BookBub Free Reads Review (2026): Indie Author Results with 13,000+ Downloads Across Platforms5/5/2026  Rusty Star was the book being promoted. It must have been around a decade ago when I first heard of BookBub. As an independent author, the service is virtually a slam dunk for getting fresh downloads and purchases. The first time I contemplated applying was with The Fox and the Girl series. I just finished writing the last two books, and with a completed series and virtually no traction, the idea of being selected and potentially reaching thousands of new readers was undoubtedly tempting. Then reality set in. There was an application process and vetting, with whatever whim they decided to follow on a given day. Sure, they will say otherwise, but it’s odd how some books with few to no ratings get selected, while others with well over a hundred get no love either. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Authors know that if you can get a featured deal “Bub,” it will mean a bump in sales, regardless. I can’t tell you how many times I applied only to be rejected. Let me think for a moment … maybe nine is the current number. That sounds about right. The first one was in 2018. When I wasn’t selected for this opportunity, to fork over a boatload of money to gain access to more readers, I found myself using Fussy Librarian. Over the years, this has been a reliable service, where I know I’ll get some eyes. Some genres do better than others, but I would say it’s worth the price point, even though it’s not the thousands of downloads that BookBub can bring. To that end, I recently applied to BookBub for a featured deal and wasn’t selected. Not a big surprise at all, but what was surprising was that I was offered a slot to participate in their relatively new service, Free Reads. Full disclosure: I couldn’t find much about this (it only started in fall 2025), and what were the typical results for people who put their free books in this newsletter. Hence, this week’s blog shares some numbers so other writers aren’t entirely in the dark. Then again, my personal findings are interesting regardless, because without knowing the exact readership numbers to BookBub’s Free Reads newsletters and the genres they put as preferences, it’s a bit grey. I also can’t tell you how much of a bump was given by the readership versus just being at the top of the charts, and between getting movement on the Amazon and Apple algorithms. Let’s dig into the actual numbers and interpret them accordingly. The price point for this promotion, to put Rusty Star in the Free Reads newsletter, was $500.00. In comparison, I paid $79.00 for Fussy Librarian. The Fussy Librarian promotion was in early March. All told, on Amazon, if I did the numbers right, I got 1069 downloads. On Google Books, 96, and between Apple/Barnes & Noble, because I can’t differentiate them right now, there were 483 books. That promotion brought in 1648 downloads. From what I have observed, my ratings on Amazon went from 18 to 28, and Goodreads was in the low 20s. I applied to BookBub with 28 ratings and possibly one or two on Apple. Let’s look at the week leading up to the Free Reads promotion. In some act of cosmic humor, and maybe also to prove to me that I don’t need to pay to move any of my books, three days before the scheduled promotion, there were around 55 downloads each on Apple and Barnes & Noble. There might have been 5 on Google Books. More interestingly, 1928 downloads from Amazon. We’ll call that the Stephen Anniversary treat. In effect, that was more than my Fussy promotion, and it was entirely just algorithm-driven. Even the rankings on Amazon were good enough to break the top 100 overall.  The numbers the day before the Free Reads promotion. At the peak, Rusty Star was #6 Free in the Kindle Store. The Free Reads newsletter was emailed out later that week, and things really took off.
Amazon - 11,081 downloads over the course of my promotion. In a remarkable newsworthy moment, there were approximately 2200 downloads through Apple/Barnes & Noble, with roughly 1600 to Apple and 600 to Barnes & Noble. Just for fun, Google Books jumped in and contributed 703. All told, from April 17 to April 28, 13,984 downloads across all platforms. If I wanted to sneak in the bump earlier in the week, 15,921 downloads for half the month. What does this mean exactly? Well, it means I potentially gained thousands of readers this month. Ratings on Amazon have gone from 28 to 41. Now there’s no way to tell how many of those were from my mid-April bump or from the promotion. Goodreads is now at 54. Double Cross, the follow-up book, has garnered 12 sales. On Apple, oh how I love Apple readers, we have gone from 2 ratings to 40. Given its significantly lower downloads, that number is revealing. It means that Apple readers are more serious about their books, while the Amazon ones might just store them for a rainy day. Double Cross purchases are currently at 9. And because we shouldn't leave anyone out, the ratings for Barnes and Noble are abysmal. There are zero, yes, zero ratings, despite 600 downloads. Or I simply can’t figure out where to find them. Then again, Google Books, I believe, is at five. It’s still early in the process, but after two weeks of running the promotion, those are the numbers. I don’t know if I would do it again for the price point. Sure, I’m now showing up on more people’s recommended lists, and I can brag about being number one on several Amazon genre lists, but aside from that, I have to sit and wait to see if I make my money back. As an independent author, while fun to share my stories, between editing costs, book cover design, and promotions, I have yet to break even on any project. That’s the reality of my writing journey. But I love what I create and will keep finding ways to get more eyes on my catalog. I’ll update with more numbers at the end of May, but that’s it for today. Later, JFK Update May 15 - While the Apple reviews have slowed, Amazon has taken off. Maybe it just took readers longer to get to the book. Current numbers as of this morning are Apple at 43 ratings, Amazon at 60, and Goodreads at 67. For perspective, Apple had only a tenth as many downloads as Amazon. Double Cross sales over the same time are an even three on Apple and three on Amazon.
