As coronavirus continues to prompt lock downs and disruption of core activities into autumn, many of us are left wondering what the future holds.  Will our kids stay focused through homeschooling and distance-learning to advance their education, or will they fall behind?

The key to ensuring progress during uncertain times is to maintain a predictable routine.  That's why I'm excited to share with you two new non-fiction titles from Oldenworld Books that will engage your kids with history and writing.

• The Lost and Found Journal of Me: A Year in the Life of the Awesomest Girl Who Ever Lived (July-December)
• The Lost and Found Journal of Me: A Year in the Life of the Coolest Boy Who Ever Lived (July-December)

The Lost and Found Journal of Me encourages your children to set their thoughts to paper by guiding them through remarkable events of the past.  Your kids will learn amazing facts about history as they record their stories and chart their futures.  Each daily page includes:

• On this Day section: event that happened on that day in history
• Dive In section: dig deeper into the event to learn how and why it happened
• Speak Up section: share your thoughts and feelings about an aspect of the historical event
• Act Out section: take what you learned from the first three sections and make your mark on the world!

After using The Lost and Found Journal of Me, your children will know history better, know the world better, and, more importantly, know themselves better.  With daily writing prompts to get them thinking through tough questions, and daily action prompts to help them take the next step, they'll be motivated to become the best possible versions of themselves.

From July 1st to New Year's Eve, The Lost and Found Journal of Me (July-December edition) provides a simple framework for your kids to record their gratitudes and attitudes through the year. With the right effort, their actions will serve as writing prompts for future generations! 

Start here for girls...or here for boys.

Keep chasing those dreams,
Jack
 

Hello, friends!  The Missus and I—and our four young prospectors—trust all is well with you’ns wherever you might be sheltered-in-place, or running free, whatever the guidelines may be in your neck of the woods.

Here in southern Washington, businesses are opening again, but it will be some time before large gatherings are prudent.  As such, all conventions we planned to attend this year have been canceled.  We enjoy spending time with all of you at the conventions so it’s disappointing to think it might be another year before we hit the trail again, but as I heard a fellow say the other day, ‘keeping everyone safe is job one.’  Sage advice.

Convention copies of The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er online

Preparations for conventions are months in the making.  Everything from transportation to accommodations are mapped out to ensure we arrive on time and once we’re there, that we’re not sleeping in the booth!  This includes ordering enough product to have on hand for all your voracious readers to enjoy.  

Now, as some of you’ns may have noticed, the copies of The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 for sale at conventions bear different cover artwork than what you can find at Amazon.com.  In fact, conventions were the only place you can find these copies… until now.

During the month of June, autographed 1st Edition convention copies of the paperbacks will be available exclusively at JackDublin.net.  What’s more, we’re making these available at 10% off—15% off when you buy both volumes!

The road ahead

2020 has shaped into an historical year thus far and who’s to say what the future holds?  In spite of this uncertainty, children will continue to read and flex their imaginations no matter where they find themselves.  Their resilience in difficult times encourages all of us to be stronger for them than we knew we could be.

To that end, chase those dreams and never forget that the journey—not the destination—is where true adventure is found.

Keep on keeping on,
Jack

The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol.2 released in Audiobook format this week.  Saturday only, you can grab the title for 1/2 price!
Check out a sample of the audiobook here.

How do I get this deal?  Amazon Whispersync technology allows you to merge your reading and listening experience between Kindle and Audiobook. 

I like to say it's when your eBook tells your Audiobook "I do." 

Move from one format to the other without missing a beat... great for continuing your Miner 49er adventures from house to car and back again... or plane to house... or Uber, or Lyft, or Bird, or... shoot!  This used to be so much easier when folks just put one foot in front of the other to move themselves around!

Anyhoo, first grab the Kindle version of Vol.2 FREE on Amazon (ends Feb. 1, 2020 at 11:59 PM Pacific).

Next, claim the Audiobook version of Vol.2 at HALF PRICE!

That's right... but there is such a thing as a FREE eBook and it's happening today!  So what are you waiting for?  Go on, up the adventure!

Jack

Written and Performed by Jack Dublin...
The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol.2 is dedicated to my Grandpa, Harlan, who passed away more than eight years ago.  Before he passed on to his reward, he served as the great storyteller in my life, bridging the gap between my own world and the world that he had been born into.  And so, coincidentally, this January 29th that marks what would have been his 108th birthday, the audiobook dedicated to his memory is released to the world!

When I recorded The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol.2 for Audible 16 months ago, never did I dream post-production would last so long!  That said, the work is finally available for download from Audible, Amazon, and (soon) iTunes. 

If I was reminded of one thing during the lengthy process, it was a quote by legendary basketball coach Jimmy Valvano:  Don't give up, don't ever give up.

While it will take you'ns considerably less time to listen to the 13 journal entries from start to finish, I hope you enjoy the adventure and pardon my occasional singing.  Did I say singing?  Yes, indeed!  In the voices of weathered sailors and an angelic young girl, no less.  Just imagine those cringe-worthy moments! 

