My name is Jason Christopher. I’m an almost-20-year-old who has had a passion for writing since early elementary school. As long as I can remember I’ve been filling pages with fragmented writing and beginnings to imaginative fiction. I’m in love with sci-fi, fantasy, and character-driven narratives that take you through these impossible worlds.
The idea for this book occurred to me around January of 2016. I’ve juggled many novel ideas over the last few years, although none of them seriously blossomed into anything that felt "right". Now, I can finally say: this is the right story for me to write—inspired by pieces of my favorite works and styles, and soon to incorporate the various original ideas I’ve thought about throughout the years. Comparatively, I like to think of it as a Star Wars adventure with the dynamics of a John Green novel in a Doctor Who setting (with a hopeful spice in the spirit of Douglas Adams). Here’s a working description as of now:
Benjamin Starr is anything but a luminous body around which worlds seem to revolve—until his best friend goes missing, hardly anybody in school pays him any attention. He just goes about his business, getting through each day the only ways he knows how. However, his orderly life comes crashing down around him when Cassiopeia Simmons disappears, leaving only an empty journal in her wake. This is the first breadcrumb in a trail that Ben believes he was meant to follow in order to find his missing friend. In addition to Cassie’s life, he soon discovers that the fate of the known (and technically also the unknown) Universe may be at stake. In no time, Benjamin is launched across the galaxy and forced to confront shadowy aliens, crystal forests, an eccentric astronaut, and the elusive logistics of indoor plumbing. Carrying the weight of each choice he makes, Ben will have to overcome the biggest obstacle standing between him and saving the Universe: himself.
If you’ve gotten this far, thank you for taking the time to give my ideas a try. I’m super excited to keep exploring Ben’s world with you guys and discovering where his journey will take him. As of writing this (2/3/16), I’m in the very early stages of this book. I’m currently working on Chapter 2, with several more chapters outlined and general story arcs planned. My goal is to have a completed first draft done by early Christmas time this year (if I didn’t have so many other obligations, I’d dedicate much more time to writing—I’m at about a thousand words every 2-3 days). Once I get at a comfortable spot I’ll upload the first chapter or two to here. Again, thank you for reading!
—Jason