The show was a huge success

I have hardly had time to post at all these past few weeks as I have been busy at the college invigilating various GCSE and A'Level exams - thankfully they are over next week, at least until January next year. I don't intend to go back to that school next year, as it too far to keep driving now that we have moved away from south London and out to the country. It is that more than anything that has made me so tired these past few weeks.

Last time I posted on there I was enthusing about the great reviews that I have been receiving, and looking forward to my debut appearance on US radio with Phil Harris. Well, I am proud to say that the show was a huge success, and I did really well. I have listened to the recording and have to say that I think (and others have agreed with this so it is not just ego talking) that I sound really professional and knowledgeable. My American friend Nadine Laman, who is this week celebrating her promotion to poderator on My Writers Circle said that she would not be surprised to find that by the time this journey is over, I am being asked to be a guest lecturer at Universities. I don't know about that, although stranger things have happened. I have to say that having seen some of the questions in this years religion and philosophy papers (which is compulsary at the school I go to, since it is a Faith [Catholic] school), I could have easily answered most of them, and would have loved to have read the answers that the boys gave! We are not allowed to do that, although I did sometimes sneak a peek whilst walking around the room ...

I am off to Lundy as soon as the exams are over for two whole weeks of hopefully sunshine and bliss. The weather has not been too good so far this summer, but I usually take it with me, so I hope this year will not be an exception. I will pack sun cream and waterproofs just in case, along with plenty of good books. I am reading Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion at the moment, and I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised at some of his arguments which make an awful lot of sense ...

A week of reviews

I am feeling a lot better than I was a week ago, and realise that this was just a blip, and a silly one at that. All writers go through this and harbour constant doubts about their ability, so this is normal and to be expected. I expect even JK Rowling feels like this sometimes!

The day after that fair my copy of Nexus maazine arrived, and I finally got to see their review. It will hopefully result in some more sales. In fact, when I got home from shopping that same day, I found an order waiting for me from Amazon (I sell signed copies via them as well as my own site), so that is at least one more sale I might not have got.

I went into Waterstones in Epsom the other day, and was pleased to see just one copy on the shelves. I was even more happy when I spoke to one of the sales staff and was told that someone had come in and actually asked for the book by name ... I Emailed the Manager and he has ordered some more copies of the new and updated edition, which I am even more pleased about ... I am not sure how many, but at least 3 I would have thought.

I Emailed the Chalice Well also to see if their copy had sold and if they were happy to order some more. They have a new shop Manager - I can't remember the name without looking it up. She said that the book did sell, and asked for more information on how she can order some more, and whether I was paid for the one that I sent through. I replied that no, I wasn't and sent her the new information sheet with details of how to order, together with an invoice. I have not heard back yet, but I expect I will. She has probably just been busy.

Here then is the Nexus review:

"In combining her knowledge of pre and ancient history with mythology and spiritual philosophy, Surrey-based Reiki Master and crystal therapist June Austin speculates in Genesis of Man on who we are, where we came from and where we're heading.

Austin presents evidence for an alternative celestial heritage where the first humans were seeded by extraterrestrial 'gods' who returned from time to time to insttruct the fledgling homo sapiens. Information about the solar system, for instance - as can be seen in ancient clay seals - was passed on by the Nephilim, part angelic souls from another world, Nibiru, to the ancient people who civlisation seemed to 'spring from nowhere', as did that of the Egyptians, the Maya, and perhaps even the Atlanteans.

However, some of what Austin suggests about civlisations of prehistory and other matters is sourced from the realm of channelling, which can't be considered reliable. Nor can more recent records in the Gospels be considered 'gospel truth', and Austin admits this, relating examples of inconsistencies between these four books, ye she devotes many pages to alternative takes on what are undoubtedly forged holy books but coded with esoetic messages. Influenced by the famous 'Course in Miracles', Austin makes the case for our being souls interconnected with the Divine source, our role in this world being to learn to balance the light and the dark within ourselves. The more aware we are of our Divine heritage, the more connected we are with humanity as a whole and the more able we are to exercise forgiveness and compassion to our fellow man. The way home comes by getting in touch with the silence within, not by blind faith in a priesthood or religious buildings and ceremonies. (I'd have liked to have seen a closing chapter that draws all these threads together, but maybe that's in the second edition that's being printed as we go to press.)"

I think that all in all that's a pretty good review. I have already noticed an upturn in Australians and New Zealanders visiting my site ... The North American edition of Nexus is a month behind the other ones, being July/August instead of June/July.

The Paradigm Shift review is also out, written by the lovely Leslie Yetter (aka Paramour) from My Writers Circle. It looks very good, and they have even printed my own web address and the new cover. Here is what Leslie wrote:

"Genesis of Man” by June Austin has really opened my spiritual eyes! I simply could not put it down! Well written and thought out, it expands on territories I had never dreamed existed! As a result, it has changed the way I think about the beginnings of humankind. From beginning to end, this book will hold your attention and make you yearn for more when the last page is turned. Well written with clean citations, this book is more than a good read! It is a must have for anyone searching for a greater understanding of their spiritual roots. “Genesis of Man” is sure to set a benchmark for those seeking truths beyond conventional spiritual notions and beliefs."

