11/4/25
I was amused by a campaign ad for Maine senator Susan Collins. They have a snippet of an interview with Democratic governor Janet Mills, saying something to the effect of "(Well, at least) I approve of what she has done..." One would think that people could read voice inflection, but maybe not, in this age of AI narration.

I was just scouring Google for keywords "A Christmas Carol" and "analysis," for the past 24 hours. I would choose the word "inane" to describe most of the results. Although I'm looking for places to plug in, via comments or direct e-mails, these people could no more understand my research results than the man in the moon. They're probably nice folks to talk to, and I don't mean to be disparaging. But it brings up the question--who, actually, do I think I'm talking to? In a sea of goofy people, who can understand it?

The masses in the 19th century wouldn't have understood "A Christmas Carol" if Dickens hadn't dumbed it down. And they had a much better understanding of things spiritual than people do, today.

So that's one problem. Meanwhile, I press forward with the sheer logistics of creating my book, "The Sacred Carol: Rediscovering the True Authorship of a Christmas Classic." I'm still waiting on one illustration. When I receive that, I initiate the Amazon print-on-demand paperback, proofread it, and then create the IngramSpark hardcover version. Once I have the paperback in hand, I also shoot the introductory video blog and post it. I'll provide the link to that, and to the book's dedicated website, in this blog.

Then I take copies to local libraries, possibly send copies to certain other libraries, and try to arrange local presentations. If I fail to arrange any presentations (which is possible, given the controversial nature of the topic), I'll have to rethink everything. It seems to me there is not much point in throwing money away by launching an underfunded online promotions campaign. I can do whatever social media will let me get away with, for free; and I can write directly to reporters and scholars (which, in my experience, is fruitless). I can create one or more press releases. I can allow ChatGPT to be my publicity adviser, and follow its instructions.

And then, what if none of this bears fruit? What then?

Then, at least I will have a physical book. As my personal funds permit, after I have exhausted the donation I received, I can continue to send out hard copies, hoping that one will find a receptive, conscious person. And most importantly, I can do everything possible to make it discoverable in the future, after I pass on.

What I've done, over the years, when faced with this kind of opposition, is to make what I have to offer better, and better and better. This time, I may have gone over the top. This book is so good; the discovery so powerful; that I think it may overcome even the coldest shoulder. After all, if the "Deciphering Dickens" project has, as I suspect, stalled, then I will be the only one in the world who has fully transcribed Charles Dickens' handwritten manuscript of "A Christmas Carol." That product will be included in my book as the Appendix. So whatever one thinks of my commentary, if a scholar wants to get his or her hands on that resource, they will have to purchase my print-only edition.

It's bait, in other words.

Well, this is my best effort so far. I think I have proofread the entire book about 20 times, in the last few weeks. It takes me a full day to read it (sans quoted extracts). I about wore myself out cycling through it continually, and had to take a couple of days off to avoid getting sick. But now the writing really sings. I have made it comfortable reading, and it's easy to understand the points I want to get across. The reader hardly has to expend any effort--the ideas just jump out at him, and one thing flows effortlessly to the next.

Again, that's what happens when you ignore me. I keep on improving. I wonder if there comes a point where I just can't be ignored, anymore?

Sincerely,

Stephen Sakellarios, M.S.