I just self-published a book - The Adventures of Leo & Henry - The Quest for the Lost Sword. This is a boys' book, I suspect for around ages 8+, and a quick read (under 80 pages). It is also my first book and was born out of the bedtime stories I make up for my sons.

Yes, their names are Leo and Henry.. and yes, they are the heroes!

This project is also an homage to a pastiche of things I enjoyed when I was their age, satiating my own nostalgia for unabashed boys’ stuff. It’s The Hardy Boys, Tom Swift Jr, and imagining what it may have been like if a young Indiana Jones were Catholic.

This particular story is a fairly straightforward adventure. When a medieval heirloom, the Sword of St. Henry (I made it up), is stolen from its rightful caretaker, the boys embark on a quest to recover it. They encounter mystery, legend, and a sinister SECRET ORDER.

The book is now available for purchase on Amazon and Gumroad (digital version only).

I am also giving away the PDF for free for those who want the bootleg version.

..but wait, why is Flattery larping as an author now? Great question. The answer is that it seems kids pull unlikely things out of Dads in our desire to thrill them. So I had a lot of fun doing this and will likely be doing more, (if my audience of two demands it).

A new GENTLEMAN SPECULATOR is up. I share some personal views on another Trump presidency and allow myself a moment to indulge in some optimism. We get into the concept of America's decline, comparing it to the fall of Rome, and explore potential for continuation of the empire.

I riff on the commentary of Peter Thiel on Bari Weiss’s show, Trump’s Rogan appearance, Michael Goldstein on the Art of Bitcoin Rhetoric, the Kurt Steiner piece on American Empire: A Morale Project, and Isaac Simpson’s piece on the El Segundo Hard Tech movement.

There are decades where nothing happens and there are weeks where decades happen.

While your average retiree is lounging in the La-Z-Boy, watching the tube, and wondering why the kids don't call, your boy Mel Gibson is out there at 68 doing meaningful work. Gibson is pouring energy into "The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection" – potentially the most important movie of his career.

“I think you gotta keep busy. I've seen so many people that I know, they get to the end of their job and then they sort of deteriorate quickly. So I think you have to stay busy.” - Mel Gibson

On this note, I’m exploring alternatives to the boomer retirement trap: like making an impact as you grow older and likely continuing to do (dignified) work.

The Patriot (documentary), greatness after 60, the landed gentry, and imagining “traditional” retirement ideas beyond homesteading—new on Gentleman Speculator.

Looking to spend less time on the phone. What’s the best web browser #nostr client right now?

One of my simmering great American novels is about ragtag and profane 90s boiler room guys who make good, redeem themselves, and legitimize “Stratton oakmont”

I just withdrew 40,000 sats from @Fountain value for value payments. AMA.