Elevator Pitch:

Pence is the story of a small boy carved out of a potato with all the wrong proportions of courage and common sense, a big ego, and an even bigger mouth. With a rock for a brain and a rare seed pressed into his chest that beats with a quickening pulse, Pence awakens his first morning with grandiose ambitions, but he is promptly brought down to earth by the old man who made him, who sternly tasks the boy with an impossible quest and then kicks him out of the garden with little more than a splinter for a sword and a penny for a shield. Pence does not appreciate having his life charted out for him, but a boy cannot outrun his own heart. Whether he likes it or not, Pence was made for a purpose: he is the gardener’s last hope.

Half fairy tale, half fable; half comedy, half tragedy, Pence is a bittersweet tale about growing old gracefully in a world that has passed you by, selfless loyalty, courage in the face of certain death, and undying love.

Young Adult Fantasy—65,000 words

Copyright 2011

The Story So Far:

Status-in-a-Nutshell: Complete. Needs revision and illustrations before re-publishing.

I tried to get an agent to help me sell this manuscript several years ago. One reputable agency expressed interest, but ultimately passed on the project.

I have been waiting to self-publish paperback copies until all the illustrations are ready.

Pence is currently unavailable to download; I temporarily disabled downloads until I can give it another minor editing pass.

Across various online platforms, Pence has approx. 2,000 downloads.

What’s Next?

I desperately want a copy of Pence on my bookshelf, but before I print any paperback copies, I need to finish 8 more illustrations, complete the artwork for the back cover and spine, and probably give the whole manuscript a thorough and merciless editing.

After that, I may try to pitch it to publishers, or revamp my efforts at self-publishing.