Pachunga

With everything that's been happening in my extended family of late, plus just one of the busiest few weeks I can remember, I've fallen out of my regular blogging rhythm. I'm hoping to remedy that beginning now.

One of the most overdue of my posts (and I've got more in the pipeline) is the exciting news that Pachunga has been published. What is Pachunga? Glad you asked! It's a mid-grade Christian fantasy-adventure novel written by my friend and seminary colleague John MacDonald. A true labor of love, John has been working on this novel for many years -- it had its genesis back in the 1980s when he was teaching a class of sixth graders. He was finally able to bring it to fruition/completion, and it was published via iUniverse just a few weeks ago.

My involvement with Pachunga came late but was a happy one. Beginning last December, I was able to work with John in the final stages to help edit the book. That included copy-editing but also some development/story editing, an experience I thoroughly enjoyed, and one I'd love to repeat.


Pachunga is an interesting tale set in an African landscape. Readers 9-12 will especially enjoy it. John plows some familiar ground -- the Lewisian echoes are quite strong in places -- but he puts his own special spin on things, especially drawing on his cross-cultural experience. I especially like the ways he was able to make this as much (or more) an inner adventure as an outer one...the most important journeys are the heart journeys of the characters, especially Pachunga himself. You can read my review of the book on Amazon. I especially think Pachunga could be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of homeschooling families!