drafts as proof he had done the work . At the end of the school year , the principal called him and his teacher into his office , and she finally had to admit that she couldn ’ t prove he stole it from someone else . It was a huge victory for Riley .
After the publication of his memoir , “ Baghdaddy ,” Riley wanted to write something for kids ― something that would take them away from reality for a while and into a magical world where they could make a difference . “ Asher ’ s Tears ” became that book . It was a story he wanted to write .
Riley felt he had learned some skills . “ I had some perspective ,” he said . “ I saw what it took to bring a book to market , and I learned the ups and downs that go with it .” Originally , he was going to pursue a different route , but he had never written a fantasy book before . He believed it was a good story , so he went to Tom Reale , the president at Brown Books . He asked Tom if there was a way he could have some of his readers go through it and see what they think . As a result , a couple of readers brought it to Tom and told him some parts were a little rough , but it was a story he should look at publishing .
After the publication of his memoir , “ Baghdaddy ,” Riley wanted to write something for kids ― something
that would take them away from reality for a while and into a magical world where they could make a difference .
Riley had an existing relationship with Brown Books , which typically has published some critical and important military stories . “ I wanted to take those skills and apply them to the fantasy series ,” Riley said . “ But I had never written to that particular age group . A salty military style and language didn ’ t fit .”
“ Asher ’ s Tears ” would be a story about coming of age . He planned it as a middle grades book , but some scenes Riley really liked were too intense for that age group . He felt the suggested changes would dilute the impact . After many developmental meetings and much debate , he rewrote parts of it to be more targeted for the 11-15 year age group . The whole process delayed “ Asher ’ s Tears ” from getting to market for about 18 months . “ Sometimes , in the desire to get the book out there , you sacrifice perspective ,” Riley said . “ They gave me feedback , as I ’ m a guy who trusts but also needs to verify everything .”
The story development had gone along smoothly until it hit the 20-32 age
26 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE