20230630 HaikuPrajna - The Elephant in the Room [Project Roadmap Update 2023 06]

...

The world is empty, // almost, and all that is, is // all that ever was.

#HaikuPrajna - The Elephant in the Room [Project Roadmap Update 2023 06]

Read online [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2023/06/20230630-haikuprajna-elephant-in-room.html ]

...

Hello reader,

It's April's birthday! We have been very busy this month and are out for birthday celebrations [as of finishing writing this, April and I had a fantastic time wandering around the beaches and ridges of Lake Ontario! Pictures soon to come, if not already on April's socials]; thank you for finding the time to join me in this summer’s HaikuPrajna Project Roadmap update.

Upcoming Releases

 [The HaikuPrajna Collection Book I: Elephant in the Room - Second Edition]

... The Second Edition of my first poetry collection is finished! The final step left is for April to finish the new cover image, so expect Elephant in the Room to stomp onto your reading list before the end of the month, July 2023. Other updates include less wasted page space, a new introduction with a retrospective reflection on some of my earliest work, and a complete re-editing of the flash fiction at the end of the book. 

The flash fiction stories featured in Book I are now considered part of Project Trinity along with Books II and III and the rest of my story catalog.

I know a lot of readers who enjoyed Elephant in the Room when it first released--I am very excited to reintroduce this book!

[The Wisps Book: Sol the Last Wisp]

... This story introduces Team Seer, the Overseer's group of heroes during the era of the Zeus System. While traversing Zeus's warped timespace, the Overseer fazes in and out of memories their Team shared with the Sol the Last Wisp, the System's former Sun. During this metaphysical sci-fi fantasy, the Seer must navigate through the literal cloud network of Sol's thoughts in order to reach his core at the centre of the Sun. But the Seer finds themselves drifting off course, becoming lost in these guilt-ridden moments in time. 

The Wisps Book's Sol the Last Wisp is in active production, stay tuned for future updates. 

[The HaikuPrajna Collection Book IV: Two Elephants in the Room]

… Before autumn 2023, Two Elephants in the Room will feature all of the book reviews and new poetry featured on HaikuPrajna up to the end of 2022, including the to-be-reviewed books that I had read in the year.

[Escape Perennial City - SM-SARA//KID:A Edition]

... The next Second Edition after Elephant in the Room will collect the three stories that feature Maverick Hunter Richard Abendsen. Starting with this book, the short stories featured in the second HaikuPrajna Collection, “SM-SARA, Poetry and Other Stories,” will each get physical editions or will be released within books like these Second Editions.

[ULTRAVIOLET - Paperback Edition]

... This edition will be identical to the Kindle Edition, but with updated Front and Back Matter, and the Paperback Edition will also serve as the physical release of one of The Wisps Book's short stories. 

Recent Releases

[BATTLE Colosseum]

The second part of BATTLE Colosseum, and a collected Physical Paperback are available online! Read more 

https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/batt-le-colosseum.html

Get your copy https://www.amazon.com/BATTLE-Colosseum-Allen-W-McLean-ebook/dp/B0C67X4TMT

In addition, we started the HaikuPrajna Challenge; check it out here

https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20HaikuPrajna%20Challenge 

Also, April designed a new HaikuPrajna logo! The original ‘W’ elephant is also preserved! 

[APRILandALLEN]

https://aprilandallen.square.site/ 

April and I have a new shop! Our first two Etsy series are a hand sculpted polymer clay line of figurines called “Deforms”, and our official homemade stickers, “Sticker fix”!

We have already displayed our products in person at local events, which will soon be listed on the APRILandALLEN site.

Future

Upcoming HaikuPrajna music reviews will be collected under a series titled “The Playlist”; you can preview and listen to the list of music on Spotify, here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2P1i2og7gMAoo7VsE8Espf

In addition to this list, our idea for a video game review series has evolved into a podcast that we are structuring. These ideas will also, soon, be applied to a daily movie watchlist. 

The Project Roadmap 

Anniversaries: Escape Perennial City, SM-SARA, Together in Forever 

Released Projects

.2019.

[2019 04 23 HaikuPrajna Day, first IG post] 

[2019 06 16 SM-SARA Kindle Edition] 

[2019 11 10 Patreon]

.2020.

