One Year of If I Never.

On the 29th of this month I’ll be celebrating the one-year anniversary of the publication of my debut novel, If I Never – maybe not a huge event in the lives of most out there, but something I feel the need to mark in some way.

Consequently, I’m planning on hopefully getting a few people together over the space of about a week or so to write short guest blogs on their experiences of the novel. These don’t have to be great literary masterpieces (though, naturally, it would be great if they were!), can be either long or short, can include photographs or YouTube videos – whatever you feel most comfortable with.

So, if you’re interested in perhaps contributing something, please let me know – either here, through Twitter or Facebook.

From my perspective, it’s certainly been a fascinating year. I’ve learned a great deal about the marketing/promotional side of writing, been lucky enough to meet and work with some fantastic people (the Legend Press team among them), ended up in hospital, got out (blessedly!) and recuperated quickly enough to get on and finish my then work in progress, had a great many laughs – oh, and even managed to sell a few books along the way!

Perhaps the most surprising element of the whole experience, however, has been the reader reaction. I’m a realist. I completely understand that not everyone is going to get or enjoy what I do. I therefore expected a number of negative comments – especially given the rather uncompromising nature of If I Never. The response, however, has been overwhelmingly positive. The Amazon reviews alone are more than I ever could have hoped for.

So, yes, it’s been an exceptional year – with hopefully many more to come! If you’ve played some part in that, either by buying the book, chatting online or visiting this website, thanks! I, as ever, truly appreciate it.

And don’t forget: if you can bring a friend of four along to the “celebration” – introduce them to the book in some way – please do!

Two sample chapters of If I Never can be read here.

To buy your copy of If I Never, please click here.

Also, UK Kindle users can now buy If I Never here. (US Kindle users here.)

© 2010 Gary William Murning

Stanford University on YouTube.

Not having had the benefit/disadvantage of a university education (since the age of about 18 I’ve leant rather considerably towards the autodidactic), I occasionally find myself regretting that I never had the opportunity to attend lectures on the subjects that most appeal to and inspire me. It doesn’t trouble me too much, of course, since there are always other avenues of enquiry available — but a part of me has always had a niggling suspicion that it’s missed out on something vitally important.

And then I discovered the more intellectual provinces of that perceived dog-on-a-skateboard neighbourhood, YouTube, and suddenly I felt complete. (Well, as near as dammit )

The sheer volume of lectures now available is becoming positively staggering. Whether you want something on astrophysics or molecular biology, you’ll find it. Granted, it does to be selective — bad science can thrive in such an environment — but if you follow the basic rules, you won’t go far wrong.

I was especially pleased to discover The Stanford University YouTube Channel – the kind of “place” that makes me wish I had more time to spare.

The video below is the first of ten two-hour lectures from Stanford on Darwin’s legacy. I haven’t even begun to watch them yet but I thought I’d share now, anyway, before I forget. They’re bound to be good.

Twenty hours on Darwin’s legacy… call me sad if you like (though I’d rather you didn’t!), but if that isn’t as close as an atheist can come to heaven I don’t know what is.

All text © 2009 Gary William Murning

Sometimes Life Is Just Too Good.

Today I allowed myself a short between-chapters break, happy with what I’ve achieved this week. I therefore spent the morning away from the computer and… oh, okay, I didn’t spend the morning away from the computer. I sorted a few notes and then had my customary look around the web, seeing what was new and hoping to annoy a few people.

Whilst I failed miserably on the latter (I must be getting old), I did find something on YouTube definitely worth sharing.

After being ripped off for three years by YouTubers, the Monty Python team has finally, with fanfare, crapulent mutterings and slightly dazed expressions, dothered into the 21st century and set up their own YouTube channel.

And about time too!

© 2008 Gary William Murning

Salman Says… MySpace May Change the World!

I’ve never had all that much time for the writing of Salman Rushdie. I read The Satanic Verses before all the fuss kicked off (I think, if memory serves me well, I was halfway through it when they started burning it in the streets), I tried Midnight’s Children and gave up and I’ve never been inclined to go back and try again — though I think I should and probably will, eventually. Nevertheless, I have always respected him as a man and a writer, simply because he has endured with a certain degree of dignity and always succeeded in maintaining the moral and intellectual high ground.

I was therefore very interested to read this article in which, as well as speaking of the possibility of his writing a book about his “fatwa” experience, he also discusses the changing world we are living in and how he doesn’t believe that the events that happened to him eighteen years ago would happen today.

He then went on to talk about the importance of the Internet as a way of bridging the gaps between certain cultures.

“The more aspects of Western culture people become aware of, in whatever tyrannical country – whether it’s China or Iran – people want it.

“It may well be that what we think of as trivial and banal stuff like YouTube and MySpace, this may change the world.

“The internet is showing people what life can be like. And when people who live in repressive countries see that, it makes them want it.”

Bravo, Mr Rushdie! So many people still fail to get this very simple lesson. Yes, there’s a lot of material on the Internet that is fundamentally nasty — but its very nature, not quite egalitarian but getting there, slowly, provides many, many people with opportunities that they otherwise wouldn’t have. Opportunities to work in new ways, opportunities to communicate with people they would never otherwise have met, opportunities to aspire to things previously undreamt of. The Internet is not the realisation of some cockeyed Utopian dream, but it does have some very positive aspects that are all too easily overlooked.

I would imagine that Rushdie would agree that his nine years in hiding would have been far less bearable without it.