R. Halderman Quote “The Politician”

“The politician says, ‘People treat us like they treat their god(s). When they want something from you, they adorn you with flattery, offerings and prayers. When they don’t get what they want, they curse you, blame you and declare they don’t believe in you. The key to remaining a god is to have a devil you can blame things on.’” – R. Halderman

R. Halderman Quote “Sociopath”

“Reason and logic are never enough to maintain a free society. Sociopaths can reason well enough to survive and unfortunately, for freedom-loving people, thrive. At the root of a free society is the ability to empathize for others. For those with empathy, reason is the tool to provide the greatest freedom to all they interact with. For those that don’t empathize (sociopath), reason is the tool to bring themselves the most freedom.” – R. Halderman

Rise of the Keepers-Beta Review

For those of you that joined this email list nine months ago… thank you.
For those of you that have recently joined… welcome.

What have I been doing since then? Writing. Imagining. Studying. Rewriting.

I am now at a point (over a year in the making) where I am ready to unveil some of it. The manuscript is in the hands of Beta reviewers. For those of you that were alpha readers, thank you. You have helped me form an epic story that is interesting, inspiring and definitely exciting!

What am I talking about? I am talking about my first novel called Rise of the Keepers. First of three in a series. Rise of the Keepers is coming in at 115K words (360 pages paperback), so it is a full-scale fiction novel. But more importantly, the Beta reviewers are giving me very positive feedback. So far, they report it is entertaining and inspirational. Interested? I hope so.

Now there are a few steps left. First I will rewrite based on the beta reviewers’ feedback. Then I will be seeking an agent/publisher. If you know either, let me know by replying to this email.

Until then, below is a teaser followed by memorable quotes from the characters in this novel. If they inspire you, please forward this email to your friends. They can join my email list by going to rhalderman.com. In future emails, I will share some scenes/chapters.

Teaser:

Ours is not the first civilization on this planet with high-tek.
Nor is it the first to reach for the stars.
As today, people in our dim past played the life and death game of liberty versus tyranny.
And tyranny would have won… if not for the “Rise of the Keepers.”


Quotes
:

  • “Save all that you can.” — Multiple Characters
  • “Liberty requires vigilance.” — Gabriel
  • “If you know the enemy and yourself, you need not fear the result of  battle.” — Gabriel
  • “Justice will have its day.” — Gabriel and Ceded
  • “A leader is not necessarily one that is obviously so. If there is no visible leadership, an enemy will be uncertain whom to attack for a quick victory. Such a leader can manipulate things to the advantage of his cause. And not all battles require violence.” — Gabriel
  • “For there to be an Everlasting Way of liberty, the aggressor must give restitution with compassion to those they have harmed. Else there can be no harmony, no enduring peace where the seeds of blind aggression remain.” — A Maker
  • “… punishment … is sly reasoning used to control those with empathy and empower those without it.” — A Maker
  • “The Way of liberty requires eternal vigilance. Those that do not pay that price are susceptible to those that invest in tyranny.” — A Maker and Ceded
  • “… every empire needs an enemy. Something to keep the people fearful and willing to make sacrifices to keep the enemy at bay.” — Daeva
  • “The trouble with psychopaths is they really don’t get other people. If they are skilled at manipulating others and get their way often, they think they know how to control the world. But what you call a weakness, empathy and compassion, empowers the rest of us. And if we think clearly and use our reason, we can see that any pain we sow in others will eventually return to undo what we build.” — Ceded
  • “A task too difficult for one, can often be done by many.”  — Michael and many others
  • “When the people hailed Ceded as their ruler, he rebuked them by reminding them of all they accomplished in the absence of a single leader or ruler. He was challenging them to keep their sovereignty by continuing to cooperate with each other and not bargain it for another’s promise of safety and security.” — Michael
  • “Leading people is never perfect and requires humility and fortitude. When you make a mistake, recognize it and understand it so you can apply that wisdom to the future.”  — Warchod
  • “Was I good person?” Ceded asked. The vine answered, “You are truly loved. What better measure is there?”