~Press Release
Truman Wiley used to report news stories from around the world, but now the most troubling headlines are his own. He’s out of work, out of touch with his family, out of his home. But nothing dogs him more than his son’s failing heart.
With mounting hospital bills and Truman’s penchant for gambling his savings, the situation seems hopeless . . . until his estranged wife throws him a lifeline—the chance to write the story of a death row inmate, a man convicted of murder who wants to donate his heart to Truman’s son.
As the execution clock ticks down, Truman uncovers disturbing evidence that points to a different killer. For his son to live, must an innocent man die? Truman’s investigation draws him down a path that will change his life, his family, and the destinies of two men forever.
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Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (February 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414348614
ISBN-13: 978-1414348612
Meet author Chris Fabry
I was born in West Virginia in 1961 and grew up in a small town much like Dogwood. I was affected by my parents, my older brothers, the hills, and books. I was never a very fast reader, but the things I read really helped change me. Particularly novels. I vowed I would write if I ever got the chance.
I met Jerry Jenkins at Moody Bible Institute in the 1980s. He discovered I wanted to write and said, "I can help you do this if you want, but it will be painful." Boy was it painful. Gloriously painful. In 1998, Jerry and Dr. Tim LaHaye hired me to write the Left Behind: The Kids series. I had published five books up to that point. I wrote 35 books in that series over the next six years, finishing in 2004. I later collaborated with Jerry on the Red Rock Mysteries series and The Wormling series, and in 2008 the NASCAR-based RPM series rounded out my work in the area of children's fiction.
Dogwood was my first attempt at writing fiction for adults. It took more than six years to get to the page and to find a publisher. It received the 2009 Christy Award for Christian fiction in the Contemporary Standalone category, which surprised the Dogwood out of me! My next novel, June Bug, draws its themes from the classic Victor Hugo tale, Les Miserables. A nine-year-old girl walks into Walmart and sees herself on a missing children poster. Who is she? Who is her father who travels with her in the beat-up RV? Charles Martin wrote this about the story: "Anne Lamott said that 'good writing is about telling the truth.' Chris Fabry has done this. Beautifully. June Bug is masterful. An honest story that dove deep inside me and lingered long after I turned the last page." June Bug was named a 2010 finalist for the Christy Award and the ECPA's Christian Book Award.
My latest novel, Almost Heaven, is the third book set in the mythical town of Dogwood, WV. Sometimes you find a great story. Sometimes you hunt for an idea and come up with gold. This time the story found me, in the form of an email from Lost Creek, WV. It was from a listener to a local station there that airs my daily radio program. She said she wouldn't be listening to me that day because the station was off the air. The owner/operator had died. His name was Billy Allman, and what I learned about his life, his dream, and his love for God became the heart of Almost Heaven. The novel stands alone, but readers of Dogwood and June Bug will recognize a few familiar characters woven into the scenes of Billy's life.
In addition to my fiction work, I have also collaborated on a couple of best-selling football biographies with Ohio State's Jim Tressel and, most recently, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints.
I graduated from the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University in Huntington, WV. I have been married to Andrea since 1982. We have nine children and are not Mormon or Catholic. Just prolific Protestants. In October of 2008, our family evacuated our house in Colorado, leaving behind all our belongings because of a toxic mold exposure. Since then we have been living near Tucson, AZ in order to get medical help for the mold exposure.
Stop by my website at Chris Fabry.com to learn more about my writing and radio endeavors, and be sure to sign up for my e-newsletter, the FABRYGRAM. I can also be found on Facebook, or you can e-mail me at chris@chrisfabry.com.
