2011 has been an interesting year for me.

• I’ve had a couple of publishers ask for a full of my last novel (in late 2010)… they still have it.  I’m sure they’ll get to it eventually.
• I’ve been working more and writing less.
• I’ve lived through a renovation that went 100% past schedule (overlapping another renovation that started in 2010).
• I got my office back, after a year of a half.  It’s nice to have a place to work.
• I’ve made a couple of new friends.
• I’ve lost a friend.

Basically, the year has been a bit of a write off.  I’ve been under renovations since August 2010, and that can throw a serious wrench into the best laid plans.

Bring in 2012.  I’ve got big plans for you!

We had to go to using reCaptcha to separate bots trying to be users from real users.  I know it’s a pain, but the bots were taking over.

I’ve been getting questions about my WordStar clone (WordTsar). Some people want to know if it’s ready for beta testing yet… when can they get their hands on it.

Not yet. Summer is never a great time for me to be coding or writing, and I’ve fallen behind.

I did refactor the display engine, and I need to do more work in there. Also, almost none of the dot commands are implemented yet. None of it’s overly difficult, but it is time consuming.  The application currently runs on Linux (very good), Windows (so so), OSX (mediocre).

Here’s a little teaser:

Well, it’s been awhile since I posted anything here. The good news is that I’ve been busy. The bad news is I haven’t been busy writing.

Just to let you know what I’ve been working on, take a look at this: (This used to be a fully finished basement, until we got some water leaks)

We’re getting there…

You’ve done the research.  You’ve done the plotting.  You know your characters.  The outline is (mostly) complete.  Now it’s time to get your butt in the chair and do the real work.

And it’s so hard.

Every word on the page oozes a disgusting odor of pure and utter crap.  Each sentence is dull and uninspiring.  The paragraph sits like a blob on the paper, having no true form or substance or reason for its existence.

Yes, you took so long in research and outlining, that your skills have gotten rusty.  You no longer remember the difference between an adjective and an adverb.  You plod forward anyway, replacing every existence of ‘said’ with a more colorful word… ‘gasped’ would fit right there, or maybe ‘yelped’.  Thirty seconds later you remove it and place the hidden said right back where it belongs.  When did writing become so hard, you wonder?  When did the flow of words that moved from your mind, to your fingertips, to the keyboard, and finally to their deserved place on the screen, stop?  Who shut off the damn tap anyway?  Ah, yes.  It was the months spent on research instead of writing that did it.  Type something in on Google, hit Wikipedia.  Heck, go to the damn Library.  It’s easier than doing any real work.

Well, the time for that is over.  Sure, you might do a quick search here or there to fill in a detail.  Maybe Solitaire isn’t such a time sink after all.  But at the end of the day, you must have accomplished your writing goal, whether it’s a single page, 1000 words, or just 10.  Set the goal, meet it, and progress shall be made.  Before you know it, the rust will have disappeared, the tap will be turned back on, and the story will be written.

Then you can start revising.

I’m a member of a fabulous on-line writing group called Backspace.  Many of our members are published authors, and I made an offer to them.  Write a guest blog, on (almost) any topic you like, and I’ll post a link to their book(s) in the side panel.

It’s The End Of The Publishing Industry As We Know It

There’s been a lot of discussion lately about the death of the publishing industry.  There are those who applaud its supposed imminent demise, those who decry it, and those who deny it’s happening at all.

It’s no secret I have no great love nor admiration for the traditional publishing industry.  I believe they have gotten old and stodgy and way to settled in their ways.  Their emphasis on the bottom line has given rise to a  lot of same-old-same-old garbage taking up space on bookstore shelves.  While they shower their big name authors with support and riches – most of whom, in my humble opinion, couldn’t come up with a fresh idea for a story if their lives depended on it – they toss their mid-list and debut authors into a shark filled pool with neither life vest nor spear gun and expect them to survive if they hope to get a contract for another novel.

This emphasis on the bottom line has also narrowed the hoop of fire any aspiring author must jump through to the point that unless you’ve written something that’s been written a dozen times before, your chance of even getting an agent, much less a book contract with a major publisher, are somewhat less than that snowball’s chance in hell.  I doubt that some of the great ones like Vonnegut or Heller could even get published today.

Recent technological advances have begun to rock this boat of complacency and rocking it hard.  eBooks, eReaders, Publish On Demand, book reading applications for cell phones and the ability to get the book you want when you want it from the Internet is taking its toll on the publishing industry just as it did on the music and movie industry.

In addition, the ability to self-publish has opened the floodgates to all the wannabe authors out there.  I’m pretty sure this last is not a good thing.  A lot of really crappy books are going to get ‘published’ but then, a lot of crappy books already get published by the traditional publishing houses so I suppose it’s a toss-up.  But that whole can of book worms is not the topic of this post.  If you’re interested, I’ve touched on this subject briefly , and will no doubt touch on it again at some point on my blog.

The point I’m trying to make here is that I don’t believe the publishing industry is dying.  Some of the big six publishing houses may bite the book dust, which may or may not be a good thing, but the industry overall is not dying: it’s changing.

What I’m seeing is the rise of small, independent publishers like my publisher, .  These small publishers straddle the fence between the bottom line and publishing exciting, creative books from new authors with new ideas and a fresh perspective, a perspective the traditional publishing industry has lost.  As newspapers and magazines are dropping their book review sections, I’m seeing the rise of high quality book review blogs like Book Slut, Book Wenches, Un:Bound, Clover Hill, Women24, Author Poppet and Will Write For Love.  Sites like , and are out there connecting authors to the most vital part of their, sometimes insane, urge to write: readers.

For the last few decades, the marketing department’s of the major publishers, with their voodoo logic of what the reader wants, have been the gatekeepers to what actually gets to those readers.  This is changing and that, I believe, is a very good thing because, in the end, it is the reader who is truly the gatekeeper.  Write a good book, get it edited by a competent editor, find a graphic artist to create a great cover, get it reviewed in as many places as you can and the readers will find you.

That is the way publishing should be.

Here: http://www.ejknapp.com/2010/09/for-want-of-an-editor/

Rebel e Publishers: http://www.rebelepublishers.com/

Books Slut: http://www.bookslut.com/

Book Wenches: http://www.bookwenches.com/

Un:Bound: http://hagelrat.blogspot.com/

Clover Hill: http://cloverhillbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Women24: http://www.women24.com/

Author Poppet: http://authorpoppet.wordpress.com/

Will Write For Love: http://www.willwriteforlove.com/

Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/

Author’s Den: http://www.authorsden.com/

Red Room: http://www.redroom.com/

Author Bio:

EJ Knapp has published several short stories in obscure on-line magazines, most of which no longer exist, though he insists this is not his fault. Besides Stealing The Marbles, he is also the author of a non-fiction work, The Great Golden Gate Bridge Trivia Book – not his idea for the greatest title in the world – published by Chronicle Books in 1987. It has been reissued as an eBook titled Secrets of the Golden Gate Bridge and is available at Smashwords, the Amazon Kindle store and other fine eBook retailers.  For a more detailed bio, see http://www.ejknapp.com/about-ej/

I’m a member of a fabulous on-line writing group called Backspace.  Many of our members are published authors, and I made an offer to them.  Write a guest blog, on (almost) any topic you like, and I’ll post a link to their book(s) in the side panel.

The Haymarket Martyrs

Most of the world celebrates May 1 as a holiday for workers, whether it’s called Labor Day, International Workers’ Day, or simply May Day.

Why has the United States chosen to relegate the holiday to obscurity, primarily by celebrating something similar in September? You won’t learn about May Day in an American school. Why not? Because here is where it began. In the U.S. they decided to have Labor Day in September, in an effort to dissociate the holiday from the events in the Haymarket, Chicago, 1886. International Workers Day is rarely mentioned in the U.S. media.

Railroad Man, the Legend of Lil’ Jay, will be released May 1, 2011 in Chicago. The reason for the date and location of the release becomes clear when you read Chapter 6, The Haymarket. Railroad Man is the biography of a modern-day hobo with ties to the Wobblies, the Industrial Workers of the World, and in the course of Jay’s story, the reader will learn a little bit about the struggle for the eight-hour workday, and the men and women who gave their lives for the cause. Here’s a bit of background on the Haymarket in an excerpt from Chapter 6.