[2020 04 04 The HaikuPrajna Collection: Elephant in the Room First Edition] 

[2020 12 02 Blogspot]

.2021.

[2021 03 03 The HaikuPrajna Collection Book II: SM-SARA, Poems and Other Stories First Edition] 

[2021 06 13 Escape Perennial City] 

[2021 11 28 The HaikuPrajna Collection Book III: Fishing for Caribou]

.2022.

[2022 03 03 The Artifact 

. 2022 03 10 SM-SARA - KID:A Edition 

. 2022 03 13 The Cannon 

. 2022 03 22 Hector Blake 

. 2022 04 01 The HaikuPrajna Collection Book II SM-SARA, Poetry and Other Stories, Second Edition] 

[2022 06 16 Together in Forever Pt. I 

. 2022 06 28 Together in Forever Pt II 

. 2022 07 25 Together in Forever Pt III 

. 2022 08 01 Together in Forever: A Short Story - Collected Paperback Pt. I-III]

[2022 09 30 The Wisps Book I: Tomothy and the Overseer of the Forest] 

[2022 10 29 FLUKE! Ch I: ULTRAVIOLET] 

[2022 12 03 The Wisps Book: Ado the Owl]

.2023.(so far)

[2023 01 30 The Wisps Book II: Falgara the Giant ]  

[2023 02 25 The Wisps Book III: Summond the Scarecrow ]

[2023 03 25 FLUKE! Ch II: BATTLE Colosseum Pt. I Hiding One’s Tracks

. 2023 04 28 FLUKE! Ch II: BATTLE Colosseum Pt. II Unified Field Theory

. 2023 05 24 FLUKE! Ch II: BATTLE Colosseum - Collected Paperback]

Upcoming Releases 

[The Wisps Book IV: Sol the Last Wisp]

[Escape Perennial City - SM-SARA/KID:A Edition]

[ULTRAVIOLET - Paperback Edition]

[FLUKE!: Planet Fred]

[The Wisps Book: Christmas]

[The HaikuPrajna Collection Book IV: Two Elephants in the Room 

...

Thank you for reading the Summer 2023 HaikuPrajna Project Roadmap! These plans help me continue to refocus my tendencies and habits toward the One goal; writing and sharing what I write.

Again, thank you for reading,

Until next time!

Allen W. McLean 

...

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering? 

All readers get an eBook each week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays--short stories rotate every month, follow via email to collect them all! [ https://aprilandallen.square.site/ ]

Trailer [ https://youtu.be/AeXOtGrVa0Y ]

BATTLE Colosseum, the latest chapter in the "FLUKE!" series, has been released as a paperback novella and as an ebook on Amazon Kindle Unlimited! Add to Goodreads and learn more [ https://aprilandallen.square.site/product/book-BATTLE_Colosseum/4 ] 

Read Kindle ebooks on any device at www.read.amazon.com

[NEW] Show support with Handmade Merch - Art Works, Book Merch, and Clay Quirks [ https://aprilandallen.square.site/ ]

Electric Armchair - After Party (Full Album) [ https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/electricarmchair/after-party ]

April's psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms; Electric Armchair - The Forest Machine (Official Music Video) [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBv1egGSrJk ]

I write mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry on my book reviews and on previews of my metaphysical stories, such as "Escape Perennial City". Read more here [ https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/83965332-allen-mclean?shelf=haikuprajna ]

Thanks to you, I am now a VERIFIED BOOK AUTHOR with over TWO-THOUSAND (2000!) readers who have joined us on Medium! "Ado the Owl" and "Hector Blake" are available to read, right now, on Medium. [ https://haikuprajna.medium.com/subscribe ] 

230630 Project Roadmap [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2023/06/20230630-haikuprajna-elephant-in-room.html ]

Submit to (the #HaikuPrajnaChallenge) [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20HaikuPrajna%20Challenge ]

Support by connecting online [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html ]

Email

Medium https://haikuprajna.medium.com/subscribe

Goodreads (Author Profile) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

LinkedIn (email) https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/haikuprajna-6917324809479610368/

Patreon https://www.patreon.com/asquaredproductions

Follow.it https://follow.it/haikuprajna?action=followPub

Social media 

Electric Armchair https://linktr.ee/electricarmchair

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@haikuprajna

Facebook https://facebook.com/HaikuPrajna

Twitter https://twitter.com/HaikuPrajna

Instagram & Threads https://www.instagram.com/haikuprajna

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection.

