The Flog – The Fabry Log

I try not to let external things dictate what type of day I have. I believe there’s an inner peace and joy that can transcend any circumstance in your life. To have someone or some thing make you happy or sad or irritated enough to ruin your day is not the way I want to live.

Having said that, I was having a bad day yesterday. Maybe it was the letdown of Brandon’s birthday being over. We had counted down the days and now I miss him saying, "Thirty five more days, Dad!" Maybe the struggles we are going through and the toll that has taken physically, emotionally, financially, and relationally had something to do with it. Or the fact that we need to move in about a month. Or that my daughter, Shannon, was driving back to Colorado and I was concerned. It could have been about the reunion planned for my defunct high school in West Virginia. It’s been 30 years since I graduated and some of my classmates are getting together next week and I know I won’t be able to attend. Bummer. My drive through construction into Tucson didn’t help my mood. I had to drive 30 miles to retrieve our jerseys and equipment for the first baseball game Saturday.

All of these thoughts put me in a sour mood. I could have focused on the good things, but I was not doing that.

Then my cell phone rang. It was my editor from Tyndale. She calls to find out how I’m doing, how the family is, what’s up with my writing, and to give reports on current projects.

My excitement level about the new novel, June Bug, is pretty high, but there’s an angst level too. How will people receive it? Will they “get it?” Will all that hard work done during the most troubling time of our lives be “worth it?”

I’ve received some really good response to the pre-release of June Bug. But after reading a comment on Amazon the other day about Dogwood, I wondered if this story will hit the mark.

Karen said, “I have some good news.”

“I need some good news.”

“We just saw the Publisher’s Weekly review of June Bug. Do you want me to read it to you?”

She did. I was blown away. Publisher’s Weekly doesn’t determine how many copies of a book is sold, but those in the book industry look to it to help them decide whether or not to stock the book. It’s too expensive for me to have a subscription, and to be honest, when I read it I wind up thinking too much about marketing and comparing my work with others. But when Karen read me the following, I was truly encouraged.

June Bug Chris Fabry. Tyndale, $13.99 paper (350p) ISBN 978-1-4143-1956-8

Chris Fabry (Dogwood)—evangelical fiction author of more than 60 titles and coauthor of Left Behind: The Kid series—offers a lovely, moving, present-day account of sacrifice linking to the famed novel Les Misérables. It all begins in a nondescript Wal-Mart parking lot where nine-year-old June Bug sees an artist's rendition of herself on a missing child poster in the store where they've parked their broken-down RV trailer. With questions galore, June Bug starts pestering her “dad” about their RV vagabond life and where they're headed next. Johnson, little June Bug's father, is obliged to face his past in short order as a series of unexpected media events force his hand and reroute his life. Afraid and emotionally battered, Johnson returns to the “scene of the crime” and discovers what he thought was lost forever. Fabry's retelling of the world-renowned Victor Hugo tale is a stunning success, and readers will find themselves responding with enthusiastic inner applause. (Aug.)

That kept me going the rest of the day. The reviewer "got it." Bigtime. I hope others will, too.

If you would like to pre-order a copy, you can click on the link to your right. Or, go to my website, chrisfabry.com and in a few days you will be able to order an autographed copy. June Bug should be in stores in late July or early August.