Lexington County’s Whit Haney finally tackled the bear of writing his own novel – doing so with a sci-fi novel in which the protagonist turns into a bear.

The retired pharmacist spent the last two years writing “Dimensions: The Game Quarks Play,” which he described as a sci-fi thriller targeting young adult readers.

Haney told the Chronicle that he had the idea for more than 20 years, but it wasn’t until two years ago that he began the process of writing it, drawing inspiration from apocryphal literature.

In the book, Dr. Michael Townsend, a Montana resident, and former Duke All-American linebacker, experiments with genome research to cure his illness, which he ultimately does, but not before accidentally turning himself into the aforementioned beast. 

Haney said the protagonist always held a fondness for bears due to their powerful nature. The doctor, now having to save the world, is known as “Knight Bear” and has to escape the clutches of the bad aliens who have murdered his wife and abducted 41 others.

“I want it to be fun. There is no message, there is no other crazy stuff, and there’s no politics,” the author said.”It’s just a plain story, a novel, a basic ‘Just sit and have fun.’”

Haney said the drafting process for the book changed from chapter to chapter, but the constant was that he always began with his characters.

“I like the character to speak to me,” he explained. “I just write down what I felt this character should be like and define the character, and let the character tell the story, and then have the ending.”

The author said his favorite scenes to write included the sporting events, escapes, details of the protagonist’s romantic life and a letter from the protagonist to a deceased character.

Haney left some details intentionally vague, wanting the reader to use their imagination to create their experience.

“I like making flawed characters,” he said.

Haney explained that he started off by handwriting his chapters to get his ideas down methodically, then rewriting them as he typed them into a computer. He said using the two mediums helped him view the book differently, pinpointing mistakes or parts he wishes to change.

He said the novel, which can be found via Amazon and other retailers, won’t be his last, as he is already  in the process of writing the second book in what sees is a three- or four-book series.

“I’ll just keep writing. I’ll just keep praying. Keep my brain young,” Haney said. “It’s a way to exercise your creativity.”