“I believe that the justification of art is the internal combustion it ignites in the hearts of men and not its shallow, externalized, public manifestations. The purpose of art is not the release of a momentary ejection of adrenalin but is, rather, the gradual, lifelong construction of a state of wonder and serenity.” — Glenn Gould
What’s it all about?
Simply put, I tell youthful stories with an old soul. I am a traditional-style children’s author, and one of the few contemporary animal-fiction writers out there. It is my hope that the morals of my stories will inspire young people (and those young at heart) to see the beauty and the common grace extended to the world. That we may strive to meditate on whatsoever things that are true, honest, just, pure, and lovely. If there be any virtue in the world, and if there be anything praiseworthy, it is my intention to build stories upon such foundations.
Why subscribe?
Questions should beget questions, and instilling a sense of wonder about God’s green earth is perhaps one of the greater gifts that one generation can pass on to the next. In that sense, A State of Wonder is meant to be a place for all sorts of musings. We’ll talk poetry, book reviews, antiquity, and much more.
Subscribe FOR FREE to gain access to A State of Wonder’s newsletter and website. You will also have access to Blake’s ‘Why You Should Read’ series; book reviews in under-five-minutes. Your engagement in the comments section is most welcome!
You may also upgrade to a paid subscription at any time. As a thank you for their support, paid subscribers are invited into periodic “sneak peaks” of unpublished manuscripts that Blake is working on. Paid members will also receive a digital download of Blake’s first book, Frog of Arcadia.
For their added support, founding members will be gifted with a signed copy of Frog of Arcadia, inscribed with a personalized ‘thank you’ by the author.
Books by Blake Bobechko
Frog of Arcadia is a traditional children’s story. The following excerpt is from the back of the book.
Thomas is an aquarium toad of unknown parentage. He doesn’t know his past and the prospects for his future are dim. While he’s read extensively about faraway lands, Thomas has never ventured beyond the glass walls of home. But when happenstance leaves a door open into a brave new world, Thomas hopes he’ll finally discover where he belongs.
As the story unfolds, this humble but educated toad finds himself in the middle of a civil feud between rival frog clans and a lost kingdom yet to be restored. Thomas wrestles with the tension of being a toad of two worlds, and learns that pride can overtake anyone, and that even victory can defeat the victor.
Frog of Arcadia is an enchanting moral epic filled with cowardice and chivalry, pride and majesty, boorishness and heroism. But a divine order holds it all together and, at last, we all reap what we sow.
