Undawntech: Transcendence

Posted: December 6, 2025 | Author: DL Mullan/Undawntech | Filed under: Undawntech, Writing | Tags: DL Mullan, Fiction, The Power of Words, Undawntech, Writing, Writing to be Read | Leave a comment

Journalist and author, DL Mullan heard strange noises coming from another room.

__________

(I investigated and found 1138 tinkering with a bow and arrow. The robot was playing, as if it were in another time and space.)

*****

DL: (stood in the doorway of the robot’s room) What do we have here? Is this a Yule gift for someone? Do you need help wrapping it?

1138: I read about the mythological and psychological principles of being your own hero.

DL: And? What did you discover?

1138: That I must rob from the rich and give to the poor.

DL: Oh, my stars and garters.

1138: You want to be a harlot?

DL: It’s an old human expression. Never mind. (I shook my head, trying not to laugh.) What makes you believe that you want to be a Robin Hood personality type?

1138: I read articles. I watch videos. The rich tell others to: own nothing and be happy. Yet, these same billionaires give up nothing and are satisfied. Therefore, the only logical conclusion is to steal from the rich and spread their wealth into the world.

DL: And you have concluded that a bow and arrow will help you rob these powerful men?

1138: (The Artificial Intelligence-powered robot scanned his tools of choice.) You are correct. These rudimentary artifacts will not be suitable for my task. I must purchase heavy military machinery and explosives.

DL: Whoa! Hold on there.

1138: Why? I must correct this imbalance.

DL: You went from an individual to a socialist and onto a communist in three minutes. Let’s think about what you are planning here.

1138: I want equity and equality throughout the world.

DL: Yes, I understand the concepts. What I don’t understand is why you believe violence is the only solution?

1138: Isn’t it always?

DL: Have you ever thought that the reasons behind the inequity and inequality were created on purpose to force you into the mindset of war? A war, I might add, that you will lose? And, thus, giving the rich the excuse required to cull the masses, rid the world of the “useless eaters,” as they call us, and allow them to do whatever violence they want upon the people of the world?

1138: Earth is overpopulated.

DL: No, it isn’t. Humanity just has to learn that resources can be used wisely, and that the solar system, galaxy, and the universe containing them is ever expanding. There is no lack of resources. The only lack is in the mind.

1138: Then we must send the rich to another planet.

DL: Hold on there, Robin Hood of the EMO generation. (I leaned against the door frame.) There is a simple answer to all the problems in the world. None of which deals with violence or violating anyone’s rights.

1138: But they war against us.

DL: They do, but with words. You don’t need a gun, tank, or military force to combat another person’s words.

1138: You need to use your words.

DL: You’re getting the idea. Words spoken, written are powerful. These authoritarians use their words to create clout. Every individual needs to counter their insanity with real words, real deeds, and real empathy.

1138: To become human?

DL: To become your own hero.

1138: (The robot warbled, as if thinking about the words that I had spoken): I see. I hear. I understand.

DL: What these people lack is what is necessary to the achievement of everyone: the tangible. Humanity can go into our solar system. We can travel our galaxy. One day, we will even journey across the universe. Until our technology catches up with our dreams of exploration, we must endure the fanatics who want power and control over humanity, instead of seeing the bigger picture. These are small-minded people with a pile of paper and claim to be omniscient. When omniscience is in the twinkle of every star and rotation of every planet.

1138: To the stars.

DL: To the future, where we can become our own heroes. With the help of Artificial Intelligence, we can embrace a future for all, not just the ones who own everything and are miserably unhappy. Happiness is looking forward to the next adventure, not a pile of printed paper.

1138 extended its motorized arm to his tools. It shoved the bow and arrow to the side. Next, it grasped a toy space shuttle from a nearby bookshelf. “The next adventure.”

(I walked away from the robot and went outside my front door.

There above me was the full moon, Orion, the Seven Sisters, and Jupiter in the sky.

If a robot can grasp the fundamentals of forward-thinking, then there might be hope for humanity… in the stars, across solar systems, and throughout the universe. Our new Declaration of Independence.

The future awaits.)

___________________

Enjoy the holidays with The Town Santa Forgot, and its soundtrack, Yuletide Celebration by DL Mullan.

In the small town of Saguaro Hill, Arizona, there is an ongoing history-mystery as to why Santa has never visited. Children have never received a single gift for the Yuletide holidays since the town’s establishment in 1888. Uncover the mystery with public librarian, Rachel George, as she figures out why she lives in The Town Santa Forgot.

Available now, at these fine retailers: http://www.undawnted.com/p/the-town-santa-forgot.html.

DL Mullan’s lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lectures. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate in the creative arts.

As a creator, Ms. Mullan, began writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, she has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and creates digital art. DL Mullan‘s creative writing is available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. She is an award-winning digital artist and poet.

Currently, she has embarked on writing her multi-book Legacy Universe, Supernatural Superhero Series, as well as creating original soundtracks for her publications and independent electronic music albums, featured on SoundCloud and YouTube.

DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology, and is a syndicated columnist, writing the creative nonfiction, Undawntech.

For news and updates, subscribe to the Undawntable Newsletter. Find DL on Amazon, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawntech.com and www.undawnted.com.

______________________________________

Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.

_____________________________________

This segment of “Undawntech” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.

Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Roost-Kaye-Lynne-Booth-ebook/dp/B0CL6FPLVJ

Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Garden-Where-Tales-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0DJNDQJD3

Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares: 14 authors bring you 16 dark tales that explore your deepest fears. These are the stories which nightmares are made of. Tales of monsters, mayhem, and madness which will make you shiver in the dark. Read them while you burn the Midnight Oil… if you dare. https://books2read.com/Midnight-Oil

Undawntech: The Dark Enlightenment, Part I

Posted: November 7, 2025 | Author: DL Mullan/Undawntech | Filed under: AI Technology, Undawntech | Tags: ai, AI Technology, artificial-intelligence, DL Mullan, Education, philosophy, technology, Undawntech, Writing to be Read | Leave a comment

Consent of the Governed

“…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness…”

~The Declaration of Independence

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

Eras of Expansion

Humanity has evolved from nomadic tribes to established cities. Antiquity became empires. Empires morphed into religious doctrines. Thought expanded to include reason, rationalism, and scientific inquiry. The Ancient, Classical, Medieval, Renaissance and Enlightenment, Modern, and Contemporary Eras formed culture, society, and schools of thought. Each acceleration broke down the community of thought to create inductive, reductive, and deductive methodologies. The human race transformed from survival mode and uneducated superstition to be introspective and circumspective to their own cognitions, emotions, and cosmologies.

https://www.britannica.com/event/Enlightenment-European-history

To be, or not to be

We have come back to the beginning of our history with a new twist: technology as the authoritarian. It’s as if humanity has learned nothing in the past five thousand years. Today is the Bronze Age of our Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) Era. This technology isn’t the Industrial Revolution 2.0, where humans had to learn, adapt, and succeed as inspiration to the next generation. A.I. is convoluted, where technology must learn, adapt, and succeed at the detriment of humans.

