Audible to the Promised Land is now available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback format.
This new book is another story in the "Passing Toward the Prize" series which follows the life of Colton Preston. In the first book we met Colton in high school as he overcame the challenges he faced when his parents relocated to another town where he had to start over again at a new school. He had to overcome adversity to lead his new team. In "For A Game Such as This", Colton's daughter, Carrington, follows in her father's footsteps and overcomes the prejudice of a girl playing football to lead her team and later success in a newly formed professional women's football league.
This new book can be read on its own without having to read the entire series but if you haven't, you should read the two previous books. If you enjoyed "Remember the Titans" and "Facing the Giants" you will love this new book.
In the new book, Colton returns to coach at his old high school and rebuild a team which has the state's longest losing streak. He puts together a team and coaching staff which finally turns things around. Everything is going in the right direction until his starting quarterback comes out on social media as being gay. This revelation has a ripple effect in the small Georgia rural town. Colton has to decide how to support his quarterback while navigating through it to lead the team to success.
Okay, there it is - you might be thinking. The hot button issue of today. There are some who might think writing a story like this is a compromise on my Christian beliefs, but I will tell you that I have gone beyond that and strengthened what Christian love should be today. It's not about compromising anything but fulfilling the command of Jesus to us to love - not to hate. In the book Colton supports his quarterback in spite of his personal feelings on the issue. When he discusses it with his pastor, his pastor tells him what Jesus said on the issue of homosexuality - nothing. He said to love. While we might not agree or understand how someone can be gay, it does not give us the license to hate anyone.
This is also a football fiction which follows Colton building a football team back from seasons of losing to believing that they can win again.
For me, every book I write begins with a scene in my head and in this book, it began with the football team running a play called "Red Sea" in a crucial part of a playoff game. The rest of the book evolved from that. I hope if you read this book that it will inspire and challenge you.
Writing a book is a grueling process - especially when you work a full-time job and have other responsibilities in your life. For me, writing the first draft is the easy part. I love creating the story and - sometimes - I am surprised how it ends. Editing is pure torture for me because I never feel absolute confident that everything is right. I do the best I can and hope that the story is what people see, not picking out grammatical errors or other judgement calls I had to make in crafting it.It is also good to have an anchor to strengthen me and keep me on course throughout this process. My wife, Crystal, is my sounding board and my biggest cheerleader. She navigates me through the unpredictable emotions of a writer. When I need the truth, she tells me. When I need encouragement, she gives it. She always thinks my next book is going to be the "big" one for me. I like that. You always need someone who you feel is in your corner.
I'm not expecting this book to be a bestseller. I'm not doing it for praise from other. I do this for fun. With that said, this will probably be the last book I will publish. I have learned a long time ago that I write because that’s what I want to do, not because I want anyone’s approval. I write these books because I feel that these stories must be written. Writers know the feeling when you know something HAS to be written. I'm thankful that this desire is within me to do it regardless of any other motivation.
