Moving the flywheel, a little at a time

This week I've been working a ton on three different projects related to writing. 

1. Wait for the Lightning. We asked a handful of people to be beta readers a month or so ago, and this week we started collecting feedback from those readers. Lots of affirmation and some important tweaks are happening in this project. We're on track to launch the Kickstarter for this book on March 6. (Sign up here if you haven't already. By signing up for the prelaunch page, you're sure not to miss the campaign, and it also helps get more exposure as Kickstarter realizes that people are eager to support this book.) Lisa has been deep into this project the last few days, having conversations, evaluating feedback, and holding the project in her head. She's an amazing partner in this work. 

2. The sequel to Death on Disappointment Mountain. I'm working hard to finish the first draft of this novel. The most frequent question I've had from readers has been, "Will you write a sequel?" The answer is an enthusiastic YES. Yesterday I passed the 60K word mark. That means the book is coming into the home stretch. I'll probably write about 90K words before I'm done, and then edit it back to around 80K. I'm excited about this story. Goal is to finish the first draft sometime in late March or early April. My guess is that the book itself will be available early this summer. 

3. Working on an updated website. One of my daughters has been helping with this. The new website should go public in a week or so. It will still include blog posts for those of you who've followed me in this way. You'll also be able to buy books direct from us on the new website, sign up for email lists, communicate directly with me via email, and more. 

Of course there are other things happening as well. We took the horses out for a delightful ride yesterday and got a bunch of barn cleaning done. This week we firmed up agreements with a few contractors for our house move that is scheduled to happen in May. 

I hope it comes through in these blog posts just how much I'm enjoying myself these days. God is so good, and I'm so grateful for the people he has placed in my life. Of course there are challenges. Life can be brutal sometimes. But joy is available if you set your heart that direction and live with a gratitude mindset. The fact that you are reading this blog post is one of the things that brings me great joy. Thanks for being here! 

Timelines and flywheels

 I want to think with you a bit about starting new ventures, and what it's really like. 

My own journey toward being a writer is what I have in mind, but you may be thinking about something else. 

Here's a very rough timeline for me:

In 2009, I published my first book (an earlier version of From Slavery to Freedom) through a traditional publishing house. In one sense it was the realization of a long-held dream for me. In other ways it was deeply disappointing. I did not pursue other books through traditional publishing.

That same year, I started a blog. Long story, but that became the main outlet for my writing for several years. 

In 2017, my personal and professional life went through a major upheaval. In the wake of that chaos I went back and reassessed a lot of my own goals. One of the major goals that resurfaced during that time was that I wanted to be a writer. I wasn't so much concerned about income at that point, I just felt the drive to create books. I started educating myself, joined a few online writing groups, dusted off a bunch of old ideas and manuscripts that had been mouldering in the recesses. One key is that I started listening to podcasts by other authors. I learned a ton about how the world of publishing was changing. If you're interested in writing, I highly recommend Joanna Penn's podcast, The Creative Penn. If you sign up for her email list (I recommend) she'll send you a free book she calls her "Author Blueprint." That's a good summary of what it takes these days to be a writer. Very helpful.

In 2019 I independently published a commentary on Luke's gospel called New Wineskins. Hard on the heels of that project, in 2020 I published a second, expanded edition of From Slavery to Freedom. (I had requested and received the copyright back from the traditional publisher a few years before.) Neither of these books sold much beyond a few copies among friends and acquaintances. 

In the fall of 2020 I bought some land (the farm where Lisa and I now live) and shortly after that lost my job. 2021 saw me adjusting to a new career and trying to make this farm a livable place. (That included all the civilized accoutrements like a well, septic system, and oh, a house of sorts.) The necessaries of life were all-consuming for a couple years. 

I had continued to write in my spare moments. I polished a fantasy novel I'd started back in college. I finished a modern day novel that had been rolling around in my thoughts for a couple decades. But I wasn't pursuing publishing. 

