Jeff Hendricks

Freelance Writing

I wrote my first real story in fourth grade, 84 handwritten notebook pages of a very Lost In Space-derivative sci-fi adventure with the help of a fellow classmate. It took over a year to write and was never fully finished. But the experience introduced me to the joy of composition, and I've been enjoying the ride ever since. My first professional forays into fiction were in the arena of independent super-hero style comic books, but I then turned to freelance writing children's stories, including a number of projects written for educational reading programs, drug prevention curricula, as well as children's fiction. Most of my assignments start with a basic premise such as, "We need a 3,000-word story about a young boy who is coming from a foreign country to live in the United States, who encounters trouble fitting in, written at a fourth grade reading level." After the initial shock of "What the hell am I going to come up with to meet these requirements?" fades, I truly enjoy pulling off the challenge!

Many of these books are currently available - click each image to find out more!

Rosetta Stone TOTALe stories

2014-15 - Rosetta Stone's educational blend of reading, listening, speaking, and writing for new speakers garnered a PC Magazine Editors' Choice award for Best Language-Learning Software. The interactive lessons rely on speech-recognition technology to give instant feedback on pronunciation, making it simple to succeed at conversational skills. Rosetta Stone's supportive community of online learners engages pupils in live conversations, game play, and live practice sessions with native speakers. I contributed ten stories for the elementary level course and twenty stories for the middle school level course. Each story uses 90% or more words from the unit word lists, and forms a fictional narrative for students to supplement their learning of the English language.

Snakes, Sharks, and Dinos!

2014 - Snakes, sharks, and dinosaurs can be scary - but they don't have to be. This book tells how one young boy gets past his fear of these amazing creatures.

Published by AuthorHouse, 36 pages, juvenile fiction

How Do You Have Fun At The White House?

2012 - A president must be serious about the job of governing the United States. But a president needs to relax and have fun with the family, too. How can you have fun at the White House? It turns out there are lots of ways.

Published by Reading A-Z, 22 pages, grade 3 level

To Sea - A Voyage of Discovery

2011 - When young Juan de Zubileta signs on as a page for Captain Ferdinand Magellan's historic voyage around the globe, he has no idea the many wonders he will see and the hardships the crew will face along the way.

Published by Zaner-Bloser, 48 pages, grade 5/6 level

Let There Be Rock!

2011 - When middle schooler Cole discovers a stand-up bass in his grandparents' attic and asks them about it, he gets a trip down memory lane to what it was like to be considered a musical rebel in the rockin' 50s!

Published by Zaner-Bloser, 32 pages, grade 6 level

Drug Facts - Ecstasy

2009 - This easy-to-read book lays out the facts about the drug ecstasy in plain detail and contains several first-hand accounts from former users. A must read for Health and Drug Awareness educators and their students!

Published by Benchmark Books, 32 pages, grade 7/8 level

Westward By Wagon Train: Families United

2009 - The pioneers who traveled west across the United States in the mid-1800s battled disease, accidents, harsh weather, and other hardships during the six-month journey. As family members worked together to complete the long and dangerous trip, they grew closer than they had ever been.

Published by Zaner-Bloser, 48 pages, grade 6 level

Where Do I Fit In?

2009 - It's 1976 and See Ly has just arrived in the United States, along with his older brother. Everything is so different from his native country of Laos. Will he ever learn to fit in and be accepted?

Published by Zaner-Bloser, 64 pages, grade 4 level

The American Civil War: Countdown to War

2008 - The American Civil War was the deadliest war in United States history. The South broke away from the North to protect its traditional way of life. But Northerners thought that way of life was wrong because it included slavery. These opposing points of view tore apart a young nation and changed it forever.

Published by Glacier Creek Publishing, 12 pages, grade 5 level

Space Flight Firsts: Diversity in America's Astronaut Corps

2007 - Read the biographies of these exciting space pioneers, who overcame many obstacles to achieve their dreams of reaching for the stars!

Published by Zaner-Bloser, 64 pages, grade 4 level

Time For Carter To Barter

2006 - Carter's new scooter is broken. Read about how he discovers a new way to pay for getting it fixed.

Published by McGraw-Hill, 24 pages, grade 2 level

What Do Scientists Do?

2006 - Do you know what it takes to be a scientist? Read this book to find out about the lives and experiences of two real-life scientists--a researcher working in Antarctica and a marine biologist tagging sharks in the Gulf of Mexico!

