(Below is from the About Me section)

I am a Christian, husband, father (to rescue dogs), veteran, and information security executive consultant. I write Christian novels about tough subjects and how God’s grace can lead us out of those situations to live the lives we are meant to live, usually from the male point of view. I am seeking an agent.

I wrote my first novel in high school. It sits in some nondescript box in my basement in its original form on various types of ruled paper. Then, I’d write using whatever I had available, including spiral notebooks. I always hated the messy edges tearing a page produced (however, I am by no means a connoisseur of neatness). That novel, The Balance of Power, dealt with a topic as weighty as the title and too heavy for a teenager, a Soviet internal takeover of the United States. One day I will read it again – and cringe.

I always seemed to have a project in mind, and when not thinking about a manuscript I drafted poetry. It’s not that I particularly liked poetry – I didn’t. In fact, I would probably say then I hated it. But I did like songs and envisioned each “poem” as the next Bruce Springsteen hit.

The second manuscript idea was also one over my head, another national emergency with the glorious title American Terrorist. I abandoned, or at least put on hold the idea because I thought the premise was not realistic. Then Oklahoma City happened. Rather ironically, during the time I pondered creating this novel, I drove past Timothy McVeigh’s house every day on the way to work. That one never made it past a few chicken scratch pages, likely also on spiral notebook paper and now having long returned to its elements in some landfill.

Novel attempt number three began in 1991 as a method to deal with my divorce. I found myself fantasizing about “what if” scenarios. What if we hadn’t married early? What could I have done differently to prevent the pain I struggled with daily? I needed to live that fantasy, at least through writing. I wrote in the basement wood-paneled bedroom of my post-divorce house I shared with three others, I wrote during lunch at work in my cubicle, and anywhere I could find a few free minutes away from the world.

After a couple of years, a move to the south, and recovering from divorce depression, I touted what I thought was a finished masterpiece of time travel and romance. I took a community education course on becoming published and excitedly wrote query letters to the dozens of agents whose contact information the instructor had provided as part of the class materials. I’d be having to make the hard choice of choosing which agent to represent Second Chance soon, I was sure.

Then they came. Rejection after rejection after rejection. One had the gall to tell me I should change the protagonist from male to female. Ha! This was my work, my life. No one would tell me what to write.

And so that manuscript returned to storage, likely in the same nondescript coffin for The Balance of Power. A few times over the next 15 years or so I attempted to resurrect it but the crushing realization that no one would want to publish Second Chance discouraged me from going further. My passion was meaningful writing, not crafting useless query letters.

Then a conversation with a colleague in 2012 changed that. He worked for Ingram and mentioned their new product called Ingram Spark, a complete self-publishing platform. At last, I could get my book published, even if not traditionally. My spark (no pun intended) for writing had returned.

I set about reviewing the manuscript, at first anticipating only a few tweaks and then this masterpiece would be available for all. Much had changed though since those sad basement days, and the original story seemed, well, bland. And mushy. And cutesy. Even the title evoked images of a Harlequin romance paperback. I was no Fabio, nor was I a romance writer. Minor tweaks became major rewrites.

I needed a lesson, but what? What was I passionate about? I didn’t spend too much time on this, as I knew the answer. Abortion is a much-debated issue, but to me abortion for convenience is murder. No one speaks for the child, but I could through this book. Second Chance became Forgiveness, and soon I joined the ranks of gazillions of other indie authors with a book available on Amazon.

My nativity hit again. I thought that simply by listing on Amazon and a few tweets coupled with a basic web page ensured sales success. While many who read the book offered very positive feedback, the truth is sales were close to non-existent. I had to do something to market the first book and in the process made in hindsight a bad decision. I immediately began another book, buying into the concept that the best way to market a book was to write another, and ignored all other marketing opportunities.

That was the beginning of my list of mistakes. In crafting Temptations of the Innocent, I created such a complicated world comprising of this life and a fictionalized (certainly not Biblically based) version of the afterlife. I didn’t stop there, adding in an antagonist who is pure evil (if not the devil himself) and a Soviet plot to infiltrate the Catholic church. I like to write about weighty subjects, remember? Sprinkle in a span of 80 years and several continents with a few historical events and figures (one character meets President Reagan), and you have a recipe for disaster.

Perhaps disaster is not the right descriptor. Temptations of the Innocent is (in my non-objective opinion of course) a well-thought out and intertwined story that tells the backstory of Forgiveness. Everything fits together and lays the groundwork for the planned third novel Redemption, the sequel to Forgiveness. It is just too complex a story. I didn’t market the book at all (see my marketing efforts for Forgiveness), and sales reflected that.

I was left exhausted and with no desire to write anything further, let alone the sequel. Then in January of 2017, I received a God nudge to pick up the pen again. I sketched out a three-act story on a piece of paper that would tell the story of healing through small group ministries. I had at that time been involved with one such ministry for several years and was very passionate about it, having seen firsthand the positive changes this eight-week group had on people willing to change.

I accepted God’s assignment and began to plan the story. I was determined not to repeat the mistakes of the first two novels. This one would follow a simple arc but would involve a weighty topic, necessary to show healing. I chose depression and began creating my third novel, Leaving Darkness.