In 2023 I published that modern day novel as Death on Disappointment Mountain. It sold enough copies (so far) to cover the costs of publication, and a little more. THAT was an amazing feeling. I also figured out (with the help of my daughters, and a few others) how to do things like publish e-books, design covers, and the like. 

Also in 2023 Lisa and I got married. To my great joy, Lisa has been an enthusiastic partner in this writing venture. We talked about it a lot during 2023 and agreed that I should pursue writing not only as a source of self-expression but eventually as a source of income. (We're talking about a five year plan.)

That changes the learning curve. 

In 2024 I'm launching a Kickstarter campaign around Wait for the Lightning, which is a look at the first few chapters of Genesis. For the first time I'm working with KDP on the ebook, while still publishing paperback through Ingram Spark. I'm also doing a hardcover for the first time, and investing a few dollars in commercially produced artwork for the cover and marketing materials. I'm continuing to promote Disappointment Mountain. That's teaching me a ton about marketing. I'm about halfway through writing the first draft of the sequel, and I hope to have it out this summer. I've also committed to writing a book about the biblical book of Revelation. There are several other projects waiting in the wings. 

I'm learning a ton about websites (major upgrade coming soon!), marketing, time management, writing well, and the business of publishing. It's very challenging, and very fun. And sometimes very frustrating.

From the outside, little in my life has changed. I'm still working the same job, living in the same house, driving the same pickup. Lisa and I are enjoying life together. We still worship with our home church and get together with friends and family members. 

Little by little, though, I'm putting more weight on this business of not only writing, but publishing my writings and promoting them into the world. I've decided I not only want to be a writer, but I actually want people to read what I've written. It's a slow process, and a humbling one. Lisa and I often talk about an illustration we heard in a podcast along the way. It's like the flywheel on an engine. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to get that flywheel to turn. That's what we're doing, day after day. We're turning the flywheel one little tick each day. But as we keep applying effort, it turns a bit faster and a bit faster. Eventually the idea of a flywheel is that it has a momentum of its own that keeps the engine running when things get challenging. 

If you are considering a new venture, or perhaps in the middle of one, be encouraged. It might seem like a slow process. Yesterday, addressing my momentary discouragement, Lisa quoted to me the Old Testament prophet who said, "Do not despise the day of small beginnings." It's good advice. 

Looking back, it looks like we've come a long way. Because we have. And I'm eager to see where things go from here.  It's a long road, but an exciting one.

Kickstarter Pre-launch page is available now!

 Exciting news! Here's the link to my Kickstarter pre-launch page:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jeffkrogstad/wait-for-the-lightning

You can sign up now (create a Kickstarter account if you don't have one) so when we launch, you'll be notified and won't miss out!

I am putting this out on Facebook today as well. I'm hopeful that if we are successful with this Kickstarter campaign, we can begin to change the conversation around Genesis. What if it's not about what happened in the past, but rather about what God is up to here and now, in your life and mine? 

Feel free to share this page and encourage your friends to sign up as well. Thanks for being on the team!

Old dogs and new tricks

 Lisa and I went to the movies last night. Specifically, we went to see the first three episodes of The Chosen, season 4. Three and a half hours, three episodes, one theater. Massive amounts of popcorn and Diet Dr. Pepper. It was so good. 

It got me thinking how the world has changed. I've never been to a movie like that before. We've watched the first three seasons on DVD, because we don't have the capacity to stream video on our remote little farm. But we do have a DVD player. We've really enjoyed the series. It's a great way for a whole new generation to get to know Jesus better. 

At one point during the intro, the creators of The Chosen posted a QR code on the screen and encouraged us to take a photo of it. So I did, and I followed the links on my phone and filled out the info. And this morning, I received via email a special add-on scene and a couple other special offers. 

It got me thinking about how the world of writing has changed. A few decades ago when I was first trying to get a book published, the only legitimate way to do so was to convince an established publisher to take a chance on me. Then the print book would come out through their services, and that creative work would essentially belong to the publisher. That's just the way it worked. 

