Evan Bond's Blog, page 12

Book Cover Reveal- Echoes of the Past

Seeing as how this book is coming out later this year, I figure it's time to share the book cover with you. Before I do, let me give you a quick synopsis on the story:

Sasha and her daughter Tara move to the small town of Carlisle, Maine. It's a small and quaint little place where everyone knows everybody. Being from the city, Sasha feels out of place but knows the change is good. Escaping an abusive relationship, she thinks the small town life will be good for her and her daughter. The change is short lived, however, when people in town start dying and all fingers point to Sasha. Fear consumes the town of Carlisle and Sasha finds herself being accused of murder and, of all things, witchcraft. Have the echoes of the past come back to consume Sasha or is there something more sinister happening within its borders? 

Now that you know the plot, I think you might be ready for the cover. What do you think? Yes? I thought you might say that. Alright. Let's not delay this any further. I give you, the book cover for my upcoming horror novella Echoes of the Past.

There you have it. What do you think? Love it or hate it, let me know in the comments below and I hope you will pick up your copy when it's released. The pre-order will be available soon and I'll be sure to let everyone know when it is. Until then, keep wandering. Just not alone. 

YouTube Yearning

A friend of mine said it best. YouTube is cable for Millennials. Think about all the content you can find on YouTube. Just looking over my subscriptions alone proves the myriad of content available. There’s everything from video games to urban exploration videos, and everything in between. There’s so much you can watch and learn on YouTube.  
Which brings me to my first Avocation Adventure. Recently, I had the pleasure of hanging out with my buddy Josh a he filmed content for his YouTube channel. Definitely check out his channel here. It’s called Live it Above 100. The message there is to go outside your comfort zone, live life and don’t just be a passenger. Live Above 100. The message is a fantastic one. You don’t have to go out and do something crazy like parkour or jumping from an airplane to live above 100. Sometimes, it’s just about doing something new, something different.  
To really understand the kinds of videos he makes, you really should check out his channel. If you like all things paranormal, abandoned, historical, or just plain creepy, his channel has it all. I helped him film about a month’s worth of content in a single day and I came out exhausted but with experiences that will last a lifetime.  
Picture this, a naturally formed, limestone cave system in the middle of the woods in Florida. It’s hot, it’s humid, and it’s a long walk. You get there, and you have to climb down a rather steep embankment using only rocks and roots as your grips. But when you get down in there, the view is worth every second of exhaustion. Imagine ducking down low through smaller caverns to venture into the back of the cave so you can shut off your lights and sit for a moment in the darkest darkness you’ve ever witnessed in your life. Your mind conjures up all sorts of terrifying images staring back at you from inside the darkness and your heart races. I clicked on my flashlight and expected the creatures from The Descent to be staring back at me.  
Of course, I love camping and hiking so these things aren’t outside of my comfort zone but urban exploration is something I’ve never done. We found an entire abandoned neighborhood and explored its streets. It felt like a scene straight from The Walking Dead. I wouldn’t have been surprised had zombies shuffled around the corner and surrounded us inside one of the homes we ventured inside of. In fact, part of you wants it to happen to make the experience authentic.  
We did that in the middle of the day which dramatically dials down on the creepy factor. You know what really cranks that knob to 11? Sitting under a bridge at midnight with a Ouija board, trying to summon the goblin like creatures who, supposedly, guard the nearby creek. You see, there’s an urban legend in our neck of the woods about a witch having lived on this particular bit of property and set her minions to guard the land. Of course, the legend says they can still be summoned to this day. And let me say this, the first time you see an EMF spike and have some strange phenomena happen that you can’t explain, you get shaky. Your heart races much the same as it does sitting in the darkened abyss of the caves. It might only be your imagination running wild but it doesn’t matter. It still gets you going.  
Josh has always had a passion for videos and YouTube so it’s no surprise he was so passionate about this project. His energy kept me going throughout the day. When he got excited about a particular shot for his video, it pulled me further into the experience. It’s for this exact reason I started Avocation Adventures. I wanted to experience other people’s excitement first hand. Stepping out of my comfort zone makes for some pretty wild stories and, like Josh’s channel instructs, Live it Above 100. Thanks for coming along on our first Avocation Adventure. Make sure to check out Josh’s channel, Live it Above 100 and look for his videos featuring me soon. As always, keep wandering, just not alone.  ​

Introducing Avocation Adventures

Avocation (noun): A hobby or minor occupation. It's a fancy word for hobby, clearly. In the past few weeks, I've learned more about the people I know. Mainly, their hobbies and interests. I've always been fascinated with other people's hobbies. Seeing others excited about their passions makes me excited for mine. Positive energy is influential. When I learn of someone's hobbies I want to hear all about it and I end up getting just as excited for it as they do. 

