StarPassage: Heroes and Martyrs
The award-winning StarPassage saga continues with the relic guiding the Carsons to a new and desperate family. Two brothers, Bobby and Mike, are struggling after a tragic accident turns their world upside down.
Join our heroes on a series of dangerous adventures to solve the relic's riddles, save lives, escape the ever-increasing Tracker threat, and experience some of the most dreadful and exciting moments in history.
Will they learn from the past--should they change it if they can? Is there any hope for survival?
My Review
Just like the first book, I enjoyed this book. It was nice to see Tim and Martie again. They were first introduced in book one. This time they are taking what they learned about the star and applying it to help Bobby and his older brother, Mike.
As was the situation with the first book, the star had a lot to share with Bobby and Mike. Again, each place that the group traveled, they met different people who were valuable to the brothers and the healing process. Yet, the traveling is not without some dangers. This includes "trackers". They are bad people who want the star. The main one is Clynt. He will stop at nothing to get his hands on the star.
I am proud to share these books with my nephews. Not only because these books are good reading but they also have lessons that they can learn from. I can't wait to get my hands on the third book to see if Clynt does get the star. The author really brings to life rich characters and great storylines in his writing.
Website
1. What inspired you to create this
series? A silver star at the top of my
son’s family Christmas tree a couple of years ago. It was a beautiful setting
as they placed it at the top and I commented that there was a good story there
somewhere. The idea kept bouncing around in my head and then combined with the
difficulties we experienced when I was growing up with what I now have come to
understand was my Father’s struggle with PTSD from his experiences in the
Korean War. Within a month the story was well underway. I wanted people,
especially children who struggle to feel there is real hope that they can
overcome family challenges and personal challenges. This book provides such
hope and encouragement I believe.
2. How would you describe the
characters Bobby and Mike? Brothers and
best friends. Bobby looks up to and idolizes Mike, his older brother. They are
also competitive and both try to outdo each other especially at surfing. Bobby
is devastated and guilty as a result of the accident and injury to Mike. He
feels responsible. They struggle together as a team to move forward.
3. How would you explain the dynamic
between Bobby, Mike and the Carsons? How does it evolve through the book? Bobby first comes into contact with Tim and
it is a very rough interaction at first. With a lot of work Bobby comes around
and the Carsons meet Mike. Their relationships grow through experiencing
passages together and surviving difficult trials together. The families grow
closer as they learn through their shared experiences more about each other as
well as themselves.
4. What was the most rewarding moment
you experienced in writing StarPassage:
Book Two, Heroes and Martyrs? The
experience of Bobby and Mike meeting their ancestor in person and (spoiler)
saving his life. The moment when Grandpa Chris also meets his Father for the
first time is also touching. There is another moment when Mike has the
opportunity to turn the clock back and avoid the accident that paralyzed him
and chooses not to do it. These insights were moving to me when they burst upon
the stage of my mind. I hope readers will feel the spirit of these moments just
as I did. The book is full of these kinds of moments.
5. What was the biggest challenge you
faced in writing this book? It’s always
tough to write a squeal. It’s a satisfying challenge to develop the story and
characters, introduce new characters and ratchet up the adventure and
excitement. You can’t just do the same thing over again. The story needs to
move forward as do the characters and as they do it opens doors to more
excitement and meaningful experiences for the reader and the author.
6. What does your writing process
look like? I don’t really set an outline
per se. I like to write as if I am experiencing the story as the characters do.
This means I don’t know what I will discover when I round the bend. It makes it
very exciting for me to write and I can hardly wait to get back to it. In a way
it is like what I hope my readers experience when they put my book down, I hope
they can’t wait to find out what’s next. This also keeps me from experiencing
writer’s block.
7. What type of research did you
do? Research
for any book is critical. However, it is more complex when you involve the
Present as well as historical settings. Researching the D-Day Parachute drops
and the 101st airborne, the attack on the twin towers in 2001 and
the interaction with the Riders were both interesting and touching. My
interview with Creighton and Lisa Rider was a wonderful and touching
experience. They are delightful to speak with and inspirational. I really hope
that comes through in the book and encourages support for those courageous
souls who battle disease or injury for which there is no clear cure. Life goes
on and can still be incredibly meaningful and make a difference even though we
are through curve balls.
8. What drew you to the genre of
young adult fantasy adventure? I believe
young adults and middle readers need exciting reading that also inspires and
uplifts with strong well designed characters that can be identified with and
respected. They are not superheroes but rather regular people that demonstrate
the power each of us have within to bravely stand for what we believe, have
hope and the faith that we are never alone. I believe my books can make a
difference with young adults and help give them direction, purpose and a reason
to become something more than they otherwise might have been.
9. What is the key to attracting
young readers? I believe they want to
have a story that transports them to an adventure where the can find something
of themselves in the characters and identify with the process and thereby
absorb the lessons so they can apply them in their own life. It is not just
about attracting, rather it is about holding attention with real stories that
compel and inspire. Making them memorable and raising their expectations in
life and their courage in stepping up to do hard things. I believe all young
people are better off if they learn that they can accomplish hard things. Too
much of writing in literature and on the screen has become lazy due to
over-reliance on CGI and gratuitous violence, profanity, immorality or cheap
crude humor. Young people respond better to a well written story, dialogue and
good writing than anything else. A story and characters that draw them in and
move them along make all the difference.
10. What has been one of your own
greatest adventures? By far my greatest
adventure has been marrying my wife Leah which created a blended family of 10
children overnight. It has been wonderful and full of unexpected twists and
turns almost daily. This wild ride of course continues. We have overcome great
challenges along the way and have much still to accomplish but it has been
something we have done together and we both cherish every day, every challenge
and every joy. Oh and by the way…they just keep on coming…
11. StarPassage: Book Two, Heroes and
Martyrs continues with the
relic guiding the Carsons to two brothers, Bobby and Mike, and through a series of dangerous
adventures through time to solve the relic's riddles, save lives, and escape
the ever-increasing Tracker threat. If you were able to travel back in time to any moment in
history, which would you choose? I have
thought a lot about that and always seem to come to one situation. I would like
to stand at the tomb of Lazarus as he steps out having been raised from the
dead by Jesus to a life where he is named public enemy number 2 just behind the
Savior himself. I would like to get to know Lazarus and understand better his
motivation and how Jesus changed his life and especially learn about what
happened following the great event at his tomb and how he carried on after the Savior
was Crucified and Resurrected.
12. Which writers inspired you as a
kid? Which writers inspire you today? As
a kid I read a lot of Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury (Sci-Fi). In my 20’s and
30’s I enjoyed more of Tolkien and CS Lewis as well as history and historical
fiction. Nowadays I am always reading a couple of books trying to appreciate
good writing styles and discovering interesting parts of history.
13. When do you expect the next
installment of the series to come out? I
am working on Book Three of the series now. I am very excited where the tale is
going and am about 2/3’s through. It is an adventure every day. I expect to
submit it to the publisher this summer and have it available summer of
2018. My wife, Leah, and I are also
excited about our book on Blended Families that we are finishing together. We
are looking for a great publisher that has interest in bringing something truly
ground-shaking and inspiring to the ever-increasing world of the needs of
blended families. Every person is touched in some way by what we call the
“Family Blender”. We believe our 10 principles of a successful blended family
will truly make a difference.
Comments
unn.edu.ng