Joshua Graham's Blog, page 18

Live on WMPC 1230 AM, Detroit MI “Off the Bookshelf”

I did a radio interview on WMPC, 1230 AM for a show called "Off the Bookshelf." It was a brief but enjoyable time in which we discussed my journey into becoming a writer and my latest thriller DARKROOM.

Hope you'll give it a listen.

This interview is scheduled to be broadcast locally over the air on May 24, 2012 at 9AM EST.

Find the "Play" [image error]button at the end of this post to listen.

* For some reason the podcast doesn't seem to stream on Google chrome.  It might need a special plugin, but I don't know which.  Please try Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari as your brower for this podcast.

What’s Your Kryptonite?

As a young child, I had a relatively small physical stature.  I wasn’t the shortest kid in the class, but there were more kids my size and taller, than not.   Having not even broken 5 feet tall at the age of twelve, I was what you might call a late bloomer.  Of course, in High School, I shot up and the whole issue became moot, to the point of some of my friends referring to me as the “big guy.”  (Then I came to California where a lot of the women are close to 6 feet tall, but that’s another story.)

But when I was younger, as you can imagine, one of my favorite superheroes was Superman because he was practically invulnerable.  He didn’t have to be afraid of anyone or anything.  And he had amazing strength—you know, “able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, able to stop a locomotive with his bare hands…” and all along, he was a mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent.

Every boy wanted to be superman, right?  But one thing I never thought too much about was his one weakness, his “Achilles’ Heel” so to speak:  Kryptonite.  Darn!  There was something that could bring the Man of Steel down.  Something that could render this near demigod feeble, even kill him.  Not the perfect hero after all.  It turns out, this made for a great fictional character.  Not so great for superman, but great for stories.

In life, I often wonder what kind of kryptonite I have.  Admittedly, I’m no superman, but there are certain areas in life which could render me as vulnerable as the glowing green rock can to Mr. Kent’s alter ego.

If I could identify my Kryptonite and remove it from my life, I might just have the ability to be a superman of some sort, right?

Well, I thought about it and I figured it out (at least one of them).  It’s offense.  That’s right.  One of my (and perhaps yours?) greatest Kryptonites is getting offended.  Wow, you say, that’s not as rare as Kryptonite—it’s as common as dirt.  You heard right.  We all get offended.  To varying degrees, an offense can cause damage ranging from annoyance to a lifetime of bitterness and self-destruction.  And the worst thing is, we can’t eliminate the possibility of its occurrence.  It’s as inevitable as death and taxes.  And we can’t control how other people will think, speak or act, so in this life, there WILL be offenses.  Lots of them.

Many people have fallen victims to offenses.  I’m not writing to condemn or shame anyone, but think about this.  Do you know someone who has been holding a grudge for years?  Do you know someone who hasn’t spoken to another person who was once close because of an offense?  Do you know someone who is deeply depressed because of an offense, whether deliberate or not?

Let’s not trivialize this.  People can hold onto offenses which can act like cancer cells.  Offenses can grow and metastasize into every area of your life until it consumes you.   Countless tragedies from personal estrangement to wars can be traced back to offenses, so they are a real threat to our peace (both inner and global.)

Back to Kryptonite:  What if we were to remove Superman’s vulnerability to Kryptonite, what would happen?  He’d be utterly invulnerable.

What if you could remove the effect of offense in your life?  What would this world look like if people didn’t get offended by others?  What would the world look like?  What would your life look like?

Imagine being as confident as Superman standing before Lex Luther’s machine gun.  You know that what the offender did was wrong, unjust, mean, or just stupid.  And yet, the bullets bounce off, the flaming darts fizzle, and they fall feebly to the ground.

One of the reasons we react so strongly to offenses are because they hurt.  And we don’t want to get hurt again.  But if you could choose not to let that haughty glance, that snubbing or rudeness affect you emotionally, if you could know that you could chose to let them bounce off of you as the bullets from Superman’s chest, then you wouldn’t be afraid.  Then you could smile, laugh, and walk away.  Or you could stand up and do what’s right in the face of the offense, without sinking to Lex Luther’s level and retaliating in kind (or at least passive-aggressively.)

Here’s the good news:  You can remove the Kryptonite from your life.  How?  It’s through forgiveness.  By forgiving you aren’t condoning the actions of the Lex Luthers in your life.  Nor are you inviting a repeat of the harmful act.  But you are removing your own emotional vulnerability to that person’s actions or words.

Think of unforgiveness, or self-righteousness as Kryptonite.  No matter how hard Superman grips the Kryptonite, it won’t make Lex Luther stop what he’s doing.  In fact, it will in and of itself kill Superman, and Lex Luther doesn’t have to lift a finger.

Thankfully for Metropolis and the whole world of DC Comics, Superman knows to rid himself of any Kryptonite that gets near him.  Hopefully, we’ll identify ours and do the same.

What’s your Kryptonite?

What Really Matters?

No matter what stage you are in your career, there will always be another email to answer, another task to complete, another deal to close.  How many of you can relate?  It’s not just business, it’s busy-ness.  As a home-maker, there’s always another meal to cook, always another load of laundry.  It’s endless.

By the end of the day, you may feel you haven’t accomplished enough and are falling behind.  But nothing will ever be enough to remove that feeling.  Can you relate?

One evening, while tired and exhausted from one such day, as I tossed and turned alone in bed (my wife was watching a movie downstairs) I felt an odd tightening of my chest.  For just a split second, I imagined I was having a heart attack.  I thought, if this is it, I haven’t even had a chance to say good-bye to my kids, my wife, tell them how much I love them, to tell them how sorry I was for not spending more time with them and being fully present during the times I was with them.

Death has a way of putting everything into perspective.  On the night my mother passed away, my entire life with her flashed before me.  We had had a very good relationship, but for some reason, many of the times I was less than a good son resurfaced.  Things for which I had never apologized either because I was too young and immature, or because I had forgotten and my lovely Mom never brought it up again.

In her last hours, though I told her how much I loved and honored and appreciated her, I also told her how sorry I was for all those things for which I’d never apologized.  The interesting thing is that death had a way of putting things in perspective for her as well.  She smiled, shook her head and said very sincerely, never to think about those things.  They didn’t matter.  I guess she knew my heart, loved me unconditionally despite all my flaws as a child and young adult.  She had always been that way from the day I was born, until the day she went home to be with The Lord.

Back to my frightening “death” experience.  You know, I wasn’t afraid of dying because I knew where I would be going, and that it was a more real, and perfect place that would make all of this infinitesimal time on Earth seem like a fading dream.  I was more afraid for my family.  Leaving them behind, and not getting a chance to hug them one last time, show them all the love I had in my heart.  I tried to speak the words aloud, as a tear streaked down the side of my face, “Do you know just how much I love you?”

What pained me most was that I didn’t think I did a good enough job showing them.  In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully show them the extent of my love for them.  And that was the worst pain of all.  That they might not know.

The moment passed, and honestly, whether I knew it was really death coming for me or not, it didn’t matter.  What mattered was the lesson I was learning.  It was so real to me, that I actually experienced for those few seconds what it would be like if I were actually about to die suddenly, alone in the dark.

I am glad I had that experience, and it helps me to remember it.  Because from now on, I will live not in fear of dying, but with a renewed effort to show my loved ones, my friends, how much I truly love them.  This lifetime may never be enough.  But I don’t want to look back and think that I didn’t do my very best to love and live for them, or die trying.

The Winners from the DARKROOM Online Launch Party Giveaway Announced!

We had a great time at the DARKROOM online launch party, and as promised, we would announce the winner here on my blog.

DTMEDIA ran the drawing and have informed me of the winners, and here they are!

 

First Prize (A New Kindle Fire/Nook Tablet)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second Prize (An autographed copy of DARKROOM)

 

 

 

 

 

Second Prize #2 (An autographed copy of BEYOND JUSTICE)

 

 

 

 

 

Third Prize (A complete set of ebooks by Joshua Graham/Ian Alexander)

 

 

 

 

 

A Template for Living to the Utmost

tem·plate

noun

that which determines or serves as a pattern; a model

 

Many of you know through various interviews and blog posts that I start every day the same way:  Prayer and drinking in wisdom and inspiration from The The Bible.  With all the things going on around the launch of my new book DARKROOM, I felt it especially important to re-center myself in the red-letter portion of the Bible, that is to say, the words of Christ.  Today's reading led me to the Gospel of John and I found some inspiring verses which really spoke to me.

Context:  Jesus had just performed a miraculous healing (the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda) and the religious officials of His time were criticizing and questioning Him.  In fact, they were so angered by Him when He said that He had been working with God, the Father, that they wanted to have him killed.  What would you have said, if you were there?  What was Jesus' response?

 

I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished.

30 I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.

--John 5:19-20, 30 (NLT)

Jesus spoke of eschatological judgment of course, but the main point of this passage is that He had been entrusted with that power and authority, to judge where a person would ultimately spend eternity.  And yet, He came not to judge, but to redeem, rescue, ransom, and offer instead of a guilty verdict and sentence, clemency and an abundant life.  Think about the story of the prodigal son.  What did he get when he finally returned to his home?  That's what He offers, even though He has the authority to render judgment otherwise.  Grace, a powerful, life-changing force that goes...beyond justice.

But that's just the context. Here's more of the point:

Jesus makes it clear that though He is the perfect Son of God, with all power of Heaven and Earth and all the dimensions in between in His hands, could do NOTHING without God, His Father.  Here we have Jesus, 100% human, God incarnate, perfect and blameless, explaining His complete understanding of what it is to be a child of God.  Which through Christ, we are.   I can do nothing on my own...He could do only what he sees the Father doing.  How much more must we live this way?

Jesus spoke of the miracles, the great works He performed in that they bore witness to His identity as the Son of God, His calling and authority.  Later on in the Gospel, Jesus goes on to say that we, His disciples would do the same works and even greater ones.

In this passage and many others, Jesus left a template for living out fully a life of calling, destiny, and power.  He did this in the way He lived, died, and resurrected.  It takes a dedicated focus on God and a complete and utter dependency on His plan.  It takes being aligned with our Heavenly Father's up-to-the-moment progress, His judgments.  In being so in touch with the Father, Jesus performed many miracles, signs and wonders, the greatest by far of which, the redemption of mankind.

If Jesus, the most perfect human (the second Adam) who was God in human form, needed to depend on His heavenly Father for every action, direction and decision, then I'm going to do so as well, all the more so.  And even if you go by common sense alone, emulating someone who's life and character you admire and respect is a great way to become that way yourself.  I believe it is so much more than that, and I trust God more with my destiny than I do my own "wisdom."

So I'm asking you to join me in reflecting right now by asking these questions of yourself:

What do you see God doing in your world?
Where does your judgment come from, your own common sense, or the wisdom and authority of God, through prayer and His Word?
What great works, signs and wonders have you seen others do, who seek and follow and carry out the will God?
What great works will you do because of your relationship with, focus and dependency on God?

 

Permit me once again to leave you with my life verse:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

--Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

 

 

DARKROOM by Joshua Graham ONLINE BOOK LAUNCH PARTY rebroadcast

Did you miss the DARKROOM ONLINE BOOK LAUNCH PARTY on May 1st, 2012? Well you can watch it again here*!

Get the BOOK CANDY TV DVR - JOSHUA GRAHAM widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)

Be sure to select "Watch Now" the click the author photo or book cover to launch the video.
If you click the order button and it doesn't work please click HERE

*Unfortunately, the raffle for this event is closed.

DARKROOM by Joshua Graham Breaks Out on Opening Night

Yesterday had to have been one of the most exciting days of my life, ranking up there with my wedding, the birth of my children and selling my first book to Howard Books/Simon & Schuster.  I'll admit, I was a bit nervous about how things would go on the first day of DARKROOM's release, but even before I could start worrying, tons of reviews, blog posts, interviews, and other such things related to DARKROOM started to flood the internet.

Here's a recap of some of yesterday's highlights.

DARKROOM:

gets a great review from The Washington Post
listed as EreaderNewsToday.com "Book of the Day."
featured in numerous blogs
receives all 5-star reviews on Amazon.com on opening day
official trailer released at the Online Launch Party (which was well-attended and wildly fun!)
hits 3 bestseller lists on Amazon on opening night, rises to #591 overall in Kindle ebooks (out of over a million titles)
hits the retail bookshelves

All in all, a very fun and exciting day and evening.  After the launch party, my wife and I went out to dinner.  We reflected on how good God has been to us with all the favor and grace He's shown us through what is happening in our lives.  So many people just popped up yesterday offering their support and  help.  My facebook friends kept me busy interacting and cheering me on (which kept my mind off of nerve-wracking thoughts).  How blessed am I?  Thank you for the emails, the phone calls, the instant messages, and the prayers!  I can't imagine a more enjoyable launch day!

Now, please check out the official DARKROOM trailer brought to you by Book Candy Studios:

 

DARKROOM by Joshua Graham Hits 3 bestseller lists on Opening Day.

As writer, you always hope and pray that your new book will be well-received.  Sometimes by the early reader reactions and reviews you get an idea, but opening day can still be as spine-tingling as it is fun.  One of the things I look to (for better or for worse) is how my new book is doing in the rankings at various outlets.  Thankfully, Amazon.com provides fairly timely statistics in the area of book sales.

I'm pleased to report that DARKROOM hit not one, not two, but three bestseller lists last night.

Its overall sales ranking went as high as #591 out of over a million titles.

Thank you readers, and I hope to report more like this in the near future.

DARKROOM by Joshua Graham: Official Trailer released!

At long last!  The DARKROOM Book Trailer!
Feel free to share it.

DARKROOM is available for:

Amazon/Kindle: http://bitly.com/w2Qx1w
Barnes & Noble/Nook: http://bit.ly/vG22no

 

Washington Post’s Review of DARKROOM!

So with all the buzz going around regarding DARKROOM, my publicist at Howard Books just let me know about this one from the Washington Post! http://wapo.st/KFZu3W

The review headlines:

‘Darkroom’ is a heart-pounding thriller from Joshua Graham

So right away, I'm thinking the liked it!

You can read the entire review, but here are  some of the highlights.

"...This gripping novel has it all..."

"... a novel that thriller fans will devour."