Nightmare's Edge Release Countdown - 4

Only four days till Nightmare's Edge officially comes out. Since the book is already out in many places, and since I have a deadline approaching for my new book, Starlighter, I am suspending the countdown.

If you read Nightmare's Edge, please post your comments about it here.

April 2009 Newsletter is Online

My monthly newsletter for April 2009 is now available - Click Here.

Nightmare's Edge Release Countdown - 5

I heard from a reader that Nightmare's Edge is already in his store, and it's showing as "in stock" on Amazon.com, so it seems that this countdown is counting down too slowly.

That reader bought the book and read it the same day. His review? "I absolutely loved it!"

Only five more days till Nightmare's Edge comes out!

Nightmare's Edge Release Countdown - 6

In Eternity's Edge, you saw that the people of the misty world are frightened of the supplicants. In Nightmare's Edge, you will see why. The reality is quite eye-opening.

Special offer: If you order the entire three-book set of Echoes from the Edge at this link, you will also receive an autographed poster for The Bones of Makaidos. The set is already discounted to $30, so this is a great deal.

Only six days till Nightmare's Edge comes out.

I was unable to post a countdown yesterday, because I spent the day with my lovely wife on her birthday.

Nightmare's Edge Release Countdown - 8

In Nightmare's Edge, readers will see how Nathan's father learned about Quattro and the three supplicants. The answer might surprise you.

Only eight more days till Nightmare's Edge is officially released.

Nightmare's Edge Release Countdown - 9

I have received my author copies of Nightmare's Edge, so today I am mailing out copies to all pre-orders and contest winners. You should get them soon.

Only nine days until Nightmare's Edge is released.

Nightmare's Edge Release Countdown

Today I will begin a countdown to the release of Nightmare's Edge, the third book in the Echoes from the Edge trilogy. I hope that readers of the series are excited about the conclusion to this mystery/suspense/fantasy thriller.

Christianbookpreviews.com says of Nightmare's Edge, "The story is a unique blend of God, music, technology, and action, which are expertly combined into a masterpiece the reader will find engrossing."

If you haven't read any books in the series, now is a good time to get them all. You can order autographed copies of the three-book set for only $30 by clicking here. I will ship them out when Nightmare's Edge arrives. Even if you have read them, the set would make a great gift.

You can also order an autographed copy of Nightmare's Edge by itself by clicking here.

Only ten days until Nightmare's Edge comes out!

Nightmare's Edge is Coming

Nightmare's Edge, the third and final book in the Echoes from the Edge series will soon be available. The release date is May 1. In order to get everyone excited about the series, Zondervan has created this trailer. Enjoy.



Please help me by posting the link to this trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNo6lhmC0cE or embedding it in your Facebook, Myspace, blog, or website.

You can pre-order an autographed copy from me by clicking here, or you can order from Christianbook.com at the link below:

Nightmare's Edge, Echoes from the Edge #3 By Bryan Davis / ZonderKidz

Dragons Found in Russia!

Readers in Russia are snapping up copies of a new book called Воспитание драконов. What is this? Dragons in our Midst?

Yes, it seems so.

Check these out!



I am in the process of planning a trip to Russia in order to promote these books there. Please pray for the planning and my journey. What a great opportunity!

Raising Dragons Now on ITunes

The Raising Dragons audio book is now available on ITunes. And it's only $4.95!

If you buy it there, please comment here. I'm interested in knowing what you think of it.

All four Dragons in our Midst books are on ITunes, as well as the first three Oracles of Fire books.

Stories from my Writing Journey - Part Two

I'm going to post this story in full, and you can see it in a printable pdf file by clicking here.

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A Contentment Concerto
Bryan Davis © 2009

Sometimes God seems like the conductor of the grandest orchestra in the universe. During my journey as an aspiring novelist, I learned this truth in an amazing way.

Back in July of 2004, AMG publishers featured my first two books, The Image of a Father and Raising Dragons, at the Christian Booksellers Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. They had big plans for my signing event there, with giveaways for kids and much fanfare, so, excited about beginning this great adventure, I arrived early at AMG’s booth.

Only two people were there, an elderly man in a wheelchair and a woman standing next to him. As they perused some of the books on display, I heard the man say, “I don’t have much to do with the company anymore, so I’m not sure why God has called me to this convention. It will be interesting to see what He has in store.”

Later in the day, my editor introduced me to this man, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, the president of AMG, a biblical languages scholar. Dr. Zodhiates said, “I heard about you. You write books for young people. You quit your job to pursue a writing career, and you didn’t know where your next paycheck was coming from.”

At that point, he suddenly stopped talking. His eyes grew wide, and he began clapping his hands. “Oh, my brother!” he continued. “Now I know why God has called me to this convention. He wants me to give you a word.”

“A word?” I replied. “What word is that?”

His eyes still wide and his smile growing, he said, “The word is autarkeia. It’s a Greek word. It means ‘sufficiency’ or ‘contentment.’ God is your sufficiency. He will provide for all your needs, so you need not be concerned.”

The old man seemed like a prophet. It felt as if he was fitting me with a suit of armor. I listened with all my heart.

“Not only that,” he continued, “God wants you to use the theme of contentment in your next book. You see, all the problems young people have, whether it’s depression, drug or alcohol abuse, promiscuity, or suicidal thoughts, all stem from a lack of contentment. If only they would be content with what they have, who they are, or even whose they are, none of these problems would occur.”

As I pondered these words, I realized how true they were. Indeed, contentment would be the prevention and the cure for all these ills in youth culture. I promised to do my best to include that theme in a future book, and I fulfilled that promise in Circles of Seven, the third book in Dragons in our Midst, which has proven to be the most popular in that series.

Two weeks later, I went to a homeschool convention in Montgomery, Alabama. Since I am a homeschooling father, I wanted to introduce my books to homeschoolers. They tend to buy lots of books. They network well, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to make my books known.

Now, I can say this because I’m a homeschooler. We Christian homeschoolers are suspicious of just about everything. We want our kids to receive input that is trustworthy and pure. We check everything to make sure it is in keeping with biblical truth and world view.

It seemed that Alabama homeschoolers took this principle to heart. Some peered at these strange dragons books and made a wide berth around my table. Why would anyone be selling such merchandise at a convention like this? Of course, I explained the reasons, and some people bought the books, but the rate of sales seemed slower than what I hoped.

Since I wanted to be a good steward of God’s money, this slow rate concerned me. I had kept close track of my expenses—gas for travel, lodging, rental for the exhibit space, etc. My daughter Amanda went with me, so I also included food costs for both of us. Would I make a profit? Would I at least break even and make this a worthwhile venture? It seemed important to me that I at least bring in as much as I spent. That would be a sign that this kind of promotion would be a good idea, an effort that God approved.

Amanda kept a careful tally of book sales. After the first hour, I looked at the count. Since I knew how much money I made for each book sold, as well as the number of hours I would be at the convention, I was able to calculate how much money I would make, assuming the rate of sales remained constant. Since I have a good math mind, such a calculation was pretty easy for me. So, I did the computation and came up with a startling conclusion. If everything stayed the same, I would end up fifty dollars short of breaking even.

That’s not good. This promotion idea would be a losing effort. I couldn’t afford to go out on the road and lose money. I didn’t have another job to fall back on.

I had to try harder. I had to persuade more people that my books weren’t what they might appear to be. They were God-honoring and would make a positive spiritual impact on readers.

After the second hour, I did my computation again. The rate of sales had stayed the same, so I came up with the same bottom line. I would be fifty dollars short of breaking even.

This couldn’t go on. I had to do something to convince more buyers, but nothing came to mind.

During these hours of sales and calculations, two girls, Danielle and Masha, frequently came by my table. Danielle was wheelchair bound, a severely handicapped little girl with bent limbs and back. Masha, somewhat challenged by deformed feet and hands, happily pushed Danielle around in her chair. They would stop by my table and talk to me about my books. “We’re best friends,” they told me, “and we’re both going to be ten years old this month.”

To me they seemed like little angels. What a refreshing distraction they brought to my slow sales and dismal calculations. When I saw Danielle sitting in that wheelchair, she reminded me of Dr. Zodhiates in his wheelchair as he said, “Autarkeia.” And its meaning again flashed in my mind.

This little girl likely had suffered through many surgeries. How many times had she longed to run and play with other children? Had she been mocked or ridiculed for how she looked? Yet, there she sat with a smile that would melt any heart. She was the living picture of contentment, an illustration of the Greek lesson the other wheelchair-bound prophet had dispensed not long ago.

As I gazed into her bright eyes, I knew God had sent her to show me what autarkeia looked like. This was a new lesson I needed to study and learn. But what did it all mean? How would this new chapter in the contentment lesson book be applied in practice? I had to pay attention. God was teaching me something.

After the girls left my table, I continued with my sales and my calculations. Every hour I computed once again, and every hour I came up with the same bottom line—I would be fifty dollars short of breaking even. It seemed now that I was just filling time. I would finish this convention, go home, and make a new plan. This idea was obviously not going to work.

Soon, Masha’s father came to my table. He wanted to buy Raising Dragons for her. We had a nice chat, and it seemed clear why Masha had such a bright and cheery disposition. Her father had one, as well.

During our conversation, he learned that I had come from Florida, and he revealed that he, too, once lived in Florida.

“Where in Florida?” I asked.

“Avon Park, a little town in the middle of the state.”

“I know it well,” I replied. “I lived there for years. My father was the superintendent of schools for the county.”

“He was?” He looked at me curiously. “Is your father Dan Davis?”

“Yes. Do you know him?”

“Know him? He hired me as the band director for the middle school!”

Some people say that such “coincidences” can be attributed to this being a “small world,” that everyone has connections of some kind, but this seemed to stretch that theory way beyond its limits. Immediately a thought came to mind. Band director. God seemed to be the ultimate band director, or perhaps an orchestra conductor, waving His baton to meld the spiritual melodies and harmonies to bring about His purposes. He brought this man to me to demonstrate that He was orchestrating a cosmic concerto, a lesson in divine arrangements that I wouldn’t soon forget.

At the end of the second day of the convention, the final minutes ticked away. Amanda and I were packing our books, but we couldn’t leave yet. A man stood at the end of my table, flipping through the pages of The Image of a Father. He took his time, apparently very interested in the content. Soon, he closed the book and said, “This would be good for my men’s ministry. I’ll buy it.”

When he paid me, I gave the bills a long stare. This would be the last money I collected, so I did a final calculation, and the same total raised its ugly head. I would, indeed, be fifty dollars short.

I laid the bills in my money box. Obviously this convention wasn’t the best idea. I would have to pursue other promotion avenues.

The man walked away from my table, then stopped. He stared at the book’s cover, as if reading it for the first time. “Bryan Davis wrote this book,” he said.

“Yes,” I replied, wondering at this strange proclamation.

He turned back to me and read the sign on the wall over my head—“Bryan Davis – Author.”

“Are you Bryan Davis?”

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

His face suddenly flushed. His hands began to tremble. He walked closer and said, “You’re going to think this is really weird.”

He seemed so frightened, so timid. I wanted to comfort him. “It’s all right. What is it?”

His voice now shaking, he leaned close and pulled out his wallet again. “On my way over here, God told me to find a man named Bryan … and to give him fifty dollars.” He extended two twenties and a ten to me.

I stared at the money. This was the exact amount I had calculated for the past two days! I was so astonished, I began to shake and stammer. “I … I don’t know what to do.”

He extended the money further. “God commanded me to give this to you. Will you take it?”

What could I do? God had called this man to find me by name and give me the total that had tormented me for hours on end. So, I took it.

When I got home, I had to see what God had wrought. I calculated my expenses and income. When I added the fifty dollars, I found that I had broken even exactly to the dollar.

What did all this mean? What was this divine arrangement, this cosmic concerto of events that showed me the sufficiency of God and His intimate, personal love and care?

First, God gave me an academic lesson, providing an old man in a wheelchair who obeyed God’s composition and spoke the word that will echo in my mind forever. Autarkeia. God’s sufficiency. Contentment. God will supply all your needs. What a grand melody!

Then, God showed me what autarkeia looked like. Two angelic girls, one confined to a wheelchair, sang the harmony, an illustration of an academic truth. Here was contentment in the flesh, being lived out in the smiles of two lovers of Jesus.

Finally, another man followed the conductor’s baton and sought out a man who had not yet figured out how to dance to the music that flowed through the air. With simple obedience and a generous gift, he brought the symphony to a crescendo, and God showed me what autarkeia felt like.

Likely blended with a fatherly laugh, God sang His provision to me. What a wonderful lesson! This was like a fantasy story come true! I was trying my best to be a good steward, and, through these divine arrangements, God taught me another way, the path of contentment. As long as I am walking in the light, in the way of godliness, I don’t have to be concerned with money. If I need fifty dollars, God will bring a man in from the street to give it to me. Such is His love.

Now I understand what autarkeia is all about, and I will never forget the lesson. The apostle Paul’s meaning has become clear. “But godliness is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.” (1 Timothy 6:6)

Godliness is a choice, a life we can lead from the moment God regenerates us by the power of His Holy Spirit. Contentment is something we learn. As we see God’s provision in our lives, we come to understand that our loving Father will always give us what we need and never forsake us. We learn that every good thing comes by His hand. Even our ability to live in godliness has its source in Him.

These two truths walk hand in hand. Without godliness, we will walk in darkness. Without contentment, our walk in the light will be a struggle up the hills of everyday strife. When the two come together, we walk in the harmony of light and the freedom of knowing that every step is guided by the greatest conductor in the universe.

Stories from my Writing Journey - Part One

Many amazing events have occurred during my writing journey, and I have told about them in talks all across the country. I finally wrote a couple of them down, so I'll share one with you now. It's too long for a blog post, so I'll give the link. It's in pdf format, so it requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you don't have it, you can download it for free by clicking here.

Click here for my story about a dime and two pennies.

Feel free to share it with others on your blog or other website.

The Bones of Makaidos Early Reviews

Here are three reviews from early readers of The Bones of Makaidos. I am very thankful that people are enjoying the book so much.

I could not imagine anyone being able to write a better series than Dragons in our Midst and Oracles of Fire. Yet somehow, Mr. Davis still managed to completely outdo every other book in the Dragons series with The Bones of Makaidos. To call it a stroke of genius would feel like an insult to this unmatchable work of literary art. It takes you on an incredible journey with the amazing characters through mysterious worlds both old and new, and I can almost guarantee that it will have a huge emotional, spiritual, and mental impact on everyone who reads it. You’ll find old revelations and new surprises, some shocking, some relieving. There is practically no way that any reader could walk away from this story without a feeling of satisfaction and a head full of wonder. At nearly thirty thousand words longer than Eye of the Oracle, The Bones of Makaidos was worth every page. Don’t even bother buckling your seatbelt for this wild ride!

Could it have been any better? No! This book is an outstanding book in an outstanding series. The Bones of Makaidos is a fitting end to the best series of books I have ever read! If you have read any of the books in the Dragons in our Midst or Oracles of Fire series this one is a MUST read. While I read I felt like I was in the story itself, crying with them, laughing with them, fighting with them. In the ultimate battle of good vs. evil I felt joy at surprise reunions and sadness over the loss of loved ones. In the end I was left with a happiness that can only come from experiencing God at work in this world of ours. The Bones of Makaidos provides a Happily-Ever-After ending that is like no other and will leave you, as the reader, longing for an adventure like this.

The Final Installment is truly amazing. I couldn't put the book down, so be sure to start it on the weekend! It might be the best of the 8 books in the series.
Bryan Davis is phenomenal.

The Bones of Makaidos Release

Today is the day, the official release date of The Bones of Makaidos. A few stores have had it for a couple of days, and many more will put it on the shelves today, so call your bookstore before you go out to try to find it. I have mailed out all the pre-release orders, so they should arrive soon.

I am thankful to all who have helped in this effort, to my wonderful wife and children who have supported me through this series, to my publisher for all the work they have done to make this series popular, and especially to God for inspiring me with His love, grace, and power.

I hope readers will let me know what they think of this final book in the Oracles of Fire series.