As I continue to slowly work on the bibliography section of this site, I thought this book might be a fun one to mention up front here. Actually, this is only one book in a four book series I wrote under this title for Adventure Boys. None of these books, plus the four books I wrote as Sandy Schofield for them, have seen print yet in any real fashion. Bummer, I had a blast writing them.

The idea for Adventure Boys was a great one while it lasted. And who knows, it might still happen.

This was a really fun series, set in the Wild West, and actually, this is the second book in the series. It follows five boys as they try to make their way across the west following a really bad guy and his gang. A perfect setting for all kinds of adventures, that’s for sure.

The company had some top writers working on different projects. Kevin J. Anderson, Michael Stackpole, Loren Coleman, Steve Perry. All of us wrote books for them that have never come out. I had a blast writing them and was under contract to write three more in this series when the entire thing went down.

I suppose that I should talk to the newer writers here for a moment about how often this happens in publishing. Simply, a great deal. Over the years I have been contracted for over ten books that fell through for one reason or another, not counting these eight. I have written, counting the Adventure Boys eight books, twelve books total that were under contract and yet never appeared. For those of you who think that one book, your novel, is going to make your career, this ought to scare the pants off of you. This is one of the major reasons that Kris and teach that writers are people who write. Period.

Sure, the point is to get your book published, but what matters is the writing. You have to do your best on every book, do you best getting it into editor’s hands, and then move on. Write the next book. And then the next. Because the publishing side of things is out of your control. You have a contract with a publisher, but past that, you have no control over what happens on the other side. None.

So, I had a blast writing these Wild Boys books. I got paid. I hope they come out at some point down the road. But if not, it won’t stop me from writing more young adult novels, more thrillers, more mystery novels, whatever. I am a writer. That’s what I do.

Cheers

Dean

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