In 1991, author Terry Brooks wrote his first short story to see publication, a tale titled Imaginary Friends that ties into his Word/Void novels.
It was featured in the Lester del Rey anthology, Once Upon a Time: A Treasury of Modern Fairy Tales. Containing some of the best writers at the time, the anthology went out of print almost immediately, leaving Terry’s fans unable to read Imaginary Friends.
No longer. Terry has authorized me to produce eBook editions of Imaginary Friends—for a very good cause. But first, here is a bit more about the short story:
In 1997, New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks reinvented the fantasy genre again, publishing the contemporary fantasy masterpiece RUNNING WITH THE DEMON, the first book in a trilogy of novels that would become known as the Word/Void series.
But in 1991, six years before RUNNING WITH THE DEMON, Terry Brooks began testing the mythos found in Word/Void and wrote a tale titled IMAGINARY FRIENDS, a short story published in the Lester del Rey anthology ONCE UPON A TIME!
IMAGINARY FRIENDS has been out of print ever since — but no longer!
Jack McCall is ten days shy of his thirteenth birthday, a happy kid with wonderful parents, a great best friend, and a bright future. But after a series of headaches forces him to visit the family doctor, Jack discovers a dark secret about himself, one that threatens to destroy him.
All is not lost though. In mysterious Sinnissippi Park where he is banned to tread, Jack discovers unexpected help from the most unlikely of friends and begins a quest to locate the most potent of magics — one he needs if he is to survive.
Here, for the first time in two decades, Terry Brooks fans can read the 8500-word short story IMAGINARY FRIENDS, featuring Sinnissippi Park and the first appearance of the elven creature Pick and his trusty owl Daniel!
As many of you know, I’m going through treatment for cancer. Thankfully, I only have two more treatments. The greatest hardship throughout the last six months though has been not having health insurance to cover the medical bills. I owe my hospital a great debt, one that won’t be easy to pay off.
Enter Terry Brooks. Terry has stood by me during this trial. We have some great things planned for 2012 but for 2011 he has loaned me Imaginary Friends for 90 days. That’s right. I can sell his short story and all proceeds go to my medical debt. So far his fans have stepped up. They have bought hundreds of the short story. While my medical bill is well over $100,000 at the moment, every little bit helps. And this is a pretty cool thing: I get a bit of help and fans get a short story from their favorite author they otherwise more than likely wouldn’t.
If you are a Terry Brooks fan or if you just want to help, click a link below:
The power of the eBook is being realized by all authors—and in some cases doing great good. Thank you all for your support! Terry hopes you enjoy the short story.
Odd how Terry wrote Imaginary Friends in 1991, long before we met.
And odder still how much the short story parallels my life…
