Todd & Jedd Hafer: Authors, humorists, speakers, omnivores.

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If you actually meant to go to heifer brokers.com and ended up here by mistake we apologize. We don't know much about cattle, but we sure love beef!

What's New with Hafer Bros? (Last updated: July 24th, 2007)

Good Times For Bad Idea

First, a big, bad thanks to everyone who has grabbed a copy of Bad Idea. The book is off to a good start, with more than half our sales in the general market. We rather expected this, but we hope Christian retail will give us a shot.

Even more than sales, though, we're grateful for the reader response. Please keep 'em coming.

Critical response has been good too. Here's a sampling:

"One of the best books I've read this year. I don't know if I read three consecutive pages without busting a gut. A fantastic read. I highly recommend it." -- Jamie Driggers, armchairinterviews.com

"Well-written, often amusing, but alwaysgripping." -- Harriet Klausner, Amazon.com No. 1 reviewer (also featured in Time magazine's "Most Influential Americans" issue)

"I would suggest this book to anyone." -- Samantha Copenharve, Charlotte Sun-Herald

". . . I especially enjoyed the hilarious mental riffs Griffin would take off on. I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to read this book. Once I started, I had no intention of cutting my trip short." -- Donna Shepherd, author and book reviewer

"Bad Idea is a coming-of-age story like no other I have ever read. Griffin, though, is what draws the reader in. He is not without flaws, but his down-to-earth and refreshingly pessimistic, yet hopeful view of life makes him a character you can relate to." -- Alyssa Perez, reviewer for Florida Today

"Bad Idea has all the earmarks of a great novel. Get and read this book." -- A Peek at My Bookshelf

And just when we thought the news couldn't get any better, we learned that Bad Idea was a finalist for the Christy Awards (in the Youth category). The Christies are like the Emmy Awards for faith-based books, so we are honored to be recognized as one of the top three books in the category.

Finally, if you think Bad Idea has a cool cover, you have good taste. Designed by the talented people at studiogearbox, the B.I. cover took a gold medal at a local, regional, and, ultimately, a national competition in New York.

Beyond Bad...

How do you follow up something like Bad Idea? We hope we have. We're excited to announce the next story in the "Bad" saga. From Bad to Worse grabs the steering wheel from its predecessor, as we find Griffin and his longtime crush, Amanda Mac, sharing a car -- and much more -- on a dangerous, confusing, and painful trip from Oregon back to the duo's home in Kansas City.

As with BI, the early buzz is good for From Bad . . .

Best-selling author Adam Palmer notes, "From Bad to Worse might as well have been called From Great to Awesome, as Todd and Jedd have outdone themselves this time. Specifically, the character of Griffin Smith is truly a brilliant creation: conflicted, complex, authentic, droll, self-aware, honest -- simply magnificent."

Another best-selling author, Melody Carlson (check out her TrueColors series), has this to say: "They've done it again. Courageously honest, this riveting tale is relevant to today's culture and a must read for teen guys . . . and girls who want to get into a guy's head."

Kristin Armstrong adds, "From Bad to Worse is relevant, poignant, and hilarious. I laughed my ass off. It is that funny. And it tugged at my heartstrings, as I could feel Griffin struggle with living a spiritual life in the natural world. This book is so good that I did not want the road trip to end."

(BTW, you gotta check out Kristin's new book, Strength for the Climb. Also, her blog on runnersworld.com is addictive, even if you're not a runner.)

Anyway, that's what's new with us, for now. We're working on a novel that's an insider's view into the world of stand-up comedy, but we don't have a publisher committed to us yet. We'll keep you posted.

Before we close, we want to keep our tradition of sending a few free books out. So, be one of the first seven (a nice biblical number) people to email us here at haferbros.com, and a free copy of From Bad to Worse will be on its big, bad way to you.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Old Updates:

October 7, 2006

A Bad Idea Is Born . . .

The latest Hafer Brothers novel is here. Bad Idea (a road-trip novel -- with coyotes) is our edgiest and riskiest project yet. (Substance abuse, self-harm, family strife, sexual temptation, and man-on-coyote violence -- it's all here.) We're excited, and more than a little apprehensive, to see what the reaction will be. Here's some early feedback . . .

"Exceptionally witty and insightful, the Hafer brothers are master storytellers. Bad Idea not only is a great read, it is also a refreshingly honest portrayal of authentic people struggling to make sense of faith in their world. This is a striking story that you won't want to miss." -- Danny Oertli, author and songwriter

"Wow! What a story! Written with aching reality and irreverent humor, this gut-wrenchingly honest novel takes the reader on an unforgettable road trip to the land of Growing Up and Getting Real. Big kudos to Todd and Jedd!" -- Melody Carlson, author of more than 100 books, including theTrueColors series

"I started reading Bad Idea out of curiosity. By page 3, I was hooked. When it comes to writing, the Brothers Hafer know what they're doing, exuding a confident command of style, tone and wit that had me eager to see what was on the next page, and the next, and the next. At long last, a modern novel that refreshes as it challenges. Here's hoping they get an even worse idea in the future." -- Adam Palmer, author of Mooch and Taming a Liger: Unexpected Spiritual Lessons from Napoleon Dynamite.

We are extremely grateful for these encouraging words -- and for the good early reviews on Amazon and Christianbook.com.