I went that route. It was a frustrating, disappointing experience for me. I began exploring other ways of doing things, and discovered that there was a growing world of alternative publishing out there. In the last five years I've published three books through these alternative means. I've learned to handle the creative side of publication and to work with experts in cover design, electronic formatting, print-on-demand technology, and more. 

This spring I'll be publishing a fourth book. It will initially be coming out through Kickstarter, which is a whole new way of launching a book. I'm learning a lot. (When we have a firm launch date and the campaign is finalized, you will certainly find the links to our pre-launch page here. Watch for it!) 

Sometimes it seems like all this changing tech is scary. I have to admit I was a little surprised when they told us to pull out our phones in the movie theater last night. I'd just silenced mine and put it away. But indie publishing, and Kickstarter, and QR codes, and print-on-demand... it's all just new ways to get books out to people and connect in a more personal way with readers. 

So this old dog is trying to learn some new tricks. And having a lot of fun along the way.

I miss the snow

 What a bizarre "winter" we're having here in Minnesota. We had barely two weeks that could be called cold. In the last few days almost all the snow has melted, and the forecasted high for tomorrow is almost fifty above zero. My snowshoeing has gone right out the window. We went horseback riding on Sunday.

Minnesotans being what they are, you want to know the most common comment I've heard about this from the locals? "We're going to end up paying for this, one way or the other." Most people I know are expecting blizzards in March. One can only hope. I'm supposed to be going winter camping in March in the Boundary Waters in honor of the publication of Death on Disappointment Mountain. If that's going to happen, the weather will have to turn a little more winter-like in the last half of February to firm up the ice. We'll see. 

Fortunately there are other things a person can do in the winter besides snowshoeing and winter camping. 

Lisa and I spent some time last night preparing for the Kickstarter we're launching in March. This will be a new way to launch Wait for the Lightning, hopefully with significant crowd-funding support. If people step up to cover the costs of publishing, that frees our resources to focus on launching the book and getting it out widely.

I'm excited about this book. All my life, Genesis has been divisive territory. Seems like some people want to use it to bolster their position about how exactly God created the universe. Others dismiss it as fairy tale and focus on the Big Bang, carbon dating, and fossil records. We've been so conditioned to see Genesis as part of this argument it's hard to even think about it in a different way. 

That's why Wait for the Lightning is such a timely book. The subtitle is, "A fresh look at Genesis 1-12." It provides a different way to read these chapters that focuses not on the past, but the present. I believe with all my heart that we have been asking the wrong questions of Genesis. Instead of asking what happened in the past, I believe a faithful way to read these texts is to ask what the ancient Hebrews might have asked: Who are we? Why are we here? Who is God? What is he up to?

I'll admit, I also have a little fun in the book. It's written with some intentional humor. I know some people may find it a tad irreverent in a book about the Bible, but it's not intended to be disrespectful. I am hoping to keep the attention of people who are deeply conditioned to dismiss Genesis out of hand. 

If you've never been on Kickstarter, it's a fascinating place to look around. Tons of creative people are sharing their projects and hoping for your support. It's a chance to be a part of some fascinating things. In the next couple weeks we'll be opening up a pre-launch page that allows people to sign up for updates on this Kickstarter campaign. When that happens, you'll read about it here for sure. 

So if you're in Minnesota, pack the snowshoes away for the moment. Go for a walk without needing to wear your winter boots. Enjoy walking around in a sweatshirt. Sigh. I miss the snow. 

Something new

 If you're the kind of person who likes to try new things, here's something for you:

Ingram Spark is the company I use to publish books. They are, among other things, a print-on-demand service that has done an amazing job of helping me create books and get them out so people can read them. 

Just recently, Ingram Spark added a functionality to their repertoire. You as a retail consumer can now order my books directly through their website. If you'd like to try this to order a copy, 

click here and you will be taken to the sales link for Death on Disappointment Mountain at Ingram Spark. 

