The second volume of my dream diaries is now available in paperback form! (news)

Image by Midjourney

Hello, all!

I've had some free time recently, so I've created a paperback edition of my second dream diary. It took a lot more work than my lazy self thought it would! Even though I already had an eBook cover and an eBook manuscript, it still took about 1.5 days of concentrating pretty hard to put together something for a 1st edition paperback. (And I always fail to catch mistakes or change my mind about decisions I made for a book, so there will probably be subsequent editions one day. But I think that the quality of this edition will be decent. I ordered a proof and thumbed through it. There aren't a bunch of large mistakes as far as I can tell.)

There are a couple things about the paperback that frustrate me already though. One is the length. This book is over 600 pages long. I tried to save on paper by having new dreams appear on both the left and right pages. In the first dream diary, new dreams only appeared on the right.

The other big thing that bothers me is the price for the paperback. It costs $24.99. I wish I could bring that price down, but I only get a little over $1 in royalties for every copy sold at this price. The royalties can't get much lower than that. The book just costs a lot to print, and Amazon's cut is so large that it's quite expensive to produce the book. 

But the eBook is much cheaper at $6.99, so that's still an option.

It's much more economical to purchase and produce eBooks, but some people really prefer paper. And at least for me, the author, paperbacks have their advantages in spite of the expense. Paperbacks are really nice to have at live, in-person events. They're good for readings and they're good for selling at a table. I also like to drop off paperbacks at the free little libraries in town. It's easier and more satisfying to gift physical books to interested friends. And I can sign paperbacks.

So! In summary, if you are a paper person, and you like my dream diary posts, this is now an option. 

Thank you for your attention.

Link to the book: https://www.amazon.com/Back-School-Naja-Tau-ebook/dp/B0BZXNMMMQ.

Does absolute power corrupt absolutely? (8th conversation starter video) (news)

Today's philosophical question is: does absolute power corrupt absolutely?

This question is from https://www.conversationstartersworld.com. 

The original phrase was from Lord Acton (1834-1902): "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." It was a cry to raise the standards of accountability for leadership.

I'm going to stop spamming my own blog with notifications about new videos. I've added a "YouTube" tab to the top of this blog, and you can check out my progress towards my goal of posting 100 videos at that link. And I hope you do check it out! I have a lot of fun answering these discussion questions and it would be nice if someone watched my videos. 

https://youtu.be/WmmfdaY8i60

Where do you find meaning in your life? (7th conversation starter video) (news)

Today's conversation starter question is: where do you find meaning in your life? In this video, I talk a little bit about my personal experience with looking for meaning, and I also talk about finding meaning more generally. 

I've got a couple of job interviews coming up, so my life might change pretty dramatically soon. I might have to slow down the videos, but I do hope to keep going until I get to 100. Will I go past 100? Eh. I dunno. It's too early to say.

This question is from https://www.conversationstartersworld.com. 

https://youtu.be/uDQbhptWzNs

Would you want to feel no pain? (6th video in a series of conversation starters) (news)

This a video of my answer to the question: would you want to permanently feel zero pain if given the chance? 

This question is from https://www.conversationstartersworld.com. 

Please leave your answer in the comments!

https://youtu.be/KYD2hoIq5dY

Is free will real or just an illusion? (5th video in a series of conversation starters) (news)

I watched a clip of Mr. Beast saying that no one will watch your first 100 videos. That really makes me want to make 100 videos to see what happens next! Do you think I can do it? That would be about four months of almost-daily videos! That's a lot of videos...

In this video, I give some of my thoughts about the question: is free will real or just an illusion? 

This question is from https://www.conversationstartersworld.com. 

In my experience, this topic can get a little spicy! Everyone has an opinion about it. I'd like to read your opinions in the comments!

https://youtu.be/blpmXbbAs4A

Is the meaning of life the same for animals and people? (4th video in a series of conversation starters) (news)

My previous conversation starters were hypothetical questions, but this one is a philosophical question! Is the meaning of life the same for animals and people? Click the video to hear my opinion, and to leave your own answer in the comments!

This question is from https://www.conversationstartersworld.com. 

 https://youtu.be/b4GMV2ce0u4

What if everyone's thoughts appeared over their heads? (3rd video in a series about hypothetical questions) (news)

I'm on a roll! I'm really enjoying these conversation starters from https://www.conversationstartersworld.com. Here's a video of my thoughts about the question: would you want to live in a world where everyone's thoughts appeared as text above their head?

Please feel free to leave your own answer in the comments!

https://youtu.be/rqffl4JAC7U

2nd video in a series of hypothetical questions. (news)

I went to the website https://www.conversationstartersworld.com and chewed on the following hypothetical question: if you could implant one false memory in the minds of everyone in your country, what would that memory be? 

Click the video to see my thoughts and commentary on this topic, and to leave your own thoughts and comments. 

 https://youtu.be/d_Yy9SB9sI0

First YouTube video in a very long time! (news)

Hello readers,

I just posted my response to the conversation starter question: what would you do if you were suddenly given world class hacking knowledge and ability? (This question is from https://www.conversationstartersworld.com.) 

