It is January 17, 2013, and I am glad to say that I have finished my second book in my third crusade trilogy, The Storming Rage, over 1000 pages, which has continued Kings and Crusaders, being over 1500 pages long. This tremendous task of research and writing on my back, which I have been doing since October 2010, will now see it's third book yet soon to be written.
I began work on the Storming Rage on {originally titled the Final Journey but now that title waits for the last book } February 14, 2012. I became terribly sick in July and August 2012, thereby slowing down what is usually my best writing season, but despite this, by September, more than 700 pages of the book is written. By January 17, 2013, my book becomes finished at a mass of more than 1000 pages, continuing off my previous book, Kings and Crusaders, more than 15000 pages. I plan for my third book to be worked on very shortly. While no precise date can here be written, I would like to finish it sometime in November.
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Creative Writing and Publication
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It is January 17, 2013, and I am glad to say that I have finished my second book in my third crusade trilogy, The Storming Rage, over 1000 ...
Joshua you surely have a gift from the Lord. Keep going on your journey to glorify Him in your writing. I encourage you to check out the "Righteous Writing" Program by Dr. Kenneth Gentry at www.kennethgentry.com
ReplyDeleteMay the Lord keep blessing you.
John Davis
Thank you so much sir for this encouragement. I might try to check that out sometime. Please pray for me.
ReplyDeleteYour Joshua Dotson
Great job Josh! I can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteI am just now discovering your passion which as your handle says a writers life. I must admit my reading has been destroyed by the computer. At one time I had a book in my hand almost continuously While overseas in the 1960's I read Newsweek and Time magazine cover to cover even the advertisements. Are you placing your manuscript on the internet or do you have some publishing contacts? Any way I wish you the best.
ReplyDeleteThis is only the 1st time I've visited your blog, yet I'm inspired by your passion for History (through a Christ centered worldview) and your insanely amazing perseverance & dedication devoted to this project!
ReplyDeleteI'd be very curious to know what some of your favorite/main sources for study as to the ideology of the crusades. It's something I have barely touched upon, but it truly fascinates me!
Congratulations on making this prodigious goal! Persevere on!
Be greatly encouraged in this work. I read some issues of a magazine entitled CHRISTIAN HISTORY on this very subject, and was shocked to find out that more Christians were slain by "christians" than Jews and Muslims combined !
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work; will lokk forward to your finished book !
Agape,
friend of Whitney and Ashley on FB,
Rev Dr James Blank, DD
This is only the 1st time I've visited your blog, yet I'm inspired by your passion for History (through a Christ centered worldview!) and your insanely amazing perseverance & dedication devoted to this project!
ReplyDeleteI'd be very curious to know what some of your favorite/main sources for study as to the ideology of the crusades. It's something I have barely touched upon, but it truly fascinates me!
Congratulations on making this prodigious goal! Persevere on!
Most impressed with what I have read thus far. To be honest I did not expect such from one so very young. You are a remarkable writer with an ear for dialogue, and eye for details and the ability to bring forth your characters as real. God has given you a tremendous gift and passion. . . follow Him and allow Him to guide you in this calling.I look forward to following you and to read more.
ReplyDeleteIn His Grace,
Tom Arnold
(FB friend of your sisters)
Thank you Mrs. Scott. I look forward to all of you being able to read it. Thanks for the support!
ReplyDeleteAt this time Mr. Payne, I have no contract with any publishing company, but I hope to when all of this is finished. My books will probably not be put on this blog. Thanks for asking.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your support Mr. Blank. Military and church history are the back round to these books. We must remember that not all crusades were fought for the same purpose. The Fourth Crusade for example, attacked Christians in the east, and the crusaders turned out plundering from them. But on the contrary, The First Crusade was fought to set Jerusalem free from the Seljuk Turks, who had been harming Christian men and forcing Christian women into prostitution. It was merely a reply to the Turks' jihad and holy war.
ReplyDeleteThank you again.
Mr. Thomas I greatly rely on accounts of time for the research to these books. Such as letters by Richard the Lionheart, Beh-eh Din, Fredrick Barbarossa, Richard de Templo, Richard de Reviers, amongst others. Historians of today that I frequently use are David Nicolle, Thomas Asbridge, John Gillingham, and Geoffrey Regan. I would suggest looking into them if you are interested in this subject.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you. I appreciate your support.
Mr. Arnold, your words are like melting iron that is flowing down into my ears. You are very encouraging and helpful. Thank you ever so much.
