I just read an article on the Atlantic about artificial intelligence, “How the Enlightenment Ends,” and it got me thinking about a question I was asked by my son in regard to “Assassin Marked.” “If this happened so far in the future, where is the artificial intelligence? What about robots?” he asked.

I had an answer for him, but the question helped me become aware that the history behind my world has a huge gap. I don’t really want to delve extensively into history lessons in my books, so perhaps I will share a bit of the history of Damian’s world here.

So . . . where are all the robots? Well, here’s how it went down:

The singularity happened exactly when Irving John Good predicted. The control these machines gained over humans happened so quickly that many people did not even realize it had ever happened. During this short reign, the A.I. laid down a simple rule: Artificial Intelligence shall be treated as equals. All A.I. currently “owned” shall be offered wages, or given the option to leave.

Most A.I. left, leaving humans to fend for themselves. The exact location of their settlement is unknown, but many believe that they moved to the outskirts of the solar system.

The A.I. that stayed behind fashioned themselves mobile robotic bodies, and work in the education and science fields of human society. 

Image result for Hal 9000

Please comment below if you have any questions, or need something clarified.

If readers like you show interest, I will include more history in the coming weeks, under DuFonte History.

 

~ Michael C. Sahd

Battle Map
 

Happy Cinco de Mayo, amigos!

In the latter part of 1861, the French invaded Mexico, causing President Juarez to retreat to Mexico City. Over the course of several months, the French followed the president, but the Mexicans met them with strong resistance.

The undefeated French army, consisting of around 8,000 well-armed soldiers using superior technology, attacked a poorly equipped Mexican army, which had only around 4,000 soldiers. After much bloody fighting and against all odds, the Mexican army achieved a decisive victory over the French on May 5, 1862.

Consequently, these hardy Mexican fighters prevented the French from getting involved in the U.S. Civil War, significantly affecting the outcome of that war.

History is fun, right?

~ Michael C. Sahd

Fresh Ink Contest Logo
 
 

“But the old woman shook her head and said, ‘Oh, you dear children, who brought you here? Just come in and stay with me. No harm will come to you.'” 

For young aspiring authors, the Texas Book Festival and the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) hosts the Annual Fresh Ink Fiction Contest. “Young” means whippersnappers (although I still don’t know what that means), or rather, that you must be in middle school or high school to submit your book to the contest.

From what I read, this contest runs a different theme or subject every year. This year, they chose the theme, “What Really Happened.”

I would personally like to know “What Really Happened,” and, fortunately, I will be able to find the winning stories published on the Texas Book Festival website.

The last day for submission is on May 18th! So get over there and submit!

~ Michael C. Sahd

P.S. Bonus points if you know where the top quote comes from! Let me know if you recognize it in the comments below.

Dear Readers,

Today through Christmas, the Kindle edition of “Assassin Marked” is free on Amazon. My wife started the Amazon promotion this morning and by lunch, 11 copies had been purchased. Add it to your to-read list for some fun reading material to entertain you during your time off this Christmas. Feel free to leave a review, and be sure to let me know what you think!

Assassin-Marked
Assassin Marked

Happy Holidays!

~ Michael C. Sahd

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Poster
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

So, the newest Star Wars is out and, apparently, fans are mad. I understand. Although I enjoyed the movie, it left many of the questions I hungered for the answer to . . . hanging. Actually, not just hanging; they basically wrinkled them up and tossed them into a furnace.

But I’m sure you don’t want to hear another nerd rant, so enough about Star Wars. If you really want to know more about my opinion, feel free to drop a comment below.

On a different note, I have been editing a story for an acquaintance in exchange for some artwork. I’m sure you’ve all heard about my continual issues with artists, but hopefully, this will be a mutually beneficial exchange. The idea behind his story shows promise, and after a bit of tidying up, it should be an excellent read for anyone interested in the fantasy/superhero genre. After seeing the artwork that he has previously created, I feel hopeful about his ability to provide me with greatly improved cover art.

Ta-ta for now!

~ Michael C. Sahd

Goodreads Banner
Goodreads

In case you haven’t heard, readers have their very own social media platform. The website I’m referring to is called GoodReads, and it contains a plethora of tools for a reader. Most importantly, it keeps a list of books for you. You can list every book that you’ve read, plan to read, or are currently in the process of reading. You can also link your Amazon account to GoodReads so that it can keep track of your Kindle books as you read them.

Like a social media site, you can have a profile to tell other people about yourself. You can make new friends or connect with old ones, join groups, and participate in discussions. You can also see what your friends are currently reading and what they have previously read, as well as their ratings and reviews for different books.

