Two Journeys Edition 2 now Live

The second, fully revised and edited version of the Two Journeys paperback is now available at Amazon. The eBook has naturally also been updated, both for Kindle and all other formats.
The second, fully revised and edited version can easily be recognized by the new cover, which shows a man and two dogs walking towards an ominous cloud of smoke.
Don’t hesitate to leave your review at the internet store where you bought your copy!

Editor’s comments (part 3) conc my novel TWO JOURNEYS

“[…] Alan’s character, […] certainly does evolve over the course of this book, and his interactions with the other characters reveal a lot about his character as well. I found his clinical approach to almost everything completely believable and just part of his personality rather than a lack of character development. In fact, his scientific viewpoint is charming even. Then, as his journey continues, he keeps using his training and knowledge, but he also gets scrappier as time goes on, propelled forward by a raw emotional passion to get to his family rather than analyzing every single event and detail. He feels compassion for the people that he meets even as he analyzes their motives and inner-workings, but he never gives off an inhuman vibe to the reader. He comes across as very human—the time he is almost brought to tears by the meal fixed by Mikhail and Artyom, his instinct to reach out to the despairing Laura, his analysis of Yrina’s losses, his attachment to Bo and King. There are countless examples of the depth and humanity of his character. He is original and yet familiar.”
TWO JOURNEYS here, as paperback or eBook.

Editor’s comment (part 5) conc my Novel TWO JOURNEYS

“Your other characters are also compelling, and none of them rang false or unbelievable. I loved the trio back in Krasnoyarsk. Even though I wanted Alan to go home and knew he had to, I was sad when he left Leonid and the others behind. I even liked the characters on the space station. Urs was creepy from the very start, believably so. Victor was interesting, and I like how his real story or secret is never revealed. I also liked how you never revealed what went awry between Mikhail and Artyom. Some loose ends in a big book are good.”
TWO JOURNEYS: find it here, as paperback or eBook.

Resolutions for the new year

1. Finally get even with mother for my horrible childhood (axe/stone/cattleprod?) 2. Sell the dog for animal experiments
3. Exercise more. Train the heart muscle by being more nervous. Train all the other mussels through scuba diving.
4. Drive less – stop traveling from “A to B” constantly. What’s so special about B anyway?
5. Education! Make sure that no one gets smarter, so block any requests for training 6. Buy a fur coat and show it off in the city center
7. Take up nailbiting
8. Make more money, e.g. by selling pets for animal experiments 9. Drink less – definitely!!! Need to reduce my water intake. 10. Gain weight.

http://2journeys.blogspot.com/ and http://celeterra.blogspot.com/

Novels featuring dogs

Eugene, the black one-eyed dog, plays a key role in my novel CELETERRA. Based on the dog’s nature – faithfulness, reliability, courage – dogs are ideal characters in novels. Dogs are the true friend of any man.
At the same time, dogs are hunters, and as such they carry some threatening aspect too. They broadcast the signal “don’t mess with me!” They are independent. Deep down inside (and depending on the type of dog) we are all a bit afraid of dogs.

Here a list of novels that feature dogs.
The Watchers — Dean Koontz
Travels With Charley — John Steinbeck (non-fiction)
Ghormley the Gnarley — Carlos Belavacqua (children’s fiction) The Banyan Tree — Terence Killiam
Knifing the Roach Nest — Christiana Pelletier
Springers on the Island Green — Aubrey Fortuna
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog — Dylan Thomas
Get in the Stagecoach — Christopher Hill
Lift up Thy Frock-Coat — David Waits
Lassie Come Home — Eric Knight
Lad, A Dog — Albert Payson Terhune
Marley and Me — John Grogan
The Sheep-Pig — Dick King-Smith
Cujo — Stephen King
White Fang & Call of the Wild — Jack London
Hound of the Baskervilles — Sherlock Holmes
The Poky Little Puppy — Sebring Lowry

These are all good tales about dogs.

Letter (part 2) from the Editor conc . TWO JOURNEYS

“I almost wonder whether if in the promotional descriptions you may want to tone down any emphasis on a dystopian or post-apocalyptic society so that you do not alienate (no pun intended) readers who may not normally gravitate toward that genre, only because I truly believe that readers not typically interested in such topics will enjoy your book as much as someone who seeks them out. Your book was extremely engaging, intelligent, entertaining, and well-written. I thoroughly enjoyed editing it […] Overall, the writing was incredibly strong. This is a great book. I rarely cry at the end of books or movies, but I cried when he made it to Hansen’s…”
TWO JOURNEYS here, as paperback or eBook.

Albert Einstein writing “Two Journeys” on a black board

I’ve always wondered where the name “Einstein” originated from – translated it means “a stone” or ”one stone”. Perhaps some immigration officer made a mistake a long time ago? Not so, apparently the name originates from the phrase “einsteinen” which is German and means to build a protective stone wall around a dwelling.