Book Launch

New Book Launch:

Widows Sons: Outlaw Bikers or Masonic Ambassadors.

After a conversation on Twitter where the merits of the Widows Sons Masonic Bikers/Riders Association was called into question, I decided to convert a talk I have given in Masonic Lodges across the UK into a small book. And today “Widows Sons: Outlaw Bikers or Masonic Ambassadors” was published.

It is available as a paperback, and on Kindle as an ebook.

More information on Authors Site Click Here

 
2018 marked the twentieth anniversary of the creation of the Widows Sons, with 2019 marking the fifteenth anniversary of the Widows Sons starting in the UK.

We are fully recognised, and approved by the United Grand Lodge of England, even featuring prominently on the main page of their website. We have had articles about us in multiple issues of “The Square Magazine”, as well as being often mentioned in “Freemasonry Today”, and were the main part of the third episode of Sky’s five-part documentary series “Inside the Freemasons”.

Even so, until recently, not many brethren had heard of us, or knew what it is we do, they may have just seen us an Outlaw biker gang. To be fair we do have some scary looking members.

To help spread word about us, especially in the Province of North Wales, I wrote a talk originally called “Widows Sons – Brotherhood Squared” which I would give at Lodge meetings as a brief introduction of where we came from, who we are, and what we do.

So, who are the Widows Sons?

Are we just a group of patch wearing “Outlaw Bikers”, or if not, how can we claim to be ambassadors for freemasonry if bikers cause so much fear and concern everywhere they go?

Artisan Challenge Update (Midway)

Artisan Challenge 2016

It is time to do the midway update on the “Artisan Challenge“.

YES. I know “technically” the midway update was due on the 1st July, which is midway through the year. But I was running a bit late, and since this is my blog I can claim one and a half months as “a bit” 🙂

And you’re not the boss of me Internet!

A Reminder.

The Challenge for 2016 we are calling “Artisan 2016”

Artisan
noun: artisan; plural noun: artisans
    a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand.

The reason for this name? Well because all the challenges (and there are three parts) are artistic or creative in nature.

1/4 DONE

Quarterly Non LOLS Papers

Once again “You’re not the boss of me!” I know the generally accepted definition of Quarterly is every quarter, but I have decided to count it as four over the year. Now before you get all shouty in the original description of this part of the challenge I did state “I am aiming for four papers over the year, and since I will probably do the Quarterly LOLS papers again this year, the new challenge is for none LOLS papers of topics I pick myself.” So four papers over the whole year.

  • Paper 1: Kuji-In – An Introduction to the Nine Hand Seals. COMPLETED
  • Paper 2: Unnamed – Research complete and its currently being written up
  • Paper 3: Unnamed – Researching
  • Paper 4: NO IDEA YET

 

WORKING ON

Art Project

I did do a post a short while back updating how the Art project was going. (By Short while back I mean at the 1/4 mark) Since then the project has continued along, with doodles and plans, and small bits being worked on.

Below are a few snippets of bits of the doodles/notes in no particular order/sense.

COMPLETED

100 Days

This started on April 1st and ran for oddly 100 days until it finished.

It can be viewed over at my 100Days Blog.

2016 Challenge

Artisan Challenge 2016

Artisan2016The last time I actually made some New Years Resolutions was way back in 2006, which in January when tradition says I should pick some  resolutions for 2016, it will have been a decade since my last ones.

 

“forgive me father, it has been ten years since my last resolution”

The reason I stopped making the traditional New Years Resolutions was a simple one, basically I am really crap at sticking to them. It seems pointless making a bunch of resolutions you know you will never stick too. And when I tried picking one’s like :-

  • I will drink beer
  • I will play lots of Video Games

I got told that they were not acceptable choices. Gorram Resolution Nazis. So instead I have spent the last decade setting myself challenges every year, Originally alone, and the last few years along with MaguirePete. The Challenge for 2016 we are calling “Artisan 2016”

Artisan
noun: artisan; plural noun: artisans
    a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand.

