A busy week

I got back from Lundy around 10 days ago, and despite the strange weather (I have never seen the island so wet), a wonderful time was had. The paths were littered with puddles everywhere I walked, but my new boots proved to be waterproof despite their non-leather status (a true vegetarian would never wear dead animal skins on their feet). I missed 2 days because of high winds and torrential rain, but also had some lovely warm and sunny days, and came home suitably sun tanned and relaxed.

Since then it has been work, work and more work. I have decided that I can no longer sit around and wait for people to find my book, but have to be more proactive in telling them that it is out there. This week I have emailed every single library authority in the country asking them to order my book, and today I have also contacted each and every branch of Waterstones. At least 2 libraries have replied to say that they ordered copies - Surrey (where I live) and Westminster (in London), and several others are bringing it to their next acquisitions meeting. I also rang some local branches of Borders, and the Wimbledon branch have ordered some copies to be getting on with. Both Staines and Brighton look as if they might also be interested.

So, although this is a short entry and I have been away and not keeping this blog up to date, I have been extremely busy. The reviews have helped somewhat, but it is difficult to gauge the response when you don't know how people heard of you and where the book sales were made, but only get to see how many copies have been sold each month. There has been a definate upturn in visits to my website by Australians and New Zealanders since the Nexus review came out, so one can only hope that the same thing will happen once the North American edition hits the streets later this month. Oh well, back to those mailing lists ...

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!

Life is s***

Okay, this may turn into a bit of a rant, so be prepared. I am not having a good day...

The new book went to print some three weeks ago. Two days later I ordered my own copies. They duly arrived last Tuesday, in double quick time. Coran and I took some photographs of me holding them in our garden, and also at the viewpoint, one of which you can see here. The images were added to my own website, and all seemed to be going swimmingly well. Reviews were due out, I had the invite to go on US radio, and it looked as if a group from Authors OnLine were going to pull together to try and help promote each others books.

The first meeting for this initiative was last Friday, May 25th, in Edenbridge, Kent. On the surface, it went well. Many things were discussed, among them joint book fairs etc, and getting our books into libraries. One of the other things was the possibility of a joint website showcasing ours, and other UK based self published authors works. It sounded to me as if what they had in mind was very similar to the Nothing Binding project that I am already involved in, the difference being that Jerry Simmons who runs this project has years of experience in publishing and we do not. We are amateurs in comparison, and I don't mind admitting that. It is true that six authors working together could and should have some clout, but this is publishing I am talking about, which is a closed shop as far as self publishing is concerned - the phrase vanity press (which is pretty meaningless anyway) springs to mind. This can and does mean anything that you want it to mean, but to those who are anti self publishing, usually means anything that is not published by a large London or New York based publishing house - in other words, 99 percent of books published worldwide!

Many publications, including our largest UK newspapers, such as The Telegraph, refuse to review self published works, stating that they cannot be sure of the quality. Ha, ha, that's a laugh, when I think of some of the rubbish being published - celebrity memoirs supposedly written (ghost written more like) by Big Brother "celebrities", topless models and footballers who cannot string two words together when speaking, never mind write a book. Many of these are also full of proof reading errors.

The reason I am fed up today is because I have tried so damned hard these past almost 12 months to get my book out there - doing talks, book fairs, signings, emailing book stores, sending review copies, etc, and spending pounds and pounds of money that I don't have in the process, and seem to get so little back. I know I am doing better perhaps than most POD authors, but I need to wallow in this self pity for a while, so just bear with me and allow me to indulge.

Today I was booked to do a craft fair at a nearby vineyard. It was the first sunny day we have had all week (and half term), so people should have been out in their droves. The vineyard was busy, and lots of people looked at the book, yet just one person bought one. I sat there from 9am to 3.30pm and sold just one lousy copy. What do I do this for! It is not the first time that this has happened, but is the latest in a long list of similar occurences. The couple of Psychic Fairs that I have done have been the same, as was last years Questing Conference - 500 people were there and all I sold was 5 copies. I just do not understand why.

People say they want good books to read - well I have written one! It is well researched, written and presented, and I have reviews to prove it. It is not unreasonably priced (I don't know many people who would work for £3 a year, taking into account that the cover price is £15 and it took me 5 years to write) - so what is wrong with people - what do I have to do to be taken seriously and to be seen ! ?

On top of this. when I got home, having left early because I was so peeed off, I found a summons from the local magistrates court to say that I am being prosecuted for ignoring traffic signals - back in January! I sent the initial form back as soon as I received it, admitting that I was guilty (I was distracted by a cyclist who was wobbling all over the place, and was too busy looking at him to see the red light - thankfully there was nobody coming the other way), and it is stamped to say received the following day - January 16th, with my new address on (this summons was not re-directed). I had 28 days in which to fill in this initial form pleading guilty or not, so why did they take 4 months to respond ! ? The list of commonly asked questions says that in most cases you will be offered a fixed penalty without the need to go to court, the only exception to this being more serious offences, or when you have proven difficult to trace. Neither of these apply, so why prosecute? It seems pointless.