I had planned to play The Sims 4 at the same time, but I was too busy talking! (As an introvert, it's really good for me to exercise that talking muscle!) Maybe I'll actually create a new Sim in the next video.

 Check out the first in the series of videos exploring hypothetical questions:

https://youtu.be/Dd-XvpRxay8

3rd dream diary? (news)

Image by Midjourney

Last night I dreamed that I started going to Harvard for Computer Science. It was already really hard on the very first day!

But I'm not here to talk to you about a dream I had. I'm here to talk to you about a collection of dreams I've had.

I've finally gotten through the first edit of my third dream diary collection. Will it come out in a couple months? Will it come out in a couple years? I don't really know the timeline. But I think there are enough dreams that are interesting enough to release as an eBook on Amazon eventually! But I have a lot of editing to do. So stay tuned. 

Merry Christmas! Please pick up your free Satyr Plays 2 eBook!

 

Image by Midjourney

It's time for my Christmas present to you: free eBook downloads of Satyr Plays 2 on the 25th, 26th, and 27th, PST! 

https://www.amazon.com/Satyr-Plays-2-Naja-Tau-ebook/dp/B0DM3MKBG3

Also, the audiobook has been released!

https://www.audible.com/pd/Satyr-Plays-2-Audiobook/B0DQ219HDP

I took a poetry class once, but it didn't teach me how to write poetry. The class had a deadline for poems we had to write every week, and then we would discuss them. We also read from a poetry anthology. But the class didn't go into a method for writing poems. So I asked ChatGPT how to write a poem. I do not consider myself a poet, and I don't read poetry often, but this is what I came up with for Christmas:

Hide inside my hoodie

Outside 

Where the warm sun 

Competes with the frost of December

I go to deliver a last minute gift

My friend doesn't need it

But he needs reminders that he is

Thought of 

And cared for

From my computer I visit snow-filled cafes

decorated in the lights and ornaments I didn't put up

Jazz plays

And the lack of Christmas songs leave me wondering

How they don't understand 

How much those old songs 

Mean to me

Satyr Plays 2 giveaway today & tomorrow! (news)

Image by Midjourney

A THANKSGIVING POEM

A bed of pine needles is so soft

until I touch it with bare skin.

A ray of sunshine is so warm 

until it's piercing me in the eyes.

Wild turkeys are so majestic

until I grab one with bare hands.

(Just out of curiosity--not to eat)

Please don't forget that you can download Satyr Plays 2 for Kindle for free today (Thanksgiving) and tomorrow (Black Friday)!

https://www.amazon.com/Satyr-Plays-2-Naja-Tau-ebook/dp/B0DM3MKBG3

eBook giveaway! Satyr Plays 2: a collection of humorous, adult short stories. (news)

ThankChristmas is here! Image by Midjourney.

https://www.amazon.com/Satyr-Plays-2-Naja-Tau-ebook/dp/B0DM3MKBG3

Hello! I hope you are enjoying the crisp, cool weather, the warm nostalgia, and the comfort of good friends and family this holiday season. 

The Satyr Plays 2 eBook is out. You can read a description, read a sample, or even purchase the eBook for Kindle for $6.99 right now at the link provided above. Please note that this book is for adults and has a lot of explicit content, even in the sample. 

In my opinion, it is not necessary to have read anything else in the Lost Atlantis/Satyr Plays universe to be able to pick up on what's going on in this book (although it will help). 

I've scheduled two eBook giveaways: one to celebrate Thanksgiving and one to celebrate Christmas. The eBook will be 100% free to download from Amazon on the following dates:

November 28 & 29
December 25, 26, 27

2024

The sales run from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. 

I recommend clicking "Buy now with 1-Click" instead of "Read for free." "Read for free" is for some kind of subscription service, whereas "Buy now" will allow you to download a more permanent copy to your Kindle. If the price says $0.00, you shouldn't be charged anything.

If you like the book, leaving a review would help me out, but mainly, I just want people to read it! I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope it's fun to read. 

I received a proof of the paperback in the mail today, and it still needed some work, so I haven't released that yet. (I put extra spaces between the paragraphs that weren't there in the first book, and I wanted them to match. And that led to having to redo the paperback cover.)

I am also in the middle of putting together an audiobook which I narrate myself. I really wish I could do a giveaway or set a lower price for the audiobook, but Audible controls pricing and doesn't do giveaways as far as I can tell. So that's going to be for sale at the regular price. I used better sound equipment for this audiobook, so I think it's going to be an improvement over the first Satyr Plays. 

Enjoy!

Cover reveal for Satyr Plays 2! (news)

 

Hello my friends,

I've been away for a while. I've had some very serious issues that I've needed to go through offline, but I've kept working on my comedy writing. I do anticipate releasing Satyr Plays 2 this month or in December. Satyr Plays is the comedic alternate universe for my Lost Atlantis series. 