20230622 HaikuPrajna - Deforms - ZOO WHO Wave 01: The Elephant

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Trusting the order, // Together at a distance // Never far from home

#HaikuPrajna - Deforms - ZOO WHO Wave 01: The Elephant

Read online [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2023/06/230622-haikuprajna-deforms-zoo-who-wave.html ]

...

Hello readers,

We are ecstatic to reveal our first online handmade merchandise on the brand-new APRILandALLEN’s shop; from Deforms, our clay charm figurine line, adopt a member of The Elephant herd, the first wave in ZOO WHO, our animal-based series that uses the rainbow’s seven colours, or take control of your own fate with one of four unique forms of Eye Die, our series of playing dice who keep their eye on low probabilities to even the odds in your favour.

Adopt yours now via Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1493068190/zoo-who-wave-1-the-elephant-deforms 

Our approach and ideas toward sculpting have evolved in a considerable way since we first set out planning our first series of figurines, where ZOO WHO and the Eye Die are just the cream of the crop at the time of writing, so stay tuned to our socials for new waves of figurines and other merch; we are inspired by product lines from Marvel, Hasbro, Sanrio and many more brands from our childhoods while hand-sculpting and hand-painting these clay charms.

ZOO WHO's The Elephant in particular is tied to HaikuPrajna through Elephant in the Room and The Wisps Book's Terraform Tomothy, while Eye Die is an official piece of Electric Armchair merchandise!

Store Description [

*Multi-functional clay figurine charm*

*It can perch from a shelf or desk - or hang from a keychain, bracelet, necklace, phone, bag, etc..*

--

Every elephant is unique in sculpt and colour, part of the herd, even when apart. They can sense each other from a distance. Owners may name their buddy (example: Joe the rose red elephant). 

--

Good luck is an elephant's trunk raised high so owners never feel far from home.

--

Each painted elephant hangs from a string, and comes packaged in a clear plastic sleeve with a haiku on the tag.

Keep in mind that your buddy is a one-of-a-kind handmade charm, and should be handled with care.

--

For any questions, comments, or more details, please reach out to us on Etsy Messages or social media @Electric Armchair and @Haiku Prajna.

--

APRIL and ALLEN's Art Works, Book Merch, and Clay Quirks

We are April and Allen. We have been together for over a decade, creating eclectic projects and bouncing ideas off each other. We create our projects with almost too much care and thought, and the projects just keep getting bigger and better! Be part of our process, and let us be part of yours! ]

... 

We have lots of plans in motion for this, including videos that document our process; thank you for your support and for helping make these dreams a reality! 

Thank you for reading,

Until next time!

Allen W. McLean 

...

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering?

Banner : Tomothy and the Overseer of the Forest

All readers get an eBook each week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays--short stories rotate every month, follow via email to collect them all!

Amazon Author Profile [ https://www.amazon.com/stores/Allen-W.-McLean/author/B0867C5D24 ]

I write mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry on my book reviews and on previews of my metaphysical stories, such as "Escape Perennial City". Learn more about my reviews here [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/book-review-summary-study-notes.html ]

230331 Project Roadmap [ https://haikuprajna.medium.com/20230331-fourlief-the-leprechaun-project-roadmap-update-6daf8dbecdc4 ]

Submit to the HaikuPrajna Challenge! [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20HaikuPrajna%20Challenge ]

[NEW] Show support with Handmade Merch - Art Works, Book Merch, and Clay Quirks [ https://aprilandallen.square.site/ ]

Support by connecting online [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html ]

Email

Medium https://haikuprajna.medium.com/subscribe

Support my writing on Medium https://haikuprajna.medium.com/membership

Thanks to you, I am now a VERIFIED BOOK AUTHOR with over TWO-THOUSAND (2000!) readers who have joined us on Medium! Need to stay in the Medium Partner Program? Please follow and turn on email notifications; I will follow you back! "Ado the Owl" and "Hector Blake" are available to read, right now, on Medium.

