Jay Swanson's Blog, page 6

I’m a Fan of Fans

I love hearing from people who have read my books and loved them enough to reach out. What’s even crazier is meeting people who have read my books and loved them. As if it wasn’t possible to get any stranger, I have discovered I love meeting librarians who love my books.

This is what came as the biggest shocker of all: Jan the librarian.

So it makes sense when it’s your grandma’s hometown library, but it’s still crazy to get a photo of the display they have set up with your grandma holding your books. Even more surreal is walking in to be recognized by name and to have a librarian excited to meet you. I had a blast!

My grandma hanging out in the library with my books – ironically in nonfiction

Jan was really sweet, and she asked me a whole bunch of questions about my books, my travels, and what was coming next. I asked if I could sign what copies were available (every copy of White Shores was checked out), and then asked if we could take a photo. I think I had more fun than Jan did.

It’s experiences like this that make me want to write even more. I love it enough for its own sake, but as soon as you throw other people into the mix, it gets addictive.

Vlog: Jeremiah Almost got Shanghaied in Congo

I love stories that end with “Thankfully, I was there to save him.” Those are the best kind. If you want to read this one with more details and some photos, click here.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find the video I took while out on the barge. I’ll have to look for it. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this rare vlog, it only took me a week to get it uploaded. I’ll be on the road next week for a month, getting away from the Congo and finding some time and space to sleep. Hopefully I’ll get a vlog or two up in the meantime, and even more important: hopefully I’ll get some writing done.

Enjoy your weekend! Do your best not to get swept out to sea in the meantime!

Screening and Climbing Vlog

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, to say the least. I’m also debating how to continue updating this blog as I spend more time with international and local media teams here in Congo.

But no matter how busy I get with work and life in Africa, I can always find time to climb things.

 

Independence Day in Pointe Noire (Vlog)

Leaving our ship to visit Pointe Noire during their Independence Day festivities left us a little uneasy. It’s hard to explain why, but you get the feeling that maybe this event is by invitation only. They are celebrating independence from the West, after all.

The port was practically empty as we walked out. The streets equally still in an eerie silence. It wasn’t until we drew near to the train station that we began to see signs of life. Hundreds of people were beginning to gather along the streets as we checked things out. Eventually that number would grow to be thousands. And in the midst of it all, we felt welcome.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been to an Independence Day of any kind. The last may actually be when I was in Freetown a few years ago. There’s something special about the concept of freedom, especially when you see people celebrating their own. We didn’t get to stay for all of it, although we wound up in a few impromptu dance parties on the way back, but we enjoyed what we got to see a lot.

There was something special about it all around. If I get my thumb on it later, I’ll be sure to let you know what that was.

And just because I know that one look wasn’t enough:

Don’t Withhold Yourself – Add to the Pool

There’s this pool that exists in the world. It’s a pool from which we draw upon the shared experience and wisdom of the world around us. As humans, our ability to experience anything is limited. Our inherent knowledge of the world is flawed. Without the help of those around us, without the input of our brothers and sisters, we quickly lose ourselves.

Think of a time you were confused or frustrated with a problem that was beyond you. Do you remember the relief of having someone come alongside you and show you exactly what was needed?

This pool is something we all add to. Whether it’s in giving a friend advice or in creating a piece of art, we inform and enrich the lives of those around us with what we have to offer. By creating and sharing we fill this pool from which we all drink, unless of course we refuse to.

There are a lot of reasons to hold back, fear being paramount among them. But let me tell you something important: by holding back what you have to offer, you do us all harm.

You might say, “Well, I share what I have with people if they ask me.” My overly-dramatic analogy for this would be having the knowledge on how to disarm a special type of bomb, and then never disseminating that to the world at large. “I’ll disarm it if I’m in the vicinity.”

When we push you to follow your dreams, we want you to persevere succeed. But we have an ulterior motive: we want to reap the benefits of your success. Whether you gain knowledge that can save us heartache, or create art that can mend aches already in place, we want you to share it. If you have life experience that can instruct and bless others, why wouldn’t you lend it to them?

The world is scary enough as it is. We all struggle. It shouldn’t be something we make each other approach alone.

