Elias Axel's Blog: Elias's Book Stuff

It’s October, which means two things: ADHD Awareness Month and Halloween—a holiday beloved by ADHDers for its perfect storm of creativity, imagination, and a temporary reprieve from social masking.

Just as Halloween celebrates fun, creativity, and embracing what makes us different, ADHD Awareness Month invites us to recognize and honor those living with the beautiful, messy, exhilarating reality of ADHD.

My hope with "Promising Young Man" is to do both while tapping into something even bigger: the universal teenage experience of searching for purpose, wrestling with self-doubt, and learning to live authentically.

It's a story that reminds us that whether dealing with ADHD or simply navigating the chaos of growing up (or getting older), the path to self-discovery is rarely straight—and always worth taking.

You may cry, but just added the new single "New Home" from SHE WAS SILVER and ARAYA to the PROMISING YOUNG MAN playlist on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/p...

It's a gorgeous song about hope after losing someone to heaven and fits into the theme of Oscar's journey in Promising Young Man.

"New Home" is also available on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/album/5MvTO7...), but the Promising Young Man playlist is not.

I just spent a BEAUTIFUL weekend in Chicago at the Printers Row Lit Festival.

What a spectacular way to see a gorgeous corner of the world, meet authors, and actually talk to readers IRL (you're awesome BTW).

If you're a book lover and get a chance to go to one, I highly recommend going.

Just received word that Promising Young Man by Elias Axel just won the 2025 International Firebird Book Awards in two categories:
- First place for Best Book Neurodiversity Fiction
- Third place for Best Book New Adult Fiction

I'll take it - Anything to eat away at my debut author imposter syndrome!

Promising Young Man is contemporary realistic fiction with elements of humor about a boy and his Grammy who come of age at 18 and 80.

XOXOXO
Promising Young Man

I read a lot, but 'm a picky reader.

I prefer deeper, character-driven, realistic fiction, mostly contemporary stories.

I also only rate books if I'd give them 4 or 5 stars because I figure, just because the book wasn't my cup of tea, doesn't mean the book isn't good. Others might love it. Maybe it's the author in me.(I also won't read anything created, designed, or narrated by AI. Maybe that goes without saying.)

I love deep, realistic fiction books like Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, Ash Wednesday by Ethan Hawke, Wild by Sheryl Strayed, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman... So let me know if you've got any recommendations, because I'm always on the lookout.

XOXO

Book discussion question notes:

Canada is a beautiful country and on my bucket list of places to explore, from the enchanting Montreal to the picturesque Vancouver to the breathtaking Banff. Did someone say Whistler?

Just like with the Man Magnet (a 1968 Ford Mustang), a character referencing Canada's gloriousness as anything less than is an obvious way to reflect his negative state-of-mind and dissociation from reality.

Did you find other writer devices used in the book that show the character's state-of-mind?

I'm pretty sure I'll be starting the Red Rising by Pierce Brown soon. It's been on my list for a while. In the meantime, looking for an audiobook that's character driven, realistic fiction, coming-of-age that's funny but still leaves you thinking. Something like Table For Two by Amor Towles or Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.