"Set Free" A Book by Thomas Walker

[Thomas Walker]

 

It Wasn't The Ending. It Was Just The Beginning...

 

Biggs first learned about the scriptural promises for the future while in prison. His sister taught him about the hope she clung to as the world got harder to live through. When the ultimate test for his new faith came, Biggs was ready; but stood alone in a Congregation he barely knew.

Biggs never thought his life story would be worth writing about, but as the world came to its crashing end, he proved to be someone who could provide exactly what was needed; as a New World began for his brothers and sisters.

As Biggs comes to love his new extended family, both newly Returned and familiar faces alike; it becomes clear how tightly interconnected a Global Brotherhood can be. Eternal Life in a Paradise Earth is the long promised reward for millions of Christians today; but eternity is a longer time than anyone anticipated; and so many of those Returned from the Memorial Tombs of history had overlooked an important point: When you live forever, a Thousand Years is not so long a time as it seems...

 

***

 

 

When I started this series with 'Just See Yourself', I wrote it as four novellas. Those novellas put together made the first book. But I had written a fifth. Parts 1-4 covered Years 200-500. Part Five was set at the end of the Thousand Years. But the tone shifted too dramatically from happiness to tension, and the book as it stood was already more than novel length without adding a whole extra volume. So I cut the fifth section from the book.

 

When the New Earth series took off, I never got back to that missing Part Five because I had other ideas to explore, and other centuries of Paradise to visit.

 

After three novels, I decided to go back to Part Five, and expand it into a full-length book of its own. By that point, most of it didn't work anymore; as I'd filled in a lot of the timeline; and I needed to keep my own continuity; to say nothing of the extra characters. But it gave me a structure for the last novel: The end of the Millennium; and the subsequent Final Test.

 

To make it fit with the extended universe I had written, I ended up having enough outline for two more novels; so it became my first two-parter.

 

This novel is to be a bridge between the first three books and their characters... and the Final Test.

 

The other purpose of this book is to contrast/compare the Test we're all expecting to go through with the Final Test at the end of the Thousand Years.

 

I'm trying things a little differently this time, by making the book available for Pre-Order on Amazon. As advertised, it will go On Sale March 1st, as well as being available for free on the blog. Stay tuned for further developments. Also, as usual, there is a Paperback version coming, but it will be another week or three, depending on the proof copy I receive.

 

One thing I will say right now: This is the first time I've written a novel that should be saved until after the earlier ones. I can't say why without handing out spoilers, but my first three books didn't have to be read in any particular order; as they followed different people, in different parts of Paradise. Set Free will make a lot more sense if you start with the other books first.

 

You'd think after years of doing this, publishing would get less nerve-wracking. It doesn't.

 

Last time I did this, I started releasing chapters on the Blog before the Kindle Version was finalized, and my most dedicated readers didn't actually want to start reading it until they could get the whole thing. I know, it may be something of an even worse Tease, handing out the Book Page like this when the book itself won't be available for another week...

 

But then I figured: It's not really a Tease unless I'm waving a preview of the book at everyone.

 

• Prologue: Last Prayers
• Chapter One: Visitors. 
• Chapter Two: Is This It? 

 

Enjoy.

Edited February 25, 2020 by Thomas Walker

[Stee]

Can’t wait!! 🥳

I’m lagging behind..have only read “Just See yourself” and am almost done reading “Now on Earth”...which by the way, I’m really, really enjoying!

 

Thanks for giving me something to look forward to and for the time and effort you put into writing these beautiful books..much appreciated! 🌸🌹🌻

[Friends just call me Ross]

  "Set Free" arrives on Sunday and the March Broadcast arrives on Monday.  

 

 

Still plan to purchase the paperback version,

but when I read 'text to speech enabled',

I couldn't resist.  Allows you to read at night 

without a light...or while you're driving. 

 

[Tortuga]

Looking forward to it! 

