Ask the Author: Steven Wood Collins
Answered Questions (9)
Steven Wood Collins
My own initial research on Howland's tree found his ancestors immigrated to England around the time of the Conquest. They adopted 'de Holland' as a surname.
Thanks for confirming this discovery.
John Howland
Sir Thomas de Holland, KG
Thanks for confirming this discovery.
John Howland
Sir Thomas de Holland, KG
Steven Wood Collins
None. I used a file image I found to provide what I thought would have been a suitable likeness for a Praetotian Prefect, mainly as an enhancement to the article.
Sorry to disappoint. It's one of the few instances where I've taken such literary liberty.
Cheers.
Sorry to disappoint. It's one of the few instances where I've taken such literary liberty.
Cheers.
Steven Wood Collins
Sorry for the belated reply, Chris. I seldom check this part of my site.
I googled "Keeper of the Gael of Maidstone". Charles I granted John Collins that title and position.
The following are a few links of interest:
The Rising Tide
Find-A-Grave: John Collins of Maidstone
Several aspects of the Maidstone Collins' family coat of arms ibear similarity to both the Munster Collins' coat of arms. That leads me to believe there's an ancestral relationship between the two families.
What's even more curious is the representation of one of the Milesian lions on the Maidstone crest. This is a serious indication of a monarchal connection (no one would employ that image without the consent of the monarchy).
I just posted a blog article devoted to Deacon Edward Collins.
Kind regards,
Steven
I googled "Keeper of the Gael of Maidstone". Charles I granted John Collins that title and position.
The following are a few links of interest:
The Rising Tide
Find-A-Grave: John Collins of Maidstone
Several aspects of the Maidstone Collins' family coat of arms ibear similarity to both the Munster Collins' coat of arms. That leads me to believe there's an ancestral relationship between the two families.
What's even more curious is the representation of one of the Milesian lions on the Maidstone crest. This is a serious indication of a monarchal connection (no one would employ that image without the consent of the monarchy).
I just posted a blog article devoted to Deacon Edward Collins.
Kind regards,
Steven
Steven Wood Collins
That's sort of a mystery to me . My ancestral heritage, however, is replete with examples of historical biblical and spiritual figures as well as science fiction authors. For instance, Sir Francis Bacon wrote a science fiction novel, entitled "New Atlantis", which is thematically similar to "Puramore - The Lute of Pythagoras",almost to the letter (see Goodreads Author's Blog post https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...). Actually, I only discovered the thematic relationship between the two novels less than six months ago. In fact, until then I wasn't aware Francis wrote "New Atlantis", much less knew of its existence.
A few other examples include the following:
Joseph Smith, Jr https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Reverend John Rogers https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Reverend William Bertholf https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
William Blake https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Samuel Clemens https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Wernher von Braun https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Thomas à Becket https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Robert Boyle https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Sir Isaac Newton http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
Enoch/Imhotep https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Jesus of Nazareth https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
St Linus https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Mary Magdalene https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Melusine de Lusina https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Francis-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Odin Fridulfsson https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Aleister Crowley and L. Ron Hubbard are also cousins of mine.
The idea might have had a divine inspiration from a dream I had well over a decade ago.
You might be taken aback by my listing of august scientists. Don't be. Both Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton, in my opinion, both knew full well they're representation of the physical universe was just a stepping stone....Both, by the way, were masters of the science of alchemy
"Nuf said for now"..
A few other examples include the following:
Joseph Smith, Jr https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Reverend John Rogers https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Reverend William Bertholf https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
William Blake https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Samuel Clemens https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Wernher von Braun https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Thomas à Becket https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Robert Boyle https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Sir Isaac Newton http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...
Enoch/Imhotep https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Jesus of Nazareth https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
St Linus https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Mary Magdalene https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Melusine de Lusina https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Francis-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Odin Fridulfsson https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Aleister Crowley and L. Ron Hubbard are also cousins of mine.
The idea might have had a divine inspiration from a dream I had well over a decade ago.
You might be taken aback by my listing of august scientists. Don't be. Both Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton, in my opinion, both knew full well they're representation of the physical universe was just a stepping stone....Both, by the way, were masters of the science of alchemy
"Nuf said for now"..
Steven Wood Collins
Sometimes I think I need to be uninspired to write. I'm sort of like the proverbial duck in a pond when it comes to writing inspiration. I think my wife hates it.
Help! I'm writing out of control!
Help! I'm writing out of control!
Steven Wood Collins
I'm currently working on the sequel to "Puramore - The Lute of Pythagoras". Entitled "The Retopians", it deals with mankind's continued struggle to defeat (or at least contain) Wingtip, humanity's arch villain, and then afterward establish Earth as a Class-1 planet.
As the aforementioned may take years to write, I'm also working on a historical fiction manuscript about the life and times of Baron Gilles de Rais. He's a particularly interesting historical figure who I want to raise from undeserved obscurity and infamy. I've posted a blog article about him on my Goodreads Author's Blog (see https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...). It's intended to be a non-satirical and somewhat scholarly undertaking.
As the aforementioned may take years to write, I'm also working on a historical fiction manuscript about the life and times of Baron Gilles de Rais. He's a particularly interesting historical figure who I want to raise from undeserved obscurity and infamy. I've posted a blog article about him on my Goodreads Author's Blog (see https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...). It's intended to be a non-satirical and somewhat scholarly undertaking.
Steven Wood Collins
Well, if you think you're a writer, you'll find aspiration is less than 1% of writing perspiration. It's really hard work, perhaps the most difficult endeavor I've ever pursued, and you be prepared to toil for hours on end in a solitary existence. You must also realize that setting one's imagination on paper is a humbling experience, especially because you must be your own worst critic about everything you write. So develop a thick skin and be prepared for that experience because it can only get worse when you present your offering to literary agents.
Steven Wood Collins
Letting my creative literary juices flow. For me, there's nothing like being totally absorbed with developing and writing fiction. And, since I basically write for my own entertainment, I'm equally gratified if someone actually reads what I've written.
Steven Wood Collins
I treat it as a symptom of creative development. I've found that ignoring it altogether eventually leads to better results in my writing, mainly because ideas naturally evolve from deeper and more prolonged consideration of thematic elements. Patience is the key to discovery, which I've found, more often than not,can result in an improved literary presentation. If you think you've contracted the writer's block, don't fight it. Let time be your ally as your mind works through the possibilities of structuring and developing your theme, etc. I've actually gone several months or more without writing a single sentence before I magically struck on an idea worth setting down on paper, so to speak. If you can afford that luxury as a writer, I would definitely recommend taking that approach to the writer's block malaise.
Another salutary approach is to write about something else, perhaps on your blog, until your mind has sorted through whatever's causing the blockage. For instance, my Goodreads Author's Blog gives me a way to keep writing daily when I'm temporarily experiencing a lull in developing my fiction. The blog also continues to produce new ideas for other projects, mainly of the historical fiction genre. I suppose that point is to write something daily even if it's only tangentially related to the manuscript you're working on.
Another salutary approach is to write about something else, perhaps on your blog, until your mind has sorted through whatever's causing the blockage. For instance, my Goodreads Author's Blog gives me a way to keep writing daily when I'm temporarily experiencing a lull in developing my fiction. The blog also continues to produce new ideas for other projects, mainly of the historical fiction genre. I suppose that point is to write something daily even if it's only tangentially related to the manuscript you're working on.
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Jan 01, 2018 01:17PM · flag