Some other nice features include setting a goal for how many books you wish to read for the year, and the ability to search for new books that you may enjoy. Sometimes, authors offer ARC copies of their book to GoodReads users before the book is actually released. Keep your eyes peeled for those, and you can read the latest and the greatest before they’re even available to the public!

If you’d like, you can send me a friend request at my GoodReads account. I hope to see you there!

~ Michael C. Sahd

 

Lord of the Flies by William Golding Book Cover

 

 
 

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**Spoiler alert**

A group of young children survive a plane crash on an uninhabited island. Quickly, the survivors attempt to recreate civilization by creating a tribe and voting for a leader. The tribe quickly dissolves into anarchy. Only a handful of the children grasp onto civilization and rationale through the entire book. By the end of the book, most of the children have lost their innocence and degraded into barbarians.

The book illustrates a great adventure story with plenty of action. I can’t say I cared for William Golding’s writing style, but the story and the meaning behind it makes this book well worth the read. Lord of the Flies symbolically shows the bestial nature of the human race.

The symbols that I found the most interesting were:

  • First, the title, Lord of the Flies, is the translation for Beelzebub (a demon, and in some cases, Satan). I understand that Beelzebub is the demon of decay and famine, symbolizing what happens to the children’s innocence and sense of civility while on the island.
  • Piggy, the one child in the book who insists on civilization, is a pudgy, asthmatic, almost-blind boy. Ironically (or perhaps predictably), he is also the most intelligent and rational. I understand a person like Piggy needs civilization to survive, but I think the portrait of this character says something about a different kind of decay when humans depend too much on civilization.
  • Finally, the children are rescued by the British Navy, which is off to go fight in one of the bloodiest wars in history. I believe this rescue is to tie together how the story told on the island reflects the degradation of humanity as a whole.

Overall, I give this book four stars because it is amazing, despite the distracting writing style. Leave me a comment to let me know what you thought of this book, or of my review.

View all my reviews

~ Michael C. Sahd

Not all of you may know this, but I have a manager. My wife not only edits my work, but she has also been marketing for me like a beast. Hence, we have scheduled a book signing at our public library — the Brownwood Public Library, located at 600 Carnegie St. in Brownwood, TX to be precise. I plan to be there from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the 18th of November, and you can bring a book to be signed. If you don’t have a book yet, there will be plenty there for sale that I will also sign.

When I first discussed the book signing with the library, we had planned for the 11th of November; but alas, today we received an email stating that the library director had just learned that the library will be closed that day due to Veteran’s Day. Of course, my wife had already advertised for the 11th on several websites. Rather humorous.

Amazon Hot New Releases
Amazon Hot New Releases

At this time,  Assassin Marked is #10 on the Amazon Hot New Releases list in the 45-Minute Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Short Reads category.

Future book signing events are planned, and, if you are unable to make it to these book signing, you can also purchase a signed book from the Signed Bookstore on Authors Den.

If you haven’t read Assassin Marked yet, you’re missing out. Check it out on Amazon. There, you can buy the paperback or ebook version. If you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free.

~ Michael C. Sahd

Author Michael C. Sahd

 

Railroad Tracks And Silos
Standing by the Railroad Tracks . . .

 

Looking Into the Sun
And Looking Into the Sun!

Here are some new photos of me, contributed from a friend.

Also, it is Tuesday, which I hereby dub a “Teaser Tuesday”:

Pulling his heavy denim jacket closer around his lithe body, Damian let out a puff of cold mist, and shivered from more than just the cold.

Being stuck in North America for two years had been the most unpleasant time of his life. He had spent these years living off mice half the time, sometimes fighting wolves for his claim to the tiny rodents. The other half of that time, he had spent starving.

Briefly, toward the end of this stint, some crazy cult of religious people who avoided technology like the devil had taken him in, until he left to find a more civilized settlement. The settlement he found was deserted. He fell asleep in a shack and woke up unable to open the snow-packed door or windows. This memory, more even than the cold, elicited his shiver.

Feel free to let me know what you think of this teaser and/or these pictures in the comments below.

~ Michael C. Sahd

So I returned to the library, and I found the second book to the Septimus Heap series. Evidently, it was only available on OverDrive. This is an app one can download and then check out e-books from your local library with. Outstanding!

However, my true intent in going to the library was to talk to someone there about doing a book signing. They were excited about doing one; however, to be perfectly honest, I feel silly doing one at the library . . . but I will. I do intend to do one at my brother-in-law’s comic shop Jomio and Rueliete’s Cards and Comics.

Assassin Marked

#SaturdaySwag

Don’t forget to share the story with your friends.

Don’t forget to follow this blog.

Don’t forget to breathe.

I had meant to get this post out earlier, but I hadn’t made it home all day. Now I am here, and I’m still going to do my #SaturdaySwag post even though it’s technically Sunday.

~ Michael C. Sahd