Like every blogger, I get a certain amount of mail. Most of it is nice and interesting. I’ve not had any death threats at all!
Then there is the item that reached me recently via the Chieftain Publishing website, where I advertise the two volumes that I published. I don’t get much email from that site, because the publishing is pretty much done now.
Anyway, here is what I received.
Created On: 7 April 2019 at 08:47
From: John Rishel <Johnrishel4@gmail.com>
X-Mailer: PHPMailer 5.2.22
Subject: Crucial help to obtaining your Awesome booksI hope u all are better than well and exceeding thank you to read the following with prayerful consideration.
I recently found a couple incredible looking books by you all–Origen on Ezekiel. And Eusebius on Gospel Problems and solitions.
If was able to work would get them asap, however since some yrs ago when I’m an intense car accident when a reckless driver going well over fifty blindsided my passenger side of car…my severe spinal trauma has kept me still injured and not working. Cause of financial issues was forced to live with my mom…with limited six security $ I get of course goes to help mom pay rent and other.
Ever please if there is Any POSSIBLE way you all could EVER generously donate those books, the fruit born would increase into eternity.
Each of the authors are clearly God’s All Stars.
If you could only allow one to give, Origen on Ezekiel would be epic.
I know you all are young publisher starting out and I’m sure more than busy, though I hope and pray you all night be help !e in such a way, that would be lifechanging…Cause your amazing gift would be the Only way I could study these vital works!!!😊
Thx ever so again for ur time and prayerful consideration in these matters of interest.
Please take it Easy and better than best!!!
SincerelyJohn Rishel
3217 SAint James Place
Mckinney, Texas. 75070. USAMay the Triume Almighty so Richly bless, protect and direct you all at Chieftain Publishing!!😇
Sadly I have been unable to find the time to reply to this. I did look up the address in google, and it is a very nice house with an estimated value of $250,000. Looking up the address in whitepages.com reveals a John Rishel living there, who is in his 70s, and a John Ashbrook Rishel IV in his 40s, and a Judith Rishel in her 70s, and a Xiaochun Zhao. Searchbug.com lists four people living there; John, Katie, Leigh Ann and Xiaochun. Who are these people, one wonders?
Yet … the author has never even googled for my “awesome books”, or he would find them freely available online in PDF form. Nor has he realised that I blog about them here. All he knows is that there is a website for “Chieftain Publishing” which sells a couple of expensive books. His nearly illiterate email tells us that he is not qualified to use these books! Most of the email is clearly boiler-plate.
It looks very much to me as if Mr Rishel – or Mr Zhao? – has just searched for small publishing companies, and fired off a mass begging email to them all. Since he obviously just wants stuff, and has no interest in the books themselves, I can only suppose that the books would then be sold for cash on eBay, or something like that.
I post his email, in case anyone else is getting them. Clearly a scam.