Well, it's true, "Scolding the Winds" has been released!

It's been a long, fun ride, and I'm so excited for you all to read my story. Please download it, give it a read, and tell me what you think. I'm very happy with how it turned out, and I hope you enjoy it.

Please also share it with your friends and family. I would very much appreciate it.

Have an amazing weekend!

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/scolding-the-winds

Hello everyone!

I wanted to give you a quick update on "Scolding the Winds." It's currently with the editor, and I'm very excited to have her on board. She literally wrote the book (http://www.amazon.com/Gender-Sexuality-Beginners-Jaimee-Garbacik/dp/1934389692/) on gender and sexuality, so I'm confident she'll help me make sure my character, Riley, is authentic and relatable as a woman. It's something I've been pretty worried about, so I'm very happy that I've got the best possible editor working with me on this.

But I'm not sitting on my hands while the editor is busy. Actually, I've been working away on what could one day become a sequel to this story. So if you get to the end of the book and wish there was more, well, stay tuned...

Below, you'll also find one more excerpt from the story. If you like what you've read so far, please tell your friends!

Thank you again for all your support, it means the world to me. 

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Riley was baptized at the local sports arena. There was an old and foamy hot tub by the lane swimming pools.

Her religion was very serious about baptism. You didn't do it until you were "mature." Riley was twelve and had been told for years she was ready to get baptized, to dedicate her life to God, even though she knew she wasn't ready.

The church held conventions in the arena, at the hockey rink, every year. They lasted for three days, and on Sunday, the final day, people would get baptized.

The process to get baptized involved private meetings with the elders, who would ask a series of questions to make sure you understood what you were doing, and how serious it was. The answers were already written down in the same book the questions came from, so Riley knew exactly what to say.

Her father was an elder, so she was expected to get baptized young. Even though Jesus was thirty when he got baptized. In the river, with John the Baptist.

The baptisms were supposed to take place in the pool, but another group had booked it out. So the hot tub was all they had left to use. It was turned on, and hot, and bubbling.

She wore a long white t-shirt over her one-piece bathing suit. She had been told to dress "modestly," so her mother gave her to wear this outfit. The shirt was thick, and heavy when it was dry. She worried about how she would move around once it was wet.

She was the last in line to the hot tub. Up above the hot tub she could see people standing on the balcony overlooking the pools.

She saw her parents up there, smiling.

The person in front of her in line was from her congregation. He didn't speak English very well, so she wondered how he'd answered all those questions. He was older than her, but not by much. He was from Russia, and his parents had told him to start attending the church, though they'd only come themselves once or twice. Some people thought he was just there to learn English, but it didn't matter. God had found him, and now he was dedicating his life to Him.

Just like Riley. Once she got baptized, she could also get excommunicated. Because she knew what she was doing, and what the consequences would be.

She stepped into the hot water, feeling it almost burn her. The man in the hot tub already was from another congregation. He was old, at least fifty, Riley thought. But he looked strong. He was smiling at her, and he took her two slight arms in his hand, and held them against her chest. She could feel his strong arm against her. Then his other hand was behind her, on her back. His large hand holding her steady, between her shoulders.

And then, she was under water. The heat was almost too much, but this was what God wanted.

He pulled her back up and released her arms. She was smiling, feeling a chill despite the hot water. She wiped her face with her hands and pulled herself up the hot tub's stairs by the railing.

She heard people clapping on the balcony, but there was too much water in and around her eyes to look up and see them.

By the time she reached the top of the stairs, the chill had stopped. Whatever it was, was gone.

We did it!

My book is now fully funded. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

First, I want you to know this: I love you. You are amazing, and special, and your support means to much to me.

Second, I am not asking you for more money. You've done so much already, I'm not asking for anything more.

Third, well, I'm sort of asking for more from you. Can you please share this project with more of your friends and family? Every single dollar more we raise through pre-orders goes to making my book more of a success. It goes toward marketing, design, publicity, etc. It goes toward making my dreams come true, really.

So, please share the link to this project (http://inkshares.com/projects/scolding-the-winds). Let them know this is a story about personal trauma, depression, addiction, but most of all hope. Hope that things can get better. That things can be terrible and okay all at once. That everyone goes through things that seem impossible, unbearable, but through friendship and love, happiness is possible.

Once again, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Love you,
Joel