The Next Step

I knew where the idea for Oliver Phenomena came from, I just did not know exactly where it was going. Oliver was sure to have many adventures in the world of the paranormal, but where would it all begin? I was, at the time, going through a very hard part of life. My mother was in the final stages of her battle with cancer, and having lost my father to the same dreaded illness, I was dealing with the feelings associated with loss, and coming to the inevitable conclusion that I would soon join so many others at the doorstep of nature's cruel orphanage.

Somewhere, within the fog of my emotions, there spawned an idea that young Oliver would share that loss with his creator. Was it cruel of me to put that innocent child through such a hardship? Was it so important to have my young readers become aware that their hero had no mommy? I wondered aloud, and realized that his strength would be mine as well. That is the day that I first wrote down the sub- title of my new creation, 'Oliver and the Guardian Angel'. My family and friends seemed to accept, even like the idea, and I knew that both myself and 'Oliver' would be alright.