0 Comments
 The storm finally arrived! This week’s blog was going to be one of glory, of success, focused on my recent trip to Spain, which was not only successful but worthwhile. While I was prepared to sing the praises of what I saw, tasted, and accomplished, the weather fairy decided to make any travel plans negligible and moot. Let’s be frank now, I don’t understand how, in 2026, we can’t get the weather models right in this part of the world. Yes, I’m putting it out there in this neck of the woods, the northern tip of Africa and southern Spain, why can’t the weather apps decide what’s really going to happen, even three days out? I don’t understand, period. We were supposed to get light rain on Friday morning, but I ended up walking to school in a deluge. No joke. The side streets were streams, borderline rivers with equally fun crossings because my entire route is downhill. Thankfully, I’m a resourceful man and packed a change of clothes, but my sneakers are still not too happy about our little adventure. Three days later, they remain soaked. While I’m harping on the streets, the amazing thought process of having tiled sidewalks in Tangier continues to rock my mind. Sure, it’s easy to clean up afterwards, but even a few drops of rain make these routes treacherous. Let’s turn a light drizzle into a downpour, and it’s easier, let alone safer, to take my chances on the roadway. The only saving grace are the locals appear to hide in the early morning hours when these weather occurrences do their business, which means one less thing for me to manage. As for my ill-fated trip, I watched a school of little sailboats, we’ll call them minnows, parade out in the bay for a good four hours yesterday afternoon, while the sun basked above them. Meanwhile, the ferries stayed shuttered as though it was a perfect time for a holiday. I joked with my friend that I think the Spanish port wanted a weekend off, because it was fine over here. Only now, at 1:30 Sunday afternoon, has the wind finally arrived, making the water less than ideal for a crossing.  Homemade meatballs helped make up for staying home. The truth of the matter is that the blasted ferry service from Tangier to Tarifa decided there was too much wind to make any runs across the strait as early as Thursday. Why they called it days before the scheduled departure makes little sense, especially when it appears our weather patterns are always in flux. I suppose I should be annoyed about this development. Perhaps, in a way, I am, since I was looking forward to seeing Cadiz and its cathedral.
All told, this would be the first time in southern Spain that I was actually able to get into a church. Lo and behold, the streak of no church visits, let alone exploration, continues. While I will try this coming weekend, I grow envious of my friends and family back home in the States, where their forecasters seem to be able to predict accurately a snowstorm that will cross over 2000 miles over a three-day period, and yet we can’t even predict if sun or rain will show in a ten hour period. Not to be entirely negative or sarcastic, I did make the most of this weekend. Double Cross is complete and now set for preorder. February 10th is the release date. What a relief and a blessing at the same time. I’ll share more details in the coming weeks. The important thing is that the book is done, edited, and ready for readers. While reading Rusty Star beforehand would prove beneficial, the story itself can stand alone. Of all my books, I believe this latest novel is the strongest storywise and is filled with enough details to get you not only immersed in Russell’s world but living in the moment with him. We’ll see, right? You can thank the flawed forecast, intermittent rain, and soft breezes for keeping me indoors to complete the project. Now the only questions that remain are whether Cadiz will actually happen this coming weekend and what the next writing project is. Stay tuned and oh… Go Patriots!  Inspiration is often found while traveling like on this spot during a Helsinki winter. In the middle of writing a travel blog, it struck me faster than the sound of the drums outside my apartment window that I’ve done a bunch of bone-headed things over the years on my publishing journey ― to the detriment of my ability to grow my author brand and get more eyes on books that I’m sure many would enjoy. While I have learned from my self-inflicted mistakes, I now find the independent publishing environment not only more competitive but also downright painful to navigate because of shortcuts that affect us all in the writing industry. To that end, the best I can do is share what you shouldn’t do, not only because it’s not ethical, but it demeans the writing process and the storyteller you can be with time and effort. Who cares how many eyes find your projects? Is it worth cutting corners even if it’s not your work? For many of us, writing is not only a fun hobby but a passion that can potentially be more than a simple side gig, but an actual career. If people keep doing these idiotic things, many of us who do it the right way will have to be content with our family and friends reading our published works, knowing that the masses will never find the works we have toiled on over the years. 5 Idiotic Things You Can Do That Piss Other Writers Off A good writer will see this and immediately have a story. 1. Tell people you are writing a book, and even have a book cover, before you've started the project. Let’s go even further, putting this not-started book on a webpage for all to see. Now let’s dissect this one. I understand the joy of fleshing out a new story idea and even generating a few possible covers to inspire your writing journey, but come on, putting a cover on your professional work site, that might not be entirely for creative purposes, is a boneheaded thing. Thankfully, I can’t take credit for this doozy, but I’ve seen it done by more than one person over the years. As someone who has written several million words, it’s frustrating when people do this. Honestly, what are you trying to do exactly? What do you accomplish, and even offering pre-sales, what is that all about? If you don’t have a preexisting catalogue, this is a BIG no-no. It sends a mixed message. I believe it’s even worse when this project has been just an idea for years, but you are using it to market yourself as an expert in some field. 