A sanctuary of peace

Master, bless.

My most precious ones,

I have just created a new section on logospilgrim.com, dedicated to my friend Ben Wu.

Here is an overview:



Ben Wu's The Quiet Professor





It is with immense joy that I am sharing with you my friend Ben Wu's magnificent art. He and I recently collaborated upon a wonderful project (well, I wrote the short text, an act barely worth notice): a booklet entitled The Quiet Professor, featuring 16 ink drawings. He illustrated my vocation in a marvelously whimsical way. His images are amazing, intricate, filled with spiritual symbolism and gentleness. It was truly a blessing and a great privilege to work with him. I urge you to visit his etsy shop, MrBenWu.


I am a very fortunate professor.

My neck is still quite stiff. It appears I shall perhaps have to make an appointment to see an osteopath again.

There is a magical winter wonderland outside my window. I shall have to put the Christmas tree in the living room soon. I love the cheerful sight of it.

Speaking of Christmas, most beloved... Forgive me. I have seen wish lists on my flist, and... There is one thing that would mean much to me. I was wondering if I might ask whether you would be willing, should you have read Bring forth the best robes (and found it somewhat worthwhile), to leave a kind word or two on amazon. It would be a deeply appreciated gift. I have read that positive reviews have an impact on the manner and frequency with which amazon recommends a book. My endeavor is minuscule, and I am a nobody; your assistance would make an appreciable difference. God bless you always and forever. I hope I am not putting you on the spot, as it were; please do not feel under any obligation to do this. I have hung my little black Christmas sock, figuratively speaking! At any rate, my effort was modest, I know, though I think (I hope) it was of benefit. God willing, the second Snape book will be better. The subject matter of my scribblings will no doubt once more only appeal to a very small niche of readers, but I shall write the books I have planned, regardless. The task is blessed, the size of the readership incidental. I shall do my best to spread the word (with all due discernment), but everything is in God's hands. Every heart is precious. If God wills that my writings uphold two hearts, ten, a hundred... In each instance I am overjoyed (especially since my writings are those of an unwise amateur). It is an unmerited honor to serve you: a taste of paradise to love you.

I must work on a light burden. I hope that you are having a beautiful week.

Your devoted
Logospilgrim, the quiet professor

Master, bless.

My most precious ones,

here is my friend Ben's latest, enchanting jewel of a drawing. Four more to go. I daresay that I shall be sad when the little booklet is finished, but The Quiet Professor will not be our last collaboration. I have asked Ben if I could commission him to draw and make cards for me, to be used in my correspondence, and he enthusiastically agreed. I am so fortunate and humbled. It is a privilege to have access to the talent of such a gifted artist... I asked him if he might come to Infinitus and there is a chance that he perhaps will -oh, I do hope so!



Here I am, warmed by gestures of love and soothed by tranquility.

I had recently submitted Bring forth the best robes to a specific amazon search ("Severus Snape") and I gasped somewhat when I saw that it had been accepted. I am not exactly good at this whole "marketing" business... I wish to spread my message of hope and love, but, um, discretely, without much promotion, which I suspect is impractical, to say the least. In order for people to know about a self-published book, the author has to say, "Here it is." I have not done much in that respect apart from minimal things. I shall work hard so that my second Snape book is a greater source of comfort than the first, though I confess that the notion is slightly alarming to me. I must not be making any sense at this point.

Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a quiet professor.

Speaking of books, the one I mentioned yesterday is now titled, a light burden: my life as an Orthodox Christian. I have started writing it and my words seem to be flowing smoothly so far... The three segments in the book will be "Night," "Dawn" and "Noonday."

I hope that you are having a blessed evening, my dearest ones.

Your devoted
Logospilgrim, the quiet professor

Master, bless.

My most precious ones,

I daresay that I am in good spirits today. Later I shall be going to see a performance of Mozart's Requiem with my dearest karen_jk, and the prospect is a balm upon my heart: the thought of seeing her cheers me immensely. We are having dinner beforehand at the Black Tomato... Ah, crab cakes. Yesterday I had lunch at an Indian restaurant with my old friend Christine, which was also incredibly helpful. I had not seen her in months; her cherished presence comforted me. We had basmati rice, curried vegetables and dumplings. It was revitalizing. I had hardly eaten since monday.

I am blessed. The Lord has provided me with abundant succor.

This morning I found out that Bring forth the best robes is now available on amazon! Heavens, I gasped. If you have read and enjoyed the book, and would like to share a few words about it, I would be extremely grateful to you.

Most beloved, I wanted to show you something lovely... A gift from an amazing artist and kindred spirit, Ben Wu.



He recently designed a wonderful set of "funeral" notecards which is available at gorey details.

Speaking of artwork and cards, here are my own latest zazzle.com offerings:



I am feeling encouraged and reinvigorated. A major inner conflict has at last been resolved, and I am relieved, thankful, consoled. The spiritual tug-of-war is over. In truth, it had been going on for months. Fear and hesitation have given place to acceptance and peace. I am happy.

