There’s a long list of things I didn’t think would ever happen when I first decided that writing fiction was going to be ’my thing’. Obviously, getting one of my books optioned and meeting an academy award screenwriter weren’t on this list because I hadn’t even conceived of that possibility at the time. 

That being said, I’ve always wanted an audiobook of one of my projects. What would that sound like? How would my characters feel coming out of someone else’s mouth? And an audiobook felt out of reach but still within the realm of possibility. Something to hope for without ever planning for it to happen. 

Well, today is the launch of the Audiobook for The Life Engineered. Produced by Blackstone Audio, featuring the amazing voice of actress Amy Landon and available on Amazon, Audible and probably several other places where audiobooks are usually purchased. 

It feels weird guys. I’ve listened to the sample on Amazon but I haven’t taken the plunge yet. I’m nervous. I’m 100% confident in the work that Amy did on the book (she is a veteran of over 200 audiobooks) but this is a milestone. Do I listen to this casually in the car? Do I set aside some time and enjoy the over six hours of audio in the dark with my eyes close? Just drinking in every detail, good and bad? 

If you’re looking for a way to experience The Life Engineered anew, maybe learn how to pronounce some of those complex names I picked for the characters, then hop over to your favourite purveyor of audio literature and get yourself a copy. If you’ve never been on Audible, there are countless ways of getting your first book for free and frankly, that might not be a bad one to start with.

If you want to learn more about the audiobook making process, Paul Inman and I had Amy as a guest in our latest episode of WriteBrain and it was fantastic having her on.

As always, thanks for your support. None of this would have happened without you. 

JF

NOTE: I should really update the header with the new cover image...

In the Worlds Walker’s universe, we are few, but we are mighty,

The campaign is off to slow start, but I’m not concerned. Trust me; I have a plan. I always do, and things will heat up pretty soon.

This update is just a big thank you to all of you early supporters and also a big thanks to the SnarkyDarksy Syndicate for choosing Worlds Walker as their January pick.

This is the second time SnarkyDarksy honors me choosing one of my books and the second time they caught me completely off guard. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

Please, don’t forget to spread the word about Worlds Walker. The book can only become a reality if enough people believe in it and support it. So please share the link on social media or ask a friend to buy a copy, and support a struggling -but otherwise fabulous- author.

That’s it for now. Have a wonderful rest of your week.

Hello drag enthusiasts and beautiful people in general

I wanted to give you a quick update on the state of Bad Medicine: Slay it, Queen. I am furiously writing the story and I’m very excited about it. It has been harder than I anticipated to keep the balance between campy and scary, but I can tell you the result is a hell of a ride.

My original plan was to deliver a finished manuscript to Inkshares mid-January. Unfortunately, life got a tad complicated, and I was not able to meet that deadline. The folks at Inkshares were very understanding and encouraged me to take my time so I can produce the best manuscript I can write. I’m planning on finishing writing Bad Medicine in the spring.

If you supported my efforts to publish The Catcher’s Trap, then you know that the publishing process is very long; you should probably expect to get your copy of Bad Medicine some time in 2018. The reason for the long production schedule is very simple: making a great book takes time. Trust me; you don’t want to read a poorly edited and designed book. On my end, I want Inkshares to dedicate as much of their resources as possible to promote my book, and for that, we need to be strategic about the release date.

In the meantime, I encourage you to browse the hallways of Inkshares and look at the many books that they have published so far and that you can enjoy right away.

Finally, I have many side projects happening this year. One I’m excited about is the monthly release of short stories through Amazon Kindle starting in March. The stories will range on genre and style. Some will be connected to my Inkshares projects; some will not. I’ll let you know when the first one is out.

That’s it, for now, friends!

Have a great rest of your week and don’t forget, keep it fierce and keep it cute.

Dear friends

How’s 2017 treating you so far? For me, the last couple of months have been an interesting time of struggle and opportunity. I won’t bore you with details of my up and downs, but I do want to share the lesson I learned.

Pouring your entire soul into what you love is essential to achieve your dreams, but also essential is to be kind to yourself. At some point in the last two years, in between attempting to write three novels, holding a full-time job and trying to launch a writing career, I stopped listening to my body. As a result, my physical and mental health declined to a point in which I was not able to do any of the things I love. I couldn’t run the New York City Marathon, and I didn’t finish writing Bad Medicine: Slay it Queen!

Fear not, this is not a sad update. This update is about discovery and opportunity. I’m not the kind of guy who makes New Year resolutions, but this year I made one: I will be kind and patient with myself and with others. I will tune out the negative noise that surrounds us and walk the road that leads to my dreams with no rush.

I have many projects and ideas that I’m excited about. Worlds Walker is done, and Bad Medicine will be a scary and hysterical ride. My hope is to deliver the manuscript to the patience folks at Inkshares sometime in the spring. I also have a stack of short stories that I will be releasing for free on Amazon Kindle starting in March.

I’ve been reminded through this struggle that my goal was never to become a famous writer. That my goal was not for The Catcher’s Trap to be turned into a movie or sell a million copies. My goal is to share the stories swirling in my brain. My dream is for those stories to find people who connect with them and enjoy them. Many of you have reached out to me to tell me how much you enjoyed The Catcher’s Trap, for me, that’s winning.

So here’s to a great year ahead of us. A year of creativity, magical thinking and kindness.

As always, let’s end this update with wisdom from my favorite hero