Just letting you know that I’ve got a couple of new books in the making.

1. The preliminary title for this one is:

The Chip

This is the second book that I started, right after Nuremberg. So you can easily deduct that it is long overdue.

No, it is not a technical reference guide on semi-conductors. Nor is it a cookbook with exclusive recepies on how to bake your own crisps. Neither is it a book on the ancient art of felling a tree. Instead, it’s about the application of online technology and AI, applied by a direct human chip interface. That should be interesting! Ok, but I’m not gonna tell you more. Here’s what it may look like:

Do I have an ETA? you may ask. In short, I do not. When I started the book, I was still working on Nuremberg. But as years have passed since, the state of the involved technologies has accelerated big time.

Cliffhanger:

His ancient small two-cylinder Marstal marine-engine, assisted by the two sails, fought against the wind and the waves. There was a lot of both today, but the engine would win the against them even this time. With the yacht, a nineteen seventies model sloop rigged Contest 31footer, now easing into the sheltered bay bordered by rocks and small hills, the water immediately flattened, and the ride went from bumpy to smooth. With the geography not allowing for more sailing, he lowered both sails and tied them down to avoid them being blown overboard. After a while, the jetty came in sight, and he started stowing the main sail he had taken down earlier down below. The jib, the smaller sail at the front of the boat, would have to wait until he was moored.

Almost an hour after first seeing it, the Contest lay moored at the large wooden jetty. By the state of the planks covering it, it must have been constructed long ago and had been in disuse and disrepair since quite a while. It was an old but overengineered robust construction, made from heavy timber and probably meant for the mooring of fishery vessels much larger and far heavier than his small yacht. Most of the wood had split, a few planks were missing, and many of the rusty nails had worked themselves loose and stuck up from the surface of the planks…

Not much AI and online here, I admit. That’ll come later. Unlike Nuremberg, you can start slow sometimes.

∞

2. Another book has been started under the preliminary title:

The Fifth

The 5th, now what could that be? Here are some ideas:

• The fifth commandment? (‘Honor thy father and thy mother…’)
• A mysterious fifth person?
• The fifth sense? (smell)
• The fifth dimension? (allegedly taken from my blogging mate’s post  Graham’s number)
• …

Let me put you on the right track. The preliminary cover page is:

…and may give you a hint on the subject.

If you managed a lucky or perhaps a more educated guess that the book centers around the 5th Amendment to the US Constitution, then you are correct. In popular culture, it is better known as ‘I’ll take the fifth’ in US jury trials, but in reality, there’s more to it. As usual, I’ll try and concoct a plot aiming to keep you longing for the next page.

Yes, it is in English – again! But perhaps I may attempt another translation to Dutch, my native language. But only if there’s a demand for it.

When ready, the book will become available in paperback format and as an e-book…unless a publishing company decides to take on this book for traditional publishing. That would entail the book becoming available in your favorite bookshop around the corner and in your local library. For now, I’m waiting for offers to roll in… 🙂

I do hope to finish this book in weeks. But in reality, this will certainly be a few months. A realistic aim is to release the book during the summer – perhaps just in time for your summer holidays!

Cliffhanger:

…As had been her habit on Wednesdays for as long as anyone could remember, Miss Ethel drove her truck to Red Oak, Arkansas, parked in front of MacGormick’s, and ten minutes later loaded a week’s load of shopping bags on the bed of her truck. After that, she fueled up at the pump of the Ford dealership and drove straight home – just like any other Wednesday. With the sole difference that this time would be the last time anyone would see Miss Ethel alive. The staff at the grocery shop would later declare she was her usual self and, as always, in good spirits…

∞

∞

I’ll keep you posted!

Paul, 2024-03

Ever considered reading my books?