What do you think?
Rate this book
Don't Be Afraid of Heaven by Clint Adams
How in the world did fear ever become so popular, especially when it never should have existed in the first place? Why were we put here to do what we want, if we end up being too afraid to do it? In DON'T BE AFRAID OF HEAVEN, 13-year old Miguel Estes feels that being "scared to death," and having "the life scared out of me," are no longer just tired, old expressions.they've become part of a world-wide epidemic. Now rid of the fears that once paralyzed him, Miguel decides to help others eliminate theirs; he founds F.A.A.T. (Fear Ain't All That), an after-school group with his eccentric but wise Aunt Shirley. In its first meeting Miguel befriends Samantha, a girl diagnosed as having an exotic variety of phobias, fears, and anxieties. With a fierce determination, Miguel helps Samantha rid her life of one debilitating fear after another. Together, Miguel and Samantha learn much about life, fear, and death. Revelations from Aunt Shirley, and recurrent dreams of his brother Jorge (who already lives in heaven), also remind Miguel that "heaven is a far better place than here. It's nothing to be afraid of; it's the perfect place to be.everything about it is perfect." After undergoing a radical transformation, a stronger-than-ever-before Samantha, grows to be ill. As her condition worsens, Aunt Shirley informs Miguel that the greatest lesson he can possibly share with his dear friend is to help her be unafraid of going to heaven. Of course he's uncertain about accepting this task. But, paradoxically, it ends up being Samantha who teaches Miguel. Prior to leaving, Samantha feels only joy, excitement, and relief about her upcoming journey; Miguel, due to Samantha's experience, becomes unafraid ofhis own mortality. Samantha, now completely fearless, moves on; although left behind, Miguel celebrates Samantha's life as well as her death. DON'T BE AFRAID OF HEAVEN is the sequel to FEAR AIN'T ALL THAT, two multicultural fear-eliminating novels for teens. AUTHOR Born in Oakland, California, Clint Adams, now lives in Viareggio, Italy. Having authored numerous academic publications while at the Washington Post and McGraw-Hill, Clint now actively markets his two fear-eliminating novels for teens, FEAR AIN'T ALL THAT and its sequel, DON'T BE AFRAID OF HEAVEN. Before writing, Clint was a professional actor with over 100 credits in TV, film, and theatre. Clint earned a bachelor's degree in drama from the University of California at Berkeley, and his master's in marketing from San Francisco's Golden Gate University.
Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
3 people want to read
About the author
Clint Adams
7 books36 followersClint Adams, an advocate for those seeking purpose, is now marketing Live & Learn, A Retiree's Guide to Keep Going (spiritual self-help for seniors), written for ambitious and career-driven retirees and near-retirees who now ask, "What's Next?"
Prior to this book of non-fiction, Clint wrote, published and marketed his first historical novel, EVANGELINE The Seer of Wall St., a story about one of America’s first female entrepreneurs, astrologist Evangeline Adams. This is his second novel for adults; his first: The Seventh Ritual, a race for survival, a thriller, which he also adapted as a screenplay.
After having spent over a decade prior as a teen-fiction author, Clint leaves young adult publishing with a smile on his face…and lots of good memories. In 2005, he became a dual citizen of Italy and the United States. Since the publication of his first middle-grade novel, Just Say Mikey in 2002, Clint Adams, a recipient of Britain’s Millennium Trust Award, conducted dozens of his Stories About Facing Fear workshops throughout Europe in an effort to help teens everywhere maintain that “I can do anything” attitude.
In conjunction with these events, Clint actively marketed his three multicultural teen novels: Fear Ain’t All That (middle-grade) and its young adult sequels Don’t Be Afraid of Heaven and My Watch Doesn’t Tell Time. He has also authored numerous academic publications while at The Washington Post’s Kaplan Inc. and McGraw-Hill publishing, and has been a member of the Authors Guild for over twenty years.
Clint earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in drama from the University of California, Berkeley, studied creative writing at San Francisco State University and received his master's degree in marketing from San Francisco's Golden Gate University.
Having left acting long ago, Clint, still a Screen Actors Guild member, hopes to write additional screenplays while creating subsequent works of publishable full-length fiction.
Prior to this book of non-fiction, Clint wrote, published and marketed his first historical novel, EVANGELINE The Seer of Wall St., a story about one of America’s first female entrepreneurs, astrologist Evangeline Adams. This is his second novel for adults; his first: The Seventh Ritual, a race for survival, a thriller, which he also adapted as a screenplay.
After having spent over a decade prior as a teen-fiction author, Clint leaves young adult publishing with a smile on his face…and lots of good memories. In 2005, he became a dual citizen of Italy and the United States. Since the publication of his first middle-grade novel, Just Say Mikey in 2002, Clint Adams, a recipient of Britain’s Millennium Trust Award, conducted dozens of his Stories About Facing Fear workshops throughout Europe in an effort to help teens everywhere maintain that “I can do anything” attitude.
In conjunction with these events, Clint actively marketed his three multicultural teen novels: Fear Ain’t All That (middle-grade) and its young adult sequels Don’t Be Afraid of Heaven and My Watch Doesn’t Tell Time. He has also authored numerous academic publications while at The Washington Post’s Kaplan Inc. and McGraw-Hill publishing, and has been a member of the Authors Guild for over twenty years.
Clint earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in drama from the University of California, Berkeley, studied creative writing at San Francisco State University and received his master's degree in marketing from San Francisco's Golden Gate University.
