Snark & Sensibility

PLEASE WELCOME

GRANT FERGUSON

to Having the Prime of My Life

In my early thought about retirement, it never crossed my mind to write books for middle schoolers and teens. Also, my bucket list didn’t include becoming the primary caregivers for my eighty-six-year-old father. And I never thought an emotional spark would erupt into a blaze of ideas for living without regrets.

A Fork in the Road

In 2012, my wife, Dana, and I accepted and even welcomed the commitment to care for my dad. But nothing prepared us for the roller coaster of emotions. Only faith in God gave us the strength to find the know-how and resources.

During the final six months of his life, we saw through my dad’s eyes how his regrets had robbed him of joy. Instead of relishing the comforts of our home, my father focused countless hours on blame, hate, and anger towards others. And he felt powerless to change and take control of his life, decreasing his faith in God’s unconditional love and increasing his worry of eternal damnation.

Living with my father and witnessing his sorrows underscored for us an absolute truth:

My dad could have overcome many of his regrets

before his clock ran out but he chose otherwise.

Absolute truth can serve as a fork in the road of life. At that moment of decision, you may find a milepost signaling the need for change, or your mind might misdirect you like faulty GPS to a dead end.

For us, each fork in the road demanded a decision, emphasizing another inescapable fact:

Your future comes one choice at a time.

My father’s struggle made us realize that you cannot ignore regrets. After seeing firsthand his misery, Dana and I concluded that if we could not avoid all disappointments, then we must learn to deal with each issue as soon as possible. But how?

We discovered it wasn’t complicated. No, it was simple.

Small choices can make big differences.

Seeing the impact of life-wasting regrets was our big spark, the significant emotional event that set us on fire. We vowed to live without regrets. That vow was our first small but essential choice that opened the door to big differences.

An Open Door that No One Can Shut (Revelation 3:8)

Through the open door, the exhilarating breeze of change swirled through every area of our lives. With our renewed minds ready to receive fresh ideas, we embarked on our quest of living without regrets.

And God made a way! In 2013, we moved into a hundred-year-old building on the Main Street of a small town at the top of the Hill Country in central Texas—loft living in the country!

Life Vision

Our quest included hours of reflection on God’s vision for my life.

During my corporate career that spanned nearly four decades, the ability to read coupled with imagination had enabled me to finds solutions to many of life’s challenges. Statistics showed a steady decline in reading, especially among young people between the ages of eight and seventeen.

In 2018, I published three books for middle schoolers. I packed the chapter books with mystery, creatures, and inventions, quirky stories designed with one purpose: encourage reluctant readers to read more.

God Does Not Show Favoritism (Acts 10:34 NIV)

What our Lord does for one He’ll do for others. If you’ve found yourself wondering what to do next in life, I encourage you to pray for God to show you His unique purpose for you. Then, step out of your comfort zone, step over the obstacles placed by the enemy, and step up to God’s vision for your life.

Small choice can make big differences!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grant is a former executive who now writes books that blend humor and mystery, creating fast-paced stories that include young heroes thrust into dangerous adventures with friends, robots, monsters, trolls, and even zombies. His characters show how people can still live out their full potential despite flaws and setbacks.

While he does not claim to have super powers, Grant does talk about his unfair competitive advantage, which he learned and refined during his years in the workplace. What is the advantage? Reading skills plus imagination can enable anyone to find and apply solutions to just about any of life's challenges.

Grant and wife, Dana, enjoy living in their restored 1906 building on the Main Street of Clifton, Texas. When he’s not walking his dog Rango or writing another action adventure, you might find Grant playing a hammered dulcimer or watching an old science fiction movie.

If you would like for Grant to speak at your school or an upcoming event, please use the Contact form at grantpferguson.com.

ABOUT THE CLIFTOPOLIS SERIES

All three paperback and Kindle books are available separately or together in the Cliftopolis SERIES (https://www.amazon.com/Cliftopolis-Middle-School-Mystery-Volumes/dp/1728728541/):

In volume one, Cliftopolis BELOW, eleven-year-old Preston Gustoffagus along with his friends accidentally unlock a monster's cell while exploring secret tunnels. The bite of the escaped beast transforms kids into zombies, and the monster’s mind control turns parents into slaves. The four friends, along with the unlikely assist from the school bully, must destroy the beast. But time is running out to free their classmates and parents from the curse of Cliftopolis' dark past. https://www.amazon.com/Cliftopolis-BELOW-Middle-School-Mystery/dp/1730713432/

In volume two, Cliftopolis ABOVE, the friends must figure out how they can travel back in time to wipe out the beast. The future rests on their shoulders because the adults remain under the mind control of the monster. They must find a way to cross the time barrier and stop the scourge before the monster takes over the world. https://www.amazon.com/Cliftopolis-ABOVE-Middle-School-Mystery/dp/1730715532/

In volume three, Cliftopolis BEYOND, the friends travel back in time to 1914 to find out what can be done to reverse the curse. Exploring turn of the century Cliftopolis, they discover a secret society bent on replacing workers with a legion of zombies. After making many timeline changes, they cannot predict the effect on present-day Cliftopolis. Only time will tell. https://www.amazon.com/Cliftopolis-BEYOND-Middle-School-Mystery/dp/1730716687/