Monthly Archives: April 2015

Novel

Texas Authors Fiction

Texas Authors Fiction

An unusual set of themes for a Texas novel is included in Fortune on the Spectrum.  Taking place in coastal South Texas, the main character is on the autism spectrum and experiences wealth, fame, success and danger. Texas Authors Fiction.

Denny Jagen lives on a barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico. He is diagnosed with autism at three years of age, but has a unique gift, a fascination with money. This fascination becomes a talent for day trading and he becomes the youngest, self-made millionaire in Texas history.

Living on the Gulf of Mexico with his family, he has experienced close calls with storms and hurricane watches, but never a direct landing. This all changes when by accident of fate, he is left home alone with a category four hurricane heading straight for his town.

Part of the novel addresses the ever looming possibility of a major hurricane hitting the Texas coast and how it may affect the most vulnerable.  Other more tranquil aspects of Texas beach life are explored as well.

Mark Ferdinand offers a great mix of excitement and detailed life challenges of his main character in Fortune on the Spectrum.

Texas Authors Fiction
Fortune on the Spectrum cover

Author Mark Ferdinand

Author Mark Ferdinand, a resident of Corpus Christi, Texas, has a son with autism that inspires him every day.  Mark’s experience enables him to bring a unique character to life in the world of fiction. With the increase of special needs characters as a trend in books, movies and television, Mark is able to approach the creation of such characters with a realism and respect not often seen in popular media.

Texas authors fiction
Texas author Mark Ferdinand

Fortune on the Spectrum is published independently and is available through Amazon Books in both paperback and Kindle e-book format.

Contact Info:

Email: markferdinandbooks@gmail.com
Website: http://www.slickpages.com/fortune

autism

Storms blackouts and autism

A few nights ago, a major thunderstorm hit the coastal bend. I went to bed early so as to start the week refreshed. Somewhere around midnight the crack of thunder struck and the ding dang dog started yapping, startling me into consciousness.

The storm continued for hours. I never was able to get any decent sleep that night as the entire family played musical beds and the dog couldn’t calm down until the thunder stopped.

The night was rough for all of us, including my son with autism. Things are better now that he is older but storms, blackouts and autism can be a bad combination. My son uses electronic gadgets and the internet for comfort and entertainment and when these are cut off he is distressed.  Now in his teens, he is much better at comprehending the loss of electricity and understanding that eventually power will return.

Sometimes there is a positive outcome for my son when it comes to power outages. Two days later, another storm hit us in the daytime and his school was closed for the day. I had to miss a day of work to pick him up but he was quite pleased with it all.

A portion of my novel, Fortune on the Spectrum, deals with more disastrous natural events that our main character has to get through. Not a fun thought to explore but our character overcomes a lot in this saga. Storms blackouts and autism

 

Author, Texas

Corpus Christi Authors

Corpus Christi Authors

Mark Ferdinand lives, works and writes on North Padre Island in Corpus Christi. While many Corpus Christi authors are not widely known, Mark’s adventure novel Fortune on the Spectrum has been honored with a spot on the Best Books about Texas list.

The City

The city of Corpus Christi plays a role in the story but much of this fictional account relates to any coastal town on the Gulf. Beach life, island life and natural conditions on the water in hurricane country all are prominent.

Fortune on the Spectrum is a unique adventure novel. A journey in the life of the youngest self-made millionaire in Texas history.

Corpus Christi Authors
Mark Ferdinand in novel promotion video
Corpus Christi Authors
Corpus Christi author Mark Ferdinand

Mark Ferdinand lives on the South Texas coast with his wife, daughter and son. Fishing the surf, hunting, gardening, carving, auto and home repair occupy his spare time. He has written on the topic of autism spectrum disorder from a father’s perspective in parenting articles and in other non-fiction venues.

Having limited typical communication skills, his son introduced Mark to new ways of interpreting his needs and aspirations. As his son grew older Mark became fascinated by the story potential within these amazing children. This prompted the creation of a dynamic adventure story focusing on a character with autism.

Mark is about to publish his new non-fiction work entitled You’re Gonna’ Get Bit! Harrowing Tales of Herpetology.

From chasing frogs as a child, to milking venomous snakes for a living, Mark Ferdinand explores a lifetime of tales from the world of reptiles and amphibians.

Whether it’s a quest for his first turtle, keeping crocodiles in his closet, or chasing snakes around the workplace, You’re Gonna’ Get Bit! has a story that all “herpers” and nature lovers can relate to and enjoy.

autism, Books, Fiction, hautism, Novel, Texas

Autistic characters in books

Autistic characters in books

There is a growing number of autistic characters found in popular movies, television and fiction. These characters are of varying realism and accuracy in their representation of autistic children. The goal of the piece and its target audience affects the character.

Autistic character

Fortune on the Spectrum is a work of fiction in which the main character lives and succeeds on the autism spectrum.  Being autistic is both a help and a hindrance to his life covering birth to young adulthood.

When it comes to characters in books and other fictional media, the experience of the writers will vary a great deal. In my case autism is something that I am deeply familiar with and integrate into my novels.  Of course there are artistic liberties taken along with autistic liberties.

Book cover

Fortune on the Spectrum cover

Mark Ferdinand lives on the South Texas coast with his wife, daughter and son. Fishing the surf, hunting, gardening, carving, auto and home repair occupy his spare time. He has written on the topic of autism spectrum disorder from a father’s perspective in parenting articles and in other non-fiction venues. Having limited typical communication skills, his son introduced Mark to new ways of interpreting his special needs and aspirations. As his son grew older Mark became fascinated by the story potential within these amazing children. This prompted the creation of a dynamic adventure story focusing on a character with autism. Corpus Christi author and Texas author Mark Ferdinand. Mark writes novels with autistic characters, and Texas fiction.

New non-fiction title “You’re Gonna’ Get Bit!  coming soon. For those like the creepy crawly reptiles and amphibians. Fun tales from amateur fun to professional pitfalls.

Mark’s titles are available in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon. Visit his Amazon author bio page here: Mark Ferdinand