Blog Archives
Through the Elements
Fire Pearl follows a woman who must face her utmost fears on the path to rekindling a lost love. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
It is the fourth installment of a series that arrived like the others at night, in that liminal space when you’re neither awake nor asleep yet both, and that we call, for short, dreaming. Having travelled with/as Kate through the elements of earth, air, and water now it is time to test her with fire. The other drive/parable/ inspiration was an African tale that I recorded many years ago in Sierra Leone.
Do you have a favorite scene in Fire Pearl? One that was especially enjoyable to craft?
I can’t remember “crafting” it, it was just there, but the first scene that comes to mind is when she/I am on a solid strong wooden boat, knowing that it’s a sure firm steadfast way to get away on the sea from the fire, forever reliable, and then I begin to feel the solid wood of the boat below me warm and I realise that that, too, is the fire (a parable for sure of one aspect of our lives)
Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?
YES – the agonising regret while still chained ( not unhappily) to where I was, the realisation that I was other than I had had always thought I was, and then the failure to recognise him when I had found him.
Can fans look forward to a fifth installment in this series? Where will it take readers?
YES, the next volume in the Kate-Pearl epic series: always the same story / myth of Kate rejecting her offered love and realising her mistake, searching for him through all the elements of the universe; next, having gone through fire for him she faces the fifth element (in Chinese philosophy), wood – in Kate’s experience it is trees (“Pearl in the deep wood”) – I’ll leave you to find the scintillating swaying swerving details.
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Fire Pearl
The Fire Pearl: Tale of the Burning Way is a fever dream of myth, fire, and longing. Ruth Finnegan crafts a poetic journey in the fourth installment of the Kate-Pearl epic-romance series, where the titular character, Kate, confronts a blazing, symbolic world to rekindle a lost love. Drawing from classical myths, African storytelling, and literary echoes of Shakespeare, Homer, and Rumi, the story blurs the line between dream and reality. This is not a conventional narrative. It’s a burning exploration of love, identity, and the courage to face oneself in a world aflame with metaphorical meaning.
Finnegan leans heavily on a lyrical, stream-of-consciousness style that mirrors the mythic grandeur of ancient epics. At times, I found myself awestruck by the sheer musicality of the prose—phrases like “the flames frisked and flickered and flared” or Kate’s encounters with the dragon-like “pterodactyl flames” are breathtaking. Moments of clarity are sometimes buried beneath layers of riddling, dreamlike language. For instance, Kate’s journey through the forest of flames sometimes feels less like a narrative and more like an abstract meditation on fire as a symbol for love, passion, and destruction.
The ideas behind the book are fascinating. Finnegan doesn’t just tell a story; she interrogates myths and our human relationship with the elements. Fire, as explored here, isn’t just an element but a force of creation, destruction, and transformation. Through Kate’s trials, from enduring firestorms to her symbolic rebirth, we see reflections of Prometheus, Shakespeare’s “muse of fire,” and even Blake’s “Tyger.” One standout section involves Kate’s dialogue with the Flames themselves, who challenge her with riddles about fire’s dual nature. These moments shine, even as they require patience to untangle their meaning.
What I appreciated most about The Fire Pearl was its unrelenting emotional core. Kate’s struggle to face her fears of fire and of love resonated with me. Her moments of doubt and courage felt authentic, even amidst the surreal landscape she traverses. The scene where she saves a bird trapped in flames, despite her own terror, was particularly moving.
For readers who thrive on poetry, myth, and deeply layered storytelling, The Fire Pearl is a challenging yet rewarding journey. It’s a book that requires you to surrender to its flames, just as Kate does. And who knows? You might emerge from its pages changed, illuminated by the fire within.
