnetite mining from Ganymede

https://amzn.to/2KDmYOW 

E2 Edge Blue Endgame, for Earth - unless?

https://amzn.to/2Kyq9au 

E3 Edge Red  : Museum Earth an artificially intelligent 

https://amzn.to/2KzJwjz 

MASTER COLLECTIONS

All collections of the individual novels…

C1/T4 The Ox Stunner The Triangle Trilogy - thick enough to stun an ox Triangle, Circle, Square in one heavy book. all feature Jake, Bigsy, Clare, Chuck 

https://amzn.to/3sHxigh 

C2/A4 Magazine Clip First three Archangel novels

https://amzn.to/3pbBJYn 

C3/A8 Ignoble Corrupt and Sleaze omnibus

https://amzn.to/3sp6EUL 

C4/B7 The Dealer: Jump, Pulse and Rage Collection

https://amzn.to/3AIZmWg 

C5/E4 Edge of Forever Edge Trilogy

https://amzn.to/3c57Ghj

C6/T7 Secrets: Cosy, Church and Dark Collection

https://amzn.to/4639S2C

C7/B9 Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality Guide: Brant Manual of Peacekeeping Technologies- Both of Artificial and Luka in one volume - dressed as a reference manual.

https://amzn.to/4d1UVA2

And finally, my Amazon Author page:

Please take a look and I hope you enjoy my novels!

https://amzn.to/4cI4pAQ