[Margaret]

Got it too! Can’t wait for it to download 😃

[JudyO]

Pre-ordered just now! And doing a happy dance around the room!!!!  <<squeals with delight>>

[JudyO]

Oh, and one other thing, Matt: thank you so much for the hours and hours you spent thinking, planning, writing and re-writing and editing, not to mention the technical stuff of publishing. It has brought many of us wonderful hours of imagining ourselves in the New System.

 

What I was really wanting to ask is: I remember you said this project started out as a personal study endeavor--so:  How has this whole series over the course of several years impacted the strength of your faith?

[Dages]

In chapter 2

 

Quote

And Biggs started carving, scraping the edge of the bolt against the concrete, enough to draw a very thin line. Grant started scratching into the wall as quickly as he could, hoping his memory would hold out long enough.

Grant ? @Thomas Walker

Edited February 29, 2020 by Dages

[JudyO]

I haven't read it yet, but could that be his full name? Grant Biggs?

 

[Dages]

I can't spoil you the beginning but Grant is another character. Maybe the website version isn't as updated as the book...

 

Anyway the 2 first chapters are available 

[Thomas Walker]

Aw nuts. Yeah, it's a typo. 

 

During the writing process, conversations gets shifted around, people have their characters change places. The result is that names are sometimes my worst mistakes.

 

Now I have a problem, because when you put a book up for Preorder on Amazon, one of the conditions is that you can't update/change the manuscript for three days prior to publication. 

 

Thanks for catching it @Dages, but I'm afraid it's stuck for a bit.

[Dages]

Yeah, the name typo, it's your style

It's OK, I love your books. 

[Margaret]

Just got my download on my iPad 

[Thomas Walker]

Aaaaand, it's now Live On Amazon.

 

For those with neither Kindle eReaders, or Amazon Apps on their devices, I have also made the book available for download on the blog.

 

If you would like to support this work, you can buy a copy on Amazon, or help spread the word to others who might enjoy reading it.

 

Those that follow this thread know that some typos have already been spotted. While I plan to update the manuscript with corrections, I've decided to hold off until a few of the early readers can locate more things I've missed. (That I have missed myself, as have four members of my immediate family, three members of the Congregation, and then myself again. 🥵)

 

I promise the typos are embarrassing, but do not in any way mislead the reader as to where the plot or characters are going. We only ever find these things long after the fact. It's been that way with almost everything I've ever written.

 

Originally, I put out a few chapters at a time. The reason for this was to encourage discussion as the book progressed; and drive readers to the blog. Exactly half those things happened. The good news is, people keep coming back here to offer their two cents, even months later; so doling it out slowly is of no real benefit.

 

With the book available in the entirety in several places, I imagine there's little point to adding any of the chapters individually, but it's tradition at this point. For sure, I know there's no point adding them a few chapters at a time. Especially with everyone on a typo hunt.

 

Enjoy, everyone! Let me know what you think!

 

Part One: Final Message

• Prologue: Last Prayers
• Chapter One: Visitors. 
• Chapter Two: Is This It? 
• Chapter Three: This Is It
• Chapter Four: Marching Orders
• Chapter Five: The Lion's Pit

Part Two: First Steps

• Chapter Six: Change Is Harder Alone
• Chapter Seven: We Made It!

Part Three: Eternal Life

• Interlude: Letters
• Chapter Eight: Reunion
• Chapter Nine: Everything's Different
• Chapter Ten: Free Will
• Chapter Eleven: Family Dinner
• Epilogue

[Dages]

I love you.

 

[Thomas Walker]

16 hours ago, JudyO said:

What I was really wanting to ask is: I remember you said this project started out as a personal study endeavor--so:  How has this whole series over the course of several years impacted the strength of your faith?

I'm not sure 'strength of faith' is it.

 

What's changed is perspective. Literally everything goes through the lens of 'in Paradise' now. The tearjerker commercials about helping the homeless or supporting Aged Care. The war movies that have that 'innocent' soul get cut down. The nightly news. All of it goes through the 'how will they react?' question before anything else now. When I finished 'Now On Earth' was a movie where an author met a small community of people in Post-WW2 England; and they all had to to tell their stories of what they lost. I thought to myself: I could write a whole other Paradise book on this movie alone.