If you have something to give, be brave and step up! Our stories, our experiences, our joy – none of it is real until it is shared. There are too few people pouring into the pool as it is. Add what you have, share yourself with us, and the world will be a better place for it. I promise.

Tomorrow, it’s Congo – Vlog

So the ship is rocking like crazy right now. Not in that “WE’RE GONNA DIE!” kind of crazy, but in an “I can’t type when I’m pressing my hands into the desk to keep from sliding off my chair,” kind of crazy. I love being at sea. I love when the ship rolls. In fact, it hasn’t rolled nearly enough for me. But I have decided that trying to get work done when your chair decides it would rather be at the other end of the room is not the most effective working method.

I’ve also decided that chairs with wheels aren’t a good idea for ships in the first place.

That said, they are a hilarious and entertaining idea.

But enough about that! There are presidents on the way. That’s right. Presidents (plural) of different nations coming to see us soon. Maybe. You never know with presidents, but if they come they’ll be here this weekend. Enjoy:

Where Jay talks about piercing his friend’s nose with an IV needle and the upcoming mass blitz of media and high-level visitors to the Africa Mercy

It’s going to be an insane month. Dana Perino will be joining us in a couple of weeks, as well as some other possible big names for our first national screening day. The hospital will be getting up and running. Press are going to flood us from the entire region. The BBC is set to come back (and BBC World Radio should be visiting too). I’m gonna be a busy boy.

If you happen to be in the Pointe Noire area, or are willing to fly down here, drop me a line and we’ll see if we can’t wrangle you a tour. I can’t wait to make friends with all of these new people here in Congo!

WE MAKE LAND TOMORROW! HUZZAH!

Crossing the Golden X – Royal Diamond Shellback

As yet I’ve seen a lot of sea life: dolphins, sea turtles, whales (of an unknown breed), orcas, etc. Whales were the kicker for sure, they aren’t a guarantee on any voyage. I guess none of these things are, but whales? RARE. Even more rare? KILLER FLIPPING WHALES.

I’ve never seen those in the wild, and there was a whole pod swimming nearby (but just far enough away that my iPhone caught 0 pixels of them). The captain of our majestic vessel has mentioned that he’s seen fewer and fewer flying fish over the years, so those could fall into that ultra-rare category soon too. This would be sad, as flying fish are A) something you don’t really believe in until you see, and B) one of the coolest staples of being at sea.

They’re also super difficult to photograph with the iPhone, so I’m excessively proud of the following shot (as you can tell by the overuse of arrows):

You know that I’ll have sailed over 10k miles after this voyage? That’s a lot of miles at sea for someone who grew up surrounded by wheat fields. I’ll also be crossing the equator for a second time. In the maritime world, someone who has yet to cross the equator is known as a Pollywog, and then once they do they become a Shellback. I’m currently a shellback, but today we’re crossing the equator and the prime meridian AT THE SAME TIME. Here’s a little graphic I tossed together to mark the occasion:

You can follow along on Twitter and Instagram with the #SailWithUs hashtag.

Anyways, this will give me the glorious distinction of becoming what is known as a Royal Diamond Shellback (or an “Emerald Shellback,” as the US Navy would call it). How many Royal Diamond Shellbacks do you know? I feel like I should get a tattoo to mark the occasion like a real sailor. Sadly we don’t have a berth (bed space) for a tattoo artist on board, despite my repeated requests. I’ll write more about the ceremony and significance of all this on my blog dedicated to my time with Mercy Ships later.

In any case, I’m enjoying what we call “the sail” so far. Most sailors outside of the Mercy Ships world call it a “voyage,” and instead of sailing they say they’re “under way.” It has something to do with a total lack of sails on board the ship, but I saw fit to do something about it:

Now we can sail with impunity. Assuming we don’t get blown overboard in the process.

I also just hosted a Pirate Dance Party on board last night (and dare to say I may be the only person alive who’s ever DJ’d one on the Golden X) – let’s just hope it doesn’t attract the real thing. Have you sailed (or gotten “under way”) before? What was your favorite part?

