At a recent book signing for the first book in the Ethan Sparks Adventure Series — Escape of the Terra-Cotta Soldiers — someone called me an “author”. All of my adult life, I have fantasized of that exact moment when someone called me an author.

For the past 42 years I have been a writer; ever since I wrote my first book at the age of 13.

Now, at 55, a mother from Jones Elementary School in Greensboro, NC brought her son who is in 5th grade to my book signing event at Barnes & Noble to meet the “author” of a new Action / Adventure Series.

The boy read my back cover synopsis, and the first page, and I actually saw excitement flash in his eyes.  As I personally inscribed and signed his copy, he told me that he had written a short story, and that he wanted to be an author when he grew up.

I had an inspiring conversation with this boy between lulls in my book signings. For me, this was a seminal moment in my life. It was then that I realized that my reason for writing this Juvenile Action / Adventure Series had expanded from entreating kids to read to also inspiring some kids to want to write. For this boy, with his multitude of questions about writing, I was a role model.

I encouraged him to email me at spyguyethan@gmail.com, to discuss writing stories, keeping a journal, observing everything he could around him, and continue asking any questions he had regarding his journey of becoming a writer.

In my own writing and publication journey, I learned many valuable experiences about the craft of writing. The most important one was that writing for publication involves a honing of one’s craft called “revision”.

Ethan’s first adventure in China went through two rounds of revisions. To me, it was an epiphany to take the originally written story and craft it into a fast-paced, exciting read for kids ages 9 to 14.  It was a lot of hard work, but its final development far exceeded even my expectations.

I just recently completed the requisite two rounds of revision for my Second Book in the series. This time, Ethan’s adventure takes him to Greece. Drowning in the Oracle of Delphi is due for publication in January 2010. Some say, including my publisher, that it is even more exciting than Book One. The reason for this is because I have learned that revision is absolutely essential in taking a good story and making it a great one.

I am proud of my Ethan Sparks Adventure Series. Kids enjoy a quick read filled with action and adventure, and also learn about other cultures, their history and the inner workings of an archaeological dig. In Book Two, my readership gets to scuba dive with 13-year-old Ethan and experience an underwater dig that involves GPS and stereogrammetric planning. Of course, to keep it suspenseful, Mako sharks circle overhead.

So far, in Books One and Two, I have been consistently applauded for “nailing” the voice of a 13-year-old young explorer as he cleverly narrates his engaging adventures.

Kids email me to let me know how much they enjoy reading a story in the First Person Narrative. I guess they can tell how much fun I have in writing them.

Book Three in the Six Book Series is entitled: Unburying the Buried Pyramid. This time, Ethan’s adventure takes him to Cairo, Egypt, and his sidekick is a 13-year-old boy named Alex.

Now that Book Two is off to the printer, I’m enjoying writing Ethan’s adventure in Cairo. And even though its inevitable revision will be hard work, my fantasy of becoming an author has truly exceeded anything I could have ever imagined!