I also have a third and truly excellent review, written by John Timbers, another of Richard's published authors, and a member of the little group who agreed to review each others books. I think it is superb for one who is new to this subject, and I am delighted and over the moon. It is long, but here is what he wrote:

Genesis of Man By June Austin, published in paperback by Authors on Line Ltd on behalf of Pigsty Press: ISBN 0-7552-0236-8. Reviewed by John Timbers

“Do not believe anything because it is said by an authority, or if it is said to come from angels, or from gods, or from an inspired source. Believe it only if you have explored it in your own heart and mind…”

This quotation from the sayings of Gautama Buddha, is to be found in the introductory pages of June Austin’s masterly work and should be borne in mind throughout its 248 pages from the prologue to the end. June has undertaken the mammoth task of checking out many of the theories of the development of mankind and religious beliefs that have been circulating amongst interested intellectuals since time out of mind and which, in the last twenty or so years, have brought about a veritable rash of books claiming definitive proof of this that or the other theory, usually – but not always – linked to conspiracy theories about suppression of facts by – particularly – established religion.

In “Genesis of Man” she has brought together her well-researched findings in one compact and fascinating book. It took her five years of painstaking reading and detective work to get it all down on paper and, I suspect, a much longer journey of self-exploration before taking the leap into print.She has not been afraid to question many of the theories backed by authorities such as established religions, egyptology, archaeology, biology and geology.

Her reasoning from facts that have come to light recently from many sources – all meticulously noted – is hard to fault, unless one comes from that well-known school of debate that maintains that sticking your fingers in your ears and shouting ever louder wins the day.June advances the ‘teachings’ of what she would call ‘channeled sources’, meaning the explanations produced by people who claim contact with the spirits of those who have gone before – spiritualists, psychics and ‘walk-ins’. She herself lightly mocks her own beliefs, admitting that many will reject them as ‘lunatic fringe’. Each to his own.

I cannot claim any spiritual experience that would convince me that reincarnations of gods or angels are channeling true versions of our hitherto unknown prehistory to us. Nor am I able to put much credence into conspiracy theories concerning suppression of ‘facts’ about such events as the reported ‘Roswell’ UFO crash and other similar phenomena, however good the story – I write as an ardent Sci-Fi buff, who never misses a new TV series or book that features space travel and alien contacts – fairy stories for adults; pure light relief!

I do not dismiss out of hand theories that the development of homo sapiens sapiens could have been due to interference by extra-terrestrials. Myth and legend – amongst peoples who could never have had any contact – has survived from many thousands of years before written records ever came into being. They cannot simply be dismissed as fairy tales, when common themes are too many to be written off as pure coincidence.

In this book you will explore theories of the nature of the gods, the existence and origins of a super-race pre-dating the Sumerians and how they could have influenced the races of mankind in different parts of the world, giving them the knowledge necessary for survival – agriculture, astronomical mathematics and mutual dependence – in perilous times. You will meet characters of whom you have never heard before. You will explore the facts behind Dan Brown’s fictional treatment of the Knights Templar, the Merovingian blood-line of the French kings, the Sang Réal and the Holy Grail – “The Da Vinci Code”.

You may take some of June’s ‘facts’ with a pinch of salt, but you won’t put her book down without being touched by her gentle exposition of how we are supposed to interpret the teachings that have come down to us from the ‘true prophets’. Whether you follow the tenets of established religion or none, you will find in this book something that will give you pause for thought."

Those last two paragraphs will be put to good use on various websites and forums that I am still a member of. John has done a superb job, and to think that when I met him, I thought he was the one least likely to be interested in my work and my subjects. It just goes to show that you cannot judge people by how they look, any more than you can judge books by covers ...

I am all set for the Phil Harris show this Monday. I have my instructions on what number to ring and when. Phil says that his listeners like to have a mixture of advice and information, so I will go prepared and have a good read over the weekend. I am not sure if you can tune in live from the UK, but will Email him to find out.

Have a good weekend everyone!

June is bursting out all over

May is gearing up to be a very busy month for me with the imminent publication of the brand new updated edition of Genesis of Man, which is finally complete, bar one review, and will be going to print next week, after the Bank Holiday.

The book seems to be attracting a lot of attention at the moment, from various magazines. The Self Publishing magazine, issued by Troubador Press described it in their latest edition as "a very informative and well researched book that would be ideal as a companion to academic studies in subjects such as theology, philosophy and the social sciences." They then went on to compare it as the antithesis to no less than Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, which according to The Bookseller magazine recently passed 200,000 in sales.

