Taylor Zajonc's Blog, page 2

Ever swim a flooded cave in January?

[image error] The Maw: A Novel by Taylor Zajonc (Skyhorse Publishing June 5, 2018)

There’s no better way to get ready for an adventure novel than by going on an adventure. Check out this photo series of my recent descent into a lava tube in Mt. St. Helens National Park. It was January. I went swimming. Yes, it was cold.

Don’t forget – THE MAW now available for pre-order!

[image error] Photo Credit: Josh Hydeman Photography http://www.joshhydeman.com/
[image error] Photo Credit: Josh Hydeman Photography http://www.joshhydeman.com/
[image error] Photo Credit: Josh Hydeman Photography http://www.joshhydeman.com/

 

[image error] Photo Credit: Josh Hydeman Photography http://www.joshhydeman.com/
[image error] Photo Credit: Josh Hydeman Photography http://www.joshhydeman.com/

THE MAW: A NOVEL – Coming June 5, 2018!

[image error] The Maw: A Novel by Taylor Zajonc (Skyhorse Publishing June 5, 2018)

I couldn’t be more happy to share my new author website and book trailer! This novel was one the most difficult and personally meaningful projects I’ve ever taken on, and I hope you enjoy every word.

Pre-Order Here



For fans of Clive Cussler and Michael Crichton, a thrilling tale of an underground expedition to the deep . . . and the ultimate struggle for survival.

Milo Luttrell never expected to step inside the mouth of an ancient cave in rural Tanzania. After all, he’s a historian—not an archaeologist. Summoned under the guise of a mysterious life-changing opportunity, Milo suddenly finds himself in the midst of an expedition into the largest underground system in Africa, helmed by a brash billionaire-turned-exploration guru and his elite team of cavers. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to finally solve a century-old disappearance of the famed explorer Lord Riley DeWar, an enigmatic figure who both made—and nearly ruined—Milo’s fledgling career.

Determined to make the most of his second chance, Milo joins the team and begins a harrowing descent into one of Earth’s last secrets: a dangerous, pitch-black realm of twisting passages and ancient fossils nearly two thousand feet underground. But when a storm hits the surface base camp, stranding the cavers and washing away supplies, all communication to the outside world is lost. As the remaining resources dwindle and members of the team begin to exhibit strange and terrifying abilities, Milo must brave the encroaching darkness to unearth the truth behind DeWar’s fascination with the deep—and why he never left.

When the shooting is in your school

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I cried my eyes out in my car during my lunch break today.

It was because a young man brought an AR-15 rifle and pistol into the school I attended from grade school to graduation. He shot another student, a student who was not only a friend of his attacker but who himself had lost his own father in a tragic accident only a few months ago. The boy tried to stop the shooter, and was himself shot dead in the effort. My younger brother’s favorite teacher desperately tried to keep the wounded boy alive. He was not successful. Others were fired upon and lived. The shooter was arrested.

My childhood home is across the street from the victim’s. I used to spend time with the woman that lived there before them. She’d taken a special interest in me; she’d sometimes take me out to a Kiwanas meeting or lunch. I did chores for her on occasion. She was one of the people who encouraged me to write.

It’s probably fitting that the most recent book I completed was Stanislaw Lem’s science fiction masterpiece Solaris. It’s a book where a man visits a lonely outpost, is revisited by the embodiment of his most fond and tragic memories, only to repeat the mistakes of his past. It is a book frustratingly devoid of explanation, leaving only tragedy and unanswered questions.

I have a complicated relationship with my school. I felt I didn’t fit in at all. It was not always a good place for a kid who loved history and Star Trek. I remember being geeky and weird, and I often did not like myself very much. Some students were cruel; and my time there was anxious and uncertain. One group of teenage boys in particular would do things like put a dead deer on my girlfriend’s car.

It got so bad that I finally confronted their leader and spat in his face. There were four of them, and they were all bigger than me. I’d decided that I would take their beating, and in doing so, force them to realize their sadism with blood consequences, even if that blood was mine and mine alone. It was only their shock that saved me from their fists. But every time I visited my home town after that I was ready to spot them before they spotted me, and to fight with everything I had if any of them decided to belatedly settle scores.

I’ve changed physically in the years since. I’m bigger now due to an ongoing weightlifting regimen, much of which I owe to them. You see, I still see their faces when I lift. They scream at me and threaten me as I push harder and heavier and faster, oblivious to anything but the red in my vision and the pounding of my pulse in my ears. But I also like to imagine that they are now fathers, like me, and that they have found peace and joy in their lives, as I have. And I thank them for that too. I know what it feels like to be small and afraid, and this has made me gentle, because I refuse to make anyone else feel like I once felt.

