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17 February 2013

Co-writing a novel

Writing a novel with another person is difficult, just ask any ghostwriter. For our novel, the ideas came from Jason and the techniques came from Jennifer. This created many problems and many rewrites. Thankfully, when Jason wanted to give up, Jennifer would not let him. Likewise, when Jennifer wanted to give up, Jason did not want to quit.

One of the first things we argued over was Satan's plea to Jaqon. The conversation they have is symbolic of the many conversations Satan (or Halel as he is referred to in the book) has had with other angels and it is also a reminder of the conversations he uses to tempt us.

When the conversation was first written, it came off similar to the Anakin to Darth Vader conversion in Star Wars III. Jennifer was unsatisfied, so she rewrote it. Thus, the war began. Jason knew the story and what Jennifer wrote was not part of it. He wanted to change it back to how it was originally written. Jennifer felt the transition was not smooth and threatened to quit (Jennifer quit working on the book a lot during the process). So, Jason sat down and rewrote the entire conversation. This time it was something they could both agree upon and it is what you will find if you read the book as it is now.

15 February 2013

Typos

It seems there are always typos in any written work. You hope to have them all ironed out before the book goes to print, but even after several edits, it seems you always miss something. Spell checks are notorious for passing over words that are wrong but spelled correctly.
 
Some typos are entertaining. As we went through and edited, here are a few I found with emphasis on the word that we needed to change:
 
“I am not going to waste my men by chagrining the gate, and you didn’t bring enough of those water treaders to get us all across the river quickly,” Ayil said more firmly (CH22)
 
“Asbel used his ability to alter his form in order to look like one of the Sagissera. The only tell tale sigh he was not one, was the faint glow of his eyes.” (CH22) 
 
“Yes, and thank the Aras as well for his part in my recovery,” Ahman said placing his hand on Aras’s shoulder. (CH22)
 
Jared made his way over to the motionless Alliyz and put his face by hers. “He’s still breathing,” he said as he examined his leg and pulled out the quills, “These things must have knocked her out or something.” (CH 20)

“Isn’t that the gut from the trade post,” Jair said squinting to get a better look. (CH20)

“And don’t chew with your mouth full; it’s rude.” (CH9)

13 February 2013

Fantasy or Science Fiction?

This book draws on many fantasy elements. The Watchers (or Iyr as the evil angels call themselves) are obviously able to manipulate things in ways that appear to be magical to most of the residents of Eden.You also will find mythical creatures.

However, as an alternate history, The Lost Histories of Eden would be classified as science fiction. There is definitely an element of sci-fi in the book. Hybrid dinosaurs, advanced embryological research facilities, and airships exist once the Iyr have given humans the seed of knowledge they needed.

The book draws on deep questions. The question of whether technology is good or whether it draws humans away from God is just one of those.

09 February 2013

Getting started

The Lost Histories of Eden is a series of books that tell the story of when the angels came down and married women in rebellion against the Lord. It is inspired by Genesis 6 and the books of Enoch.

The series will be divided into two parts: The Age of the Watchers (which is a trilogy) and The Age of the Nephilim (which will have shorter diary style books). Although the first book in The Age of the Watchers begins with the death Seth, the Watcher series is primary about Jared, his wife, his son, and his friends.

The first book in the series is complete, but it is in the final stages of editing. We are also working on a website and a YouTube trailer and will keep you posted on those. This blog will help keep you updated and introduce you to the characters of the series.