The Unmasking of Reverend Holliday

Setting the Stage

I have found that life changes depending on our ambitions and goals, unforeseen and foreseen circumstances, and failures and successes. Change is not always bad, but it can be frustrating and demoralizing especially when we have invested our time, energy, and finances, or sacrificed our families and futures for goals that fall short of the mark. I honestly believe that a person should embrace change when it comes because it often leads to new experiences and needed growth.

I have been using Minds since April of 2018. It has been a long road with varying experiences and growth. I have gained much more than I have lost and I have changed significantly over the years. I am grateful for everyone for their contributions and support. 

I even owe a big thank you for the haters that have validated my commitment to truth and loyalty. Your threats to my personal safety just helped me to become a better marksman and inspired me to press on in spite of the opposition. It is because of all of you that I am a different person today. I am grateful for the love, the hate, and the good conversations.

I am removing the mask today and I am stepping out from behind this curtain. This is a chancy and deliberate choice because I already know it will produce both positive and negative results. I have been hesitant in doing this prior because I have been protecting my loved ones and my identity. Everyone understands the cancel culture and the volatility of certain groups and individuals, so I have always received grace and understanding in my hesitations.

With that said, allow me to introduce myself. My published name is J.S. Webster. I am very happy to make your acquaintances.

Drawing the Curtain

Most of you know me as Reverend Holliday. Some call me Rev, Reverend, or Doc while others call me redcoat, ***hole, chump, shill, and other colorful metaphors. None of those names truly define me even though I have written previous posts defining my pseudonym for inquiring minds. Today will be very different. 

What is really in a name? People are defined by their actions. We are also defined by our own perceptions and self-perceptions. I will attempt to come clean as to who I really am, but most of you already know the real me. In the words of Robert Downey Jr. "I know who I am. I’m the dude thats playin’ the dude disguised as another dude." 

Who is this J.S. Webster person? Do a search. TBH: I am really not that fascinating as a person. I am just a guy that has a lot to say - hence the pseudonym. I am husband, a friend, and I am loyal to a fault. I have always been an outcast and friend to outcasts. I love life, God, and America.

I am an educated man, though I was not always formally educated. I spent most of my life self-educating about life, work, and relationships. I attended the school of hard-knocks and graduated with a doctorate. I have witnessed things in life I wish I could unsee and I have memories I wish I could relive.

I also spent over a decade drunk with my middle finger towards heaven and earning a degree in 'stupid is, stupid does'. Then God got me sober. I have been sober for almost 14 years and I am a very different person today.

I write fiction and non-fiction. I have written poetry, stories, blogs, research papers (in many styles), and now a published book. I have experienced many walks of life. I have lived in constant need without enough to eat or a place to lay my head and I have also lived with every need met. I have worked or served in many types of careers, but those jobs do not define me. 

I am a loyal friend and a tenacious adversary. I came to Minds to speak my mind and I post what I want. I am overprotective of my friends and my family. I tend to react poorly with rude and disrespectful people, and I despise bullies. I won't tolerate such people in real life or on Minds. Most of you know these things already. 

I am a faithful believer in Jesus Christ, yet I am not a "good Christian". I am a broken man, yet God is still working on me. If you want to see a good example of Jesus Christ then you need to look at Jesus Christ.

I have earned two degrees. I have a Bachelor's in Ministry/Bible and a Master's in Counseling. I love Psychology and to my psychology peers - I am a big fan of Erik Erikson, but I despise Freud (ironic). 

I own a business. I help recovering alcoholics to stay sober. If you are struggling with alcoholism and need help then I am available as a sobriety coach. Just send me a private message on Minds' encrypted chat if you are serious. I take sobriety & privacy very seriously.

These are some pieces of my life now laid bare before you. You have known me as Reverend Holliday, but now you know the man behind the mask. I shall now explain why the disguise needed to be removed and this curtain needed to be lifted.

Taking a Bow

I tried to explain through my promotional content, that this unmasking was a necessary step. I had decided against other ways to promote and sell my book. Instead, I chose the more ballsy approach. This unmasking was the wisest and best decision.