If you have any feedback about this service and how it works for you, please let me know either by commenting on this post or by using the contact me form at the top right of this page. Thanks!

Bookstores!

 Here's a shout out to a few independent bookstores that have agreed to carry Death on Disappointment Mountain. We're in conversation with a few others, but wanted to encourage you if you love books to support these stores:

Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais, MN

Fair Trade Books in Red Wing, MN (BOOK SIGNING there, 12-2 pm on March 23)

Valley Bookseller in Stillwater, MN

Piragis Northwoods Company Bookstore, Ely, MN

Beagle & Wolf Books and Bindery, Park Rapids, MN

The good news with each of these stores is that if they sell a few copies of my book, they'll restock it and may even begin to promote it a little more strenuously. So by all means, buy a copy! And if you don't see it there, ask them to order it.

It's hard enough for independent bookstores to make it these days. Online shopping has hurt so many small businesses, and it is tough for them to compete. When you have a chance, please support these great bookstores.

Thanks!

Feedback

 Every once in a while I get to chat with someone who has just finished Death on Disappointment Mountain. The feedback has been universally positive. Once in a while someone has a suggestion, or a criticism, but that's fantastic. It tells me they're really engaged with the material. Here are couple of the comments I've gotten back that I really treasure. (Didn't write them down immediately, so there's a bit of paraphrasing involved.)

I couldn't put it down. I read it really fast, because I wanted to see what happened next. But I want to go back and reread it slower, because there were a lot of profound things in the book that made me want to stop and think. 

At one point I thought, if the plot continues this way, I'm going to be so disappointed. Then the plot took a hard left turn and really grabbed me. I loved the way you handled that plot twist. 

This book was so true to the experience of going to the Boundary Waters. 

I love that you used real places to tell this story. I've been some of those same places, and it makes the story come alive to read about them. 

I want more stories about these people.

As a writer, it's so helpful to get feedback from people. It encourages me to keep writing and it makes me a better writer. 

One of the challenges for me as a writer is that I'm working in at least three different genres right now. Disappointment Mountain is literary fiction (and maybe what they're calling "cozy mystery" these days). Altered Vows is fantasy. (That one's still being edited, by the way.) And New Wineskins and From Slavery To Freedom are non-fiction books of biblical interpretation. 

Lisa made a comment last night that was really helpful. We were driving home from a gathering with a wonderful group of friends, and I talked about some of the challenges of writing across genres. She simply said, "I think you just have to be who you are, and write it." We talked for a few miles about that idea, and it really comes down to the challenge of finding my voice. I love to tell stories about this world and people who live in it. I love to help people dig into the Bible. I love to create imaginary worlds that shed light on this one. Who knows? I might discover other things to write about as well. 

My next book, Wait for the Lightning, is another non-fiction work. The subtitle is "a fresh look at Genesis 1-12." The cover designs are in, and I'm really excited about the way it looks. We just ordered some proof copies so we can make sure it's all ready for production. We are planning to run a Kickstarter campaign to launch this book, probably in early March. You'll hear more about that here in the coming weeks. 

Perspectives on 2023

 Here's a bit about some of the transitions that have happened in my life this year. It's been a year of big changes. 

In my personal life, Lisa has been the most amazing change. We got married in March and she moved out to my farm. Sharing life with her is such a joy. Of course, that kind of major transition is pretty disruptive. We have had to transition her out of life where she was, and into life here. I've been able to build relationships with her wonderful family, and she with mine. It's so good. 

Under that heading, we're in the process of buying a house that will be moved to the farm. We're very excited about it. That process requires lots of logistical details like digging a basement and all the rest. So we are very much occupied with that process. 

The farm itself is a lot of fun and a lot of work. Last spring we planted a couple hundred trees, and that was a little bit like adopting a couple hundred infants. We have high hopes for them thriving and growing this coming year. Horses, fences, hay, and such are all ways of keeping busy. Throw in the big windstorm we had at the end of July. We've been cutting and clearing trees ever since, and have more to do. 

