Birth of a Prophet

Not happy with the selection of books available for my family of avid readers, I took the plunge and wrote my own. Here's how Jungle Prophet was born.

A few years ago, I was called upon to teach writing for a homeschooling organization called Classical Conversations. Previously, I had been vested in the subjects of math and science, so it was a bit of a shock to discover myself instructing students on how to write fictional stories. The curriculum was clear and systematic however, and I found myself at ease with the procedure.

One evening when the house was empty and quiet – a strange occurrence with four kids - I decided to attempt the method and write my own short story. It was the most fun I’d had in weeks. Marty, my husband, noted the enjoyment and started giving me a few hours to myself on Thursday evenings to write.

About this same time, I was struggling with the old Swan-family problem of supplying my avid readers with fresh material. I’m picky, I know. But even so, I found myself frustrated over the lack of quality middle school literature. Many books were advertised as being Christian and I would buy them, at least willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. They would be stacked by my bed, on my bed, under my bed, etc. as I plowed through the queue as fast as possible. I became adept at previewing and judging books; a skill I hope to transfer to many of my blog readers. Some books met the grade, some were sent back, some were trashed. Yes, I trash books that I wouldn’t want any child to read. I count it a public service. Disheartened, I whined to my husband about the situation and during that non-flattering conversation, an idea was born. I would write my own.

Jungle Prophet originated around the idea of using a sloth. My oldest child was interested in sloths at the time, and I wanted to please her. Using a sloth pretty much determined the setting of the Amazon. I wasn’t disappointed in this, however. I couldn’t think of any other stories set in the Amazon jungle, and I thought it would be an intriguing feature that would set the story apart from others.

As the story unfolded, the next character born was the evil jaguar, Tirgato, and shortly after, his counterpart son, Giran. Tirgato was my favorite character to write and Chapter 2 where Tirgato threatens to eat Elder Mateo is my absolute favorite chapter. I found that it’s plain, silly fun pretending to say and do things that you would never actually say or do. Alison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson on the Little House on the Prairie series, expressed a similar view. She said playing the devious character of Nellie was relaxing and a great stress reliever. If you doubt, play pretend with your kids one evening. Choose to be the Captain Hook or the Wicked Witch of the West. Laugh an evil laugh as you chase your kids around the house waving a wooden spoon and threatening to make them walk the plank. You’ll see, arrgh, hahahah!

Rhett took longer to develop. I didn’t want to just use a monkey or a lemur. They’re too familiar; every jungle story revolves around the monkeys. Kind of unfair for all the other super-cool jungle animals. While researching the exotic Amazon, I came across the kinkajou, aka, the honey bear. The kinkajou is adorable, intelligent, and can be quite tame. It’s close cousin to the raccoon and often illegally traded as an exotic pet. I might explore this in the third book but it's hush, hush for now on that.

The plot of Jungle Prophet developed out of problems and questions I’ve seen plague kids for years. Rhett questions whether he can do what he’s called to do. He needs to learn to trust that the Sovereign knows what He’s doing and that He has gifted each of us to do His will. Giran struggles with loneliness and guilt. When he finds the Sovereign and learns that he is forgiven, new life comes to the once sad and lonely jaguar.

The process of writing Jungle Prophet was a tedious one. After my editor sent back fifty some pages of edits, I wanted to give up. And I did for a bit. Then I started over. I wanted to teach my kids that some things in life are not easy. Most things worth doing are hard and there will moments of failure or at least temporary set-backs along the way.

God was always faithful to encourage me in the process and I believe even provided many of the ideas that kept me moving. I would go on “prayer walks” and tell Him that I didn’t know what I was doing. Usually within a few steps, I would have a new idea or different direction. I am not saying that this book is in any way inspired; please do not misunderstand me. But I am saying that I felt He called me to the task and enabled me as needed, much like Rhett in the story. I was learning along with my kinkajou friend that the Sovereign always enables whom He calls.

I won’t share the ending. There’s nothing worse than spoilers, and I do want you to buy and read the book for yourselves. Afterwards, ply me with questions about the story on the contact page. I love to hear from my readers, and I’ll try my best to answer them all.

Swing on my friends……

Sharon