Mr. Andrew Geha, Director of Arts here at Friends Academy, has reached a major milestone in his creative career with the publication of one of his original plays for public performance and a book deal for his debut novel, The Most Incredible Mission Berg, scheduled to be released in the summer of 2027.
Geha, a playwright and writer with over two decades of experience, first had the idea 5 years ago during the COVID-19 lockdown when society was separated and quarantined due to the virus. In an interview with Geha, he stated, “The lockdown was a time where I couldn’t do much. My friend, who is also in the creative space, would have weekly checkups with me and we would motivate each other to work on our creative works.” He continued by saying that the idea one day “popped in his brain” and due to fear of forgetting it, he wrote the first page that night and went to bed right after.
The book is titled “The Most Incredible Mission Berg,” and is about a seventh grade boy who discovers he can travel through time and space. But at its heart, the book is a coming of age story about finding confidence and chasing the thing we’re told we can’t do. “This book has taught me how to focus on the messages I want to put into the world,” Geha said.
However, the path to publication wasn’t easy. Geha began sending his manuscript to almost a hundred agents, hoping that one would read his story and fall in love. Although some agents responded with some interest, nothing would end up working out until 2024. A family friend, who is also a children’s author, connected him to Ammi-Joan Paquette of Aevitas Literary Management, who at the time was not accepting submissions. However, she made an exception and looked over his manuscript and loved it. “There was a lot of ridiculous dancing,” Geha recalls from when he received the news. “I was jumping up and down like a four year old.”
The contract was signed in September of 2025 and the book is expected to be published in 2027. It’s already opened doors for Geha whose agent is considering another one of his manuscripts. “If this book does well, it would put light on some of my other plays and future works,” said Geha.
When asked what advice he would give to upcoming writers, he said “I have been writing for twenty years. The first play I wrote, I was incredibly proud of it, but it never made it out of the Friends Academy theater. But I have learned that the more you do something, the better you get at it.” But Geha’s success has come through his hard work and dedication to his work. Geha sacrificed time with friends and family and even then, balance has been a struggle for him. “In the last 6-8 weeks when Friends Academy had off, I would work 9-5 on my book,” Geha recalled.
So what’s the next step for Geha? According to Geha: “everything.” He’s already working on a brand new novel and has an idea for a new musical. Whatever is next for Mr. Geha, the Friends Academy community will surely be looking out and of course cheering him on.