***

Unions gained strength in the mid 1800s. Working conditions were harsh, hours were long, pay was low. Business owners grew wealthy at the expense of workers.

Saturday, May 1, 1886 was the deadline for the eight-hour workday. If labor bosses didn’t shorten the workday to eight hours, workers across the country would strike. Chicago proved to be the epicenter of the quake heard round the world.

May 1st, in city after city thousands of workers rallied and marched for the cause. A half million workers protested with one voice, loud enough to finally be heard. Albert Parsons led a march of 80,000 workers down Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

Monday, May 3, 1886, McCormick Harvesting Machine Company strikers harassed scabs who crossed picket lines. August Spies led the group and encouraged them to remain peaceful and united. The police stood by and when a confrontation erupted they opened fire, killing six workers in an attempt to intimidate anyone bold enough to take a stand against big business.

But the movement would not be stopped. The next day they quickly planned a rally at the Haymarket Square, at Randolph Street and Des Plaines. Albert Parsons, August Spies, Adolph Fischer and others took turns addressing the crowd of hundreds that evening. The speakers encouraged the workers to remain peaceful, but to hold their position for the eight-hour workday. Nearby a large group of police officers waited for confrontation. Toward the end of the talks a light rain began and most of the crowd dispersed peacefully.

If strikers could be made to look like troublemakers in the eyes of the country, the businesses would appear justified in refusing to meet their demands. Therefore, it suited the interests of businesses to assure the strikers came out looking like the troublemakers. And so far this evening, they were looking completely peaceful. Someone wanted that to change.

Reports said police charged the dwindling crowd and someone threw a pipe bomb, killing Officer Mathias Degan. The identity of the bomb-thrower was never established, but logic pointed to someone with reason to start a riot where none existed.

The police responded by opening fire, mainly at each other. Was it too dark or did they realize the side with the most injuries would be the side with the most sympathy in the eyes of the public? Seven policemen and four workers were killed.

The news media had the fodder it needed to denounce the strikers. Across the country and around the world Chicago became the focus of the workers’ rights movement. The media exaggerated the incident and called for revenge. The bomb-thrower was never identified, and that suited the purpose of the business owners, the police and the media. Blame those who led the movement. Hang them all and hopefully the leaderless workers would humbly go back to work.

The infamous trial was held mainly in the media; the jury was the American public. Eight men were found guilty of Degan’s murder. They appealed to the Supreme Court of Illinois, and then to the United States Supreme Court but the public outcry was for hanging and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case.

One man was sentenced to 15 years in prison; the remaining seven were sentenced to death by hanging Friday, November 11, 1887. The day before the hanging the governor commuted the sentences of two men to life in prison. The night before the hanging another one died in his prison cell of questionable cause.

Black Friday, November 11, 1887, August Spies, Adolph Fisher, Albert Parsons and George Engel were publicly hung.

June 25, 1893 the Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument was dedicated in Waldheim Cemetery outside Chicago to commemorate Spies, Fischer, Parsons, Lingg and Engel. The next day then-Governor John Altgeld granted a full pardon to the three living defendants, Schwab, Fielden and Neebe who had spent nearly six years in prison for a murder they did not commit.

And the American working class earned the eight-hour workday.

***

Today, at the entrance to the cemetery (now called Forest Home Cemetery), a small sign points to the Haymarket Martyr’s Monument, the most famous in the cemetery.

The towering memorial features two bronze figures, a woman representing Justice standing with a determined look on her face, ready to draw her sword to protect the fallen worker behind her.

On the base, engraved in stone, are Spies’ last words as he was led to the gallows, “The day will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you are throttling today.”

May 1, 2011 will be the 125th anniversary of the strike that led to the standard eight-hour workday, now recognized around the world. The Illinois Labor History Society is restoring the Monument in time for the celebration. See their site at www.IllinoisLaborHistory.org.

In connection with May Day 2011, Railroad Man, The Legend of Lil’ Jay will be released at a celebration in Chicago, Illinois. Jay would be happy to know he is remembered, and he would be thrilled to know his life story will forever be connected to the workers who fought and died for their beliefs, beliefs Jay championed.

