EK Jonathan's Blog, page 2

"Time and Unforeseen" Now Here!

 

Hi all! It's November 1st and Time and Unforeseen is now available on Kindle and as a paperback on Amazon. I hope you all enjoy Will's new story!

The "bloom of youth" contest is still open for anyone wanting to submit a story for a chance to win free books. It will end on November 10th!

Pre-order "Time and Unforeseen" Now!

Hi all! Time and Unforeseen is now available for pre-order here, meaning that if you purchase now, it'll become instantly available to read this Sunday, November 1st, the release date. The paperback book will also be available for purchase shortly, which will allow you to order now and have it in your hands within a few days (hopefully around the day of its release, but due to shipping times this is impossible to guarantee).

Also, if you haven't yet submitted your "bloom of youth story", be sure to do so soon for a chance to win a couple of copies of the new book. The submissions I've gotten so far have all been good, and I can tell it's going to be a challenge to pick only three!

Finally, I've done another podcast episode for my YouTube channel, which has been very sparsely uploaded to this year (the podcast explains why, if you haven't been following the blog). Enjoy!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hWj5nzA..." frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

"Time and Unforeseen" Almost Here + A Fun Giveaway

Hello all, and thank you, as always, for your patience!

I realize that the time span between these two book releases has been longer than usual (15 months! Yikes!), but as I've written about here extensively, this year has been a crazy one for my wife and I. We moved suddenly halfway around the world (with our two cats, too!) and are now facing towers of paperwork to allow my wife to stay in the United States (she's not from around here). Like Will Larson, I've truly been a victim of "time and unforeseen occurrence."

Even so, I'm thrilled to announce that the second draft of The Bloom of Youth 2: Time and Unforeseen is finished and off to my team of editors. I've already gotten some invaluable feedback that will help to make this book even better for its final release. It's a very different story than the last, but I think it'll resonate with many of you out there, especially having experienced the insanity that is the Year 2020.

Here's the book's description:

"Just as things appear to be settling down in Will Larson’s life, events beyond his control will once again throw his world into a tailspin. Join him on his second journey as he faces his greatest anxieties and learns to let go."

My goal is to have this book released by November 1st, just two weeks from now, but please don't hold me to that; Amazon is notoriously unpredictable with their review times for new titles! (Case in point, they've just responded to my Bloom of Youth audio book submission, citing a number of changes that need to be made before publication... *sigh*)

Also, I'm trying something new for the release of this book: A Giveaway!

Here's how it's gonna work:

To enter, all you need to do is email me (allthingsnewnovel(AT)gmail(DOT)com) a short story from your teenage years. It can be anything: something sad, something funny, something inspirational, something spiritually-centered. It doesn't have to be long or fancy. In the header of your email, write: "My Bloom of Youth Story"

Before the book's release, I'll choose my favorite three submissions and post them here. Winners will receive two free copies of Time and Unforeseen. This is an international contest open to anyone, so feel free to spread the word and let your friends know!

See you soon!

Tiny Update

 Talk about out of the frying pan into the fire! My wife and I just fled one country due to a pandemic, only to find ourselves surrounded by local wildfires, smoke-filled skies, and raining ash. I woke up this morning at 9:00, thinking it was much earlier, only to discover a view of the sky similar to the one in the picture below.

As if this year weren't already crazy enough, now we have apocalyptic views right outside our window. At this point, nothing would surprise me! It's good to know we're so close to the end; it's hard to imagine things getting any more wild than they already are.

In book-related news, I'm still waiting on the approval of The Bloom of Youth Audible audio book. As I've said previously, it's impossible to tell how long Audible will take in giving me the green light, so we'll have to keep waiting and seeing. As for the sequel of The Bloom of Youth, The Bloom of Youth 2: Time and Unforeseen, I'm still working on it but it's progressing steadily and should still be done in time for a fall '20 release.

In the meantime, I'd like to talk a little about this upcoming book, but I think I'll save it for a podcast episode!

Hope you're all staying safe and healthy out there!

Bloom of Youth Audio Book finished

Hey! Good news for those of you who enjoyed listening to the first chapter of the audio book for The Bloom of Youth! The entire book is recorded, edited, and submitted for the Audible review process. What I've found about this process, however, is that the time needed for approval varies wildly. My first audio book, FLEE, took nearly five months to go through the process. The second, The Unrighteous, took less than two weeks!

So really, it's anyone's guess how long this third audio book will take, but rest assured, I'll be letting you all know here once it's available.

Recording this audio book was quite the experience, as I did it while relocating across the globe. Due to the pandemic and sudden visa changes, my wife and I were forced to leave our previous home of eleven years and return to the United States. This means that approximately half of the book was recorded in my old office, a room in our high rise apartment, late at night when the traffic outside wasn't loud enough to show up in the audio. The second half was recorded in the home we are staying at now, which belongs to family. Living with more people and being in a new environment meant a lot of trial and error with recording times and locations, trying to find that sweet spot that would match the audio from the previous half of the book. Eventually, I managed, and I hope the transition from one recording locale to the next isn't too noticeable!

In other news, I haven't touched The Bloom of Youth 2 much in the last couple of months, but now that I'm settling in here and I've got much more time on my hands than before, I'll start chipping away at the remainder of the project. I still plan to release it this fall, so stay tuned...

Spanish verison of "All Things New" now available!