ReplyDeleteI know I left a simple comment on your blog a few weeks ago, but as you were much on my mind this week I just couldn't not write a few more thoughts I had!
ReplyDeleteYour blog, and subsequently, your grand task of writing (which amazes me that you have already accomplished so much!) these 3 books are so inspiring to me! Do you mind if I ask whether the project was something you thought would be as large of a project as it's turned out to be? Or was it more like a simple project you started small and just kept adding and growing it? One thing I've been thinking about (that I find myself lacking in doing, but want to overcome) is setting large, audaciously noble goals. Stumbling across your blog last week (via a link from your sisters Facebook), looking at your age & the work you've accomplished truly inspired to "Divide and Conquer" various mountains I am facing in my life.
Also,(in regards to your books) I'm super excited (& I truly mean this!) that there will be some books on my shelf for my boys to read someday that tell the tales of days of yore with a solid Christ honoring worldview! Books like that are seriously scarce... Have you ever read any books by G.A. Henty? When I was 14-15 I read all the ones our family had, his medieval books gave me the small familiarity I have with some of the battles of the time. (Such as Acre). I enjoy his solid history analysis (plus the often compelling story line), but overall they lack an overall Christ-glorifying mindset).
My brother Micaiah (an awesome amazing guy who's thrilled about many areas of history as well!) & I have been talking quite a bit about the Fantasy genre, and the spiritual impact it has on culture (whether right or wrong/positive or negative), lamenting the fact that so many guys our age are wasting their time playing video games, immersed in such a web of fantasy and "fake worlds", that they spend no time and have no desire to learn about science and/or the history of the world we actual live in, that God made! One thing we commented on to each other after looking at your blog was how it is refreshing to see someone (especially at your age) step up and strive to take dominion in much needed areas of life. (In your case , the dominion of writing books on History for the Glory of God)
I hope I didn't overwhelm you in anyway, (really no need to write back whatsoever!), but I simply had to write and send a little more feeble & inadequate encouragements to you, specifically about your present project, that I hope you may, (even if in a very small way!) be a little encouraged at.
May God bless you with an eternally productive day!
In Him,
Matthew Thomas
PS did you get more then 5,000 views on your blog?
Mr. Thomas your words are sweet and encouraging to one's spirits. While I may not get back to every comment immediately, I never ignore what any of my readers have to say. Let me first began by saying how well my sisters talk well of your family and how sweet they speak of all of you. I cannot deny any of their words but merely add to them, that the Thomas family is a lovely gift from God and a shed of light to help understand Him better. I thank you Matthew in particular for your heart touching letter, and me not writing you back would be a man throwing a chest of gold into the sea after it has been given to him. So those are my thanking words. Here are a few more things...
ReplyDeleteI have seen several films in the past about this period, though not all. Hollywood, History Channel, Pbs, BBC, and European films have been released about this subject. I have watched films and documentaries talking about Richard I in particular, and even some quiet well known actors and actresses have took place in such films from the 1920s's until today{one such film is actually lost.} Ridley Scott directed the 2005 film Kingdom of Heaven. I have never watched this film, but I am quiet aware that it openly twist history and is unhistorical - accurate, as are most ''historical films''. Some historians that I used have talked terrible about it. The 1938 film The Crusades is quiet interesting, telling much different than what most films of toady would say. But once again it is not the most historical based. Other films I have heard of or have seen. But there is no point in mentioning them here. I would suggest the 2007 Warriors:Richard The Lionheart by BBC. It can be bought on AMAZON. Historian John Gillingham actually helped with the film, and it is only an hour long, so it just briefs the surface of the THIRD CRUSADE, but it is excellent. Besides if it was any longer it would give away hints to my books. The BBC film series IVANHOE is also magnificent. Steven Waddington plays Ivanhoe in the film and plays Richard the Lionheart in Warriors:Richard The Lionhreart and in the BBC film series Robin Hood.He is splendid for Richard I. Ivanhoe I recommend.
As far as books there's G.A.Henty's Winning His Spurs and Sir Walter Scott's The Talisman. Joshua Dotson's Warriors of Christendom is by far my favorite though. It is the only one that I'm aware of that shoes the story much from different ranks, the commanding generals, to the soldiers in the fields and shows you much from both armies, Christian and Muslim. When finished I can probably say that it will certainly be the longest third crusade work ever. Encouragement from people like you help that come about... and yes that's true about my blog. Thanks again. God bless.