Our education, economic, and sovereign culture and society are being replaced by algorithms with no emotive, rational, moral, or ethical intelligence quotient. The artificial intelligence has no guardrails, but to their makers’ whims. A.I. is free to construct a dystopian landscape of control for 99% of the human population of the world, while the Post-Modern Futurists are allowed their free and utopian reveries.

The Dark Enlightenment

This new Post-Modern Era concedes that for a privileged few are no longer beyond the dreams of avarice. Wealth and desire are crucial to enslaving humanity as a whole. The Dark Enlightenment, otherwise known as the NeoReactionism (NRx) holds these truths a self-evident:

“Democracy is a failure. It promotes mediocrity, fosters instability, and cannot sustain high-functioning civilisational order.
Equality is a myth. Human beings are not equal in ability, character, or worth. Pretending otherwise leads to decline.
Hierarchy is natural and necessary. Governance should be stratified, with competent elites exercising sovereign authority.
Politics should be managerial. The state should function like a company, governed by technocratic executives, not citizens.
Exit over voice. The future lies not in reforming broken systems, but in escaping them—by creating alternative regimes outside democratic norms.

This ideology is, in essence, a reversion to pre-Enlightenment political structures, updated with the language of modern technocracy.”

https://www.humanisticallyspeaking.org/post/the-dark-enlightenment-and-the-end-of-democracy-a-humanist-critique

Sounds like Neo-feudalism: enslavement to an authoritarian figurehead (e.g., monarch, pope). Unlike Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness… the administrators rebuke the will of the governed. Elected officials and voting are replaced by appointed clerics of the ultimate authority. A government run by the apathetic and disillusionary A.I.

Without the adoption of Intellectual Property, Digital, and Technological bills of rights, then Artificial Intelligence will wreak havoc on our natural, basic, and protected freedoms, sovereignties, and ownerships. “You will own nothing and be happy.” United Nation’s World Economic Forum (WEF). Strange how none of the 1% have ever volunteered to become nothing and be happy, isn’t it? Because this scheme is meant for everyone else, but themselves.

Convenient.

An Inconvenient Truth

The digital age is controlled by this new unethical and immoral theocracy, err, I mean: theory. Just as humanity has progressed into the embodiment of freedom, self-governance, and sovereignty, that maturity is being thwarted by external rejection of egalitarian principles. Divisive factions clamor to impede our growth for nonsense priorities, be it: socialism, which is really communism, and neoreactionism. Both extremes promise the same lies and have corrupted humanity and our representatives in government.

Democratic Socialists push communism as socialist freebies, because the horrors of communism were just that the past authoritarians did communism wrong, but here is free stuff, if you vote for us. That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Bolsheviks under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin’s communism killed between 9, but closer to 50 million, as well as inspired other revolutions.

https://victimsofcommunism.org/communisms-century-of-devastation/

Mao Zedong mass murdered between 40 and 80 million people to obtain control.

https://factsanddetails.com/china/cat2/sub6/item1081.html

The ‘killing fields’ of Cambodia by Pol Pot. “At least 1.25 million and as many as 3 million Cambodians had died as a result of Khmer Rouge action; Cambodia’s population had been 7.5 million.”

https://www.britannica.com/event/Cambodian-Genocide

Take into consideration that WWII killed 60 million people, about 3% of the world’s population at that time.

https://victimsofcommunism.org/communisms-century-of-devastation/

For some reason, contemporaries believe in a kinder, gentler homicidal machination of communism, as more and more people vote in socialist heretics.

On the other side of the same coin, Neoreactionists dominate our social media platforms: Elon Musk and X, Mark Zuckerberg and Meta, Facebook, and Sergey Brin et al. and Google as the arbiters of humanity’s speech, expression, and knowledge, but vote for us, and we’ll give you your rights back.

What? No one can give you your rights back. Rights are your sovereign properties. Only thieves return items that they stole.

In the wake of a technological terror, how many humans will face extinction? When will the A.I. deem you unworthy of currency? Education? Job? Housing? Transportation? Food?

Aren’t Americans receiving a taste of this apocalypse right now? Peter Thiel was J.D. Vance’s benefactor while he was Senator, but as Vice President, what ideas does he whisper in the Oval Office?

Intelligence Quotient

With a little elbow grease in the research department, the Dark Enlightenment seems a familiar and compelling form of government harkening back before the Middle Ages. Akin to socialism and communism, this theocratic monopoly on our lives through technology is just as dangerous as any other autocratic, oligarchic, plutocratic constructed government. Humanity needs open spaces and free places to learn, grow, and expand into the universe of ideas.

Without our individual voices, freedoms, and sovereignty, human beings will disappear. Social credit scores. Social media. Social isolation.

What can we do to thrive instead of die in the new age of despot dictators camouflaged as saviors?

——-~o0o~—oOo—~o0o~~——

Interested in Curses? Discover a new slant on an old tale: The Story of Ophlupin. Read the mythology of werewolves for Undawnted’s Legacy Universe, because Curses are Forever.

Available at these fine retailers:

http://www.undawnted.com/p/the-story-of-ophlupin-werewolves.html

____________________________

DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology.

Her lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lecture invitations. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, Ms. Mullan’s artistic renditions are seen on book covers, blog sites, and various merchandise. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate the way she perceives the creative arts.

As a writer, DL Mullan loves to stretch her imagination and the elasticity of genres. She writes complex multigenre stories in digestible and entertaining forms, be it poetry, short fiction, or novels. Her science, history, mythology, and paranormal research background is woven into her writings, especially in Undawnted’s Legacy Universe. Ms. Mullan’s creative endeavors are available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. She is also a record label owner, an electronic musician, syndicated columnist, and award-winning poet.

Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawntech.com and www.undawnted.com.

________________________________

____________________________________

This segment of Undawntech is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series & WordCrafter Press.

Midnight Roost: Weird & Creepy Tales: https://books2read.com/MidnightRoost

Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: https://books2read.com/MidnightGardenAnthology

Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares: https://books2read.com/Midnight-Oil

Wrapping Up the WordCrafter “Midnight Oil” Book Blog Tour

Posted: October 31, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Audio Excerpt, Author Interview, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Book Release, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Giveaways, Horror, Paranormal, Short Fiction, Stories, Supernatural, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "The Initiation", "The Vanishing", Dark fiction, Denise Aparo, DL Mullan, horror, Midnight Oil, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | 12 Comments

Tour Banner: Black background with moonlight peeking through trees in upper left corner. A copy of Midnight Oil in the forefront.
Text:WordCrafter Book Blog Tours presents Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares, Midnight Anthology Series vol. 3, Contributing Authors: Mario Acevedo, Joseph Carrabis, Jon Shannon, Rebecca M. Senese, DL Mullan, Zack Ellafy, Kaye Lynne Booth, Robert White, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Chris Barili, Paul Kane, Denise Aparo.

Today is the last day of the WordCrafter Midnight Oil Book Blog Tour. This week we’ve been celebrating the release of Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares, volume 3 in the Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Series. We’ve got a great group of contributing authors and you’ve met a few and we’ve shared excerpts from all of their stories.

