Books with author J. Harris

History is supposed to be dull. Who knew it could also be dangerous?Time-travel should be a fun adventure... right? And yet Kristen and Brad find that being stuck in the past is anything but. The Everhearts are taking part in a battle re-enactment of the American Revolution when they inexplicably find themselves back in 1777—for real. They have no way of knowing how or why they’re there; all they can do is try to get through the day. The siblings meet Rebecca, who needs to deliver a message of vital importance to General Washington. They also team up with a tavern-owner's son in order to escort Rebecca back to Philadelphia. Along the way, they deal with a spymaster, colonial deserters, and British soldiers who keep getting in the way. And they still have to figure out how to get back to their own time....NOTE: Based on review feedback, dialogue in this book has been edited for 'questionable' language. As of November, 2017.

A USA Today bestsellerThe dramatic, larger-than-life true story behind the founding of Oculus, its quest for virtual reality, and its founder's contentious battle for political freedom against Facebook, from the bestselling author of Console Wars.In The History of the Future, Harris once again deep-dives into a tech drama for the ages to expertly tell the larger-than-life true story of Oculus, the virtual reality company founded in 2012 that—less than two years later—would catch the attention of Mark Zuckerberg and wind up being bought by Facebook for over $2 billion dollars.This incredible underdog story begins with inventor Palmer Luckey, then just a nineteen-year-old dreamer, living alone in a camper trailer in Long Beach, California. At the time, virtual reality—long-hailed as the ultimate technology—was so costly and experimental that it was unattainable outside of a few research labs and military training facilities. But with the founding of Oculus, and the belief that his tantalizing vision of the future could one day be more than science fiction, Luckey put everything he had into creating a device that would allow gamers like him to step into virtual worlds and, in doing so, hopefully kickstart a VR revolution. With the help of an industry legend, a serial entrepreneur, and a slew of colorful characters—including those behind gaming sensations like Doom, Words with Friends, and Guitar Hero—Luckey’s scrappy startup would finally deliver the dream of immersive and affordable virtual reality to consumers, leading geeks and gamers to be excited in a way that they hadn’t been in years, and tech firms and investors scrambling to get in on the action before it was too late.Over the course of three years (and with unprecedented access from Oculus and Facebook), Harris conducted hundreds of interviews with key players in the VR revolution—including Luckey, his partners, and their cult of dreamers—to weave together a rich, cinematic narrative that captures the breakthroughs, breakdowns, and human drama of trying to change the world. The result is a supremely accessible, entertaining look at the birth of a new multi-billion-dollar industry; one full of heroes, villains, and twists at every corner. Take, for instance, Harris’ own discovery while writing this story. When he started this endeavor, he had no idea that this tale would somehow involve Donald Trump, billion-dollar lawsuits, illegal practices, and end with Luckey—eventually ousted from Facebook—as one of the most polarizing figures in Silicon Valley.

History is supposed to be dull. Who knew it could also be dangerous? Time-travel should be a fun adventure... right? And yet Kristen and Brad find that being stuck in the past is anything but. The Everhearts are taking part in a battle re-enactment from the American Revolutionary War battle re-enactment when they inexplicably find themselves back in 1777, on the eve of a battle for independence and liberty. They have no way of knowing what’s going on; all they can do is try to get through the day. The siblings meet Rebecca, who needs to deliver a message of vital importance to the revered General Washington. They also team up with a tavern-owner's son in order to escort Rebecca back to Philadelphia. In the rush along the way, they deal with a spymaster, colonial deserters, and British soldiers who keep getting in the way. And they still have to figure out how to get back to their own time....American history comes alive! Recommended for ages 11 and up.NOTE: Based on review feedback, dialogue in this book has been edited for 'questionable' language. As of November, 2017.

