Makilien Update

Today is quite exciting for me. I finally finished Truth, book one of my Makilien Trilogy. It's been quite an experience so far. I'm very happy to have finished and accomplished something I didn't think I could get to work. It's been amazing how God has guided me through different parts. Makilien has been such a huge part of my writing life. I've been writing it in one form or another since I was thirteen. The story and the characters will always be particularly special to me. It's very satisfying to have this newest version completed, and I can hardly wait to share it. So now I am very anxious to begin working on book two, Courage. I'm hoping that I can write that one quickly and go on to book three so I can start to think about publishing them in the near future.

Quick Update

I just wanted to write a quick update on the progress of A Captain's Heart. I plan for it to be available by early next month if all goes well. The great news is I finally found photos for the cover which I just love. I was beginning to think I'd just have to settle for something. I spent countless hours searching through stock photos. I wasn't even sure what to search for anymore, but it really paid off. Mom and I will probably begin work on the cover very soon, and I will post it here as soon as it is finished along with the text from the back cover so you can get an idea of what the story is all about.

What's New

I've been really bad about writing new posts this summer, it's been so busy.  I really haven't been writing much for the same reason, but I wanted to write this post to catch up on what is new with my writing. I'm still working on Makilien. I'm very close to finishing and want to get it done to focus on my other projects.

 

Mom is nearly finished reading through A Captain's Heart, but we still have quite a bit to do so I'm not sure if I'll make my early September deadline for its release. I want to make sure I feel it's completely ready so we may have to work on it a little longer.

 

Now, as I mentioned about a month ago in a Twitter update, I've started working on a new book, my first Western novel. I've wanted to write one for years, but never got a start on one. Right now I'm going back and forth working on it and Makilien. I have the prologue nearly finished. It's about five teenage to adult siblings who are left to run the family ranch after their parents die. Mainly it will be told from the viewpoint of the oldest daughter, Casey. I'm not entirely sure where it will all end up yet, but I'm looking forward to getting deeper into the story. I know I'm really going to enjoy writing the relationships between the siblings. It's something I've wanted to have in a story for a long time now. And I'm a huge fan of Bonanza and love the relationships between Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe so that's definitely inspiring me as I write this new book.

 

A few years ago, I also started writing short Western stories all about the same family, kind of like episodes of Bonanza. I finished two and started a third one. I had a lot of great ideas so I'm really interested in getting back into that and hope to write a bunch and put them all into a book sometime soon.

More Concerts

I got to go to two more great concerts last month. On July 12th I finally got to see Jeremy Camp who I've wanted to see for such a long time. It was just as amazing as I was anticipating.  His music is so wonderful and powerful and even more so when you get to see him perform live.  After his performance we weren't sure if he'd come out to sign autographs so we waited around for a while and waiting really paid off. He did come out and we were some of the first in line along with a couple fellow members of the Jeremy Camp Crew that I met at the merchandise table. It was incredible getting to personally meet Jeremy. I don't think you could know just how sweet and sincere he is without meeting him.  I got really choked up telling him how his music really inspired me during some hard times and he was so kind and really showed he cared.

Then on July 25th we got to go see John Waller perform.  His song While I'm Waiting was in the movie Fireproof and is one of my favorite songs. His music has been a big part of my life lately. So many of his songs have really touched me. I was so thankful to have gotten to see and meet him. I felt very blessed by his performance. He is a very nice guy. We talked to him for a while after and he really encouraged me about my writing. I really look forward to seeing him again.

Author Interview

I just had my first author interview, which is an exciting thing. I was interviewed by Stephanie Boles, an author of inspirational Regency romance, and am her featured author for July on her blog. To read the interview, follow the link:

http://stephanieboles.blogspot.com/2009/06/featured-author_26.html

Book Signing

Just a couple of weekends ago I had my very first book signing at a festival. We had a pretty crazy time getting ready for it. I'd always planned to do a signing there, but I wasn't expecting it until July so I found out about it only three days before. Mom and I spent those three days making flyers and bookmarks and cutting them all out. I also only had about 12 copies of The Pirate Daughter's Promise and had no time to order more. But it all came together. I wasn't sure what to expect or how many people would actually stop at my table, but it was a really good day. I got there around 9:30 in the morning and stayed until 4. Quite a few people stopped to look over my stuff and I sold 12 books in total. 8 copies of TPDP and 4 copies of Every Tear. It was a great first experience for a book signing and I'm looking forward to setting up another one.

Building 429 Concert

A couple of weeks ago, my brother Jake and I got to volunteer at a Building 429 concert. Building 429 is my favorite band so this was an amazing opportunity. We were at the church where they were playing when they arrived and helped unload their trailer and set everything up for the concert that night. It was incredible to see all the equipment and everything they have to do to set up their shows everyday that they play. They even gave us each a t-shirt that said "Building 429" on the front and "Local Crew" on the back. We had a great time setting up their merchandise tables and getting to know AJ, their merchandise guy. It was just unbelievable to be around the band all day. We got to say hello to everyone and even talked to Jesse and Aaron (B429's guitarist and bassist) for a little bit.

 

The concert that night was amazing. I am always so touched by their music and nothing compares to getting to hear them perform live. It was the greatest concert I've been to so far. During the intermission before Building played, Jake and I helped 33 Miles, one of the bands who opened for Building, carry their equipment off the stage. It was really great to be a part of it.

 

When we first arrived there that morning and we had met Ross, one of the guys from our local Christian radio station, Jake told him that I was Building 429's biggest fan. So then, before the concert, Ross told Jason, B429's lead singer. And after the concert, Ross made sure that Jake and I got to personally see the band for a brief time right before they went out to the autograph table. When he introduced me, he said, "Jason, here is your number one fan." Jason is one of my greatest heroes, so it was really cool that Ross did that for me.

 

We went through the autograph line and then each got a picture with the band. When it was my turn, Jason held up one finger and said, "Number one fan right here." It was the perfect end to a perfect day that I will never forget.