A Distant Thunder, Volume II of the Jayson Wolfe Story

A Distant Thunder, Volume II of the Jayson Wolfe Story


Featured song: “Harmony” by Elton John


First I have to backtrack to my last entry for a minute, because I forgot something. I must confess that the cover for volume one, “The Sound of Rain,” is one of my very favorite book covers. I can’t quite explain it; it just has a certain something. And there’s also a story behind it. Mind you, I have little to no say in book covers, at all, ever. So, one day I got an email from my editor, telling me that the committee had some disagreement over the book cover so they wanted my opinion. My opinion? I was so excited to be asked my opinion! I nervously clicked to open the pdf file, and when it came up on the screen, I actually gasped, then I sighed—the way you’re supposed to at the end of a good romance novel. Even though this guy doesn’t look exactly as I imagined Jayson Wolfe to look (even from behind) the essence of the cover, its symbolism, etc. just moves me. Later, the editor told me that the women on the committee loved the cover, but the men were saying, “It doesn’t look like a romance novel.” I just don’t know how much more romantic you could get than Jayson Wolfe with that guitar on his back. I guess men just don’t get that. I’ve had many fans tell me they love this cover.


Moving to volume two, I’m okay with this cover, especially since they were going to do something I hated, and once again I was asked for an opinion (it hasn’t happened since). Once I offered my opinion, they went with the guitar player instead of, well . . . we won’t go there.


As I mentioned in my last entry, the first three books of this series cannot be separated, because they were written as one story. Volume one has a lot happen in it, but volume two is where the conflict hits really hard. I’ve heard many times that it’s a hard book to get through, and I’ve even had some unhappy readers in that regard. But when you understand that it’s the middle of a larger story, then you have to keep going until you get to part three. With SO many challenges coming up in the lives of Jayson and Elizabeth, some people might think that it’s a bit far fetched or outlandish, but unfortunately I’ve known people (and you probably have to) who have gone through stages of life where everything seems to go wrong. Therefore, I believe it’s actually quite realistic.


I also mentioned last time that the music in this story was a huge part of it for me. There was music that inspired me, and music that was inspired—or at least the lyrics. I’ll get into that second part at a later time. Right now, let’s talk about Elton John. He was absolutely my favorite in Junior High. Yes, he’s been around a long time, and yes, that’s some indicator of how old I am. But I can assure you I never imagined that his music would become so integrated into the inspiration of a story like this. I listened to certain songs over and over and over, while I could clearly see in my mind Jayson Wolfe playing them. I sometimes wish I could actually share my imagination with you, instead of just the words I’ve written to try and describe what I can see and hear. On the other hand, it might scare you.