(Newswire.net — November 17, 2014) Thomson, Illinois — G.A. Henty wrote more than 100 books and was one of the most well-known authors of the late 1800s, but there is still a lot that even his biggest fans don’t know about him.
For instance, did you know that Henty’s poor health as a boy ensured that he often had to stay inside – and thus have little else to do but to read? As writer and historian Bill Heid points out in a new blog post, those long days buried in adventure novels not only added to his intellect but also laid the groundwork for his desire as an adult to write.
Heid is the executive producer of two children’s audio theater CDs based on Henty books – the latest project being In Freedom’s Cause – and considers himself a Henty fan.
“When it came to understanding the mind of young boys, G.A. Henty seemed to have a finger on their pulse,” Heid wrote in the new blog, “The Fascinating Life Of G.A. Henty.”
“This prolific writer spent a lifetime creating books that would lure in the imagination of boys — and then leave them wanting a lot more. He understood what it meant to draw in the reader from the first page and take them to the end … without skipping a beat. Henty’s books impacted my sons as they were growing up, so I wanted to see what sort of man he was.”
Heid’s full blog, which lists five facts you may not know about Henty, can be read here.
Heirloom Audio Productions, founded by Heid, is the company behind both projects.
In Freedom’s Cause tells the true story of Scottish hero William Wallace and his fight for independence from England. It follows a boy, Ned, as he tags along with Wallace and the eventual king of Scotland, Robert the Bruce, and watches history unfold. Wallace is best known to moviegoers as the subject of Braveheart, which was loosely based on Wallace’s heroics.
In Freedom’s Cause was recorded in London and features an all-star cast, including Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates in Downton Abbey), Billy Boyd (Pippin in The Lord Of The Rings”), Skandar Keynes (Edmund in the The Chronicles of Narnia series) and Jimmy Cosmo (Campbell, Father Christmas in Braveheart and The Chronicles of Narnia, respectively).
Heid’s first project, Under Drake’s Flag, was released last year and tells the story of Sir Francis Drake, who is best known for being the first Englishman to circle the globe and for his role in the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Each CD set is accompanied with a study guide and discussion starter, and each story puts a major emphasis on faith and moral values. Heid believes history has been sanitized of both elements.
“Everything in our world is sort of sterilized and secularized, and the faith of the men has been taken out of textbooks in America and around the world,” Heid said. “These projects are all about putting Christ back into history.”
The projects have received stellar reviews. Actress Chris Anthony – who hosted Adventures In Odyssey on radio – was impressed.
“I haven’t been this excited since the beginning of Adventures In Odyssey,” Anthony said.
Both CDs are also available via digital download. For more information on the latest audio drama, visit InFreedomsCause.com.