On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln ended his Gettysburg Address with the famous words, “…that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

As President Lincoln’s Gettysburg address referred to preservation and unity of this country, the phrase – “Of the Reader, By the Reader, For the Reader” – refers to the unity or commonality of the components of the book, The Hemlock Aperture.

“Of the reader” refers to the subject matter and inspiration for the book. This includes the source of inspiration for the story, my grandchildren. Also in the source of the story is the local geography (the Mad River Valley and the woods where I grew up as a child near West Liberty and the Mad River), the local history (the Shawnee Indians and their language), and even the inspiration for the magic barrel carts (Young’s Dairy Farm, near Springfield and close to the Mad River).

“By the reader” refers to the writing and publishing process, with the story written by a local author, using Shawnee Indian phrases from another local author’s Shawnee dictionary—“Say it in Shawnee!” (Samantha Holland). The editing was guided by beta readers from the Bellefontaine Middle School and High School honors English classes, directed by Lisette Hiatt. And the book cover was designed by students at the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, under the direction of their graphic design instructor, Tom Carrig.

And “For the reader” refers to the target audience, or intended reader, of the book. That is my grandchildren, middle-grade and young adult students (local and everywhere), local readers who are interested in stories about the Mad River Valley, and parents and grandparents who want clean, wholesome fiction for their grandchildren.

There is something satisfying about a project where the final product reflects the process. Completion brings a sense of fulfillment. It all fits together. Like a good ending to a book, it resonates.

There were times when I didn’t know if the process would work. But when it did, and we were finished and I wanted to start on the next book, I knew that it was worth the effort.

The second book of the series – The Tetrachrome Spiral Skyway – is in rough draft and beginning the beta reading and editing process.