Gray Bolt

SYNOPSIS

On his sixteenth birthday, Homer Goodstead finds that every which way he turns fate is calling upon him to be a hero. He can’t seem to go anywhere without encountering an imminent disaster only he can avert. When Homer realizes this seeming streak of bad luck is in truth his ancestral destiny to stop evil, he finds himself face to face with a villain as old as time.

What does the man with the snake eye-patch want with the owner of a coffee shop? What is the Wave and why are its members so interested in an international summit on tolerance? What is the name of the person orchestrating this diabolical plot, and why does his face always seem to be hidden in shadows? As Homer is drawn further into the villain’s web, he must answer all of these questions, and face the truth of what it means to be a hero. For as surely as heroes rise, it is inevitable that they must fall.

THE STORY

title-page.pdf

chapters_1-10.pdf

chapter_11.pdf

chapter_12.pdf

chapter_13.pdf

chapter_14.pdf

chapter_15.pdf

chapter_16.pdf

New chapters intermittently all this week.

If you have any feedback please e-mail me at brandoncwoods@gmail.com

THE PLAN

“Gray Bolt Ascending” is going to be released a chapter at a time every Friday, starting on the 20th of June, and will conclude 21 weeks from that date. As of this writing, I am exactly on plan with the outline.

This story is essentially for younger readers (I am writing it for my little brother and sister, who cannot read the more… colorful stories I write), but if you’re the kind of adult who enjoys Harry Potter you’ll probably like this story too. It’s for kids but it’s not “kiddy.” It has a sophisticated plot, interesting characters, and a loose system of what I guess you would call “magic” based upon the idea that a society’s stories are more than just words.

I’m writing this as practice for later work that I will submit to agents and publishers, but I do take it seriously. I was originally thinking of taking paypal donations for it, but have since decided that I don’t want to do that, especially before I’m completely finished. It makes me feel kind of sleazy. Maybe when I’m done with the third of fourth draft and the whole thing is polished. I have decided that doing so right now would make me feel “icky.”

FEED BACK

I’m not going to be taking open comments on the chapters. I want people to read them and enjoy them, without feeling an obligation to tell me what they think. Reading is like watching a magic show, in that most people want to sit back and enjoy the trick without deep thought on how the magician did it. I think comments would spoil the effect for that majority. However, if you’re the kind of person who does like to critique new writing, please e-mail me. All criticism is welcome, as I will probably do a major edit on all of this once I am done.

In summary, I’d like to hear what you have to say. I just don’t want to hear it in a public forum that detracts from the experience of reading.

As always, if you want to write me just to say “hey, I want you to know that the fact you haven’t committed suicide yet is inspiring” (as one person actually did write) you’re always more than welcome to. I’m always taken aback when I realize that I actually have a readership, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was nice to hear from you guys and gals every once and a while.

brandoncwoods@gmail.com