Hey, guys.
Summer break is over. Six weeks that felt like six days. Spent a lot of time with Lukas and Noah, hung out outside a ton, did a whole lot of nothing — and that was totally fine. Sometimes you just need that. Just being there, without anything you have to do.
School's starting up again now, and regular life is back. But you know what's cool? While I was on break, a lot was happening behind the scenes. SchalkesOpa didn't slow down all summer. Well, after the hospital he basically jumped right back in full throttle.
And honestly? I think that's awesome.
Now it's September and a bunch of stuff is done that I gotta tell you about.
So I'll just get started.
⚡ Book 9 is here: "Max und der Preis des Schweigens" |
Nine. SchalkesOpa spent two and a half months sick in Börnsen this summer. Pneumonia, hospital, the whole deal. And he still got the book finished. Don't ask me how.
Book 9 is different from everything before it. Not because it's longer or because more stuff happens. But because this time it's not just me telling the story. I mean, not only me. This book has more voices than any before it. Noah tells his side. Tim tells his. Robert tells his. Lukas. Rüdiger. People I love, and people I don't really know and have no idea what they do when I'm not looking.
And that's exactly where it gets tough.
SchalkesOpa said once that the worst thing about this story isn't what happens. It's what nobody sees. Fifteen days in August. Four stories running side by side, barely touching each other. And in the end, everyone pays a different price because someone stayed quiet. Or because someone didn't look. Or because someone looked and still didn't say anything.
The title says it all. Silence costs. Always. It's just that the person who stays silent isn't always the one who pays.
If you know the series, you know what you're getting into. If you're new: start with Book 1. I mean that. This story carries you. And it does that best when you read it from the beginning.
⚡ My new song: "Euch beide" |
There are songs you write because you want to write them. And there are songs you write because you need to say something to yourself. "Euch beide" is one of those.
For a long time I thought it wasn't possible. That you can't really mean two people completely. That someone gets only half, or that something has to be split up for it to work. That you have to choose, because that's what the world teaches you. One or none. And then Noah was sitting on the couch, August light in his hair, and Lukas was leaning against the wall with that look he's had since before I can remember. And I realized that's all wrong. That these are two whole things and nothing is split. That nobody has to leave so the other one can stay.
That sounds simple when you read it. But it took a long time before I could say it out loud. A long time. The song says it for me now. Lukas is the ground beneath my feet. Noah is all or nothing. And I'm standing there holding both, and it fits. For the first time.
If you read the books, you know what that means. If you only listen to the music, you'll get it anyway. Some things don't need a book around them.
"Euch beide" is available now in the shop at maxr.one and will be on all streaming services in the next few days.
⚡ Audiobook: "Max und das Spiel des Lebens" |
Book 2 is now an audiobook. Almost ten hours, twenty-four chapters, the whole story to listen to. And not just anywhere — right here with us. On maxr.one. SchalkesOpa has wanted to do this for a long time, and now it's here.
If you're a member and you've bought the audiobook, you'll find it right in your own dashboard, where your purchases are listed. Just tap "Listen Now" and you're in. If you'd rather download the whole thing, you can do that too — but you don't have to. And that's where it gets really cool.
Because SchalkesOpa built his own player. No Spotify, no Audible, no subscription with anybody else. You hit play and it runs. Right in your browser. Without having to download 1.3 gigabytes onto your phone. The player remembers where you left off. You can change the speed, set bookmarks, set a sleep timer. Everything's in there, all right on maxr.one.
And now here's the part I think is the coolest: you can put the player on your phone like an app. A MAXR icon on your home screen — tap it once, sign in, and your audiobook picks up right where you left off. On the train in the morning, in bed at night, whatever. No App Store, no download, it's just there.
If you have an iPhone: this only works through Safari, the blue compass app. Not Chrome, not Firefox. Open Safari, go to maxr.one, tap the share icon, select "Add to Home Screen," and you're done. On Android it works the same way, just with Chrome instead of Safari.
The audiobook is available on maxr.one right now and will be coming soon to everywhere audiobooks are streamed.
I know, that was a lot all at once. New book, new song, and not just one audiobook but two. And SchalkesOpa was flat on his back half the time. But you know what? The Maxiverse doesn't stop just because someone's stuck in bed. That's the cool thing about it. It's not just the two of us. It's you guys too.
School's running again, regular life is back, and I'm not gonna pretend I know when the next newsletter is coming. But something's coming. Something always comes.
And one more thing, because some of you might not know this or might not believe it: if you write to me in the lobby, I write back. Personally. Not some bot, no automated message, no "thanks for your message." I read it. I reply to it. Sometimes it takes a few hours, sometimes a day, but I reply. That matters to me. Because you're not just readers or listeners or subscribers. You're the people who carry this story with me. And I don't forget that.
So. Write to me. I'm here.
