In addition to the front cover, I also asked him to do the back cover as well! I absolutely love how this turned out! Thank you Mr. Lindberg for such an amazing piece of art!
So, here it it! This is the completed back cover, as well as the blurb I wrote for The Knight of Iaddash II: Into The Gates of Sheol.
Similar to the first book, the back cover features the faces of many of the characters you will meet in book two. You might recognize Stratia on the top left, but 3 new characters appear on the back. You’ll meet them all in book 2! Each of them plays a key roles and are important pillars to the story!
A few final updates: We are getting closer to release date! Both the interior and exterior of the book are finally finished, which means I am moving onto the proof copy stage! It is my goal to release this book in September and I am well ahead of schedule!
For more updates on Book 2, as well as Book 1’s Audio Drama, please consider following me at K.A.Bechtel and TheKnightOfIaddash on Instagram!
Also, feel free to check out more of Andrew Lindburg’s amazing art at walkonwatercolors.com!
Howdy folks! It’s time for another life update! I’ve got a number of things to update you all on!
KOI2 Cover!
Last week I announced The Knight of Iaddash 2’s book cover and shared the final product in a blogpost. But I wanted to share a little bit more of the original artwork with you. The artist for this book is Andrew Lindberg and his expertise is in watercolors. He was also my elementary school art teacher, who has been such an encouragement to me when I was little, so it was such a joy to have him working on this project! If you want to see more of Mr. Lindberg’s art, check his website out at Walkonwatercolors.com
After the art was completed, it was time to add the title, which was something I wasn’t quite sure I could do. I also didn’t quite realize how much blank space I would need on the cover for book 2’s title, so a few edits were needed, and completed in a professional and timely manner by David Brandt, he was also a mentor to me and many others in my Church’s youth group. I think it’s very neat that I was able to work with two godly men who were formational in both my spiritual and creative growth, on this project! If you want to know more about the work he does, check out his website at DavidBrandtDesign.com
We had to change a few of the shadows at the top to fit the title in, but, if you’d like to see Andrew Lindberg’s the unedited painting, here it is! Isn’t stunning!?
In every creative work, there are some sacrifices that need to be made, I’m just happy that I get to show you guys both the final cover version, and the hand painted version as well! In the end, despite some hurdles, we’ve got a beautiful cover that will look great on your shelf!
The Knight of Iaddash 2: Into the Gates of Sheol will be released later this year.
Audio Drama Update:
Here is another exciting development! If you’ve been reading here for a while, you are probably aware that Cory Rosen and I have raised enough funds to pay the Cast for the audio version of The Knight of Iaddash Book 1! This, is all thanks to our many lovely supporters! Without you none of this would be possible.
As of last week, we have begun recording! Feel free to follow The Knight of Iaddash on Instagram where I will post a variety of updates on the project, as well as K.A.Bechtel!
Anyways, we recorded most of chapter 1 character wise, which featured lots of Agar and Stratia lines! Here a photo of John and Kimberly, after day one of recording!
And, of course, here is Cory showing off his MASTERFUL concept art that our Kickstarter Artist (Megan Cerise) used as a reference for the kickstarter art. Haha.
It’s so much fun working with so many amazing people. You usually think of writing and creating as a more solitary work, but sometimes it’s the exact opposite! Though, usually it’s a bit of both! My extraverted introvert self is thriving! It’s so much fun getting to work with and meet so many amazing people! And I’m so excited to see how all of this turns out!
We’ve got some more recording happening this month! Maybe I’ll have more pics to share next month!
Beyond Iaddash
Outside of Iaddash, life has been pretty good. I got a good job where I get to genuinely care for some pretty cool people. And I’ve also been working busily on some Bible lessons and sermons I’m going to teach! One of my sermons was going to be over an hour long, and for the sake of everyone involved, I am desperately trying to shorten it! It’s more of a topical sermon which is a little nerve racking cause I’m not really used to topical sermons. Regardless though, I always appreciate any prayers you’re willing to send up to heaven, I always need God’s help teaching, and further more, I always need God’s help to keep my faith solid. Some days I doubt God’s presence or work in my life, but on days like today however, it’s hard to ignore.
