What a great visit I had with these students at Eagles Nest Christian Academy in Milton, DE, on Friday, December 12! This is the third class of 6th graders I’ve had a chance to interact with, and they did not disappoint me with their questions and enthusiam for Gavin. My sincere thanks to Jessica Hague for the great job she’s doing teaching Gavin in her classroom and for inviting me to meet with her students.
The following fan letter is awesome. Thanks so much, Bethany! I’ll answer your questions at the end of this post.
“Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons shall separate you from the loe of God.” I appreciated this passage from the book because the words conveyed the message of how God protects everyody. You showed this in your book, Gavin Goodfellowwhich opened doors to an exciting world for me. I heard about Gavin Goodfellow: The Lure of Burnt Swamp when you visited my class and discussed it. The Lure of Burnt Swamp caught my attention and kept me intrigued. While reading the book, the expression on my face showed shock and anticipation. My jaw dropped, and my eyes widened. Have you endured a spiritual experience like Gavin’s before? The vivid details allowed me to experience the same feelings the character went through. I tasted the book that Gavin’s uncle asked him to eat in his vision. When Gavin got caught in the Lodge, so did I.
I have many words to describe this book: interesting, down to earth, and suspenseful. I felt connected with both the characters and the setting. Gavin found adventures in Delaware; I live in Delaware. Why did you choose to set your book in the tiny state of Delaware? I related mostly to Molly. We both found ourselves pulled into trouble by our adventurous cousins, and we both strived to get good grades. I related well to Gavin, espcially when Molly and Eric wanted to trespass into the lodge. My cousins always wanted to do something adventurous. I knew doing it would be wrong, and I did’t want to be a part of it; I tagged along though. One time, my cousins wanted to run around the farm, climb hay bales, and wander through the woods. I knew we shouldn’t, but I went anyway. Gavin’s mom seems a lot like my dad because they both act very relaxed, but can but their foot down. Gavin’s dad reminds me of my mother because they both can be strict but for good reasons I do not always appreciate.
After reading The Lure of Burnt Swamp, I realized that we don’t always want the fate that’s forced upon us, but we must make the best of the situation. When I opened this book, the words on the pages leaped at me and I became lost in them. I appreciate spiritual fantasies because of your ability to write a touching book.
Gavin Goodfellow captivated me. The unpredictable story left me on the edge of my seat. Libraries and schools need to stock this book. I’m amazed how well written a book can be. Relating to the characters made it more enjoyable. What inspired you to write such an amazing book? I cannot wait to read the rest of the series to find out what you have in store for Gavin. If you have any tips on how to write an amazing story, I would love to hear them. Thanks for inspiring me to write.
Your devoted reader,
Bethany
Have I endured a spiritual experience like Gavin’s before? Yes, I wrote out of my own experience and have had a number of “mountain top encounters” with the Lord (the attic scene, in particular, although it was exaggerated as I didn’t see Jesus in tangible form). On the other hand, the New Age and witchcraft parts are total research.
Why did I choose to set the book in the tiny state of Delaware? Well, it goes back to writing from experience. Since this is my first attempt at fiction, I thought it best to work with familiar surroundings. Besides, the real Burnt Swamp is such an intriguing place—did you know that there really were fires that burned for long periods of time in Burnt Swamp? But, if you’ll look closely, you’ll see that, although the Eastern Shore is mentioned in the preface, I don’t really identify Delaware anywhere in the book. I wanted to leave my fictional setting vague . . . but, just as I had hoped, you recognized local landmarks. That makes it special for people who love the First State as I do.