Bio

Tina Wald is the Project Coordinator for The SansLand Group, (SLG) a collective of writers, editors, web designers, artists and translators. She is also the author of Railroad Man, the Legend of Lil’ Jay, (Pelrin 2011), the biography of Jay Litzner. Wald traveled to ten states and interviewed over seventy people to compile the story of this freight-train hopping musician and his young wife. For photos and more information on the book, check out the site at www.RailroadManBook.com

The article is on World Building in fantasy.  The author goes into research and using the real world in his world building.  The video is fantastic!

From: Worldbuilding Fantasy, Using Reality

I’m a member of a fabulous on-line writing group called Backspace.  Many of our members are published authors, and I made an offer to them.  Write a guest blog, on (almost) any topic you like, and I’ll post a link to their book(s) in the side panel.

How not to write a novel

Read pretty much any creative writing guide and it will tell you that a number of things are essential to the process. Write every day, get the first draft down before editing, start at the beginning and write to the end, and more.

Do I do all of those things? No. Possibly because I have to write to strict deadlines and tight word counts for the day job I’m horribly ill-disciplined when it comes to writing fiction. I don’t write for long periods, I edit as I go and I write scenes out of sequence.

How, you might ask, do I ever get anything done? Well, it’s a slow process, both Fallen Star and the unpublished novel that preceded it took more than two years to write. I do make lots of notes, when an idea for a scene or a line of dialogue pops into my head I write it down along with salient facts that might come in handy. These can be picked up from many sources, TV, newspapers, magazines, all over the place. I also tend to have ideas whilst driving which doesn’t lend itself to making notes – though if an idea can last twenty miles or so it’s usually worth keeping.

I also like to have an outline. I need to know roughly where the story ends, though the journey to get there may not always stick to the original route. When I do write it’s usually in short spurts.

One of the best pieces of writing advice I’ve picked up along the way is to write first and research later. Get the story sorted then you can check the facts. If you do too much research up front you end up with stacks of material you feel you have to include and that works against the story. All of the detailed stuff for Fallen Star – particularly relating to the Northern Ireland conflict – was researched after I’d written the basic story.

If I have a tip for other writers it’s this. If a particular way of working suits you do it. Don’t feel you have to work a certain way because someone else says it’s a good idea. Find your own technique. Just don’t do it my way!

Fallen Star: The book is about the shallowness of celebrity culture, the price of fame and how, almost inevitably, we find ourselves living in the shadow of our parents and often repeating their mistakes.
Karl has been a member of a boy band since leaving school and at 21 knows no other life. When another band member dies of a drug overdose he’s forced to readjust to real life. To further complicate things he falls in love with Lizzie, but she’s the daughter of an IRA terrorist and that makes her someone Karl’s ex-soldier father is bound to hate.
All of that might sound a bit grim but there’s a lot of comedy in the book. Although it’s been described as a modern day morality tale it seeks to shine a light on modern society not hit you over the head with a message.

The book is available in both ebook and tree book forms from Amazon and other bookshops.

Author Bio:

Ian has always dabbled in writing since leaving school. However, he spent almost 20 years working in IT before he discovered that writing about computers was easier than fixing them. He is now editor of PC Utilities magazine and lives and works in Greater Manchester, UK. Fallen Star is his début novel. Ian can be found on the Web at www.iandavidbarker.co.uk

I’m a member of a fabulous on-line writing group called Backspace.  Many of our members are published authors, and I made an offer to them.  Write a guest blog, on (almost) any topic you like, and I’ll post a link to their book(s) in the side panel.

What editors want…

Well, I’ll tell you what I look for from an editorial standpoint.  When I read e-zine submissions, I want the television and my children and my husband to fade into the distance.  I want to be so engrossed in the story that dinner burns and we have to order out.  I want that first line to catch me in the snare and drag me through the story as if you, the writer, have my hand in a death grip and are racing through the streets at mach speed.  In essence, I want to be blown away.

Give me emotion, and action, and a plot that isn’t predictable.  I want the story to unfold before my eyes. I do not want to be told what’s happening at every turn.  I want to know how the characters react to the situation – not just in their heads, but physically – viscerally.  I want the flow to make sense, stimulus then response – in that order, because if not, it dilutes the impact.