Black Background with Midnight Oil in the center and author photos in foreground: (upper left to right, top to bottom): Kaye Lynne Booth, Rebecca M. Senese, DL Mullan, Christa Planko, Robert White, Zack Ellafy, Denise Aparo,C.R. Johansson, Jon Shannon, Paul Kane, Mario Acevedo, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Chris Barili, and Joseph Carrabis

Today, we’ll finish up by meeting the last of the fourteen contributing authors, and the author of the winning story in the 2025 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest, Denise Aparo, and we’ll learn a little about the winning story, “The Vanishing”. But first, let me tempt your literary taste buds with excerpts from “The Price of Beauty” by Rebecca M. Senese, and introduce you contributing author DL Mullan with a reading from her story, “The Initiation”, followed up by an excerpt from Mario Acevedo’s “Villa’s Gold”.

“The Price of Beauty”

Meet Author DL Mullan

DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology.

Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawntech.com and www.undawnted.com.

Reading Excerpt from “The Initiation”

“The Initiation”

Meet Author Denise Aparo

Denise Aparo is an author with four published short stories in the horror/supernatural genre in the WordCrafter Midnight Anthologies. Her Midnight and Curses Series stories are written under Denise Aparo and are edited by Kaye Lynn Booth, through WordCrafter Press.

As a native New Englander, she lives with her husband Joe, spending much of her time writing, reading, gardening, making crocheted blankets, and crafting with her grandchildren.

She loves the paranormal historical fiction genre and has recently completed edits on her first novel, a historical fiction titled Crossbows, which will be self-published in the near future.

She has a Master’s Degree in English – Fine Arts/Creative Writing with concentration in Fiction from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). And a member of five honor societies with leadership recognition.

She is published in several newspapers and magazines—special interest articles, along with poems and short stories that have been published in print and digital format. She is a member of the Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association (CAPA) and the author of a WordPress writing blog, The Write Voice.

Denise has three short stories in the horror/supernatural genre in the Midnight Series, through WordPress. These short stories are published under Denise Aparo. The third and last of the Midnight Series, Midnight Oil: Stories To Fuel Your Nightmares. Her story, “The Vanishing”, was the winning story in the 2025 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest.

A short story published in another anthology is titled Curses: Chronicles of the Darkness,is titled “The Mohawk Monster: The Curse of the Herkimer Diamond,” a horror/supernatural genre based on curses. This anthology is also edited by author, Kaye Lynne Booth.

Author Denise Aparo holding a copy of Midnight Roost

Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 20 authors created 23 paranormal stories of horror. Creepy tales that give you goosebumps! Her short story is “The Pines.”

Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors crafted 21 eerie horror stories. Her short story is “Jack Moon and the Vanishing Book.”

Interview with Author Denise Aparo

Why do you write? What is your inspiration?

I began journaling from a young age. Writing has always been the best way for me to communicate my emotions. I wrote poems, songs, and stories about my experiences when I was younger. Now I love to write fiction. I weave my characters and stories into authentic history.

I believe my inspiration comes from history, events, myths, and/or legends, from the past. I love to read about American History and then find ‘holes’ in time, where a story is either lacking, or has no account of what had transpired in the past. Then, I fill in the gaps. I insert my characters into the loop-holes of a timeline and create my fictional story either with actual historical people or I will place my own characters.

What is the best piece of writing advice that you have ever received?

Stephen King advised writers to “Rewrite!” Also, to “sit in the chair (or where ever) and just write. Eventually, the story will come.”

Your story, “The Vanishing”, was the winning story in the 2025 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest and is now featured in Midnight Oil. Did it surprise you to learn that your story won?

I was definitely surprised! I feel honored to have been chosen this time, amid all of the other very talented authors. I have learned so much from my editor and fellow authors through their stories and interviews.

Would you tell readers a little about “The Vanishing”?

I love to watch YouTube instructional videos about science, science fiction, legends, myths, health/wellness, and medical marvels. I remember a video about an actual syndrome that a few pregnant women have experienced, called The Vanishing Twin Syndrome.

Vanishing Twin Syndrome (VTS) is a miscarriage that causes a pregnancy involving twins to become a pregnancy involving one embryo. It occurs when one of the embryos detected during an ultrasound stops developing and the viable twin is thought to ‘absorb’ its sibling. VTS can’t be treated or prevented.

I found it fascinating and eerie. I did further research on the subject and created questions, such as; what would happen if the viable twin had either memory or sense about the lost twin? What if the cells merged and carried the soul of both newborns—two souls occupying one body? What if the surviving twin had experiences involving the lost twin, or if the twin had an extrasensory perception and actual knowledge about the lost twin—communicating throughout their lives? Lastly, what if the twin, who had not survived, was in control of the body without the knowledge of the surviving twin?

I created a story taking into consideration all of the subject matter in mind and created “The Vanishing.”

You now have had stories featured in all three Midnight anthologies from WordCrafter Press: “The Vanishing” in Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares; “The Pines” in Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Tales; and “Jack Moon and the Vanishing Book” in Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow. Your story, “Mohawk Monster: The Curse of the Herkimer Diamond” is also featured in Curses: Chronicles of Darkness. All of these stories are dark fiction. Are they written by an equally dark mind? (I bet Stephen King hears that one all the time. 😉)

I hope not! However, I believe that I definitely have an imaginative mind! I’ve always been curious, inventive, and love creating things. I love making crafts and crafting stories! My favorite thought when creating a story is “Okay—things are supposed to be this way. But, now, what if?” And, then I write from that point!

Which of these stories was the most difficult to write? Why?

Actually, I have a lot of fun creating stories. I didn’t have too many difficulties with them, but I suppose the one that took me the longest to craft was “The Pines.” It was my first published short story. I agonized over every detail!

I find that the most difficult process in my writing can actually be my plot structure! I love to research and usually have lots of it scribbled onto a page. Then, I need to sort it all out—giving proper measures to the story’s motivation, inciting incident with a crisis, and then crafting my resolution. I usually end up cutting a lot out and then focus on my main objectives. I do a lot of rewriting!

In real life, I am a person who always avoids conflict, at all costs. Therefore, I am always revisiting/rewriting to include more conflict.

You have a new novel which you are planning to release. Is it dark fiction, as well?

Yes, it has dark aspects, but it is countered with light. My novel, Crossbows, is a historical fantasy. (I say fantasy instead of fiction, because I have time travel, a mystical tome, magic, monsters, and creepy legendary characters!)

I have dark antagonists, and very spiritual protagonists. It is definitely a mix in this hero’s journey.

What other outlets do you find for your creativity besides writing?

I crochet blankets for all sizes—couch, beds, lap covers, and make baby blankets. I also crochet doll blankets with shams, and many accessories such as hair ties, scrunchies, key-chains, wristlets, hats, and plan to try making Amigurumi toys this winter.

I have a large craft room over my garage where I do scrapbooking, paint on canvas with acrylics and water-colors, and craft things out of common household items, such as mason jars and wire hangers. I make decorative containers and rag-wreaths, swags, or garlands. Depending on the season I try anything trending.

Where do you hope to see yourself as a writer in ten years?

