One day, I laid down in my son's bed and hit record in the voice messages app on my phone. I didn't really have a plan for what I was going to say or how the story would unfold, I just spoke. I did that again and again, one chapter at a time, for a few weeks, until this epic story was done, and my boys were hooked. And now we're working on Book 2! This is a book series that was inspired by my second son, Asher. In the 4th year of his epic little life, he took a liking to all things pirates. But one day, I offered him a bit of world-shattering information: pirates are bad (evil, criminal, selfish, etc). However, instead of feeling dismayed, Asher was very quick to inform me that he wasn't a bad pirate, he was "God's Pirate"... I dialogued with him a bit about what that meant and sure enough, the little guy had formed in his head a reality where God had a pirate who sailed the seas to evangelize to other pirates and do good deeds, not bad deeds. This God's Pirate seemed like a young Apostle Paul and the Robin Hood of the seas! So, this sweet little tale was born. Alas, recording began not long after with only that premise in mind and the name Asher Robin. Even the title wasn't worked out until I hit record! Of course, you'll probably notice some audio inserts, where I thought of what to say after recording. But for the most part, every chapter, every scene, every word was thought up on the spot during those wonderful evenings where my boys were sitting with eyes wide watching me as I told this story. Sometimes they cried, sometimes they protested plot developments (as you'll hear in the recording), but all the time, their interest was on what would happen next. You'll hear me stutter, yawn, and correct myself as I go. That's all part of this authentic journey, where a little pirate begins the Greatest Treasure Hunt. Music: 'The Great Sea' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