I want to laugh, or cry, or shiver with anticipation, and I believe this is what every editor wants regardless of the genre.

So how do you as the writer accomplish this?

In a recent blog on STET (http://backspacewriters.blogspot.com/), I delved into Stimulus and Response.  Let’s take that a step further and expand on what I mean by visceral reactions.

Let me give you an example.  Think about when someone jumps out of a hiding place to scare you.   What happens first?

You jump, your heart skips a beat, stops, or pounds in your chest, your stomach drops like you took a dive off a skyscraper, you might even pee in your pants a little – all visceral reactions – physical reactions to stimulus that can’t be controlled.

Writing visceral reactions in a fresh way and avoiding clichés is a key component in reaching your readers on a subliminal level.

Here’s the stimulus/response example I used in the blog on STET:

1. 1. She opened the door and a man wearing a mask jumped in front of her.  With her heart lurching in her chest, she yelped and took a step back. “What are you doing?”She shrieked.

Let’s take this a step further and get some fresh visceral reactions in here to make the read more compelling:

1. 2. She opened the door and a man wearing a mask jumped in front of her.  Her heart slammed against her ribcage in a staccato beat that would challenge even Jimmy Sullivan’s drumming skills.  She took a step back, distancing herself from the intruder when his laugh cut through the air, sending shivers up her spine to the base of her neck, where they bunched and turned her muscles to liquid.  “What are you doing?” She shrieked, her voice breathy and shaking with fear.

I used three visceral reactions in the passage above.  For me, the second sentence has much more impact than the first.  Now, let’s see what you can do with the same scenario…

Thanks for hanging with me for a bit.

In the meantime, check out my November releases:

VENGEANCE: After an undercover bust goes to hell, Special Agent Steve Williams becomes the target of an assassin and his wife’s visions escalate, forecasting a brutal assault on their family. Escaping from the city and armed with scant details from Jennifer’s dreams, Steve trudges through a litany of past connections, searching for the key to stop the course of fate.  A brother with a grudge, a serial killer and a mafia assassin are all on his trail and the hunt begins . . .

Released November 1, 2010 by FIDO Publishing.  Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Vengeance+by+J.E.+Taylor

MIND GAMES: Chris Ryan doesn’t understand why he’s alive.  If it wasn’t for a miracle, he would have died in the prison his step-brother created and five years of nightmares hasn’t erased his passion for Jessica Connor. Haunted by visions of her daughter’s death, he runs to her doorstep, but all his good intentions fall short when they realize he led the vengeful spirit of his step-brother right to her.

Released November 29, 2010 by eXcessica. Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Mind+Games+by+J.E.+Taylor

Until next time.

Ciao

JET

Author Bio:

J.E. Taylor is a writer, an editor, a manuscript formatter, a mother, a wife and a business analyst, not necessarily in that order.

She first sat down to seriously write in February of 2007 after her daughter asked:

“Mom, if you could do anything, what would you do?”

From that moment on, she hasn’t looked back and now her writing resume includes five novels either published or targeted for release in early 2011 along with several short stories on the virtual shelves including a few within upcoming eXcessica anthologies.

Ms. Taylor also moonlights as an Assistant Editor of Allegory, an online venue for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and as a “slush slasher” for Dark Recesses, an online venue for literary horror. She also lends a hand in formatting manuscripts for eXcessica as well as offering her services judging writing contests for various RWA chapters.

She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children and during the summer months enjoys her weekends on the shore in southern Maine.

www.JETaylor75.com

I’m a member of a fabulous on-line writing group called Backspace.  Many of our members are published authors, and I made an offer to them.  Write a guest blog, on (almost) any topic you like, and I’ll post a link to their book(s) in the side panel.  The side panel links aren’t there yet (I’m looking for a good WordPress plug-in), but my first guest blogger is ready to go.

