About
Late-blooming author who has written and self-published an illustrated children's book, Derek the Daredevil, and a mystery-thriller novel, Lazarus Man: Resurrection. Spalding began writing stories about his neighborhood friends when he was twelve. His poetry and nonfiction were published in regional and national magazines while he was in college. He has written technical manuals, installation instructions, promotional materials, national advertisements, news releases, and training programs for numerous clients, including two Fortune 100 companies. These are his first published books. Second jobs he has held down to support his writing habit include marketing executive, ad agency account exec, Schwan Man, and caregiver for individuals with disabilities. Spalding is a single father with one son, Derek. He lives in Saint Joseph, Missouri.
Description
<p><strong><em>Have you ever awoken from a vivid dream and wondered which side of waking was real?</em></strong></p><p>Burt Higgins' retirement is not going well. His children have grown, and his wife has gone off to earn a late-life degree, leaving him alone in his sprawling suburban home. With too much time on his hands, he broods on the state of the world, obsessively following the worst of cable news and the Internet. Increasingly angry at the state of affairs, he nurtures a fantasy that a dark lord from another realm has foisted these problems on humankind. If only he could transport to that world, he'd confront the demon and use the magic found there to defeat the beast and end despair forever.</p><p>On a particularly bad news day, while housebound in the midst of a snowstorm, he retreats to his study to shut out the world and immerse himself in his books. When, on a whim, he lights a candle purchased in an obscure Prague curiosity shop, a magical guide appears and offers to take him on whatever quest he chooses. When he asks to become a hero in a fantasy realm, he discovers a more complex world than he expected, and battling evil with magic turns out to be far from his greatest challenge.</p><p><strong>EVOLVED PUBLISHING PRESENTS</strong> a specualtive fantasy adventure sure not just to entertain you, but to make you consider your life, your dreams, your goals. [DRM-Free]</p><h2><strong>Books by David Litwack:</strong></h2><ul><li><em>Along the Watchtower</em></li><li><em>The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky</em></li><li><em>The Time That's Given</em></li><li><em>The Children of Darkness</em> (The Seekers - Book 1)</li><li><em>The Stuff of Stars</em> (The Seekers - Book 2)</li><li><em>The Light of Reason</em> (The Seekers - Book 3)</li></ul><h2><strong>More Great Fantasy Fiction from Evolved Publishing:</strong></h2><ul><li><em>The Awakening of David Rose</em> (David Rose #1) by Daryl Rothman</li><li><em>Shadow Swarm</em> by D. Robert Pease</li><li><em>Kingdom in Chains</em> by J.W. Zulauf</li><li>The "Grims' Truth" Series by Isu Yin & Fae Yang</li></ul><p> </p>
Story Behind The Book
My son, Derek Neil Spalding, provided the inspiration for this story more than twenty years ago, when he was two years old. I took him to a local carnival, and we rode the double ferris wheel. We stopped at the very top while people on the ground got off the ride and others got on. I was looking around, admiring the view, when I felt the seat beneath us start to shake. I turned my head and saw that Derek was not only standing up on the seat, he was jumping up and down! I grabbed him and said, “Sit down, Derek, you little daredevil!” I immediately thought to myself, Derek the Daredevil. That sounds like a great title for a children's book...
