Chris -

i just ordered it. i appreciated reading your first book so much - it came to my attention just when i needed it - early in my work with a new T and it helped me a lot - almost like a roadmap or guidebook of what to expect - and very comforting to be following someone who had already been there. there is no way i would miss this one. i also enjoyed the blog on your site.

keep up the good work, man!
Lee

Thanks, Lee! I'm so glad that Nice To Meet Me was helpful for you in your process of recovery.

As for Saving Chase, I'm really interested in what survivors think about the story. I'm so close to it that I'm afraid I've lost my perspective as to whether it's good for a survivor to read or whether it's just too dark or triggering. If it's too dark, I'd like to let people know before they make the mistake of purchasing it. Then I'll just focus on getting non-survivors to read the book and hopefully have it make them think more about the issues that so many of us are dealing with.

Thanks for your support and my best to you!

Chris -

i read your new book, "Saving Chase" in two sittings. that's good news and bad news - good because it shows i really was into it - and bad because i wanted it to be longer (i like epics and if i am enjoying a story, i want it to keep going!)

i thought your protagonist was a great guy - admirable - yet with enough flaws to keep him human and easy to relate to. the perp was thoroughly despicable - appropriate emotionally for the plot - but in my experience, a bit exaggerrated - in that many perps are so ordinary as to be indistinguishable from anybody else. but the intricacy of his operation did add to the drama of the conflict and by the time the climax came i was anticipating his downfall with great excitement.

the one aspect that disappointed me was the sketchiness of the child victim. i can see how more details may have also caused lots of triggers for survivors. but i also think that for the general public - non-survivor readers, they need to have more details to understand the magnitude of the emotional and physical and psychological trauma that is involved, as well as to sympathize more strongly with him as a character.

over-all, it is a good read and a sound basis for futher adventures in the series. i look forward to reading more. (i teach high school literature and think your book is "safe" enough in the avoidance of extreme graphic scenes that i could reccommend it to some of my students.)

Lee

Hey Lee -

Thanks so much for reading the book and for the thorough review. You pretty much nailed my personal thoughts as well.

1) the perpetrator was a bit sensational. So often, as we know, the perpetrator is just so happens to know (and is often related to) the child. I decided to make this guy a bit more bizarre/extreme in the first book to get a larger audience interested in the series. Future books will be more common scenarios. Couldn't agree more w/ your take.

2) As for Chase, I tried to bring his story into this book more (better background and understanding of what he was going through) but it wasn't working. It was dragging the pace of the book down too much. I decided to start the next book with Chase as a character so a reader can see how this ordeal affected him. Joanna (Cal's ex) will be dealing with the children Cal has helped, which will hopefully be the mechanism for me to be able to explain what a child like this goes through after the abuse ends. While this might be a bad example, in 007 movies, Q has a scene in each to show off his gizmos. Each of my books will have a scene or two that checks in with these children (in Joanna's recovery program/center) as they navigate recovery. Hopefully this will allow me to do some educating about the long-lasting effects. That's the idea.

My next release will be 2 books. I'm going to try something odd by introducing two parallel books. The reader can choose which book 2 they want to read (or both if they wish). One book will keep Cal going on his current path - the other book will take Cal in a different direction. Readers will pick how they want the series to unfold. My goal is to show how a survivor can go in different directions as they manage their past (yes, as you probably figured out, Cal is a survivor, but that won't be exposed for a while).

Anyways, thanks so much for the feedback. Means a lot.

Chris