Let us know what you think of the book. It's available on most of the on-line sites, and we've also found it at the Mardel chain, Family Christian stores, and independent Christian retailers who are part of the Parable Group. Next month, Wal-Mart will begin carrying it. It's really tough to get a book into Wal-Mart, so we're grateful to our publisher, Think/NavPress, for making this happen.

We have a couple of national TV possibilities related to this book. We'll let you know if they come to fruition -- or we end up getting bumped in favor of a guy who falls into a vat of chocolate or a woman who weaves pot-holders from the hair of her cat.

More news soon. Thanks for visiting our site!

Announcing . . . Free Pizza! (May 26, 2006)

The contest has ended. Congratulations to all of the winners!

Update coming soon.

**** Breaking News ****

We are thrilled to announce the recent signing of a two-book fiction contract with NavPress' Think imprint. We admire and respect the people at Think, and we're thankful to be working with them. The first book under this new agreement is an edgy road novel, tentatively titled "Road Dogs," and it is scheduled to roll of the presses next September. We'll keep you updated as the release date gets closer, but with this book we'll continue to try to stretch boundaries and bring fresh insights and literary approaches to spiritually based fiction

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The Pizza is delivered!

Our latest book, "Wake Up and Smell the Pizza: 40 Ingredients for a Super Supreme Life," is fresh-baked and could be waiting at your front porch right now. Go ahead and check. We'll wait right here . . .

Hi, welcome back! Was the Pizza book there? Sorry if it wasn't. Our guess is that a raccoon took it. They are sneaky varmints, with surprisingly good literary tastes. Anyway, if you want a copy of "Wake Up and Smell the Pizza," we see the following as your best alternatives:

1. Go track down the raccoon and wrestle the book away from him. (Watch out for the teeth and claws.)

2. Go to your favorite bookstore and pick up a copy. (By the way, if your favorite bookstore doesn't carry "Wake Up and Smell the Pizza," maybe it shouldn't be your favorite bookstore anymore. Just a thought.)

3.Try one of the many online sites, including christianbook.com, parable.com, amazon.com, and so on and so on.com.

We are thrilled with the way the book came out -- we are getting rave reviews, such as, "This book is so good; are you sure you two knuckleheads actually wrote it? Did you have help from a raccoon?"

Our bud Melissa Brock from Superchic(k) wrote the foreword -- thus she is now our co-favorite Brock sister, since Tricia penned the foreword for another one of our books, "Stranger in the Chat Room."

We hope you'll try a slice or two of the Pizza book. We interviewed lots of teens and youth leaders while researching the book, and we got some great insights via conversations from Stacie Orrico, Nichole Nordeman, and the members of Superchic(k). You'll read about steroids, sex, body image, depression, alcohol and drug use, partying, dealing with parents, the meaning of life, and lots more. We tried to do some creative stuff, like interviewing a group of virgins before and after they got married. There's also a moving interview with a kid who got sucked into a life of drug use that almost killed him. But through God's grace, he escaped from his destructive lifestyle.

Let us know what you think of the book. We sincerely hope it connects with you.

Coming Soon . . .
The second four books in the "Spirit of the Game" sports novel series are scheduled to be released this fall. The titles are "Cody's Varsity Rush," "Three-Point Play," "Split Decision," and "The Ultimate Challenge." Follow the adventures of Cody Martin as he begins his high school sports career. Toby Mac did the foreword for this series (see below), and his words will give you a great idea of what the "Spirit of the Game" books are all about. And for more information on this series, check out zonderkidz.com. Thanks to Christian Parenting Today magazine for the great review!

"Spirit of the Game" series released! The first four books in the Hafer " Spirit of the Game" sports fiction series are now available at a bookstore or Web site near you.

Former Major League baseball pitcher Dave Dravecky says of these books,

"With true-to-life sports action, well-integrated scriptural principles, and a hero kids can relate to, the 'Spirit of the Game' series hits a home run!"

We are grateful to Toby Mac (of dc Talk) for writing the foreword for this series.

You can read the foreword below, as well as a variety of other endorsements.

Foreword for "The Spirit of the Game" series

I love sports. I have always loved sports. I have competed in various sports at various levels, right through college. And today, even though my official competitive days are behind me, you can still find me on the golf course, working on my game, or on a basketball court, playing a game of pick-up.

Sports have also helped me learn some of life's important lessons -- lessons about humility, risk, dedication, teamwork, friendship. Cody Martin, the central character in "The Spirit of the Game" series, learns these lessons too. Some of them, the hard way. I think you'll enjoy following Cody in his athletic endeavors.

Like most of us, he doesn't win every game or every race. He's not the best athlete in his school, not by a long shot. But he does taste victory, because, as you'll see, he comes to understand that life's greatest victories aren't reflected on a scoreboard. They are the times when you rely on a strength beyond your own -- a spiritual strength -- to carry you through. They are the times when you put the needs of someone else before your own. They are the times when sports become a way to celebrate the life God has given you.

So read on, and may you always possess the true Spirit of the Game.

Toby Mac

* Check out the feature on our "Chat Room" books on passageway.org, the youth Web site of Billy Graham's ministry.

* Visit Zonderkidz.com for a preview of the upcoming Hafer sports fiction series, "Spirit of the Game." Release of the first four books is scheduled for this September.

* "Snickers From the Front Pew" has now sold more than 70,000 units!!