What inspired me to write Gavin? Well, in a word, God. I was reading my grandson’s copy of the first Harry Potter book and had a fleeting thought: Somebody needs to write a Christian book that’s just this much fun to read. Immediately, three words penetrated my spirit: “You do it.” You can imagine my apprehension! I began peppering the Lord with my doubts. But Lord, I don’t know how to write fiction; I don’t know how to write for kids; I don’t know how to write fantasy . . . That’s when He reminded me that I am already doing a lot of things I didn’t know how to do because I’d been obedient in the past to the call to write and publish. When I shared the overwhelming vision with my writing friends, a number of professionals came alongside to mentor me. I studied the craft of novel writing. We brainstormed plots and subplots. They edited my many drafts over and over again. And now they’re helping me as I work through the process all over again in writing books two and three in the series.
As far as tips on how to create an amazing story, you already have a strong gift for words. I would like to invite to you participate in our writers’ group that meets once a month in Georgetown. Delmarva Christian Writers’ Fellowship is free and would be a great encouragement to you. Check out our website at www.delmarvawriters.com. We have some other young people who have been coming lately who are writing fantasy, so when you’re ready to do some creative writing, you’ll fit right in. Our group can help give you a sense of direction.
Thanks again for your amazing letter, Bethany!
I had the most wonderful visit with two sixth grade classes at Eagles Nest Christian School on Wednesday, Oct. 15. Both classes were awesome, with questions coming from all corners. And, although I gave each student a personalized “Gavin Fan Club” packet with certificate, map, membership card, and dog tag, they wanted me to sign everything from blank sheets of paper to the palms of their hands and arms to sneakers. The only request I refused was to write my name on their forehead. A warm and enthusiastic thanks to Jessica Hague for inviting me to visit with her students.
6th grade students at Eagles Nest Christian School
“What a thrill to meet you,” I said in my opening remarks to the 6th and 7th grade students at Eagles Nest Christian Academy on Friday, June 5. “You’re the very ones I wrote this book for.” There are few things more satisfying to me as an author than having the opportunity to meet face-to-face and establish a relationship with young readers. The students’ questions were insightful, and they gave me an opportunity to share some tidbits and background that very few people know about Gavin Goodfellow. While I visited with students in four classes, we only captured photos with two of them because the bell rang before we had a chance to snap a shot with the other two classes. But their enthusiasm will stay with me a long time. A hearty thanks to Jessica Hague, the Language Arts teacher, for arranging the visit, and to Lucy Dutton for opening the doors to “Gavin” at Eagles Nest.
Visit “Ask Candy” and check out the great discussion we have going with the 8th grade students at Epworth Christian School. Feel free to chime in and let us know which character you think is best developed and why.
Hi! This is the author, Candy Abbott. If you have any trivia questions about the book or want to know more about me or my writing, fire away! It will be great to get some discussion going.
Greetings, young saints . . . or maybe you’re somebody who feels like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. This is your friend, Dexter. It would be my honor to help in any way I can, especially if you’re interested in finding Scriptures that are relevant to your questions or concerns. So, what do you say? Let’s get acquainted. I’m here for you.
Howdy, this is yer favorite Uncle Warney. If’n ya got somethin’ on yer mind, I got a heap o’ wisdom ta share. Come on, spit it right out. Don’t be shy. No matter how tough or how silly ya think yer question is, even if I cain’t come up with an answer ta suit, ya can always count on muh prayers.
Yo, guys. What’s up? Your pal, Eric.
Hello girlfriends, this is Molly. I thought maybe we could keep this post for girls only. Do you have any questions for me? If I don’t know the answers, I’ll do some research and get right back to you.
Hey kids, this is Gavin. What’s on your mind?
On 1/3/07 Jean Pence from Mount Carmel Christian Church in Meadowview, VA, wrote: I began reading “Gavin” to my class last night at church. They love it! They are completely hooked. I asked why they thought God had Gavin eating a book.  One young lady said, “I think it’s like being baptized.” I expanded on that and talked about how being baptized was getting ready to follow God, etc. I thought that was a neat insight. Another wanted to know if the donkey was Balaam’s donkey. :) We only read chapter one but had a lot of discussion, and we ate dried apricots, Granny Smith Apples and 7-up (as in Gavin’s vision). They all left class saying they had “eaten a book”. 