So, I started thinking, how can these experiences be shared with the world? How can we take people's excitement and let everyone experience it? I got talking with someone whose hobbies include woodworking and carving. In fact, it was a conversation with him that sparked this idea. He texted me saying, "Sorry, I have no one else to talk to about this that gives a shit. I may become annoying soon." 

Honestly, this text really made me think. People have interests they love and not everyone has someone to share that with. And sharing your passions with the world is fun and exciting. Trust me, I understand that feeling as an indie author. I genuinely love sharing my work with the world. Writing is my passion. 

Which is a perfect segue into the point of this post.  I wanted to combine the positive experiences of people's hobbies and combine it with the feeling of sharing it with everyone. Hence, my new blog series. I'm calling it Avocation Adventures. And yes, the tagline is inspired by Supernatural's Saving People, Hunting Things. 

I've got some cool things planned and underway so stay tuned for that blog series coming soon! What do you think about this idea? Are you excited for it? Let me know in the comments below. 

Bond's Book Club

So I did a little re-branding of my Patreon page. Now, my patrons are no longer just called "patrons". Instead, they are Bond's Book Club members. What does this mean? Basically, it's a place for readers of my books to hang out and talk about books, writing, reading, or whatever. I'm going to be sharing more exclusive short stories, chapters, book covers, and things with the club members and host posts about books I'm reading and my thoughts on them. There's a lot of exclusive things coming in the future for Bond's Book Club members. I may be making bookmarks, postcards, etc. Who knows, maybe there will be T shirts and hats down the line. But only if people are interested in that sort of thing. I'm really hoping to make my new Patreon page a lot of fun and give more back to the people who support me. Please, head over to Patreon.com/evanbond and chose the tier you'd like and become a Bond's Book Club member. If you don't want to, that's fine too. Just you following this blog and my pages is great support and I appreciate every single one of you! Hope to see you in the club! 

Happy (Almost) Summer

Summer is almost upon us. If you live in Florida, then you know summer started weeks ago! At least, it feels like it. It's the time of year to sit out by the water, whether it be ocean, river, lake, or pool, and read a good book. So, I thought I would propose a summertime offer. If you sign up for my quarterly newsletter before June 21st, you will receive a FREE, autographed copy of my horror novella, Getaway. Cool, right? If you want to sign up, just click here. After the newsletter goes out, I will contact you for your shipping address and get the book to you right away! Happy (almost) summer! 

Write Down Wednesday

If you follow me over on Instagram, you might be aware of the micro stories I share on Wednesdays. But now, I'm trying to expand that endeavor. Basically, I've started a hashtag on Instagram called #WriteDownWednesday. I'm encouraging all authors and writers to use this hashtag every Wednesday. Write a short micro story about 3-6 sentences long. It's a lot of fun and us authors can use it to connect with each other. It's going to be great. Help me get this thing rolling! Head over to Instagram now and start writing! 

KING OF THE UNIVERSE III

If you've been keeping up with my blog (first of all thank you so much!) then you know I'm currently reading through The Dark Tower series by Stephen King for the first time. I took a bit of a break between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla, parts IV and V respectively. Now, I'm back into them. 
Currently, I'm a little ways into Wolves of the Calla Part V of the series. And wouldn't you know it? There's a cameo by good old Mr. Stephen King. I've made posts in the past like this before. Back in 2016 I mentioned how the first book The Gunslinger referenced the movie The Shining. I talked about what that meant for the universe. Read it here. In 2017, I talked about how part of Wizard and Glass made mention of The Stand. Check that out here. 
Now, in Wolves of the Calla there's mention of a bookstore with an advertisement on a chalk board. Which author is featured on this chalkboard? None of than Stephen King. So, I'm confused. The universe where Jake and Eddie come from is the same universe as Stephen King and his books. Presumably, it's our universe as well. Stephen King exists in the universe where he invented things like The Shining, The Dark Tower, and The Stand. Do those books exists in this universe or is it some sort of weird parallel universe to ours where King is an author but some of his major books were never written, such as The Dark Tower series? Or, perhaps in this universe Stephen King has the ability to shine as well. Ugh! 
My mind hurts thinking about this. But I must say, it's fun to think about. What do you think? Have you read The Dark Tower series? What do you think is going on? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading. As always, keep wandering. Just not alone. 

Favorite Books: Horror Edition

Horror is one of those genres which, if done well, can really stick with you for a long time. There's a lot of horror books out there. Some are eerie, some are creepy, some are downright disturbing. But what truly makes a horror book amazing, in my opinion, is one you can remember years later and still get that uneasy feeling. And these four books definitely lingered with me for quiet some time. So, here they are. Four of my favorite horror books, in no particular order. 

4. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Richard Matheson's book I Am Legend was outstanding. It had everything a horror fan could ask for. Post apocalyptic society, vampires, desperate loneliness, and more. Plus, the vampires were real vampires, unlike the movie of the same name. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the movie sucked but the book was certainly better. There are still scenes that stick with me to this day. For example, there's a scene with Robert Neville trying to return home before the vampires come out for the night. He's behind the wheel of his manual car and his foot slips off the clutch and it stalls. There was so much tension in that scene. There are plenty more examples but I want to keep this spoiler free. If you haven't read I Am Legend, you need to! 

3. Dracula by Bram Stoker
I'm sure you've read Dracula or at least seen one of the many movies inspired by the book. If not, you surely know his name. He's the king of all the undead beasts of our horror fueled nightmares. Dracula is cunning, charming, dangerous, and vile. This book sticks with me for many reasons but mainly because of its style. The book is written as journal entries from our hero Johnathan Harker and others at times. It was such a cool concept and original idea. It seemed to build the suspense over the entire novel. Plus, Dracula was much more than the simple villain movies made have made him out to be. In the book, he's far more dangerous and cunning. He's able to shape-shift into multiple forms, not just a bat. Some of them are utterly terrifying. I really feel for Jonathan and his fiance. There's a particular scene between Dracula and Jonathan's fiance Mina that was particularly unsettling. But I'll let you discover it for yourself. 

2. The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe
I know what you're thinking. Evan, The Cask of Amontillado is a short story and not a book. To which I say, how are you able to interrupt me while I'm writing this? You must have the shine (from Stephen King's The Shining. Foreshadowing to the number 1?) Seriously, The Cask of Amontillado by Mr. Poe has to be my all time favorite story of his. Of course, there's the classics like A Tell Tale Heart, or The Raven (yes, I know that's a poem. Stop interrupting!), and The Pit and the Pendulum. But I can still remember this story clear as day from when I first read it in middle school.  I can't say much about the story, for those who are about a hundred years late in reading it. Let's just say it centers around being buried alive. That is an utterly terrifying notion. In fact, it's been a while since I've read this story. I think I'll go read it now. 

1. The Shining by Stephen King
Now that I've reread The Cask of Amontillado, let's talk about The Shining. (Seriously, I did go read it before finishing. Don't believe me? Follow me on Goodreads. You'll see!) Now, I know I said there was no particular order to these but I think I lied about the number one spot. The Shining has to be my all time favorite horror book and might even be my favorite King novel. The book is far more unsettling than the movie and there's plenty of scenes to get your paranoia flowing. One part in particular happens in the bathroom. Let's just say it took me a while to use the bathroom without moving the shower curtain first. Then there's a bit about a firehouse, an elevator, and just everything. Everything in this book is creepy and terrifying. It's amazing! 

There you have it. Four of my favorite horror books and my number one favorite of all time. Are any on my list your favorites as well? If not, what are some of yours? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and remember, keep wandering. Just not alone. ​

Micro Stories

You probably remember my Book of Nature project. I used photos of nature I've taken and wrote short micro stories inspired by the images. I've since moved the project to Patreon only, however, I still do micro stories for all to read over on Instagram. These micro stories are a bit different. The images can be anything. I'm having a lot of fun writing these stories. Hopefully, they are entertaining and it's good practice for me. 

That actually brings me to the point of this blog post. If you're a writer, I encourage you to do this too. Even if you don't want to share them with the world, it's still a great exercise. I'm now finding myself viewing nearly everything with the potential to be a story. It really helps keep the creativity flowing all day. 

It makes for great practice as well. Think about it, you have to convey a story (or at least part of one) with 6 or less sentences. Not incredibly easy. It forces you to write far more creatively without the risk of getting burned out quickly. Some daily writing challenges have you write pages or paragraphs but it can get overwhelming. Especially, if you're a writer with a day job. 

So, I present to you the idea of micro stories. If you're a writer, give it a try. I promise you'll love it. And please, share them with me. Use Canva to make some really cool images. Feel free to share them with me on social media or email them to me. My favorites will be featured on my Instagram page, with credit to the writer, of course. I look forward to seeing your stories and if you want to read some of mine, be sure to give me a follow on Instagram. Thanks for reading and remember, keep wandering. Just not alone. 

Audience Participation

​Hello and happy Friday! Got any cool weekend plans? I'm installing a fence this weekend, should be fun. Speaking of fenced in areas, I have a question for you. When it comes to the books you like to surround yourself with, what is your favorite genre? I'm just curious what everyone out there reads. Let me know if the comments below if you can't get enough fantasy. Maybe Sci-Fi is your thing. Maybe it's horror. Or, perhaps you love a good old school spy thriller. Or, maybe you read a genre that isn't main stream like erotica. Whatever it is, let me know!