Let’s face it, writing a novel should be fun but many people think it’s hard.What if there was a system that could help you enjoy your writing more??Novel Writing Blueprint is just that book. It will help you to take the grunt work out of the equation, and learn to love the process without dampening your creative spirit or detracting from your voice.This blueprint provides the framework your book needs. It will support and strengthen your writing process and will help you make your writing dreams come true. No matter if you’re working on your first book or you’ve been publishing for years, this book will help you navigate from writing the first line to writing ‘The End’.Inside, you’ll learn everything you need to know about:Prewriting - preparation and approachResearch - how much and how long?Story Goals - the difference between goals and hooksCharacter Development - personality types and how to work with themSettings - how to make them more interestingOutlining - a different method of outlining your book quick and easilyPremise - the core of your storyOutlining overview - the general shape of your bookInitial outline sketch - start simpleFour-Act Structure with the 3 main thresholds - Initiation, Decisions, Response, Realisation, Battle, Friend, SacrificeFocused freewriting - tackling your first draft, writing fast, writing smartEditing - 3 main sweeps and working with a professionalPublishing - brief notes on bringing out your bookAnd more!If you’re ready to level up your novel writing process, try the blueprint for yourself.Interview with the author. What is the main message you’d like your readers to take away from this book?You must write to the end. You must finish your book. To do this, remember: The story is the journey. You set out prepared with a map, supplies, a sturdy rucksack, and an idea of what might it will be like. But somewhere along the way, you encounter obstacles. A landslide, an unexpected river, a bear… You may stumble, you may fall down a crevasse. Your hand may become trapped under a heavy rock. You are trapped. You cry out in anguish. “What can I do to make this work?”This is how it is for all of us. Writers are weird. We love story, but making our own stories is an art. And art, like love, is painful at times.Which means our work is always an internal as well as an external experience. We must step into the mind of a murderer, a warrior, a mother, a child. We must encounter dragons, office politics, Queens, and Dukes. We must fall in love, search for treasure, leave home, assassinate the enemy, seek revenge, suffer grief, betrayal, and injustice. We must lose everything. We must survive that loss. Over and over again.Whether you write genre fiction or literary works of tender existential angst, you are a storyteller. And telling stories can lead to madness. Didn’t your mother warn you of this?But nothing stops you. You know you are a writer if you refuse to give up. You know you can overcome every plot hole, strengthen every character arc, bring every setting alive for your reader. All you need is practise. And a deep understanding of the craft.You are an intrepid artist of your own inner landscape. You will change with each story you write.

Toxic love from a narcissistic partner is like living in a Dark Fairytale. Have you ever had an abusive relationship?Is your relationship turning into a toxic, hellish nightmare?Do you sometimes wonder if you will ever recover from the degrading words and actions you’ve experienced?The answer is that you can. The negative side-effects that you are experiencing are temporary and can be overcome and in her insightful and thoughtful book, The Wolf in Your Bed, Jill Harris will show you:What emotional abuse really look likeWhat the symptoms of traumatic bonding areWhich damaging Dark Fairytale story structure you've been trapped inThe personality type of the wolf in your bedAnd much more…Using the latest research in the therapeutic effects of creative writing, Jill uses this and her background in psychology to take you through a step-by-step healing process like no other. Get in touch with your imaginative and healing self through writing, observe the richness of your own thoughts and feelings, design a powerful map of your world and learn to love your life once more.It can be done and you can do it. The Wolf in Your Bed will help you become a howling success.

Gold? Seriously? Brad & Kristen Everheart are travelling on a family trip when they suddenly find themselves flung into the past.... again. This time, even their careful preparation and research can’t help them, and it’s only by sheer luck that they realize they’ve stumbled into the first discovery of gold in North America.When they learn that the land-owner, Reed—who doesn’t yet know about the gold (and they're not at liberty to tell him)—is considering selling his farm, Kristen and Brad rush to do what they can to dissuade him from this plan. And they succeed. Problem solved, right?Wrong. That’s where the kidnapping comes in. As usual, adventure and danger are in the mix when Kristen and Brad are on one of their time-travel experiences.Target audience for this novel is ages 11 and up. Approximately 44,300 words.

