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!

Hey, guys. Dexter here. I just discovered a really cool web site. Check it out: NotReligion.com.

Inquiring minds want to know . . . when will book two be ready? My hope and prayer is that ”Gavin Goodfellow: The Gathering at Burnt Swamp” will be in reader’s hands by October 2008, but a dear writing mentor, Linda Windsor, cautioned me that “No book should be published before its time.”

This is quite an ambitious goal since it took me four years to write the first book and three years of research before that. But I have been a diligent student since my crash course on how to write fiction began. Now I know how to write dialogue, how to organize scenes, who the characters are, where they live, what they’re up to, and what they’re about to get into. So bear with me while I work through this. I’ll be sure to give you periodic updates on my progress.

On Sunday, December 23, alone in church before the service, I was overwhelmed with gratitude to God for all He has done to bring Gavin into the world and give him such a tremendous jumpstart this year. Suddenly, a simple phrase popped into my mind, “Think Small.” The Holy Spirit had spoken. I know His voice.

It puzzled me at first. The phrase seemed like a contradiction since so many people have been telling me (for years) about the huge potential for Gavin to go “big time.” But isn’t the glitz and glitter of “big time” the world’s way? God loves “small beginnings.” Just look at how He chose to redeem mankind—as a child in the most humble of circumstances.

I began to take a fresh look at Gavin and the path God has taken him on. The book is set in a swamp, for goodness sake. And the doors to all the big publishers and marketing machines have been closed to us (at least so far). Gavin Goodfellow was independently published right here from our Fruitbearer Publishing home-based office in Georgetown, Delaware, one of the smallest states in the nation. In fact, our motto at Fruitbearer Publishing is, “Small Seeds for a Great Harvest.” We like to call ourselves, “A friendly starting place for budding authors.”

Small is good.

May I never lose appreciation for the joy contained in one-on-one relationships, for the potential of what can happen when one person shares the testimony of what God has done in his or her life, for the power to draw others closer to Christ when one individual tells someone else about the excitement they have discovered in a godly book.

“Think small.” It is God’s way to bring about great and meaningful things!

The Lord gave me the most wonderful, unexpected Christmas gift! On December 24, I awoke around 5 AM with the perfect first sentence to begin book two running through my mind. Although I had intended to devote the day to wrapping presents, cleaning the house, shopping for Christmas brunch groceries, setting the table, and entirely focusing on holiday festivities, the first thing I did was make my way to the keyboard to capture that sentence. And, lo and behold, I wrote two manuscript pages, and today I wrote four more. For months, I have been working on the outline and still have tons of notes to transcribe and organize, but–praise the Lord–now I can say with confidence that Book Two, “Gavin Goodfellow: The Gathering at Burnt Swamp,” is officially underway!

The warm welcome that I experienced yesterday morning, Sat., Dec. 22, 2007, at the Whatcoat Social Services Agency in Dover, DE, is a memory I will always cherish These precious people, many of whom are experiencing difficult times, had the light of Jesus shining from their faces and embraced Gavin with eagerness and joy. Here you go . . . see for yourself . . .

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.  

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!

I awoke from a bad dream this morning. The setting was a room where I was teaching lessons from Gavin to a very receptive audience. I felt the power of God flowing through me, and people were asking meaningful, life-changing questions. A big, burly man entered the room and stood against the far wall, frowning. He reminded me of Scrooge, and I felt suddenly cold and intimidated. The meeting was winding down, so I closed with prayer. Instead of the flow of intercession I was accustomed to, I found myself choosing my words carefully (”grace,” “sensitive to the Lord’s leading,” etc.), all too aware that the man was judging everything I said.

In the middle of my prayer, he shouted, “Enough!” and marched across the room with a wave of his arm. People lined up behind him like ducklings and followed him toward the door. “This is unacceptable,” he announced. They all filed out, many looking back at me with apologetic expressions.

Turning to those who remained, I said, “I guess I should leave,” hoping they would encourage me to stay and talk through what had just happened. But they simply said, “Yes, you should.” With that, I woke up.

With all the encouragement I’ve been receiving so far on Gavin, the Lord has clearly protected me from naysayers. But common sense tells me that I can’t expose witchcraft and false religion without experiencing opposition.  The time is surely coming when the critics will interfere with intent to derail and persuade the masses.

I have asked the Lord to give me grace and wisdom if I am in a position to respond and that I will stay the course. He reminded me that the Helmet of Salvation and Breastplate of Righteousness will guard my mind and heart. And then he referred me to Psalm 63. Please keep me in your prayers.

Here’s what Bob and Lina Nickle, Chadds Ford, PA, have to say . . .

“If her purpose was to counterbalance the influence on our children of the over-abundance of literature that ignores or insults our Creator by presenting a book that exalts Godly values, then Candy Abbott has succeeded. The added bonus is that Gavin Goodfellow is a captivating and delightful read for our youth as well as the child in each of us.”

Hadassa Goldsberry and Franklin Garner are sophomores at Calvary Christian Academy in Dover, DE, and were cast members in the Christmas production, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” where they purchased Gavin. (They look their age when they’re dressed like teenagers instead of the 1941 characters they portrayed.) Who would have thought they would spend every free minute between performances with their noses in a book? Their enthusiasm for Gavin generated a huge amount of interest and testifies to the notion that this is a book that spans generations, from 8 to 80+. So if anyone asks if it’s appropriate for high school students, here’s proof.

