About the author

Walter Meier

<p>I was born in Oak Park, IL, in the summer of 1953, on an extremely hot and muggy day. My family lived northwest suburbs of Chicago, which was a quiet place. We had few neighbors with farmland as far as the eye could see. As time passed, the farms disappeared and the tar-covered roads became blacktop. More families moved into the area and we became a neighborhood. That is where I grew up, went to school, and in 1972 graduated high school. By then, the neighborhood was sprawling with 7- Elevens and video stores.</p><p/><p>Conveniences stores were important in a young person&#8217;s life. You could buy a hot dog and drink for $2 and gas was 35&#162;/gallon. Minimum wage was about $3.50/hour, the work was dull and the idea of a future appeared dim. I was young and the Vietnam War was coming to an end. Instead of going to college, a friend and I bought a van and headed for Alaska. The trip opened my eyes to the vastness of this beautiful country. After enduring a blizzard and getting snowed in for 3 days, we looked forward to getting off the gravel road. We spent 6 months working odd jobs before the journey ended. I returned home and began a job working 12-hour shifts six days a week. After two years, I called it quits. It was now 1974, and I was at a start-up company making computer cash registers. The janitor explained the gift of salvation to me and with help from his pastor, I accepted Christ as my Savior.</p><p/><p>A short time later I was searching for a new direction. I began shooting weddings and portraits for different studios around the area. At this same time the pastor contacted me and encouraged me to go to Bible College/Seminary. I was reluctant, but I did go and my faith grew. I became grounded in my faith and graduated with a degree in Biblical Studies. I met my wife, Cora, got married and two years later celebrated the birth of my daughter, Tamra.</p><p/><p>The idea for this book came when picking up my daughter after school. On our rides home I shared the story of David and his adventure to Papa&#8217;s Island. The story excited my daughter so, that she said, &#8220;Papa, you should write it down.&#8221; It began as a simple child&#8217;s story and now we have a young adult&#8217;s novel for you to enjoy. The journey itself has been a laborious one. One of love and heartache, for many a change, has taken place along the way; for no journey is a simple one. That is about all I can say. I&#8217;ll leave it for you to decide.</p>