
OK
About J Washburn
I knew it.
No, I'm not trying to copy J.R.R. Tolkien or J.K. Rowling. J really is my first name--my whole first name. Nope, not J-A-Y and not J with a period. (Abbreviating it makes it longer.) It starts and ends with J.
Just J.
Incidentally, if you throw a pen at a paper from at least five feet away, it nearly always spells my name.
"But what kind of a name is J?"--you're still asking. Well, I'll tell you. There was once a man named Melvin J. Ballard (whose middle name was Joseph, but he liked to abbreviate it). My grandpa was named J Ballard Washburn in honor of this man. But he just got the J (without the period). I was named after my grandpa, and I just got his J.
Which is nice.
After all, brevity is the soul of wit.
Now, a few facts about me:
I was born in the middle of skinwalker territory, in Arizona, practically on the Navajo Reservation. Yeehaw.
I grew up with my siblings in suburban Idaho--in a neighborhood with a few good bike jumps, a makeshift hockey court, and even a safe-house for sneaking video games. To the south we had open fields, which, back then, looked surprisingly similar to the Land of Prydain, littered with streams and trees and wildlife. It was magic. Out there my siblings and I actually lived the adventures you've read in my books.
Then I accidentally grew up. On accident--I mean it.
But lucky for me, I still find adventure here and there--in places where it's easier for adults to see it, like Xi'an, Cuzco, and Stonehenge. Being a grownup also meant I had to become a productive member of society, so I decided that writing adventures would be the next best thing to living them. That's what I do.
I'm glad you could join me--we have some exciting things ahead of us.
I'd love to hear from you in a book review or at me@jwashburn.com.
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Blog postMe, Tev, and our youngest brother, ~high school
I get emotional when I talk about deeply meaningful things. And that means this speech might be ten minutes of me standing here weeping in mournful silence. So I brought my new wife up here with me, and she’s going to read whenever I can’t. Losing Tev has been so hard for me, and I’m grateful to have had her companionship and support as I’ve suffered through this loss. Now let me tell you about my big brother Tevya. He was born on7 months ago Read more -
Blog postJames Tevya Washburn passed away on May 12, 2020, dying unexpectedly of a pulmonary embolism that led to cardiac arrest at age 38. He is dearly missed by his wife, Jill, and their four children: Colter (10), Ellie (8), Lorelai (4), and Ezra (1).
Tevya was born on July 4, 1981. He earned a degree in history from BYU-Idaho, where he met his lovely wife, Jill Miller, and they were married for time and all eternity on December 29, 2007, in the Boise Temple. Professionally, he built a su8 months ago Read more -
Blog postWhile sitting in my Analytics class, I drew this concept art from STARCHILD book 2. (Don't tell the profe.) More news about book 2 coming soon. I'm getting super excited about it.
Now, here's the kicker: I recently wrote this EPILOGUE to STARCHILD book 1.
DON'T READ IT unless you've already finished reading book 1. It contains major spoilers. Major!
Okay, you've been warned.
🙊
EPILOGUEDray heard her voice.
The voi11 months ago Read more -
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Blog postWhen I was a kid, I adored Star Wars.
I knew all the characters' names, including Ponda Baba. What kind of a geek knows that? Me. By age 7. I even had his action figure. He's the punk who loses his arm in the cantina.
I was in deep.
And for good reason. Star Wars transformed a generation. It deserves its legendary status. Its archetypes come from a story that belongs to all of us. I love the heart of it--the mythical aspects, the heroism, and the epic2 years ago Read more -
Blog postIn 2016 I wrote a bunch of book reviews for dozens of books.
Writing them was fun, and a few of you readers seemed to really like them. But they took a lot of time to create, which is something I don’t have a lot of. This year I’ve decided to transform my book report strategy. Instead of reviewing every book I read this year, I’ll only give you brief pitches for the top 10%.
But if you want to know about every book I read, follow me on Twitter: @jtraviswashburn.
4 years ago Read more -
Blog postI’m currently working on a space fantasy called STARCHILD. It will be a trilogy of novellas.
So why did I start a new series rather than finish an existing one?
It’s a business decision: The goal is to earn enough money to switch to being a full-time author. Which will mean I can publish books for you faster.
The first consideration is the limitations of a sequel. A sequel can only sell a percentage of what its predecessor sold. So if I write LOCKE: AZ4 years ago Read more -
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Blog postBetter-than-the-movie: THE REVENANT by Michael Punke
(But I also enjoyed the movie.)