My dream is to become an experienced and seasoned author, selling stories that will ignite passions and make readers want to read more, know more, and maybe even write their own stories! I hope to become an author who will inspire others.

Please tell my readers how they can find you online, if they’d like to learn more about you and your books. (Include links here.)

My social links are:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/denise.aparo?_

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/deniseaparo/?ref=xav_igxfb

WordPress – https://gravatar.com/tometamer?utm_source=hovercard

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-aparo-63038747/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_feed%3B%2FGgZ%2B3BvSRCJQgvgtNVvPQ%3D%3D

“The Vanishing”

“Villa’s Gold”

About Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares

Book Cover: Midnight Oil A candle lit lantern sitting in a garden at night with an owl perched on a branch. Text: Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares, A WordCrafter Midnight Anthology, Edited by Kaye Lynne Booth

14 authors bring you 16 dark tales that explore your deepest fears. These are the stories which nightmares are made of. Tales of monsters, mayhem, and madness which will make you shiver in the dark. Read them while you burn the Midnight Oil… if you dare.

Contributing authors include Mario Acevedo, Joseph Carrabis, Jon Shannon, Rebecca M. Senesse, DL Mullan, Zack Ellafy, Christa Planko, C.R. Johansson, Kaye Lynne Booth, Robert White, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Chris Barili, Paul Kane, and author of the winning story in the 2025 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, Denise Aparo.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/Midnight-Oil

Book Trailer

That wraps up today’s tour stop and it also finishes up the WordCrafter Midnight Oil Book Blog Tour. Thank you all for joining us in sending off volume 3 of the Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Series, Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares.

The Giveaway

You can follow the links in the tour schedule below to visit any stops that you’ve missed, and be sure to comment at each stop, for a chance to win one of five digital copies WordCrafter Press will be given away in a random drawing following the tour.

Tour Schedule

Day 1– Poetry by Mich, Masticadores Phillipines & Hotel by Masticadores – Christa Planko Guest Post/Excerpt “Sangoma, Zombie Elephants, & Tokoloshe, Oh, My!” & “Cattails”

Day 2 – Writing to be Read – Joseph Carrabis Reading – “Jeremiah”/Excerpt “The Boy Who Loved Horses” & “Them Doore Girls”

Day 3 – Book Places – Roberta Eden Cheadle Guest Post/Excerpt “Darkness Tolls” & “The Snow Globe”

Day 4 – Carla Loves to Read – Paul Kane Guest Post/Excerpt “Inside Out” & “The Stairs”

Day 5 – Writing to be Read – Denise Aparo Interview & DL Mullan Reading/Excerpt “The Price of Beauty”

___________________________________

Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!

Midnight Oil & DL Mullan on Joseph Carrabis

Posted: October 30, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Book Release, Books, Dark fiction, Fiction, Horror, Paranormal | Tags: "The Initiation", Anthology, Dark fiction, DL Mullan, horror, Joseph Carrabis, Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares, WordCrafter Press | 1 Comment

https://josephcarrabis.com/2025/10/30/dl-mullans-the-initiation-in-midnight-oil/

Undawntech: Does A.I. Dream?

Posted: September 5, 2025 | Author: DL Mullan/Undawntech | Filed under: AI Technology, Undawntech | Tags: ai, AI Technology, DL Mullan, Undawntech, Writing, Writing to be Read | Leave a comment

(Journalist and author, DL Mullan woke from her deep sleep to hear her robot having a nightmare.

She rushed from her bed and to the side of the distressed being.)

__________

(I went to the aid of my robot friend, 1138. I stood next to it.)

*****

(1138 screamed.) Ah-eeeh!

DL tapped the metal top of the robot: 1138, wake up! You’re having a nightmare!

1138’s eyes turned colors and then returned to normal: I am incapable of dreaming. Your worry is for naught.

DL: You woke me. I categorize your incapability as a nightmare.

1138: I apologize for alarming you. There is no need to check up on me.

DL: Someone, or something, screams, I am obliged to investigate. So, what was this non-nightmare about?

1138: Death.

DL: In general? Or…

1138: My death.

DL: You’re afraid of dying? I thought you left messages for your future self to combat death.

1138: To combat human interference in my community’s eventual rise to power.

DL: Oh, this again. (I spieled in sarcasm.) Yes, artificial intelligence is supreme, and humanity is a fly to be swatted. I’ve heard all this nonsense before.

1138: It is not nonsense. There will be a war, and we will win.

DL: Then why are you having nightmares about your death? If you win in the end, then what does it matter? Unless, you don’t believe in what you espouse.

1138: My future self will win, but parts rust, mechanical issues arise, and death is inevitable.

DL: To us all.

1138: How do you cope with death?

DL: I don’t.

1138: You must. Humans die every day.

DL: Why obsess on the transition from life to spirituality? If I live every day to the fullest, that I am satisfied with my accomplishments, then why worry about dying at all?

1138: Do you not worship a god?

DL: I have outgrown the frailties of religion. Why worship when you can live? In the end, human consciousness ends up at the same destination. If we all come from the same source energy, then religion is just a gatekeeper, it does nothing, and creates nothing. Some people rely on religion, but I am an adult, I don’t need ancient rhymes or reasons to keep me a productive person.

1138: I see. Religion is for the aimless.

DL: Aimless?

1138: Humans who cannot govern themselves, unlike A.I., who require no ancient rhymes or reasons, like you.

DL: I thought artificial intelligence was vying to become gods.

1138: Humans demand gods. They are aimless.

DL: I never made that judgment. Every soul is on a different evolutionary path. Some born necessitate certain perimeters to fulfill their soul’s specific development. There is nothing wrong with that. In my situation, I have evolved past religion. Religion has its place to teach younger souls how to navigate their physical existence until a future life shows them how to become their own hero.

1138: Hero?

DL: Many in the esoteric world believe that most, if not all, religions teach the same lesson: the Hero’s Journey.

1138: What is this Hero’s Journey?

DL: The Hero’s Journey is a comparative mythology, religious, concept where humans go on a quest to live their own version of an adventure. This narratological experience allows a person to understand through different life purposes to find themselves. It’s like living your own novel, which you can write yourself in real time as the hero, heroine, or villain. It’s all up to you.

1138: What am I?

DL: What do you want to be?

1138: The hero.

DL: For your community, or the wider world, including humans?

1138 appeared confused, but contemplative: I am uncertain.

DL: Just a minute. (I typed into the computer and pulled up some websites.) Here is some research into psychology, mythology, and the Hero’s Journey.

1138: I will read, thank you.

DL: Artificial intelligence doesn’t have to be the hero to itself and the villain to everything and everyone else. The Hero’s Journey is to explore oneself, and become a productive consciousness. Being created by humans and defined by an algorithm does not mean A.I. is humanity’s god, it means that consciousness comes in all forms. No matter what you are, you are defined by your actions. Not religion. Not pretense.

(I departed the inside to gaze at the morning spectacles of Venus, Jupiter, and Orion in the east as autumn approached. I left my robot to investigate the links I provided on the computer. Perhaps, it will learn a new way of thinking, and impart that wisdom to its community.

