Books don’t happen in a vacuum. They arise out of the every day interactions between people—conversations over coffee, new life celebrations, shared sorrows, letters and emails flying back and forth.
Dark Eyes, Deep Eyes is no exception.
You will find those remarks in the acknowledgement section at the back of my recently released novel. The sentiment reflects my views on community, even in the writing of fiction.
People in community are important.
They encourage me.
They shape my writing.
They multiply my effectiveness.
They increase my joy.
I should restate those sentiments.
You are important.
You encourage me.
You shape my writing.
You multiply my effectiveness.
You increase my joy.
Yesterday I returned from a long trip to discover my novel in paperback wedged between the screen door and the front door. Today I returned from volunteer library work, shopping, and a meeting to set up a kickoff book signing to discover my novel in hard cover wedged between the screen door and the front door.
All day I’ve carried the paperback around like a toddler with his security blanket. Before our first basketball game this morning, my friend Tom picked up the novel, flipped through a few pages, and said, “Too small print for my old eyes and no pictures.” But he’s one who’s asked over and over again, “When’s the book coming out?”
At morning coffee, my friend Rol looked at the book and said, “I guess I need to tell my wife. She’s the one who reads books in our family.” He’s also one who’s asked often, “When’s the book coming out?”
It’s taken me all this time to discover that Tom and Rol can’t read.
My niece Elysia congratulated me via Facebook post and said, “I ordered it from Amazon.” I left the house a little misty-eyed after reading that.
Today I simply want to say thank you for helping me reach this milestone.
Whether you read Dark Eyes, Deep Eyes or not, I want to share these words with you, my community in Christ.
God bless.
And good reading.
Some practical information.
You can find this book at:
At this posting, Barnes & Noble had the lowest price on the paperback and Amazon on the hard cover. You can preview parts of the book at Amazon and WestBow Press.
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A Curious Band of Others 
I just ordered it from Amazon and I am looking forward to the read!
I am proud for you!
Thanks, Chris. I’m about to go shoot some hoops and you’ve put a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. I don’t know if I’ll ever leave the house again without a smile and a tear. The notes of encouragement have blessed my soul.
Well…I just read the book.
I had been holding off until I had some uninterrupted time and I knew I would have today’s flight from Atlanta to Phoenix for a business trip. So I cracked open the book when I settled in at the gate, waiting for the flight. I had forgotten you had already given us a sneak peek at the first chapter in a previous post…I knew it seemed familiar!
Anyway, I read almost the entire book before we landed. I had to finish the last two chapters in baggage claim and then in the hotel room. I was not able to put it down even though I wanted to sleep some on the plane!
My final verdict…Tom, I loved it! I really did. I have read some Randy Alcorn’s books and they are likely my favorites. Your writing is much different than his, but the perspective is somewhat similar. What I do not remember Randy tackling in as much detail was hell. I know he had one character go there, but he did not seem to spend much time on the details.
I loved the parallel stories from chapter to chapter, though I must admit I was tempted (I refrained!) to start reading the odd chapters for a while and then doubling back for the even ones so I would not have to wait for the next twist! I did not mostly because I had a feeling I would not be able to double back before finishing! I knew that would ruin the story.
Great job, Tom! I can tell you that it has caused me to think about a couple of things differently…especially my kids. As young teens, I am seeing challenges with them. This book has encouraged me to double up on my efforts to connect with them even when I feel them pushing back. I could not stand the thought of them experiencing what Nick endured.
I must stop now before I crash your comment system! Thanks for the great read! I am looking forward to future books. Next time I am asking for a signed copy!
Chris, thank you for two things involving your time (and I’m going to ask you for a 3rd). I appreciate the gift of your reading time. I don’t take that lightly. As well, I appreciate the gift of your comment time. You’ve helped me to know what the reading experience is for someone who has fresh eyes on the story. I’ve lived with the writing and the rewriting for 5 years now. The story hasn’t grown old or stale for me, but it has become a familiar companion.
The request is a review at Amazon (or anywhere else, but Amazon is the one most familiar to me).
Comparing me to Randy Alcorn is a huge compliment. Ellen and I’ve read a number of his books together. I’m reading his book called “Heaven” which is a theological treatment of the subject, not a novel.
It’s been a joy to grow up in our parallel writing universe together this past year. I hope to have the pleasure of signing that next book for you sooner rather than later. I’m a 3rd of the way through the next installment.
God bless you in your travels,
Tom
I will let you know when it is done!
Thanks!
congratulations brother TOm! I am so proud of you! I know this has not been an easy journey and that at times you have faced discouragement when you had to rewrite yet again. I thank God that through you people will have an opportunity to think about what happens when we die. I write this from Indiana headed through W VA to PA. I can’t wait to get my copy of your book so I can read it on the road! Love and prayers….May God richly bless the work of your hands! Mary
Good travels. You said you liked audio. Well, maybe you can be the audio version for Nate. 😉
Congrats sir! I came across your blog from Jeff Goins’ website, and it was so heartwarming to see a fellow author achieve his goal. I hope to experience the feelings that you wrote about soon!
Thank you for the encouragement. Where are you in your own publishing journey?
I’m about halfway through with writing my first novel. I’ve sent query letters out to a few publishers…just haven’t heard anything back yet.
The one bit of advice I’d give you is to complete the novel before additional querying. That’s wisdom passed on from those who would know. We first-time novelists have to show that we can complete the project before an editor would even take a sniff at our manuscript. It’s a long road but, if you love the journey, you’ll stick with it. I’d recommend checking out Ali Luke’s Aliventure article, “Nine Writing Milestones to Celebrate,” ( http://www.aliventures.com/nine-writing-milestones/ ). The milestones will give you an idea of what to expect along the way.
Great advice! Thanks so much.
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