Where it all began.

I’m not sure if surreal is the proper word to use for what I feel as I see the third and final book of the Into The East trilogy coming to fruition. To tell the whole story of how this trilogy came about, I would have to go back to the beginning; the real beginning, over eighteen years ago.

My wife and I just had our first child, and, needless to say, I was scared out of my wits. For the first time in my life, I had this little person that was completely depending on my wife and me to take care of her. How was I supposed to keep my daughter alive if I couldn’t even balance a checkbook? I would write comments into the check register, after multiple rounds of attempting to decode the dreaded Enigma machine, which demonstrated my frustration. Things like, “Screw it…let’s just say I have $40 dollars and call it even.”

After she was born, but before we left the hospital to go home as a family, my wife, Amanda, had dressed her in a bright yellow outfit that made her look like a drop of sunshine. That’s when it all became very real to me. I am, by all accounts, a father, but I didn’t have a clue as to what that meant.

I jokingly said to Amanda, “Keep all the receipts just in case we want to return it.” We laughed so hard. I’m not exactly sure why she laughed but I knew why I did. I knew I would never give her up, but I also knew I didn’t have a clue as to what I was doing.

In the months leading up to our daughters birth, and for many months after that, Amanda read every book she could find about what came before, during, and after the pregnancy. I didn’t really do any preparation except to do what Amanda told me to do.

Nevertheless, once our daughter came home, I was inundated with so many questions. How does one be a good parent? What do I teach her? What do I instill into her so that she will grow up and be a responsible adult?

This of course brought me, or better yet, forced me to reflect inwardly and determine, what did I truly believe? I guess you could say, that is where the journey for this trilogy actually began.

You might say that the Into The East trilogy is my magnum opus. It is the culmination of a spiritual journey that began after my daughter’s birth. I grew up going to church, but for many years, starting in my teens, I had numerous doubts over what I had been taught. It wasn’t until my daughter was born that I finally decided to face those doubts head on.

After several years of searching, I came out the other side with an unwavering faith that has given me the strength to weather the storms of this life, and has prepared me for the life to come. Now this is where you, the reader, come in.

I wanted to share my journey with you, but I didn’t know how, or the best way in which to do that. Therefore, I looked to the greatest Teacher of all to see how he taught others. "...with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake he not unto them..." In other words, tell it to them in a story.

Therefore, I hope you enjoy this story that began for me over eighteen years ago. It is the culmination of all that I’ve learned about myself, and about the greatest gift given to mankind.

Even if the series never finds its full audience, I’m thrilled to know that it has already found a few that have enjoyed it.

I look forward to hearing from all of you.

Thank you for reading.