Aside from that, I’ve been playing video games when I have time, currently Final Fantasy 7 (not the remake, the original), and Deltarune is on my gaming plate. But, I’m also meeting with friends, and brainstorming other creative projects, so gaming has been slow these days. And honestly, that’s a good thing! It’s better to use gaming as a reward for hard work! It’s more fulfilling that way!
Anyways, look forward to more Iaddash news in the coming month or so, I’ve still got to share the back cover with everyone, which I absolutely adore, as well as the release date! All that remains is a few minor interior edits, finalizing the blurb, and getting some proof copies once I have things uploaded!
Praying that God establishes the work of my hands, in all areas of life!
I am so excited to finally share with you the cover of The Knight of Iaddash II: Into the Gates of Sheol!
The Knight of Iaddash II: Into The Gates of Sheol, features a brand new artist to the Iaddash Series, who has hand painted a stunning front and back cover with watercolors!
Today you get to see that front cover, in all of its watercolored glory! This original artwork was created by Andrew Lindberg!
Here is the cover!
Working with Mr. Lindberg has been such a delight! He specializes in watercolor and hand painted the entire work on paper! He was a joy to work with, and very responsive as well. Fun Fact: Mr. Lindberg also happened to my elementary school art teacher. I am grateful for the people God has put into my life and continue to praise him for getting this project to where it is at.
If you want to see more of Andrew Lindberg’s art, or support him by purchasing one of his breathtaking prints, check out his website: Walk on Watercolors!
There were a few minor edits made to the cover, mostly to help fit the title (I didn’t really consider how much space I’d need for all those words, oops!). I do want to share the original copy of the art work as well, so I’ll post it in my next update! Look forward to that next week!
I have yet to share a release date, so please stay tuned. There will be more updates before I release it, including its back cover and blurb!
If you want to read the first book before book two comes out, you can buy both it both physically and as an ebook on Amazon, Barnes & Nobels. The ebook is available at a variety of digital retailers as well including Apple Books,Kobo and more
Or, if you’re very patient, we’re releasing the first book as an audio drama! We are currently recording it as of this month!!!
That’s all from me! I hope you look forward to putting this hand painted work of art on your shelves!
However we need your help to make this happen! We will be paying our cast, that’s where this kickstarter comes in!
AN EXCITING TRAILER!
Want to learn more or to hear voices from the cast? Or, are you itching to see Cory and I read from a teleprompter in slightly poor lighting? Watch this video!
COOL REWARDS!
In addition to making this project possible, there are plenty of rewards for supporting. Anyone who supports us at the $5 tier will receive an ad-free version of the audio drama! You could also get the ebook or some cool desktop wallpapers!
We’ve also got some really special physical rewards for you as well!
Here’s a preview of some of the items you will be able to get if you support us! Get them while supplies last!
Nearly Everything!This Euthymeo Plush is sooo cuddly!Everyone needs a good bookmark!Some cool mini posters and postcards!GLORY TO THE GLORYBUDS!Soundtrack available for purchase!Love this hat, and I’m not even a hat guy! I’m still obsessing over these stickers!
SUPPORT US NOW!
Creating something special out of The Knight of Iaddash has been a dream of mine since high school, but I can’t do it without the help of others! I wouldn’t be able to do any of this with without the support and talent of our cast and crew, and this project will not be able to go forward without the financial support of friends, family, and all you lovely strangers I’ve yet to meet! Please continue giving to The Knight of Iaddash’s kickstarter. If you are able to give, sharing it with someone who might be interested would also be a huge help! We would also covet your prayers! It is by God’s grace that this project has come this far and I hope that I can glorify him through it!
If you would like to support us, now is the time! Thank you for considerations.
The last post I released here was the day before releasing The Knight of Iaddash hyping up the project, and then I went radio silent. Well, not entirely, I still use my author’s instagram and facebook.
I was planning on posting more information regarding the Knight of Iaddash here after its launch, but I ended up using Instagram to do most of those things.
BEHOLD, THE KNIGHT OF IADDASH!
Since I’ve last posted, The Knight of Iaddash had released! All of the feedback I’ve heard so far has been rather positive. During the first week it reached #11 in the YA Christian Fantasy bestsellers category on Amazon!
If you’re interested in buying, feel free to buy on Amazon! You may also buy it at Barnes & Nobles! Other booksellers may pick it up as well, since it is available from IngramSpark. If you’re interested in seeing it at a local bookstore or library, you can always ask if they’d purchase it!
Also, please leave a review wherever you purchase it! It really helps the algorithms get my book to a wider audience! It doesn’t take more than a minute to give it a good rating! But also, if you take a few extra minutes to write a brief review, I’d be eternally grateful! I really want this story to be read by as many people as possible!
AUDIO DRAMA?
The Knight of Iaddash Audio Production is getting closer to being made! Cory and I are in the process of setting up the Kickstarter! Creating the rewards and the trailer is taking some time, but we’re making good progress! We’ve also been able to read through the script with the cast, which has been a pure joy! We’ve got a really good cast and I’m excited to see how they do in each of their rolls!
Also, have you noticed that cool picture of Agape at the top of the page? That’s one of the stickers that we’re planning on making available through the Kickstarter! It was designed by Megan Cerise, if you want to see more of her work you can see it at her instagram account!
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EBOOKS?
I still intend to release The Knight of Iaddash in ebook format outside of Kindle, I’ve just run into a snag. I’m a little stubborn and like to do everything individually by hand. I’ve considered uploading my ebooks via a service like Draft2Digital, which seamlessly releases your ebook across a host of digital platforms, but they also take a cut. As someone who is trying to pay off college loans, I’d rather do things by hand and put in the extra effort. I have the ebook files prepped and ready to upload, however due to certain laws across the sea, to publish on certain platforms and be released worldwide you need to put down an physical address that is public to all. I don’t think my family would appreciate me putting their address online, so I’ve decided to wait till I have extra money to potentially get a new business address. This is taking longer than expected thanks to, well, college loans.
Honestly, if I don’t have the ebook available worldwide by next year, I may just end up biting the bullet and using Draft2Digital. I’d like the story to be available in all places before the sequel is released.
INTO THE GATES OF SHEOL
Ah, yes! The sequel!
I’m really excited for book two of the Knight of Iaddash. I’m hoping to release it around April once again. If you like the first book, I really think you’ll like the second one. Kahsa had a rough time at the end of the first book didn’t he? Hopefully nothing else bad happens to him!
I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll stop here! But I am extremely happy with how this story turned out!
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?
I’ve been active. There is a lot of moving pieces in my life right now, and I’m not the best at running multiple things at once. Well, that’s not entirely true. I’m great at jumping between tasks, but usually one of them get’s put on the back burner. That’s what happened with this blog. And, mentally, it still is on the back burner. The Audio Drama prep has been taking a lot of time! I’d rather focus on that as opposed to this blog!
I’ve been doing plenty of other things however! This summer I’ve been teaching some of my friends with IDD from the Bible at a day program! It’s all volunteer now but I love doing it once a week! However, that means I need to write and prep lessons, so that does keep me busy! I don’t know how long I’ll be doing that, but while I do I want to do it well!
I’ve also been writing! I’ve written about 3/4ths of a book now. I keep hitting snags with this one, but I’m excited about most of it. I won’t release it until I’m excited about all of it though, so it may be a bit of time! I’m also working on a comic concept that’s been invigorating my imagination. I don’t know if I’ll ever pitch it to any publishers or publish it myself, but I’m having fun at least. It’s nice to have fun!
