Welcome back one and all to the greatest show on earth. Well, the corner of the Earth that exists in my mind that is. Today I just wanted to drop a line about what's been happening in my life and with the next book in the Justice Cycle series. A lot has been going on and despite my friends complaints, I have been making steady progress on book 2. I also have been kicking around some ideas for a screen play I am going to try and write and pitch to my film maker friends. Add work, church, missions and everything else that life brings, I have had very little time to work on book 2. So now that the pleasantries are out of the way lets get into the meat of the post.
1.) Life happens, as Tolkien Said
For those of you who know me personally, you will be aware that I was in Africa for a few weeks ministering with my parents and David Cerrar. This was an amazing experience and I met many new friends who I am sure will be so for life. God really worked in me as I spent the majority of my time there in his presence in prayer and study, in church meetings, or ministering. To be honest it was nice to get back to America and my daily routine, but in a spiritual way it wasn't. Just like bible school, I miss the constant focus on the things of the spirit and the Lord.
The entire trip with preparation and recovery lasted around a month. Because of that I didn't get any significant writing in. Sure, I wrote quite a few sermons, but the Justice Cycle was put on the shelf. After that, my niece got married and my kids came to visit. When I say kids, I mean all of them. My daughter, son in law, my son, his girlfriend, and Emma and Mike's roommate who is a young man named Austin I have now adopted. Then Halloween and thanksgiving, which I spent down south with my kids and my Best friend Doug and his family. (Those of you who remember my failed Christian Sages podcast will remember Doug as the other host.) Add work and now Christmas time and this has left little time for writing. I did, however, make some progress and I finished a few chapters, but not nearly as much as I planned.
2.) There is a New Cover For the Hardcover Edition of the First Book
So, if you follow me on social media, you will see the pictures of the new cover. This new cover is for the first book, not the second. I know this has confused some people, but now that Amazon offers a hardcover edition, I decided to update the cover art. I love it and I have had a lot of great feedback on it. Hopefully, it will help the sales, which have tapered off over the last year. I will do a cover art reveal soon for the second book, as soon as the first draft is done. Since my cover artist is a designer and every element in his work reflects an element of the actual story, he wants to read it first. The new cover is already attached to the digital edition, and it will be available on the physical copies soon.
3.) Book 2 is Longer Than Book One
I know that the first book is on the short side for an adult novel being around 84,000 words, but everyone who read it, including me, felt that it was perfect as is. The second book, however, is a far different animal. Whereas the first book was completely centered on the Jared's origin and the intimate relationship of Jared with his brother, book 2 introduces us to the broader supernatural world. It is still intimate in its dealings with Jared and Tzedakah, but the villains are broader and hint at a vast supernatural universe just beyond what we can see. Because of this, the book is longer. I am already nearing the word count of the first book and I am only about halfway through the story. Of course, my characters tend do things that muck up my outlines, so we shall see in the end how long the book actually is. That being said, I feel this manuscript will require a more extensive rewrite then the first and this will also add to the time it will take for it to be finished and available for sale.
4.) I Filmed a Movie
For those of you who don't know, I was in the Movie Demon Behind the Glass by Two To The Head Productions. This company is owned by two friends of mine. One of my best friends Josh Recene and Michael Yamin. The original idea was a web series we had been working on for years. When they decided to make it into a feature film the professional actors in the crew were signed to reprise their original roles, and due to a last minute casting issue, I had the great pleasure of being able to reprise my role as well. The film has won a few awards including Best Upstate NY feature film from the Buffalo Film Festival. It was a great experience and a great honor and I hope that I will get to do more with them in the future. I know they already have a second feature length film in post production called The Reset and it looks gorgeous. I am very excited to see it, and you should be as well. Demon Behind the Glass will be available soon on digital for purchase and rent, so if you would like to check it out you can follow the link to their Facebook page by clinking on the picture at the top of this section. I assure you, you will not be disappointed.
So this is what has been happening in my little world over the last few months. I am very grateful to all of you that purchased or read book one and I hope you will still be around when book two drops. If you go by the length of my e-mail list it is obvious I don't have a lot of followers yet. I have sold over 300 copies of book one, but given the fact it has already been over two years since it was released, I can understand if a lot of you who read and enjoyed it have forgotten about me. I can only hope that a majority of you come back when book 2 is finally released and continue to stick with me as I continue on this literary journey. Thanks again and I love you all.
J