Excerpt from The Enchanted Earth and how I was guided to write this book by a big ‘ole oak

A few years ago, I was telling a friend about a big project that I was working on that — after countless hours and months of dedication — had completely flopped. I felt dejected.

We were sitting under the shade of a huge oak tree by the water, when my friend asked, “So what’s next?”

I shrugged my shoulders, and before I could respond, nothing prepared me for what happened next.

Suddenly, I received a big “down...