The Cloud King: Thunder Nuggets and Fog

It’s strange … the first chapter of Cloud King: Thunder Nuggets and Fog was the hook that convinced people to convince me to write the book, yet in its final version, the first chapter is barely recognizable.

Here’s how it all started …

Kate and I had been married for a few years, and one day she was going through some of my old boxes. I think she thought she could organize me … funny lady!

Anyway, in a box of papers, she found a single chapter to a book project of mine. It was the first chapter of The Cloud King. After reading the chapter, Kate got very enthusiastic. She wanted me to finish the book.

Unfortunately, teaching full time in an Oregon high school was much more than a full-time job … just ask any teacher. I had no time to write children’s fiction.

Back into the box it went.

Fast forward about 15 years. Our daughter Quinn was almost in her teens. One day, she found the first chapter of Cloud King. She read it, and pleaded with me to finish the story.

(By this time, I had been out of teaching for more than a decade. As an author, now I had the time to work on “writing projects.”)

In my spare time, I worked like crazy. I wanted to create a children’s fantasy with just a touch of magic — something that I would’ve wanted to read when I was younger. (Something, that I might like to breeze through, now.)

Cloud King : Thunder Nuggets and Fog is the result.

So, is there a Cloud King 2 planned?

More than planned, I’m more than 3/4 through with the first draft. Revisit some old characters and meet some new ones. Stay tuned …