mike beckett

Will Freeman is a young visionary who doesn’t know it yet. When he and his family move to Churchtown, PA, from New Jersey, his spirituality is awakened in a way that he finds menacing and troubling. After Will’s father John Freeman disappears as a result of his involvement in exposing corruption in his new community, Will is tormented by the idea that he is somehow at fault. At first, finding his father becomes Will’s mission but later, uncovering the truth about his death, becomes a driving passion that will lead Will through some emotional and spiritual as well as physically challenging adventures. As Will gets pulled in by some of the local kids, he accepts or rejects their ingrained spiritual beliefs depending on his frame of mind at any given time. Even so, he is able to make some loyal friends, but, he is still bullied because he is an outsider, and he sometimes can not escape peer pressure. At his back he feels “Time’s winged chariot.” Will’s journey doesn’t end at the conclusion of Free Will, because like all humans, he continues to experience life’s challenges. The adults in his life try to guide him but like most teenagers, he lives a life separate and secret from them. His struggle is to try to make sense of what happens to him and how he can move ahead emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. Features *The setting in Churchtown lends an air of mystery and intrigue about the people and the place. Many details appear to mirror real locations. *The unique blend of cultures in this locale will fascinate most readers, even some of the locals. *Free Will speaks to the universal questions that not only teens experience, but adults as well. *As educators and outsiders to the area themselves, the authors bring an intimacy to the plot.