There will be an eBook giveaway! So please check back later to see updates about that.

I'm currently working on the following formats for Satyr Plays 2: paperback, eBook, and audiobook. All will eventually be made available on Amazon.

Don't eat too much leftover Halloween candy!

Update to the "Books" page! (news)

Image by Midjourney

Hi there,

I just wanted to let y'all know that I have added descriptions of each series to the "Books" tab of the blog. 

https://najatau.blogspot.com/p/books.html

Dream Diary giveaway this weekend! March 16-17 PT. (news)

Hey, everybody! 

I goofed! I did not download my own books for Kindle when I was doing free Kindle giveaways. So I need to run giveaways to pick them up now.

The first and second dream diary collections are going to be free to download this Saturday and Sunday (March 16-17) from midnight to midnight, Pacific Time. 

These two books are just collections of blog posts like this one, so if you like reading my dream blog posts, you might like these "archived" posts!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SQI9ZFO

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZXNMMMQ

Surprise! My first audiobook is now available! (news)

After over a month of work, I am excited to present to you: Satyr Plays -- the audiobook!

This audiobook is 3.5 hours long, narrated by me, and is currently available on Amazon's Audible app/website for $14.95 USD (Audible sets the price).

I've been told that hearing me read adds something to my writing, so even if the book doesn't appeal to you, you can listen to the audiobook sample to see if a performance might interest you more than words on a page.

Just a warning: I thought I was done with tragedy until I played back my British accent. You've got to cut me a break on that--it's either me doing a really strange RP/Scouse/American accent mix, or nobody. 

https://www.audible.com/pd/B0CXZC3SFK/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-390413&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_390413_rh_us

Stuff your Kindle day! (news)

Image by Midjourney

Well, I hope you're settling down after Christmas like I am! I dreamed that I ate kimchi for the first time and swung from a series of Christmas trees that were like 40 ft tall.

My own eBook giveaway has just ended, but if you are a fan of the romance genre, you might want to enter "stuff your kindle day free" in Amazon's search bar to find lots of free romance eBooks--today only! (Well, I've heard that some people have their books up for a couple days before and after, but in theory, it's a one-day event.)

I've only just heard of this event, but apparently, it happens four days per year. 

Here's an interesting (huge) list of some of the books available right now: https://www.romancebookworms.com/kindle 

And here's the official Amazon page. It's organized a little bit into categories (although even within the categories, the books usually have a romance element): https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=120788079011

FREE humorous eBook from now until December 26th: SATYR PLAYS!

 

Image by Midjourney

Download yourself a little Christmas treat! SATYR PLAYS: free for the Kindle right now until midnight, 12/26/23: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQ2CH4MT

You do not have to sign up for Kindle Unlimited to download this book to your Kindle account! Ignore the "Read for Free" button and click either the "Buy Now for Free" button in the app on your phone, or click the "Buy now with 1-Click" button on your computer.

About the book:

Written like a sitcom acted out on the page, this collection of nineteen humorous short stories follows the adventures of Matt and Sandi, whose submarine from the Lost City of Atlantis has crashed. Now the pair must figure out how to make a living in New York City despite having nothing but dry wit and each other.

The dramatists of Ancient Greece had a tradition. After a long day of heavy, dramatic plays, they would bring out the comedians, dressed as satyrs, to mock and make merry with the material that came before it. These were called the satyr plays.

​​​​​​​These are the Satyr Plays of the Lost Atlantis novel series. No knowledge of the original dramatic story is necessary to enjoy this book, which marks a significant departure from the material that inspired it.

Merry Christmas, my friend! I hope you are happy and at peace this holiday season! I know it's a sad time for some, and if so, please remember that this season will pass quickly. But if you love Christmas like I do, remember also: it will pass quickly! 

SATYR PLAYS--now available as an eBook! (Giveaway from the 22nd to the 26th!)

Now available on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQ2CH4MT

I would like to present to you my first comedic book! This is a short story collection establishing a sitcom-like alternate universe to Lost Atlantis. I hope it's at least entertaining, even if the jokes don't always land.

I wasn't too concerned about whether or not anyone would read my Lost Atlantis series. I wrote that mainly for myself. But this book is different. This book is like me saying, "I want you to like me. Please!!!" I really want people to enjoy it!

I'm doing the usual eBook giveaway from 12 a.m. 12/22/23 to 11:59 p.m. 12/26/23 (Pacific Time). A lot of people prefer physical books, and I also need physical copies for in-person stuff, so those will be for sale soon too. I just have to review and approve the proof, which will probably take 1-3 weeks provided that there are no major problems. Alas, I do not have a giveaway planned for physical copies, except to a couple of free little libraries.

If you decide to read this book and you like it, please tell a friend about it and leave an honest review if you're comfortable doing that. It would really help me out! Even if you can't, thank you for reading my work!

Merry Christmas!