A sleeping child, fire-breathing dragons, and robber pirates all played a part in the completion of a recently completed Christian fantasy novel written by a Hastings woman.
Chaney Hobson, 24, is the eldest of five children born to Christopher and Amy Murray of Hastings. She combined her imagination and time management skills to complete her debut novel, ‘The Secrets of Avigdor,’ the first chapter in what she imagines will be a ‘Pirate the Redeemer’ series of three or more loosely based books to the writings of CS Lewis (“The Chronicles of Narnia”), Melanie Dickerson and Karen Witemeyer.
“Most of the ideas came from my imagination,” he said. “I’ve always loved books set in the time of pirates and dinosaurs, so it’s just a combination of those things.”
Hobson hosted a book signing party for over 75 people at The Lark last week to promote his self-published book, which has already received critical acclaim and positive reviews on social media sites and the Amazon store where it is available in print and soon for Kindle. The wife and mother of two is already on track to produce a sequel, which she hopes to complete by spring 2023.
The cover was created by Dakota Jubb, a 17-year-old Glenvil resident and friend of Hobson’s.
Hobson, an avid short story reader and writer from an early age, said the book was something he had pondered for quite some time.
After the birth of her firstborn, Jasher, in 2019, she began taking time each day during her nap to put on paper those characters that lived in her head. Written mostly during daylight hours, he said the book was a labor of love that consumed her from the start.
“I wanted to read what interests me,” she said. “I couldn’t find one that was anything like what I was imagining, so I said, ‘I’m going to go ahead and give it a try.’ After a few chapters, I had a story in my head that needed to be told.
Within seven months, his first draft was completed. After getting over her mother, who was also her preschool teacher, Hobson felt validated.
“I showed it to her and she said, ‘This is very well done. You have to finish it and print it because people are going to really like it,” she said. “And mom doesn’t even like fantasy books!”
Encouraged by the positive feedback, but drained by the daily grind of motherhood and a racing heart, Hobson decided to take several months off to replenish her inspiration tank. Once back on track, the book took 2 1/2 years to complete.
“I had a (second) baby in between and my heart rate was too high,” she said. “That created some complications in trying to write. Other than that, it was just life that was the biggest challenge. I needed some peace and quiet.”
Set in a fictional fantasy world, the story centers on Annika, a merchant who finds herself stranded on a mysterious, unexplored island under attack by pirates. Finding herself drawn to the handsome pirate captain, Ethan, she and her fellow merchants become unlikely allies to the pirates in their quest to survive against man-eating creatures and other island threats.
Though drawn to Annika, “the girl of burning eyes and kind spirit,” Ethan struggles to protect his guarded heart while keeping himself and his new allies safe from the senseless evils of the island that threaten their very lives.
“The message is how to deal with loss in life,” Hobson said. “Ethan has lost someone special in his life and he doesn’t believe in a God who would leave him that way. As she faces her loss, Annika tries to show him the Lord, whose name in the book is Elohim.
Hobson said the book is suitable for readers of all ages and that he hopes it will inspire and entertain all who open its cover. And while her gaining fame and fortune through storytelling would certainly be a welcome bonus, her motivation to write the series is driven by her desire to share the uplifting message of hope she has been entrusted to her through divine inspiration.
“I hope it can teach lessons and capture people’s imaginations,” she said. “I would like to write the series in my head and give my characters an ending.
“I’ve really cared about them and the world they live in. You could tell I’ve found my niche.”