2. Claim to be an author when you haven’t actually written or published anything. I know, this sounds a lot like the previous one, but there is a slight distinction. I can’t be the only person who has seen professional websites with people putting in their titles “author” only to do a quick web search and find that Dr. Glen Nobody is counting his senior history thesis (a mere twenty pages) as the gauntlet for his reasoning. Don’t get me started on the yahoos who use AI to craft the entire story and then take credit for it. You didn’t do anything. That doesn’t make you an author. I’m fine with “storyteller” because who am I to judge you telling stories to your three- and five-year-olds at night, but “author” is supposed to mean something. Or at least it did, years ago. We can also add to this list all the influencers who seem to think that publishing a brief post makes them an author. Nope, sorry. You’re an author or writer if you actually have something tangible, created by you, that’s more than a thousand words. Sure, we can debate word length, but honestly, let’s have some integrity in this process and not water down these titles any further. 3. Use AI as your sole means of writing your latest project. Now I get it: AI isn’t going anywhere; it's integrated into many aspects of our lives. Even this morning, I noticed Gemini has decided it’s now going to summarize my emails, like I’m a chimp who can’t remember the thread on my own. When did I ask for this again? Truthfully, when did I ask for AI to weave itself into everything that I’m doing online? Even in Double Cross, I would ask whether a certain weapon was realistic for the scenario I was brainstorming, only to end up arguing with the AI to prevent it from generating dialogue or crafting the scene. I only wanted to know whether a blunt object to this character’s head would cause this or that. So if I’m literally fighting and yelling at AI to only do what I’m asking, I already know the slippery slope the weekend hacks are doing, hoping to generate big sales with their latest books. What are they doing? They simply tell the generator they want to compose a book on a certain topic, with certain guidelines, and boom, there it is. Who knows if they even bother to read or review the thing before clicking publish on KDP? All I know is that, not only is this not authentic to real writing, but it takes away from those who are putting in the time, the real effort, to generate and compose literature that matters. But please, keep using AI to write your stories, to do dialogue and entire sequences and chapters, because you haven’t read enough books or practiced enough to develop the skill on your own. It’s one thing to look up information or to clarify a point you want to make, especially with non-fiction pieces, but don’t be part of that army of mules who have decided AI is a shortcut to authorhood. While I’m on this rant, this goes for students everywhere. If you don’t actually write, how do you plan to develop that skill? It’s not just the act of crafting a story, but building those synapses in your brain to connect the dots and create something that goes from point A to point B. 4. Publish books or articles you didn’t physically write. Yes, I know this sounds a lot like AI, but in this case, let’s pretend these hacks didn’t actually generate their stories; they simply found books and copied them. Yep, I had this happen to me once, several years ago. I’ve also seen it on author bulletin boards and in writing groups, where those who actually write reach out to others, saying, “Hey, your book ‘Tangier Living’ is out as ‘Moroccan Sunsets’ on this Indian book site.” Literally, aside from the cover, the author name and formatting, which were different, verbatim, everything else was the same. This wasn’t the case of an author like me changing a pen name to separate young adult fiction from older material, but of an actual person stealing someone else’s literary work and publishing it as their own. Please go ahead and join that line of work. Not only will you upset the author, but karma might come for you in the long run. Speaking of publishing in general, the more AI and copied works that flood the marketplace, the harder it is for readers to find authentic pieces. How is that fair to those who actually put in the time for their stories, only to have them pushed farther down in this messed-up algorithm that, for a moment, appears to be rewarding any content that appears in the global internet ether? 5. My favorite one has to be this. Find a tangible product or idea, and write one short book on the topic, then break it into five smaller “books” to increase sales. This is pure marketing genius that screws real literary works, because influencers say writing an ebook is a path to riches and success. There was one “author” I recall who published a series of dating books, or was it travel or finance? I wish I remembered. Anyway, the first book was free, and the preceding books were $0.99. When you actually clicked on the work, it wasn't just ten pages long; it was a glorified sales pitch to get you to buy the new product. All told, the six books ran to fifty pages. While I commend the person for trying to push their system or whatever it was, again labeling themselves as an expert, author, whatever, combines all the no-nos I’ve already mentioned. The problem is with this person’s schtick, and others like him is they flood the ebook market, making it harder for real works to be seen and for genuine projects to gain traction in the independent publishing circles. Not to mention, most of these series are utter crap, not proofread, and now likely AI trash. Just don’t do it, please. Bonus Time - Because we all deserve a 6th reason  I love this street in Helsinki! Finally, because a bonus is what many people look for. Here’s the doozy for me. This is my biggest pet peeve. Tell a published author you have a story idea or (even a blog) and want them to write it for you. I’m annoyed thinking about this one, as though I and others who have a list of projects to work on want to take on your latest whim when you simply jotted down a few characters on a napkin, or better yet, you want your life story to be told, and I’m the person to do it. What’s that, for free too, wow, what a deal? I’m flattered, sure, but really, why can’t you write this story? If I don’t write this story, will you take the AI route? Or are you going to find someone else in your immediate circle to take on this amazing project? Seriously now, the number of times people have proposed having their story told over the years is comical. I’m not trying to be mean, but I’m busy, and so are other authors. I know John Kennedy, with his Profiles in Courage, seems like a genuine influence for you, but I’m not a ghostwriter, either, certainly not for free. Should you find a way to compose your story, I’m more than willing to help you get that cover made and suggest ways to market the heck out of the story, but just don’t label yourself something you aren’t and be authentic. That’s all we can ask for in 2026 and beyond.  