Evolution of a Novel: The Abduction of Joshua Bloom

Close to five decades ago I wrote a short story, based on a dream, entitled “The Light”. That evening, I awoke in the early hours of the morning recalling the dream I had just had. I wrote myself notes and went back to sleep. The next morning, I wrote a short story that would eventually evolve into a science fiction novel.  At first, it was included in the curriculum for a reading course I developed. About the short story, my boss quipped, “It looks more like an outline for a book. You should expand it into an exciting science fiction adventure. 

I informed him, “I’ve never written a book before.” 

“Give it a try,” he said.

So, I did, but it took a long time. 

In 1980 I traveled to Israel on a summer-long vacation where I could explore my roots. My paternal grandfather grew up in a Tel Aviv suburb, Rishon L’Zion. My cousins took me to the museum in town where I saw pictures of a very young Harry Thal.  While traveling around the country I took copious notes. I used the topography of the Israeli countryside as the setting for the planet Oceana. For its people’s history, I used the history of the Jewish people stretched across time and space. The book borrows quite a bit from Jewish culture with many escapades akin to biblical stories and the Jewish Diaspora. It also offers many valuable lessons about such diverse topics as self-esteem, forgiveness, civil rights, theology, feminism and morality in general; but you don’t have to be Jewish to garner the lessons conveyed.

Twenty years later, after I lost my hearing to a virus and had to resign my tenured teaching post, I dusted off the old manuscript, edited it, and sent it off to Adventure Books, a Canadian publisher changed the title to “The Light: An Alien Abduction”.

That lasted a few years until the nascent publisher folded. I researched other publishers and decided to turn the book into a Young Adult (YA) novel. This meant an overhaul in characterization, dialogue, and even plot.  I submitted the book to many different literary agents and publishers finally getting noticed by Solstice Publishers in 2012. They gave the book a newer title, “The Abduction of Joshua Bloom”. 

That lasted for nine years until Solstice decided they didn’t want to publish YA novels any longer and would just produce books for older readers. I chatted with a few writing buds who suggested I self-publish on Amazon, which included a huge frustrating learning curve, but I did it. 

After my novel, The Lip Reader, was published by Paper Angel Press, I noticed the publisher was beginning to develop a selection of YA books and enquired about The Abduction of Joshua Bloom. The managing editor loved the book’s premise and agreed to publish it, but first I needed to rewrite it according to his specifications. I lost count the number of times I had re-written the book and couldn’t do it again. Besides, I was working on another book and didn’t have the time. I did what any other self-respecting writer to do: I hired an editor, the same talent that edited my award-winning novel, The Lip Reader. Jan Seeley did an amazing job and so I sent the publisher the file. A page has been set up on his website for the book, so everything is ready. 

The Abduction of Joshua Bloom would make a wonderful Chanukah gift and is currently available on Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, and Google Play. 

All I need now is a few reviewers. If anyone reading this wants a free copy of The Abduction of Joshua Bloom for an honest review, email me at [email protected].