The Towpath Trail

Announcement, Book Launch

THE TRAILHEAD #01

ANNOUNCING MY DEBUT NOVEL, THE TOWPATH  Welcome to the first entry in my blog, The Trailhead, which will take you deep into the legends, mysteries, characters, and settings of The Towpath, my debut novel. I will also share bonus materials, discuss the writing process, and delve into the mechanics of time travel—a topic on which there is sure fun to be had. I’m also pleased to announce that The Towpath will be published by Collective Ink in October of 2024, through their Roundfire imprint. Part of Collective Ink’s marketing strategy involves their authors writing their own press releases for their books, which they can then leverage as part of the overall marketing and publicity campaign. Some outlets, magazines, and radio programs prefer to hear directly from the authors themselves. Because of this, and the fact that this is my first blog entry, I figured I’d share my self-written press release, which is as follows: Travel Down THE TOWPATHBut beware, you might not end up where—or when—you expect. By Jonathan Walter Visitors to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) in Northeast Ohio might not realize that there’s more to the park than meets the eye—or any other sense for that matter. For just beneath their feet, deeper than the deepest of troughs of the mighty Cuyahoga River, and more implacable than the sheerest of cliff sides along the valley’s eastern rim, awaits a power that’s beyond all reckoning. We’re talking about the conditions for time travel here, and I’ve written a story that puts a new spin on a genre that’s captured the imaginations—and pens—of legendary authors like H.G. Wells (THE TIME MACHINE) and Stephen King (11/22/63). Note: that’s the last time you’ll ever see me reference myself in the same sentence as King or Wells! In my story, The Towpath, the more you meddle with your own history and lineage, the stiffer the objective and steeper the penalty, which only increases the further you stray from your native time and place and the longer you stay there. There are rules to time travel after all—and there are consequences. Some brazen souls may test those rules, often to their own lurid demise. But there is one person who’s managed to defy these rules and somehow stave off the grave consequences… for now. That person would be THE REDEEMER, who’s determined to prevent her teenaged daughter’s suicide in 2014. She’ll take whatever detour in time and place that’s necessary to achieve her goal, removing anyone who stands in her way. She’s become hardened, brutal, and impassive from these long and meandering journeys, increasing the damage and collateral she leaves in her wake. Consequences and the Butterfly Effect be damned. When she finally discovers that there’s an ancient medallion with powers that would allow her to time-travel freely and without penalty, she and her legion of Iroquois warriors embark on a bloody mission to recover it in the 1600’s. When that mission ultimately fails, she defeatedly returns to her native time in 2021. But she isn’t idle for long. Her mission is renewed when she learns that AARON PORTER, a shy fourteen-year-old with a garbage picking hobby, discovers it in Portage Falls, Ohio in June of 2021—which just so happens to be her native, present time. Now, hot on the trail of Aaron and his friends, The Redeemer won’t hesitate to remove them and claim what’s rightfully hers. My story will take you across hundreds of years, pulling you deep into the legends and lore that have been smoldering in and around the Cuyahoga Valley for centuries. You’ll go underground, including into the cavernous Salt Mines under Lake Erie, speed along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, get lost in a national forest, and find yourself in places and times you might not have ever expected. Oh, and along the way, you’ll be pursued by a brutal killer and her equally brutal warriors from the past. So, get ready and climb onto your bicycle along with Aaron and his friends, Libby, and Simon. Because in The Towpath, you’re not just in for the ride of your life. You’re in for the ride for your life. For more on The Towpath: NovelTime TravelAnnouncementThe TowpathSuspenseThrillerPress Release

Announcement, Uncategorized, Writing Journey

THE TRAILHEAD #02

THE LATEST  I’m happy to share that the paperback version of THE TOWPATH is available for pre-order now (ebook will be this Spring)! And while I’ve been waiting to share the cover design, the cat will be out of the bag anyway if you check it out on Amazon. The publishing world is still a mystery to me, and timing can be very difficult to understand as huge online marketplaces like Amazon and Barnes & Noble are governed by their own rules, processes, etc., and things drop without my knowledge unless I proactively go out and see what’s happening. COOL STUFF THAT MIGHT ONLY INTEREST ME  Let’s delve into time travel for a moment, shall we? In The Towpath, things only get worse for you the longer you stay, the further you go back, and the more you attempt to meddle with your own past. Not only do you become marked, even putting the Earth’s creatures on high alert (yep, they want no part of you), you will look different too—at least, temporarily. I won’t give away how time travel happens, but let’s just say the physical effects may remind you of the weird story of the Children of Woolpit. That is, if you’re familiar with it. If not, allow me to bend your ear for a moment. In this bizarre historical account that took place in Suffolk, England, in the 12th century, a group of villagers came across a young boy and girl whose skin had been tinted a sickly green and they were acting strangely, if not temperamental. The kids didn’t speak any language that was recognizable to the villagers and were taken in by a local man who tried to feed them, but they refused to eat. Over time, they acclimated: their skin turning to their natural color and eating what food was available to them. The boy died young, but the girl adjusted to her new life. When she was eventually fluent in English, she said that she and her brother came from the land of St. Martin, which was a place of perpetual twilight where the sun never shone, and she did not recall how they made travel from their homeland to Suffolk. I also find it interesting, at least according to this Wikipedia entry, how the sister was described as being “very wanton and impudent.” There have been many attempts to theorize where the children came from, and some people have asserted that they came from underground and could even have had extraterrestrial origins. Other theories simply assert that the kids were malnourished, lost, and spoke an unfamiliar dialect or language. I won’t describe just how much this bizarre story has influenced the mechanics and consequences of time travel in The Towpath, but you’ll likely make some connections after having read the book, including how characters behave based upon their length of stay and what they do during those visits. WHAT’S UP NEXT I’ll admit that self-promotion is not a natural inclination for me. But I also get that it’s a necessary evil, even if my novel is going to be traditionally published by Collective Ink. From what I’m learning through my crash course on the world of fiction publishing, even authors published by the “Big Five” (Macmillian, Penguine Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster) still need to hit the proverbial streets, grow a following, and drum up interest. It’s also overwhelming just how many options authors need to consider for promotion and how they should strategize building interest for a book that could take several months to finally release. But I’m starting to get a handle on this and have made a deliberate decision to grow my audience through the following channels: Well, that’s all for this post. Until next time! Sapere Verdere. For more on The Towpath: NovelTime TravelThe TowpathSuspenseThrillerHistorylegendsAmazonBarnes & Noblesocial media

The logo for Jonathan Walter's website, which depicts a purple origami swan with outstretched wings with the name, "Jonathan Walter" next to it in purple.

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