One day, I was sitting across from my kids and watched them disappear into screens. Controllers in hand, headsets on, living in worlds I couldn’t reach. I felt the connection slipping away.
So I did what writers do: I tried to meet them where they were. I wrote them a book.
Connection: Lost is a YA sci-fi thriller about Jay, a fourteen-year-old gamer who’s recruited to beta-test a revolutionary VR combat simulator on a remote island. It’s the escape he’s been waiting for—until the lines between virtual and reality start to blur.
Cut off from the outside world and trapped with a team he doesn’t trust, Jay must decide who he really is: the untouchable online legend hiding behind a screen, or someone capable of real connection and real sacrifice.
Who This Book Is For
This story is for gaming families navigating the digital age. For parents who feel disconnected from their kids because of screens. For teenagers who live more vividly in virtual worlds than real ones. For anyone who’s ever wondered where the line between virtual and real truly lies.
If you loved Ready Player One, Warcross, or Maze Runner, this book bridges gaming culture with character-driven storytelling that asks: what does it mean to be real?
Why I Wrote This
I’m a father, a musician, a business owner—and I was losing my kids to the digital world. Rather than fight it, I decided to understand it. I learned about gaming culture, competitive esports, the psychology of virtual identities. And I wrote a story that honors that world while asking deeper questions about connection and identity.
Connection: Lost isn’t anti-gaming. It’s about finding ourselves in the spaces between virtual and real, and learning that true connection requires us to show up—fully, vulnerably, honestly.
Get the Book
Connection: Lost is available now on Amazon in ebook and Kindle Unlimited.
Want the behind-the-scenes story you won’t find on the blog? Join my reader community for exclusive bonus content, updates on Book 2, and the personal essay about what writing Connection: Lost taught me about connection.