Quick Update

A lot has been happening since the release of Dragon and Captain, which has kept me away from the blog.

First up, I am working hard scheduling some Author Appearances. Watch for  dates and locations in the near future. For now I am limited to the Carolinas, but hopefully soon I can start scooting around the country sharing Dragon's adventure.

Also, we now have an official Dragon and Captain Facebook page found here, where lots of our supporters have sent in pictures of them with the book. You can find reviews of the book, and Lucas has been sharing some of his early Dragon and Captain sketches.

And probably the most exciting news...

YOU CAN NOW FIND DRAGON AND CAPTAIN ON BOOKSHELVES AT BARNES & NOBLE!!!

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures and updates.

Who is P.R Allabach?

P.R Allabach is not my real name.

But he is a real person.

Phillip Robert Allabach was born in 1923. His parents, Louis and Geraldine loved him very much, but unfortunately that same year he lost his mother to illness. This left Phillip and his father to fend for themselves. Unable to raise the child on his own Louis granted custody to Geraldine's parents, the Hurlbut's, who would raise the child in their daughter's stead. Phillip's adopted parents (who were also his grandparents) changed his last name from Allabach to Hurlbut.

Phillip Robert Hurlbut lived a full and happy life. He passed his namesake to his second son who is my father, who passed it on to me. (*sort of)

I have chosen to honor him by publishing my works in his name: P.R Allabach.

I love you grandpa.

In loving memory of
Phillip Robert Hurlbut Sr.
1923 - 1990

* The short of it is that while growing up my grandfather was often referred to as Gerrie's (Geraldine's) boy. So my parents chose to honor him (without adding another Phillip to the family) they named me Gerrie Phillip Robert Hurlbut.

I WROTE A BOOK!!!

Everyone, at one time or another in their lives, has an idea for a book. It might be a children's book, like most of mine seem to be, or it could be something else, like a novel or a book of poetry or a comic book. The trick is getting that grand literary idea onto printed pages and into the hands of readers everywhere. A difficult and timely task to say the least.

For me the hardest part was putting pen to page. (Or fingers to keys for all you new age techies out there.) I could talk for hours about the adventures of a young boy and his wild imagination, and all the friends he would encounter on his journey, and robots and rocket ships. Why then did I struggle to put these amazing stories in a format that could be shared through the generations? Why wouldn't I just write them down?

My wife says it's because I'm lazy. She is probably right. The good news is I overcame whatever was holding me back and with a little persistence I finished the manuscript. Cool.

12 copies sent out
6 were never heard from again
5 rejection letters received
1 email requesting more

The editor at Flashlight Press loved my story. We worked on some changes together and I landed in their "Maybe" pile. That was exciting. What I hadn't known at the time was that I would spend the next 4 years as a permanent resident of that pile.

That's right, 4 years. The editor and I would touch base every 6 months or so. Weeks would pass where I didn't even think about the book. Life just kept marching on. Every time I would consider submitting the manuscript to another round of publishers, she would hit me up with some positive reviews from trusted readers and some recommended changes. So I stuck with it. I made a lot of changes as the years passed, each round of edits bringing me closer to that elusive "Yes" pile.

And now, after all that work, and all that time, Flashlight Press will be publishing my first book Dragon and Captain. scheduled to be available April 2015.

And let me say I AM EXCITED! I am so glad that 5 years ago I took that first step that all aspiring writers must take and wrote my story down.

So what are you waiting for?