Christmas Markets are a newer tradition for me, and one I'm learning to embrace In my family, today is always a day of great significance. There was something wholesome and special about leaving my shoes or slippers out the night before, only to wake and see if St. Nicholas left anything for my twin brother and me. Even now, years later, I see the date and have to do a double-take, curious whether St. Nicholas could find his way to Morocco, of all places. Alas, nothing yet as of this message, but perhaps he’s working on Eastern Time. Possibly to give St. Nicholas a helping hand, I will try my luck at the Christmas Market today at the Legation, the first marker of early American-Moroccan relations, when the young nation sought assistance in dealing with the Barbary Pirates and safe passage into the Mediterranean. Honestly, who would have thought that Morocco was the first nation to recognise American independence, back in 1777, when the colonies were still fighting to break free from British rule? I, for one, didn’t know this bit of history until I made the move over the Atlantic. How that deals with St. Nicholas, I couldn’t tell you the least, save the Legation puts on a market every year with stalls and vendors that mark the Christmas season. This won’t be a repeat of my Christmas adventures in Poland or the Baltics, but it’s better than nothing. Should St. Nicholas not do his part, I can at least honour the tradition my family has followed for now generations. Speaking of tradition, this is a big deal in the Kuiper household. In many ways, it was more important than Christmas or Boxing Day (when I pushed for our gifts to be exchanged later). Growing up Catholic, it was one of those added holidays, but it took on a spirit of its own, because I, for one, never really understood why we were exchanging gifts and going all commercial on Jesus’s birthday. Isn’t Christmas supposed to be about the birth of Christ and family? I’m asking for a friend, clearly. I know, deep thoughts for an eight-year-old. But I recall thinking as much and also deciding that the proper earmark of St. Nicholas Day wasn’t Christmas but the Epiphany, when the three wise men arrived in Bethlehem to give their gifts to baby Jesus. Traditions are fun to create, have, and honour. Especially over the holidays - my family and I have been visiting the Shrine for almost thirty yearsEven a few years ago, when I was living in Poland, I wanted to take the plunge that is so common in Orthodox Christian circles. I could have gone about this in an entirely different way. Yet, I decided to visit Bialystok (a city near the Belarusian border in northern Poland) with the intention of baptising myself regardless of the temperature. How many times had I seen people chipping away at the ice on New Year’s Day, especially in Russia, and doing the same deed? This was a great idea at the time until it wasn’t. The morning of my plunge was cold, at 17 degrees. I still have the short on YouTube. While the clip is legendary in its own right, I can’t tell you much about the actual dip in that frigid pond water, but I remember the three-mile walk back to my hotel room that followed, including the layover at McDonald’s to warm up with a winter tea. Where I was consumed with creating this new tradition, or more like appropriating another European one as my own, the fact remained that the plunge meant nothing after I shivered away on that beach, alone and wet. The wind didn’t help matters, and my scarf, gloves, and winter coat did nothing for a body shocked by the combination of stupidity and a desire to be different. Have I tried this religious renewal since? Nope, I can’t say I have. There was an opportunity in Maine, but even I’m not stupid enough to jump into the ocean where they have hypothermia warnings in the middle of summer. What would my mother say about that rational thought? As for the lakes, I’m not chipping away with an axe when I know some snapple turtle is waiting to take a chunk out of my leg. No, it’s far easier to stick to the tried-and-true and leave out my shoes, hoping St. Nicholas will find his way to my apartment in Tangier. Still, even if he doesn’t, I can reach out to my mom and reminisce about previous holidays, about the joy it brought to my brother and me. This morning, I’m even going to take a moment to think about my first boarding school assignment in Arkansas, of all places. Over twenty years ago, my fellow dorm staff and I picked up candy and other goodies for the boys on our floor, knowing that St. Nicholas would be too busy elsewhere to stop off at Subiaco. Even now, I smile remembering these teenagers putting their slippers and shoes out the night before, with some aware of the tradition and others experiencing it for the first time. From our boys native to South Korea, Mexico, or neighbouring Oklahoma, the smiles at a simple sugary treat as they left their rooms for a busy day of school were a delight to see. Whatever your traditions are this time of year, may you find warmth, smiles, and blessings in them and the happiness from days past, present, and future. Shifting gears for book fans, I do want to add that on St. Nicholas Day, the real gift for me is knowing Double Cross is off to the copy editor and, if all goes as planned, will be back in my hands before the Epiphany. This means that after my final read-through in January, the book will either be ready to go at the end of the month or, at the latest, by Valentine’s Day. Then again, this also assumes the story passes my beta readers and their commentary. I’m optimistic everything will fall into place, and I will keep you posted. With perspective, the accelerated timeline is not too shabby for a book written this fall season.
