The real and imaginative adventures of Dennis Spielman

Month: July 2013

Released: The Crashing of Heaven and Hell

I am incredibly excited to announce the release of my first novel, The Crashing of Heaven and Hell. It’s a quick and adventurous read into this colorful and imaginative world where there are aliens, monsters, and mystical creatures and everyone is cool with it. To compare it, it’s like a cross between American Gods and The Hitchers Guide to the Galaxy. You can buy the book in Paperback via Amazon, Hardback via Lulu, and as an exclusive eBook for Kindle. If you don’t own a physical Kindle, there are Kindle reading apps for the iPhone and Android. If you do own a kindle and an Amazon Prime membership, the ebook is available to borrow for free. Go buy your copy and like the book on Facebook. I’ll post announcements if the book goes on sale or when I’ll be doing book signings.

Now that all of that information has been said, I’m going to share a bit of the book’s development history. The story started out as a short story, which I first started writing back on October 19, 2006 (according to when I created the Word document). The story was inspired by the song, “Something of an End” by My Brightest Diamond. I discovered this band and song when I was listening to NRP back in college. I was really hooked on it. The lyrics about heaven and hell crashing down created this powerful picture to me and so I wrote a rather literal story, while the song was more symbolical, about Heaven and Hell crashing down on the planet. I created this Spotify playlist of the songs that helped inspire the novel.

Over time, the short story grew into a novel, going through several major rewrites along the way. Each revision had its own story, motivation, and sparks of ideas. The first few versions, the narrator was all over the place and disorganized. Based on feedback, the story straightened out and on the final versions, became deep with fleshed out characters and motivations.

I am so proud of the book. To finally release it, it feels natural. I was disappointed in myself it took me this long after high school to release a novel. I didn’t go to my ten-year high school reunion because I wasn’t as accomplished as I thought I would be after high school. Reality is hard, but I grew so much in that time and if I would’ve released anything earlier, it would not have been great. It’s best to give projects time to mature instead of releasing them when they’re raw.

The book is dedicated to My Brightest Diamond. Thank you.

I hope you enjoy the book and tell all of your friends about it. I will be doing my best now to spread the word while working on my next big project. I love creating things. Please help spread the word about the time Heaven and Hell came crashing down.

Recommendation: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite writers, so of course, this recommendation is for his newest book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. A novel – although short but still technically a novel – The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a modern fairy-tale fantasy that touches on memory, the way we see the world as a child and as adults, and how we remember things compared to others. The story starts out with the narrator visiting a former neighbor’s house from his childhood. When he sees the pond that his friend, Lettie Hempstock, called the ocean, he remembers the time he stubbled upon the Hempstock family’s supernatural secret and the multiple layers of reality. I enjoyed the subtle introduction of the Hempstock’s supernaturalness. I had to stop and re-read the scene because it was interesting and well played. After that point, the book took off and I had to keep reading to know more about the Hempstocks. It’s a short book, making for a quick and enjoyable afternoon read.

I had pre-ordered my copy from Porter Square Books, where Neil Gaiman signed a bunch of copies, and I received it on the release date. I am happy to have it in my collection and therefor The Ocean at the End of the Lane gets my recommendation.

If you’re interested in my other recommendations, read them here.

Released: We Want Babies Now!

I am happy to release a new book!

We Want Babies Now! by Leslie Keller-Kenton and Dennis Spielman is a children’s style book for adults about a family trying to hurry along the husband and wife’s plans for babies. Couples who have dealt with family wanting babies will surely enjoy this fun story.

Download We Want Babies Now in a .PDF
The book is currently available for free to download and read as a PDF and may become available in other formats depending on demand. Want to see a printed version? Have feedback on this book? Let me know.

Fading Away on the Union Jack

Let us rest here
We do not have much time
Take my hand, friend
We do not have much time
Let us fade away
We do not have much time

“Fading Away on the Union Jack”
Photography and poem by Dennis Spielman.
Models: Cory Phillips and Philip Geurin.
Floor Art painted by Ciera Renee Terry.
Taken April 28, 2013 at the Reduxion Theatre in Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Travel Log: May 28, 2013


For the last day with my family on my trip to Georgia, we went to Atlanta as I had a flight to catch that evening. My sister and I took the tram from Doraville into the city and rode it throughout various spots. Our first stop was the Woodruff Arts Center where we went to the High Museum of Art (1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA). The museum had a diverse permanent collection of art. One of things both my sister and I thought was interesting was that along with paintings and sculptures, there was matching furniture with the artwork.

After the museum, we walked around downtown, strolling by the olympic park and the Coca-Cola Store before we met up with my parents for lunch at The Varsity (61 North Avenue, Atlanta, GA). The atmosphere is neat with its modern retro design, but the food was basic fast-food. They are the World’s Largest Drive-in with more than two acres that can accommodate 600 cars and over eight hundred people inside. (In my memory, it didn’t seem that big, but it was big.) I learned that U.S. presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama have all visited The Varsity during their terms in office.


My parents dropped my sister and I off at the Underground Atlanta shopping center. Oddly, I didn’t take any pictures of it even though it was picture worthy. It’s a underground mall. Nothing huge – just a shopping center. Had some time left before my flight, so we went back to the World of Coca-Cola (121 Baker St NW, Atlanta, GA) and visited it. The World of Coca-Cola is a permanent exhibition featuring the history of The Coca-Cola Company. We loved it. There was a cheesy 4D movie, interactive exhibits, a free tasting room of drinks from around the world, and there’s even a fault where the secret recipe for Coke is (supposedly) kept.

With my flighting leaving in a few hours, we took the tram to the airport and I flew back to the Oklahoma City with me being the very last person to board the fight while three other people had to wait until tomorrow.

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