Hi all! I know it's been a while since I last posted! Between our regional convention, finishing up the service year, and just the general hectic stuff of life, I haven't had any time to post or record new podcasts. Of course, I've also been busy writing and editing my most recent book, The Bloom of Youth. I'm thrilled to announce that it'll be available within a couple of weeks! You can take a look at the Blogspot I've set up for it (you can even read the foreword).
This book was my most challenging writing project to date, and it took me nearly two full years to complete. That said, it was a thoroughly enjoyable process, and maybe even a little cathartic. It might not be everyone's cup of tea since it's such a far cry from the previous novels, but I think that at least a few of you out there will be able to relate to the main character.
If you'd like to learn a bit more about The Bloom of Youth and haven't yet seen the podcast I put together about it, you can check it out below.
I'll let you all know as soon as the Amazon versions are ready, and when the first chapters will be released via the blog. Stay tuned!
Running into staunch evolutionists and/or atheists in the ministry used
to scare me, but not anymore. In this two-part podcast series, I detail
some of the points I like to use when the topic of evolution comes up.
In the second half, I attempt to explain why so many scientists stick to
the theory of evolution, even with so much evidence stacking up against
it. Enjoy!
Writer's block, as I've mentioned in a previous post, is one of the most frustrating and scary things that can happen to a writer. It can feel like a vacuum of ideas and inspiration, where sitting down in front of the computer results in random sentences fit only for delete key fodder. It can be maddening.
As has become a pattern with my writing, the completion of the last book left me a little exhausted and not at all in the mood to work on other books. And so, for the last three months, I took a break to work on other things and recharge my batteries.
These last two weeks, though, I've been feeling excited to write again, starting of course with the completion of The Bloom of Youth and then with the final book of the FLEE series, which is good news for both of us!
In other news, I've got a few podcasts up. In episode #007 I explain how creative writing can help us develop empathy, and how I personally experienced this while writing Critical Times. In episode #008, I share some of the research that went into writing Martin Landretti's doomsday bunker from the last book, STAY. It's a fascinating topic!
Both of these podcasts deal with elements of the new world. In the first, I explore some possibilities for repurposing old world technology for a newer, more beneficial use in paradise.
In the second podcast, I describe what appears to be a shift in the general attitude towards the idea of eternal human life and offer some suggestions on how to help someone overcome a fear of forever.
In November of last year, I made a post here explaining that I'd be taking All Things New down from Amazon (both the digital and paperback versions). My purpose in doing this was to take some time to update the book, making some corrections to certain parts and removing others altogether. The goal was to release a second, more relevant version of the book to replace the original. However, as some of you may have noticed, although the Kindle (digital) version is no longer available, the paperback is still there. You may be wondering why!
Shortly after making that announcement last year, I realized that removing that book from my catalog would pose a problem for translators, many of whom are still working on their various language versions of All Things New to this day. By removing this book, it would essentially render whatever work they had done of the book so far obsolete. If, in turn, these non-English versions of All Things New were released, it would mean that foreign-language readers of the book would be actually experiencing a novel quite different from the newer English-language version, complicating things.
Another reason for leaving the paperback version of All Things New up is that by and large, the feedback I've gotten from that book has been positive. Most who read it (and again, I'm so grateful for your comments and continuing support) come away with exactly the reaction I was hoping for; namely, one of having their minds opened to new possibilities, and being excited for specific things in the New World.
Additionally, I'm trying out something new: a podcast! I've no idea if there will be any interest in something like this, but I've found that certain topics (like the one I've written about here), work better in the format of a podcast, where things are less formal and I can literally just talk directly to all of you. And so, for this first episode, I've taken the topic here and expanded a bit on it, adding some extra info that some of you might find interesting. So give it a look, and if it's something you enjoy, consider leaving a comment, a like, or possibly even subscribing to the channel. It's a fairly simple affair to produce these so I don't expect it to take up too much additional time and frankly it's kind of nice to have a new format to create in. Here's the first episode:
As always, thank you all so much for your kind support and readership!
Hi there! It's been a while since my last update (nearly two months, yikes!), so I wanted to pop in here and say a few words about what I've been up to this summer, as well as offer [some very meager] news regarding my current writing projects.
First off, I allowed myself a bit of a break this summer. I had the opportunity to travel with my wife to Japan, where we enjoyed a 10-day vacation. We got some much needed rest (and lots of great food) after what's been a rather stressful few months in our current situation here in Asia. (Side note: I was a few days late on one of the updates for the "STAY" novel on the blog due to enjoying my vacation so much that I totally forgot to publish a new chapter...)
As for the third installment in the FLEE series, I think it's safe to say that it's likely not going to be getting a release this year. (Hopefully early 2019, but please don't hold me to that!)
Part of the reason for its delay is just being too busy with other things to have the time or energy to focus on it. Being the final installment in a trilogy is also part of the issue; there's quite a bit of pressure to make this last novel a worthy and satisfying conclusion to FLEE and STAY. Aside from all that, there's just still so much story to tell. Simply put, it's daunting, and I want to make sure I get it just right!
In the meantime, of course, I've got The Bloom of Youth about to be released (I'm shooting for the end of August), which is a wacky little book written in a totally different voice than my others. But I'm hoping that it'll be a needed change of pace after the heavier books that I've been publishing these last few years.
Anyhow, that's what's been going on in my life this summer. How is yours?