I went back to my high school about 18 months ago as a guest speaker. I was still in the daze of new fatherhood and the publication of my first novel. They’d torn down the old school and put a new one in its place. The new school, the one broadcast across the nation with images of traumatized students out front, is a beautiful space.

I was so impressed with the students. They were bright, engaged, and seemed more comfortable with themselves and others than I’d ever imagined possible. These kids were better than we were. Looking at them, I felt certain nobody called each other faggot or smashed each other into lockers, or threatened to wire a bomb to the car that I used to drive my little brother home in.

Columbine happened when I was in school. So did Moses Lake. Aurora, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook happened later.  It feels like it’s all faded into a low buzz. I’m not even sure if #Freeman even trended on Twitter. Part of me feels like I have failed, my generation has failed. We grew up with this and haven’t done anything about it, and now it is handed off to our children.

I’m too hurt and tired to talk about solutions. Even the idea of solutions is painful; no solution will ever bring back what was lost at Freeman High School. Today my internet connection was a lonely outpost, bringing me back to a fond and difficult place, mistakes repeated, frustratingly devoid of explanation, leaving only tragedy and unanswered questions.

But maybe the questions are worth something, even if they’re not unanswerable. How can we be better parents? How can we be kinder to each other? What good can come from that which is most senseless? I don’t know the answers to any of these. But I’m trying.

Thank you Oregon Public Broadcasting!

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Loved this conversation with Dave Miller of Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Think Out Loud!” It was a fun way to talk about history, exploration, the deep ocean, and my recent books. I hope any listeners enjoy this as much as I did!

 

 

Listen to “Not a pirate, a historical shipwreck researcher” on Spreaker.

Announcing a new 4-book deal!

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I am beyond thrilled to announce I will be working with ABDO Publishing’s “Spellbound” division on four illustrated children’s books! The IRON ISLAND series follows the historic adventures of Samuel Oliver, a gutsy 13-year-old deep sea diving apprentice. Born into the dangerous family business of salvaging sunken ships, Samuel seeks to prove himself to his father and uncles amidst a backdrop of mystery, suspense and danger. Check out the Publishers Marketplace announcement below!

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Book 1: THE IRON ISLAND

Deep sea diving apprentice Samuel Oliver must explore the flooded decks of an abandoned passenger ship and solve the mystery of her mad captain before saboteurs can strike again!

Book 2: BATTLESHIP RESCUE

Samuel Oliver discovers a group of sailors trapped within an air pocket of a sunken battleship—but with their only exit blocked, can he rescue them in time?

Book 3: THE ANCIENT CAVE

Samuel’s father takes him to an icy cave high in the mountains—but the family secret within will only be revealed if Samuel can brave the darkest swim of his young life.

Book 4: THE MONSTER OF THE DEEP

Apprentice deep sea diver Samuel Oliver and his family of adventurers find a sunken Spanish galleon with a fabulous cargo of gold—but can they get past the giant squid that guards the treasure?

 

Thank You Travel Stories Podcast!

[image error]Thank you so much to Hayden Lee of Travel Stories Podcast for having me on as a guest. It was a chance to tell a few stories of fatherhood, adventure, writing and faraway lands. Give it a listen – Hayden and the folks at Backpack Digital did a phenomenal job.

BOOK DEAL!

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I’m so pleased to share that my newest novel THE MAW will be released by Skyhorse Publishing in Spring of 2018! I hope you’ll all join me in celebrating this incredible news. Above all, please know how incredibly grateful I am to all of you for supporting me at every stage of this very special project. I couldn’t be more proud to bring this story to publication.

In the new adventure thriller THE MAW, a disgraced history professor joins a secret expedition into the largest cave system in Africa to uncover what befell a long lost explorer — only to realize he must solve a century-old mystery or face his own demise in the dark.

(Skyhorse Publishing, 2018)

I’m giving away signed books & shipwreck silver!

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Know anyone who might want to own their very own piece of World War II shipwreck treasure? And some signed WRECKING CREW books to boot? Is that person YOU? Check out the giveaway below! Better yet, share widely and earn yourself an extra entry for every person you get to enter!

This silver coin comes from the sunken hold of the WW2 shipwreck SS Gairsoppa, a ship I helped discover deep beneath the ocean!

 

FOREWORD Indies Award Finalist!

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Super excited to announce that THE WRECKING CREW is a FOREWORD indies award finalist! Read an excerpt below:

 

Publication day for RED SUN ROGUE! Read an excerpt!

I’m so happy to announce that my newest book RED SUN ROGUE was officially released by Blank Slate Press today! f you’re in town, I’d love to see you on Wednesday, March 8th at 7pm in Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway St., Portland for a reading and signing. If you’re far away, please know that I’m thinking about you and I’m thrilled to share this news with you!