Making a Splash at ICRS!

The last couple of weeks were a bit of a whirlwind. July 14th kicked off the annual ICRS (International Christian Retail Show) event in Orlando, FL. Each day was jammed packed full of meetings, interviews and book signings. Our enthusiastic publishers (Warner Press) pulled out all of the stops on our behalf and really made us feel like the stars of the show. For those of you who aren't aware of what ICRS is all about, it is the primary trade show where publishers present their latest offerings to Christian and family-friendly bookstores and licensee's around the globe.

Allan and I felt very blessed to be able to attend for the fourth year in a row. This time, we were given the royal treatment and were able to take part in a lot of fun stuff. Here's a short list of some of the highlights of our trip:

• Book signing for Ten-Gallon Sam


• Trying to keep up with a line over 100 people long for our 2-hour Hunter Brown book signing (sorry if we had to turn you away at the end)


• Seeing a giant 20 foot banner promoting our novel


• Seeing our book promoted on the back of each show bulletin


• Several interviews by radio stations and TV


• Seeing one of the characters we created in our latest novel as a real-life costumed character along side Bob & Larry, 3-2-1 Penguins, the Bernstein Bears
  
• Chris nearly tackling Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungee
  
• Meeting some really cool movie execs who are interested in our book
  
• Signing books FOR renowned fantasy fiction author Bryan Davis (Dragons in our Midst)
  
• Dinner with Chris Waters of Angel Wars fame
  
• Personally giving away 200 Hunter Brown backpacks to booksellers
  
• Meeting Ben Stein (producer and star of the recent "Expelled" movie)
  
• Meeting "President Bush"

Here's a short photo snippet of our journey for you to enjoy!

Signing the Hunter Brown book for one of our young fans.

I asked Ben Stein for his money - but apparently somebody else already won it.

Not too many authors get endorsed by a "president".
He said he liked the book because it was easy to read.

One of the many interviews.

Signing a book for Bryan Davis, author the extraordinarily
successful Dragon's in Our Midst series

But after all the meetings had been made and the conference wound to a close, I must say my favorite part of all was receiving a special letter from one of the parents of the children who had acquired a copy of our Hunter Brown book at the show. She left the hand written letter at the Warner Press booth and it read as follows:

Dear Miller Brothers,

My Son Marek is thrilled with your book. The first thing out of his mouth this morning: "I couldn't put that book down last night. I love it! I stayed up past my bedtime."

He went on to tell me all he's read so far. I've never seen him so animated over a novel.

Thank you for your awesome novel. I'm sure its going to change Marek's view about reading. A mother's dream!

Thanks again,

Melissa

P.S. Can't wait to read it myself!

It's a message like this that makes all the long hours of writing completely worth it. Thanks for the message, Melissa. You really encouraged us as well.

It's a Novel...and a baby!

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.