Cedarville student’s homework assignment is now a published sci-fi novel

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

A Cedarville University student has been able to see a dream fulfilled that began when he was a freshman in high school.

Jordan Edwards, a CU sophomore from Marysville, Ohio, studying electrical engineering, just published his first novel, titled “When I Awoke.” It’s a science-fiction novel for middle-schoolers, and it takes readers 300 years into the future.

“A lot can happen in 300 years, but Quatyr never expected the future to look so … empty,” reads a synopsis of Edwards’ book on Amazon. “As he steps out of his cryogenic chamber, three things become very apparent to him: 1. The laboratory in which he spent the last 300 years in is in ruins. 2. The entire surrounding city has also been destroyed. 3. He needs to run away from the android army heading his way. As Quatyr begins to unravel the secrets of the post-apocalyptic world he finds himself in, the more secretive it becomes. Is he truly alone?”

The book is available in paperback or ebook on Amazon for $6.99.

As part of a school assignment during his freshman year in high school, Edwards was asked to write a synopsis for a fictional book idea. Based on that initial assignment, Edward and some classmate friends continued growing their stories. However, Edward would stop developing his idea only after it was published years later.

“When I began working on the book, my main motivation was just enjoyment,” Edwards said. “As time went on, however, I started paying attention to the books that I was reading and taking note of what worldview they seemed to be advocating. The more that I did this, the more convicted I felt to finish my book and make something that came from a Christian worldview.”

When Edwards finished writing his book over a year ago, he had no clue how big of a challenge it would be to publish. With traditional publishing outlets extremely difficult to navigate, Edwards searched for alternatives. He found that he could publish his book directly through Amazon, according to a Cedarville University press release.

““Writing this book was definitely a lesson in perseverance,” Edwards said. “After going through edit after edit and then the entire publishing process, there were quite a few times I was tempted to just set it down and never touch it again. But even if the book does not sell well, I am still glad that I went through this process, if only for the skills that I picked up along the way.”

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