A boy with synesthesia—a condition that causes him to see colors when he hears sounds—tries to uncover what happened to his beautiful new neighbor—and if he was ultimately responsible in this “compelling and emotionally charged mystery that warrants comparisons to Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” (Library Journal). In this highly original “fantastic debut” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), thirteen-year-old Jasper Wishart lives in a world of dazzling color that no one else can see, least of all his dad. Words, numbers, days of the week, people’s voices—everything has its own unique shade. But recently Jasper has been haunted by a color he doesn’t like or understand: the color of murder. Convinced he’s done something terrible to his neighbor, Bee Larkham, Jasper revisits the events of the last few months to paint the story of their relationship from the very beginning. As he struggles to untangle the knot of untrustworthy memories and colors that will lead him to the truth, it seems that there’s someone else out there determined to stop him—at any cost. Full of page-turning suspense and heart-wrenching poignancy—as well as plenty of humor—The Color of Bee Larkham’s Murder is “completely original and impossible to predict” (Benjamin Ludwig, author of Ginny Moon) with a unique hero who will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Smartphones… GPS… Social media… None of it would exist if it weren’t for one thing: old-school computer technology. So, what if the computer hadn’t been invented? Or was invented… somewhere else? BY someone else?Kristen and Brad are visiting the University of Pennsylvania with their cousin Sally. The teens don’t expect their tour to include time travel, and yet when they walk into a campus building they find themselves transported to another era.They know that the first ‘real’ computer was built at the university. Could that achievement be part of the reason for their trip through time? And what do Nazis have to do with it?

Have you ever felt out of place? Like you are not important or special? Have you ever wondered why God made you the way you are? Well, so does Jed, The Great, Great Whale. This story takes us on an underwater adventure with a whale named Jed, who is very, very big! Jed grows bigger and bigger by the day and becomes twice the size of all the other whales in the sea. In fact, he becomes the biggest creature in the entire ocean! Jed is no monster, however; this big whale has an even bigger heart. Even after being picked on and mistreated, Jed never gives up and believes God made him special for a reason. Jed discovers God has an amazing mission for him and that he was made extra big for this special reason. As you embark on this journey with Jed, he wants you to remember that God never, ever makes a mistake. Just like Jed the whale, God loves you and has made you to do big things for Him.

HTML Code:Let’s face it, Writing a novel should be easy and fun but many people think it’s hard!.What if there was a system that could help you enjoy your writing more??Novel Writing Blueprint Workbook is the companion journal to the Novel Writing Blueprint helping you to come back to your love of storytelling. It will help you to take the grunt work out of the equation, and learn to love the process without dampening your creative spirit or detracting from your voice.This blueprint provides the framework your book needs. It will support and strengthen your writing process and will help you make your writing dreams come true. No matter if you’re working on your first book or you’ve been publishing for years, this book will help you navigate from writing the first line to writing ‘The End’.Inside, you’ll learn everything you need to know about:Prewriting - preparation and approachResearch - how much and how long?Story Goals - the difference between goals and hooksCharacter Development - personality types and how to work with themSettings - how to make them more interestingOutlining - a different method of outlining your book quick and easilyPremise - the core of your storyOutlining overview - the general shape of your bookInitial outline sketch - start simpleFour-Act Structure with the 3 main thresholds - Initiation, Decisions, Response, Realisation, Battle, Friend, SacrificeFocused freewriting - tackling your first draft, writing fast, writing smartEditing - 3 main sweeps and working with a professionalPublishing - brief notes on bringing out your bookAnd more!If you’re ready to level up your novel writing process, try the blueprint for yourself.

The dramatic, larger-than-life true story behind the founding of Oculus and its quest for virtual reality, by the bestselling author of Console Wars. From iconic books like Neuromancer to blockbuster films like The Matrix, virtual reality has long been hailed as the ultimate technology. But outside of a few research labs and military training facilities, this tantalizing vision of the future was nothing but science fiction. Until 2012, when Oculus founder Palmer Luckey—then just a rebellious teenage dreamer living alone in a camper trailer—invents a device that has the potential to change everything. With the help of a videogame legend, a serial entrepreneur and many other colorful characters, Luckey’s scrappy startup kickstarts a revolution and sets out to bring VR to the masses. As with most underdog stories, things don’t quite go according to plan. But what happens next turns out to be the ultimate entrepreneurial journey: a tale of battles won and lost, lessons learned and neverending twists and turns—including an unlikely multi-billion-dollar acquisition by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, which shakes up the landscape in Silicon Valley and gives Oculus the chance to forever change our reality. Drawing on over a hundred interviews with the key players driving this revolution, The History of the Future weaves together a rich, cinematic narrative that captures the breakthroughs, breakdowns and human drama of trying to change the world. The result is a super accessible and supremely entertaining look at the birth of a game-changing new industry.