Announcement: I Have a New Book - "The Last Man at the Happiest Place on Earth"

What would you do if you were alone in Walt Disney World? That was the ultimate question I had in my mind when I started writing my newest novel The Last Man at the Happiest Place on Earth. I love Walt Disney World. My family has been there dozens of times and I chronicled the 40-year odyssey my family has had with Walt Disney World in the book Extra Magic Days.

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For my latest work, I focused on the fictional aspect that every Disney Adult has no doubt thought, what would you do if you had the keys to the kingdom? Crafting a story of survival, my main character Jim, a Cast Member at Magic Kingdom is the only survivor of a world-ending virus. Yes, I know, you are probably wondering, did he write this after COVID? No. I had the manuscript complete by 2019. Thanks to work interference, I wasn’t able to publish it until now. 

My story focuses on one person’s survival. In all other stories, the main character is thrown into a world with few supplies, and they somehow manage to survive. In The Last Man at the Happiest Place on Earth, my character Jim has everything he needs to live. Hotels with thousands of rooms to sleep in, food that is endless, and no lines for the Lightning Lanes. What Jim doesn’t have in the aftermath of waking up to the apocalypse is a purpose.

The man has everything that he needs to live, except a reason. In the midst of a silent world, Jim finds hope in his love of the Magic Kingdom. He feels compelled to keep the park going, even if he is the only person alive. There is a sense of duty that this Cast Member has, and while he spends his days toiling away in Walt’s Kingdom, Jim deals with the grief he feels at being the lone survivor. 

He has no experience in animatronics, nor with computer servers, but Jim knows that he needs to keep the park alive, as best he can. What that looks like and how he is able to achieve his goal is what the focus of the story is. From the Contemporary Hotel, to ransacking Universal Studios, and even a stint at the Wilderness Lodge, Jim spends many days exploring the world around him. 

I have always had a great love for every aspect of the story that can be found in the millions of building blocks that make up Magic Kingdom. For years, I have lived a life of joy as a kid, making an almost yearly return to Walt Disney World, staying at Fort Wilderness in the cabins and travelling to and from the theme parks. 

There is so much to appreciate about the details of the resort that if you take a moment to look around, you will discover new things, even if it is your fiftieth visit to Magic Kingdom. I have loved every moment I have spent as a child and parent as we rope drop the best attractions, and chow down on spring rolls. 

The book is set prior to the removal of Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom. I have some mention of the impending construction that was set to begin, but nothing has been done. Tom Sawyer Island will live forever on the pages of my story. 

Walt Disney World will always have a special place in my heart, and my book The Last Man at the Happiest Place on Earth is a book that will entertain, make you think about what you would do should you find yourself in the situation I place my main character in, and celebrate the beauty of this imaginary world. 

While I know that Walt Disney World is not the Disney Resort that is officially called “The Happiest Place on Earth”, it is to me, and that is why I trust future readers with my book. I hope you enjoy and celebrate the magic that still lives on the grounds of these wonderful places that call Walt Disney World home. 

The Last Man at the Happiest Place on Earth can be purchased on Amazon.