This Sequel Has a Title and Here’s a Sneak Peek
// March 17th, 2011 // No Comments » // Books
I’ve come up with a title for my book’s sequel. Of course, this may change, as I can be rather indecisive in this regard. But for now, the title is:
Danny in a Newfangled World: Saving Ivan
I’m working on the first major re-write these days and want to offer a sneak peek at the first chapter. It’s only a couple pages’ worth, but I’d love to hear feedback below or on the facebook page. And remember – this is a work-in-progress, so there may be major changes ahead. Enjoy!
Chapter 1 The Secret is Out
Everybody needs to have some sort of skill. For Danny, it was playing video games. Although it wasn’t exactly a talent that his mom and dad would have picked for their first born son, it was a source of pride for him. He was okay at sports, as long as the ball never came to him. And his school marks were somewhere between crummy and not bad. At least that’s how his parents described them. Those things might have bugged him a bit more if he didn’t have at least one awesome talent. But he did. Best video game player… EVER… (at least, in his grade). That is, he was the best… until recently.
The problem is that he’s afraid of his computer. One of the downsides of being a monster killer, he supposed. A month ago, Danny was sucked inside his computer. Yeah, very cool, right? But things took a turn for the worse when he realized his new cyberspace buddy, Desmond, was actually a monster that had a taste for ten-year-old boys. Danny had always struggled watching his avatar die when he played video games, but was especially horrified to experience his real self chomped into digital bits. That’s why he had to take Desmond down. It wasn’t so hard. Just a push off a cliff. But the whole experience left Danny jittery about going near a computer. For weeks after he returned, he didn’t dare turn it on.
His cool factor, which wasn’t all that impressive to begin with, took a major nose dive when he quit playing video games. Although being a monster killer should have (by most kids’ standards) given him some serious bragging rights, he kept it a secret. Sharing that kind of story could just as easily turn a slightly unpopular kid into a complete loner if no one believed him. And that was a risk that Danny wasn’t willing to take.
Chances were slim to none that anyone would believe he’d leaped inside his computer screen. Oh yeah, and been chased by a hoobogey that wanted to eat him alive. Danny knew how ridiculous that sounded. With his stories of video game glory growing stale among his classmates, his usually proud voice grew softer and softer each passing day. He was now just an average kid. Average at school. Average at sports. Average at video games (oooh, that one hurt). Who cared about an average kid? He dropped into the background, like the framed photos of every graduating class hanging in his school hallway – always there, but nobody bothered to take any notice.
I am so thankful that the past few weeks have been super busy. You know why? Because I do not like freezing cold temperatures. And, the faster these icy days pass me by, the happier I am! 
