Heroes

Young people crave heroes.

I have been meditating on this truth ever since my visit yesterday to a local school where I spoke to a wonderful group of fifth graders. Many of them had already read my books, and to them, I was a celebrity. Although I gave each one an autographed bookmark, dozens of wide-eyed kids asked me to sign pieces of paper, marker boards, even a baseball mitt. It was a bit embarrassing to be the object of so much attention, but the magnitude of a young person's desire to be a part of, or to be near, a significant person (at least to them) really impressed me.

Why is this true? I think God implants in each one of us a passion for doing something significant, and although many adults may have suppressed the urge, young people feel that seed of passion. When they see someone fulfilling the innate calling, they are naturally drawn to that person. Still too young to carry out the calling themselves, they want to grab hold of the sports hero, media celebrity, or even an author who is stepping out to do something noteworthy.

What can we do to nurture and develop this planted seed in young people? I have some ideas I will be sharing soon. If anyone out there wants to chime in, please do.

Book Tour Scheduling

Scheduling appearances in various cities might be the hardest part of my job. I call lots of places, and I rarely get return calls. I send many e-mails and the returns hardly ever come. Either people are super busy, or I'm suffering from a strange case of invisible man syndrome.

So, you out there in cyberspace, if you want a free author appearance at your school, library, church, or just about any other ethical organization, please contact me. Right now I'm concentrating on getting a west coast tour going, but I'm open to other areas.

Here's a website that will tell you what I talk about: http://www.dragonsinourmidst.com/teachers.html

Help cure me of invisibility!

A Writer's Busy Life

I'm not going to win any awards for posting frequency. Maybe someday I'll begin posting once a month, then once a week, then daily. ... No. Probably not. But I'll do what I can.

I wonder if people perceive a writer's life as leisurely and slow-paced. We sit and stare at the ceiling, contemplating eternal truths and translate them into down-to-earth stories. Maybe we sip coffee and work a crossword puzzle, just to warm up, then log onto the computer and check our standing on six different fantasy football leagues. Got to keep the mind occupied during writer's block, right?

Not exactly. Maybe it's that way for some, but I don't know any writer who isn't constantly busy. Whether a book deadline stalks him night and day or speaking engagements demand preparation, every author I know lives at a frantic pace.

So, now as I leisurely sit back in my soft deskchair, I'll finally take time away from my fantasy football league and stack of crossword puzzle magazines and post an update.

Tears of a Dragon is on schedule ... I think. At least I've done all I can. It was edited and proofread by a couple of wonderfully talented editors. I carefully studied the typeset version and sent back the pages that needed changes (210 pages to be corrected! Ouch!). I checked the altered typeset version and approved the final document. It should now be at the printers.

Our official release date is October 30. I hope to have copies well before that, so those who order from me on-line might get yours before that date. We'll see.

I'm rapidly filling up my appearance schedule. The month of October is already getting crazily busy, and most of the events are out of state. Time to hit the road again.

Speaking of busy, while I was writing this, my wife called me to tell me we are getting two foster children short-term, two young brothers, ages 2 and 6. That's exciting ... and scary. Yes, the benefit for these two kids could be wonderful, but it's always a difficult transition. God help us to be the temporary parents these boys need at such a troubling time in their lives.

Well ... back to work!