Your devoted
Logospilgrim, the quiet professor

Master, bless.

My dearest ones,

instead of resting this morning, as I had planned, I went ahead and got an ISBN for the paperback edition of Bring forth the best robes. Why wait? Might as well take care of it now. I then created a lulu version which will be available on my website until I know for certain that the PDF-X file I used for the ISBN paperback edition has resulted in a proper looking print (I have just ordered the proof copy). The good news is that the retail markup for a paperback is considerably less than for a hardcover, and thus I shall be able to sell the paperback through online sellers like amazon for the same price than on my website; the paperback will stay fifteen dollars. That made me very happy. I shall not have to keep the lulu edition on my website since there will be no price difference. However, the hardcover lulu version will remain, since it is cheaper than its ISBN counterpart.

If everything goes according to plan, the paperback and hardcover ISBN editions will be listed on amazon in two months or so. Egad. Well, you know. Que sera, sera.

For now, I am working on a light burden. Well, after breakfast and a nap. And I shall also be relaxing outside today. Yesterday evening, I read from The Imitation of Christ and felt very serene.

Your devoted
Logospilgrim, the quiet professor

Master, bless.

My most precious ones,

I have been working a great deal.

I took a deep breath and got an ISBN for the hardcover edition of Bring forth the best robes (it was my practice run). Getting the ISBN felt like the right thing to do. I ordered my proof copy to make certain the PDF-X file prints correctly, and then, if lulu approves the formatting... Online distribution through websites such as amazon. Ah, amazon, the introvert's best friend. The costs involved are higher -including the cover price- but as I understand it, using a POD service like lulu is the most advantageous option for a self-published author, even with the higher distribution costs (Sell your book on amazon by Brent Sampson). Hopefully, the paperback ISBN edition will be less expensive to produce (I shall create it after I know that the hardcover print looks the way it is supposed to). I shall continue selling the cheaper lulu versions on my website, and I shall see if I can have a few copies of the paperback ISBN edition available at local independent bookstores, and perhaps even Chapters (they have a small "regional authors" display), at a lesser cost than online. I shall also see about offering the book to local libraries. I have a few ideas, and helpful marketing -shudder- books I can consult. Brent Sampson also advises authors to sell copies of their own books through amazon's marketplace once their titles are listed.

Heavens. I am learning a thing or two as I go along.

Since I was going through all that trouble, I could not help myself and edited the original manuscript so that it contains but one error (that I know of), which I left there on purpose: "In the Epistles to the Galatians." Both the hardcover and paperback lulu versions are now edited.

This little adventure in publishing was somewhat draining. But at least I have taken the first step as far as this whole ISBN business is concerned...

I shall have to have a nap soon. I was up early and worked, when I really should have gone back to bed.

I shall let you know how the lulu distribution approval process goes. If they give the book two thumbs up and it eventually ends up on amazon, your slightly petrified professor will beseech you to write a few positive words about it, if you are willing... The notion of having a book available on amazon is a bit petrifying, I must confess. The flawed professor will be better; Bring forth the best robes was my baptism.

Forgive me for not having updated "Darkest before dawn" yet... I shall do so soon.

Your devoted
Logospilgrim, the quiet professor

Master, bless.

My most precious ones,

I have been feeling very well... Very content and grateful. I have been resting and puttering, working and dithering. I have ordered a few books on how to promote one's published works, and heightened my amazon "presence" by tweaking my profile and creating helpful lists (gothic odditorium, sacred solitude and peaceful music for tender souls. I have also created a guide, So you'd like to... become a lay monastic. And I have written a couple of positive reviews. I do not care for sharing my opinions, but... I have to put myself a little bit more "out there" if my books are to be of assistance. I am therefore trying to do so, in an unobtrusive manner.

I had a lovely lunch with my mother today. The weather was perfect, comfortable, sunny, mild... We were seated on a terrace near a lake, surrounded by trees (the terrace is on a balcony). It was beatific. I was wearing clothes I had purchased last spring from Kismet Bazaar.

What do I wear when I am not dressed in a cassock? Something like this:



Here I am, wearing a knee-length black kurta, a long black crinkle skirt and black leather Moroccan babouches. It is a sort of goth hippie monastic ensemble. You can just make out some of the white strands in my hair (they are in the midst of growing out).

And since we are speaking of clothes...



The Pit of Penultimate Darkness, a.k.a. my closet: a row of black shirts, black kurtas, black pants, black coats, black robes, black cassocks, black skirts. Needless to say, it does not take me long to figure out how to dress.

I am about to start writing a light burden; this fills me with joy and peace. I shall be updating "Darkest before dawn" before the week is over.

I am kissing your hands tenderly. May God be blessed for your existence.

Your devoted
Logospilgrim, the quiet professor