 

Another thing that's changed is that I've had to develop new ways of 'explaining' things. One or two of which have helped in the field service; several of which have made for some interesting answers during the meetings. If I can explain the Ransom to an Aztec, I can explain it to a coworker. I've had to explain things to diverse characters in the books, and even had monologues from the perspective of angels. It's changed my view on their position somewhat. It's given me a way to make the abstract concepts far more personal. ("Why is there music in Heaven?" is a question I never thought of until I wrote a Paradise-Style Concert.)

 

Deconstructing Paradise has also changed my perspective on prophecy. Paradise is what Jah always intended. Trying to figure out how God would run the world is... interesting.

 

The other point that's changed is that I've taken to looking at the bible as a narrative. When you write a novel with several characters, you have to make sure that each of their plots line up. What a character says on Page One can pay off on Page 300, but it has to make sense. 

 

This is going to sound wildly presumptuous, but I can't think of any other way to say it: Since writing JSY, I've started seeing the bible as an epic novel, from Genesis to Revelation. Everything from the Promise in Eden, to the Resurrection of the Bible Names, to the transition from Mosaic to Christian Law; even the way the 'Truth' changes from 'Nation' to 'Viral Message', all of it feels like a novel now. What a 'character' says in Genesis 'pays off' on Revelation; and I can see it like a story being told now. The very best books are the ones where you can see how a minor point adds to the major arc. I can see that in scripture now, because I'm writing what is essentially a 'fanfiction epilogue' to the bible. Having it fit with the 'other 66 canon books' is the only way it'll work.

[GodlyDevotion]

8 hours ago, Dages said:

I love you.

 

Seconded

[Thomas Walker]

Thought you all might like to know that thanks to you guys spreading the word, 'Set Free' is now in the Top 25 on Amazon's "Christian Futurist" category. A category that has thousands of books already. Also, several people are apparently supporting or starting the series; with multiple copies of 'Just See Yourself' also being sold in the last day or two. JSY has now jumped back to the Top 50 in the same category.

 

I get no data on who buys these copies, so it's entirely possible that we're providing a Witness to non-JW bookworms; moving into the bestseller list. My thanks to everyone who helped me get noticed.

Edited March 2, 2020 by Thomas Walker

[Friends just call me Ross]

I'm up to page 285 already, but my eyelids keep drooping, so I'll have to pick it back up

in the morning...er, later this morning.   

 

Loving what I've read so far and looking forward to the rest of the book.  

 

[Dages]

I'm about to start chapter 9. I love it.

 

@Thomas Walker Kit name instead of Elisabeth in chapter 4 : Kit said quietly as she opened the car door.

 

[GodlyDevotion]

I'm trying to read it bits by bits. I'm afraid it would end 😫

[Dages]

3 hours ago, Friends just call me Ross said:

I'm up to page 285 already, but my eyelids keep drooping, so I'll have to pick it back up

in the morning...er, later this morning.   

 

Loving what I've read so far and looking forward to the rest of the book.  

 

This part, up to page 187, the discussion with Hugh and Kas, I love it so much, it's perfect, a very interesting discussion.

[Thomas Walker]

3 hours ago, Dages said:

I'm about to start chapter 9. I love it.

 

@Thomas Walker Kit name instead of Elisabeth in chapter 4 : Kit said quietly as she opened the car door.

 

Dang it, I read that four times. I felt like there was something wrong there. 

 

I promise, I'll fix the typos. I'm just going to give you guys a chance to find them all. Clearly, I'm unequal to the task.

[Dages]

6 minutes ago, Thomas Walker said:

Dang it, I read that four times. I felt like there was something wrong there. 

 

I promise, I'll fix the typos. I'm just going to give you guys a chance to find them all. Clearly, I'm unequal to the task.

It's the only one so far  

 

Also, I'm at page 300 and I'm raging so much. 😪  You are good !

 

Spoiler

NOOOOOOOOOOOO RACHEEEEEEL NIIIIIIIIIICK NOOOOOOOO  ! Come on ! Communicate ! 

 

Edited March 2, 2020 by Dages

[Dages]

I've read it all... this was great