Re-Checking Some of My Leads!

Still have two potential publishing leads I'm looking into!  Hope that one comes to fruition that the story of Killop and his Council gets a chance to spread out and find its audience!  Stay safe, ~Judah

Moving Forward in 2012

Pursuing publishing leads lately!

ACFW

Preparing for a big St. Louis conference!

Site Update

Site is being updated, work is still in progress....

Finishing Up With First Test Readers

I'll be doing more meetings/phone conversations this week. Then another round of revision will begin. Very soon into this I should know when I'll begin the next test reading and need new readers!

Currently: Checking in With Test Readers

I'm currently checking in by email/phone with the first round of readers and scheduling appointments with others. If you're one of them, we hope to hear from you soon. If you are behind, don't worry! Don't rush! Just contact me and let me know where you're at. Having someone not fall off the map helps the process for us, and checking in always makes those doing the work feel less stressed or confused.

For electronic readers doing notes: please remember to send in your comments every 2-3 chapters by email!

-Judah

A question to consider: is Killop a character that you care about? That you find yourself more rooting for or ignoring? Or do you feel different things toward him at different points in the book?

Still Processing Test Reader Emails

I received my first feedback email already today and am impressed by the quality of description I've received regarding one readers mental experience of going through the first chapter in the story.

I've spent most of my time however lately polishing up pieces in 8.3f.122, my latest draft, and trying to still respond to the amount of emails left. I'll be taking down the CL posting soon, and in the meantime ask potential readers who receive this form email to bear with me (and if you've heard nothing yet, hold on)...

Image: Copyright 2010 "Possible" by Judah Johansen

Some Guidance for Test Readers

The questions to think of while going through Book One all boil down to hearing readers tell what they were naturally thinking during the read! I'm looking for simple but thoughtful things like: "-That part was boring! -That fight was exciting and fast but it ended too soon! -I wanted to know what would happen to this character! -I was expecting to hear more about this or that place from the story! -This thing that kept happening in the story didn't make any sense! -The end was satisfying or too long/short!" -I also want to know what the best or most memorable scene was for you, and what scenes were your least favorite. I'm also wondering some things about what you thought of the main character, Killop, as well as a few secondary characters. As you're going along I'm also curious to hear your what your guesses were as to what was going to happen in the middle and end of the book, as well as what you guess will happen in the next book. I'm looking for a gauge of your enjoyment or dissatisfaction. The kind of feedback I do NOT want is feedback regarding the technical nature of the writing. I am not looking for an academic analysis of characterization or plot structure. If you have something that comes from the natural mindset of a normal reader that you can only describe in these terms however, I understand. Thank you so much. To those who've already received a copy, happy reading! To others, I'll continue to go through the backlog of emails--there are a lot I haven't been able to get to yet. I'll try to contact everyone in at least some way. -Judah

The Dramatic Concept (Inside-Cover Flap)

Would you like to hear what it's about? Well, come on over, dear reader, and let me weave the outline of a grand tale for you:

In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth,

And the earth was devastated and laid waste to…

This is the story of those who lived before Adam and Eve, and their downfall, an advanced people that ended up on Earth… before being judged and utterly obliterated by God.

Set in a war spanning thousands of years, The Chronicles of Lorixia tells the story of the Lorixians and their empire of light engaged in a death struggle with the Elite, a shadow culture deeply absorbed in the worship of self. Beginning in the final era of this civilization, Book One tells the tale of Prince Killop lor Exousia, last of his priestly line, propelled into power as King by a brutal assassination plot.

However, Killop is more than he seems. As one of the only survivors of the Defender Project, Killop represents the height of Lorixian technology and training, and with frightening abilities as proof.

But, against an enemy bent on obtaining a state of complete Perfection and with both empires currently stalemated in The War, he knows that his abilities alone will not be enough. Killop must find a Council for his rule, a new inner strength to conquer challenges more personal than even he had prepared for, and come face to face with a young woman sent to kill him in cold blood. Known as Rashella, this tortured assassin once answered to dark new forces within the leadership of the Elite.

Set in a time thousands of years before the Fall of Man, Blood and Beginnings shows the end of one king’s reign and the start of another’s as a young hero must face himself, recruit hardened prodigies into his Palace and manage first the possibility of peace… and then the increasing likelihood of all-out war.

But who can he trust within all of this: is it his fellow Defender Mikal? Or the dark Maek, kingpin of the Lorixian underworld? Or Chara, the powerful physician who can bring men back from their very audiences with the Eternal? Can he do all of this while managing what remains of his destroyed family? The pinnacles of success embodied in his sisters have always represented a backbone for Lorixia, but at what cost?

Join Killop and his Council as they try to begin a rule among treacherous spies and practiced killers, as they try to unravel the secrets of the long-since dead Defender project, and as they come face to face with the Elite for the first time, against whom not a single thing is as it appears.

This is a story of friends.

This is a story of family.

This is a story of the closest bonds being tested in blood.

If their can be a future of light, Killop knows it will be at a heavy price.

Possibly, one not worth paying.

The First Novel in a Series by

Judah Johansen

Image: "Cropped in Blues" by Judah Johansen, 2010

Book One is Looking Ready

Welcome to My Website! I'm both overjoyed and relieved at how the final edits have been shaping up for Book One: Blood and Beginnings. For this Christian science-fiction series I am now beginning a search for a publisher that's a good fit. The Chronicles represent the start on a whole world taking place before Adam and Eve. Written over more than fourteen years it represents my attempt to bring to life an amazing place with characters I hope readers will remember. I can't wait to show it to you. More details will follow this week. -Judah Johansen