Goodreads (Author Profile) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

LinkedIn (email) https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/haikuprajna-6917324809479610368/

Patreon https://www.patreon.com/asquaredproductions

Follow.it https://follow.it/haikuprajna?action=followPub

Social media 

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@haikuprajna

Facebook https://facebook.com/HaikuPrajna

Twitter https://twitter.com/HaikuPrajna

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/haikuprajna

Tumblr https://haikuprajna.tumblr.com

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.ca/haikuprajna

April's psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms; Electric Armchair - Pleasure Pain (Official Music Video) [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWhBGFBqYu0 ]

Electric Armchair - After Party (Full Album) [ https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/electricarmchair/after-party ]

Trailer [ https://youtu.be/AeXOtGrVa0Y ]

BATTLE Colosseum, the latest chapter in the "FLUKE!" series, has been released as a paperback novella and as an ebook on Amazon Kindle Unlimited! Add to Goodreads and learn more [  https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/batt-le-colosseum.html ] 

Support by buying a sticker [ https://haikuprajna.redbubble.com ] 

Kindle ebooks can be read on any device at www.read.amazon.com

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection.

20230609 HaikuPrajna - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Firestorm [Book Review] [UPDATED Pride Month + Local Author's Showcase]

...

Drawn to leadership, \\ Power exists in vacuums \\ Like burning redwoods.

#HaikuPrajna - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Firestorm [Book Review]

Read online [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2023/06/20230609-haikuprajna-dawn-of-planet-of.html ]

...

Hello readers,

Before getting to the review...

Happy Pride Month! April and I have been attending events here in Brampton and the Greater Toronto Area, celebrating the parts of our identities that we love to express through our work. The Overseer, a prominent character in my more recent works, is a non-binary superhero that I am writing about in order to cope with and express this perspective that I and others I know experience.

Also, the Brampton Library’s 2023-2024 Local Authors Showcase is taking place at the Gage Park Farmers Market on Saturday June 17th between 8am and 1pm!!

My story “Together in Forever'' is being added to the Brampton Library catalogue, and readers have the opportunity to connect with authors while browsing the other vendors during one of the weekends of Brampton’s annual Farmers Market. 

Come visit our table to get the paperback books, homemade stickers, self-printed art and polymer clay charms we will be selling--they make great presents for the readers you know and love! [I intend to update this post with our menu before the event]

Huge thank you to Julia and the rest of the Brampton Library faculty for all the assistance and for giving local authors this opportunity to connect with others!

Read more - https://www.bramptonlibrary.ca/index.php/uncategorised/465-local-authors-showcase-2023-24

[UPDATE #2 230618

Here are some images from our Local Author Showcase table! 

Thank you everyone for coming out! We met new friends and saw familiar faces during a warm summer morning and afternoon. Was a real great day, made even better because later that evening we got to spend an early Father's Day watching The Super Mario Bros. Movie with my dad while eating dinner with my side of the family.

I will add these to the upcoming Roadmap update, too.

Thank you for reading and for getting something from the sales after the photos!

]

[ UPDATED 20230616

For those who are unable to join us at the Farmer's Market for the Local Author's Showcase, there is a week-long Kindle eBook sale and promo on some of the stories that can be found at Brampton Library.

BATTLE Colosseum Pt. I: Hiding One's Tracks 

... [FREE until 2023 06 20] https://a.co/d/iRU1o0q

FREE WEDNESDAYS in addition to the usual Mondays and Fridays. Also added "Ado the Owl" and "Hector Blake" to the Mondays and Fridays.

... https://www.amazon.com/stores/Allen-W.-McLean/author/B0867C5D24

... https://books2read.com/u/bP7O6l

... https://books2read.com/u/4jqXzX

The below sales apply to US/UK stores only;

BATTLE Colosseum Pt. II: Unified Field Theory

... [$0.99 until 2023 06 23] https://a.co/d/iBWGlRI

Together in Forever Pt. I-III

... [$0.99 until 2023 06 23] https://a.co/d/b0aK3fD

Fishing for Caribou

... [$1.99 until 2023 06 23] https://a.co/d/9LvqB82

Escape Perennial City

... [$1.99 until 2023 06 23] https://a.co/d/6Dke00c

Thank you again for reading and for visiting our shop!]

Now for the review...

I have always enjoyed reading adaptations from Titan Publishing, and Greg Keyes’ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Firestorm was a great tie-in novel that I am thankful for over how it captures Caesar and this version of the franchise. 