Proof positive you never know what to expect when old Jack gets behind the microphone.  Check out a sample of the audiobook here.

Thanks for your ongoing support.  Up the adventure!

Jack

If you dropped by the website recently, you may have noticed changes to the book covers of Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.  Last month I released hardcover versions of Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 which presented me a problem and an opportunity.  The problem was I didn’t have dust jackets designed for the books.  But as with any problem we face in life, it usually presents an opportunity, too.  The opportunity in this case was to overhaul the artwork for all editions.  Now, some of you’ns may be asking, ‘Why in the world would you do that?’  Well, let me tell you:

1. I’m hard at work on Vol. 3 of the journal and any changes needed to come before the cover design for the planned July release. 
2. I’m also at work on a new series wholly unrelated to the Miner 49er (updates on that one to come later).
3. The redesigned covers for Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 will provide a stronger brand relationship between author/series apart from that funny-looking old-timer with the bushy mustache and once-in-a-generation eyebrows.  I’m always striving to engage the imagination from first look to last word, and I think these covers do that goal justice. 

While this may shock the daylights out of some of you'ns, take comfort that the paperback editions of Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 will be available at the June conferences (see above) and on my website in limited quantities for a limited time.  Or, look at it this way: before the whole world knows who Jack Dublin is, you can wrangle yourselves 1st Edition copies with original artwork.  I’d say this is like buying Microsoft at the IPO, but that might be a tale too tall for even the most faithful among you! 

Blessings and peace to all y’all as you round springtime into summer.  Remember to keep chasing those dreams and up the adventure!

Jack

Whispersync Ready!
Folks have asked me for ages when the technology would be ready to sync their eBook and Audiobook copies of The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol.1.  The day is finally here!  The best part of Whispersync technology is that Amazon offers special pricing when you bundle the eBook and Audiobook formats.  Normally, my audiobook costs $14.95 on Audible or Amazon, but when you own the eBook format of the journal, you can add the Audiobook format for half price -- that's only $7.47!  I bring this up to you'ns because most of you who bought the paperback copy at a homeschool convention received the eBook copy for free when you signed up for the newsletter.  That means you are eligible to score the half-price deal!  (If you never claimed your copy, it's time to sift through all those old emails!)

More Big News!
Amazon constantly adjusts pricing on paperbacks, and they recently set the price of the journal at $7.00.  That's an unheard of price!  I don't know how long it will last, but I wanted everyone to get a solid heads up on that.

Coming this November...
The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol.2 is in the final stages.  Editing, cover design, and Audiobook recording will happen over the next month, with a target pre-Thanksgiving release time.  I'll be recruiting ARC readers in an upcoming newsletter.  Keep your ear to the trail!

I hope everyone is enjoying the start of a new homeschool year.  We look forward to seeing you next year somewhere in America. 

Keep chasing those dreams and Up the Adventure!
Jack

Hello, Friends!

Here we are in August with the start of another school year right around the corner (or already underway for some of you'ns).  Over the past several months I was blessed to travel the country and meet homeschool families from South Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Washington, Idaho, California, Oregon, Missouri and many other states!  The conventions impressed upon me the great work God is doing through your lives--that is, the rearing up of the next generation!  I think all you parents out there will agree, we are given no greater charge than that.  Not only will the children of today be our leaders of tomorrow, but, as the saying goes, they will also choose our nursing homes--so let's teach them wisely!

The conventions also enabled me to share tales from The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er and goaded me toward releasing two new volumes of the Cody Kirschenbaum manuscripts later this year (details to come).  As many of you will remember, each night of the conventions I hosted a raffle, but many of the prizes went unclaimed.  That didn't sit well with me, so I've decided to host an end-of-summer giveaway to make up for all the unclaimed prizes.  Now, brace yourselves, 'cause here's the best part:  working with Rafflecopter, I am giving away one Grand Prize of a Kindle Oasis with Audible download code for the The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol. 1; and four runner-up winners will receive Audible download codes for the journal!

If you haven't heard about the Kindle Oasis, well, let's just say it's the flagship of Amazon e-readers.  This thing comes in champagne gold (you know how I feel about gold) with a 7" high-resolution display, waterproof, built-in Audible, 32 GB of memory, and wi-fi--a $279.99 value!  So, not only can you listen to your favorite audiobooks on it, but you can load it up like the Alexandria library with all your favorite e-book titles.  I'm only making the giveaway available to members of my mailing list (which all you'ns are), but there's a way for you to increase your chances of winning:  after completing your entry, click the 'Bring Your Friends!' option.  This will create a unique URL that you can share with your friends by e-mail, social media, or smoke signals, if any of you'ns still communicate that way.  You might be saying to yourself, now why on earth would I do that?  Won't that actually lower my chances of winning?  Well, that's where the contest gets mighty interesting, because for each friend that enters the giveaway through that unique URL, you receive +1 entry into the giveaway. You can refer up to 10 people!

