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“A brilliant paranormal novel . . . expertly written, [Floyd] has created a delightfully poignant story that leaves the reader with a good feeling.” – Readers’ Favorite

“A thought-provoking and unpredictable story of hope and second chances . . . This novel is thematically strong, with well-developed characters and an original premise that will appeal to a YA audience, but also boasts plenty of wisdom for older readers.” – Self-Publishing Review

“Lost on the Edge of Eternity is a well-written page turner, with a clever plot and many intriguing twists.” – Elizabeth Graham, author of Jacintha Point (commenting on the 2001 edition)

“I enjoyed Lost on the Edge of Eternity very much.”– Donald Hamilton, creator of the Matt Helm adventure series (commenting on the 2001 edition).

“A poignant look at life and regrets . . . ideal for anyone wanting a feel-good story.” – Online Book Club

“A refreshing ghost story delivering more psychology and good will than horror.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Lost on the Edge of Eternity is a crazy delightful story. . . Well-done voice and style that will suck in YA readers, not to mention their parents, too. We need more books out there like this. Poignant and memorable..” -- C. Hope Clark, author of The Edisto Island Mysteries and The Carolina Slade Mysteries.

“Floyd’s fluid, dreamlike narrative takes the reader through motley political climates, social zeitgeists, and musical tastes during . . . Floyd’s highly entertaining ghost story gone wild.” – US Review of Books

“An excellent, multifaceted story about life’s meaning . . . recommended reading for mature teen to adult readers.” – D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

"Lost on the Edge of Eternity is an unbridled look at life, death, peer pressure, fitting in, bullying, society prejudices and second chances. I highly recommend this book to Young Adults and older." -- Reader VIews

"Jonathan Floyd's Lost on the Edge of Eternity, a story of regret laced with otherworldly vibes, is an enrapturing and playful piece of fiction that achieves a combination of with and wisdom, along with enjoyable, easy-to-read charm." -- IndieReader

"Floyd is a smart, accomplished writer whose enjoyment of a wide range of reading is apparent in his prose."

-- The Booklife Prize

MY BANNED BOOK STORY

The story behind the novel

Lost on the Edge of Eternity is an expansion of an unpublished short story I wrote in 1984. The story was entitled “New Student,” and it grew out of my grief over the deaths of several students over the years at the high school where I served as guidance counselor. The story was written years before the television show Ghost Whisperer and the movie Casper, which capitalized on a similar theme.

In 1995 I decided to expand my short story into a novel, and the first draft of Lost on the Edge of Eternity was born. Despite going through two agents, I was never able to get the novel published. In 2001 I decided to self-publish the novel under a pseudonym in newspaper format, complete with a photo spread of the characters. In order to publicize my novel, I offered to send free copies to teachers with the understanding that they would have their students critique the novel and provide feedback. This was in the fall of 2001, right after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

I ended up getting one teacher at Coconino High School in Flagstaff, Arizona in trouble. Here is the way her letter explained the situation to me:

After she assigned the novel for her English 12 classes to read, one parent became uncomfortable with the novel. The parent considered the novel inappropriate for high school seniors because of the terrorist attack on America (this was in the fall of 2001) and a recent suicide at her school. The parent never read the novel, but formed her opinion based on the front cover and the photo spread. She complained to the school’s principal and was not satisfied with his explanation. She proceeded to district administration officials and convinced them to “ban” the novel. English teachers at Coconino High were outraged that one parent could censor reading materials, especially without ever reading them. Each member of the English department took home a copy of the novel and read it over Thanksgiving vacation. Satisfied that the novel was appropriate, they fought the administration and "after endless meetings came to an end," the students finished reading the novel.

I sent copies of the novel to several authors, requesting their feedback. Two writers who responded were the late Donald Hamilton, creator of the Matt Helm adventure series and romance novelist Elizabeth Graham, author of Jacintha Point. I will always be grateful for their encouragement.

With self-publishing made easy by IngramSparks and Amazon’s KDP program, I decided to revisit my novel this past year. Using suggestions made by Coconino High students twenty years previously, I updated the novel and fleshed out the characters (if you can flesh out ghosts).

Hopefully the reader will enjoy the experience as much as the writer did.