Man in Denmark accosted at playground
for reading Much Ado About Corona:
A Dystopian Love Story

Blazing Reader,

A subscriber was accosted for reading my novel, Much Ado About Corona: A Dystopian Love Story, at a playground in Denmark.

No, he wasn't holding Scamdemic Story Hour.

Not that that would be a bad idea — certainly far better than these Drag Queen Story Hours kids are being subjected to nowadays (my novel has some scary bits but nothing as horrific as that).

Erik B. lives in Elsinore, Denmark (the very town Shakespeare chose to set Hamlet). In an email to me, he explained what happened:

"I remember sitting at an indoor playground/funfair reading your book [Much Ado About Corona: A Dystopian Love Story] while my children were tossing themselves around. Another dad came over to me and asked about the book, as it is plain from the cover that it doesn't fall in line with the [COVID] directive.... this dad clearly thought that there had to be something wrong with me for reading and enjoying a book that dared to scrutinize the directive. It is madness."

It's not total madness, Erik. Either there had to be something wrong with you for questioning why people are wearing masks alone in their cars, or there had to be something wrong with nearly every politician, health official and medical institution in the world for going along with the scamdemic. This man simply preferred the (false) reality where you were mad instead of most of the world.

Erik added: "Nothing can be explained to these people - but perhaps humour, art and sensible entertainment can rock them a little bit."

Exactly! I don't expect my novel to convert the masses — just disturb their hypnosis enough so that they won't one day drag the rest of us off to medical concentration camps.

The other goal of the novel was to inspire the rest of us to brave non-compliance with their madness.

"The [novel], in general, stood out because it was such a page-turner," wrote Erik. "Most of the chapters and sections were irresistibly auspicious and loaded with anticipation. You have a beautiful command of language and your use of humour was exhilarating."

I appreciate hearing that, Erik. That was my other goal.

"During the read, I often found myself wondering how you might have come up with so much word play, and whether it was difficult to produce — or if you are just a natural fun-talent. Either way, it worked really well."

I edited fifteen drafts of the novel. The first draft had very little humour. With each rewrite, more and more humour was added.
 

"Thanks for writing [Much Ado About Corona]," Erik continues. "I give you my thanks, but the gratitude is not really mine as much as it is the gratitude of humanity. Big words, I know - but if there's one thing I found out about the pandemic; it is that the whole world folded like a wet paper bag and most people refused to listen to any information outside of what they were being fed by the corrupt MSM narrative. Among the few hopes that I still dare to have, one is exactly what you have contributed: true information packaged in great entertainment. Some stand-up comedians and actors have also shown bravery. It is a fight for humanity and we are one step away [from] losing it..."

I agree with Erik. The resistance has done well with the "true information" part but, as you said, except for a dozen or so brave comedians, we've been weak on the entertainment side. And, while laughter is a great tool, I think the other emotions that a good novel can produce — joy, excitement, sadness, horror, suspense, curiosity, courage, etc. — are needed to motivate people to adopt the "hero's journey."

Lastly, Erik said: "I bought a copy for a present to a colleague."

Thank you, Erik! Gifting people Much Ado About Corona is a great way to change the public zeitgeist. A novel will be better received by many than a non-fiction book and is more likely to be read from cover to cover.

If anybody is interested in buying ten or more copies at once, I do offer a 40% discount. With ten copies shipped directly to your door, you have gifts on hand for birthdays, holidays or even... handing out at public playgrounds. If you are interested in such a bulk discount, contact me.

Otherwise, you can purchase copies online or through your local bookstore (whether you live in Canada, Denmark or an island nation in the South Pacific) at: https://www.muchadoaboutcorona.ca/ 

— John C.A. Manley

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona: A Dystopian Love Story, the forthcoming All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of speculative fiction. Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber at: https://blazingpinecone.com/subscribe/