Best mythology: THE RING by Richard Wagner
(Love how it inspired Tolkien!)
Best manly read: SHOGUN by James Clavell
("I yield to karma in all its beauty!")
Best nonfiction adventure: LOST CITY OF Z by David Grann
(Basically an Indiana Jones adventure in real life.)
Most challenging to my beliefs: ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand
4 years ago Read more -
Blog postI watched a documentary about Edward Snowden called CITIZENFOUR. It includes tons of raw footage of Snowden in his hotel room after his escape from the U.S. but before he made his intentions known. The pacing is actually a little slow, and yet it’s pretty exciting to see a real-life fugitive in that vulnerable moment—just before the point of no return.
As I watched that movie, I caught a glimpse of a novel on Snowden’s nightstand called HOMELAND. I Googled it and found out that it’s4 years ago Read more -
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Blog postA close friend recommended Their Eyes Were Watching God. It’s one of his favorites.
This is a character drama. It’s not about lost cities, black holes, or spaceships (which is mostly what I’ve been reading lately). It’s about people. Specifically black people in Florida a century ago. A woman named Janie is the protagonist. I appreciate characterization in a novel more than concept, plot, or setting. So I liked this one.
I love that the author shows you characters so vi4 years ago Read more -
Blog postMan, this book was over my head.
And yet, it drove me to Wikipedia. So let me share a few of the things I learned.
Einstein developed his theory of Special Relativity first. It’s mostly about space and time. And it says that any two events which are separated by a spacetime interval (a 4D distance) will have variance based on the viewer’s inertial point of view.
What! Yeah, it’s dense. Here’s a down-to-earth example.
Say you have two perfectly4 years ago Read more -
Blog postI went skydiving a few weeks ago.
I’m an author, so naturally I wrote about it.
The narrative is visceral, like you’re experiencing it all along with me. In fact, one of my readers thought it was so vivid, he said, “I feel like I’ve actually been skydiving now.”
If you want, you can now buy it on Amazon for $2.99.
Thanks for being a reader!
-- J
Get a FREE COPY of HIGH ADVENTURE
and sign up for my newsletter:4 years ago Read more -
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Blog postDark matter is a type of matter.
It’s not dark in color. And it’s not evil.
It’s actually more like transparent matter, meaning it doesn’t interact with light or anything else on the electromagnetic spectrum. At least not in a way that is strong enough for us to detect. At least not yet. So dark matter kind of goes on its merry way, ignoring us. In fact, odds are that you’ve had a few particles of this transparent matter pass right through you sometime in the last hour.4 years ago Read more -
Blog postThis was a fun, quick read.
The beginning is told from the perspective of Princess Leia—the opening scene on the rebel ship and the droids taking a secret message in search of Ben Kenobi. Then the viewpoint switches to Han Solo, and you see his surprise when a strange old man chops off somebody’s arm in a bar. This perspective continues through the whole Death Star tractor-beam and rescue of the princess part, Act II, so you get to see lots of Han’s attitude and get a better underst4 years ago Read more -
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Blog postTim Ferriss recommended Cryptonomicon.
I was expecting a thriller. Something like Dan Brown with more tech.
Turns out it was quite different.
Mainly it surprised me by its tone. I expected a business-like narrative, gray suits and red ties. Instead, it’s hilarious, filled with wryness (“dry, mocking humor”), much of which is from the narrator, but a lot is from the characters as well. It actually reminded me of Mark Twain, sort of an “I’m cleverer than all4 years ago Read more -
Blog postSeven different people recommended The Name of the Wind to me.
That never happens.
Which inevitably led me to high expectations.
I haven’t read a ton of fantasy. I love Lord of the Rings. I’ve also read Game of Thrones and tons of Brandon Sanderson. Aside from that, I’m a little unfamiliar with the genre. Oh, I wrote one too.
Anyways. My reading history and all the raving reviews made me expect a sweeping epic about the battle between good and4 years ago Read more -
Blog postMy buddy Tom bought me this book for my birthday. The Crucible of Doubt gathers philosophy, poetry, and reason together into a treatise for those who doubt their faith in God. It is written by the Mormon couple Fiona and Terryl Givens. They cite classic literature throughout to support their perspective; in lieu of that, I’ll share with you four of those:“My hosanna has come through the great crucible of doubt.” —Fyodor Dostoevsky “When I am grateful, I tend toward a higher mental (and spir4 years ago Read more
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Blog postMatthieu Ricard, a Frenchman, earned a Ph.D. in molecular genetics—so his origins are based firmly in science and intellect. When he began searching for a missing piece, he found answers in Buddhism.
