Jason Tesar's Blog, page 3

Hands to Make War – Audiobook Now Available

The audiobook version of Hands to Make War | The Awakened Book Three is now available at Audible, iTunes, and Amazon.

Inhabitation & Regeneration - Simultaneous Book Releases

Today is the release day for for Inhabitation & Regeneration.
For all of you who have been waiting to get your hands on the final installments of the Wandering Stars series ... the wait is over. It's time to dive back into the adventure!
Just click on the links below to download your copies.

Download Inhabitation

Download Regeneration
When you're done reading these books, I'd love to hear from you. Send me an email at jasontesar@yahoo.com and let me know if you enjoyed them.
Thanks so much for supporting this passion of mine! I'm grateful to have you along for the journey.
-Jason

Book Descriptions for Inhabitation & Regeneration

The last two volumes of the Wandering Stars series will be released simultaneously on May 28, 2015—just two weeks from today!

Last week, I revealed the amazing cover art created by my friend, Mike Heath, of Magnus Creative. As we countdown to launch day, I have something else exciting to share with you this week—the book descriptions.

It is always a challenge to take the major plot points of an entire book and boil them down to just a few sentences. And with books in a series, there is the added complication of making it specific enough to capture readers' interest while being vague enough to avoid spoilers.

Hopefully I've accomplished that with both of these descriptions.

Happy Reading,

Jason Tesar


The true architect of Earth’s inhabitation has been revealed. As power and authority are consolidated into a new kingdom, allies become enemies and enemies become friends.
Sariel’s vengeance is complete, but his sacrifice is greater than he could have imagined. Weakened beyond sanity and hunted by a dangerous new predator, Sariel must rely on his oldest nemesis in order to survive. The testing of his loyalty will uncover a new strategy, leading him back into the center of a multisided war. The influence of the Myndarym is swelling, flowing across the land, driving cultures into the future or crushing them under its weight. But when the violence reaches into the depths of the sea, it awakens a powerful and forgotten realm. Angel. Demon. Nephiyl. Human. The battle lines are drawn, and before it’s over, the world will never be the same.
In Volume Three of the Wandering Stars series, Jason Tesar’s fantasy epic engulfs the earth in a clash of temporal kingdoms and eternal civilizations, peeling back the layers of primordial history to expose its supernatural origins.
Pre-Order Inhabitation Today!


The Temporal Realm is fragmented. It exists now as three worlds moving in parallel through time, sharing a common history, connected by a mysterious portal.
In the aftermath of a cataclysmic flood, Sariel wanders the desolate earths, searching for signs of life. The process of regeneration has led each world in a different direction, but Sariel uncovers their unique dangers and the sinister unity that binds them together. The gods are looking to the future, exploiting their temporal advantage to influence the war in the Eternal Realm. At the center of their efforts are the fragile remnants of humanity. Sariel, inspired by the words of an old friend and driven by his loyalty for a new one, will risk everything he has left in hopes of saving mankind.
In Volume Four of the Wandering Stars, Jason Tesar’s fantasy epic draws to a close. With the prehistoric age of gods and monsters fading from human experience, a new era of myths and legends is born. An ancient prophecy is unveiled, bringing the story to a violent conclusion and setting the stage for the coming of The Awakened.
Pre-Order Regeneration Today!

Release Date and Cover Artwork for Inhabitation & Regeneration

The last two volumes of the Wandering Stars series will be released simultaneously on May 28, 2015—just three weeks from today! As we count down to launch day, there are a few things I'd like to share with you.
This book launch is a big deal for me in more ways than one. This is the first time I've written and released two books at once. It has been quite a challenge in terms of workload and scheduling, but also a creatively rewarding experience. Once I got into the "writing zone," I found it easier to keep my momentum all the way through the next book. And with so many details of this prequel story tying into its sequel, wrapping my head around all of it at once was definitely the way to go.
This launch will also mark my first completed series. It seems strange to think that I released my first ebook in the summer of 2011 ( Awaken His Eyes ), and almost four years later, I'm finally reaching the end of something.
However ... it's only an intermediate ending. If you've been following along with me on my journey as an author, you know that the conclusion of the Wandering Stars is just the beginning of The Awakened. And now that I've written the backstory, all the foundational information is in place for me to finish up the series that kicked off my writing career.
Now, for the unveiling of the covers ...
Mike Heath of Magnus Creative has done an amazing job of capturing the essence of this series with each of his covers. His latest two pieces round out the collection nicely. They also kick up the visual intensity by several notches, which is a great parallel to the story.
Inhabitation (Volume 3) and Regeneration (Volume 4) are both available for pre-order through Amazon. Just click these links or the images to visit the Amazon product pages and reserve your copies today.

Hands to Make War - Audiobook Now Available

The audiobook version of Hands to Make War | The Awakened Book Three is now available at Audible, iTunes, and Amazon.

