What I Like Read...

A lot of fans like to know what their favorite authors read.  I thought I’d take a few moments to explain myself for anyone out there who is a “Guardian of the Seventh Realm” fan.

"What do you read, J.W.Baccaro, tell us what you read...?"

All right...

I write fantasy, but personally, I don’t read a whole lot of fantasy. Of course one of the King’s of fantasy for me is the famous J.R.R. Tolkien.  His “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” just touched something inside of me and also inspired me to create my own written adventure.  Then there is C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia,” which was a much faster pace (and sometimes more exciting) kind of story than Tolkien’s Middle Earth.  But I love both worlds.  And to be completely honest, probably the only other medieval-like fantasy adventure that I have read and loved is Madeline Howard’s “Rune Of Unmaking” saga.  I'm still waiting on the third book, Mrs. Howard.  :)

After those three worlds, my attention has only been drawn to Urban Fantasy stories like Susan Cooper’s “The Dark Is Rising,” or Dark Erotica like Joey W Hill’s “Vampire Queen" novels.  And of course, there are a few kick-arse science fiction stories that I love—my favorite being Octavia E Butler’s “Wild Seed.”  Occasionally I’ll try out a new fantasy (urban or medieval), sci-fi or dark erotica book, but many times I find myself growing bored with them. Perhaps I’m just not a fanatical reader.  But in regards to the books I have read and enjoyed, I, in every way, have loved them!

Any other authors out there who are like-minded?

Writing for me is also like therapy.  I’m a deep thinker, and to some extent, a philosopher.  When I’m not reading fiction, I’m reading non-fiction books about spiritualism, the universe, and/or the beliefs of many religions such as Christianity.  Lately I have been finding myself heavily interested in Near Death Experiences, and I have so many questions I would one day like answered.

In my books I try and filter out my beliefs, reasons for evil, and some of the “whys” we all ask in life.  But I also focus on morality, and doing the right thing—especially when it is projected from one’s heart, instead of vanity.

Just my thoughts for the day.

Awakening After Death?

Lately I have been heavily into NDEs and the Truth behind them.  I have never had one, but I must say, those who do always sound sincere when talking about the experience, and in almost all cases, they become “better” people in the fact that they live for morality and love.

I’m going to share something by an amazing author and also one who has had a NDE. His name is Rene Jorgensen.

“Is the Near Death Experience evidence of life after death? Well, just the fact that people with no breathing, no heartbeat an no pulse come back from death and tell the same story is pretty extraordinary. But also the scientific evidence in support of near death experiences is in fact pretty strong.

We can predict scientifically that about 20 percent of people with cardiac arrest who are successfully resuscitated will have a near death experience. And the hardest piece of evidence is that near death experiences have been reported in clinically dead patients who had no brain activity whatsoever.

That near death experiences are reported during a state where the brain is completely inactive strongly suggests that these experiences are neither hallucinations nor any other kind of explanation that involves brain activity, because during flat EEG (no brain activity) clear conscious experience should not be possible.
Thereby no skeptical theory can explain away the near death experience and this scientific evidence from these experiences beyond death is not only evidence of life after death but also of the realm of God. 

Between 80 - 90 percent of people who have a near death experience are convinced there is life after death and the most compelling evidence is the depth and sincerity of their testimonies. Most people who have NDErs do not see themselves as being near to death but actually in death, and because of the power of the experience, there is seldom any doubt of its reality.

The other side or realm is convincing beyond any doubt due to the sheer power of experiencing it and most NDErs call the experience ‘hyper-real;’ more real than anything in this dimension. One study found that 96 percent of NDErs said that the experience was not a dream but real unlike anything they had ever experienced in this world.

Another fact that strongly suggests that the NDE is not a dream or illusion is that the experience has a very powerful positive life changing effect. Studies continuously find that most people who have NDEs report that their life has been affected in a profound way. Since both dreams and hallucinations do not have this same effect on people, the life-changing effect of the NDE is strong evidence that the NDE is very real to the experiencer and not something that we can simply disregard.”

Quite interesting in my opinion, and I am looking forward to learning a lot more about these experiences.

The "King" of all Pumpkin Beers

"All Hallows Eve is a time of the year when spirits can make contact with the physical world, and when magic is most potent. It is thought that we can harness this magic to brew our powerful pumpkin ale. Not so, but it is with great respect to the magic of their trade that our brewers produce this fine beer. Take a whiff of this complex ale and your journey has begun. At first sip, a magical spell will bewitch your taste buds, yet another victim enraptured by the Pumking."

This is my absolute favorite beer to drink and enjoy for the season of Autumn.  There are many types of pumpkin ales out there, but notice this brew is called “Pumking,” meaning, it is the King of all Pumpkin beers—and I totally agree! The taste of vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, accompanied by sweet pumpkins makes this brew taste like a liquefied, fermented pumpkin pie! Oh yeah, baby!

I love sitting by a bonfire this time of the year with a pumking in my right hand, my electronic cigarette in my left (chocolate flavored), and relaxing to the warmth of the dancing fire.  I also have this style of beer featured in my fifth book, “Rise of the Guardian,” during an autumn festival. Good ole Mythaen sure knows his brew, thanks to his Uncle Alaric.

Cheers!