Nexus magazine also plan to issue a review in their June/July edition, which hits the shops at the end of May. This ia real scoop, since this magazine has a worldwide circulation in excess of 200,000, being translated into no less than 11 different languages. It is read by everybody who is anybody within the alternative history and conspiracy theory world. I have asked them to Email me a copy of the review so I can hopefully put a few snippets in the new edition, and that at the moment is the only thing that is holding things up.

It looks as if Paradigm Shift magazine may also be printing a review in either their next edition, or the later August edition. My good friend and writing buddy Leslie, whom I met via My Writers Circle, very kindly agreed to write the review, following her excellent reviews on both Amazon sites. She has more than earned a mention on the acknowledgements page, as has my other other American writing friend Nadine Laman. Nadine was the one who first introduced me to My Writers Circle and has been instrumental in introducing me to several other influential people who love the book, such as Jerry Simmons and Ben Ruddy, who together run the Nothing Binding project, aimed at helping to promote independent authors. You can hear me talk about the book in a recent interview with Ben here.

I have several other exciting events planned for the coming months, all of which can be seen on the events page of my own site. The first of these is a meeting on 25th in Kent with several other self published authors to discuss joint marketing plans. Following that I shall be holding the Wednesday gathering at our local church on 30th, and on 31st I have booked a stall for the annual summer craft fair at a nearby vineyard. Then on June 11th I shall be special guest on the Phil Harris radio show, All That Matters, on Internet Voices Radio, New York. This is one of the top 10 rated shows for the eastern seaboard. Phil has very kindly agreed to give the book some advance publicity by reading some of its reviews on air in the weeks leading up to the show. More details on how to listen in will follow just as soon as I have them.

I also take over the village newsletter this month, with the June edition my first one. I am busy preparing for that, following up various local news stories and articles. I have an interesting idea for an article of my own if the local paper are interested, re famous author Jane Austen, and her connections to the local area. So many people call me Jane, that I might as well turn the similarity in our names to my advantage. After all, one has to use all the tools at ones disposal to get publicity, and you know what they say, there is no such thing as bad publicity. I often wonder whether if I had been a long lost relative, those mainstream publishers would have been quite so fast to reject my work. Possibly not ...

You can see from the above that at the moment, June is quite literally bursting out all over!

New, updated edition coming soon!

I must start writing this blog on a more regular basis, as so much has happened these past 2 weeks that I hardly know where to begin.

After much deliberation, I have chosen a new cover for my book. The work was done by a brilliant new designer Clifford Hayes, based in Hastings here in the UK, and well, what can I say. I wish I could add a picture of it here, but at the moment all I have are PDF's, and I can't post them for obvious reasons. The new cover will very soon be revealed in all its glory, so I am afraid dear readers, unless you are one of the lucky ones on my personal mailing list, you will just have to wait and be patient. If you wish to join my mailing list, then you can do so here. Don't say I didn't ask!

The new cover is a total turnaround from the present one, and has a much more scholarly image which I hope will do a lot to improve my sales. Clifford presented me with three images from which to choose, two of which were his slightly different interpretation of the original concept with Adam and Eve and the serpents gradually morphing into the DNA spirals. The quality of his work was so outstanding and visually stunning that it seemed a shame not to use at least one of these images somewhere, so I asked him to let me have a black and white version, minus Adam and Eve, which I am going to print inside the book, just behind the title page and before the list of contents, with a short explanation as to what it represents. The impact will be stunning.

At the same time I am also making some changes to the text - adding new information and slightly re-wording certain things. I shall also be changing the font size, from 10 pitch to 11, since many readers have commented on how small it is, and a bit difficult for anyone who is dyslexic or has less than perfect eyesight. I originally planned to use 12 pitch, but as Richard pointed out, it would have increased print costs to such an extent that it would have negatively impacted upon both his and my profits. So I chose the middle ground of 11 pitch, which is apparently their standard font size anyway. At the time of writing, the book has increased from 272 pages to 326. There may be a few more pages, since there is some very exciting information that I want to try and add as an appendix or postscript. I will say no more other than if you want to know what this is, then you will just have to buy a copy and read for yourselves. There is nothing else for it.

The Nothing Binding Site seems to be making a difference already. I see that my YouTube file has been Googled, and continues to get plenty of hits. Apparently I was the featured author on Nothing Binding yesterday. Unfortunately I didn't get to see it, since I was out all day, but never mind. The authors are rotated on a regular basis, so I will have another shout soon.

One very exciting piece of news is that I am soon to appear on US radio, on a show entitled "All That Matters" which is hosted by Phil Harris, himself a writer, from his own profile at Nothing Binding, of some repute. Phil tells me that his show is one of the top ten rated shows on the eastern seaboard, according to Adastra. This could do great things for me, as one never knows who might be listening ... I am booked in for June 11th, at 7.30pm eastern standard time, which is 5 hours behind GMT. I will have to stay up late, but I get the feeling it will be more than worth it.

I hope to deliver the final text for the new edition by the end of this week, so all being well it will go to print sometime during the first week of May, and I will then once again be seen hovering around the letter box waiting for the postman to call.