BLOG | Jerry Givens

Oct 2, 2017

HEROES & VICTIMS - Now Available!

The final installment of The Diluvians series, HEROES & VICTIMS, is now available in print and ebook! Get your copy today! Five-hundred years after the flood, the Oracle of Delphi is summoned to the ancient state of Attica to usher in the returned patronage of the Olympian Gods. In present-day New York City, Sean and Erin Henry make a deal with the devil to save their daughter’s life. The remaining diluvians face off with Egyptian officials to cross realms and to save their l

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Jerry Givens

Oct 26, 2016

SEVEN DEVILS - Now Available in Print!

My new 7-chapter novella, SEVEN DEVILS, is now available in PRINT!!! And the printed version include two additional stories: The Hallway and Asylum Lake. Get your copy today! Seven sins for seven brothers And a black-widow woman to bind them Locked in her cage, the bird so scorned, Sings of their sins to remind them. Set in the late nineteenth century, this seven-chapter novella follows Elizabeth Winterbourne through a bloody world of love, passion, betrayal, and sin as she s

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Choosing Compassion in Times of Suffering

Jerry Givens

Jul 25, 2016

Choosing Compassion in Times of Suffering

The last month has been fueled with acts of hate and violence happening all over the world. From deaths close to home, to attacks overseas, to military coups in Turkey, everyday we're faced with new examples of chaos and fear. Not to mention the growing uncertain political climate here in the United States. My gut reaction to the ever-growing bodycount and political unrest is to run and hide; pretending that it isn't real and live in my own limited reality of ignorance. But t

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The Secrets of SEVEN DEVILS (Spoiler Warning)

Jerry Givens

Jul 6, 2016

The Secrets of SEVEN DEVILS (Spoiler Warning)

SPOILER WARNING Do Not Read Past If You Haven’t Yet Read SEVEN DEVILS Hands down, the most fun part of writing Seven Devils was the formula by which I wrote it. Each chapter includes two parts; two separate perspectives. The first part of each chapter is written from the perspective of the character who is to be killed and the second is the point of view of the killer. Now, the first six chapters all follow the same suit: a Winterbourne brother is killed in the first part and

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The Making of SEVEN DEVILS: The Cover Art

Jerry Givens

Jul 6, 2016

The Making of SEVEN DEVILS: The Cover Art

Seven Devils challenged me to express myself as not just a writer, but also as a visual artist. I am not great at drawing. In fact, I avoid it usually, but when it came to this project, I had a clear vision of what I wanted the cover to look like and decided to pull out my colored pencils and give it a try. The first draft wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I wanted. I loved the colors and the use of the numerical “7” versus spelled out (as is the actual title), but it was vaguel

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Jerry Givens

Jun 13, 2016

The Making of SEVEN DEVILS

SEVEN DEVILS marks my first entry into historical fiction, playing out a tortured narrative in Victorian-era England and late nineteenth century India that follows the dark and twisted Lady Elizabeth Winterbourne. This story started off as a writing exercise to help prove a theory about creativity that I was testing back in 2012. The basis behind the theory is that if create a setting, filling in fine details and giving weight to the ambience, that a story would start telling

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Jerry Givens

Jun 6, 2016

SEVEN DEVILS - Now on eBooks!

My new 7-chapter novella, SEVEN DEVILS, is now available for all eBook apps and devices and it's only 99-cents! That's like 1/4 of a cup of coffee! Check it out today! Seven sins for seven brothers And a black-widow woman to bind them Locked in her cage, the bird so scorned, Sings of their sins to remind them. Set in the late nineteenth century, this seven-chapter novella follows Elizabeth Winterbourne through a bloody world of love, passion, betrayal, and sin as she seeks he

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Jerry Givens

May 6, 2016

SEVEN DEVILS coming on June 6th!

SEVEN DEVILS a novella Seven sins for seven brothers and a black-widow woman to bind them. Locked in her cage, the bird so scorned, sings of their sins to remind them. Set in the late nineteenth century, this seven-chapter novella follows Elizabeth Winterbourne through a bloody world of love, passion, betrayal, and sin as she seeks her freedom through the darkest means. I'm thrilled to announce that my new novella Seven Devils is all set for Digital Release on Monday, Jun

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"How's it going?" Inviting Genuine Communication

Jerry Givens

Mar 8, 2016

"How's it going?" Inviting Genuine Communication

A common question asked on a daily basis is “How are you?” It could show up as “what’s up?” or “how’s it going”. Normally used as a quick greeting with little impulse, the base intention is to show other people that we care about their wellbeing. Asking is innocent enough, but this simple secondary salutation can be loaded question; one that you might not want to hear the answer to or truthfully answer. The problem comes with our go-to answers: “fine”, “good”, or (my personal

