Season 8 Bonus Episode with Shaun Stevenson and Brock Eastman

Shaun Stevenson and Brock Eastman share about Parable Port: Where Stories and Faith Come Alive!

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Valerie - Welcome to Bookworthy, where we talk about the heart behind the books your kids are reading. On today's bonus episode, we are speaking with a dynamic duo of authors, the authors of the new Parable Port series, Sean Stevenson and Brock Eastman. I am confident this episode will go off the rails. So, not unlike book one in Parable Port, which is the sower seed. So welcome to Bookworthy, Sean and Brock.

Brock - Hey, thanks for having us.

Shaun - Hey, we're so glad to be here.

Valerie - Glad to have you both here. I've had the joy of reading the first book in your Parable Port series, and if the humor and the personalities in those books or anything that's gonna come out on this show, then I know we're gonna have some fun. But to start us off, we need to do our random question of the week, which is, Did you have a nickname you had as a child? Brock, why don't you start us off?

Brock - Well, I still use this sometimes today, so many nicknames, depending on the person who's talking to you, but the one I got the most, well, can you guess? It's a vegetable.

Valerie - Okay, okay. I got my guess.

Brock - So they would call me Broccoli. Broccoli, yeah, broccoli and cheese, broccoli. So even to this day, when I'm speaking to kids or parents, I will say, and then my parents give me a middle name of Lee. It takes a moment, the kids sit there, they don't really get it, the parents start chuckling, because like broccoli, and I'm teasing, it's Douglas. But anyways, so broccoli, yeah, that would be wonderful.

Valerie - That's a good one. How about you, Sean?

Shaun  - So, for me, I had one of my youth pastors always gave me that I actually did not remember until you asked this question. And he used to always call me O'Shaughnessy. So he would like to sing it, O'Shaughnessy, every time he would see me. So I guess I am kind of Irish. I don't know.

Brock - I'm gonna call you that now.

Valerie - Very interesting, at least, Chauncey. Oh yeah, there's some trouble brewing for certain. Yeah, it's interesting what names will come up. Like, I have like different seasons of nicknames. Like when I was a little kid, know, red hair, you're gonna be called pumpkin or carrot, and that usually happened. And it was a good thing. Come on, Anna Green Gables. She rocked the carrot nickname by the end. Come on.

Shaun - Yeah, that's right, I remember that.

 Valerie - But yeah, what is it? In middle school, I got called Frank for like Frankenstein because I had a back surgery. So random fact, I had back surgery at 17, and so I had like stitches and a back brace, and you know, I was that kid in high school. So it's not the best nickname, but well it it makes me laugh now.

Brock - Yeah, yeah, well, when I thought I was, my uncle always called me B Douglas because he's my dad's twin, and my middle name is Douglas, so he wanted to make sure that stood out over Brock. So, B Douglas, I get that a lot. And then the boy, my dad calls me the boy, that's it, like that's very generic. But you know, now I call my son the boy. So I guess he passed that one on. And then you said that the generations, like I like to call myself B Rock in high school, I thought it was so cool. I'm like, oh man, really, B Rock? So yeah, I went with D-Rock for a little while, but I never became a rapper. So it just didn't stick.

Shaun - Or a geologist.

Valerie - I bet those teenagers in your house are calling B-Rock cringe for sure.

Brock - Yeah, yes, they are. When my kids watch this, when they watch this, yes, exactly.

Valerie - Too fun. Well, okay, let's get on topic here. Tell me a little bit about Parable Port. Sean, we'll start with you.

Shaun - So, Parable Port, we like to say it's a town. It's a quaint seaside town you want to visit because it is a place where the parables of Jesus literally come to life. So there's a bunch of fun kids in the town that live there, and they suddenly start discovering that, wait a minute, there are some odd things that are happening around here. Like, there's a bunch of birds, there's a bunch of thorny vines, there's a bunch of like rock slides. What is happening? And they soon discover they are literally in parable of the sower and they have to figure out all the clues so there's a lot of mystery a lot of action some little bits of fantasy here and there as the parables come to life in this town and the kids are discovering you know what's happening what's going on and trying to stay ahead one step ahead of what's going on all around them.

Valerie - Too fun. Now, Brock, what age group is this book for?