I rang one of the Police Officers that I met at the recent Neighbourhood Council meeting to ask him what he thought about it, and even he did not understand why they have done this! He advised me to ring Surrey Police first thing tomorrow to find out a) why the hell they are prosecuting and b) it took so long for them to decide. This might be an interesting phone call.

I feel much better now I have got that off my chest! Now where's that rubber baseball bat, so I can go and bash the settee!

In the news

The new and updated edition, I am assured will finally be going to print either today or Monday, more likely Monday in fact, since I am still waiting on the PDF for me to check through. I have to receive that for approval before it can go to print, as I need to check that the page numbering and so on has not got horribly screwed up in the conversion process.

I find that doing the formatting oneself teaches one a lot about Word. My partner, Coran who is a professional website designer (and a very good one at that) says that I have taught even him things about Word that he did not know. In particular how to create an index, which is an essential tool for a book like mine. Also simple little things like the page numbering being different on odd and even pages and how to ensure that the prelims are numbered in Roman numerals and the main text in normal numbers (i.e, 1, 2, 3 etc).

Today I have a double reason to celebrate! I am mentioned on one of the UK's Top 10 writers blog sites (according to The Guardian newspaper anyway, and who am I to question their judgment?). The site is called Grumpy Old Bookman, and is run by one Michael Allen, a 68 year old writer (and reader) from Wiltshire, here in good old England. No offence to my American readers, but it is good to know that there are sites out there aimed at helping to promote those outside the US, and more to the point, who do not automatically assume that you are American. Other British writers (particularly from one site that shall remain namesless), will know what I mean ...

Here then is the link to what Grumpy (sorry, Michael) has written. I think it is rather good, and he has impeccable taste ...

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!

Genesis of Man compared to God Delusion

This at long last is the long awaited image of the brand new and soon to be printed cover in all its glory. I am sure you will agree that this will have quite an impact and help the book to be taken much more seriously, which it most definately needs.

Last night we had a telephone call from the couple who bought our old house to say that they had some post for us. This morning we went over there to collect it, and I was pleased to find that one of these items was notification from a magazine called Self Publishing, together with a complimentary copy, to say that they had printed a review of my book on page 29.

When I read the review I was truly astonished and delighted beyond words, for they have compared me to none other than Richard Dawkins, the best selling author and self proclaimed aetheist, whose book The God Delusion topped the UK and US non-fiction best sellers list for a full 6 months, selling thousands of copies worldwide (200,000 in the UK alone). Even better, they have given me permission to reprint this segment on the back cover of the new edition, which I will hopefully finish proof reading before the week is out ...

The review then reads:

"Genesis of Man covers some highly topical and controversial subjects regarding religion and science. If you have read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, then you will love this book, because it serves the opposite viewpoint.

The book is well researched - it is laden with scientific, Biblical and historical evidence to support its arguments. However, although there is sound understanding of science, the book seems to place more importance on its Biblical and historial evidence. It is also written with a lot of personal input from the narrator, which helps the ease of reading and can 'speak' to the reader. However, the first person narrative approach may appear to some readers as informal, and make the work appear less reliable.

Whilst the book is written as though it is addressing a vast and diverse audience of believers and non-believers, there are some infelicities and bias that suggests thar only certain groups of people are being targeted. The narrative focusses mainly on the Abrahamic religions, with a greater emphasis on Christianity. This may make its arguments appear somewhat incomplete to some readers, because there are six major world religions to be accounted for, rather than three.

This is a very informative and well researched book. It would be ideal as a companion to academic studies in subjects such as theology, philosophy and the social sciences. The book also achieves what it set out to do; answering all and more of the questions in its blurb"

No sooner did I ring Richard, my Editor and give him the good news, than I got an email from the UK office of Nexus magazine to say that they are also printing a review in their June edition. The magazine is based in Australia but has 4 English language editions, (UK and Europe, US and Canada, Australia and New Zealand) plus 10 foreign language editions (Italian, Greek, French, German, Polish, Croatian, Russian, Romanian and Japanese) with a combined print run of 100,000 copies. The circulation will be at least twice this amount! This then is very good news indeed.

They are also sending me a complimentary copy. I will hopefully be able to print their review in the updated edition as well. This could do amazing things for my book, since Nexus is the leading magazine for conspiracy theorists and alternative historians, read by many other authors in this field. If just one percent of readers buy a copy as a result, this will be 6000 copies sold! I am jumping for joy at the prospect.

At long last things really are beginning to happen.