Lupine Echoes is a fast-paced urban fantasy set in the futuristic metropolis of Veridian City. It follows the journey of Adam Howl, a brooding, former werewolf grappling with the loss of his supernatural abilities, and Jaden Troublefield, a bright...
I just finished up this chapter and am writing to you now from the airport in Taipei, Taiwan. I hope you're enjoying the story so far! I've been quite busy over the past few weeks, and I apologize for not keeping up with my usual weekly updates. I'll do my best to return to a regular posting schedule.
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Just a heads-up: this chapter includes some sexual content. I've adjusted the novel's rating to mature to ensure it reaches the appropriate audience.
On a different note, today is November 5th in the U.S., and if you're an American who's eligible to vote, I hope you'll get out there and cast your vote today.
If you're feeling unsure about voting due to a lack of enthusiasm for the candidates, let me offer some perspective. Many people have heard the phrase "the Great American Experiment," but not everyone fully grasps its significance.
The concept of democracy as we know it today—liberal democracy—was a direct outcome of the Enlightenment movement in 18th-century Europe. Before that, democracy often meant mob rule or the tyranny of the majority. Thinkers like John Locke advocated for natural rights and individual freedom; Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes developed the idea of the social contract; Montesquieu proposed separating government powers into different branches; and Voltaire championed free speech and press. These philosophers bestowed upon us the understanding that democracy is not sustainable without liberalism.
While the rest of the world was ruled by dictators and monarchs, it was the founding fathers of the United States who put liberal democracy to the test. When the U.S. declared independence in 1776 and established its Constitution in 1787, the founding fathers created a democratic republic with elected representatives and codified individual rights. This was the earliest example of modern democracy and the embodiment of Enlightenment ideals.
France didn't achieve a stable democratic government until almost a hundred years later, during the Third Republic in 1870, following the collapse of Napoleon III's Second Empire. The UK's reform process was slow, with much happening during the 19th and early 20th centuries, as a series of Reform Acts gradually expanded voting rights, ultimately including most adult men by 1918. We are all heirs to the Enlightenment and the American Experiment.
When you cast your vote, you honor the legacy of those Enlightenment thinkers who believed that everyone deserves a voice in their government. So, please vote!
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"Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come."
The lines from Julius Caesar echoed in Jaden's ears, but they felt like they belonged to someone else. Shakespeare's brave warrior seemed impossibly far away—and Jaden? He was no valiant. Barely an adult at nineteen, and this—falling from the shattered heights of the Van Boxtel Technologies building—was how it would end? Fear ensnared him, but the verses from Shakespeare provided a strange comfort, like a tether to something familiar in the chaos. He never saw himself as a hero, yet time and time again, he found himself thrust into danger. Was it some hard wiring of his J.A.D.E.N. programming that drew him into these situations? He couldn't be sure.