Brock - It's a middle-grade read. So we're aiming at eight to 12-year-olds, and what's super fun about that? Well, I love middle-grade books, but what's fun about this book? Readers the whole it actually started as a picture book series Sean and I actually wrote a picture book for this first title and We pitched it to the publisher and they read through like this and that this and that and they stuck with us and they said, okay Let's make it let's make this looks like an early reader and sweet we kind of amped it up to an early reader and they read in like this has so much more to it. Let's make it a middle-grade book. So this book, when you ask me the ages, has actually had many evolutions as it's grown and changed. It is definitely squarely in that middle-grade read. Mean, know, a six- seven year old could totally read this book and be, if they're a good reader, five years old, if they're a good reader, could read this. It's a great read-aloud for parents and younger kids. But independent reading, eight to 12 for sure.

Valerie - It's a very fun book, and you have a lot of fun, different characters that bring you through the story. And you two are a pair of characters, too. So what was it like working together on this story? Because it's already kind of crazy, and I'm wondering how that happened.

Shaun - Well, so I was randomly talking to Brock. I don't know if you actually remember this, but I was talking to you and we were just chatting about different kinds of books. And I was at the time, I'm a children's pastor. And so I was looking for books that told Bible stories. And I was thinking, there are no picture books about parables. Like, there are hardly any at all. And so I was telling Brock this, and I said, We should come up with a parable picture book. So that's when we started this. But then we were talking it through, and we said, well, what if this and what if this? We are definitely a yes and kind of team. Like, we often will have the same ideas about stuff. We're like, ooh, what if this happens? Yes. And then what if this happens? And then we're like, oh, that's what I was thinking would be awesome to have happen next. So we just like to play off each other really well and kind of like behind the scenes a little bit. Usually like one of us will write the draft all the way through, and then the other one will take it and go and make tons of edits and like add things, take things out, of, you know get it to where it sounds a little different. And then we'll go back through together again and kind of talk through ideas as we're going. So in the end, it's really fun because we just laugh a lot and have a really good time coming up with ideas and things. And just like, I can't tell you the number of times my wife has walked to the room and said, Why are you cackling? You're talking to Brock. You're working on Parable Port.

Valerie - The kind of mark of a good story is that you are enjoying the process and you're, you if you enjoy it, then that's going to come through the words, and the kids are going to enjoy it too. What was something funny for you, Brock, that happened in your writing, writing of this book?

Brock - Well, you know, it's actually, you know, the book itself, you start to try to, the picture book, it wasn't funny. It was very focused, and it was this wonderful storyteller named Ababli Dorosita sharing these stories and helping kids understand them. Cause I myself don't understand the parables at all. So this has been great learning from Sean. And so that's been my favorite thing. But you know, I think as well, Sean's right. We've known each other for quite a while now and worked on different book projects outside of this together, and he's written some stuff for me, and he's helped on Dr. Fizzlebot, for example. And so we got to know each other. And I think what, I'm just gonna pivot from your actual question for a second here. What I think I've enjoyed the most is as we got to know Sean, he may blush in this, I found someone whom I really can relate to, get along with, a good friend. Neither of us has any egos when we're writing. And so when we're writing, our goal is really to make the very best story. It does help that he and I think a lot alike. And we just like, if something's funny, it wins. If something is like really at the heart of the message, it wins. We both have a lot of passion for writing for kids and helping them to understand the Bible in a way that's fun, exciting. We both judge other books. We're like, well, that wasn't a great remark. We want to show good quality stuff for kids. We want to have a really great Christian.

Content out there for kids. So we're always pushing each other, I think, to the next level. And by doing that, we want the best. And so, you know, I've seen other co-writers work together, and sometimes they crash and burn. Man, just coming, just God put people in your life. And I think when God put Sean in my life or I in Sean's life, whatever the, actually, he can tell you later if you want to hear Valerie, how, how God put us into each other's lives. He can share that story. I learned about it a couple of months ago. I had forgotten.

Shaun - It's pretty funny.

Brock- But the fact is, when he puts something in your life, and you just hit it off. We both have the same passion for a ministry or for a value and objective; you put that all aside, and you're like God, show us where to take this book. I think that really, Valerie, that's what's happened, like we are really kind of putting this over on him on hey God, what do you want from this series, where's it gonna go? I think Sean, you could price this too. We've been somewhat surprised with what we've created together. I don't know if we've got it, but we certainly didn't see it coming here when we wrote the picture book together. But the reaction from people, from people who are reviewing it, from early readers, from the publisher themself, I'll say it, Tyndall, if you're listening, they have admitted they did not know what they had in the series until they started reading it. And I just think that's because God's just working through us to be no ego, not selfish, and just go forward. And so, sorry, that's a long tangent, Valerie, for your question. I don't even know what your question was at this point.