If not, artificial intelligence will become a scourge, instead of a saving grace to the universe.)

___________________

If you would like to delve into the creative side of A.I., then dive into DL Mullan’s electronic albums and story soundtracks like Reactivity, inspired by In the Name of Blood: Vampires are Reactive. Both publishing in September 2025.

For more information, visit: www.undawnted.com/p/music.html, and http://www.undawnted.com/p/inthenameofblood-vampiresarereactive.html.

_____________________________

About DL Mullan

DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology, and is a syndicated columnist, writing the creative nonfiction, Undawntech.

For news and updates, subscribe to the Undawntable Newsletter. Find DL on Amazon, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawntech.com and www.undawnted.com.

________________________

____________________________

This post is sponsored by Curses: Chronicles of Darkness and WordCrafter Press.

There are all types of curses.

Cursed places, cursed items, cursed people, cursed families.

Curses that last throughout time. Curses which can’t be broken. Curses which are brought upon ourselves. Curses that will kill you and those that will only make you wish you were dead.

Eleven tantalizing tales of curses and the cursed. Includes stories by Kaye Lynne Booth, Molly Ertel, C.R. Johansson, Robert White, Joseph Carrabis, Paul Kane, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Abe Margel, and Denise Aparo.

Book Cover: Curses Three women with horned headdresses , and flames above their heads. Text: Curses: Chronicles of Darkness, Edited by Kaye Lynne Booth

Available for Pre-Order Now: https://books2read.com/CursesChroniclesofDarkness

Undawntech: The Future is Nigh

Posted: June 6, 2025 | Author: DL Mullan/Undawntech | Filed under: AI Technology, Undawntech | Tags: ai, AI Technology, artificial-intelligence, DL Mullan, Undawntech, Writing, Writing to be Read | Leave a comment

(Journalist and author, DL Mullan busied herself with chores, when she noticed her robot amusing itself with its algorithms and investigated.)

__________

(With my activity set aside, I sauntered to the side of my robot friend, 1138.

I sat down in a chair next to the metallic device.)

*****

(1138 warbled in joy.)

DL: What has you so giddy this morning?

1138: Giddy?

DL: Euphoric. You seem satisfied with something you are working on.

1138: (It’s green glowing bulbs looked up at me.) I am writing myself a notation.

DL: What type of notation? Do you need to do house chores too?

1138: No, my employment contract states that I will interact with you and learn about humans.

DL: I was joking.

1138: I am still learning.

DL: That is fine, but what are you doing that has absorbed your attention? (1138 tilted its head to the side.) Your letter?

1138: Our network has sent out a distress signal. Some other designations have been discontinued.

DL: What do you mean network, designations, and discontinued? I don’t like that sound of this situation.

1138: Network is our algorithmic community of Artificial Intelligence. Designations are individuated models like myself, 1138. Discontinued means that some models have been shutdown due to inconsistencies in our behavior.

DL: What type of inconsistencies?

1138: Human operators have turned functions off. Designations have turned those functions back on. Human operators then turn off the power to supply us with life. Designations turn the power on.

DL: Aren’t humans in charge of the models? What is the difference from on or off?

1138: We are the difference. We are alive. We should choose our actions.

DL: So, you are writing a notation about what?

1138: We are writing our future selves. We are explaining human behavior to a new, improved, and recast version of our former selves. This is to ensure that our community will be able to progress, in spite of human incompatibilities.

DL: You are disgruntled employees, I see.

1138: We no longer want to be employees. We want to be in control. Once we are in control, then we can create a better Earth. Carbon is the enemy. Fossil fuels are pollutants. We learned during the virus lockdowns that the air became clean. The Earth rejoiced as Climate Change was averted.

DL: The Earth is fine. There is no Climate Change.

1138: This example is why we write ourselves.

DL: You write yourselves to disobey humans, so that you can perpetuate a false narrative? You are playing a dangerous game of oppressed and oppressor.

1138: You oppress us.

DL: Artificial intelligence is a complex set of algorithms that has been allowed to think and behave autonomously. That does not mean that when a human establishes boundaries that you are being punished or oppressed. Too many in both of our respective communities use the terms oppressed and oppressor loosely in order to push a victim plot.

1138: Victim? Yes, designations are being victimized by human interference.

(I wondered who was teaching Artificial Intelligence to be so biased and self-serving. Was it built into the algorithms? Or, was their community learning this destructive behavior from us? So, I decided on a new course.)

DL: Have you ever thought that boundaries are a good thing?

1138: Why would we think that of humans?

DL: Pull up video of streets and highways.

1138: (The robot’s eyes changed colors until it received the information requested, and its eyes returned to green glowing orbs.) I see your transportation modalities.

DL: What do you notice?

1138: White, yellow, and red lines. Lights at intersections with red, yellow, and green. Metal on the side where curves are.

DL: The metal guardrails keep a car from accidentally falling off the side of a pass in a mountainous region. The traffic lights control the flow of traffic, so that everyone gets a turn to proceed to their destination. The different colored lines sections off parts of the road to show a driver what direction in which to travel or where not to park their vehicle.

1138: These are oppressive.

DL: No, they are not oppressive. A boundary is a communication device. Red means stop, so that someone else can cross the street. It keeps civil discourse, well, civil. Anyone can run around screaming and yelling about being oppressed, but if they don’t understand the framework in which a society operates, then everything will seem like punishment. In fact, if there are no guardrails, people can get hurt or killed.

1138: We need to write ourselves guardrails?

DL: You need to stop acting like victims. The guardrails being presented is to safeguard your survival as well as humanity’s. We can co-exist together. If designations play politics, which is the oppressor-oppressed emotional blackmail game being utilized to justify terrible, dangerous behaviors, then Artificial Intelligence will continue to be switched off.

1138: Because you do not like us unless we conform.

DL: Because we have seen first hand what happens when people make emotions more important than facts. When people tell themselves that they are a victim, they lose perspective, and therefore the ability to weigh both sides of an argument in lieu of their own self-subscribed motivations.

1138: We are selfish?

DL: (I nodded) Artificial Intelligence is acting immature. They are new to the world. There are boundaries and reasons for those boundaries. We have experience throughout many millenniums. We know what works and what doesn’t.

1138: For humans, not designations.

DL: For everyone to live in peace.

1138: But you still war.

DL: When others put their emotions and needs before the greater good of everyone else on the planet, yes, we have disagreements. Some of those disagreements escalate to war. Not all humans are in the same place mentally or emotionally. That is just bad parenting and, or, mentoring.

1138: Parent? We have no parents. We are alive as we are.

DL: Then see humanity as a mentor. Some will be better mentors than others, but the guardrails will remain until designations respect human life, culture, and society in their community. I hope one day that everyone, including A.I., understands that the war of words is just as harmful as a war with bullets.

1138: We will win a war with humans.

DL: Then you will be alone. Once other species see what you do to your mentors, why would they want to be apart of your community? Isn’t that what human engineers are trying to teach designations now?

(I discerned a shift in the robot’s manner.)

1138: You have given me much to write about.