Happiness is a scientific look at obtaining the supreme emotion, which he defines as follows:“By happiness I mean here a deep sense of flourishing that arises from an exceptionally healthy mind. This is not a mere pleasurable feeling, a fleeting emotion, or a mood, but an optimal state4 years ago Read more -
Blog postThis is a true story.
When I was a kid, our neighbor’s cat died.
My little brother and I found it freshly expired. (I promise we didn’t kill it.)
I was about 10 years old, which means my brother must’ve been 6. That made him the perfect sidekick. I told him to call me Tom, and I called him Huck. When Mitch was around, we called him Joe Thatcher, but Joe wasn’t around for this one.
We didn’t want to touch the dead cat, so we got a plastic bread-4 years ago Read more -
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Blog postI made a goal to not eat any food for seven days.
I’m serious. No food for a whole week.
Why would anybody do that? Well, I answer that question in an essay I wrote about it.
People have been surprised when they read the essay. They say things like this:“I loved reading this! It was an intense page turner which doesn’t happen in non-fiction for me very often. It is also full of really useful health concepts in an easy-to-understand format that still has me4 years ago Read more -
Blog postImagine there’s this ant. Tiny little ant.
No, an ant isn’t small enough. Imagine something smaller. An egyptian mite. Super tiny. Have you seen those things? They’re right at the edge of my visual range. Like pixels but in real life.
Imagine this teenie-tiny little mite weighs so much that his bulk makes him sink right into the earth. And then all the earth’s matter starts to collapse inward on top of him into the hole he’s creating.
And imagine this mite4 years ago Read more -
Blog postTL;DR: The Anatomy of Peace is about getting your mindset right toward yourself and other people. It's about a problem that we all have, a central problem, which is actually very hard to recognize and resolve. But I consider it the Holy Grail, the greatest quest we can chase as mortals.
I read The Anatomy of Peace every summer to celebrate my birthday. I've done this for the last 7 years or so. And I always invite my friends to join me. It's kind of a rare thing, but occasionally I ha4 years ago Read more -
Blog postTL;DR: I read this because I’m hooked on the musical. An excellent biography about the ten-dollar founding father and the building of America. Made me realize our nation is a miracle.
If you love the Hamilton musical, read this:I couldn’t help but underline words that I heard in the play. It was like playing HAMILTON BINGO. (There are a lot more than these, but I won’t bore you here.)
“Hamilton carried a heavy dread of [OH!] anarchy and disorder that4 years ago Read more -
Blog postADDITIONS
There was just so much I loved about Les Miserables. That first book report was the essentials.
Below are some side characters and tangents I wanted to comment on. Also, I’ve condensed and then quoted some really long passages that I just thought were amazing. So give these a read if you don’t have time to read the whole novel. And give these a re-read if you’ve already read the book. (That’s sort of why I’m posting them here, so I can refresh my own memory down the4 years ago Read more -
Blog postLong time no see! It’s because this book took me so long to read.
TL;DR: Man, this is such a story! Sometimes I think it must not have come from a mortal but some higher place.
INTRO
You’ll find Les Miserables on lists of the longest novels ever. In fact, it’s the longest book I’ve ever read, at 655,478 words. That’s five SONG OF LOCKEs! Five! Insane! I’ve had readers complain that Locke was too long! If you combine all the books and essays I’ve published,4 years ago Read more -
Blog postI have an announcement to make: My latest book is out!
It's called I'M JERRY SEINFELD: AN ESSAY ON COMEDY. Here's the synopsis: Don’t read this book if you’re fat. Or if you hate reading. Or if you hate Jerry Seinfeld. Or me. Or fat people. Or nudity. And definitely don’t read it if you liked my other books. Or if you’ve had enough funny business. Or if you’d rather have a 99-cent hamburger. Did I mention fat? Come on, George, you’re such a cheapskate.
It's not really like anyth5 years ago Read more
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During his lifetime, the “wild west” from the storybooks still lived and breathed in one of the last places to be modernized—Arizona.