Keyes blended relatable and tragic original characters, such as Malakai, with more recognizable members of the series, including Gary Oldman’s Dreyfus and all the other sasquatch-like evolved apes--like Koba and Maurice--who are more inexperienced and are still learning about their changing world.

Firestorm takes place in the San Francisco Bay redwood forests area from “Rise” before civilization fell by the time period of the sequel movie, “Dawn”. Its story is really carried by its connection to that series; the best parts of the book in itself were its multiple points of view, which seldom converged [in a good way], along with its depiction of Caesar’s colony’s thoughts, memories, motives and inner conflicts.

The rest of the book’s highlights come from the interactions between members of Caesar’s colony. Some favourites include Cornelia and Caesar’s relationship, him recognizing Koba overcoming his vengeance, the government’s coverup of the previous story’s events and insight into what the apes think about the humans and their technology [GPS trackers and TVs].

I had a few minor complaints, though.

The dialogue at times felt “cinematic”, for lack of a better word; there were some instances where I felt characterization was forced or edgy. I even found some spelling and grammar mistakes, which however did nothing to detract from the plot. As I said, the story is carried by its connection to the larger PotA series, and served to bridge the gaps between the movies by exploring aspects like the human Alpha-Omega extremists, and that is where Firestorm really works out. 

Back to the good, there is a little neoplatonic idealism [aka. philosophy] that threads the book together, where characters accept and transcend the negative aspects of their apocalyptic situations. While both human and simian characters were faced with certain death and the fear of each other, the focus is without a doubt on the colony with apes like Caesar and Koba being used to explore topics ranging from Plato’s Cave to more abstract ideas such as the ALZ drug opening a kind of empty space in the minds of the apes, which explained the apparent fatal regression in the human’s. 

Time to read the other novels based on this series.

Thank you for reading,

Until next time!

Allen W. McLean 

...

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering?

Banner : Tomothy and the Overseer of the Forest

All readers get an eBook each week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays--short stories rotate every month, follow via email to collect them all!

Amazon Author Profile [ https://www.amazon.com/stores/Allen-W.-McLean/author/B0867C5D24 ]

I write mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry on my book reviews and on previews of my metaphysical stories, such as "Escape Perennial City". Learn more about my reviews here [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/book-review-summary-study-notes.html ]

230331 Project Roadmap [ https://haikuprajna.medium.com/20230331-fourlief-the-leprechaun-project-roadmap-update-6daf8dbecdc4 ]

Submit to the HaikuPrajna Challenge! [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20HaikuPrajna%20Challenge ]

[NEW] Show support with Handmade Merch - Artworks, Book Merch, and Clay Quirks

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/APRILandALLEN

Support by connecting online [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html ]

Email

Medium https://haikuprajna.medium.com/subscribe

Support my writing on Medium https://haikuprajna.medium.com/membership

Thanks to you, I am now a VERIFIED BOOK AUTHOR with over TWO-THOUSAND (2000!) readers who have joined us on Medium! Need to stay in the Medium Partner Program? Please follow and turn on email notifications; I will follow you back! "Ado the Owl" and "Hector Blake" are available to read, right now, on Medium.

Goodreads (Author Profile) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

LinkedIn (email) https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/haikuprajna-6917324809479610368/

Patreon https://www.patreon.com/asquaredproductions

Follow.it https://follow.it/haikuprajna?action=followPub

Social media 

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@haikuprajna

Facebook https://facebook.com/HaikuPrajna

Twitter https://twitter.com/HaikuPrajna

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/haikuprajna

Tumblr https://haikuprajna.tumblr.com

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.ca/haikuprajna

April's psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms; Electric Armchair - Pleasure Pain (Official Music Video) [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWhBGFBqYu0 ]

Electric Armchair - After Party (Full Album) [ https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/electricarmchair/after-party ]

Trailer [ https://youtu.be/AeXOtGrVa0Y ]

BATTLE Colosseum, the latest chapter in the "FLUKE!" series, has been released as a paperback novella and as an ebook on Amazon Kindle Unlimited! Add to Goodreads and learn more [  https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/batt-le-colosseum.html ] 

Support by buying a sticker [ https://haikuprajna.redbubble.com ] 

Kindle ebooks can be read on any device at www.read.amazon.com

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection.