The Land in the Woods
This is a middle grade fantasy novel that was greatly influenced by many classical works I’ve read in this genre (including Alice in Wonderland, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, etc.) and some classic Christian works (Pilgrim’s Progress, Phantastes by George MacDonald, etc.). I also drew upon my experience as a child exploring the woods in New England, and my knowledge of sibling dynamics from my family and the children I’ve taught over the years.
This story has been in the works for over 10 years! That is mostly because I didn’t have the time nor the confidence to fully develop it and publish it. It is now fully written, has been edited 3 times (and is currently being reviewed again), and I am developing the drawings for the chapter headings and finishing off the painting for the book cover. I plan to launch it in June of this year.
Description:
While exploring the woods near their house, Janine, Maurie, and Bobby Wells hear a strange animal cry and go to investigate it. To their surprise, they find a portal to a magical land. In the land, they must face the forces of darkness, and be confronted with the darkness that is in them, too.
As the children learn the laws of the land from the King’s creatures, and meet the mysterious and kind Prince, they question wrestle with questions of justice, forgiveness, and mercy.
Excerpt:
Maurie turned to Bobby. His lip had begun to tremble as tears sprung to his brilliant blue eyes. He was not quite old enough to appreciate the grandness of the adventure he was on. While Maurie was drinking everything in with awe, Bobby was suffering from several instances of shock, one of them being his abrupt separation from his eldest sister.
“Don’t cry, Bobby,” Maurie consoled him. She stooped to give him a big hug. “You can go next if you want. Janine will be on the other side, waiting for us.”
“Okay,” Bobby agreed, sniffling but comforted by the idea of reconciliation.
Maurie helped Bobby to open the door. It was heavier than she anticipated, and it opened with a loud creak.
Bobby stared into the darkness on the other side. “How will I see where I’m going?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure Sir Bluthers wouldn’t send us anywhere unsafe,” Maurie reassured him.
Bobby crossed his arms and stuck out his lower lip. “Hmph!”
Maurie sighed, her patience waning. “If you don’t go, I will,” she threatened.
“No! I’m going!” Bobby protested, stepping through the door.
In a moment, Maurie was alone. A slight shiver ran up her spine. She had been so concerned with getting Bobby through the door that she hadn’t realized that she was afraid, too.
The Forgotten Scroll
This is the sequel to The Land in the Woods, and is about 5/8 written. I enjoy the inventive, creative process I am at right now with this one, and I am excited to see how it develops. I always create a rough outline, tweak the outline several times, and then sometimes don’t adhere to it at all when doing the final chapters.
Description:
A few months after they discovered the magical land of Eridu, the Wells children are transported back there to complete an important mission for the King. Mystery surrounds the disappearance of an important scroll, and to retrieve it the children must team up with some old foes and new allies.
Excerpt:
The Wells children were at odds with each other. Janine had become grumpier and bossier than usual lately, and Maurie and Bobby tried to avoid her.
Ever since the summer, when they had traveled to the land of Eridu in the woods, and then not been able to find it again, Janine had insisted that it must have been a dream.
She wouldn’t listen to Maurie’s objection that they couldn’t have had the same dream, nor to Bobby’s insistence that he wouldn’t have been able to draw his pictures about the land if he hadn’t been there.
Mr. and Mrs. Wells weren’t any help, as Mr. Wells continued to encourage Maurie and Bobby to tell stories about the land, while Mrs. Wells scolded them for lying.
The summer was slowly turning into fall and the children had been back in school for about a month. Each of the children had grown taller that summer, and Maurie and Bobby felt they had grown much wiser, too.
Janine, however, had lost what she had gained in Eridu and returned to her old patterns.
Even though Bobby was five and Maurie was eight, they played with each other and tried to avoid Janine altogether. It seemed that they might go on like this forever, if not for something extraordinary that happened.
Learning from the Man of Sorrows
This book deals with anxiety, depression, grief, pain, and other kinds of suffering by looking at scriptures and using Jesus as the ultimate example of how to bear these sorrows and walk through them in a godly way.
It will draw on philosophy and psychology to help us understand the human condition and to illuminate how to pull through these things with hope.
True Forgiveness
I will draw upon Christian thinkers, theologians, church fathers, philosophers, and Bible passages to look at what forgiveness is and what it really means to forgive.
Excerpt from the introduction:
“Everyone always says that forgiving means you simply let something go, as if the event never happened, or the hurt never occurred.
The problem is that when someone wrongs another person deeply enough that forgiveness is needed, the person who must forgive pays a price. That should never be forgotten or minimized. When it is, it actually detracts from the act of sacrificial love that motivates true forgiveness.
What many people often mean when they say, “forgive and forget” is simply: “forget.” Forget the thing happened. Forget the pain you felt. Forget the injury that was caused you. Forget the injustice. Act like it never happened and try to treat the other person the same way you did before they harmed you. Basically, deny reality and suppress your true feelings. Deny your right to be respected and loved.
Over time, this type of false forgiveness is deeply damaging. Instead of bringing harmony, it brings a false sense of comradery while deep and painful emotions boil under the surface.
The reason people arrive at this false forgiveness is that they want things to be simple. But forgiveness is not simple. It is complex. It involves two or more parties, and may be needed on both sides of a dispute. It can take moments, years, or a lifetime to be “resolved.” It may even need to be revisited when old wounds are scratched.”
Those are just a few of my personal writing projects right now.
What about you? What are you writing?
Classic Reads 