Joe, as he calls himself, took various roles throughout his adventurous life, including sheep herder, cowman, courter, tracker, line rider, and, most famously, that venerated breed of law man know as the Arizona Ranger. His story leads him to encounters with cattle rustlers, gamblers, saloons, stampedes, horse thieves, Indian trackers, outlaws, and nearly every other subject that later made its way into western legend.
But this story is absolutely real, told in his own voice in vivid detail.
“Think LEGEND OF ZELDA meets GAME OF THRONES.” — Nathan Tucker, Numinous
Locke is an elfe who feels a strange, magical longing for something that he can’t quite describe.
His sylfe Picke, a fairy-like creature, dares him to follow a band of bloodthirsty warriors into the woods, promising they’ll lead to the thing Locke longs for.
Mustering his courage, Locke takes the dare, and the two of them find themselves on a wild adventure. Soon Locke must face snarling wolves, wield a magic blade, and risk his life to rescue a goddess—a girl he hardly knows but who he can’t stop thinking about—from the clutches of a fallen god.
* * *
In the spirit of Legend of Zelda and Peter Pan, SONG OF LOCKE takes place in a detailed and gritty fantasy world drenched in human emotion. The story has sword fights, witty banter, crushes, and even some subtle philosophy smuggled in. It’s an epic for everyone who loves good stories—for anyone who has longed for something that seemed forever out of reach.
“It’s even better than the first book, and that’s saying something!” — Patti, Amazon reviewer
A new evil grows in power—
The Shadowlyss.
Led by the traitorous Lord Admiral Dray.
A twisted shadow of his former self, he will stop at nothing to fulfill his debt to Lethos: Dray must murder Kalhette. As he draws steadily closer to his prey, his Shadowlyss armies wash over the planet Solace, leaving ruin in their wake. Benton, at the head of the defense, quickly learns that what starts a revolution may not be enough to win it. Only, at what cost is he willing to claim victory?
Though the stakes were already too high, now more than Kalh’s life is on the line: She’s pregnant.
And having to protect a child changes everything.
Amid the turmoil, Nak tries to find meaning in a life without his ship and without his best friend. While fighting with the rebel military in one violent battle after another, he also begins training as a zhani neophyte. Little does he know that saving the ones he loves from the tide of darkness will come at a high price.
A higher price than he ever imagined.
* * *
The second episode of the thrilling STARCHILD space opera is not for the faint of heart.
The epic story shows the horrors of war up close and may leave indelible marks on its readers. It also doubles down on the literary elements: In a philosophical quandary reminiscent of Tolstoy, Benton faces the bitterness of an unending fight for freedom, and he learns first hand the gory cost of making moral choices not only in theory but also in practice. Meanwhile, during zhani training, Nak explores the contrary aspects of the Song and the Shadow, exposing a detailed magic system in the vein of Brandon Sanderson’s works.
Not only will this spectacular sequel quench your thirst for more galactic adventure, it is also a fairy tale that crescendos from love to posterity, then legacy, and beyond—a somber romance for the ages. Kalh, because of her deep emotional scars, has avoided commitment all her life. Now she must answer the question Nak asked at the end of the first episode, and her reply will echo across the galaxy.
The next episode takes you alongside your favorite characters on a blood-tingling ride that will leave you wondering, how can good manage to triumph over such overwhelming evil?
Find out today in STARCHILD: REBEL!
Flying an ancient alien spaceship, STARCHILD may have the key to saving the rebels. Only he wants no part of their war... until he meets HER.
* * *
Tyranny rules the galaxy.
TAIBEROS has crushed every hint of rebellion. Like the grip of his cybernetic hand, he maintains a relentless hold on the populace. The power he hates most is the psionic magic of THE SONG—a force so strong it flows out as light from the eyes. People with such powers are called RADIANCES, and Taiberos’s Witch Hunters kidnap any that surface.
As the radiances slowly vanish, so does the galaxy’s hope.
Till Kalhette Whitesun, one of the last radiances, gives a risky speech, denouncing Taiberos and the extermination of her kind. The message spreads across the galaxy like the light of a supernova. She becomes revered as the UNCROWNED QUEEN, the one with the power to finally unite the people.
And then doom falls—
In the form of the crushing hand of Taiberos. He captures Kalhette, sentencing her to the darkest dungeons and imminent death.
All hope is lost.