Audiobook Release – Paths of Destruction

Get your copy today from Audible, iTunes, or Amazon. Did you see my Facebook post yesterday about Paths of Destruction hitting #1 on Amazon in the Christian Fantasy category? I ... Read More

Audiobook Release - Paths of Destruction

Get your copy today from Audible, iTunes, or Amazon.
Did you see my Facebook post yesterday about Paths of Destruction hitting #1 on Amazon in the Christian Fantasy category? I want to thank you all for supporting my writing and making such things possible. I'm also pleased to announce that you can now listen to Paths in audio format as well. It has been a fun process to work with my narrator, Jim Norwood, in bringing these characters to life. I'm really happy with this collaboration, and I hope you enjoy the result as much as I have.
So ...
If you know anyone who might enjoy The Awakened but doesn't have time to sit down and read, consider recommending the audio versions. The first two books of the series are available now from Audible, iTunes, and Amazon (with more coming soon).
Thanks again!

-Jason


Get your copy today from Audible, iTunes, or Amazon.

Manifestation: Wandering Stars Volume Two – Now Available

It has been an amazing experience jumping back into the prehistoric world of the Wandering Stars. Though it involves the same underlying concepts as The Awakened, this series is closer ... Read More

Manifestation: Wandering Stars Volume Two - Now Available

It has been an amazing experience jumping back into the prehistoric world of the Wandering Stars. Though it involves the same underlying concepts as The Awakened, this series is closer in historical proximity to the events that launched this whole epic saga. So in that sense, it's a more direct application of the subject matter. If you can imagine The Awakened series as a tree, the Wandering Stars would be the soil beneath it.
As the author, I already had a firm grasp on this "back story" before I even wrote the first line of Awaken His Eyes. But knowing something at a conceptual level and fleshing it out on a computer screen are two very different experiences. The process of building cultures and tearing them down again, creating characters and pitting them against each other, adds a richness and depth to the story that I hadn't even felt before. It's been enlightening to get my hands dirty with the origins of my own characters and the larger plot.
My hope for you, the reader, is that you'll thoroughly enjoy submerging yourself in this fictional past while keeping one eye on the future. Like reading the scene in The Hobbit where Bilbo finds the Ring, I hope you'll enjoy this story not only for what it is but also for where it is going. 
A few other things worth mentioning ...
If you've found yourself finishing my other novels too quickly, you'll be happy to learn that Manifestation is about 40% longer than my previous novels. But if I've done my job correctly, this one will still end sooner than you want it to.
Most of this book, like my other novels, would be rated PG-13 if it were a movie. However, there are a few scenes that are not suitable for younger readers and would be rated R. These scenes are critical to the overall story, so I had to include them. But I wanted to mention it so it doesn't come as a shock later on.
OK. Enough of that. Let's get on with the show! Scroll down to check out the cover art and read the description. Then visit the Amazon page and download your Kindle copy.
As I've said before, writing for a living is a dream come true. And I couldn't do it without your amazing support! Thanks for reading my stories. I hope you enjoy this one.
- Jason Tesar

P.S. If you don't own a Kindle, you can either download the Kindle reading app for your device or wait for the other versions coming soon.


Captivity has left its wounds, and the peace that Sariel fought to obtain is slipping from his grasp. To answer the questions plaguing his mind, he must seek out his former allies. But what he discovers is a task left undone, a coalition standing in his way, and revenge far beyond his new limitations.
The gods are dividing the earth into kingdoms. As they build an alliance upon a foundation of shared resources, a new evil is manifesting—rising from the aftermath of their rebellion. It has the power to upset this fragile equilibrium and cover the earth in darkness. With enemies on every side, Sariel must weigh the cost of a promise against the value of his own life, leading him to an unthinkable decision.
The battle for independence from the Eternal Realm may be over, but the war for the Temporal Realm has just begun.
In volume two of the Wandering Stars series, Jason Tesar’s fantasy epic spreads across a prehistoric landscape in a clash of civilizations that will alter the course of human history and give rise to mankind’s oldest legends.
Download Your Copy Today!

Awaken His Eyes - Audiobook Release and Interview with the Narrator

Get your copy today from Audible, iTunes, or Amazon
The collaborative process of creating an audiobook was both fun and enlightening. While I knew there was more to it than just reading aloud, I learned that translating a written work into another medium requires a whole new approach … and a different skill set! Fortunately, I teamed up with a talented professional who is passionate about what he does. It has made all the difference. My first piece of fiction has been in good hands, and the result is something I'm now proud to offer to audio listeners. 
So, to celebrate the release of my first audiobook, I did a short Q&A session with the narrator, James Norwood, so you could get to know a little bit about him. Enjoy!
—Jason Tesar

How did you get into the profession of audiobook narration?
I have a background in theatre as a former drama major, high school drama director, and community theatre actor. As an English teacher I LOVED reading aloud to my students, and as a father I read every night to my children. I was an educational technology entrepreneur and started an internet-based training company that went on to be very successful. One of the things I did in my company was narrate several thousand video software training tutorials. So, I have a background and interest in recording technology as a communications teacher, entrepreneur, and as a would-be musician. Mix everything up for years and years … sell my company … and one day a light bulb turns on and I think, “I bet I could take a stab at narrating books.”
In what ways does your previous experience affect how you approach fiction?