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Jerry Givens

Jan 26, 2016

"Now That I Know Better, I Do Better"

"I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better." - Maya Angelou A simple statement by the late Maya Angelou that speaks volumes. Angelou was a formidable woman, who strove to better herself and evolve in each moment. This quote has inspired countless seekers to live their truths and expand beyond the limitations of their past knowledge. Earlier today, a friend sent me this quote and I was taken back to my second yoga teacher training when one of my tea

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Jerry Givens

Nov 30, 2015

The Practice of Generosity in Trust

As I move through the world, I keep an eye out for things that remind me of truth. Truth about myself. Truth about my relationships. Truth about others' perspectives. Basically anything that will help me garner just a hint more objective awareness in my life. Two weeks ago, a new talk by Brené Brown popped up on my Facebook newsfeed. You may have seen or read some of her work before, primarily her TED Talk on Vulnerability. This talk was on the "Anatomy of Trust", where she d

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"Don't Take It Personally: A Practice of Non-Violence" (Article) on Yoga International

"Discomfort vs. Danger" (Article) on Elephant Journal

Jerry Givens

Oct 24, 2015

Moving On

From June 30, 2014 About a year and a half ago, during one of those long winters we experience here in Michigan, I got my first real itch to move to a big city. Maybe it was caused by wanderlust, maybe I was bored and wished I was traveling, or maybe it was my intuition saying "Yup, it's time." Whatever the cause of this itch, it never went away, and it's only gotten stronger since. Talking with friends, teachers, and mentors, I decided to do a little traveling to see what I

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Jerry Givens

Oct 24, 2015

Project Progress: "Heroes & Victims"

From April 24, 2014 Last week I sat down and finally finished the first draft of my new novel, Heroes & Victims. Completing this draft was interesting, because I was resisting it for so long. I had the outline finished, so all I had to do was sit down and hash out the details, but I waited because I was busy with other projects. Then there came a point last week where my creative impulse wouldn't let it sit any longer, so I set aside my other projects and voila! it was done.

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Jerry Givens

Oct 24, 2015

Project Progress: The Deluge, Heroes & Victims

From June 6, 2013 Hello all, I've been pretty quiet on this site this year and I assure you it's all for good reasons. While working on my third novel, Heroes & Victims (now halfway written), I've also begun the publishing of my second novel, The Deluge, and will announce the release date very soon. There is also a disc mosaic that I have not posted yet. Heroes & Victims is coming along great. The plots are thickening, expanding, evolving, and dissolving with a sense of

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Jerry Givens

Oct 24, 2015

Music that Inspires Me: Folklore

From July 19, 2012 So, this "music that inspires me" thing is turning into a series, I'm finding. Every once in a while I find myself drawn to a musician or record and feel the need to create. As I was browsing through my music library this evening, I came across an album that I hadn't listened to in months and instantly felt drawn to it. Now, this line here -> | is where any judgement stops, okay? The album I refer to is the commercial failure Folklore by Nelly Furtado. I

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Jerry Givens

Oct 24, 2015

Aversion

From July 7, 2012 I've been procrastinating again... And by 'again', I mean that this doesn't just happen every once in a great while, but like all the time. I'm referring to the process of writing my book. I've used excuses to justify my lack of productivity, like "I'm waiting for inspiration" or "I'll work on it when I have more time." The truth of the matter is that I am inspired and I have ample time, so what is it that is causing this aversion to the work that I hones

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Jerry Givens

Oct 24, 2015

Project Progress: The Deluge, EIA3, and the Series Title

From May 16, 2012 My apologies for the radio silence this month. Aside from traveling a little, I've been busy in my writing world, so this post will be a "catch up" on what that currently looks like. First, I've finished editing The Deluge (again). Those of you who have followed the progress of this editing process know that it was a tough one that took several months to complete. At one point I almost decided to rewrite the entire second half of the book (which I thankfu

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Jerry Givens

Oct 24, 2015

The Rainforest Mystery Tour 1-6

PART 1 From March 12, 2012 Welcome to the Rain Forest Mystery Tour...my adventures in Costa Rica 2012! I saw this sign at the retreat center we stayed at and thought it was the perfect title of this adventure. Now, where do I begin? Well, I just finished up my yoga retreat in Costa Rica. Though I cannot even begin to find words to describe the time I've had, I can give you some insight into what went on. Of course there was a ton of adventure, as well as self-inquiry. Costa R

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