Now, I don't know about you, but I yearn to end the summer with a good, lucky feeling in my bones, and this giveaway strikes me as the perfect way to make it happen.  Jack Dublin's Kindle Oasis Giveaway begins on August 12, 2018 (6:00 AM ET) and ends on August 26th, 2018 (6:00 PM ET).  Winners will be announced by e-mail to all entrants and online at JackDublin.net within 48 hours of the end of the giveaway.

To enter, visit the following link after the contest begins:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9181d1061/?

Godspeed and best success to everyone who enters.  Now, go on... up the adventure!

Jack

P.S. -- To kick-off the giveaway with gusto, I am offering The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol. 1 in e-book format for FREE on Amazon from August 11-16, 2018!  If you don't already own a copy, be sure to pick it up.  You never know... it might just be the first title added to your new Kindle Oasis!

Hello, Friends!

GHC 2018 in Ontario has come and gone, but many fond memories remain from my return to the land of the Gold Rush!  I attended the convention last year as a volunteer, with little more than a satchel filled with some old journals recovered from the Grand Canyon and a dream.  How strange it is that last year seems like yesterday and a thousand years ago at the same time!

I recall meeting authors Brendan P. Kelso (Shakespeare 4 Kids) and S.D. Smith (The Green Ember series) and—after encouraging conversations—resolving to return to Ontario this year; not as a volunteer, but as a vendor.  And thus determined, so it was done…

To all you’ns who stopped by the booth to say hello and discover what the gray, enfeebled miner had to share… thank you!  Without the support of folks like you, my mighty dreams would never’ve seen the light of day.  The journey continues to Albany, OR (OCEANetwork Convention) this week and St. Charles, MO (GHC) in mid-July.

But before I get ahead of myself, I should point out that the lucky winners of Gold Rush Packages on Friday and Saturday nights did not claim their rewards!  Now, as you folks should know by now, I hate to see anyone leave the booth with an unlucky feeling, so dig out your tickets and check the numbers.  Which'ns of you prospectors own the following numbers?

6961285

6961290

If you’re holding one of those tickets in your hot little hands, do not delay!  Snap a picture of it and email me at [email protected] for shipping instructions.  The Gold Rush Package includes paperback and eBook copies of The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol.1, angel wings T-shirt, book cover poster and more! 

Thanks again for stopping by the booth this weekend.  I enjoyed meeting all of you and I was thoroughly impressed by the sharp-minded children roaming the Ontario Convention Center.  It gives me hope in the future of our great civilization!  Until we meet again, remember to seek God, chase your dreams, and up the adventure!

Jack

P.S. If you are enjoying your adventures with The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol.1—be it in paperback, eBook or audiobook format—please take 30 seconds to leave a review on Amazon and tell the world about it!  Truly, reviews make an indie author’s world go ‘round.

Do any of you'ns remember that advertisement from ages ago?  Well, the reason I'm calling it to your attention is because I think when you listen to the just-released audiobook version of The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol. 1, you will feel like the man in the picture above!  (Listen to an audio sample here)

When my Grandpa told me stories on summer nights long ago, the world around me grew strangely dim, replaced by clear and marvelous worlds created by nothing more than his spoken word.  My chief aim in bringing the journal to audiobook format was to deliver that same experience to listeners far and wide.

Whether you plan a camping trip, beach trip, or road trip this summer, or just plan to toast marshmallows around the fire pit in your backyard, I invite you to turn up the volume on the 17 mighty adventures in The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol. 1 and travel back in time to a forgotten world.

The audiobook is available immediately for download from Audible.com, Amazon & iTunes.  Many of you familiar with how Amazon works will look for the Whispersync feature to connect with your eBook copies of the journal and not find it.  So what's going on here?  Well, the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), which is owned by Amazon, releases audiobooks as soon as they become available, but (as a representative at ACX explained to me yesterday) the technology to link the audio to the eBook takes a little longer.

Now, this poses a bit of a problem for folks looking to take advantage of Whispersync right away, since buying the audio as Whispersync is a little cheaper than what Amazon sells the audiobook for ($5-6 less).  I feel badly that that's the case, but they set the price through their exclusive distribution.

So here's what I'm going to do for everyone...

Between now and Wednesday, June 13th, I am activating a 35% off coupon code for the paperback version of The Lost and Found Journal of a Miner 49er: Vol. 1 at my bookshop on Bookbaby.com.  Enter the code MINER49 at check-out to receive the discount, which drops the price of the book from $12.99 to $8.44! 

In addition to this, I am extending the $0.99 price of the eBook on Amazon through the end of the month.  This way, anyone who wants to enjoy Whispersync when it becomes available can do so on the cheap.

Feel free to share the 35% paperback discount code with family and friends, but it is only good through June 13th!

Thanks to all of you who have visited our booth at conventions and supported us through social media, online reviews, and word of mouth.  If parents (and children) are consistent about one thing, it's that we can use all the Godly adventures we can lay our hands on! 

We look forward to continuing our goal of seeding the imaginations of young'ns wherever there are ears to hear.

Keep chasing those dreams!
Jack