As a former English teacher and a frustrated novelist, I’ve spent a lot of time studying and teaching character development. I think I have a pretty good understanding of the roles that various characters are playing in a story. I look for “archetypes.” The actor and director in me wants to take a stab at bringing characters to “life.” I have a shelf of books about how to write books, so I’m very envious of people who can actually put it all together. In that light, I just have to speak the words “trippingly on the tongue.” To interpret. I already know what I’m supposed to say.
Do you use professional recording equipment (hardware and software)?

It is hard to say anymore what “professional” recording equipment is, since the level of what would have once been “amateur” equipment has been elevated quite a bit. I use a combination of commercial and open-source software for recording, editing, and mastering. I try to find tools that are intuitive and comfortable to work with. I use a MacBook Pro as a recording station, a decent USB microphone (shock mounted), and recently purchased a portable sound booth, so that I can pretty much set up anywhere. Software tools like “Audacity” are invaluable for mastering, but it really takes a chain of several programs to record, edit, master, and prepare the final files.
How extensive is the process of getting to know the story? Did you read the whole book first, or take it one scene at a time?

I don’t necessarily read the entire book before I begin narrating. I’m not sure if that will change over time … there is something to be said for knowing everything. From a practical standpoint, I like to read far enough ahead to have a good sense of where the story is in its development, but I like the “freshness” of not really knowing everything that is going to happen. It keeps me on my toes. As a reader, I love falling in love with certain characters, learning to hate others, and honestly being curious about how it is all going to turn out. So … at any given point I’m well ahead of where the listener is, but I may be as mystified as anyone about how it is all going to end. When it all balances out, it is a delicious experience.
What is your method for creating a unique sound for each character? And how do you keep track of them all?

I’m still working on figuring that all out! Actually, from a creation standpoint I spend a lot of time driving around in my truck talking to myself. I have a habit of trying to duplicate whomever is speaking on the public radio station. Sometimes I try to think of a famous actor or character, and use their performance as a mental shorthand to bring a voice to mind. I keep track of characters by cutting and pasting snippets of speech into individual character files on my computer. If I haven’t voiced a character for a while, I pull up the sound file for him or her and give it a listen to put myself back in that mind space. I get to know primary characters fairly quickly, but I admit I have to watch for “character creep,” where a character’s voice begins to migrate over time and becomes something different.
Were you nervous about giving a “voice” to characters that fans had already come to know?

To this point, I’ve been a little ignorant of what people already expect a character to sound like, other than to say that the author is the best guide. If the author hears a character as “kind of like so-and-so in that movie,” then I’d probably better capture some of that essence. I’m here to serve the author, and the author is there to serve the fans. So, “nervous” wouldn’t really capture the feeling. It is more a sense of respecting and honoring the author’s intent. I haven’t had to voice a character that has already been voiced in audio or video. THAT would be intimidating!
You’ve only read the first book of The Awakened series at this point. Do you have any favorite characters already? If so, which ones … and why do they appeal to you?

I love Saba. I’m not sure I’ve really captured him to my satisfaction, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the wise old sage! I like when I get to hear him speak with others. Gursha was fun. At the other end of the spectrum, I like voicing Ukiru, even though I don’t actually “like” him. But there are times where his voice comes very easily and I can actually see him.
In reality, you’ve translated a novel into a different medium. What unique contributions have you brought to this fictional universe?

I like the idea of making movies for the mind. I guess I bring an honest love of stories. I’ve devoured quite a bit of science fiction and fantasy in my life, and studied Joseph Campbell’s works about character archetypes. I have a fair bit of experience as an actor and narrator. I have a knowledge of the technical side of things. I think that “teacher-actor-technician-fan” is a pretty strong combination for this kind of work, and fairly unique.
Overall, how would you describe this experience?

My enjoyment of narrating has exceeded my expectations. I worried that it might become rote or boring to get through an entire book, but in truth every day is different, and that is interesting. There are elements that are just plain work: remastering or quality checking an 8 hour book is going to take … guess what … more than 8 hours. The complexity of what you have built up over time sneaks up on you. But, overall, it is very satisfying and enjoyable. It’s also great for starting conversations in social situations. “So, what have you been up to lately?” “Me? I tell stories.” “Really? Tell me about that …”
What’s your next project?

I’ve been lucky enough to create relationships with two authors who both have a fan base, and a series of books to narrate! So, I’m starting on Book 2 of the Awakened series (Paths of Destruction), and I’m well into the first book of the “Abercrombie Trail” series (four books so far) by Minnesota author Candace Simar. It is a series of historical fiction works that involve Norwegian immigrants to Minnesota at the time the Civil War breaks out, and the “Sioux uprising” that occurred in and around Minnesota. I live and work from Minnesota, so I have a natural interest in those stories. Jason and Candace are very different in age, subject matter, and approach to writing, but both with stories that are fun to read and a challenge to bring to life as a narrator! (Just try voicing half a dozen male Norwegian immigrants speaking together in a single chapter!) How lucky am I that I get to live in both of these fictional worlds for a while longer … I’m far enough into Paths of Destruction that I REALLY want to know where it goes: I’d better do some recording so I can read the rest! Delicious.
__________
Get your audio copy of Awaken His Eyes today from Audible, iTunes, or Amazon