Daddy Daughter Dates

Before my wife and I had children I was worried about being a good father. What do fathers do? How can I be a good role model and example for my kids? I was not one of those parents who were drawn to parenting books and articles, but I knew that I wanted to be a good dad and I was afraid of being a failure. I suffered from low esteem! However, I wanted to raise girls who had a strong self-esteem and were confident. I wanted them to have a strong father and to learn more about the world around them. When the big day came and my wife gave birth to our first daughter I was scared but I knew deep down that I could handle this. Three years later when my second daughter was born I was on my way to being an expert father!
After the birth of our first daughter I decided that the best thing that I could do is spend a lot of time with my girls. So I decided to have regular “daddy-daughter dates” where I would expose my girls to various social and cultural customs that would show them what life is all about. Below are a few of the different types of “daddy-daughter dates” that we took and why they were important:

1.        Picnic Playground: My girls loved this one. We packed a picnic with all of their favorite foods, usually a PBJ sandwich, cut up apples, chunks of cheddar cheese, chocolate milk, and off we went to the local park. First we run around like crazy, I would be the “ugly monster” and chase my girls who were the “beautiful princesses: and then we would take a break and eat lunch. We talked about school and life and take a rest. Then we played again. Playing builds teamwork, socialization, trust, and helps with the imagination.

2.        Friday Farmers Market: Every Friday my youngest daughter and I would go to the local farmer’s market which is a thirty minute drive away. On the way to the market we talked about what vegetables we planned to purchase. We took our own reusable bags and she and I walked hand in hand looking at the wide variety of colors, sizes, and shapes of all the different vegetables. We looked at our list and we shopped filling up two large bags full of cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, and apples. On the way home we talked about the dinner menu for the coming week. Shopping builds social skills, verbal communication, and learning about healthy eating habits. We also talked about the importance of supporting local farmers and spending money wisely.

3.         Errands, Errands, Errands: My wife is an art teacher at a local school which means that I do most of the errands. Rather than go alone I take my daughters with me. After making my master list we are off on our journey. Our usual run of errands include a stop at the bank, post office, local grocery store, gas station, and library. Along the way we either sing songs or talk about what they are doing in school. Running errands provides interaction with people from different social and cultural backgrounds. They also learn about the different types of jobs in our area. Standing in line, waiting, and shopping provides my girls with basic life-skills such as patience, preparation, and balancing “wants and needs” i.e we may want something but we may not always need it!

4.        Science Center and Local Museums: We are lucky to have many low cost or free educational centers such as several small and large science centers as well as art museums. Once a week I would take my daughters to a local science center and museum. We would pack a lunch and then off we went. The science centers and museums always have a special “hands on” children’s section that allowed them to explore the world in a safe and fun way. On the way home they were so tired they always took a nap. Trips to the science centers and museums provided my girls with wonderful visual and educational experiences so they could learn more about the world around them.

As a husband and daddy I am very lucky to have the flexibility to spend quality time with my girls. Not all dads can spend as much time with their children as I do. However, dads can spend time with their children, they just have to make the time and juggle their busy schedules accordingly. As my girls are now involved in soccer and other school events our “daddy daughter dates” have slowed down a bit, but I still make an effort to spend time with them. My girls, ages 7 and 4 are turning into beautiful, strong, well-adjusted girls. All of my previous fears about being a good daddy are gone. Now I realize that I am the best daddy in the world—-at least in the eyes of my daughters!

Author Bio:
William C. Mills is an ordained priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church and for the past ten years has served a parish in Charlotte, NC. He is also the author of A 30 Day Retreat: A Personal Guide to Spiritual Renewal (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2010). A 30 Day Retreat is a collection of thirty easy to read practical reflections on the gospels, focusing on themes such as love, forgiveness, and charity. The book is a great resource for personal devotion or for small group Bible studies or book clubs. Each chapter includes a “Food For Thought” section for journaling or further discussion. For more information about William visit his website at www.williamcmills.com and his blog Walking With God at www.williamcmills.blogspot.com

Lest We Forget

picture



Carl Sagan was a Professor of Astronomy and Space Science and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University, but most of us know him as a Pulitzer Prize winning author and the creator of COSMOS. That Emmy and Peabody award-winning PBS television series transformed educational television when it first aired in 1980, but now, thirty years later, it’s gone on to affect the hearts and minds of over a billion people in sixty countries.

No other scientist has been able to reach and teach so many nonscientists in such a meaningful way, and that is why we celebrate Dr. Sagan, remember his work, and revel in the cosmos he helped us understand.

http://www.centerforinquiry.net/carlsaganday

It’s an ad for a chain store in Arizona: Bookmans