Matchstick

Matchstick is a contemporary story about courage and faith played out in the everyday world. In his struggle to gain acceptance at his new public school, sixth grader Larry Taylor (“Matchstick”) reluctantly volunteers to sing the Christmas solo and is quickly embroiled in a chain of dramatic events. He must contend with bullies at school and cope in a home of bickering parents, all the while trying to overcome his own feelings of inadequacy. Meanwhile, Larry’s music teacher faces a Constitutional challenge from a civil liberties organization because of her choice of a religious song for the solo. This young adult book is an honest look at how character grows through making difficult choices. It is told with an effective balance of subtle humor and crisp dialogue and will encourage readers of all ages to never be afraid to do the right thing. This was not the book that I wanted to write. I wanted to compile a collection of children’s sermons that I had delivered over the past years, but that’s not what happened. About halfway through the manuscript, I began working on a Christmas story that I wanted to tell for the book that I wanted to write, but it ran too long. So I tried to cut and coax the story that I wanted to tell to fit the mold I had set for the book that I wanted to write. Instead, the characters and circumstances surprised me and took me hostage. It became clear that the book was writing itself. After a struggle, I gave up the book that I wanted to write and complied with my captors. The new work matured and blossomed into its final form: Matchstick, the book that had to be written.