Author: K.A. (Page 2 of 2)

Using ASMR for pain control

This is a bit off my usual topic, but it’s something I’ve been contemplating recently.

First of all, what is ASMR? It stands for ‘autonomous sensory meridian response’. The best I can describe it is as a meditation or relaxation technique focused on using specific sounds to create a specific, enjoyable state conducive to sleep and stillness. There are a lot of sounds that people use to induce this state, including tapping, whispering, scratching, and crinkling. Some people have ASMR, some people don’t. If you’re interested, there are tons of videos on Youtube and you can check it out to see if you do.

I first became aware of ASMR videos about a year ago after seeing it mentioned somewhere, but I’ve had the response since I was a little kid. I remember the sound of my mother sweeping a concrete walkway with a straw broom. I knew as soon as I heard it described that I experience this particular response, and I now view ASMR videos fairly frequently. For me, watching the video helps, as well as the sounds.

Recently I broke my ankle, and it occurred to me to try using ASMR videos for pain control. There isn’t much scientific information out there about ASMR, probably since it’s hard to study and not a well-described response (what actually is occurring, for instance?). So the only thing I could do was experiment. It seems to help; I can ignore the discomfort during the video and sometimes even doze off. I can’t say I notice a lasting improvement, though; it seems to be only a matter of distraction. It’s possible any video that distracted me sufficiently would help.

I’m interested if anyone else uses ASMR for pain control and if so, how it works for you? Let me know, and by all means share your favorite ASMR video!

Here’s a link to more info, too: https://asmruniversity.com/

Stained glass window

Children’s songs and stained glass

When I was a kid and attending Girl Scout Camp on a regular basis, there was a song we used to sing to make fun of the nursery rhymes we had only so recently recited earnestly. The chorus went like this, in a sort of sing-song tune:

“The window, the window, the second-story window,

With a heave and a ho, and a mighty throw, (they/she/he) threw it out the window!”

The verses were done by inserting the first three lines of a four-line nursery rhyme, so:

“Mary had a little lamb

Its fleece was white as snow

And everywhere that Mary went

She…threw it out the window!”

Followed by the above chorus. Try it! It works with Jack Sprat, Little Miss Muffin, and Peter, Peter, Pumpkin eater (cruelly), and a number of others.

With that in mind, here’s another teaser from the upcoming sequel Cornerstone: The Delving. It’s a window, though it’s on the third story, not the second. It’s hand-made stained glass, by a central figure in the book. But is she a ‘good guy’ or a ‘bad guy’?

Stained glass window

wooden cane with metal scrollwork

Teaser: Caduceus

This object figures in Book Two of the Cornerstone series (Cornerstone: The Delving), due out in May or June. Readers may remember it from the first book. In The Delving, it changes hands. Is this ultimately a good thing or a bad? Depends on whose side you’re on…

wooden cane with metal scrollwork

Book review: The Queen and the Dagger

The Queen and the Dagger Book Cover The Queen and the Dagger
Book of Theo
Melanie Ansley
Fantasy
Kindle

This is an excellent, richly-imagined short book for older children/younger teens, combining elements of fantasy, myth, and storytelling tradition. The reader remains fully immersed in the world from the first sentence. Editing is impeccable. There’s nothing to distract you from the well-paced storyline.

The characters are unique and carefully drawn. No one is perfect, but each has her own merits. The plot is true epic fantasy, a great introduction to swordplay, quest, and chosen-one themes that run throughout contemporary adult fantasy works. Pacing is steady, with no dead spots. The setting is unique and familiar, yet alien at the same time. It will feel most familiar to children graduating from elementary  anthropomorphic animal stories to more advanced chapter books and novels. There are betrayal, danger, and personality clashes as well as fellowship and alliance.  It has a Lion King-feel to it, of fate and inevitability not wholly under the control of the actors.

After finishing this book (in one sitting!) I immediately checked for more in the series. This is one I’d like to follow. It brought me back to the childhood tales I loved to read, yet it was sufficiently advanced for adult readers. Recommended for just about anybody.

