Cooperstownian King Debuts First Book in Fantasy Series

By SARAH ROBERTS
PITTSBURGH

Cooperstown native, Pittsburgh Steelers play-by-play announcer and Pittsburgh Pirates television host Rob King has released the first book in a middle grade fantasy series, titled “The Door in the Stone.”

“When a mysterious woman blackmails Vic and Em into leaving our world through The Door in the Stone, the lonely siblings plunge into a war in Kavenland, a world of myth and magic. Fate leads them to meet best friends Larkin, Ariana, and Noll, who are traveling through Kavenland’s frightening forest on a quest to save their home,” reads the back cover, “With unique and growing powers, the five kids must learn to trust each other while taking on the strange and dangerous creatures of the woods, including the awful Scourge, in a mad dash to save Kavenland—and each other.”

King considers Cooperstown home, having attended Cooperstown Central School from the eighth through the twelfth grade. His father was born and raised in Cooperstown. His mother, Marion, still lives in Fly Creek, and his older sister, Wesley, is a teacher in the Oneonta school system.

Growing up, King played football and baseball, and read sport, mystery, and fantasy books with his “head firmly in the clouds.” He and his family moved to Pittsburgh later on, where he has been a television host for the Pirates for 20 years and is in his first year of being a play-by-play announcer for the Steelers.

According to King, the five main characters of his series each have their own challenges that they must overcome and grow through. The illustrations are done by his daughter, Cooper—named after Cooperstown—as she works on her PhD in Scotland’s University of Edinburgh.

This novel is the first in a planned trilogy. According to King, he hopes to have the second book in the series ready for release later this year, with the third book in The Kavenland Series to follow after that.

“I have no background in writing of this type. It’s very different from the journalism style of writing that I’ve done throughout my career. It’s one of the main reasons that the book took me almost nine years to write,” King said.

When asked about the journey of releasing his first novel, he warns hopeful writers that being rejected is part of the process—but one that can be used to grow and improve.

“You have to grow a thick skin to deal with that rejection…do it for the love of it,” he advised.

When asked for comparable titles, he identified his target audience as being similar to that of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan and the first couple Harry Potter installations by JK Rowling, and named the Hardy Boys series as some of his most-read books when he was the age he is writing for.

That being said, he wrote “The Door in the Stone” with the intent that it could be enjoyed by all ages.

“I hope that readers will identify with one or more of those characters…I also hope that kids feel empowered when they read ‘The Door in the Stone,’” he said. “I think there are few things sillier than the grown-ups of the world criticizing the youth of today as not good or tough enough to handle life’s challenges. I have news for you: Your parents said the same about your generation, and their parents said the same about their generation, and on and on and on.”

“The Door in the Stone” was first released on November 19 of this year by 4 Monarch Publishing, has a listed reading level of 9-14 years old, and can be purchased on Amazon.com in Kindle, or in paperback form.

Online reviews call it “an outstanding debut novel,” “a page-turner for reluctant readers” and “a perfect entrance to a wonderful fantasy.”