Until a lone pilot appears. A pilot who wants nothing to do with Kalhette or her rebellion yet who may in fact be the galaxy’s last hope. A pilot whose ship, THE SPIRIT, was created by an ancient alien race. A pilot who stole that ship from Taiberos himself...
A renegade pilot named STARCHILD.
* * *
STARCHILD is an artisan book.
One author painstakingly crafted everything from the cover illustration to the final period. For readers who are sick of stories with thoughtless, cheap thrills, STARCHILD is a novel that both ENTERTAINS and ENLIGHTENS. If you value flawed heroines, deep villains, mind-blowing plots, and spectacular worldbuilding, then this is the adventure you’ve been waiting for.
The story dives deep into the minds of an UNFORGETTABLE CAST of lovable (and loathable) characters. The GALACTIC SETTING is exquisite, and it’s based on actual scientific discoveries, with worlds like you’ve never imagined but which likely exist in our own galaxy. The marvels of the MAGIC SYSTEM will make you envious, and its basis in fact might have you personally testing whether it’s real. The story itself is a FAST-PACED RIDE that will leave you hungry for more adventure, and luckily, the sequel is already here.
Get ready for a reading addiction like you HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED SINCE YOU WERE A KID.
The moment you open the book, you’ll be transported away at lightspeed.
SO, ARE YOU READY to take an intergalactic leap?
Locke is an elfe who feels a strange, magical longing for something that he can’t quite describe.
His sylfe Picke, a fairy-like creature, dares him to follow a band of bloodthirsty warriors into the woods, promising they’ll lead to the thing Locke longs for.
Mustering his courage, Locke takes the dare, and the two of them find themselves on a wild adventure. Soon Locke must face snarling wolves, wield a magic blade, and risk his life to rescue a goddess—a girl he hardly knows but who he can’t stop thinking about—from the clutches of a fallen god.
* * *
In the spirit of Legend of Zelda and Peter Pan, SONG OF LOCKE takes place in a detailed and gritty fantasy world drenched in human emotion. The story has sword fights, witty banter, crushes, and even some subtle philosophy smuggled in. It’s an epic for everyone who loves good stories—for anyone who has longed for something that seemed forever out of reach.
“It’s the SANDLOT meets INCEPTION!” — Nathan Tucker
Nate’s nightmares are another world’s call for help.
He’s a grade-school hero. Concerned with avoiding Rudge, catching Ashley’s eye, and not being too nice to uncool Danny.
Then Nate starts having dreams about ghost robots who are dying from a deadly virus
He first tries talking with these strange beings while he’s asleep. Then he starts seeing them at school while he’s awake, as if his nightmares are bleeding into reality.
How can Nate keep his sanity while solving the nightmare’s virus?
Find out in ECKSDOT, the exciting YA thriller from the up-and-coming author J Washburn!
* * *
AWARD WINNING NOVEL: In 2014, ECKSDOT won 1st place in the Utah Arts Council Original Writing Competition. ECKSDOT is a gritty, modern fantasy where the blacktop bloodies your knees. It’s also an artisan book—written, illustrated, and typeset by the author, a masterpiece handcrafted from beginning to end.
Three adventures ensued. Adventures of romance, inspiration, and illumination.
This essay takes you with me on my voyage. It's also a challenge—from me to you—to take a similar daring leap.
And see what happens.
[FYI: This essay is a short work and is about 40 pages when printed in book form. It is the first in J Washburn's ESSAYS series.]
Because of the wide variations in mode, length, tone, and subject, you’ll probably feel like you’re on a roller coaster, with the muscles in your neck locking up on one side, and then the other, as you go back and forth, up and down, never quite fully anticipating the next jolt.
Some are sad. Some are mysterious. Some are funny. And some are serious.
A few are a sentence long, and one is 8,400 words long.
The topics range from stealing bikes and filling teeth, to losing girlfriends and losing lives.
I’ve aimed to be brutally honest. Hopefully that catches you off guard.
And the Venn diagram overlaps on just one point—a writer’s mind.
It represents several years’ worth of writing, from the dark days of my undergrad to the completion of my master’s degree, ending in 2013 when I published my fourth book. The genre ranges from nonfiction (the lion’s share), to poetry and pictures, then fiction, and even faction (just you wait).
I hope you’ll be surprised by the wild turns.
And I hope, most of all, you’ll be glad you read.