Stories
Ivan shares references and inspiration from the world of the Eye of the Moon series.
Stories
The Changing Face of Trust
Trust today means having a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. The word derives from 13th century Old Norse, traust, “to rely on, make strong and safe....
Stories
Fear and Courage
Fear and courage are emotions that have shaped my life in many ways. I am less fearful now, and that is a blessing. Whether that shift is the result of living more securely or being better able to han...
Stories
Halloween Revisited
Behind seemingly innocuous celebrations are profound concepts, peculiar histories, and perhaps disturbing ideas that seem to have a life of their own. In many cases, they are only vaguely understood b...
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The Origin of Halloween
There are several explanations as to where the celebration known as Halloween came from, such as the Celtic festival, Samhain, that marked the beginning of the darker part of the year. Samhain (Gaelic...
Stories
Complexity into Simplicity
When I was in High School, I was often given writing assignments to analyze poems and novels to find the author’s hidden meanings. I thought this a rather suspect activity, simply because I doubted au...
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Duality
In Eye of the Moon, Alice wrote in her diary:
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The Interval Between Two Worlds
The Bardo Thodol is part of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Nyingma means “ancient” in Tibetan. Bardo Thodol translated into English is “Liberation through hearing during the Intermediate Stat...
Stories
Xenia
I am writing the sequel to Eye of the Moon and am a tenth of the way through, or maybe not. That milestone is subject to change. Writing a novel is different from any other piece of writing because a ...
Stories
Gratitude
Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful; or the readiness to show appreciation for, and to return kindness.
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The Gift of Transcendence
One of the themes that weaves its way through Dark of the Earth, my third novel of the Rhinebeck Quartet, is transcendence. Transcendence is “existence or experience beyond the physical or normal”. Tr...
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Ghosts
Ghosts have been part of the human experience for as long as stories have been recounted. They have been recorded in one form or another by almost every culture, from Europe to the Far East, particula...
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Crows and Us
rows are a part of Eye of the Moon and have a role in the later novels, Shadow of the Son, and Dark of the Earth. All birds are interesting but to me, crows are the most interesting of all.
Stories
The Eyes of Ra
When reviewing ancient Egyptian mythology, it is important to realize that ancient Egypt is over six thousand years old. If you consider how Christianity, its beliefs, and practices have changed in a ...
Stories
Key Concepts of Ancient Egypt
I mentioned in an earlier blog that I would be writing more about ancient Egypt. Many have done so, but I would like to address it in a different way. To begin, three of the most difficult concepts fo...
Stories
Isis
Ancient Egypt produced many gods and goddesses, but Isis was the most respected. Her influence began some 6,000 years ago before it spread beyond the Nile and then throughout the Mediterranean world. ...
