When I visit schools and talk with young readers of my books, I love answering their questions. Students can ask anything—the questions don't have to be about my books. It's been hilarious at times. Besides "how old are you?" and "what's the name of your dog," recently a 10-year-old boy asked, "How many books will you write?"
It's a wonderful and innocuous question, but it fell on the heels of my reading an article about Stephen King, who has published 54 novels, 6 non-fiction books, and nearly 200 short stories—and he has more works in his drawer that haven't seen the red of an editor's pen. All that, and he's only six years older than I am. Better get a move on, I thought.
As most of you know, I've been writing The Rift, a large, epic fantasy novel for young adults, for some time. I'm making progress. I sent it for alpha review recently, and the comments have been very positive, although many things still need work. The book is long—it's taking time.
And other things have gotten in the way of completing it. Life has a way of asserting its own demands and priorities. My adventures with a hip fracture and its aftermath took a toll, and sometimes I just needed to have some fun, especially during the heat of summer here in Arizona when things start feeling shut in.
I'd hoped to have copies for you in October. That's not likely, and the book might not even be out by Christmas, although I hope so. What I finally told myself is that I'd rather have a good book than a fast one. I hope you're willing to wait.
Here's the new summary that will go on the back cover:
It's a wonderful and innocuous question, but it fell on the heels of my reading an article about Stephen King, who has published 54 novels, 6 non-fiction books, and nearly 200 short stories—and he has more works in his drawer that haven't seen the red of an editor's pen. All that, and he's only six years older than I am. Better get a move on, I thought.
As most of you know, I've been writing The Rift, a large, epic fantasy novel for young adults, for some time. I'm making progress. I sent it for alpha review recently, and the comments have been very positive, although many things still need work. The book is long—it's taking time.
And other things have gotten in the way of completing it. Life has a way of asserting its own demands and priorities. My adventures with a hip fracture and its aftermath took a toll, and sometimes I just needed to have some fun, especially during the heat of summer here in Arizona when things start feeling shut in.
I'd hoped to have copies for you in October. That's not likely, and the book might not even be out by Christmas, although I hope so. What I finally told myself is that I'd rather have a good book than a fast one. I hope you're willing to wait.
Here's the new summary that will go on the back cover:
They had no idea they would be heroes.
Neither did the wizards who brought them to Thera.
Tom is fifteen when his younger sister, Jessie, vanishes before his eyes. Her loss, coming after an accident that left him in a wheelchair, causes his family to disintegrate.
But Tom learns that Jessie’s disappearance was not an isolated event. Eons ago, wizards created a rift that shifted Earth’s once-abundant magic to a separate world called Thera. Now, a bloody war rages there: some wizards strive to reunite the worlds; others believe doing so would destroy both spheres. Both sides are stealing children with magical talent, such as Jessie, to aid their cause.
Desperate to bring Jessie back, Tom crosses to Thera as a centaur, where he learns that he and his sister are pawns in the wizards’ ongoing war. Rather than be manipulated, Tom and Jessie wage their own battles to save both worlds and return home.
It will be a good book. I'm holding as my motto something a friend said to me one day, as I complained that I wasn't writing quickly enough: "When you get there, you won't be late."
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