Books

During the National Novel Writing Month extravaganza, I wrote my first book.  This takes place during November, which is also the main brunt of rifle season for white-tailed deer.  Several days I found myself leaning against a tree with a gun while scribbling down plot points and story ideas.  It was very odd.  The deer didn’t seem to appreciate it either since they never bothered to come around on those days.
My first book, “Down The Path”, was the result of that NaNoWriMo challenge.

This is the story of Cooper.  A young man of 20 with a heavy burden to carry.  When asked to most likely sacrifice himself for the good of the community, he accepted and his grand adventure began.

This is a novel set several generations after a civilization ending event.  What sets it apart from so many other dystopian stories is that this book focuses on hope for the future rather than chaos and violence.  It is meant to be a fun read that gives you a little more faith in humanity.  It also offers up many real world survival tips in an easy to understand way.

I didn’t initially plan on writing a sequel to that book.  I thought it was cool to have written one, and I figured no one would really read it anyway.

I was wrong about that and many asked me what happened next.  Some were a little angry about the cliffhanger ending also, even though I didn’t think it was much of a cliffhanger.  So, over the month of February, I cranked out the sequel, “Further: Down The Path 2”.

“Further” continues Cooper’s adventure with the same great cast of characters you have come to love, plus one mysterious new face.   The band of travelers head back to the old city to make a shocking discovery.  They get yet another surprise upon returning to the village.  Before long, Cooper’s restlessness leads him on to the greatest discovery he has ever made…a discovery which could have consequences for the remainder of mankind all over the planet.

Again, this is a lighthearted adventure tale featuring lots of dogs, brewing, real world survival skills, and fun.  Both books are clean enough to be read by the young reader who might be a budding outdoorsperson.

“Finding Their Path” is a prequel to the first two books.  It was written during the summer of 2013.  It takes the timeline back 500 or so years to 2060 and it is set in an underground military installation.  It centers around a new therapist to the site, named Kate.  She transfers to the site looking for a fresh life, but soon after arriving, nuclear bombs start flying towards the US mainland.  Kate, her new friends, and a mischievous dog named Bender, must do everything they can in order to save not only themselves, but the very existence of humanity.

This book was written as a stand alone novel to answer many questions that readers had about the fall of civilization and how Cooper’s world became the way it was.  “Easter Eggs” are sprinkled around in the novel that serve as direct references to Cooper and his gang, but overall you can read this book first and understand all of it having not read the previous two.

“Singular Points” is the story of a man named David who, upon the crumbling of his nearly perfect life, is transported to a new place.  Once there, everything he had ever believed about his own world is called into question, as well as the very nature of man.  Through a series of events, David realizes he holds within him something unique, and with the help of his sister, his best friend, and his trusty malamute Kona, he enters into a battle that just may decide the fate of an entire universe.

This book has some strange points.  It’s written to leave the reader guessing up until the end.  It has been equated to the Odd Thomas series as well as the epic Twin Peaks television series.  Yeah, it’s a little weird, but I like to think that it’s a heck of a good ride.    It is an action packed metaphysical adventure story that approaches many of life’s big questions with humor and understanding.

I truly hope you have fun reading them!