Brock - But I had to say that because this is our very first interview together on a podcast like this, and I just want people to know that this has been a really fun, fun project with Friendship.

Shaun - Well, and one of the things too that I think about is the way we are approaching this, is really we want this to be the best story possible. And I think sometimes authors can get a little stuck in, like a baby, and like, just, nothing can change it because the way it is right now is how I love it. And we're both like, we love this series. And so we want it to be the best. And so when our editors have like suggestions for us, we're like, all right, let's go for that. Like that's a great idea because that will make it so much better. Because at the end of the day, like I said, I'm a children's pastor, Brock's a dad, and we're both like sitting there thinking, we need to do our best to share these stories with kids and families. So that way they're not just today is changed, but they're tomorrow and they're forever. Because that's really the heart behind a book series like Parable Port. We want kids to grow in their faith and come to know Jesus, and see themselves in the characters. And like a lot of times, you know, books can, for Christians can come across a little preachy, but we decided to let's just make the parable so integral to the plot of the story that it's just gonna be organic, everything that happens throughout the book, because it's just part of the story. So it's been a lot of fun. We have a good time, that is for sure.

Brock - Well, and Sean, you mentioned our editors. Like one of my favorite things, Valerie, is so Talia, she is one of our really editors on the book series. She's like, you know, I don't know what she said, but she suggested Silky Chickens. And we're like, Silky Chickens? And we looked these things up on the internet, like, my goodness. Well, the book was written. We added the Silky Chickens throughout the entire book. We weave them in because the idea was so good. And it became so funny. And I think, you know, just when you think about collaboration and when you look at a book project, it is not about an individual author. It really isn't. It's about a team. And there's a whole team of people on the publishing side making this book happen. And so it's just, it's fun. I think the experience, would you say Sean, the teamwork, all that has been really made parable port what it is.

Shaun -Yes, I have to not do Zoom calls with Brock and the editors in coffee shops anymore because people will turn and look and like, what is happening over there? As I'm just grinning ear to ear and laughing and having such a good time, like talking about this series. And it's fun. Cause like even with the silky chickens, like things like that suggestion inspired, all right now in book two, what animal could we add to this? And then book three, what animal can we add to that? And book four, what animal can we add to that? We've been having so much fun just seeing the series come together from just like the littlest things that are literally seeds, pun absolutely intended, that grow into amazing stuff.

Valerie - I love how you've done that with this book, like you said, you put these parables as part of the, were the plot instead of like these teachable moments throughout a book. And I think kids are done with being taught by adults, you know, cause you know, kids aren't the ones writing books. It's adults writing books, and they kind of can sense that they're being preached at. I love that your book is just making this experience of birds and weeds and rocks active and hilarious to where kids really are not really seeing the teachable things until they take a moment and be like, huh, this is supposed to be about a parable, isn't it? And so it's just a really unique way of approaching both biblical truth and just the way kids are ingesting books and content at this time. But there are 38 parables. So what's the plan there?

Brock - We did, we were on a call. Yeah, we were on a call. We've outlined, you know, what it could be. And we were on a call earlier, and you know, they're like, well, are there gonna be more parallel books like that? It's up to you. So I think, you know, what we'd say is to the readers watching, you know, if you like the book, buy it, review it, leave a comment, leave some stars, let Tyndale know you love the series. Cause you're right, Val, there's 38 parables. And there are so many more Bible stories that I need to learn from Sean. And so I'm looking forward to getting into more than just these first four parables.

Shaun - Hey, we have plans.

Brock - I have no idea what happened in the other 34 yet, so here we go.

Valerie - Too fun. And that's kind of the joy of books that you bring in these characters like Duck, and is it PJ or RJ? Can't remember. But JR, there we go. And I like, I knew it was a neat little bit there. It's like, usually the JR doesn't go to a girl because my husband's nickname is JR. And so it's like, hold on. Josephine Robbins. Oh, yes, there's a reason for it.

Brock - Josephine Robbins. Josephine Robbins. Yes, you got it.

Valerie - But no, just these great characters, Anthony, and just relatable characters that are moving, they're experiencing their world in new ways, wanting to make an impact. And I think that's what books that have that test through time element are those characters are the kids themselves. And that's what makes it a lot of fun. Okay, so. We're at four books right now in the works, but there are 38 parables, so we can throw some hints at Tyndale to say, Let's keep going. Too fun. Well, Shawn, tell us a little bit about how you and Brock met, because I think that's an interesting story we need to share.