Having left acting long ago, Clint, still a Screen Actors Guild member, hopes to write additional screenplays while creating subsequent works of publishable full-length fiction.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 31, 2008
Miguel Estes has been born with a rare genetic skin disorder called Epidermolysis Bullosa, or E.B. for short. Unsure of how much time he has left to live, his Aunt Shirley has helped him develop a To Do list - a place to keep track of all of the things he is afraid to try. She believes that it is necessary to conquer these fears to lead a more enriched existence. This certainly helps to motivate him and in spite of his daily struggles, keeps him in high spirits, after all, he can't let his aunt down. When his mother chooses to move in with her husband, Hunt, Miguel decides it is best for him to move in with his father, even though this means starting a new school, and changing doctors as well.
Aunt Shirley decides that when school starts, Miguel should start up an afterschool program called F.A.A.T. or Fear Ain't All That. She thinks that this will be a good way for him to get to know new students, and help them realize that life is what you make it, and fears are all relative. Thankfully he already has the support of his new best friend Samantha, his nurse's niece. And there is no one that needs F.A.A.T. or Miguels help more than she does.
This book was a rollercoaster ride, and it was so wonderful to read a book that was sure to inspire children and adults alike. We all fear something, but we need to look past all of that and make a To Do List - I believe it would help us all stay positive, and realize that there really is nothing to fear, anything can be overcome, even death. Thank you Clint for opening my eyes, and I think you will do the same for many people in the future.
Author Questions
How did you come up with the idea for this book, and the F.A.A.T. concept?
Honestly, I wrote DON 'T BE AFRAID OF HEAVEN as a tribute to my cat, Samantha. I named one of the main characters after her. I learned so much from Samantha, her life and the time she chose to die. Since my books all have to do with 'eliminating fear,' I decided to write about eliminating, or trying to help teens eliminate the most common fear of all, the fear of death. I hadn't seen many of these for the teen market (not novels anyway)...so I thought I'd give it a shot. In my mid-thirties, I began to feel certain that fear is something that is completely learned, not natural in any of us. I wanted the themes in all my books to be the same; lives begin to change only when fear is absent.
Do you have any books currently in the works?
Yes, I do. After having published four novels for teens, I've decided to try something different. My newest novel is a suspense thriller for adults titled, THE SEVEN RITUALS. Two plots run consecutively throughout; the two protagonists are the same person, yet one offers an innocent outlook at something rather perverse and dangerous, while the other shows incredible determination to discover the truth that will inevitably set him free.
What made you decide to have Miguel suffer from E.B., as opposed to some other ailment?
Good question. A long while ago I attended a fundraising concert in San Francisco ...not really knowing what the particular cause was. It ended up being a benefit event for kids that live with this rare disease, E.B. Shortly after the concert, I got to meet several of these brave kids. Their courage inspired me incredibly; I learned as much as I could about E.B. and I decided to continue writing about a boy living with E.B. as a tribute to them, those kids that have chosen to live without fear.
Do you have any other hobbies?
I love meeting people from as many countries as possible and learning as much as possible about their lives and their cultures. This is my favorite hobby, as well as being my greatest opportunity to learn.
A copy of this book is going to be raffled off the first week in March. To enter, all you need to do is visit www.uponfurtherreview.org and sign the guestbook under each book you are interested in.
Aunt Shirley decides that when school starts, Miguel should start up an afterschool program called F.A.A.T. or Fear Ain't All That. She thinks that this will be a good way for him to get to know new students, and help them realize that life is what you make it, and fears are all relative. Thankfully he already has the support of his new best friend Samantha, his nurse's niece. And there is no one that needs F.A.A.T. or Miguels help more than she does.
This book was a rollercoaster ride, and it was so wonderful to read a book that was sure to inspire children and adults alike. We all fear something, but we need to look past all of that and make a To Do List - I believe it would help us all stay positive, and realize that there really is nothing to fear, anything can be overcome, even death. Thank you Clint for opening my eyes, and I think you will do the same for many people in the future.
Author Questions
How did you come up with the idea for this book, and the F.A.A.T. concept?
Honestly, I wrote DON 'T BE AFRAID OF HEAVEN as a tribute to my cat, Samantha. I named one of the main characters after her. I learned so much from Samantha, her life and the time she chose to die. Since my books all have to do with 'eliminating fear,' I decided to write about eliminating, or trying to help teens eliminate the most common fear of all, the fear of death. I hadn't seen many of these for the teen market (not novels anyway)...so I thought I'd give it a shot. In my mid-thirties, I began to feel certain that fear is something that is completely learned, not natural in any of us. I wanted the themes in all my books to be the same; lives begin to change only when fear is absent.
Do you have any books currently in the works?
Yes, I do. After having published four novels for teens, I've decided to try something different. My newest novel is a suspense thriller for adults titled, THE SEVEN RITUALS. Two plots run consecutively throughout; the two protagonists are the same person, yet one offers an innocent outlook at something rather perverse and dangerous, while the other shows incredible determination to discover the truth that will inevitably set him free.
What made you decide to have Miguel suffer from E.B., as opposed to some other ailment?
Good question. A long while ago I attended a fundraising concert in San Francisco ...not really knowing what the particular cause was. It ended up being a benefit event for kids that live with this rare disease, E.B. Shortly after the concert, I got to meet several of these brave kids. Their courage inspired me incredibly; I learned as much as I could about E.B. and I decided to continue writing about a boy living with E.B. as a tribute to them, those kids that have chosen to live without fear.
Do you have any other hobbies?
I love meeting people from as many countries as possible and learning as much as possible about their lives and their cultures. This is my favorite hobby, as well as being my greatest opportunity to learn.
A copy of this book is going to be raffled off the first week in March. To enter, all you need to do is visit www.uponfurtherreview.org and sign the guestbook under each book you are interested in.
Displaying 1 of 1 review