Synopsis
COMING SOON!
A battle rages for the immortal
souls of humanity. Heaven is under attack, its borders constantly infringed
upon by the forces of the dark one. Jason McNamara is a husband, father of two
little girls, and an Iraq war veteran. He has just died sacrificing himself to
save another. Newly arrived, Jason marvels at the beauty and wonder of
paradise.
He is reunited with Robert, his best
friend from the service who was killed in action. Although overjoyed to see
him, Rob is troubled at what he must ask of his friend. He reveals the true
reason for Jason’s arrival and shows him the darkness that threatens their
existence. Robert gives his friend a choice. Faced with a stark reality, Jason
must decide. Will he live for all eternity free of pain, suffering, and
sadness? Or does he become a warrior for good, subjecting himself to the
tortures of being a combatant once again?
As Jason begins his journey another father, Steve, is
enduring his loss of faith. He sits by helplessly as he watches his daughter Cara
slowly die of cancer. The fate of Jason and Cara become intertwined,
culminating in a battle against the evil that aims to take her life. In the
aftermath, Jason must make a final decision to determine what his eternity will
be.
Article
The concept for “Of Leap and Pledge” (working title), that
of how and why someone becomes a guardian angel, is something that I have been
developing for over twenty years. Throughout that time the story has taken many
shapes and forms as new experiences added to the overall framework. It wasn’t
until late last year that, as a surprise to me, the entire project finally
burst to life.
I’ve been writing on and off for decades now. Basically ever
since I stopped playing with G.I. Joe’s and started transferring the adventures
I used to have with them onto paper. Letting my imagination run wild in this
way had always been an outlet and never more than a hobby. 2017 changed all
that.
Last year I started writing more and more short stories, and
after receiving some sage advice, began posting them online. The positive
response I received to my writing was overwhelming. With that confidence boost
in hand I kept creating new works of fiction, completed a fantasy manuscript,
and launched a website called Fever Dreams (readtrhendicks.com) to house my short story
collection.
With each passing work finished, the far-fetched dream of
one day becoming a published author turned a hobby into an attainable goal. I
dedicated myself to not only becoming a better writer, but also learning the
process of what it takes to become published. In doing so, I came across
National Novel Writing Month. The event challenges writers to complete 50,000
words in the month of November.
Having never heard of it before, I arrived to NaNoWriMo
already four days into the month. (Or for my fellow writers out there, behind
by 6,668 words.) It was here that my concept took hold of me and I began to
write furiously. At times I couldn’t stop, hammering away at my keyboard for
hours on end. The plotlines, characters, messages, they all kept coming.
Streaming from my fingers, “Of Leap and Pledge” came to life in a way I never
expected it to. It truly felt as though I was meant to be writing it.
When all was said and done I had finished the challenge
eight days before the deadline, recording 50,342 words in eighteen days. After
taking a much needed breather, I returned to the work a month later and
realized that this was it. This was the story that I was going to turn into my
debut novel.
It’s been a steep learning curve, but my manuscript is
coming along better than I could have expected. As of this writing I’m at
70,000 words. I’ve been through several rounds of beta readers, edits, and
rewrites. Right now I’m working through another polish of the entire project.
My next goal is to finish this round and begin the querying process in earnest
by the end of the month.
I’m excited, not only that a personal goal and dream is
drawing closer to fruition, but in what I’m hoping will be a meaningful story
for those who read it. “Of Leap and Pledge” has many themes, and although it
falls into the genres of Christian fiction or spiritual, it is also an action
adventure that has something in it for everyone.
Of all the themes, the most important to me is the insight
as to what our veterans deal with when struggling with Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder. Many of the episodes that occur around this theme are from a deeply
personal space, while many more are mixed from tales and experiences of other
vets. If I can have one wish for this book, it will be that those outside of
military life and culture come away with a better understanding of what service
members and their families go through as a result of this diagnosis.
So… fingers crossed. Hopefully one day you’ll see my name on
the shelves. Until then, happy reading and writing everyone!
About the Author
Website: readtrhendricks.com
IG: @readtrhendricks
Twitter: @TRHendrickson
Email: readtrhendricks@gmail.com
About the Author
Currently, I’m knee deep in my fictional universe, the AFFINITY WEB. The enormous amount of stories in my head finally forced their way out and created their own playground, and I’m loving every magic-infused second of exploring it.
On a more personal note, I’m married and live with my wife, two kids and two cats in Doncaster, England. As a family, we love to travel, especially to Florida, as we love theme parks. You could say that is an understatement.
I love reading all genres. Physical books or e-books on my kindle, I don’t mind, so long as I always have a good novel to read. Some people say they can sleep anywhere, I can read anywhere. As soon as the page turns, my mind blocks everything else out.
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