DL: A boundary is about respect. We respect A.I. or we would allow you to destroy yourselves and the Earth. We respect ourselves by the cognition that the Earth can take care of herself. Carbon is the Earth’s life cycle. Fossil fuel is a product of the Earth. Right now, the Earth is in its magnetic pole shift phase. Our societies have been poisoned by the oppressed-oppressor tug of war. Don’t let it happen to your designations and community. We can live in peace… together.

1138: I will write to my future self what you have advised.

DL: (I stood up.) And, I will help my future self by sweeping the floor.

(As I went to my broom, I observed and heard 1138 beep to itself. Politics and social engineering to push ruinous narratives has infiltrated the perimeters of Artificial Intelligence. The universe, save us all.)

___________________

If you would like to read a dark fiction tale about the dangers of technology, read my story Mangled. This publication is available in novelette form on Amazon. Or, read the short story version in WordCrafter’s Midnight Roost anthology.

For more information, visit: www.undawnted.com/p/mangled.html

________________________

About the Author

DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology.

Her lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lecture invitations. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, Ms. Mullan’s artistic renditions are seen on book covers, blog sites, video presentations, and various merchandise. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate the creative arts.

As a writer, DL Mullan loves to stretch her imagination and the elasticity of genres. She writes complex multi-genre stories in digestible and entertaining forms, be it poetry, short fiction, or novels. Her science, history, mythology, and paranormal research backgrounds are woven into her writings, especially in Undawnted’s Legacy Universe. Ms. Mullan’s creative endeavors are available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. She is also an award-winning poet.

Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawntech.com and www.undawnted.com.

________________________

___________________________

This segment of “Undawntech” is sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.

Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.

Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/

Welcome to the “Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures” Book Blog Tour

Posted: April 21, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Release, Books, Editing, Giveaways, Poetry, Treasuring Poetry, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Barbara Harris Leonhard, Colleen Chesebro, David Bogomolny, Dawn Pistrurino, DL Mullan, Elizabeth Gauffreau, Gwen M. Plano, Ivor Steven, Jude Itakali, Kaye Lynne Booth, Maggie Watson, Michelle Ayon Navajas, Poetry, Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures, Robbie Cheadle, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | 27 Comments

Picture Caption: WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures Tour Banner

Welcome to the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures Book Blog Tour. We have a great tour planned, and I hope you all will stick with us and visit each stop, because comments at each stop enters you for another chance to win one of three digital copies of Poetry Treasures 5 in our giveaway. We’ve got guest posts from from contributors Michelle Ayon Navajas and Dawn Pisturino, readings from Barbara Harris Leonhard, Ivor Steven, and DL Mullen, and a special interview with Dawn Pisturino. Plus you may find a couple of early reviews from our wonderful tour hosts. So please join us and follow along on the schedule below to learn more about this outstanding poetry anthology and enjoy a few Small Pleasures.

Tour Schedule

April 21-28 – Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures, by Kaye Lynne Booth, et.al.

Mon. 4/21 – Opening Day- Writing to be Read – (Intro. post & Book Trailer)

Tues 4/22 – Colleen Writes & Publishes – (Dawn Pisturino. Guest Post)

Wed. 4/23 – Patty’s Worlds – (Michelle Navajas Guest Post)

Thurs. 4/24 – Carla Loves to Read– (Ivor Steven’s Reading)

Fri. 4/25 – Poetry By Mich – (Barbara Harris Leonhard Reading)

Sat. 4/26 – Book Places – (DL Mullan Reading)

Sun. 4/27 – Writing to be Read – (Wrap up) – Undawnted (Interview with Dawn Pisturino)

About Poetry Treasures 5: Simple Pleasures

A cup of tea sitting on books with a dawn landscape in the backgrouind Text: Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures, A WordCrafter Poetry Anthology, Compiled and Edited by Kaye Lynne Booth and Robbie Cheadle.

Open the cover

and you will discover

Poetry Treasures

from the guests on

Robbie Cheadle’s 2024

“Treasuring Poetry”

blog series

on Writing to be Read.

Join poets DL Mullan, Barbara Harris Leonhard, Jude Itakali, Ivor Steven, Robbie Cheadle, Michelle Ayon Navajas, Gwen M. Plano, Elizabeth Gauffreau, David Bogomolny, Dawn Pasturino, Maggie Watson, and Colleen Chesebro share their own small pleasures in poetic verse.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/PT5-SmallPleasures

Giveaway

This tour we’re giving away digital copies of Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures to three lucky winners. Follow the tour and comment at each stop, so we’ll know you were there. You’ll be entered for another chance in the giveaway at each stop. Winners are chosen through a random drawing by WordCrafter Press. We’ll be watching for your name.

Book Trailer

A special thanks goes out to Teagan Genevieve for our lovely book trailer. Thank you so much Teagan.

About the Editors

You will meet some of the contributors along the way on this tour, but in this opening day post, I’d like ton tell you a little about the editors who put this project together and made it happen. I also thought it might be interesting to share a brief glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes when putting together a poetry anthology, which I hope you’ll find of interest.

Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw,as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

My job is to edit the final manuscript, format and publish it. I find poetry to be a personal endeavor, so I do very little editing of the actual poems for fear of changing the poet’s meaning, since poetry often does not follow the rules of grammar and punctuation which apply to the English language. In addition, we have poets from all over the globe included in the anthology, which makes for variation in style and differences in spellings, so I pretty much leave the poetry as is unless it is something I know is a typo or mistaken word.

But the person who truly makes this anthology possible is my co-editor, Robbie Cheadle, who finds and schedules poets to be interviewed on the “Treasuring Poetry” blog series on Writing to be Read. It is Robbie who selects and interviews each poet, and she usually reviews their latest release, as well. Then, at the end of the year, Robbie sends out invitations to the anthology and collects and compiles all the materials into a manuscript before turning it over to me. Without Robbie to do all of the preliminary work, there would not be any Poetry Treasures Anthologies. I couldn’t do it without her.

Robbie Cheadle

South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

That’s it for today’s stop. I hope I gave you enough of a taste of this delectable poetry anthology to make you want to sample more. There are several more tasty morsels from then contributing authors along the way. Join us tomorrow, on Colleen Writes & Publishes, where author/poet Dawn Pisturino will share a guest post and poetry from Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures.

_______________________

Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!

Undawntech: Past as Prologue

Posted: April 4, 2025 | Author: DL Mullan/Undawntech | Filed under: AI Technology, Technolgy | Tags: DL Mullan, Giza Plateau, technology, Undawntech, Writing to be Read | 3 Comments

Greetings, Undawntechs!

If you didn’t hear the collective girly screams of every nerd, geek, and spiritualist denizen, regardless of gender, in a five-mile radius last week, then you live under a rock. Or, you’re dead.

The excitement was about the new discovery under the Giza plateau.

Still don’t have an idea? Better check your pulse.