Shaun - So, how Brock and I met. So I am a huge reader. Like I read all the time. I love reading. I read like over a hundred books a year because I just love to read. So I obviously like to read sci-fi and fantasy and adventure stories, and I read some of Brock's books. And so one of them, I won't say which one, because I really enjoy his books, but I read one of them, and I left him. It wasn't a bad review.

Brock - Yes, Shaun, tell her.

Shaun - It was like a medium review with like, hey, here's a couple of things I was thinking. Like I liked this and this and this, cause I usually try and be very thoughtful in reviewing. So I'm like, I like this and this and this, but then I was thinking about this, and I don't know about that. Well, Brock actually emailed me and said, Hey, I'd love to hear more thoughts about what you're thinking about the book, and if I could do anything to change it or do anything with it. So I sent him back a long email with a bunch of ideas, and so then from there, we just started emailing back and forth and became friends. It is definitely my not-quite-bad review that got us introduced.

Valerie - I was gonna hope for some sort of embarrassing thing at a conference, but no, a bad review, that sounds like a good way to meet someone.

Shaun - you know public reviewing online, you know it happens.

Brock - But I think that goes right to the core of what you said, Sean. Like, one, the response was, Hey, how can I make it better? And I think that's been our whole, and his feedback was, here's how you do it in a constructive way, not in a negative way. And I think that's why our relationship has worked and why it's grown, because there's nothing there but trying to make the very best we can make, right? It's, cause you know, Val, there are people on there, you've written books, there are people on there who leave you a review, and you're like, like, what is it? Like, did you even look at the book? And you're like, what, this is not helpful. And then, you know, I have one of those of my own, and then, as an author, you also know those authors up there, you've probably interviewed some, that are like, know any feedback, and it's, nope, it's done. So, you know, I just, that makes me sad. That makes me sad because who are you writing for? Who are you reviewing for? Who are you trying to reach? What is your purpose of doing this, you know? Reviews should be constructive and helpful. They shouldn't just be downward and taking things out, and authors should get over their egos sometimes and, help to make a book that's the best it can be. So anyhow, sorry, I'll get off the soapbox, but yes, Sean's review ripped my heart from my chest. I was devastated, and I actually just wanted to email him so I could find out where he lived, because I was gonna egg his house, but I didn't do that. Something came through it. Something came through it, so.

Valerie - Well, it's really neat to see, you know, how you guys have been working so well together in this project. I think a lot of what you've said here on this interview is about how teamwork and making the best book possible. And it's been this unique shift in, you know, Christian publishing especially, that you see that this is a team. This isn't, you know, one person versus the world or my book versus your book. I've seen this shift in just the last good 10 years of people being like, you know what? My book may not be the book that's on the shelf, but I could still encourage and help, and support a good book. And I think that's what we want. We want good books for our kids. I love that the heart of wanting both good books and good books with Christian morals in them is a rising trend in the publishing world. Okay, well, we're coming to the end of our time, unfortunately. I have 20 more questions to ask, but so we're going to narrow it down. All right, Sean, what is the most impactful book in your life?

Shaun - So I am so torn at these kinds of things because I have tons of favorites, but I think

the most impactful book to me there are of two. The first one is the book, Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis. I read that book at exactly the right time in my life, when I was in college. I was trying to figure out, like, what do I want to do with my life? And I don't know why, but that book really inspired me and helped me think through just who I was as a person, and then thinking about like, pursuing ministry full-time as a children's pastor. So that was really important to me. And then another book called Creative Brooding by Robert Rains, which is actually an old devotional book. And it's really interesting because it was written by a pastor who took like a news article or took like a clip from a poem or different little things. And then he wrote a devotional based on it and put in some scripture passages you just kind of read. And he doesn't connect a lot of it. It just seems kind of random, but you find connections as you read it. And that book has been so inspiring to me as just a writer to like look for connections and to think about, you know, what's going on in the world, what's going on in scripture, what's going on in my heart. And I feel like that book has always just been inspiring to me and has been really impactful.

Valerie - That sounds like a book that needs to be on my TBR. So I'll have to write that one down. How about Brock, what's the most impactful book in your life other than the Bible?

Brock - I don't read, so that's a hard question. Yeah, actually, you know what?

Valerie - Naturally, naturally. You do not subscribe to Stephen King's You Must Read to Write.

