Monday, January 21, 2008

My last book opened with a triple-barreled epigraph by Carl Jung, Thomas Kuhn and R.E.M., respectively, so it's only fair that Morrissey gets a word in this time around:

"Instead of looking at the screen, what I want to do is to turn around and look the other way. When we look the other way what we see is a little hole at the top of the wall with some light coming out. That's where I want to go. I want to steal the key to the projectionist's booth, and then, when everybody has gone home, I want to break in."

--Jacques Vallee

"We are part of a symbiotic relationship with something which disguises itself as an extra-terrestrial invasion so as not to alarm us."

--Terrence McKenna

"We're on your street, but you don't see us. Or if you do you smile and say hello."

--Morrissey

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, when the link "this time around" was posted, Jan. 8th, you indicated you were planning on taking your paid leave time to write a first draft, in about a week, which I expressed amazement about, since that seemed so quick after all the time spent researching and writing.

Now it's Jan. 22nd--did you take that week yet, and do the first draft? I'm wondering, as my own neo-Valleean take on the "ufo/others" question also encompasses the distinct possibility, for a variety of reasons (see: http://tinyurl.com/2jozaa), that we may not be dealing with ET's or the ETH, but CT's of some kind, and thus the cryptoterrestrial hypothesis has a burgeoning significance and possible validity, and thus must be included in any series of thought experiments or speculation as to the origins and sources of displays or witness reports of what may appear to be forms of, or encounters with, advanced non-human intelligence.

Thus, I too have somewhat of a "vested interest" in when, if you have any kind of estimated timeframe and are able to tell us, your pre-publication manuscript may be in final draft/edited form, as I may be able to provide some input and/or recommendation to someone like Vallee to consider a forward or review of said manuscript for a quote you might want to use on the cover when finally published, if you are still interested.

Mac said...

Actually, this is the week I'm taking off. And once again, I'm not starting from scratch.

Anonymous said...

That McKenna quote is gold!

Anonymous said...

"And once again, I'm not starting from scratch."

Yeah, I got that the first time you mentioned it. That's why I said, "...after all the time spent researching and writing," above.

I was just wondering if you'd done the first draft yet, and you said you were taking this week off to do it, which answers one of my questions and is good news.

I guess you can't tell in advance how long the first draft will actually take to do until it's done, which might actually take more than a week, and even then it still has to go through your publisher's editor and be further refined by you into a final form manuscript.

But I was noting that if you'd like, I would be willing to review the final pre-pub 'script and to provide feedback on the final draft, whenever that's available (and there's absolutely no hurry), and that if you'd like I think I can talk to Vallee to see if you'd like him to do some intro or forward type writeup (although I know Nick R. will be doing the intro), or at least, assuming he's interested in reviewing the final manuscript, provide a review for possible magazine or SSE/JSE journal publication and/or a quote for use on the published book if you would like me to contact him for those purposes. I suspect he'd be most interested.

Perhaps we should discuss this in email instead of here. I'll contact you about my offer if and when you would like me to either email or call you. Let me know what, if anything, you'd like to do about these suggestions by email, if you would.

It might be both amusing and a good marketing idea to have Nick do the intro, maybe Vallee do a prologue, you do the actual forward to the book, and an epilogue, and have Greg or Paul do an epigraph or backword. Sort of like a thorough peer-review and good, multiple endorsement, which I think would enhance the prospects in the market for your book when it finally does come out.

Just some thoughts and ideas "for your consideration," as Rod Serling used to say. 8^}

Mac said...

That McKenna quote is gold!

Isn't it? :-)