Link to The Queen and the Dagger on Amazon

A draft in the hand is worth…

It’s been a while, but I’ve finally got a draft in hand of the sequel to Cornerstone: Raising Rook (tentatively called Cornerstone: The Delving). After starting off fast, I stalled out, despite having written part of the last chapter and knowing where I needed to go, which is my usual technique. Then I wrote the last few chapters all in a rush when I finally got going again.

While it’s definitely satisfying to have an 80,000 word manuscript, there’s a lot more to do: general editing, consistency, timeline checks, removing parts that don’t fit or are unnecessary, adding new parts, proofreading, re-reading, re-re-reading, re-re-re-reading – yeah. Not to mention formal editing, formatting for ebook and paperback, and commissioning cover art.  But it feels like an Accomplishment, and at least somewhat like a relief.

Old Firehouse Books logo

Old Firehouse Books

If you’re in Colorado, please consider patronizing the brick-and-mortar bookstore Old Firehouse Books, which is carrying several of my paperbacks (Cornerstone, AFTERThought, The Snow Deer, and the first book of the Stolen series). It’s a cute, old-fashioned book and card store in a historic building, and they support local and Indie authors! Click the logo below to visit their site! More later on getting your paperbacks into stores…

Old Firehouse Books logo

Book Review: Village of the Dead

Village of the Dead Book Cover Village of the Dead
Secret Souls
Jacob Stanley
Horror
Kindle
Amazon

Well, this was one of those books I should probably not have read directly before going to bed! In the best tradition of horror, much of the creepiness is not overt - it’s just a feeling you get. A feeling like something is about to go very wrong, but you’re not sure what.

This is the first of what is apparently a novella series, and here we’re introduced to a land that’s fallen out of time and space, in which dwell Stephen-King-like characters issuing vague threats. It’s well-written, easy to read, and fun, in a disturbing sort of way. The main characters are relatable and distinct, and there’s a suggestion of mystery and more to come.

Definitely recommended for horror aficionados and fans of the off-beat.

Oh, and watch out for the cats!

Book Review: Nanodaemons

Nanodaemons Book Cover Nanodaemons
George Saoulidis
Fantasy
Kindle

This started off great; I actually laughed in certain areas. It took a while to figure out what was going on, but when I did, I loved the play-style viewpoint of the daemons and the idea that they have human-like emotions and personalities. The sections featuring the viewpoint of the nanodaemons were definitely the high points of the book.

The other viewpoints I was not so enamored of. The style switches between omniscient narrator and third person. Still, I grew to like the main protagonist, Leo, and especially Aibo, and even Leo’s love interest. The narration jumps didn’t bother me that much.

What bothered me more was frequent odd word usage, awkward in many spots. I eventually decided that the writer is likely not a native English speaker, which is fine, but the work should probably have gone through someone who could pick out those things that sound odd to an American or English ear, if it’s going to be targeted to those groups. The writing is clunky. At first it didn’t bother me much, but started to wear as things went on. Also, it seemed to get worse further on in the book, particularly when the user’s viewpoint is represented.

I also had some plot issues: (spoiler) Some deus ex machina; the girl (or her father) has the correct anti-venin for an enhanced cobra? Why was there only one warden/employee in the entire prison and why weren’t any of the doors locked? And the big one: the ‘why’ was never answered at all. Why would a Sikh want to murder the mayor? What did the mayor ever do to them? And why set up Leo to be framed, especially in this convoluted manner? It seemed a very shaky way to do it. And if he was set up to take the fall, why murder him? That would kind of defeat the purpose. (close spoiler)

It’s like the author is trying to add excitement to a book which is really about the inner workings of nanotechnology. A great idea that was stretched to work. I would have preferred that the whole thing be experienced through the eyes of the daemons.

All-in-all, I really enjoyed this novella, but would have enjoyed it more with some of the issues taken care of. I would still recommend it to future-tech aficionados, sci-fi fans, and adventure fans. A really interesting, and unique, viewpoint.

 

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