Peter Pays Tribute

Matt Burton is mute, meek, and microphobic. In fact, he hasn’t spoken a single syllable for the past year. He’s under a sworn oath of silence, and he’s determined to stick to it even if it catapults his entire life into chaos. And it might. Matt is about to fail an oral presentation and convince his dad, once and for all, that he’s hopeless. What’s an adolescent hypochondriac to do? More

Matt Burton isn’t a big talker. As a matter of fact, he hasn’t spoken a single syllable for the past year. He’s under a sworn oath of silence, and he’s determined to stick to it even if it catapults his entire life into chaos. And it might. Matt is about to fail an oral presentation and send his grade plummeting into the abyss. He doesn’t mind, but his disapproving dad does. What’s an adolescent hypochondriac to do? Confrontation isn’t his strength, so Matt begins to pour his fears and anxieties into a novel. As pressure mounts, Matt’s writing becomes his refuge.

His story takes place in a fantastical world filled with adventure and quests and a protagonist who isn’t afraid of single-celled organisms. The hero, Peter, is on a quest for the cruel and spiteful Grey God. The god’s temple is plague-stricken, and it’s up to Peter to find the cure. With little help and large obstacles, Peter has to decide whether his god is really worth serving and if there’s a way to escape eternal servitude.

The stories intertwine, making two-tiered novel. With the line blurring between fantasy and reality, Matt begins to resent the real. The more he immerses himself in his writing, the more Matt’s real life spirals out of control. Is there a way to reconcile the two, or is his real life doomed?