There has been alot going on around here over the past month, which explains why our blog has been so silent.
First things first...a novel was born. We have been in a whirlwind of creative writing and re-writing to complete what will become the first in a three-part book series coming your way next fall (courtesy of
Warner Press). As a result, we have been busier than ever, neglecting our blog, exploring new worlds and authoring an exciting adventure full of magic and wonder. We'll be releasing an excerpt from the book online very soon...so check back often. I can hardly wait to share it with you.
Anyway, the book is tentatively titled Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow and it is our first excursion into the youth fiction novel market. Just a few days before Christmas we turned in our completed first draft (all 397 pages) and breathed a huge sigh of relief that could be heard all the way from Seattle to Indiana (the home of our publisher). We made the deadline...barely.
So what is it about? Well, I'll tell ya.
Every ninth grade boy is ready for an adventure and Hunter Brown is no exception...only this time he may have gotten in too deep. Strange things begin to happen when Hunter encounters a mysterious book that reveals dark secrets about the world around him. His friends think the book is cursed, but Hunter is determined to unravel the mystery. It is a quest that takes him into a parallel realm where opposing forces of supernatural power struggle to control his life. On his journey to discover the truth about who he really is, he must battle with dark forces and hideous creatures to save himself from a fate worse than death.
The story has been something I've been kicking around in different forms for several years. I am very happy with the way it has turned out so far. We are still hard at work putting the final touches on some of the scenes and cleaning up some continuity errors throughout the story, in the next couple of weeks. I'd appreciate your prayers as we wrap up this monumentous feat.
One thing that impressed me through the project is how amazing it is to get caught up in the creative process. Sometimes I would start writing a scene and all of a sudden the characters would force me to make a different decision than I would have originally thought they would make. Very strange...whose in control here anyway?
Anyway, the second half of this post is about another addition to our family (even more important than the first). A few days after we delivered our first draft to the publisher, my wife delivered our second son, Truitt! I am so blessed to have such an amazing wife and family. It seems like only yesterday our three-year old Keegan was born. It is a not-so-subtle reminder how time stops for no-one and I am making sure to enjoy them both as much as possible.