One of the main reasons for this Unmasking Promotion was to market my new book. Some of you are already aware that I wrote a book and you have been looking forward to its publication. It is now available on Kindle and it is also available on Smashwords. It is a fictional horror novel, but it also fits into the genre of action/thriller. 

God gave me a gift for writing. I originally wrote and shelved this book in 2012. I received some very harsh criticism and decided not to publish it. A few months ago, I re-opened the book and read it. I thought to myself - who wrote this masterpiece? I was amazed at my own writing skills and I loved the story. The book was action packed, fun, and entertaining, but incomplete. 

My novel was unpolished and filled with grammar errors. Two sections had no actual ending and I knew that I would need to write a sequel because the book was already very long. I ignored all previous criticism and asked my wife's opinion. The first thing she said was, "You need to publish that book." I set out and started the process of completing it. 

While you are here, let me tell you about my book "Requiem of Old Glory" and perhaps you will be one of my first readers. It is a fictional horror story based on three dreams that I dreamt in 2012. The dreams were vivid and horrifying. I wanted to stay true to the message of the dreams, but I also changed a lot because somethings in those dreams were a bit confusing. 

After I dreamt the first two dreams, I wrote them down. I thought, 'These would make a great story, but there is no plot.' Then God gave me the third dream that tied everything together.

This is the book description: 

"It was the beginning of the end of the United States. Baltimore, Las Vegas, and San Diego were three of the four cities that were attacked on June 5th, 2015. Each succumbed to chaos and terror like never before in the history of America. A viral weapon was unleashed to destroy the nation and its people. The outcome would permanently cripple the country and force people to survive on their own. They could only rely on each other and their will to survive.

Faced with uncertainty and overwhelming odds, survivors banded together in each of those cities. They chose unity, to face the impossibilities together. They chose life even though death and tragedy surrounded them. These are their stories of faith, hope, and hardcore determination. This is the first chronicle of those fateful days of destruction — a detailed history of the heroes and heroines. 

This is the Requiem of Old Glory."

Does that sound appealing? When you begin the book, you are dropped directly into the action. The Kindle/Smashwords previews will give you a look into the book's contents. It has a lot of horror, gore, action, thrills, some comedy, and some romance. The book has several messages, but I don't want to spoil it.

I am a writer, but this is my first published book. I expect positive and negative criticism especially since the book is not politically correct. I push the envelope several times without regret. 

I have chosen the route of free speech and I won't compromise. This is the reason I chose to self-publish and I have rejected the offers of publication companies. 'Corpos' would swoop in and destroy my work. There is a message in my book and I want you to hear it. It should not be perverted or changed to appease the few. 

This is also the first novel in a series. I am already writing the sequel and can see that more books will be needed. Hopefully I can finish Book 2 by next year. This experience has taught me quite a lot about writing and self-publishing, so perhaps I can spit out a sequel a lot more quickly than waiting a decade! 

As I previously stated, I have published my book on Kindle and I also published on Smashwords (if you are not a fan of Amazon, then use a Smashwords account). It will be available on other platforms in the future. (FYI: if you plan to purchase the book on Amazon, for some reason you can only purchase it via a web browser. The Amazon app does not allow purchases of E-Books. The app is a useless tool - like its founder.)

Eventually I will publish on paperback, but for now I just wanted to get it out there and available on E-Books. I am going to try and market on Minds as much as possible, so I needed to step out from behind the proverbial curtain and unmask the Reverend Holliday. This Unmasking was a promotional event.

The other reason for this Unmasking was because it was time to remove the mask. It was time to a put a face to the name. I am an older man now. I am living in a physical shell wracked with chronic illness and I am grateful to wake up every morning. I fear only God, so I am taking this step out of the shadows and out from behind this curtain with long momentous strides. That is called stepping out in faith.

Cue the Applause!

"True faith is when you believe in something so deeply that you are willing to risk everything" - J.S. Webster. I believe in my writing ability and that this book will encourage and inspire its readers. I affirm that this novel is worth the risk. 

I hope you will be one of my first and faithful readers. On Minds, there are many amazing artists and writers. There is a plethora of talent here. I am proud to finally join the echelon of creative masters on Minds and I look forward to your questions, conversations, and commentary. 

Your faithful and loyal friend,

J.S. Webster

aka Reverend Holliday