by Peter Leavell, @PeterLeavell
A small boy named Arthur didn’t know his parents until the fateful day he left Kay’s sword at the inn. Seeing a sword in a stone, he gripped the handle and with a slight pull the destiny of the Britons changed forever.
What of those whose dreams were great, but they couldn’t pull the sword from the stone?
Today, the flashing lights surround the bestselling author attending the premier of their film. In the morning, a Pulitzer arrives at the writer’s doorstep, accompanied by reporters and fans. A well-dressed person brushes past them all, steps inside, and pulls a check from the pocket of a blazer that cost more than most used cars. The author glances at the eight figures then sets the check in a file atop a handful of other checks, weighted down by a sword.
We dream the impossible. To someday hold our book. To walk across a stage to collect our award. To sign hundreds of copies of our books while our agent stands close by. To own a corner of the literary market from within the walls of our mansion. Yet very few of us are gifted the responsibilities of fame and prestige. Rather, we strain to get a few words on paper in the cracks of life. We only have a few readers of our blog. We collect the stamps off our rejection letters.
I would wager that every one of Arthur’s twelve to three hundred knights of the round table pulled on that sword. And failed. Yet, they had a seat at the table if they proved themselves of valiant heart, strength of purpose, and focus of goal.
Perhaps you have pulled on the sword, and the iron blade remains stuck in the stone. True, your fate doesn’t follow the path of Arthur. Yet, by taking up your pen and valiantly hazarding the quests of writing social media posts, blogs, novels, devotionals, and letters, you’ve a seat at King Arthur’s Table. You belong to the fellowship.
Courage, knight. Your pen is needed. Don’t let the fact you didn’t pull the sword from the stone draw you away from the table. Come, join us with your own sword and armor, and tell us of the adventures that have been laid before you.
Philip Anderson keeps his past close to the vest. Haunted by the murder of his parents as they traveled West in their covered wagon, his many unanswered questions about that night still torment him.
His only desire is to live quietly on his homestead and raise horses. He meets Anna, a beautiful young woman with secrets of her own. Falling in love was not part of his plan. Can Philip tell her how he feels before it’s too late?
With Anna a pawn in the corrupt schemes brewing in the nearby Dakota town, Philip is forced to become a reluctant gunslinger. Will Philip’s uncannily trained horses and unsurpassed sharpshooting skills help him free Anna and find out what really happened to his family in the wilderness?
Peter Leavell, a 2007/2020 graduate of Boise State University with a degree in history and a MA in English Literature, was the 2011 winner of Christian Writers Guild’s Operation First Novel contest, and 2013 Christian Retailing’s Best award for First-Time Author, along with multiple other awards. An author, blogger, teacher, ghostwriter, jogger, biker, husband and father, Peter and his family live in Boise, Idaho. Learn more about Peter’s books, research, and family adventures at www.peterleavell.com