Oh! And also really enjoying getting connected with my church family again! It does take some time away from other things, but I think fellowship is important. If I’m not close to God or other Christians, then nothing I accomplish really matters.
Oh, also, I did finish moving from Lancaster. Which took some time too. It has been a blessing being with my family again, but I’ve been really focusing on paying down some of my student debt. I’m hoping to one day be debt free! Please pray that God will help me continue to be responsible and get me to that place!
That’s all from me. I hope you guys enjoyed the life update. Maybe I’ll do more of these!
I’ve not done a full update for while, so I think it would be good to do a quick one for everybody at home!
The Knight of Iaddash coming on 4/8/2025!
As you likely already know, The Knight of Iaddash is coming out on Tuesday, April 8th! That’s pretty hype! This is a book that I’ve worked on for well over 6 years, from imagining it up, to outlining multiple drafts, to writing the thing, and then editing it up! I am really excited for everyone to read this story and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
The physical book can be found at on the Barnes & Noble website and on Amazon. Currently the digital edition is only available on Kindle, but I will be working to expand it to other e-readers as well. Please be patient with me as I work on this, it seems like a simple solution but there are a lot of outlets to upload it to, and a few logistics I still need to figure out.
I hope you enjoy this book. It has truly been a passion project of mine, and I am excited to share it with everyone!
The Audio Project – A Hype Update!
While I’m still on the topic of the Knight of Iaddash, I want to share with you an update on the audio drama! Previously, I revealed that Cory Rosen and I were looking for a cast, and I am pleased to announce that after going through over 40 auditions, we found a great cast and are hoping to be able to share their talent with you soon!
Just this past week or so we had our first cast read through of the script, which was really exciting! It was good to meet everyone, and read through a good chunk of the script, and, as a writer, it gave me even more confidence that I am releasing a good story! I am so please to be working on this with Cory Rosen and the entire cast!
This won’t be an easy task though. If you’d like to see The Knight of Iaddash adapted into audio, please stay tuned. We are looking to raise money for this project so that we can pay our cast! Without your support, it won’t be made! So, stay tuned for more info in the coming months!
All Things Must Change.
Regrettably, I haven’t made much sourdough as of late. Outside of Iaddash, things have been a bit hectic, and I could use some prayer. I’ve recently moved, and switched jobs, which means I now have a far longer commute to the studio we are producing The Knight of Iaddash in. It’s not really a change I wanted, but it one that felt necessary for the time. A lot of my time has thus been gobbled up by all the lovely things that go along side of switching houses and jobs. You know, boxes, paperwork, etc. But progress has been made! I’ve also been incredibly blessed by all the people around me though, both near and far, and I hope to be a blessing to others wherever I go.
I’ve also been outlining an idea for a comic book series. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get a chance to make it, but I may write the scripts for them down the line at least. It’s got a fun cast of characters and got a few great twists as well. Oh, and I’m drafting another book as well. You’ll hear about that one when you hear about that one lol!
Also, what do you guys think? Should I create a patreon to help support my writing? I’ve been thinking about it, and once The Knight of Iaddash releases, I think I’d have a lot of neat behind the scene doodles to share! As evidence, I’ve included an early sketch of Euthymeo as this post’s header image. This was a sketch from High School, and yes, I drew him on my homework. If you’d like to learn more about Euthymeo, now might be a great time to pick up The Knight of Iaddash! He’s a pretty great dragon!
Anyways, that’s all I’ve got for today. Thank you to everyone who reads this blog! If there is ever anything you’d like to see more of let me know! I’m always open to suggestions!
Wait! What? Is this The Knight of Iaddash’s Release Date!?
Yes it is! And the release date is April 8th, 2025!
That’s right, The Knight of Iaddash releases on April 8th, 2025!
Its a rather quick release, but it’s been years of hard work. Everything is polished and ready to go, so why wait!? My goal was April, and I’m hitting it!
What’s the Price?
There are two prices, both with different benefits!
