I'm always really nervous before an interview or an event. Today I was particularly nervous since my last public speaking event was August 30th, and it's been a couple of months since I've engaged the public. Plus, a new book with a highly complex topic. I have also been awake since three in the morning on barely a couple hours sleep, and by the time this interview rolled around at 8:30 am, I didn't know whether I was coming or going. When nervous, I can't sleep. Too much nervous energy. The interviewer / host was great, and asked fun/ great questions about philosophy and the book. I just wish my mental acuity was sharper today. I would start answering a question and forget the question in the middle of giving my answer (what was answering?). Or I would use the word "reality" instead simulation or arbitrarily while trying to keep my train of thought. At one point I was asked about my background as he was curious about my writing, philosophical, and artistic background and what inspired it. I started telling him about my educational background in Liberal Arts and how it is a multidisciplinary degree which gave me the foundation for being involved in multiple areas and disciplines and how my primary focus was literature and philosophy. I am also an artist (paintings, etc.). It's an education of many disciplines and that's the sphere that I evolved in academically but then, I lost my train of thought mid-answer. It wasn't until I listened to the interview again that I thought, ah okay, that's what I was answering. I think the way to reconcile getting rusty after months off from public events or interviews I should do more of them during the winter and spring. My active window is in the summer.
https://www.wortfm.org/the-absence-of-reality/
Next Monday, tune in to WORT FM 89.9 Madison on December 22, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. CST where I will be appearing to talk about my book The Absence of Reality: Aphorisms and Observations on the Nature of Reality and Existence.
https://soundcloud.com/wort-fm
Earlier this year I rescued about 6 or 7 feral kittens. Two of them we had been watching and leaving food outside in my backyard since December when they were about two months old. We bought warm cat houses and put fut in them daily. One of those kittens had kittens of her own this summer We managed to finally trap her and the kittens this fall. The kittens were adopted and we adopted her and her brother, the two we originally watched. We named them Ramen and Noodles (she's Ramen). They were completely feral and violent or afraid of humans. It took us about three months to socialize them and now they're just like my other cats. Their mother came back with 4 more kittens plus one more (one of them I believe is Ramen's that may have been left behind as it was older than the other four and looked like Ramen's kittens).
E. Writer Oh wow, the kitty was not having it.
Alex Morton We had hopes of it returning because sometimes cats are like Australians and get it in their heads to go walkabout for a while and then head back home. But humiliation is a pretty strong emotion in a cat.
E. Writer Hopefully it did not meet with an accident on its journey and that's why it didn't return. Cats get into all kinds of sc*^&%!s.
M. C. Ryder Ferals take time to warm up to humans. All they know is there mother's love and if she's cautious around humans they will adopt the same behavior. I actually have a situation going on now with outside ferals. My neighbors took in the mama and the new litter. There were 2 that stayed on our property but now the one went missing and the other one seems lonely and is craving attention. Fingers crossed I can find someone to home him because he would do well in a home. He's very curious and is quick to learn some tricks. I have a bond with him and it's hard. I want to take him in but my own cats will not tolerate a new addition.
E. Writer Yes,I have 5 in house now. Two are formerly ferals. I want to rescue these new kittens so they can be adopted but it takes a while to build their trust. It took a year to get the current ferals to fully trust us. 3 months to get them in the house from outdoors.
Here's a Discourse video and written editorial review of Reality Unbound. I really like the reviewers. They have such a friendly demeanor and conversational approach. I do think they struggled quite a bit, to explain the book during the review and explaining the concepts, which is understandable since this is not their area of expertise. For example, when she said that I wrote, "not having language doesn't mean you are not intelligent" - I said the opposite, that language is critical to intelligence. Specifically, "The differences in how people think does not mean that people whose thoughts are expressed internally through sound, visual sign language, or the sensation of touch does not make any member of these groups less intelligent..." So I think she conflated what I said about speech, with language, which are two different things, but related. They focused on some of passing statements but not the core or central thesis of the book. Anyway, here is the review:
"Reality Unbound" is one of those books that makes big ideas feel surprisingly easy to understand. Instead of drowning the reader in heavy jargon, E. Hughes breaks down complex topics like consciousness, perception, evolution, and artificial intelligence into simple, relatable explanations. The book reads like a friendly guide walking you through some of the biggest questions humans have ever asked: What is the mind? Is reality even real? Could a machine ever think the way we do? Hughes uses down-to-earth examples, everyday language, and real-world connections that make these deep concepts feel accessible and even exciting.
What makes the book especially enjoyable is how smoothly it blends science, philosophy, and technology without ever feeling overwhelming. Hughes invites readers to think, question, and imagine possibilities about the universe, the brain, and the future of AI. Even if you've never studied these subjects before, the book feels welcoming and thought-provoking rather than intimidating. If you're curious about how the mind works, how reality might not be what it seems, or where AI could be heading, "Reality Unbound" is a great place to start.
- Discourse
As reality becomes more artificial, the less it resembles objective “physical” reality. It becomes abstract; the environment and social conditions becoming intangible and virtual. Socially, humankind’s immersion into the unreal, an imitation (simulation) of reality is not a conscious or willful act of defiance against reality, but a willful act of defiance against nature through technological advancement.
The arrow of time plays an important role in reality’s progression to artificial reality. Artificial realities do not retrogress to earlier states; it becomes more artificial as time moves forward, with reality becoming less tangible and increasingly more virtual (or digital) over time.
- From The Absence of Reality: Aphorisms and Observations of the Nature of Reality and Existence by E. Hughes
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-absence-of-reality-e-hughes/1148716937?ean=9781961823242
How were illustrations created for my book? The video shows how. First, my teen YA light novel /comic Kissing Henry is so cute. It was such a fun project. I love my artwork, more on the illustrations in a moment... I've been published for over 20 years and have over 20 books, including 6 children's books. The rest are philosophy/science , poetry, or the much older romance novels but this one is adorable to me. It speaks to teens and addresses a number of issues with a clear lesson to be learned at the end. I love that the artwork is so collaborative. I've worked with the same artists for all of my children's books. One artist for the characters, and one for backgrounds, and then I complete the artwork and final design, bringing the background, characters and the final layout together to complete the final look for the story. Each person strictly works on their own area. My daughter AJ, who is also an author and blossoming illustrator with her own line of children's books worked on the editing. If I ask her to take something and remove the background so I can use something in a different scene, or fix something without bothering my illustrator she can do it. I'm an artist but I'm better at painting landscapes and still life art or things, rather than creating people. 🥰 ❤❤❤
#yanovel #BOOKS #newbooks #findinghappiness #comicstok #booklover #yanovel #yanovels #books #comics
Roy Scarbrough I also have a multi disciplinary Humanities degree, and am grateful for it in that way too.
E. Writer Agreed. So many people say that Liberal Arts is a useless degree because it's not focused on a specific vocation but instead it makes you well-rounded. I can go into any space and talk about any subject even if not at a level of mastery in some areas, I can thrive and not feel out of my depth because I've touched on it at some point academically. I remember a good friend once being amused asking what can I do with that degree and I was like, almost everything (social work, teaching, writing/editing, art, mathematics, philosophy). I used to resent this advisor who strongly advised me not to major in English but now I'm grateful I was pushed me into liberal arts.