 Early morning in Tangier as I started the last chapter in Double Cross. An amazing thing happened today; relatively speaking, I finished Double Cross, the second book in my Russell Stokes series, A Stokes Case Novel. That’s right, time for a good old pat on the back while I hear the saws in the distance, hammering, and whatever else this blasted city of Tangier feels the need to throw at me during this writing escapade. Trust me, it was one. I started back in mid-September, intending to be done one way or another by November 6. This might seem like an arbitrary date, but I also occasionally play a travel vlogger, and frankly, I didn’t want to balance both when my fall and winter travels started. It’s one thing to work on a memoir like Forever Poland, as it’s a different type of writing, but fiction and travel vlogging are on different ends of my creative spectrum. The headspace it takes to deal with Russell and his life doesn’t translate at all to walking around city streets, exploring parks, churches, and cemeteries. I wish it did, but I need proper recovery after being in Russell’s world. Speaking of his world, the final numbers for Double Cross are 107,856 words for draft number one. We might lose a few thousand words once the edits are complete, or then again, we might gain a few. Every book I write is unique in that phase of the writing process. All told, though, this is my third-longest book written and the longest in ten years. Yes, ten years or is it eleven when I wrote Swimming with Angels and Going Home? Initially, I thought I might finish Russell’s second story up last weekend, but after a pivotal scene, the final act of the book took longer than expected. It wasn’t from a lack of trying to tie things up, just sometimes the characters lead you in different directions, and you have to stay aligned with the story that is being told. In true Tangier, Morocco fashion this last week has been anything but easy. I had comments due for end-of-quarter grades, which again taps a different mindset, and the city itself wanted to rear its noisiest, most unruly self in months, by giving me three straight days of music outside my apartment window. I could have managed with a jazzy ambiance, but the bloody drummers and screeching singer straight from my wedding hell story in Asilah showed up again. This time, we had the echo effect in full force, with fireworks for added flair, and two hours of performing, followed by a one-hour DJ interlude, a few stories below my apartment window. The glorified Thai Wok restaurant, which also poses as a pizza and shwarma destination, deemed it necessary to crank the bass after this show, forcing me to retreat to my back bedroom, close the doors and windows for a bit of sanity, all while I rushed to complete more of the story. I might have laughed it off, but the owners of the apartments above and below mine decided this was also the weekend and early week time to start their annual renovations. You try writing anything with intermittent hammering echoing through your writing cave. It’s not easy, and frankly, it's more draining than crafting the story itself. For whatever reason, any construction has to take place on Saturday from morning into the evening. There was no reprieve. And if it’s a holiday, don’t worry, there seems to be even more noise and construction to contend with. Even now, as I compose this piece, the bastard hammering away, on a Moroccan holiday no less, could give two hoots at the creative juices I’ve attempted to spew and share. Sunday was more of the same, but this time we replaced the wedding horror music with dance music that had no business being played at any time of day, let alone an outside venue. I practically prayed for more hammering to mask the sounds, but alas, the construction detail only showed for the morning hours before the restaurant had even opened. Fast forward to the last three days, and my internet connection has been spotty at best. Currently, it’s not even connecting because Orange has decided to perform maintenance again, just as they did in June, when I didn’t have working service for three weeks. If my memory serves, they claimed it was from the Spanish power outage, but news flash: is Morocco part of the same power grid, or do we just want to blame vacation time and shoddy service? I lean towards the service side of things, especially since the credit they gave me was never actually applied, and they simply collected payment as though nothing had happened. I would wave to the Orange sales center directly across the street to expedite things. Still, if it’s anything like June, the unhelpful sales clerk will direct me to call customer service, which refuses to put English speakers on the line because it hurts their customer service ratings. No joke. I wonder if they are up and running or if it’s just my building suffering through the dark void of no internet. That put a hiccup on looking up things to finish the novel, but again, we persevered. To celebrate this monumental accomplishment, it’s time for a proper rest, and I’ll get back to it early next week. In the meantime, if you haven’t checked out Rusty Star, the first book in this series, it’s out and waiting for your eyes only. Double Cross will join the fray in the spring. Till next update, have a good one. (True to form, the internet connection delayed this posting. We don’t want things to be to easy, do we?)  Spain's southernmost point - Tarifa I told myself that my current project — the follow-up to Rusty Star — would be different. Unlike previous novels, I vowed not to grind away just because I had time or to fill my weekends with 5000-word goals, simply to get the project done faster. Honestly, that’s the most challenging part after getting into the characters, their motivations, and their stories. Often, it feels like I’m simply downloading dialogue and information, one big conduit at work. To that end, I have to watch myself so that I don’t overdo things and stretch myself thin. Currently, on 85000 words, there isn’t that much left for the story. I think it’s at least ten thousand more, maybe fifteen, but until Russell tells me everything is tied up in a bow, it could be a slow crawl to the end. Knowing this, I want to embrace these final days and weeks of the process. Am I drained? Absolutely, but not because of the writing, but from the emotional exchange that happens with certain scenes and situations characters find themselves in. A Writer’s Retreat Across the Water: Why Tarifa Was the Reset I NeededKnowing that the end of the book offers little to no reprieve, with continuous emotional hits on Russell, I took a retreat this past weekend to Tarifa, Spain. There were two vlogs I released in the spring on this little fishing haven and Kite Surfing retreat at Spain’s southernmost point that I won’t repeat, but will simply share below if you're interested in seeing more. Tarifa vs. Tangier: Two Shores, Two Very Different Energies Tarifa, Spain - A Kite Surfing Paradise Even though Tarifa is directly across the water —Tangier’s water twin, if you will — they couldn’t be more different. Tarifa is a small village, not even a city in my book, and a transfer point where people ferry across for the price of a Ryanair plane ticket, then take the shuttle bus onwards to Algeciras, and then to Marbella, Malaga, or Seville. Anyway, it’s an overnight stay at best, a pub crawl for the hardy, and for this guy, an energetic shift away from the heaviness that is Tangier. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Tangier’s energy is a blessing to many, but in my case, from the get-go, the area grinds at me more than any other place I have lived. It’s an uphill struggle daily, and like Sisyphus, I climb the mountain and once at the top, I can rest, until the next day, when everything repeats. But as the boulder rolls down the hill, my reprieve is writing, unless of course, I get out of Dodge for a quick recharge. This past weekend, Tarifa was the place to be. It’s just far enough away that the current and the water flow behave differently. Where you get monster waves and a consistent wind that Wind and Kite Surfers adore, and a picturesque beach that goes on for miles, Tangier has some sand that serves as a rest stop. The water haphazardly comes in for a mediocre hive five and a promise that it might be fun, someday. While there might be a one hump camel or two roaming the sand for a quick buck and Arabian horses for the same, on Tarifa’s beaches, the dogs that visit are on vacation with their owners, basking in the sun no less, and topless nudity appears to be unisex in nature. More importantly, for this guy, the sand and the water, with the wind on my face, and the ability to grab an adult beverage if the need comes, is just what I need to recenter and find the energy to write again, let alone return to a classroom full of energetic wilderbeasts . . . I mean, wonderful children. Sometimes, I get too wordy. Of course, I meant wonderful, loving, polite children. That’s how it’s been at every location I have taught the last twenty-plus years. Cherubim and angels, gumdrops, and fairies, right? Tarifa, though, is a wonderful place to visit. It’s easy enough to see everything in the old town within twenty minutes. If you want to do the tapa thing, go for it — there are ample food choices to keep your interest, or, in my case, a Lidl with this delicious pecking snack of salted pork and fresh bread that cries out for my attention. On my last trip, I pretended to be a grand hiker, eager to see if I could meander my way onto parts of the El Camino de Santiego. Still, alas, I ended up in a cow pasture, staring down the locals, and wondering why an hour-long hike along the cliffs, looking out onto the ocean, was therapy for my soul. Finding Balance Between Writing, Travel, and the Need to BreatheIt doesn’t matter how long I stay in Tarifa, simply breathing the fresh air, smelling the salt of the Atlantic Ocean current, and taking a moment to sit and rest is honestly the best recipe for any ailment I’m suffering from. This weekend was a welcome reprieve, and I imagine there will be a few more trips in the months to come. If you ever find yourself eager to get to Morocco, veer off and check out this fishing spot; you might find a place you didn’t realize you needed. Or when you leave Morocco, take the ferry across and instead of pushing onwards to some ridiculous city that lacks charm and spirit, spend a few hours in Tarifa to see how the locals live and what honest Spanish living is all about. Tarifa - Travel Vlogs from April 2025 National Novel Writing Month is fast approaching. The question remains whether I will officially participate this year. Those who know me already know the answer. Still, during the pandemic, I thought that joining the movement would prove beneficial not from a writing aspect, but from building book awareness and gaining potential readers. Indeed, not for altruistic reasons. I certainly wasn’t joining to meet other authors to talk about our respective stories. I was a participant for 20 days...
There’s a website where writers can sign up and post their progress as a motivational tool. If I remember correctly, you can even get awards or virtual stickers for each stage you complete. At first glance, it seemed like fun, as though posting my daily word count was a badge of honor. Truthfully, when I’m in a writing groove, 50,000 words in thirty days is a joke. That’s not meant to be a flex; it’s simply a fact that once the characters start talking and dictating the story, the writing becomes easy. Even now, in the midst of writing Double Cross, I’m around 52,000 words in 25 days. The word total should be much more, but I’ve purposely set a minimum goal each day and stuck with it, because I want to enjoy the writing process, not just grind through pages. Back to NaNoWriMo, there are plenty of blogs discussing whether to do it or not. Personally, I get a kick out of the bloggers who are telling you it’s a flawed challenge because who is to say 50,000 words is enough for a proper story, let alone a novel? How is it fair to have people write 1667 words a day for a month, when that takes time, depending on your ability to craft the words? The fact that people feel it’s necessary to judge whether it deserves merit or not is ridiculous. I would group this challenge as similar to what people who are setting out to train and complete a marathon face. Some do it for bragging rights. For others, it’s a life goal or something on their checklist that they want to accomplish. Then there are the real runners — yes, I went there — who have done enough marathoning that it’s no longer about the marathon, but the process. The training, the act of getting up, building a base, and completing something to fruition, is the real reason. Again, it’s not even about the marathon or setting a date to complete the race; it's about the daily runs that create the real value. With this perspective, NaNoWriMo can be viewed in the same vein. Storytellers want to craft, they want the toil. They don’t need a word count, a time frame, or anything else to share a proper story. The last time I checked, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe had a word count of around 37,000 words. Would that not count for the challenge? The Great Gatsby is at 47,000 and Little Women (both parts) a meaty 190,000 words. Does it really matter when you write your story or how long it is? As for the challenge, if you are at that life stage that needs validation, have at it, but you might be missing the point of why you are writing and telling the story in the first place. I, for one, will just keep plugging away, seeing where Russell takes me. I almost flew to Latvia for a writing retreat — until my book told me not to. The Retreat That Never Happened A funny thing happened to me in the last six months of my time living in Brindisi. There was some uncertainty in my job search as I looked to return to the States full-time, and for whatever