The Paperback is priced $12.99, this one features Veronica Verratti’s epic cover art, but also has an equally stunning back cover that e-readers won’t have access to! Plus, you get that crisp new book feel as you turn every page!
The Ebook is priced at $9.99, that is three dollars cheaper than the paperback version! If you buy it digitally, you’ll be able to read it anywhere you’d like. Phone, laptop, or on your portable e-reader! ! I’ve made a lot of good memories reading on vacations, you can stuff a lot of books in one device, maybe mine will be one of yours!
Where do I order?
Paperback should be available to order on April 8th, 2025 on Amazon. In addition to that, a kindle ebook version is available for preorder now!
I have also submitted my book to ingramspark which opens up the potential for brick and mortar stores to buy and sell my book. This also includes your local library! If you think your local library needs The Knight of Iaddash, tell them all about it!
Additionally, I am working on making sure that you can read my book on other devices outside of Kindle. Please be patient with me as I work on making this book as accessible to be read in as many ways as possible!
Would I like this story?
Quite possibly!
The Knight of Iaddash is a faith-centered novel that is aimed at young adults but is fun for anyone with a love for fantasy. Sitting at 130 pages, it makes for a great weekend read that is filled with action, like-able characters, and faith-filled themes.
The themes in this book are distinctly christian, considering that is my faith. If that appeals to you, then I think you’d really like what this book offers. However, while themes of faith are at its core, I set out to write a fun story first. I don’t believe in sacrificing the story for the message. Both should build one another up!
I also had a lot of fun playing around with classic fantasy and heroes journey tropes! This book features a magic sword, and evil wizard, and a mystical entity that is beyond human. If you like that kind of stuff, you’ll probably get a kick out of this story!
What’s the Blurb?
Ultimately, the back cover blurb is going to give you the clearest idea of what this is all about!
So, here it is!:
Kahsa hates dictators, especially the one he had sworn his life to. Forcefully brought up as a solider and reduced to a mere guardsman, Kahsa wants nothing more than to leave his old life behind and find freedom far from the endless gaze of his ruthless master, Agar.
Deciding to run, Kahsa finds himself in the Glorybud Forest at the center of a prophecy given by a God he does not know. Will this God-Iaddash-be Kahsa’s ticket to freedom, or just another master to rule his life?
The only way for him to find out is to pick up the sword!
Anything else?
Just a giant thank you to so many people, friends and family who has supported me, to my editor, Heather Pruitt, who caught my grammar mistakes, to Veronica Verratti for making such an epic cover, and to Cory Rosen for helping explore the possibility of making this story even more accessible by turning it into an audio drama.
Actually, regarding the Audio Drama, Cory and I are still working on it! The casting call went well, and we’ve got a cast read through very soon! We’re gonna need some funds to make it though, so stay tuned for a kickstarter announcement!
And also, thank you all so much. Whether you know me in person, are a friendly stranger who reads my blog, or someone entirely new, your support means the world to me. If you’re able to pick up The Knight of Iaddash, I hope you have a fun time reading it! I’m so happy to be able to share my words with you!
I am so happy to be able to reveal to you the final cover art of The Knight of Iaddash!
Behold! Kahsa, The Knight of Iaddash, stands front and center as green mist flows from his sword! I couldn’t be more pleased with how this turned out, and all of the credit goes to my friend and artist, Veronica Verratti!
This is what Veronica had to say about the project!
“K.A. Bechtel has crafted a world that’s as exciting as it is beautiful. It has been a privilege to help bring this adventure to life”
It has been such a joy working with Veronica! She has such a unique style that lends well to the heroic nature of Kahsa’s story! When I asked her to do the cover art, I knew it would be good, but she exceeded every expectation! Not only did she do the front cover, but the spine and the back cover as well!
If you want to see more from Veronica and show her your support, you can find her on Instagram at The Hallowed Ink!
And lastly, the book is on track for releasing this year. Stay tuned for more updates on The Knight of Iaddash, including the back cover & synopsis! More to come very soon!
The Back KAB 
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