STARCHILD

“It’s a story for people who grew up with Star Wars but who wanted Star Wars to grow up too.” — Nathan Tucker, KWWTB

“For readers who are sick of thoughtless, cheap thrills, STARCHILD is a novel that both ENTERTAINS and ENLIGHTENS.” — Nak S. 

* * *

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? 

SONG of LOCKE

“Just think LEGEND OF ZELDA meets GAME OF THRONES.” — Nathan Tucker, Numinous

“SONG OF LOCKE was literally one of the best fantasy books I have ever read. An I-hear-music-in-my-head-while-I-am-reading-it kind of book.” — B. J. Riley

Locke is an elfe who feels a deep longing for something—it’s a strange, magical feeling that he can’t quite describe. His sylfe Picke (who is a creature something like a fairy) dares him to follow a band of bloodthirsty warriors into the woods, promising they’ll lead to the thing Locke has been longing for. In spite of his doubts, 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 portrays a detailed fantasy world, somewhat grittier than its forebears and drenched in human emotion. The tale has swordfights, 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.

SONG OF LOCKE is also an artisan book—written, illustrated, and typeset by the author, a masterpiece handcrafted from beginning to end. The first 50k-word draft was written for NaNoWriMo in 2013. In November 2014, a crowd of Kickstarter backers provided the initial funding for publication (see kickstarter.jwashburn.com).

ECKSDOT

“A very original world with an ingenious set of rules.” — KMK

“I was blown away with how Washburn nailed the mind of a sixth-grader. It was simply fantastic. Reading this book, you will be a kid again.” — Sherry Torgent, author of LIKE ICE

It all began with a nightmare I had one night. A nightmare—or a vision. It was almost too strange to not be real. A being from some other dimension—I don’t know what to call it exactly, a ghost robot, I guess—well, it told me to knock on the door of a house down my street—a green old house covered in trees and mystery. It took me awhile to get the courage (and I got a little help from my “slow” friend Danny), but I knocked on that door. And the scariest part of what we found was the message: The old lady told me that if I would draw a certain Japanese tattoo on my arm, I could cross that barrier between reality and dreams and find out what the being wanted. So I had the choice: to back away and get out while I still could, or to go deeper, to take a chance on Japanese witchcraft, to dare my way into the unknown. I made my choice. That’s what this book is about. Maybe you’ll think I chose wrong, I dunno. What would you have done?

* * *

In ECKSDOT, you’ll join Nate and Danny as they search for clues leading to a mysterious world of ghost robots, while the wall between dreams and reality begins to melt around them. You will laugh and maybe even cry as the two unlikely companions learn what it takes to be a hero and—more importantly—what it takes to be a friend. 

ECKSDOT is also an artisan’s story—written, illustrated, and typeset by the author—a masterpiece handcrafted from beginning to end.

Inklings

“Incredibly thought provoking.” — Stephanie R.

“As with ECKSDOT, this book made me laugh and brought tears to my eyes. This author has a way of connecting with the reader and making everything so real.” — A. J.

You’re about to read a collection of sporadic thoughts.

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.

One is 8 words 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.

High Adventure

“HIGH ADVENTURE captivated me from start to finish… Do yourself a favour and read this. The passion is contagious!" — James Murtagh

“I liked this one a lot. More than I expected, actually. It’s a neat view into the life of an author. And I loved the ending.” — Saralee

I started out with a craving. I'd tell people it was adventure I was after, even though I wasn't exactly sure what that meant. It took some searching before I really understood what my life was missing. 

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. 

[NOTE: This essay is a short work and is about 40 pages when printed in book form.]

Line Rider

“I felt like I was sitting alongside of Joseph Pearce listening to his wonderful tales around a campfire in the late 1890s. A wonderful book narrated by a very interesting man. For you western history buffs, don't miss it.” — Cbug

“A pithy recollection of a law man in the Arizona territory. Without embellishments, it is a frank chronicle of his life as he looks back on it.” — C. Perry

Line Rider is the true story of the life of Joseph Harrison Pearce (1873-1958), written by his own hand. 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.

[NOTE: This book was edited by, not written by, J Washburn.]

ECKSDOT Metamorphosis (book 2)

This book is in PHASE 1 of production.

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Kings of Persia

This book is in PHASE 2 of production.

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More Inklings

This book is in PHASE 2 of production.

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Reign of Fire

This series is in PHASE 1 of production.

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And, yes, I know there’s a movie with this title. When my little brother and I were kids, we thought of this title ourselves, actually, about two years before the movie came out.

When I write this novel, I may have to rename it.

It’s a heroic fantasy novel. More details to come. (Or ask my bro.)