Great news for you Spanish readers and speakers out there! The first Spanish-language version of All Things New (Todo Nuevo) is now available on Amazon. As usual, there is both the digital version (for use on Kindles, or on the Kindle app for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices), and the paperback version if you prefer a more traditional format! A huge thanks to my tireless Spanish translator, Carlos, who originally reached out to me with interest in doing the translating, and then spent the next few months pouring himself completely into this project. I'm sure many friends will be both entertained and encouraged by the fruits of his hard work!
In other news, my wife and I have completed the move back to the United States. It's a little weird to be back here after more than a decade living abroad in Asia, and stranger still to be here during a pandemic (I'm currently writing from my new office: a repurposed garage space next to a refrigerator and a washing machine––but I'm not complaining!). We are happy to be with family and finally through the ordeal of our international travels, which were much more stressful than we'd anticipated.
The upside is that since we're finally somewhat settled and I've got more time on my hands, I'll be able to hopefully get this next book finished soon. And if I can find a quiet space to burrow away for a few days, I'll be able to finish recording my audio book as well!
Hope you all are doing ok out there!

Audiobook sample for The Bloom of Youth!

The Bloom of Youth was, by far, the wackiest, most neurotic of my novels. But it was also the most enjoyable to write! While most of my books start off as a thrill to write, somewhere in the middle I find myself running out of steam or needing to rekindle my excitement about the story. This usually happens again towards the three-quarters mark, when I'm trying to tie the story all together and end all of the characters' arcs in a satisfying way. Point being, writing a novel is far from a stress-free process!
The Bloom of Youth was an exception. It was such a joy to mentally revisit my teenage years and weave those emotions and experiences into Will's story. I don't recall ever worrying about what to write next, or determining how Will might react to a certain situation. The entire process was smooth and organic, a much needed break from the high intensity events of the FLEE series and the slightly darker source material.
Revisiting Will's story in audiobook format has been similarly fun. Stepping back into his world has been a refreshing break from 2020, with its global pandemic, murderous insects, locust swarms, looming financial crises, endless series of natural (and not-so-natural) disasters, and freakish weather. Will's problems may be big in his mind, but they're nothing compared to all this, and right now that's exactly what I've been needing. So it's been fun!
Unfortunately though, for this particular audiobook I won't be uploading the entire thing to YouTube. Audible's guidelines are pretty strict, and they don't allow authors to share the full content on any other sites. (This also means I'll be taking down most of the chapters of the FLEE audiobook.) Still, I hope you enjoy this little snippet. And if so far you've been on the fence about picking up The Bloom of Youth, hopefully this'll give you a good sampling of what to expect. Enjoy!

Bloom of Youth Sequel coming this Fall, in spite of everything else

Hi all. I realize my updates here and elsewhere have been very hit and miss lately, so I'd like to explain a little of what we've been going through in our current assignment.
As with all of you, I'm sure, Covid-19 has meant massive changes in virtually every aspect of life. We began experiencing city-wide lock downs early this year, and although things are finally starting to open up and life is returning to normal, the political climate has soured considerably. This has meant new challenges.

In particular, it has become nearly impossible to get new visas as foreigners here. We have tried countless options, have called multiple cities and districts, and have followed up on every possible lead we could. Still, it's become undeniably clear that our life here in Asia will be coming to an abrupt end. While we were at first devastated by the thought of leaving behind our congregation, our studies, and so many close friends (some of whom were once our Bible students), we have found peace in knowing that Jehovah's direction for us is clear, and that everyone will be in good hands. The prayers we have made about returning home have all been answered, and many doors have opened up. We cannot help but feel like the Apostle Paul in Acts 16, who was repeatedly prevented by the holy spirit from preaching in one area, only to be clearly directed somewhere else.
So while we are sad, we are optimistic about the future, and we are eager to see how Jehovah will use us in our new lives back home.
That said, life has been understandably hectic lately. We have kept our lives simple these last ten years, and this means that the majority of the things we own are easy to part with (most things we're either giving away, selling, or tossing; we'll be traveling home with little more than the clothes on our backs and our suitcases). However, there are still many matters within the congregation, with students, with travel home, and with work that need to be settled before our July departure.
In spite of all that, I'm happy to announce that The Bloom of Youth 2: Time and Unforeseen will be released sometime this Fall. I've been working on it the last couple of months and it's coming along nicely. The tone will be a bit different than the last book (told by a slightly older, slightly more wizened Will) but it'll still be a young adult novel featuring his characteristic humor and anxiety-stricken persona. If you enjoyed the last one, I think you'll like the sequel as well. Here's a sneak peek at the cover.
So that's the latest with us. We're healthy, and still alive and kicking, but life is sort of a whirlwind at the moment.

The Unrighteous Audiobook now available!

Hi all! Well, here's a bit of a surprise release: The Unrighteous is now available in full as an audiobook. This one was read by one of our brothers, John Eliot, from the UK. I think he did a fantastic job with it. If you're an Audible member, it's definitely worth checking out. (Here's a link!) You can also purchase the audiobook a la carte via Amazon, or on iTunes. Enjoy!

FLEE Audiobook finally here!

It's been months since I started the approval process (the files were last submitted on January 25th!), but I'm pleased to announce that my first audiobook, FLEE, is finally available on Amazon.

You may have already caught some of these chapters on my YouTube channel, but much of this audiobook has been re-recorded with professional equipment. I personally think it sounds a lot better than the old version!

So if you're a fan of audiobooks, consider checking this one out!