Attention home schoolers, Christian school administrators/teachers, youth pastors, Sunday school teachers, etc. If you would like a 20% discount on the paperback edition of Gavin Goodfellow, all you have to do is e-mail Candy Abbott at author@GavinGoodfellow.com and let her know the name of your school or network. She will walk you through the process and even sign the books your students receive!
Epworth Christian School is a springboard for Gavin Goodfellow because the administration initiated a pilot program to give the spiritual fantasy “real life application” in a Christian educational setting. Here are the 8th grade Language Arts students and teacher Melanie Theofiles, on December 20, 2007, the day we read the final chapter of The Lure of Burnt Swamp together. Â
One of the assignments Mrs. Theofiles gave as a part of their chapter-by-chapter study was to choose a character and create a poster, and here are their creative results:
What an incredibly FUN time I had this morning when I visited the 8th grade Language Arts students at Epworth Christian School. Melanie Theofiles’ class is the first to not only read Gavin as a group but to study the book, chapter-by-chapter. The class finished the book TODAY and followed along as I read the final chapter. I have to say, the most wonderful surprise for me was seeing Gavin in “less-than-perfect” condition–with bent corners, fluffed up pages, etc. A warm feeling came over me to think that the content is really resonating with kids and getting them to think. They had posters on the walls of their favorite characters (I was surprised to find Uncle Warey, Molly and Eric as their first choices, not Gavin). The kids gave me a warm welcome and asked super questions; we took pictures that I’m hoping to post on the blog as soon as I get them. When the bell rang, I got the feeling that the students felt just like I did . . . wishing we’d had more time.  From this “pilot program” will come the Language Guide that Melanie is writing for middle school teachers which we’re hoping will be ready in the next few months; I’ll keep you posted.
I came home to a phone call from Eric Gillespie, scheduling a reading for Saturday morning at the Whatcoat Shelter he runs in Dover, DE (20 kids and 27 adults). Eric and I met at Calvary’s production when one of the residents of the shelter asked if it might be possible for me to visit with them. He has not only followed up as promised but taken the initiative to contact the media (TV and newspapers) and has found a sponsor to purchase 25 books.
When I leave there, I’ll go to Diane Cook’s studio where we will begin recording The Lure of Burnt Swamp as an audio book. God is on the move with Gavin!
Hi. This is Gavin. I asked my parents if they would take me to see The Golden Compass, and Mom said, “Absolutely not. It’s ungodly, and I won’t have you filling your head with that nonsense.” When I asked why, she said it was “atheistic propoganda.” When I asked what that meant, she said the guy who wrote the book the movie is based on hates God and is trying to sneak his way into kids’ lives. And then she gave me this link, but it’s a lot of words, so I’m passing it on to you ’cause I’m not into reading: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,305487,00.html.
Molly says we should boycott the Golden Compass, and I said, “What? You mean like march around in front of the theater with signs on sticks?” And she said, “No, silly. Just pass the word so Christians will know to ban together and expose this anti-God movie for what it really is.” So, have you seen the movie? Will you help us warn other kids?
I want to introduce you to Luke Jimminik, the composer who wrote the original music for our home page. He is working on a Gavin theme song, and we will add it to the website as soon as it’s ready.
Are there any young (or seasoned) poets out there who would be interested in trying your hand at the lyrics? We’re thinking of hosting a contest and will keep you posted.
In the meantime, here’s a link for you to find out more about this talented young musician: http://www.soundclick.com/pro/view/03/default.cfm?bandID=363797. I’m sure Luke would love to hear from you.
Along with other authors, Candy will give a 7-8 minute reading from Gavin Goodfellow: The Lure of Burnt Swamp for the Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild’s monthly dinner meeting. The theme is “Things That Go Bump in the Night.” This monthly dinner meeting will be held on October 16th from 7:30pm – 9:30pm at Fish ON!, located at 17300 N. Village, Main Blvd., Lewes, DE 19958.