Pages: 172 | ISBN : 978-1365739439
How to be a BAD cook: The Ultimate Quick Guide
“How to be a BAD Cook” is a refreshingly irreverent take on the traditional cookbook. From the outset, it’s clear that this isn’t your typical guide to culinary excellence. The book sets itself apart by not only embracing the mishaps and mistakes that often haunt the kitchen but also turning them into an art form. It’s an entertaining read, filled with recipes that delightfully defy culinary norms. Each recipe is a fun exploration of how to master the art of bad cooking, making it a hilarious companion for anyone who has ever struggled with a recipe or botched a dinner party and a testament to the author’s ability to find beauty in the unexpected.
One of the book’s strongest suits is its playful writing style. The author’s casual and witty tone makes even the most mundane kitchen blunders seem like deliberate, avant-garde culinary decisions. The sections are sprinkled with humorous anecdotes and sarcastic tips that make you chuckle at the absurdity of intentionally ruining a dish.
What I particularly enjoyed about “How to be a BAD Cook” is its unexpected educational value. While the recipes are designed to make failures into meals, they actually shed light on the common pitfalls of home cooking. By showcasing how things can go wrong, the book inadvertently teaches readers what to avoid in their culinary endeavors. It’s a clever way to impart kitchen wisdom wrapped in a package of humor and satire. This book doesn’t just make you laugh, it also empowers you with knowledge to avoid these kitchen mishaps in the future.
“How to be a BAD Cook” is perfect for anyone who loves cooking but isn’t afraid to laugh at their mistakes. It’s an ideal gift for novice chefs, kitchen klutzes, or anyone who enjoys culinary humor. If you’re looking to embrace the lighter side of cooking and learn a lot along the way, this book is a must-read. It’s a celebration of culinary chaos that turns every burnt cake and failed soup into a meal ready to serve.
Pages: 102 | ASIN: B0D25S5CLV
Communication is More Than Verbal Language
Communicating: The Multiple Modes of Human Communication 3rd Edition is a thorough and insightful examination of human communication, transcending the conventional focus on verbal language. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I’ve been interested in, and writing about, communication in its various senses from my early days: storytelling for example, the beautiful wit and words of Ulster communicating, linguistic anthropology, body language, music (that’s communication too). Through this I’d been becoming more and more convinced that communication did not consist only, or even predominantly, of verbal language, spoken or written, but a whole wealth of other things as well. That isn’t at all a widely accepted view among communication experts, so I felt that I HAD to write a book to show the evidence and argument for my position – almost a duty.
It turned out a bigger journey of investigation than I’d expected (and I loved it – hope you’ll come along it with me and enjoy it too: about these amazing, clever, enterprising animals, and I don’t mean just the human ones).
What changes did you make in this edition of your book from prior editions? Was there any area where your research has led you to a new or different conclusion from prior published results?
A lot. Besides some updating throughout and more and better illustrations, there’s a new introduction linking to recent perspectives in social science (much has changed in the 20 years since the first edition); reordering of the five chapters on the senses to make the argument run more smoothly; a rewritten chapter on extrasensory communication in the light of recent developments and of the revolutionary findings of “new science”; and a totally new concluding chapter.
That final chapter: I found to my consternation that what I had found During my investigations almost totally reversed the usual assumptions about communication in early human history (cave paintings are in too), INCLUDING KEY ASSUMPTIONS IN MY OWN BOOKS, earlier editions of this book among them.
It was startling. But I had to be honest and tell it as I’d found it.
And that was – ? Ah, complicated! You’ll have to read it.
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
Yes very much so, not just in research for that final chapter, but also the fascinating range of ways humans and other animals use their differing but overlapping resources to interact (WHAT a lot is now known). I was particularly surprised and impressed by the explosion of radically new research about the gesticulation systems of the great apes: amazing and surprisingly relevant for human communicating.
What is the next book that you are writing, and when will that be published?
Am I allowed two? The thing is that now that I’m retired and have more time I find it relaxing to have several contrasting books on the go and don’t always know which is going to come out first.
