My Writing: Dani's Story

For as long as I can remember, I've loved to write.  I've tallied the page count at various times over the years, and I believe I have something like 2000+ pages of handwritten stories in a box under my bed, plus plenty  more on my computer.  Most of them never deserve to see the light of day again, but when I was around 14, an interesting ministry developed out of my hobby.  I showed one of my stories to my Mom, asking her advice as to how it should end.  The surprising part - she really liked the story!  I finished it, edited it and turned it over to Dad, who added it to the collection of writings that is Solid Rock Publications.  This is a ministry of my church - First Baptist Church, in North Conway, NH.  The book, Dani's Story: A Home at Last, was a hit, and I've since written two more.
Dani is a young teen who is taken from a difficult home situation to live with her aunt for the summer.  There, in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, she makes friends and has exciting adventures, all while struggling with the thought of going back to her father at the end of the summer.  This book, designed for young people ages 9-12, points the reader to dependence on God and His Word, the Bible.
The adventures and focus on the Bible continue in the 2nd and 3rd books!
If you're interested in getting copies of any of these books, or other Solid Rock books (we have lots of superb Bible study material and other childrens' stories!) feel free to contact me by leaving a comment or by following this link ( http://firstbaptistnorthconway.org/solid-rock-publications.html ).  There are more specific instructions for ordering on this website, as well as a brief history of Solid Rock.  I want to emphasize that we do not charge for our books, though donations to cover the cost of production are welcome.  In addition, if you contact us, we'd be glad to get you a listing of some more recent publications not yet added to the website.



In closing, here's a brief adventure from Dani's Story I: A Home at Last.

“Where did you come from, little one?” Dani asked softly, watching the big blue eyes slowly close. “Who would throw away such a pretty kitten?” In truth, Dani knew there were many stray cats around, barn cats who had wandered off and reproduced, but she couldn’t help but wonder if the kitten had belonged to someone who just hadn’t wanted her.
She swung onto her bicycle and pedaled slowly toward home, being careful not to move too much. She barely noticed the smiles on the faces of the occasional passer-by at seeing a small gray head poking out of Dani’s overalls, peering around curiously.

In fact, she was so intent on pedaling carefully and avoiding major bumps on the road in front of her that she didn’t notice some trouble until she was almost in the midst of it.

She had taken a dirt road surrounded by dense forest as a shortcut back to her Aunt Lucille’s, but evidently other people used it, too.

Dani didn’t look up until she heard voices ahead of her, but by then it was too late – the trouble had seen her.


Spotting Stan Benson and his gang only a few yards in front of her, she gasped, braked her bike, and hurriedly turned around. The teens, however, were also on bikes, and she only got a few feet away before they had surrounded her.

Stan rode his bicycle right up to Dani’s and peered intently at the dirty kitten.

“Well, well, well,” he said slowly. “What do we have here?”

Dani did her best to look brave, but her heart was beating rapidly as she tried to think of some escape plan. Nothing came to mind.

Stan bent even closer to the kitten, which was watching Stan quite closely. Suddenly, it spat and lashed out with its paw. The tiny, sharp claws caught Stan right on the nose, and he jerked back with a yell, clutching his nose. He took his hand away long enough to glare at the small amount of blood on his fingers, then directed his hostile gaze at Dani and the kitten.

“That cat’s gonna pay!” he growled.

Dani held the kitten closer. “You’re not taking her!” She retorted stubbornly.

“Oh, we’ll see about that,” Stan said, reaching for the kitten menacingly.

Desperately, Dani reacted almost instinctively – she shoved Stan hard.

He was still straddling his bicycle, and as he tried to catch his balance, he stumbled over it and went down, yelling all the way. He bumped into one of his friends, who also tipped over.

While the gang was in a state of confusion, Dani made her escape. She tore away down the dirt road at top speed with the kitten clinging tightly to her shirt. Stan’s gang attempted to chase her, but this effort was hindered by the fact that Stan tried to get up too quickly and fell down again, this time bringing down more gang members.

Sort of like dominoes, Dani thought, smiling in relief at her escape.