Contact: Robyn Williams, WinePress Publishing, 360-802-9758, robyn@winepresspublishing.com 

ENUMCLAW, Wash., May 30, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- On June 27, 2011 a large asteroid buzzed past earth coming closer than some satellites. According to space. com, NASA scientists and other astronomers routinely look for such "close-calls" as part of a program to "identify potentially hazardous asteroids that could threaten the planet." While not an actively common occurrence, NASA says asteroids similar in size come this close to Earth about once every six years.

What if one of these asteroids actually hit the earth? What would happen, and what would it mean to the population? Chuck Graham explores this possibility in his just released novel, The Company. Graham's allegorical story opens with a meteor striking our planet and plunging the world into darkness.

"Such an event, especially one over which we have no control, forces us to focus on the most basic of needs," Graham writes. "But as the crisis passes, convictions and commitments fade with memories, and many return to their old lives."

In The Company, a stranger offers Brigos Glen power and light supplied by three businesses, known as "the Company." He reveals a plan so the Brigons can share the light with outlying territories, which remain shrouded in darkness, but they forsake their duty. After seventy years, the Company summons six Brigons to account for the village's negligence. A young engineer discovers the startling identity behind the Company and learns the fate that may befall Brigos Glen . . . that is, unless he can stop it.

Though the story may sound straightforward, Graham says it offers a deeper meaning. "An allegory is a great vehicle for telling an intriguing story while providing a 'story within the story,'" he says. "Those who want to go further can explore the analogies and deeper messages."

For example, many of the characters' names have hidden meanings, and some are derived from other languages, including French, Gaelic, Hebrew, and Aramaic. But Graham says the bottom line of his novel isn't the novelty of hidden meanings.

"The Company encourages the reader to explore, ask questions, and seek answers," he says. "At its deeper level, it is a story about life, God, and who we are today."

An attorney for thirty-one years, Graham is executive director of Ciloa, which shares God's encouragement with the world. He and his wife, Beverly, live in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Watch the Trailer! Click Here.

For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview, please contact Robyn Williams by phone at 360-802-9758, by email at robyn@winepresspublishing.com, or by fax at 360-802-9992. To purchase a copy of this book, visit www.winepressbooks.com or call 877-421-7323.

Source: www.space.com/12086-asteroid-2011-md-buzzes-earth-pictures.html