Published by McGraw-Hill, 24 pages, grade 3 level

Because We're Friends

2005 - Bobbi and Raul have been best friends since second grade. But now in middle school, things are changing - Raul has started to hang out with some new friends who like taking chances with smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. Bobbie is worried that some of the choices Raul is making are not good ones and isn't sure what to do about it. And now Raul has asked her to lie to his parents about where he was last weekend...what should she do to help her friend?

Published by Discovery Education, 28 pages, grade 7/8 level

My Friend Ben

2002 - Two best friends reminisce about their first meeting and the good times they have shared together as one of them prepares to move away. Available as part of the Destination Reading digital language arts program - Unit 7: Reading with Friends

Published by Edmark, 12 pages, K/1 grade level

Adobe Flash Player is required

How My Home Run Went Around The World

2002 - One thing causes the next in this amazing story of a baseball's big trip! Available as part of the Destination Reading digital language arts program - Unit 13: Adventure!

Published by Edmark, 12 pages, K/1 grade level

Adobe Flash Player is required

What Did You Do In The Sun?

2002 - There are so many things to do in the sun. Identify them all as a class of students relates to their teacher the things they did over summer break! Available as part of the Destination Reading digital language arts program - Unit 6: Lots of Lists

Published by Edmark, 12 pages, K/1 grade level

Adobe Flash Player is required

The Eden Descendants #3

1998 - "Retribution" - The small band of environmental rebels challenges the technology-dominant sanctuary network in a final showdown at the huge fossil fuel power generating facility. But the rebels are also threatened by another enemy which lurks unseen, as the harsh viruses of the surface world strike down one of their own!

Published by Quester Entertainment, 24 pages

The Eden Descendants #2

1998 - "Ordeal and Enlightenment" - Having escaped the confines of the underground sanctuary, the two fugitives seek refuge in the flooded ruins of Seattle. But a relentless force of cyborg soldiers has been sent in pursuit, and they will stop at nothing to complete their mission!

Published by Quester Entertainment, 48 pages

The Eden Descendants #1

1997 - "Awakening and Emergence" - In the devastated world of the globally warmed future, nearly all remaining life exists in a small network of tranquil underground biological preserves. But two unlikely partners are forced to flee to the harsh surface when they discover the deadly secret behind mankind's salvation.

Published by Quester Entertainment, 48 pages

Hot Comics Premiere #1 - Jackknife

1994 - "Deceptions" - A bounty hunter raised in the jungles of South America now stalks the urban jungle of modern day San Francisco!

Published by Hot Comics, 24 pages

Tiger's Eye #1

1992 - "Thieves in the Night" - An ancient land is enslaved by a deadly sorcerer king and his horde of demon soldiers. To end the madman's reign, a young warrior woman with a mysterious past teams with a fierce dragon and a troublesome dwarf to undertake a perilous quest - to locate the power source of the enchanted Tiger's Eye amulet!

Published by Random Press, 24 pages

Equinox Chronicles: Blind Faith #3

1992 - "Overnight Sensation" - The goodwill tour of Team Equinox begins and the villain called Reverberator has plans to crash the party. Arsenal arrives in San Francisco, where he has a fateful encounter with the enigmatic heroine known as Night Mist.

Published by Gauntlet Comics, 24 pages

Equinox Chronicles: Blind Faith #2

1992 - "Sins of the Father" - In the aftermath of their successful battle against the terrorist Black Avatar, the members of Team Equinox have become public heroes, a perception the ERG public relations team is eager to exploit...with or without their cooperation. And tragedy strikes Arsenal's father, as his dark, secretive past catches up with him.

Published by Gauntlet Comics, 24 pages

Equinox Chronicles: Blind Faith #1

1992 - "A Most Deadly Game" - Black Avatar tightens his grip around a nation locked in fear, while Team Equinox, an elite technological strike force from the Equinox Research Group, invades the terrorist's island compound, intent on halting his mad scheme!

Published by Gauntlet Comics, 24 pages

Equinox Chronicles #2

1992 - In "The Road to Apocalypse," the members of Team Equinox unravel the clues to the whereabouts of their kidnapped teammate--and make a fateful decision to attempt a rescue. Meanwhile, the psychotic terrorist Black Avatar sets in motion his plans for U.S. conquest--using technology stolen from the Equinox Research Group!

Published by Innovation Publishing, 24 pages

Equinox Chronicles #1

1992 - The worldwide influences and activities of a bio-technological corporation provide the backdrop for this exciting thriller. In "The Hunter and the Hunted," the saga introduces the men and women of Team Equinox, each "gifted" with talents and resources beyond the everyday populace--as they dare to confront the dark and deadly visions of the psychotic terrorist Black Avatar!

Published by Innovation Publishing, 24 pages