Brock - I don't actually have my favorites behind my desk, but I will pull this one up because

The Oath by Frank Peretti. This one is, there was something about this book when I read it that I just, I mean, I wouldn't recommend for a kid to read, but it is just such a strong book in the realm of spiritual warfare and the supernatural and how he weaved that into there and even a redemption story within it. I just, and, and I just, I don't know, I loved it. So I just loved everything about that. I think the world, the characters, and so forth. So that's where I would leave you with it. There's a whole other shelf here behind me of books that I love. But there's definitely a Sean Stevenson, there's a Sean Stevenson title that I just can't sit down. It's called The Throne Series, and it's amazing. And I've only left him good reviews, just so you know. Only good reviews for Sean.

Valerie - Okay. Well, at least you know who did whose house to egg now if you do have a bad review for him. Trouble trouble. All right. Well, Sean, what can we expect next from you?

Shaun - So we are deep into working on the books in Parable Port. So we've got, you know, books one and two at the time of this recording, all done. And well, mostly there's always little things, but you know, then books three and four we are working on, and Brock and I also have some ideas for future series that we have, you know, put, we've put down on our ideas paper because we were like, okay, this went so well working together on Parable Port. We need to do this for something else, too. So we've got other ideas in the works, and I'm super excited about one of them, especially because I think that it brings back a genre that's been missing for a really long time from just middle-grade fiction in general. And that's all I'm gonna say about it.

Valerie - Uh oh, uh oh, trouble. All right, Brock, what do you have in the lineup? I, Parable Port, you seem to have a lot going on here in 2026. What you got coming?

Brock - Yeah, yeah, I mean, I know it's a couple months past, but we kicked off some board books a few months ago, and then Parable Port, there's four, two of them will come out this year, obviously one and two, and then two more next year, I think they're now next year right Sean? But I actually have a second Fizzlebop devotional that has been written, turned in, and is in the illustration mode right now that should come out.

I think in early 2027, that's really fun. So it's about two. And then I've got a devotional with my friend Marrianne Hering that we wrote for Moody that comes out with Would You Rather questions. And it's really fun for kids, 52 weeks. But it's kind of silly, it's kind of fun. But that comes out, I wanna say fall of 26 for that one, so this year, but not positive.

It might be spring of 2017. Get all these dates mixed up, Valerie. But yeah, so a few things. Thankfully, they're mostly all written. They're all written, I think, at this point. So it's good. And I'm just looking forward to our next four in Parable 4.

Valerie - Looking forward to those two. Where can people find out more about you and your books, boys?

Shaun - Well, you can find me on my website, www.SeanStevensonBooks.com, or on all of the socials and the interwebs. Look for Sean Stevenson Books, and you can find me all in those places.

Brock - Love it. And I'm at www.BrockEastman.com, and same thing as Sean, mostly Brock Eastman on the socials, Facebook, Instagram. If you want my FizzleBop stuff, there's also FizzleBop on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, which is we have our FizzleBop devotional, our show that we do, an experiment show. So it's super fun, but www.BrockEastman.com and easy. And my telephone number is, just kidding.

Valerie - I think there are some privacy issues I had to worry about there. Well, we'll make sure to have those links and websites in our show notes so people can find you guys easily so and they can enjoy the journey of Parable Port, where there are four books or 38. So we look forward to seeing more on that.

Brock - Valerie, can I ask you a question? Know you're closing. I know you're clothing. I know you don't love it when I do this, but I'm gonna do this because I love your opinion. Was there a certain character in Parable Port that you specifically liked? Putting you right on the spot there.

Valerie - Right on the spot. Well, JR really is me. I could say that the character was the one I related to the most. You know, she's trying to be a podcaster too, which is kind of funny, but I could see myself most in her and how she handled the problems. And so that was a lot of fun, but I Duck...

Brock- Yes!

Valerie - I love Duck, and his just like, huh, no, this nickname doesn't work for you. Aunt, no. Tony, no. So I love that goofy character. You can't have a good book without one.

Brock - Good, sorry I just needed to know your thoughts.

Shaun - I mean, if you love JR, you're gonna love book two and book three and book four, because she sticks around obviously. Book five, book seven, book 17.

Valerie - I can't wait to hear more about these books and more from both of you guys. Thank you so much for joining me today.

Shaun - Thank you.

Brock - Thanks for the time.

Valerie - And thank you for joining Sean, Brock, and me on this bonus wild episode of the Bookworthy podcast. Let us know in the comments what a nickname you had as a child, and be sure to join the middle grade madness over on YouTube as we get closer to choosing the number one middle grade novel. You can help decide and possibly win a whole host of prizes and find out more in the show notes or on Instagram at Bookworthy underscore podcast.

Happy reading.