One last thing!!! When you get a chance look up my friend here on JacketFlap Kristie Smith. She's like y #1 fan right now and she has created an amazing little activity book/study guide for me which I've adapted to my site. You can see it at http://www.everlandonline.com/kristie.html I mention her ... more

One last thing!!! When you get a chance look up my friend here on JacketFlap Kristie Smith. She's like y #1 fan right now and she has created an amazing little activity book/study guide for me which I've adapted to my site. You can see it at http://www.everlandonline.com/kristie.html I mention her cuz I think she'd enjoy your unique Boomtown style.

Nowen, I just received your monthly newsletter and I just love how creative you are with your marketing. I just also read your response here after I replied to your question, "What the big idea of my book was." Looking back, I sincerely apologize if my response came off as a bit heavy-handed and may... more

Nowen, I just received your monthly newsletter and I just love how creative you are with your marketing. I just also read your response here after I replied to your question, "What the big idea of my book was." Looking back, I sincerely apologize if my response came off as a bit heavy-handed and maybe a little rude. I didn't really mean to sound that way. Well, guess what I' on my way back to Iraq this Tuesday so in a way I get to return to the birthplace of Everland, to finish what I started so to speak.

Ricardo,
Wow! When I asked what "big idea" served as the foundation of your book I had no idea I would
receive such a complete response. Here's why. In the past, when I've asked other authors about
the purpose and meaning of their book, their answer was, "I just wanted to writ... more

Ricardo,

Wow! When I asked what "big idea" served as the foundation of your book I had no idea I would
receive such a complete response. Here's why. In the past, when I've asked other authors about
the purpose and meaning of their book, their answer was, "I just wanted to write a book that would
sell." As a result, their "big idea" consisted of studying the book market, finding out what
people were buying, imitating the success of some other book, and producing a knock-off. It
doesn't show much respect for readers and doesn't speak very highly of the author.

My belief is that a piece of literature, whether it is a poem, short story, book or whatever,
should communicate on two levels. On the surface, a book is about characters and plot. It should
capture the imagination of the reader and take them someplace they can't go in "real" life. A
book is a ticket on a train bound for adventure. But on a more sub-atomic level, a story should
also invite the reader to take part in an ethical/moral discussion about things that really
matter. The author wants to engage his readers in topic(s) that have life-changing significance.

Take your book(s) for example. Obviously, as a servant of our country, fighting for what has often
been unclear objectives, you have a front seat perspective on what it all might mean. You have
some strong opinions based on what only you and many of your friends in the same situation are
uniquely qualified to talk about. And you want other people, like myself, who cannot possibly
understand what you have seen, to see what you are seeing. Thus, your book (and its characters
and plot) are a vehicle designed to help your readers go where they cannot possibly go (to Iraq)
and see what only you and others like you have seen. And hopefully, once they've caught a glimpse
of what you are trying to show them, they can enter into a discussion about what should be done
about the real world, what can change or should change, and how they might participate in the
solution.

Therefore, you are to be congratulated and thanked, first for your service to our country, and
second, for the courage to engage in a discussion about things that are a lot more important than
the cost of gasoline or who might win the World Series (although, personally, I am a big fan of
the Rays. I love a Cinderella story, don't you?)

Thank you again. Keep up the good work. Nowen

Nowen, you have hit a very soft spot for me because I am very passionate about my work. And so in one short word I will answer you what Everland is all about. War. It was always about war. I am a soldier in the u.S. Army. This book was written in Iraq. The dedication page reads "To all the brave men... more

Nowen, you have hit a very soft spot for me because I am very passionate about my work. And so in one short word I will answer you what Everland is all about. War. It was always about war. I am a soldier in the u.S. Army. This book was written in Iraq. The dedication page reads "To all the brave men and women who kick down doors for a living and face roadside IEDs on a daily basis." The overall theme is about four unlikely friends with diverse backgrounds who go to a strange new world for a whole year (think deployment), they encounter cultures far different from their own where our own "westernized" rational form of logic is not always justified, to lands where despite fantasy characters, they do not all conveniently speak English and language actually poses an obstacle to be overcome. Yes everland is about 4 girls overcoming obstacles, friendships being tested and all that but like the blurb says, "When making it through the year means coming home TOGETHER, nothing else matters!" Does it mean they'll come home together ALIVE?" Not necessarily. Will there be a Harry Potter/ Disneylike happily ever after? No, but it will eb understandable. Everywhere you'll see military imagery and metaphors...the Black Knight calls his soldiers to At Ease, a fairy colony with military ambitions...Volume II depicts the most technologically advanced , highly trained fairy colony army in the world (sound familiar?) only to be defeated by an ancient "archaic magic based" foe that is not afraid to die because it is not alive. (Wooden puppet paratroopers..enough said.) I will elaborate more soon. To be continued...

Nowen, your website is a trip!!! You're awesome guy. As for MY "big idea"..ethical/moral concept. Boy where do i even begin?? Everland is just such a combination of so many things!!! I couldn't possibly sumarize it all in this tiny comment box but if you don't mind I'll try to..in small parts. And I... more

Nowen, your website is a trip!!! You're awesome guy. As for MY "big idea"..ethical/moral concept. Boy where do i even begin?? Everland is just such a combination of so many things!!! I couldn't possibly sumarize it all in this tiny comment box but if you don't mind I'll try to..in small parts. And I might just write a blog article about it, but in short with "Everland" I'm just aiming to be different, to be ORIGINAL...I mean look at my girls. They're nowhere near your 'typical" image of the modern teenage girl, skinny and with a surly sassy attitude. Ok so they dO have a bit of smart mouth, but that comes from mY own personality. And I didn't want to just color-code them, ethnic-type, etc..just to be politically correct. Look what you've done now you get me going!!! To eb continued....