We are both working our day jobs, and that's good. We've been intentionally putting a lot of energy into my writing. As I've written before on this blog, my goal is to take the projects I've puttered with for years and get them published. Getting Death on Disappointment Mountain in print was a big step forward. This is the first book I've published that sold well enough to cover my expenses in creating it. Well, if you don't count the hours I've put into it. Thus far I'm still a volunteer writer, but that may change. 

Hopefully we can develop my writing in such a way that it can start to be a legitimate source of income within a few years. Once upon a time I thought if I could just write a book, that would be a huge life goal accomplished. And it was. But I published my first book (From Slavery To Freedom) in 2009, and it was largely a frustrating and disappointing experience. I feel like I've learned a few things since then. So I reissued that book in 2020, and published New Wineskins (a commentary on Luke's gospel) in 2019. 

In the coming year, I have several titles I plan to publish. Wait for the Lightning is a look at Genesis 1-12, and that is very close to being in print. I've been working with the cover design for that one lately. Altered Vows is a fantasy novel I've been writing for a couple decades. It's in the editing process now. I'm working on a sequel to Disappointment Mountain. And there are a few other books that are in various stages of being written: A sequel to Altered Vows, a book on Revelation, and a book called Making Change that puts into writing the class by that name that I've taught in a few different places. 

I'm looking forward to 2024. 

God is so good, and so faithful. It can be a hard world and a hard life, but God is still good. Thanks for reading this, and I hope you're as excited about the coming year as I am!

On the verge of Christmas

 Christmas is almost here. December has been mild this year. The horses aren't consuming much hay. A dusting of snow comes and goes on the ground here at the farm. We thought about spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day up at the shack, about an hour north of Bemidji. I don't know if anyone has ever spent Christmas in that remote place. The forecast is looking like rain, though, so I don't think we'll go. 

Instead we will have a couple quiet days at home. We have one more big Christmas gathering this Saturday. Then the plan is to relax. 

One goal for those days is to get a temporary studio set up to start narrating audio books. I've had a few requests for Death on Disappointment Mountain in audio form, and I'd like to get started on that process. My early Christmas gift from Lisa was a technology package to make that process possible. Excited to get that set up and learn to use it well. 

Writing these days is a business of pushing little things forward. I've got two manuscripts complete and in the editing stages. Wait for the Lightning is a non-fiction book on Genesis 1-12. Goal is to publish that this late winter / spring. Altered Vows is a novel I've been working on since the mid-1990's. That's being read and edited, and then I'll have significant revisions to do. I had hoped to have it published this winter, but we will see how extensive the revisions are. 

Two sequels are in the stage of working on a first draft. I'm about 25K words into a sequel to Altered Vows already. And I've mostly finished an outline for a sequel to Disappointment Mountain. I'm excited about both those projects. Also I've got several concept pieces I'm outlining that will take shape during 2024. 

There's plenty of work to do; I just need to set aside time to do it. 

I find myself in kind of a strange place. I'm writing in three distinct genres. The non-fiction biblical books are totally different from the fiction books. And Disappointment Mountain is  literary fiction while Altered Vows is a medieval Christian fantasy. So very likely each of those genres will appeal to a completely different audience. That's okay, it just makes it challenging to focus in one direction. 

More important, I've been circling back to the whole reason why I'm writing lately. As a bedtime story, I finished reading Tolkien's "Leaf by Niggle" to Lisa a couple nights ago. That fun little story is such a good reminder that using our God-given gifts in a way that serves him is an important kind of stewardship. In his small way, Niggle contributed to God's new creation by using his art. In some small way, I hope to do the same thing in my writing. Or as I say it in my Amazon author bio, I want to connect people to the story of God's love for this world. 

It's that story that drives us at Christmas. We put out lights and buy gifts and prepare food because in Jesus, God shows his love for us. He makes it possible for us to love one another and to love him in return. May you know his love in a full and fresh way this Christmas!