Heroes Through a Looking Glass
Did you ever get thrown into a situation you had no desire to be in? I have more than once. In the Army, “You’re in charge of this group. Make sure they stay in line!” Another time I was sent to mediate a difficult church situation.
Tor is a miffit, distant relative of a hobbit, a simple fellow with nothing to offer when it comes to hero status. However, when he finds himself pulled from the sea by dwarves looting the flotsam after a shipwreck, he is thrust into a role he has no desire to play, the role of an accidental hero.
The Helot, the first book in the Accidental Heroes series is Tor’s story. So how did the story come about? Well, At the time of the first writing of the story I was a preacher, but I did not like the idea of preaching at my kids. I remembered how uncomfortable I was when my dad, who was not a preacher, would sermonize on the dos and don’ts of life. Grrr! Like with most kids, I listened without listening.
The Value of Story
How do you teach your kids principles of life without being preachy? I decided to write stories illustrating the principles, values, truths I wanted to get across to them, and they ate it up. They laughed. They cried. They looked perplexed. They asked questions!
The word “helot” means servant. The first episode in The Helot is about having a true servant’s heart…at a cost. The second episode is about facing life’s dragons, not by might, but by faith. Another episode deals with facing sexual temptation. But the overall story is about being nobody special and yet being a hero. My two boys have grown up to be everyday guys, but heroes nonetheless.
The Helot has been through numerous rewrites, the critic of a superb writer’s group cadre, and a lot of honing. The sequel, Dark Danger, continues Tor’s story. At present six books are planned for the series. We’ll see how it develops.
In my opinion, every teen should read these books. I am confident they could benefit greatly from the stories and thoroughly enjoy them at the same time. I have written many books, but these remain my sons’ favorites. On the other hand, they are not just for teens. If you like J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories you will like The Helot and Dark Danger. They fall somewhere between C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia and Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
I hope you enjoy reading my stories as much as I enjoy writing them. Hey, any feedback is welcome. Heroes leave comments and ask questions (smile).
Leave a Reply