Winding Trail Press - Seeker of Stars

Seeker of Stars

ISBN 0-9733632-8-2
112 pages
$19.95 Canadian
$16.95 U.S.

Look to the stars! That's what Melchior, one of the Magi, did when he followed that star in the east to Bethlehem.
A new novel by Waterloo writer Susan Fish has captured what it might have been like to take that journey in her first novel, Seeker of Stars, published by Winding Trail Press.

Told in the first person, with memorable characters, striking poetic images, and universal themes, Seeker of Stars offers a fresh retelling to the story of the magi. As a small boy, Melchior is fascinated by stars, but lives in a world of rigid obligations where he must apprentice with his rug-making father. Through sandstorms and family upheaval, Melchior dares to dream of grasping those stars. Then his expected course radically alters, setting him on a new path, full of danger and glory, in pursuit of that one special star.

The journey leads Melchior to reflect on desire and pain, life and death, family and love, dreams and duty, and to find unusual reconciliation within his own family and with the God he never knew he sought. Seeker of Stars offers a fresh retelling of the story of the Magi, and invites us to a new perspective and passion for our own spiritual journeys.

Praise for Susan's writing is not hard to come by (see attachment). Three of the chapters in Seeker of Stars - "Sandstorm," Journey," and "Star" - have already been anthologized, and the book isn't even out yet. "There is power in its telling," says Doug Kranz, who is both a pastor and an astronomer. "The Magi become more human and recognizable, the Christmas Star more astonishing and compelling, the Christmas miracle more poignant and personal without losing any of the mystery that is the story itself."

CFRB Broadcaster Michael Coren calls the book "Fascinating, timely, and challenging." Jane Kirkpatrick, herself an award-winning author says 'Destined to become a classic' is an overused phrase but I think it's true here." Author Linda Hall praises Seeker of Stars as being "exquisitely written." And "Susan Fish is a gifted communicator who paints with words," according to David MacFarlane, Director of National Initiatives with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

Not surprisingly, Susan's publisher agrees with all the praise. "Susan's writing is first-rate," says Ruth Bradley-St-Cyr, publisher of Winding Trail Press. "Susan and I met at a writing workshop where we had to read and critique a dozen other writers. Her work stood out for me like that Star of Bethlehem stood out in the night sky for the Magi. People are just going to love this book."

More praise for Seeker of Stars.

About the Author

A former InterVarsity Christian Fellowship staff worker and Director of Communications for Habitat for Humanity Canada, Susan Fish is currently a member of the Word Guild and a freelance writer and editor, Susan has been writing for non-profit organizations for a decade, and has been recognized locally and nationally for fiction and poetry. She has published two books of Bible study curriculum - Let God Be God (2003) and For Such a Time as This (2004).

Susan Fish was born in Windsor, raised in Mississauga, and has lived in Waterloo, for the past twelve years. Susan holds a BA from the University of Toronto and an MA from Wilfrid Laurier University. Susan writes a regular column for The Mennonite-Brethren Herald and is a regular contributor to the K-W Record and Christian Current. Susan is married to Dave Fish, a high school physics teacher; together they have three young children. She is at work on her second novel.

Book club and Bible study discussion questions for Seeker of Stars can be downloaded, at no charge, at www.susanfish.com.