Thursday, November 15, 2012

Preview of my Upcoming Book - Hunter's Oath


Hunter’s Oath is a Young Adult fantasy novel that I hope to have released this Spring 2013.  I’ve included a summary below and have attached a link to the first chapter.  Take a look and tell me what you think!

BOOK SUMMARY:
Imagine if all the creatures of myth and legend actually existed.  What if fairies, trolls, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster secretly inhabited the earth right alongside humans?  This is the world of fifteen-year-old Callie Cooper, a Hunter working for the Organization for the Research, Investigation, and Observation of Neo-mythical creatures (O.R.I.O.N.).  This top-secret organization is charged with the task of maintaining the delicate balance between Neos (creatures of myth) and humans.  Hunters venture out into the field to investigate strange happenings among these fantastic and potentially dangerous creatures, only interfering when the safety of one or the other is at risk. 

Under the supervision of her Mentor and uncle, Liam, Callie is finishing up her time as a Rook and is looking forward to reaching Chaser status.  With graduation quickly approaching, Callie is under great pressure to complete all of her requirements for promotion as well as make her uncle proud.
Everything in Callie’s life changes on the night a strange, deadly Neo nearly escapes the base.  Callie has a brief, yet frightful encounter with the creature who tells her he has information she desperately wants – information about the death of her parents.  Through a series of unusual circumstances, Callie discovers that the only life she’s ever known may not be as safe and genuine as she once believed. Callie is forced to make decisions that will forever alter her destiny and her relationships with others.    

Hunter’s Oath is a story of the importance of friendship, the search for truth, and the struggle of learning what it means to trust those who love you.  

Monday, November 5, 2012

“My Vast Political Expertise,” or “Coca-Cola in all the Water Fountains!”

When I was in 6th grade I ran for student body treasurer.  I had a cool poster with R2-D2 standing on a pile of gold coins along with the caption, “Be sure to win!  Vote for Ken!”  Not extremely catchy, but hey, it rhymed.  I had a rather nice platform as well.  I promised that if elected treasurer I would work tirelessly to ensure that we had Coca-Cola placed in every water fountain on campus!

Oddly enough…I lost.

But you know what?  Our school still managed to function somehow!  Even though the person who lost was obviously the best candidate, life went on.

Looking forward to the results of the Presidential election, I can’t help but be reminded of one fact:  No government will ever have all of the answers for the troubles that plague mankind.  It won’t happen.  Government is flawed.  People are flawed.  All we can really do is seek God and vote for the candidate we believe best represents what God wants to accomplish in our country. 

And we will disagree. 

So, for all of my friends who will vote for Mitt Romney…I love you.  And for all of my friends who will vote for Barack Obama…I love you too.  I pray God will forgive us all for the times over the last few months when we placed more emphasis on our political views than we did on loving one another.  I’m not claiming anyone is right or wrong for their views.  I believe there’s enough lying and confusion going around for all of us. 

And for every member of my 6th grade class who actually believed I had the ability to cause all of our water fountains to bubble over with sweet, sugary, carbonated goodness…I apologize.

BE SURE TO WIN!  VOTE FOR KEN!