reason, my mind and soul wanted to cocoon and write as much as possible. I still remember it well for that February vacation. I was all ready to head to Riga, Latvia, for a four-day writing retreat. Even now, I can still see that bucolic, charming hotel with the brick recessed walls and kick myself for not hopping on the plane at that exact moment. Instead, I stayed home and wrote. Honestly, I started writing Valo, the follow-up to Riley, and the next thing I knew, I didn’t want to break the creative energy. Where I should have been leaving for the airport, I was lying on my chaise, stretched out, typing away on the computer with a notebook filled with notes and the outline for the rest of the series. The entire week consisted of writing in the morning, followed by a short break, then writing in the afternoon, another break, and finally another session in the evening. I was doing eight to ten thousand words a day. No joke, it just spilled out of me, and in less than ten days, Valo was done, and I was onto Lane. Sometimes the writing process just works this way, and for that I was grateful. Even after the vacation concluded, I maintained a solid writing schedule after work for the remainder of February to complete the drafts for the series, The Fox and the Girl. The End of Brindisi and the Beginning of VarissiI’m not sharing this to toot my own horn, but to point out when I get locked in, it’s hard to come up for air until the story is complete. As winter gave way to spring, the fact that I was leaving Brindisi became clearer. While I enjoyed some aspects of the area and loved the school, those idiosyncrasies of Italian living had shifted from charming to a giant pain in the backside. With the rosy glow of watching Luza and Keira’s story come to an end, I needed to get something to balance me out in the closing months of the year. Many educators will share that the school year is a roller coaster and a cycle one gets used to, but it also brings different periods of high stress. The end of the year is a mad sprint with a gluttony of events mixed in with your classes, and so many changes between students leaving and, well, teachers. Think about the range of emotions. In this case, in Brindisi, where a large expat community attended this close-knit school, the energy shifted between excitement and mourning. To that end, I needed a story to keep me sane. Sometime around this period, I wanted to move away from the tween and young adult audience and have some fun with a genre I love, or have fawned over because of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Where The Fox and the Girl is glorified fan fiction of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Marcus Files screams Star Wars, Star Trek, and Babylon 5 in between. Being in a different world, in the future, having the same challenges we face daily but magnified thirtyfold, is a literary delight. Brindisi Becomes VarissiEven so, I find I always write about real locations I have lived in because it’s easier to use a known commodity and then adapt it to the characters and their lives. Not to dwell on Luza, but the entire book takes place on the same lake where I spent my summers as a child. Described to the t, the characters are fictional, but those mountains, the dirt roads, the water—everything save the whistleberry—was true. I did the same thing with The Vincent Chronicles, especially Swimming With Angels, which is in the exact location. Oh, and A Second Chance, too. My Virginia and West Virginia-based books are from places I have taught or explored in detail. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that The Varissian Affair, the first book of my trilogy, took place on an alien planet called Varissi. What do you think that rhymes with? Even the apartment I put Tahir in is a model of my own in southern Italy, just spiced up with future technology. And the streets he walks in and the tunnel he has to defend himself are based in Materdomini, where I roamed. In a way, it’s a bit humorous because that first chapter of the book was filled with frustration and angst, just the way I felt as I transitioned away from my super loud apartment and neighbors who didn’t give two hoots about me. Every interaction Tahir has with the locals is madness, especially when he hears them just yelling, “Bada baba badba.” I wonder who went through that daily? I share this because, without having lived in Brindisi and experienced life there, I would not have been in a position to delve into Tahir’s living situation, his being stranded on an alien planet. Sure, I spiced things up and overplayed the locals, but in a book, a science fiction series no less, anything goes. From Pandemic to Publication Again, we write what we know. The cosmic humour in it, though, is that I only got through the first chapter before the closing events of the school year took over my inspiration and need to write. I had to put my focus on the annual cycle, goodbyes, and the transition home. There was no room for that headspace, the one I would need to continue Tahir’s life in Varissi, until I was settled again in my new home. Strangely enough, I wasn’t in the proper headspace for another two years, and that was only in the middle of the pandemic, where I had an adequate writing nook and the time to allow myself to reenter that world. Here’s the funnier part of this story. When the pandemic was at its peak and the school year began with hybrid teaching, I was often home by 3:00 p.m. My head was clear, so I told myself I would participate in National Novel Writing Month, but I had to clear up some previous story ideas before taking on a science fiction series. Surprise, surprise, Brindisi and Me went first. I dictated that book with ease, even when the dictation software failed me, and the book itself languished in purgatory until this past year, when it was finally revised and published. That was the beginning of October. By the third week of the month, I was on to Seli. That’s right, for whatever reason, I slid into the follow-up book on what happened with Keira and Luza years after the conclusion of Lane. That took me until the last week of November. Then, everything fell into place. Tahir and I were ready to take on the Varissians and dive into his internal and external struggle to get off that blasted planet, finally. Fact Leads to FictionIf you want to have some fun and love to read, reading Brindisi and Me, a non-fiction memoir of my life living in Brindisi for two school years, versus The Varissian Affair will make you smile. The range of emotions I experienced while living in Brindisi is evident, and likewise, how they would manifest in a science fiction novel would make perfect sense. You can love a place, but also hate it at the same time. Then again, Tahir never loved Varissi. It was a job he didn’t want or ask for, but he was true to his assignment and service. I think I know another guy who wasn’t too game at first on Italy. Go figure, there it is again, fact leads to fiction.
