"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" (Alternately, you can fill out the form here.)

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...

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.