The Flog – The Fabry Log

There's something special about the birthday of a book. That's today for Dogwood. So I'm thinking listeners to my radio program as well as readers will want to know more about the person behind the mic/keyboard.

I've been married to the same woman for 25 1/2 years. She is the AK I mention in the dedication to Dogwood. A stalwart and encouraging presence in my life when I feel like jumping off a cliff, which is about every Tuesday.

We have 9 children, an entire baseball team, 5 girls, 4 boys. The girls are lovely, the boys are handsome, and the parents are proud of them. They range in age from 23 - 7. There are 6 still living at home with us.

I grew up in West Virginia, where Dogwood is set. My uncles blew glass at Blenko. My oldest brother attended West Point and had a long military career. My other brother studied chemistry and is now in the evil oil industry, raking in obscene profits.

My mother and father still live in Dogwood, though it's not called that. They are both in their 80s.

I attended Marshall University in the late 70s, early 80s, and Moody Bible Institute. Then I began working for Moody Broadcasting in 1984. Over the years I've hosted a number of radio programs with Moody and with Adrian Rogers in Memphis.

In 2000, our family packed up and moved to Colorado, where the mountains beckon and the air is clear and your children always want to come home. I worked a little with Focus on the Family that first year and now I'm back working with Moody Radio with the Chris Fabry Live! broadcast. (Don't forget the exclamation point.)

My dream has always been to write fiction for adults. However, my publishing career has been mostly in children's fiction and adult non-fiction. I co-wrote the Left Behind: The Kids series with Jerry B. Jenkins and Dr. TIm LaHaye. Jerry and I have also written 20 other books together and in 2007, the RPM series came out for kids.

You can also read my non-fiction motivational book, co-written with Coach Jim Tressel of Ohio State, The Winners Manual. It is currently on the New York Times Bestseller list. Go figure. Of course, the success of that book is all about my writing and it has nothing to do with the Rock Star who is Jim Tressel.

Dogwood is my 68th book to be published since 1995, but in a sense, it is my first book because it's the dream I've had for nearly 20 years. I love fiction. I think it can move you in ways non-fiction can't. I have been moved by fiction through the years and wanted, in some small way, to do that to others.

Dogwood is book 1 in a 3 book series that is loosely tied to the fictional town in West Virginia. I'm working on the second book now and it should be out in 2009.

Thanks for visiting my site, my blog, my planet. I hope you enjoy visiting Dogwood as much as I did.
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