Want to see Brindisi through both lenses? Pick up my memoir Brindisi and Me for the real-life version — and dive into The Varissian Affair for the sci-fi one.  As I stretch out across the couch with the late afternoon sun baking the apartment walls and to the hum of intermittent construction noises in Tanger, I reflect on how every book writing process differs. I should be working on my latest piece, a collection of travel essays from when I explored Poland. The topic itself is intriguing and fun to revisit. With twenty-something trips during the school year, I explored everywhere I could in that country. Still, as I put those memories to words, it's slower than I expected without the vlogs to drum up every detail. I fixate on street names when it’s unimportant or focus on random side stories that fellow travelers aren’t going to relate to, and yet that’s okay. At this stage of my writing career, the fun is simply creating. I’m 36,000 words in, and that’s a nice amount. While I hoped to be at 40k by the end of the weekend, a rib injury is also draining me of creative energy and the urge to write. I am remiss of that fact, but then again, we have to pace ourselves. With Emotional Spending out, I have been able to focus on other projects, which has been nice. Brindisi and Me, the project of projects, is finally at a point where another read-through will be enough, and then that memoir on time living in Italy will be complete. Here’s the working book description. Sent to southern Italy to live and teach for two years, this book focuses on Jonathan’s time spent in Brindisi and Puglia. Growing up in New Hampshire, Jonathan had enough preconceived notions to make even him blush upon arrival. While culture shock certainly took over, Jonathan found a connection to the area, the people, and the energy that permeates this part of Italy. Years later, he looks back fondly on his time spent teaching at a small international school, while navigating the ups and downs of being an expat in an area where few spoke English. Culturally, the area is not user-friendly for introverted people, and this was one of the many challenges Jonathan faced head-on. Serving as part memoir and travel blog, Jonathan reflects on the early stages of navigating the visa process, from first impressions upon flying over the Atlantic to getting acclimated to apartment living, cats, dogs, and siesta times. He delves into the refugee situation, the concept of the good life, and where to find the best, ideal holiday retreats, among other topics. This book is intended for expats or those considering a move to Italy, particularly those interested in international school teaching and what to expect, not only in Brindisi, but also in other countries where life differs from our hamlets in the United States. In the weeks ahead, as the school year ends, I hope to have another update. Who knows, maybe I can get to 50,000 words next month for the Poland book and give you a timeline for when Brindisi will be ready for your eyes to enjoy. In the meantime, here’s my vlog from Tarifa, where I announced the release of Emotional Spending. Even if you don’t feel pulled to the book, the hike has some great views and some ice cream to die for. Till next time. JFK  This is Brindisi in December 2022. Saturdays in Tangier borderline suck. While all I want to do is just relax in my apartment and chill after a week in the classroom, the owners of the apartment beneath me have deemed Saturdays the only day for renovations. I’m reasonably confident they aren’t even home, but the two or three-person crew appears at the most random times to pretend they are hard at work adapting two or three cement rooms. Who cares about the signs in the lobby stating construction noise is only from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.? That would be too easy to follow and would make sense to any person. No, instead, sometimes I hear the melody of hammers well after eight on Saturday evenings. Lo and behold, today is the exception. This amazing crew loaded up the elevator with tiles and began hammering away at noon. Thirty minutes in the choir continues, but I have faith that in all their industrious activities, the lull will begin shortly to continue at thirty or forty minute intervals intermittently. That’s Tangier construction for you. The fun part, though, is that Ramadan has now begun. While many are preserving their strength while they fast the daylight hours away, this team of building experts is hard at work while the homeowners are living their dual citizenship dream in Spain or France. A different crew begins their work time melody, and I am off to wonder how Islam’s holiest month becomes the best time for construction renovations and projects. The cafe five floors below has a team working their magic while the call to prayer echoes across the walls and the surrounding buildings. While I should be busy on my next writing project, I wanted to chime in and share that with March now upon us, Brindisi and Me is done. It only took four years and some additional weeks to fix the initial draft to something that can be shared with others. All told, it took about a month to rewrite each chapter from scratch. Some sections were salvageable, while others needed complete revamping. I’m relieved to check this off the writing list, so I can now focus on other projects in between my travel vlogging. My newest book, sharing my adventures with money, will be out in mid-April. There’s one more read-through before I give it the go-ahead to be published. If it had been one of my fiction books, I would have sent it to my editor, but nonfiction is a different type of writing, one that I know is part style and traditional form. As for Brindisi and Me, the plan is to release it in June or July. I’ll keep you posted while I dive into my latest book, Forever Poland, a memoir of my time living in the country and several years of extensive travel to all her wonderful regions. I’m even returning in late March to hit a few more cities and spots that can be added to this growing book. We will see how long it takes to write this new book, and then I imagine I’ll return to fiction. Enjoy March and the approaching spring season. I will share more updates as they occur. Peace, JFK  This is why you need to get up for the sunrise. Taken on an April 2022 weekend trip to Greece. Might go back this May. |
Meet Mr. Jon- a traveler at heart who loves a good story and walk. Jonathan has over twenty years experience in independent publishing. While he prides himself on crafting a good story, nothing truly beats an adventure and a camera. 
Archives
May 2026
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed