You became a published author at 75—what inspired you to finally bring your long-worked-on novel to completion?
My new Wife was the real motivation. After hearing me describe my novel more than once, she said, ”Why don’t you finish it?”
Your first novel took nearly 40 years “mostly off” to finish—what kept the story alive in your mind over such a long period?
It was basically the answer to questions that I had as a teenager in church. Questions that I had kept locked in my memory. When I started the research, I was amazed at what I found. So, the idea, the answers and the new material kept me involved. But life kept me busy as well. Hence the off again part of on again off again.
How did your career in corporate America influence your storytelling style or themes?
Writing and speaking were a part of all of my career positions. I quickly learned that good storytelling was the only way to keep people listening to what I had to say. I was always sort of a smart ass, so humor was always a part of my storytelling and has been a part of all of the books I have written.
What lessons from running an award-winning video production company carried over into your writing process?
Showing is the key to telling. You have to use visual words, words that actually paint a picture. One of the greatest complements I can be paid is to have a reader say that they have a picture in their minds after reading a part of one of my books. After all, seeing is believing. Especially when you end up seeing when words are your only paint and brushes.
You experienced success in visual storytelling—how does writing a novel differ from producing video content for you?
To me, there is no difference. You have to see a video before you can produce it. The same is true of a novel to me. I look at the picture in my mind and try to capture that visual in words. It the reader sees the same picture, then I have been successful as a writer.
What motivated you to transition from video production back to writing?
Truthfully, it was a somewhat humorous realization. I found that I was competing with kids that had a smart phone. I had thousands of dollars of equipment, big and bulky, so when I quoted a job that cost had to be recouped. A kid could do the same job with his cell phone and there were free programs that could do the same as the expensive software and computers I needed to complete the production. So, one day I just said, “the hell with it.” I donated the equipment to a church and went out of the video production business.
Your first submission was accepted right away — what was your reaction when you received that acceptance?
Disbelief came first. I had heard the horror stories of dealing with publishers. Submit your manuscript, wait months for an answer, receive a form email, “thank you for your story but that isn’t the genre that we are currently publishing.” Or you never hear from the publisher at all. So, when I finally realized that I would be an author, I was elated. I don’t remember who I called first but I know I gave my wife a big hug and kiss. She was the reason I actually finished the manuscript. I will owe a debt to Mike Parker for the rest of my life for his decision to bring my story to print.
Do you believe starting later in life gave you an advantage as a writer? If so, how?
I don’t know if I have an answer to that question. I think every writer answers to their own muse. I do believe an older writer has the benefit of a lot of “stuff” that a younger writer doesn’t have. Now, that can be good or bad. I read a lot of questions that younger writers have on social media. They want to know the rules about this and rules about that. I believe the older you are the more to realize that there are no rules. It is your book, so you can break all of the rules. Success will prove you right or wrong.
What challenges did you face entering the publishing world later in life?
Limited time to complete your projects. I have to say that you are never too old to be a writer. NEVER. I have two books scheduled to be released in June of this year. That’s next month and I am 83 years old. I have trouble walking around but no trouble writing and no trouble typing.
Can you tell us more about your debut novel Ill Gotten Gain and the inspiration behind it?
The short description of “ill gotten gain” is that the 30 pieces of silver Judas was giver get to Charleston, SC current time and they are suitably cursed. As a teenager, I wondered what happened to the coins. They were an important talisman to the Christian church and they simply vanished. That made no sense to me. So, the first challenge was to construct a plausible track through time and space that would have get the coins from Israel 30AD to Charleston current time. Having the person who had the coins in that time track needed to die of similar causes to that of Judas…asphyxiation (hanging). Research provided the keys. The owner of Potter’s Field is strangled, the crusader drowns in blood (a comment I remembered from High School history), Pope Alexander VI Rodrigo Borgia choked on food, the young priest drowned and the Gentleman Pirate Steed Bonnet was hung. All fit very well into my time and space track. Adding the Vatican, Opus Dei, root doctor Dr. Bug and assorted other characters helped move the story forward. The MC, Thomas Edward Garrett, experienced the deaths, first person, in his dreams.
You now have multiple books published and more in progress—how has your writing process evolved since your first book?
Play and Fun. I am old enough to have my writing become my play. Also, I look for ideas that challenge me. Novel #2 was a historical fiction autobiography of Anne Bonny, the first female pirate in the Caribbean. I had no experience as a 54-year-old woman and no experience as an eighteen-year-old girl but I had to project what they would say and feel what they would feel. Novel #3 presented the challenge to use the Bible as the skeleton of a story and develop it to be historically correct. Novel #4, “The Bullet, The Bible and The Best Laid Plans” is a WW1 love story – love found, love lost and love found again. I was challenged to depict the horrors of World War One battlefield in a visually correct manner and help the reader realize just how unbelievable and horrific that war really was.
What themes or messages consistently appear in your work?
I’m not certain how to answer that question. I want some humor to be in all of my writing. God’s plan for each of us is in the background. Engaging stories, the idea that you can’t put the book down until it is finished. I would hope the books leave the reader with as much enjoyment as I had writing them. After all, the readers are investing their time reading the books, I would like them to feel that the story was worth the time they invested.
What advice would you offer to aspiring writers who feel it may be “too late” to start?
NEVRE TOO LATE! NEVER TOO LATE! One more time NEVER TOO LATE!
How do you stay motivated and creative while working on multiple upcoming projects?
I wish I could say that I am always motivated. As I said earlier, writing to me is fun. I enjoy making pictures from words. Deadlines help but I don’t like rules, so a deadline is a lot like a rule. I think the Play and the Fun part helps keep me motivated.
How were you introduced to AllAuthor, and would you say that this website has been helpful?
I believe my publisher, Mike Parker, was the one who first mentioned AllAuthor to me. AllAuthor has a lot to help a writer become an author. It helps introduce authors to readers. Their services like Promotional Plans and internal promotions assistance are very helpful. The book listing provides a ready research library of cover ideas. The opportunity to see what other authors are doing to make their covers that attract the reader. There is a lot to offer if the writer wants to take advantage of the resource.