Harmattan is Hottitan

That was the most ridiculous blog title I may have ever come up with. And I feel like I’ve come up with quite a few.

It’s time for a Monday Vlog! On Tuesday! Posted here on Wednesday! We’re almost doing this on a regular schedule. Almost.

It’s kind of hard to get these done when A) I have to hold the camera myself, B) I’m sailing on the Atlantic and just want to be either watching the waves or sleeping, and C) our internet poops on me every time I try to accomplish anything. I’ll work on upping the quality again here toute suite.

All of that aside, I thought I’d tell you a little bit about the hot sands of Harmattan.



It gets the ship all filthy, even all the way out here. It’s pretty dang impressive if you’ve never seen it before, and it’s even more impressive in a way that it rolls all the way out here. What’s the craziest storm you’ve ever been in?

Sailing from Santa Cruz

We got all squared away and sailed out of Santa Cruz, Tenerife today. I’m exhausted and the video just finished uploading so I’ll leave you with a much overdue vlog, and will see you again really soon! I might fill this in with more text later, but don’t hold your breath.

We have already seen whales and sea turtles, so there will be plenty to fill you in on as we cruise along the coast of western Africa. I love sailing!

The Steinbock Project

At the very beginning of this month I finished the first draft of what we’ll call the “Steinbock Project” for the moment. But first, a little explanation.

In May of this year I released my third book, Steps of Krakador, which takes place in a world of my own imagination with characters that have been with me for over a decade. I had dwelt on this world for a long time, rolling its history and populace through my brain as I washed dishes at Arby’s in high school and painted houses in college. Scenes played out in my mind with blistering clarity and my excitement to tell the story grew with every new addition.

The problem was that I was a proud little sod (to borrow some English), and I thought I could manage it all in my head. I did write down some overarching timelines, a few notes on history and some of the particulars that I knew I would forget otherwise. But I didn’t do some of the heavy lifting I’ve come to appreciate in the creation of a fantasy world.

This has changed dramatically. I’ve now written four books, which I believe hold up to scrutiny (although White Shores is a bit rough, being my first book and all), but I want to do a better job at all of this. For you, but also for myself.

Fragment sentences are permitted from time to time for stylistic purposes.

The Steinbock Project is the first in a handful of projects intended to bring a greater sense of unity and overall weight to the world I’m creating before I venture any farther. The work that I had done was sufficient for the Vitalis Chronicles trilogy, as the world which it inhabits is relatively young and the history relatively light. As I move forward, however, and tell the stories that will shape this world and drive it towards a unifying conflict, I have to do better.

I’m taking some time to do what we might call “pre-writing” exercises. On everything. The Steinbock Project is a book on the history of magic, as written by a historian near the end of the major epoch in which the majority of these stories are to be told. He comes nearly two millennia after Ardin, and his view is that of a chronicler writing down a comprehensive history of a known element in the world: Magic.

In more pragmatic terms: I’ve just finished the first draft of a book explaining the magic system of my world, along with details of the history of each school, their symbols, abilities, etc.

The next two projects are similar, and will fill in the gaps that I’ve intentionally left in Steinbock’s book : a comprehensive history book, and a book of fairy tales and myths.

These are serving two purposes: to outline the history of the world and its major conflicts/cultural shifts/governmental powers so that I can keep continuity afloat across a couple dozen books, and to help me keep my timing and facts straight when I’m actually writing said books. For example, having this all down and planned out helps me to keep from using a myth whose root story hasn’t actually unfolded yet. Silly things that I’ll get caught on later.

It’s also just a lot of fun, and has created so many amazing new possibilities just through this process alone.

This is all being dumped into a wiki I just got finished building over a month ago. It’s purely private for now, but is nice to have because A) I can just click on links and search when I’m curious about what it was I said that one time, and B) eventually it will make sharing the whole bundle of information with you significantly simpler.

Don’t worry, there will be a pretty paper version you can pay for when the timing is right. For now, I’m going to keep all three of these books to myself to keep from spoiling anything for the rest of you.

In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for the release of my fourth book: Dark Horse. With it will come the announcement of the overarching title of the series.

More fun updates to come! Very soon.