Captain Henry Book Journey

It was about ten years ago, shortly after my son was born, when I sat down at my kitchen table. Something—I’m not sure what—sparked the idea to write a short story. It was about a rope swing I used to play on growing up in New Jersey. The swing was a place where everyone hung out. From what I remember, the rope was so high in the tree, you couldn’t even see which branch it was tied to. At the end of the rope was a BMX handlebar, its grips worn from countless hands. There were a couple of ways you could ride that swing, and that’s what I thought I was going to write about.

What started as a simple story for my son grew into something more.

But as the story grew so did that voice in my head whispering I wasn’t good enough to be a writer. That not one would like it.

If you’ve ever struggled with that inner voice, you know how powerful and loud it can be.

For years, I picked the story up and put it down, starting and stopping, letting that voice win more often than not.

Then one day, a conversation with a friend made me face that voice head-on. It pushed me to do something terrifying—share what I had written.

I started small, sharing one chapter at a time, and what I found was that each time I hit send, that voice got quieter.

After that, I shared some chapters with my aunt, who happens to be a talented writer and editor. I was nervous about her feedback, but I wasn’t going to let that voice stop me this time.

To my relief, she didn’t hate it. In fact, we spent several months working together on edits. That time will always be special to me, a gift I wouldn’t have received if I’d listened to that voice.

And now, I’m extremely proud to say I finished my first novel: Captain Henry and the Planets Guard.

The story follows twelve-year-old Henry and his friends who, after witnessing a spaceship crash, are granted cosmic powers. They must team up with Moshe-Rahk, the ship's lone survivor, to stop the villainous alien, Madola, from destroying Earth.

Yes, there are aliens and superpowers, but in many ways, Henry’s journey mirrors my own experience in writing this book—finding the courage to believe in ourselves and silence that inner voice of doubt.

I hope "Captain Henry and the Planets Guard" inspires kids to do the same: embrace their potential, quiet their fears, and chase their dreams.

Over the next month I’m going to share my journey as I go through the self-publishing process. I’d really appreciate it if you visited my website www.BrianKSeidel.com and join along. I’d also appreciate if you liked and shared this post to help spread the word. Thanks for your support—and may you find the courage to silence that doubt and follow your passion!