In May of 2006 Jason Goldtrap received a phone call that would change his life forever. He was told that his 21-year-old niece was killed in a car accident. Goldtrap was overwhelmed with grief, but he said that for the year leading up to her death, his niece made a series of bad decisions and, as he explained, he felt something bad would soon happen to her, though he didn't know how bad it would be.

"She died in [bad] circumstances," Goldtrap said. "She had made several poor decisions in her life."



Shortly after the accident, Goldtrap awoke from sleep remembering an intense dream about a 15-year-old girl growing up in rural Montana in the year 1910.

"I have set the story in 1910 because it was a very transitory time," he explained. "New technologies – the automobile, the telephone, electric lights [and] movies were bringing rapid change. Many people did not know how to cope. Some considered it witchcraft; others embraced the chaos and used it as a platform to rewrite the rules of decent society. In the midst of this maelstrom is Sarah Conrad."

From this dream and its vivid images and story line, he was motivated to write his book, "Sarah Conrad of Eagle Creek," a novel he completed in just two months.

"After she died I thought a lot about my experiences with [my niece], about how I tried to reach out to her and how she ignored me," Goldtrap said. "I remember at the time thinking, 'I wish there was some medium, some movie, some book, anything that she could read or watch and relate to.' So, after that dream, I decided to write about the different trials [the girl in the dream] faced – where she was not always making the best decisions and she was having to deal with consequences."



In the novel, Goldtrap approaches issues such as sexuality and peer pressure in a direct manner, though he makes it a point to keep the scenes PG-13.

"The novel is a unique format," he said. "I like to say it is somewhere between Little House on the Prairie and Paris Hilton."

Throughout the book Sarah is also faced with more challenging and sensitive situations, such as rape and death. Goldtrap, who has worked with teens through various church programs, said he feels he gained valuable experience and knowledge while working with the young adults. "I've had a lot of experiences with teens – knowing how they think," Goldtrap said. "Over the years, I've been amazed at how little it changes. I mean, the technology changes and the fashion changes, but the process of how we think, how we come to decisions never changes."

Goldtrap attributes some of his inspiration to his time spent living in Celebration and the small-town feel, which he has incorporated into his novel.

“I've always lived in large cities and living in Celebration, my wife and I would frequently go for walks downtown," he said. "That was one of the big advantages of living [in Celebration] – everything was so close. We'd go to the movies and we would see a lot of the same familiar faces. We realized that there is value in living in a small town like [Celebration], where you have that degree of familiarity."

That same degree of familiarity is evidenced in the setting of Goldtrap's novel.

As for Sarah Conrad, her decisions and the path on which they have taken her will continue to live on in the book's sequels. Goldtrap currently has seven sequels completed and he is in the process of finishing an eighth.

Goldtrap, a former Celebration resident, now lives in Davenport, Florida. "Sarah Conrad of Eagle Creek" is available at www.Amazon.com, www.Borders.com or by visiting Goldtrap's Web site at www.JasonGoldtrap.com.