Two books that I’ve been tinkering with for some time are, first, an updated version of a collection of prose, verse and images from many cultures, now to be called “The Search for Peace: Voices of Despair and Hope through the Centuries”. That’s only too heartbreakingly topical just now, isn’t it, but inspiring too – what insights there have been through the world and the ages. With luck it’ll very soon be chuntering its way onto Amazon.
And, second, a small book now nearing completion: a fun – but perhaps also a bit useful – silly little book with cartoon pics, to be called something like “Kate’s Bad Cook Guide for morons”. I’m enjoying that immensely. Maybe in time for Christmas, no promises.
After that? Back to a couple academic ones, and maybe a new Kate-Pearl novel…, let’s see.
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In an authoritative and readable account, Ruth Finnegan brings together research from linguistic and sensory anthropology, material culture, non-verbal communication, computer-mediated communication, and, strikingly, research on animal communication, such as the remarkable gesture systems of great apes. She draws on her background in classical studies and her long anthropological experience to present illuminating examples from throughout the world, past and present.
The result is to uncover an amazing array of sounds, sights, smells, gestures, looks, movements, touches, and material objects used by humans and other animals to interconnect both nearby and across space and time
She goes on to first explore the extra-sensory modes of communication now being revealed in the extraordinary “new science” research and then, in an incendiary conclusion, to deny the long-prevailing story of human history by questioning whether orality really came before literacy; whether it was really through “the acquisition of language” that our prehistoric cave painting ancestors made a sudden leap into being “true humans”; and finally, astonishingly, to ask whether human communicating had its first roots not, after all, in verbal language but something else.
Not to be missed, this highly original book brings a fresh perspective on, among other things, that central topic of interest today – the dawn of human history – and on what being homo sapiens really means. This revised and updated edition has additional illustrations, updated chapters, and a new concluding chapter.
A provocative and controversial account that will stir worldwide debate, this book is an essential transdisciplinary overview for researchers and advanced students in language and communication, anthropology, and cultural studies.
Communicating: The Multiple Modes of Human Communication 3rd Edition
Communicating: The Multiple Modes of Human Communication 3rd Edition by Ruth Finnegan presents a thorough and insightful examination of human communication, transcending the conventional focus on verbal language. Finnegan adeptly delves into the multifaceted aspects of communication, encompassing not only spoken words but also the nuanced realms of gestures, body language, material objects, and the contexts in which these interactions occur. Her approach highlights the intricate and layered nature of human interactions, with a particular emphasis on the significance of non-verbal elements such as facial expressions and sensory experiences. This perspective offers readers a comprehensive and dynamic understanding of communication.
Finnegan’s writing style is both clear and inviting, effectively demystifying complex concepts for a broad audience. Her narrative is enriched by anecdotes and vivid descriptions, making the book as engaging as it is informative. From beginning to end, the text is infused with a depth of material and a keen analytical perspective, showcasing Finnegan’s scholarly acumen and intellectual diligence. Her reflective and inquisitive tone invites readers into a deep exploration of communication’s diverse dimensions. The book’s use of diverse examples, ranging from 20th-century England to 1960s Sierra Leone, underscores Finnegan’s commitment to examining communication across various cultural contexts. This approach, coupled with references to semiotic and structuralist theories, adds theoretical depth to her exploration.
Rather than diving into complex definitions from the outset, Finnegan opts for an experiential approach to communication. This strategy enhances the book’s accessibility and appeal, making it a compelling read for a wide audience. Communicating serves as a foundational text for those deeply interested in the expansive study of human communication. It caters to readers seeking a nuanced and reflective understanding of the term ‘communication’ and its multifaceted nature, especially in relation to broader social and cultural contexts.
Ruth Finnegan’s Communicating stands out as a comprehensive guide to understanding the diverse and complex facets of human communication. Her skillful blending of high-quality writing with in-depth discussion captures the functional value of communication in society, stimulating intellectual curiosity and providing valuable insights into the intricate interactions that define our social fabric.
Pages: 338 | ASIN : B0CKFNP7S1
LITERARY TITAN 