‘Giants in the Land’ author shows huge importance of role models
"Giants in the Land," a book series for children age 7-15, was written by Clark Rich Burbidge of Woods Cross.
Clark Rich Burbidge, of Woods Cross, author of the "Giants in the Land" a book series.
"Giants in the Land," a book series for children age 7-15, was written by Clark Rich Burbidge of Woods Cross.
"Giants in the Land," a book series for children age 7-15, was written by Clark Rich Burbidge of Woods Cross.
Faced with a daunting challenge, many popular book or movie characters simply pull out a magic wand or call on their superpowers.
But what if you’re just a regular kid, without special powers or technology to help you deal with life’s difficulties? That’s the big question posed by a Woods Cross author, Clark Rich Burbidge, in his ”Giants in the Land” trilogy.
“Giants in the Land” is set in a medieval agricultural community where people live and work with giants — until one day, the giants disappear.
“The people aren’t sure what to do … they’ve never walked out in the world without giants, and they’re afraid to go and look for them,” Burbidge said.
But one young man, Thomas, musters enough courage to go in search of the missing giants.
“It’s a coming-of-age story, where he discovers what great purpose the giants had, why they left, and what it really means to be a giant — and it doesn’t have anything to do with size,” Burbidge said.
All three books in Burbidge’s series have won the International Mom’s Choice Gold Medal Award — most recently “The Cavern of Promise,” honored in June.
“I get letters from kids who say they were missing their book and found it in mom’s and dad’s room,” he said.
But Burbidge wrote the books for kids 7 through 15.
“There are animated books for younger kids, and then you get into some pretty dark teen novels,” he said. “If you get a 7- or 8-year-old reading some of that … that’s rough stuff.”
Burbidge wanted to show those readers that they all have giants in their lives — parents, grandparents, teachers and clergy, to name a few.
In presentations he makes to children, Burbidge talks about how to identify the giants in your life and follow in their footsteps.
“It’s important, not just becoming one yourself, but teaching others how to become one,” he said of real-life giants. “It’s a ‘pass-it -forward’ kind of philosophy, I think, and I hope it inspires kids and gives them purpose.”
Burbidge said one of the giants in his life was a high school coach, who taught him about more than running track.
“He was an individual who taught me not just how to compete, and not to give up, but that the effort you put in was worth it in the end,” Burbidge said.
The discipline he developed under that coach prepared him to deal with other challenges in his life — like the one that led him to become an author.
Burbidge had been an investment banker and chief financial officer for 30 years, when the company he worked for was sold and he found himself out of a job.
“You can’t just network and job-hunt 24/7 — that gets old,” he said. “I had a few things I’d wanted to do for a long time, and one of them was writing.”
That was in 2010. A year later, Burbidge self-published a Christmas story, “A Piece of Silver.” That same year, Bonneville Books released “Life on the Narrow Path: A Biker’s Guide to Spiritual Growth in Troubled Time.”
He’s combining his interest in cycling with his “Giants in the Land” series by hosting a book event from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. The free event at Bountiful Bikes, 2482 U.S. 89, features a drawing for a youth road bike, bicycle accessories, and “Giants in the Land” T-shirts and books.
Burbidge self-published his first two books in the “Giants in the Land” series, “The Way of Things” (Winepress Publishing, 2012) and “The Prodigals” (Winepress Publishing, 2013). The final installment, “The Cavern of Promise,” was released in June by Deep River Books.
A publisher has signed Burbidge for a new trilogy, and the first book should be out next summer.
Burbidge said the plot revolves around a family that has a seemingly-perfect life, until the father is deployed with the military and returns with an injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“My dad suffered with that, undiagnosed, for many years after the Korean War,” he said.
The books will explore the family’s emotional struggles, but with a twist.
“The kids discover an ancient relic that has awareness and can take them to various places in history … where they can learn principles and meet people, and make connections that can help their parents,” said Burbidge, adding that the children are trying to stay ahead of people who are tracking them. “So it’s a race against time that makes it very exciting.”
Contact reporter Becky Wright at 801-625-4274 or bwright@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at@ReporterBWright.