The reason for this name? Well because all the challenges (and there are three parts) are artistic or creative in nature.

 

Quarterly Non LOLS Papers

Last year one of the challenges was to write an Academic Paper, This simple sounding challenge soon mutated into joining in with the Quarterly LOLS paper, where we received a topic and had to write a paper on it which would then get peer reviewed. So instead of the one paper I ended up writing four. This year’s challenge again has “Write a Paper” as one of the tasks. But from the start I am aiming for four papers over the year, and since I will probably do the Quarterly LOLS papers again this year, the new challenge is for none LOLS papers of topics I pick myself.

 

Art Project

When picking the challenges for 2016 MaguirePete mentioned that when he was in sixth form he always liked the long art projects, where as you passed the Art block you would see the work slowly take form over time. And so we decided to be artistic in 2016 and do some form or Art project that would slowly take the year to do. This seems like a good idea, so I will be working on a piece of art over the year and posting updates as it goes along. How hard can it be?

 

100 Days

And once again I will be taking part in the 100 Days creative Challenge. This will be starting April 1st and can be viewed over at my 100Days Blog.

Challenge – A Paper

One part of my 2015 New Years Resolutions/Challenges was to write a Paper. The actual overall theme of this years challenges is “Creativity” and one of the sections was to write a none-fiction, sensible paper.

That was the basic original idea, but in the manner of “no plan survives contact with the enemy“, this basic idea soon changed. There were two of us planning on writing Papers, but as we could not think of a genre or topic, Pete (The other one) decided to ask Twitter, and someone in particular. Now that person suggested that since he was writing a paper/essay for a newsletter, we could all write one on the same subject, and then compare papers and discuss. Which was a great idea.

The only downside was this suggestion came from a Person who writes several papers a year, gives lectures all the time, and even publishes academic books. So this kind of put the pressure on a bit, and as the only one who had never written a paper since I was Electrical/Electronic Engineering in Uni and we never did papers, I really felt the pressure.

The completion deadline was the beginning of March, and as that date got closer the worry increased, “Would it make sense“, “Would it be any good“, “Would it just be gibberish“, “Had I just written ‘I am a Fish’ 100 times“?

Well, The deadline came, My Paper was emailed out, and no one laughed, no one pointed out any mistakes, no one suggested psychiatric help. And I am happy with the way it turned out. I would like to add a bit more to it, since there was some areas I forgot to cover that I wanted to. But for my first ever attempt I am happy with it.

And better still, One part of the 2015 challenges is now complete!

World Book Day 2015

Today is “World Book Day” What is “World Book Day?” I hear you ask.

World Book Day is a celebration! It’s a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) it’s a celebration of reading. In fact, it’s the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.

And to help Celebrate and Promote this Idea to get more people into that greatest of hobbies “Reading” I have decided to make some of my work FREE.  That’s right, 100% FREE for the next few days. So shoot over to Smashwords, Use the code RW100 at checkout to get the following books for free (Offer good through March 07, 2015)

Just click on picture to go to the offer.

Book-Night-WatchBook-Burglar-The-BeastBook-Pendragons-Poetry-Prose

Freebies

Dear Constant Reader.

I have not given away any free stuff for a while, so I think it is about time I rectified that mistake :-

 

Book - Night WatchSo go HERE and grab a copy and do not forget to Use the code

NA39N

at checkout to get this book for FREE

(Offer good until August 16th, 2014)

 

 

 

Book - Burglar & The BeastSo go HERE and grab a copy and do not forget to Use the code

RG78G

at checkout to get this book for FREE

(Offer good until August 16th, 2014)

 

 

 

Book - Pendragons Poetry & ProseSo go HERE and grab a copy and do not forget to Use the code

AK26V

at checkout to get this book for FREE

(Offer good until August 16th, 2014)