This time, I did not self-publish solo though Ingram but rather contracted with WestBow (the assisted self-publishing division of Thomas Nelson). I worked with an independent development editor, a worthwhile expense. My goal for sales was not income but to get this in the hands of those struggling with depression so they may realize the path to healing through God’s grace, so I wanted this story to be the absolute best it could be. Leaving Darkness was published in the fall of 2018.

 

So much goes into creating a novel that when it is released there is a corresponding release of stress, emotion, and even some angst. A week ago, Leaving Darkness was released by WestBow Press. While I have experienced (and am still experiencing) all of those emotions, I also feel a sense of having completed an assignment.

Westbow is a self-publishing service that transcends others because of its mission, succinctly stated  on their main landing page as “Publishing Christian authors’ stories to bring Him glory.” I began my assignment in January of 2017 in response to a calling to create a story that communicates the effectiveness of sharing struggles in a Christian small group environment. Specifically, I drew on my experiences with Restore Small Groups, a Christian ministry with humble beginnings nearly 20 years ago as a local support group that has grown to help people around the world today live the lives God meant for them. I know, as I’m one of those.

I wanted to share this process of growing in faith as the foundational support of positive change by writing a story about just that. But what story? Not mine. My story, honestly, is boring. No, it had to be fiction. But that is what I had positioned myself to do, having written and self-published two novels. That experience taught me much about writing and gave me the confidence to tackle this project.

The concept of the darkness did come from my personal experience. Without going into details, many years ago I found myself in a place where the happy Greg had vanished, replaced by one who dreaded the mornings. I don’t think I was seriously depressed, certainly not where Lowell ended up (the main character in Leaving Darkness), but I was not myself and therefore could not fulfill God’s plan for me. Much like Lowell, I found a flier that led me to a support group, which subsequently led me out of my darkness, because of His grace.

Thus, Leaving Darkness is to bring Him glory and bring those lost to contemplate a path to light. For me, it represents a response to a calling. I hope the tale helps others as I was helped. But for me, I am finished. Well, writing it, that is. Now the marketing begins.

Leaving Darkness available now from Amazon.

 

Earlier this week I sent the completed manuscript for Leaving Darkness to the publisher. As the formatting, cover design, and other work commence, I plan to set aside some time to write about lessons learned. As indie authors, we should look at every opportunity to learn as we progress and hone our craft.

I decided to engage a development editor – that in itself was a smart move and a positive lesson in itself. The lessons in writing alone brought value – it was akin to taking an advanced college course in fiction writing. It helped that the editor I engaged was a college-level instructor as well.

An early and perhaps the most significant lesson from this graduate-level experience is learning what I dub POV Discipline. Of course, the point of view is how the story is told, and there are many examples. I wrote Leaving Darkness in limited third person, following the arcs of two characters, the protagonist and the antagonist. As you can imagine, this created the danger of mixing point of views.

I could have switched and restructured the antagonist’s portions to be seen from the protagonist, but doing so made no sense in the story I was trying to tell. I wanted to show the rise of one, the fall of another. My solution, as suggested by my editor, was to structure each chapter from one of the character’s point of view. Doing so was not easy, but it worked.

Still, there remained some elements of POV crossover. When POV discipline is not maintained from the start, it becomes very difficult to correct as the project matures. We gloss over POV step outs because the story is so familiar to us, yet when pointed out the error becomes so obvious.

Some are easy to cure – instead of, “He worried about what Bill was saying,” we can write, “Bill saw the worried look on Joe’s face after relating the bad news.” We still don’t know for sure that Joe is worried, but the message comes across that likely he is.

I never paid much attention to POV discipline in the past, but going forward it will be forefront in any future fiction project. I suspect some may be thinking, “Well, yeah, that’s obvious, Greg!” but for those of us without a formal fiction writing education, it can be a challenge. It would seem to maintain a consistent POV does not come naturally, rather it is a learned practice.

Today I completed the revisions to my third novel, Leaving Darkness. The next step is copy editing (hiring someone for that), then on to the publisher. It will be available from Westbow sometime…

This became a long project/process, one that at times has pushed me to the point of obsession. Unlike the previous two novels, which were honestly experiments in learning, Leaving Darkness is without a doubt and by far the most complete, sophisticated, meaningful writing work of my life (to date). I purposefully stretched the boundaries of my comfort zone in order to create a tale of hope.

Reaching down further (and if you’ve read this far, thank you), Leaving Darkness is my response to a calling from God. I was called to write this almost two years ago. It began as a three-sentence outline. Wow – how far it’s come.

Writing Leaving Darkness has influenced my career. I voluntarily left the security of a well-paying job nearly a year ago. Some may question my sanity (that’s okay, I’m kinda used to that). That was also in response to a calling – well, perhaps two. The first, and primary, was that I could do more with my “talents” – not that I was necessarily burying them, but that perhaps I wasn’t using them to give back as best I could. I had no business starting a business, but so far all has been well – in fact, we just signed on a new client this week.

