My Novels:

I'm happy that you've found my blog site, Jots By Jacob! I started this blog as a result of my found love for writing, which began with writing novels. If you love to lose yourself in stories crafted with unique characters, roller-coasters of emotions, and exciting adventures, you're in the right place.

In this post, I will introduce you to my novels and where I am in the process of writing, editing, and publishing each one.

The Basis for the Stories that I Write

The ideas for my novels have each begun with a random concept. The details of which will be outlined below for each novel description. But the ideas were only the beginning. The motivation to actually write the books came from my penchant to entertain people. I have a background in theater (plays and musicals), art (drawing and graphic design), and music (vocals and guitar). That same desire to entertain, paired with the impulse to bring the stories to life, fueled me to write. Once the words began to flow, I found a sense of catharsis and expression.

Characters That Come to Life

One of the most exciting aspects of writing is creating characters that feel real. My goal is for every character to have their own way of thinking, their own unique speech patterns, their own reactions to situations that arise. I strive to bring characters who each have their own personality and enrich the experience of the reader.

Writing Process: From Idea to Book

Like many areas of my life, I find myself in the middle of two extremes. Many writers are what the writing community refers to as "Planners". This means that they meticulously plan out their books. Detailed outlines, plot notes, character development strategies, etc. Then there are writers referred to as "Pantsers". These are the authors who fly by the seat of their pants and write their stories off the cuff. Plots go where they may, characters do as they please, and the author somehow brings them all together in the end.

I have coined my own phrase; I call myself a "Plantser,". This is a hybrid of the two. I begin my process with the concept of the book, think about ways to build the story, make general notes as the thoughts arrive, and then create a very basic outline. Perhaps just 100-200 words explaining what general plot points should take place in each chapter.

Upon completion of the very cerebral task of creating the outline, that's when the magic happens. My creative juices start to take over, and I experience the story almost the same way that a reader does. My subconscious takes the 100-200 word plan for each chapter in the outline and turns those into full chapters of roughly 3,000-4,000 words, where the characters, plots, and sceneries take on lives of their own. I literally laugh out loud or tear up or shudder as the words fall into place.

Engaging with Readers

Connecting with readers is one of my primary goals as an author. The reward of knowing that my thoughts on "paper" can spark a bond between myself and another person that I hadn't previously had the pleasure to meet is exhilarating. I would love hearing from you, whether it’s through social media, book signings, emails, etc.

Your feedback and support mean the world to me. It inspires me to keep writing and exploring new ideas. These interactions create a sense of community, and I cherish every moment spent engaging with you.

A Glimpse into My Novels

Here’s an overview of my novels to give you an inside look at each book's process and status:

The Futurist: Debut Novel

The Blurb:

The Futurist is a thought-provoking tale about Tyler Watson, a man nearing thirty years of age, and questioning the direction of his life. Prompted by his best friend, Brian Flynn, Tyler encounters two separate mysterious ladies. One is Helena Batista, a fortune teller; the other is Neti Gibbs, The Futurist. When the results of each lady’s predictions begin to conflict with one another, Tyler is forced to navigate between lies and manipulation, versus truth and true friendship. The destiny, for which he didn’t realize he needed to strive, hinges on his ability to determine who is there to help him and who is leading him astray.

The Process:

This is my debut novel, although not the first one I started to write. Several years ago, I was in the midst of writing Latent Lucidity (See below for the details of Latent Lucidity and my journey of writing it) in 2005, when the idea for The Futurist popped into my head.

That idea lay dormant for 20 years while I was living life without writing. Life was busy, and I just never felt as though I had enough time to sit at a computer, and certainly not often enough to get into the flow of writing a book. However, in March of 2025, my desire to write the story grew to the point where I felt I needed to find a way to make it happen. I came to the realization that, thanks to the advances of technology, I carry a computer in my pocket everywhere I go. My smartphone. I chose to start The Futurist instead of going back to Latent Lucidity for multiple reasons. My writing journey needed a fresh start, and this story was ready to run.

I wrote the Prologue in March and sat on that for about a month. I enjoyed what I wrote, I gathered opinions from friends and family as to whether it contained the proper hook, and then let it sit. Then, in April of 2025, I had more of the story come into mind, and I made it a point to utilize any downtime to tap away on my phone. I threw chapters 1 and 2 together in complete "Pantser" style. Again, I enjoyed where the story was going, but I had no structure and no idea how to play out the entire plot. So, that's when I came up with the idea to write as a "Plantser" and created the outline. This small amount of structure put a motivation in me that jet-fueled the rest of the writing of the novel. Within 4 months, my original draft of the manuscript was complete (yes, all 92,000-ish words written on my phone).

The Status:

Most of the editing phases are complete. My editor is working on a final run through copy edits. I have begun submitting the manuscript to agents/publishers to seek traditional publishing. If this doesn't pan out, I will be self-publishing the novel at some point this year.

The Blissful Kiss - A Thriller: 2nd Novel (Work In Progress)

The Blurb: (Work In Progress)

Amber Fields had the best date of her life, ending in a blissful kiss. But that's the last thing she remembers from that night after she wakes up in the hospital with a concussion and having been electrocuted. 

Soon after, she begins experiencing flashes of images in her mind, seeing terrible acts happening to other women. 

Amber solicits the help of her best friend and they set out to find answers to why these flashes are happening. She is determined to know if they're real and if she is meant to do something about them. 

The Process:

When I had my original idea for The Futurist many years ago, it started with a title that came to mind first which resonated with me, then the characters and story followed. The same happened with Blissful Kiss: A Thriller. The title popped in my head a few nights ago and then the story ideas began to flow.

The Status:

I have started to outline the chapters with basic info for each chapter. Once that's complete, I will begin to write it all.

Latent Lucidity: (On the backburner)

The Blurb: (Work In Progress)

Ellie Nona is a senior at the University of Colorado, living a normal life, when she is thrust into a realm she never knew existed, at least, she didn't know it existed in this way. As Ellie meets new people and is exposed to new experiences, she is forced to wonder how she'd gotten this far in life, oblivious to the dangers that exist. What are dreams, what is real, and what do they have to do with the fabric of reality?

The Process:

As mentioned above, Latent Lucidity was born as my original works (initially along with 2 other people). In 2001 or 2002 (sorry, it was too long ago to remember precisely), the 3 of us were motivated by the Harry Potter series to write a book. The original title was "Unknown Lucidity". We thought we would work together to write different aspects of it and put it all together in the end. Unfortunately, as happens in many of our lives, we found it difficult to keep it going. We had only written about 5,000-8,000 words before the project petered out.

In 2004, I started a job that allowed me a lot of free time sitting at a computer with nothing else to do. So, taking the same characters and concept, I decided to continue on with the book. I changed the title to "Latent Lucidity" for the alliteration, and I just liked how it sounded better. Over the course of a few months, writing completely as a "Pantser", I had written around 64,000 words of the book when my job duties were expanded and I no longer had the time to write at will. At the same time, I had reached an exciting aha moment in the story, but having not planned out the book ahead of time, I didn't know where to go with that aha moment. So, the project fell by the wayside again in 2005.

The Status:

This project has been moved back to the backburner in favor of working on my newest novel idea for Blissful Kiss.

I will continue to occasionally read the original works, creating an outline, and then eventually restructure it for a modern rewrite.

Final Thoughts

Thank you for taking the time to explore my novels. I hope this post has given you insight into my writing and the stories I love to tell.

Remember, every book is a new adventure waiting to be discovered. I look forward to sharing my stories with you and hearing your thoughts.

Happy reading!

If you would like to read about my experience with flash fiction, click here.