Hadassah says to tell you, “This book was soooooo awesome! I can’t wait for the next one. Gavin has topped all the other books I’ve been reading lately and now I’m bored with the ones I have. I want more Gavin.”

The biggest complaint I have about blogs is that it’s always so hard to figure out how to post a comment. It’s like the people who design these programs want to make a guessing game out of it. Everybody’s blog is different, and I have to look around and eventually figure out the right spot. So if you wondering how to post a comment here on the Burnt Swamp Blog, let me take the guessing out of it for you. At the bottom of each message you’ll find a link that says ”No Comments” or (”1 Comment . . . or however many), and that’s the place to click and type.  Come on . . . give it a try . . . let me know what you think about Gavin. Ask me some questions. Give suggestions for improvement. Think up issues you’d like to see Gavin talk about. List your favorite blogs. Just say hi!

Gavin is making himself right at home at Calvary Assembly of God in Dover. Hey, if you haven’t seen their Christmas production, “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” there is another show tonight (Sun., 12/9) and tomorrow night (Mon. 12/10) at 7 PM. Doors open at 6 and it’s packed (they seat almost 1,000). It’s also FREE, so come early (1141 E. Lebanon Rd., Dover, DE 19901). The musical is set in 1941 and is incredible–just like Broadway or Sight and Sound.

Angela Coon invited me to join her on stage before the show to say a few words about how Gavin came to be, what the book is about, and my hopes and expectations, and the audience broke into spontaneous applause. I experiened every author’s dream–customers lined up all around the table; I’ve been signing as fast as I can. Lots of great connections and affirmations, even if people didn’t buy the book. Several young cast members have become “friends” and like to hang out with me. Drew sits quietly in the background taking it all in and occasionally chatting with people he hasn’t seen in years.

One really neat thing is that a guy who runs a shelter in Dover invited me to come up and read to them between now and Christmas, which I agreed to do. Then he said he would get media coverage and left. Within a few minutes, he reappeared and whispered that he had found a sponsor for 25 books. The student workbooks (Interactive Journal) are going fast, and Christian educators are eager for the teacher’s guide.

I really sense the Holy Spirit’s presence in that place. God is guiding Gavin’s steps, and Drew and I are enjoying the journey.

Hey, homeschoolers . . . did you know you can get a 20% discount on the paperback edition of Gavin? Contact Customer Service and tell us you’re interested. We’ll take it from there.  

Oh . . . the anticipation. Because of the initiative of Epworth Christian School, Gavin will have the opportunity to be considered for encorsement by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). The committee is scheduled to meet on December 13, and we have forwarded the book and curriculum pieces for their review. If we receive a positive response, we hope to be able to offer a workshop on how Gavin can be used in the classroom and a vendor table at the 2008 ACSI convention in Washington, D.C.

Calvary Assembly of God, Dover, DE, is so excited about The Lure of Burnt Swamp that they have invited me to set up a “Gavin table” for all six of their their Christmas performances (including a free ad in their program booklet). This year’s play is “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” and admission is FREE, so I hope to see you there, either before or after the program.

DATES and TIMES: Dec. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 at 7:00 p.m. (also 10:30 for the Dec. 9th performance)

LOCATION: Calvary Assembly of God, 1141 E. Lebanon Road, Route 10 and S. State Street, Dover, DE 19901

INFO: Free admission. Doors open one hour before performance. No seat reservations (usually a packed house, so come early). Nursery available.

QUESTIONS? Call Calvary at (302) 697-7776 or visit www.calvarydover.org

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?

Hey, kids. This is yer Uncle Warney. Candy wanted me ta tell ya that if yer hankerin’ ta git the most outta Gavin–beyond the story, that is–she and her Fruitbearer team have come up with a student workbook . . . ah, fergive me . . . she said not ta call it that . . . I mean, an “Interactive Journal” which is a “chapter-by-chapter search fer truth.” It’s got questions that’ll make ya think and word puzzles, and if yer a Fan Club member, it’ll help ya “Get Gavinized” at a deeper level and is somethin’ ya can use to git yer friends talkin’ about God and other things that matter.

The 90-page coil-bound version is only $10, or if’n ya don’t wanna pay fer shippin’ and are eager ta git started, ya can download it fer $5 and print it out yerself. Either way, it’s ready ‘n waitin’ fer ya at Fennemore’s Dollar Store.

Oh, yeah, I guess I should tell ya that I made up some rules for grown-ups about this workbook–I mean “Interactive Journal.” Here ya go:

NO taking the fun out of the story! Kids should be allowed to read Gavin Goodfellow: The Lure of Burnt Swamp on their own before starting this study.

NO telling kids they have to “write the answers to the questions and turn them in.”

NO making a kid use this if he rolls his eyes or gags at the word “journal.”

NO using this as a chance to preach and nag. Let kids do the talking. Listen to them. Really listen.

So, let me know what ya think. Are ya up fer it? I’d appreciate hearin’ from ya.