Embarking on a Spiritual Adventure with “The Rebel’s Hike”
Joan K Smith’s latest Amazon digital exclusive, The Rebel’s Hike, offers young readers a unique spiritual journey packed with adventure, relatable characters, and thought-provoking life lessons. Through a vivid, imaginative narrative, this book tackles some of life’s most pressing questions: Who loves me? Do I matter? What’s my true purpose?
A Colorful Cast with Real-World Struggles
The story unfolds around four middle schoolers—Tyrone, Elijah, Riley, and Alyssa. Each finds their way into the vibrant realm of Wackus Bonkus at unexpected moments. Tyrone, known for troublemaking, lands there after a fight leaves him comatose. Elijah, coming from a solid Christian family, visits during cozy movie nights at home. Quiet, book-loving Riley enters while lost in stories, and Alyssa, a book-smart cheerleader struggling with friendships, arrives during stressful school exams.
In Wackus Bonkus, the characters meet OSOLAT (Original Source of Light and Truth), who answers their deepest questions and challenges them to view the world differently. But their adventure isn’t easy. Each child confronts their “evil twin”—beings known as Experts who tempt humans towards poor choices. To help them, OSOLAT gifts them Rings of Truth, empowering them to see people’s soul particles: bright particles signify love and purpose, while darker ones signal sadness and evil.
Real Life Meets Fantasy in a Tense Conflict
Back in the real world, journalist Becca Brown sees Tyrone’s miraculous recovery from a coma as her ticket to fame. Desperate for exclusive insights, she enlists her daughter, Nicole to manipulate Alyssa for information, leading to a significant betrayal. The stakes escalate when Alyssa loses her Ring of Truth at the Browns’ home, sending Becca into a frenzy for answers. Determined to uncover the secrets behind the rings, Becca hires a private investigator, even resorting to leveraging Tyrone’s incarcerated father.
The resulting chain of events tragically leads to Tyrone’s death, just as he was turning his life around. Having found stability with Elijah’s loving family and starting a popular podcast called The Rebel’s Hike, Tyrone leaves behind powerful lessons. His podcasts cleverly used hiking metaphors to illustrate biblical truths, guiding listeners through life’s decisions, challenges, and triumphs.
After Tyrone’s passing, Elijah’s older brother Axel bravely steps into the podcast role, partnering with Alyssa’s cousin Nora. Together, they passionately continue Tyrone’s vision, inspiring a new generation to embark on “The Rebel’s Hike,” shaping their communities—and potentially the world—for the better.
A Personal Touch and Lasting Impact
Joan K Smith’s writing journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Beginning her publishing career in 2005 with Diary of a Host Mom, she later gained recognition with her 2012 novel, Broken Pottery, a contemporary echo of C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters. Her experience crafting spiritually engaging narratives culminates beautifully in The Rebel’s Hike.
This book’s journey took a deeply personal turn when Joan faced profound tragedy, losing her daughter, Morgan unexpectedly in 2022. Despite her grief, Joan’s resilience shone through, and The Rebel’s Hike reached completion in early 2024 and publication later that year.
Today, the book continues making waves, with young readers actively participating in summer book clubs, enthusiastically engaging with its powerful themes. As readers say, “This book provides spiritual food for thought, lingering in minds long after the final page.”
Fans are invited to join the conversation on “The Rebel Hike Continues” Substack, contributing ideas for future plots, character names, and sharing favorite music and podcasts related to the story.
Ultimately, The Rebel’s Hike invites every reader—young or old—to reflect deeply, asking themselves who they choose to follow in life’s countless small moments. This digital-exclusive edition isn’t just a read; it’s an uplifting experience, prompting each of us to take our own Rebel’s Hike.
We had the privilege of interviewing the author. Here are excerpts from the interview:
Thank you so much for joining us today! Please introduce yourself and tell us what you do.
I’m just a regular person trying to do the best I can out there in the big world. I’ve always wanted to make my life meaningful, healthy, and fun. I have a day job working for an international IT company, which I’ve had for the past 20 years, but in my down times, I’ve often felt the need to get stories that seem to be downloaded into my brain out into the world.
Please tell us about your journey of writing your books.
Both Broken Pottery and The Rebel’s Hike almost seemed to write themselves sometimes. The editing was the hard part! As a lifelong Christian, I went up and down, across and over, the narrow and wide paths many times. When my 24-year-old daughter, Morgan, passed away in December of 2022, the walk/hike became more real than ever, and although I thought I’d had a good relationship to the Creator prior, I know now how deep and loving it can really be. I want as many people as possible to be able to live life in this type of love and freedom.
Please tell us about your book.
The Rebel’s Hike is one way to reach the younger generations before they get too deeply ingrained into cultural things that don’t matter in the long run. Sophie, at 15 years of age, has not had the world’s easiest life herself, but she also has a spiritual side that knows how much God loves her. She is a fun young woman to hang around with, and we hope the book will reach many people.
What are the strategies that helped you become successful in your journey?
I guess success needs to be defined. So far, The Rebel’s Hike hasn’t gotten much traction yet. Times have changed a lot since 2012, and I’m not hugely into social media, so I don’t spend a lot of time trying to market there. I do think the book affects everybody who has read it in a positive way, based on the reviews and conversations I’ve had. To me, that is success. I believe God will get it into the hands of whomever he chooses, however he chooses. I’m hoping this promotion will be a new catapult for the book.
Any message for our readers
I do have a message for your readers. The Rebel’s Hike is aimed at kids, so if they take the message to heart, they can live their lives in a better way than the current culture says they should. It will make them more purposeful, and what a great way to live. Adults have also really enjoyed the book, even though it is aimed at the younger generation. It will take an adult reader who has more influence than I to help move it along. Who will the Holy Spirit tap to do that?
Thank you so much, Joan, for giving us your precious time! We wish you all the best for your journey ahead!
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