August 28th, 2018 is the day my fifth novel, THE LAST
WEEKEND OF THE SUMMER, goes out into the world. I wish it well and that it
meets kind readers along its path. It is a good book—if I may say so myself—and
early reviews suggest that I am not alone in thinking that. I take book writing
very seriously and am happier when the result is taken seriously.
However, I have learned not to take myself too seriously and
with growing insight I am able to separate the value of a book from its reception
in the market place. I had to. Back when I started out, I had but an academic
view of the business of writing. In frivolous moments I even indulged myself in
the fantasy many people share that authors were respected and revered, adored
and well-rewarded.
While I wait for that to happen to me, I have found
something much more suited to the person I really am. The small, but growing,
band of people who have enjoyed my books and have taken the time to express
their thoughts and reactions. Now that is the real prize and it is far more
useful. Hearing about what resonates with readers, and what does not, helps the
receptive author with future books. Like most people, I could be tempted into
believing my own hype, despite leading a very contrary life.
I had wanted to write since I was young, but did not get
around to it until I was in my fifties. Life, addiction, recovery, reformation,
love, marriage, and children, all had to be experienced before I was
“qualified” to write the types of books that I would write. I am not unhappy
about that as I like to think of all of those years as my time spent in
research—and time very well spent.
By virtue of all that I had learned along the roads I have
traveled, I was less bothered when my books elicited less than favorable
responses from some. Readers, who are people, come to books with their own
experiences and in an age of trolling and sniping, civility can sometimes be overlooked.
Likewise, consumerism and marketing strive to lead us to
believe that everything we buy and consume should enrich us the way we want to
be enriched. That is not always the case and especially so with books. Some
books should shake us out of our complacencies. Some books should confront us
and entice us to look at things differently—especially when they expose us to
viewpoints that we might not already share.
Now while I do understand the vital roles certain genres of
books play in offering comfort and enjoyment, I am a great believer in mixed
diets. In my own reading, I do pick up books that might seem to have less
appeal and often encounter pleasant surprises. I also think it is a recipe for
being a better human being. Living in psychological ghettoes and only going to
the churches of the like-minded disconnects us and makes us very prone to being
misled by vain populists, and the like. But that is just my opinion—based on
observations and experience from a very varied life.
Writing books has become essential to my health and
wellbeing. Without that I could be roaming the streets, snapping and snarling
at all who do not live their lives the way I think they should. Instead, I
wander around and study them. I try not to judge and prefer to try to imagine
what made them what they are. I believe in trying to be kind—which can be very
trying—but when it comes to the characters I write, I believe it is essential.
Even villains must be crafted with some love and understanding, otherwise they
could turn out to be very one-dimensional caricatures. That might work in some
forms of storytelling like pantomime, or history, but it just won’t cut it when
writing fiction.
So after I mark the “birth” of my new book, I will get back
to working on my next, next one.
In the meantime, for giveaways and other things, check out
the happenings below.