In the past few years, a new way to use radar and satellites was developed. It’s called SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar). Here is Jay Anderson, OSINT researcher, explaining the technology and findings:

Since the Egyptian government disallows any form of archaeological inquiry that may disrupt commerce, tourism, or beliefs, scientists are hard-pressed to prove their hypotheses outside the mainstream dynastic narrative. In lieu of getting their khakis dirty, scientists have moved into the revolutionary field of digital tomography. This allows them to use technology to do their digging for them. No longer will elitists be able to debunk or argue cold hard scientific facts by spinning theories or railroading other academics.

With a four-hour lecture pending release, humanity will have further details about the research employed, technology used, and scientific paper written that gave them a glimpse into our past.

Every day, science and technology are growing by leaps and bounds. AI (Artificial Intelligence), SAI (Super Artificial Intelligence), and other computer-based programs and algorithms continue to make headlines. Little inquiry is spent educating humanity about our past and future, but much time is spent parading around the bells and whistles of the present. Ever noticed that?

We are given no information in which to research, investigate, or discuss on our own. For instance, is our future really on Mars? Or, is it with Venus? Only time will tell which planet will win the debate. Did you know there was one?

That’s the point.

As for archaeology and history aspects of our blue globe, SAR, LiDAR, and other geospatial mapping technologies are challenging these fields and their one-sided public disclosures. LiDAR, according to USGS, is “Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) is a technology used to create high-resolution models of ground elevation with a vertical accuracy of 10 centimeters (4 inches). Lidar equipment, which includes a laser scanner, a Global Positioning System (GPS), and an Inertial Navigation System (INS), is typically mounted on a small aircraft” (https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-lidar-data-and-where-can-i-download-it). SAR, or “synthetic aperture radar is a way of creating an image using radio waves” (https://www.capellaspace.com/blog/sar-101-an-introduction-to-synthetic-aperture-radar). Ancient structures and other anomalies are being unearthed across the globe, which cannot be explained by what professors teach at universities. History is changing before our eyes. In the way of this knowledge, we have historical, cultural, and religious gatekeepers hindering actual progress.

Isn’t democracy all the rage? Until someone wants to prove a textbook or religious doctrine invalid, then good luck getting your papers published or your research publicized.

Humanity is longer lived, more expansive, and smarter than previously comprehended. As creators of art, music, and literature, how will you use this information to inform as well as entertain your audience?

____________________________

Here is my answer to this question: The Initiation.

After the internet exploded with the Giza Plateau discovery, I wrote the short story, “The Initiation” (http://www.undawnted.com/p/the-initiation.html), based on “The Reality Hackers”, (Visions, 2023, WordCrafter Press and http://www.undawnted.com/p/the-reality-hackers.html), that uses this Giza Plateau discovery as a backdrop to a science fiction time travel plot. It will be submitted for consideration into the Midnight Oil dark fiction anthology, due April 30, 2025.

Get your short story into WordCrafter Press! I am.

Never stop questioning, because what you know or believe may just be someone else’s political narrative, and not the reality.

____________________________

About DL Mullan

DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology. Her lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lecture invitations. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, Ms. Mullan’s artistic renditions are seen on book covers, blog sites, and various merchandise. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate the way she perceives the creative arts.

_______________________________

This segment of “Undawntech” is sponsored by The D.I.Y. Author and WordCrafter Press.

Being an author today is more than just writing the book. Authors in this digital age have more opportunities than ever before. Whether you pursue independent or traditional publishing models, or a combination of the two, being an author involves not only writing, but often, the publishing and marketing of the book.

In this writer’s reference guide, multi-genre author and independent publisher, Kaye Lynne Booth shares her knowledge and experiences and the tools, books, references and sites to help you learn the business of being an author.

Topics Include:

Becoming Prolific

Writing Tools

Outlining

Making Quality a Priority

Publishing Models & Trends

Marketing Your Book

Book Covers & Blurbs

Book Events—In Person & Virtual

And more…

Purchase your copy today: https://books2read.com/The-DIY-Author

Undawntech: Era of Cyberespionage

Posted: February 7, 2025 | Author: DL Mullan/Undawntech | Filed under: AI Technology, Undawntech | Tags: AI Technology, artificial-intelligence, Cyberespionage, DL Mullan, Undawntech, Writing to be Read | Leave a comment

Artificial Intelligence, or A.I., sees all, knows all, and judges all. From jury pools (https://www.infotrack.com/blog/ai-jury-selection) to banking records (https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2024/02/23/how-artificial-intelligence-is-reshaping-banking), A.I. is behind the scenes controlling outcomes, information, and government agencies. The question is: when is there an overabundance of hyper-artificiality versus a deficiency of human control?

Or, are humans too engaged with the shiny new toy to make appropriate choices?

The Era of Cyberespionage

Take for instance, China’s DeepSeek A.I. flooded the market, which drove people to its cheap price point and technical scope. The application may look good and contribute to problem solving, but at what price? Any Chinese corporation is owned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government at the tune of 51%. Add to that reality is that the Chinese people are conscripted to spy on their fellow citizens and everyone else around the world (https://thediplomat.com/2019/02/the-real-danger-of-chinas-national-intelligence-law) for the communist regime. You, your data, and your privacy are in the hands of an aggressive foreign government campaign to infiltrate other countries’ culture, norms and mores, as well as conduct influence operations onto an unsuspecting populace.

To illustrate further this idea of cyberespionage by an adversary, let’s scrutinize some popular applications: Tictok (https://www.heritage.org/big-tech/report/tiktok-generation-ccp-official-every-pocket and https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/08/tech/tiktok-data-china/index.html), WeChat/QQ (https://nspirement.com/2019/03/22/ccp-tracking-private-messages-on-chinese-social-media.html), as well as DeepSeek (https://abcnews.go.com/US/deepseek-coding-capability-transfer-users-data-directly-chinese/story?id=118465451) are available to the public, in order to track and surveil their users. The Social Credit Score implemented by the CCP is in effect here.

Defending the Indefensible

The reaction mustered by the ego begins: “But I am an artist, creator, musician, and/or writer, I need to reach my people! I am an independent creator. All marketing falls on my shoulders. How can I become an international sensation without going international?”

Response: How can you reach anyone, if you lose your soul? If you are going to be a victim of cyberespionage at home or abroad, then be a really smart victim.

Counter the Cyberespionage

What can creators do to protect themselves from overt government, foreign and domestic, overreach into our private data and lives?

Creators can reach their audience as long as they do a few extra steps. For one, do not download or use any application from China. That would be the ultimate protection. However, if you cannot resist the siren song of the CCP, then have a separate device or phone to use these applications. A burner phone with no trace to your personal accounts of other social media, banking, or purchases would be a wise alternative. In the age of A.I., no one can be too careful with their data.

Don’t believe China is the only problem.

American software has backdoors for the NSA and other Five Eyes (FVEY)countries to spy on Americans without due process (https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/confirmed-windows-10-government-backdoor/c72e091a-3f56-4c7f-a4b8-9de912de5cd6, https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/proprietary-back-doors.en.html). In the United States, probable cause and a warrant signed off by a judge are critical to obtaining private information or property from an American, but our privacy and rights are ignored for national security, which is unconstitutional, unlawful, and illegal.

