Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle

It was my 20th class reunion this year. Although I hadn't checked it in over a year, I had a couple of email messages on classmates.com that were waiting for me. One from the class reunion organizer, and another from someone whom I hadn't heard from since graduation, and yet remembered immediately as the sweet tall blonde boy with the deep voice. I guess it was his way of getting the word out about his new book...but I was intrigued. This friend from high-school actually graduated the year after me, and was part of the barber-shop quartet in The Music Man...where I played Marion the librarian. Randy was always a very nice boy in school...but I really didn't know him that well. But, now I know more.

Randy is currently a Navy chaplain in Jacksonville, FL - an ordained minister in the Lutheran church, and author of the new children's book. His book is the first of a series that rivals Harry Potter, the Chronicles of Narnia, and Alice in Wonderland. I know it's a series, because although this is his first book, the publisher lists his second title as unpublished. I'm guessing they've already commissioned him to finish it. Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle is aimed at 8-12 year-olds, and is apparently Christian in world view. A .pdf copy of chapter one is embedded in the text if you scroll over the words on the front page of the website.

I'm excited to see him at his book signing later this month...and hope to catch up with him about Kingdom things over a cup of coffee...if he has any time in his crazy publicity book-signing tour. He's all over the midwest this month...and he'll be back in Minnesota for Thanksgiving.
Basically, my decision to follow Christ faithfully came after college, although I claimed to know Christ in high school. We didn't talk much about church or Christ when we were in school together, but since we both work in the church, it's hard to ignore the presence of faith in our lives. I look forward to being open and transparent about my faith, yet intrigued to develop a long-distance relationship with him and his family. He and his wife have a two year old daughter, and I look forward to seeing if she, too, carries the blonde-hair and blue-eyes of her father. My husband only barely remembers Randy, and it will be interesting to hear the questions he may ask about his service in the Navy and why he's chosen the life he has.

If any of you are interested in reading the book, I'll have a personally signed copy in my possesion after Thanksgiving. Just ask.