The second reason I left my corporate position was to provide extra time and freedom to write. Now, starting and running a business is a 24x7x365 endeavor – if you don’t love what you do, don’t start a business. That’s not to say it consumes all of my time and efforts. I will say, though, that I may have underestimated just how difficult it has been. Still, I created the world I wanted – needed – to finish Leaving Darkness. I have the flexibility to write when inspiration hits. Plus I’ve gained at least 1.5 hours per day in raw commuting time (even my part-time office is only five minutes from my house).

Unlike my first two novels, which are very complex (but I maintain one day someone will understand the absolute genius of them), Leaving Darkness is a simple tale. It follows one who, well, leaves darkness – the darkness of depression. Perhaps I have committed a basic author mistake – you know the ending from the title (yes, Lowell leaves the darkness). But the story is not that he does, but how he does it – and how it impacts those around him.

I need to be clear though. My purpose for writing Leaving Darkness is not to entertain, although I’m fine if it does. My goal has always been to help those who may be near the decision of choosing a permanent solution to end a temporary problem. Unfortunately, that is all too timely a topic…

So tonight I celebrate a major milestone to a minor project that perhaps might, at some point, help someone lost in the awful cloak of darkness. That was His calling, and Leaving Darkness is my response. Hope and forgiveness are eternal. All we have to do is ask.

#LeavingDarkness

I haven’t blogged for a while, as I have been focused on a few projects. One has reached completion, the most meaningful book I’ve worked on to date – and I’m not the author.

A little over a year ago, my mother approached me with a folder full of papers with articles taped to them, each sheet a component of chapters. What she had done was take running articles she had written over the years, mainly for her local running clubs, and stitched them together in a unique way to tell her story. She began running on a dare in her late 40s and still runs regularly today as she approaches her 80th birthday. Yes, I wrote 80 – what an inspiration!

She asked me for help assembling and potentially publishing her story, as I had self-published a few works myself. Of course, I was going to help – this was her legacy! Thus began a long process, hampered somewhat by the separation of miles (she is in New York, I’m in Tennessee) and the fact that she’s not really a fan of the Internet. But we got it done – At The Pinnacle – One Woman’s Running Journey is available for pre-order, and will be released May 1.

In some way, I think that this was one of the reasons why I learned about the self-publishing route so that I would be prepared when her project came along, though I had no idea prior that this was something she wanted to do. I edited and wrote the foreword and the back cover summary, otherwise, all words are hers. I encourage you to consider her story, and close with the back cover summary:

“Go for it, Mom!” With those words of encouragement, Erika Abraham began a long running journey defined by dozens of years; thousands of miles; countless trophies, medals, and other awards; and many, many smiles. Running brought her confidence, led her to the love of her life, and showed her that despite earlier setbacks and pain, the best was yet to come. Her story is about running, laughing, and reaching new heights.

My first two novels, in some ways, were experiments. No, maybe that’s not the right word. Learning experiences comes closer to describing the processes and, in some ways, intent. Writing and self-publishing the first novel fulfilled the bucket-list task, the second proved to myself I could, and have a desire to, continue pursuing novel creation.

I like to say that life is about living*, a shorthand statement to summarize that I would rather try at something and fail than not have tried at all for the fear of failure. Believe me, I get that fear. I have been ensnared by that fear. It is paralyzing and debilitating, sapping the strength of the desire to try something new, fearful that others may reject the effort.

Writing is one way I counter that fear because I make many, many mistakes as a writer. On the surface that may seem like a contradiction, until realizing that growth is attained through mistakes. When exercising, muscles are torn down and built up. The Internet is filled with examples of famous success stories that are built upon failures. I wanted to learn the process of writing a novel, and to do so I prepped myself to fail repeatedly, not because I had no faith in my skills, rather that I believed in my ability to learn.

True self-publishing is great in that you do everything yourself, from drafting to developmental editing to content editing to layout to cover design to ISBN procurement and so on. Starting from scratch with Ingram Spark about five years ago, I have learned may lessons, enough to fill a book (there’s an idea). Now, as you patiently wait for the main theme of this post, I am in the process of one such lesson – the developmental editing.

If I were asked to pinpoint the most significant mistake I made in creating and publishing my first two novels, I’d state without hesitation they are too complicated. I tried to create a complicated afterlife environment as a vehicle to tell a grand story of temptation, forgiveness, and redemption spanning a century while addressing other heavy issues like abortion, depression, and communism. That’s a lot of stuff to cram into 160,000 or so words. I love the world I created, but cringe at the complexity. Lesson learned.

How could I have averted that? By engaging a professional developmental editor. When drafting my current novel, Leaving Darkness, I defined two changes from the start. First, the story would be simpler and the message more focused, and second I would engage another set of eyes, those who have done this many times before, to review the draft for continuity, story development, and just plain readability.

About two weeks ago I sent the draft manuscript to the developmental editor and three beta readers. I will likely receive feedback from the editor in two weeks, and the beta readers around the same time. For now, I wait and wonder. Is the story too complicated? Does it make sense? Is it fun to read? Is the message I want to convey received? I will summarize the results of the experience in a future post. For now, all I can do is wait.

*John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”