'SWORDS FOR HIRE' One family's treasure becomes kids novel

The late author's family published the book decades after it was written.
By SAM HODGES
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
"Swords for Hire," by Will Allen (Centerpunch Press, $6.95)
My best holiday reading was "Swords for Hire," a recently published comedy adventure novel for kids. It features a farm boy-turned-swordsman who helps an eccentric member of the Royal Guard restore a good king to power.
Suspenseful, funny, full of vivid characters -- that's my take on "Swords for Hire."
The story behind "Swords for Hire" is good too, though bittersweet.
Author's background
The author, Will Allen, had Carolina roots but grew up in Ohio. In the late 1970s, he attended Ohio University on scholarship. There, he created a campus radio comedy show whose cast included Nancy Cartwright, future voice of Bart Simpson on "The Simpsons."
In 1978, his junior year, Will was diagnosed with melanoma. Despite his illness, he graduated with honors. He also married his childhood sweetheart, Anne Schmitz, and moved with her into his parent's home.
He began "Swords for Hire" in the fall of '79.
"He was very weak, but he would go into his office, and you could hear him tapping it out," said Anne (Schmitz) Allen Strand, who lives in Charlotte with her second husband, Steve, and their sons.
Will died on April 25, 1980, four months after giving "Swords for Hire" to his family as a Christmas gift. He was 22. For years, his book remained a private pleasure -- and poignant reminder -- to loved ones.
Paul Allen, his brother, would periodically read his copy. A few years ago, he read it aloud. That slow, savoring experience caused him to admire the book even more, and to want to share it.
In 2001, Paul entered the manuscript in a Writer's Digest contest. It finished in the top five in the kids' book category. This boosted Paul's resolve, as did raves by friends he let read the manuscript.
Many books are self-published. Few are brother-published. But Paul decided to publish "Swords for Hire," and went about the job rigorously. He deleted some salty language, straightened out a plot problem or two, wrote an epilogue, commissioned a cover and got Cartwright to write a foreword.
Sales
"Swords for Hire" came out last summer as a $6.95 paperback, and has already sold 3,500 copies. BookSense, a national newsletter for independent bookstores, named it a top new fantasy book for kids.
Bookstores that aren't stocking "Swords for Hire" can order it for customers. It's also available from Internet booksellers.
I learned about "Swords for Hire" from Anne Allen Strand. "The story here isn't that a terminally ill young man wrote a book before he died," her letter said. "The story is that this young man wrote an exceptional book, and the people who loved him want to give it the audience it deserves."
That, I say, is a large one.