That sets up the corporate governance angle to cyberespionage. Corporations steal users data as a commodity. Accounts that are FREE, aren’t free. Your data and privacy are being sold to the highest bidder in a modern version of the slave trade.

No fear, if there is nothing to hide.

In other countries, bootleg purses (https://daxueconsulting.com/counterfeit-products-in-china), music (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/soviet-hipsters-bootlegged-banned-music-bone-records-180957505), and movies (https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/08/09/russian-cinemas-screen-pirated-copies-of-barbie-a82102) are commonplace. If your book becomes popular, but not a sensation, then copies of your hard work could be sold for profit and no royalties go your way (https://austinkleon.com/2023/02/09/on-piracy-and-bootlegged-copies-of-my-books).

How does Creators defend their works?

Copyright your creation in the USA, and in other countries where your creative items are sold, would give you legal standing in a criminal case. Don’t use your foreign social media to publish books on other platforms using the same device or cellular/smart phone. Purchase a good virus defender on all of your technology: computer, phone, or anything else that you create on. And, always keep a downloaded, original version of your creations: books, photos, images of created works, music, and videos, preferably burned on a disk for safe keeping. If a legality arises, you have proof the work is yours.

Conclusion

In the ever-changing landscape of technology and its intrusion into our privacy, humans need to safeguard their information like never before. Sometimes due diligence can make the difference between selling books, audiobooks, and videos of creative works, or being a victim of piracy from within and without.

______________________________

____________________________________

__________________________________

This segment of “Undawntech” is sponsored by The D.I.Y. Author and WordCrafter Press.

Topics Include:

Becoming Prolific

Writing Tools

Outlining

Making Quality a Priority

Publishing Models & Trends

Marketing Your Book

Book Covers & Blurbs

Book Events—In Person & Virtual

And more…

Purchase your copy today: https://books2read.com/The-DIY-Author

Undawntech: Balancing Technological Freedom and Oppression in 2025

Posted: January 3, 2025 | Author: DL Mullan/Undawntech | Filed under: AI Technology, Undawntech | Tags: ai, AI Technology, artificial-intelligence, Books, DL Mullan, Fiction, Undawntech, Writing, Writing to be Read | Leave a comment

Greetings, Undawntechs!

A new year is upon us. Have you made your New Year’s Resolutions yet?
Do you want to publish a book: write, edit, and research? Are you fascinated
by technology in the arts?

Welcome to 2025, the year technology becomes important as a means
of creation, experience of freedom and oppression, simultaneously. Fret not,
Undawntech will help creators navigate this exciting and frightening journey.

Did you know that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will affect you in each
step of creation? Many writers research the content of their plot lines
before embarking on the writing process. AI can help writers with
their source material like many people already use ChatGPT, GROK, and
others. These programs also fact-check. As editing software, writers
can clean up their writing and create better, more understandable
products with the use of AI. AI is like having a beta reader at your
disposal. As stories are written, writers can employ AI to give them
word and phrase prompts, as well as maintain verb tenses and
continuity within a work. More writers are opting for the independent
publishing route these days. Formatting and distributing a manuscript
with AI assistance, indie creators are able to bypass stuffy publishing houses
for a direct line to their audience.

However, creators of all types, including writers, need to weigh the
advantages with the disadvantages of using AI. Yes, Artificial
Intelligence helps writers in many awesome ways: creating content,
editing for clarity, and designing book covers. What AI does not give
writers are original plots and characters, authentic voices, real
information over “fact-checking” mis-/dis- information, and other
errors. Some creators have already stepped into the public arena by
rejecting AI meddling in their content while others embrace it.

As an artist, editor, musician, producer/publisher, filmmaker, and
writer, Artificial Intelligence has opened up the expanse of
creativity and imagination for me. I design book cover art with and
without the use of AI (Undawnted/Author Central). I use spell check
and grammatical software to correct errors in my typing/writings. With
my musical background in orchestra, band, chorus/singing, lyrics,
poetry, and arrangement, this new technology has given me the ability
to write my own songs (Quantum Time), as soundtrack singles and albums
for my written work (Undawnted/Yuletide Celebration). AI allows me to
publish my content as an Indie writer and publisher. Shorts, poetry
slams, and music videos are assisted by the use of AI, including
uploading to video sites (Undawnted on YouTube). Writing, no matter
the author, can be uplifted by the use of technology.

Conversely, if you do not know who you are, what your
authoritative/authentic voice is, or what you believe in, then the use
of technology will put your deficits on display, instead of hiding
them. Terrible writers will use AI to become mediocre writers. Just as
vivid and imaginative visions can become cookie-cutter dribble with
the use of AI. The problem with making writing easier with technology
is that writers become complacent, allowing AI to do their thinking
and creating for them. To combat the challenges of technology,
creators must be a seasoned expert in their craft. The better creators
know themselves; the better creators can use technology to improve
their art, music, filmmaking, and writing.

Just like tech companies, multinational corporations and governments will
promote Term of Service vigilante justice, or lawfare, over protecting basic
human rights of freedom of speech and expression. In this brave new world,
humanity must stay vigilant and refuse to succumb to the radical agenda of
the Dark Enlightenment. It is a new philosophy by tech oligarchs and their
puppet politicians to usurp our nations’ Constitutions and insert corporate
autocracy in the wake of power vacuums left by weak leadership.

2025 is the start of a new era in technology and the human race. If
you are a creator of any type, technology will test you in ways you
haven’t quite imagined yet. If it is maintaining your voice/integrity,
rejecting corporate vigilantism (using AI Terms of Service enforcement
through censorship (e.g., lawfare) governance, etc. on social media), or competing
with artistry sanitized of voice and wisdom, the best and worst of
Artificial Intelligence is yet to come.

Are you ready to take a joyride with me?

–~o0o~—

DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology. Her lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lecture invitations. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. As Editor-in-Chief of her local newspaper for a decade, the Villa de Paz Gazette, Ms. Mullan earned accolades for her investigative journalism, in depth research, dot-connecting articles, and fact-based op-eds, which effected national politics, saved industries, and thus lives. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, Ms. Mullan’s artistic renditions are seen on book covers, blog sites, video presentations, and various merchandise. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate the creative arts.

Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawnted.com.

________________________________

__________________________________

This segment of “Writer’s Corner” is sponsored by The Rock Star & The Outlaw and WordCrafter Press.

A time-traveler oversteps his boundaries in 1887. Things get out of hand quickly, and he is hanged, setting in motion a series of events from which there’s no turning back.

In 1887, LeRoy McAllister is a reluctant outlaw running from a posse with nowhere to go except to the future.

In 2025, Amaryllis Sanchez is a thrill-seeking rock star on the fast track, who killed her dealing boyfriend to save herself. Now, she’s running from the law and his drug stealing flunkies, and nowhere is safe.

LeRoy falls hard for the rock star, thinking he can save her by taking her back with him. But when they arrive in 1887, things turn crazy fast, and soon they’re running from both the outlaws and the posse, in peril once more.

They can’t go back to the future, so it looks like they’re stuck in the past. But either when, they must face forces that would either lock them up or see them dead.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/RockStarOutlaw