Timothy H. Cook's Blog, page 7
October 4, 2015
An eternal optimist.
Sometimes, when I try to figure out life and its vagaries, it just leaves me even more puzzled. Take my book signing experience yesterday. It was well-publicised (or as well as I could hope to publicize such an event). The weather was perfect for going out and doing things. The feedback that I got from my online and other friends was extremely favorable. So, what happened?
Well, I went to the book signing. All was prepared for me. The place was busy (actually it was really hopping). The location was excellent. And for the first hour and a half - nothing. It was beginning to get discouraging. Then, oddly, people began to stop by and to question. What was my book about? How did I get the inspiration for this? It sounds intriguing. Which one is your first book? Are you a doctor? What kind?
And before you know it, I almost sold out of the first book. But that is a good thing.
What I didn't get, though, was any kind of support from the people who said that they would be sure to come. My guess is that they found more important things to do, more interesting things to capture their attention than to go to some old bookstore where some old author was signing things. But, doggone it, I really missed that. It was my opportunity to interact once more with people that had been important to me. Even if they weren't buying books that day, it would have been nice to see an occasional face of someone familiar. But not even one. I did want to send out a very special thank you to Andy Tatum, the manager, who made it worth my while, and to the store clerks who bought my books (Heather and Kelsey) - you will be remembered!
Be that as it may, I'm going to give it another shot. I've got another book signing in Rogers, AR. It will be a the Rogers Public Library October 17th (Saturday), from 1 - 3 PM again. I'll have all four of my books, which will be heavily discounted for that day only, and will be available as both paperback and hardcover. As I learned from fishing, every time I toss in my line, it is another occasion for hope. And I am the eternal optimist.
Well, I went to the book signing. All was prepared for me. The place was busy (actually it was really hopping). The location was excellent. And for the first hour and a half - nothing. It was beginning to get discouraging. Then, oddly, people began to stop by and to question. What was my book about? How did I get the inspiration for this? It sounds intriguing. Which one is your first book? Are you a doctor? What kind?
And before you know it, I almost sold out of the first book. But that is a good thing.
What I didn't get, though, was any kind of support from the people who said that they would be sure to come. My guess is that they found more important things to do, more interesting things to capture their attention than to go to some old bookstore where some old author was signing things. But, doggone it, I really missed that. It was my opportunity to interact once more with people that had been important to me. Even if they weren't buying books that day, it would have been nice to see an occasional face of someone familiar. But not even one. I did want to send out a very special thank you to Andy Tatum, the manager, who made it worth my while, and to the store clerks who bought my books (Heather and Kelsey) - you will be remembered!Be that as it may, I'm going to give it another shot. I've got another book signing in Rogers, AR. It will be a the Rogers Public Library October 17th (Saturday), from 1 - 3 PM again. I'll have all four of my books, which will be heavily discounted for that day only, and will be available as both paperback and hardcover. As I learned from fishing, every time I toss in my line, it is another occasion for hope. And I am the eternal optimist.
September 25, 2015
What are they telling me?
I'm about to begin another busy season with my book writing/book selling thing. My next book signing is a week away - October 3, 1 - 3 PM at Barnes & Noble in Rogers, AR. And what am I doing to prepare for this? Well, I'm listening very intently. Listening to what my characters are trying to tell me. Why?
I'll let you in on a secret - that the characters in The Book of Drachma, everyone - from Bob, Judy, Craycroft, LeGace, Drachma and Tom, down to the likes of Wheezer, Clarice, and Jeremy - all of them have got things to tell me. It's a strange process, this creating of a fantasy world. And as I bring you their tales, I learn some amazing things along the way. Things that I never consciously thought about, but to them very deep and meaningful things. And even though I've got the outline in my head of what will happen, the journey is one which we make together. The creative process is for me a process of discovery, and if I told you that I know what all of my characters are going to be doing along the way, I'd be lying.
It's that which I plan to bring with me to the book signings, for the events I regard as occasions to celebrate their lives as well as ours. And for your information, I am in the middle part of the fifth book in the series, which I am (so far) calling Center Game. And as the plot thickens, and as the characters interact with each other, my own interaction with my devoted followers becomes so much more important.
So, I hope to see some of you there (and I'll have all four volumes for sale):
Barnes & Noble, in Rogers, AR Oct 3, from 1 - 3 PM (or whenever the store gets tired of me)
Rogers Public Library, Rogers, AR, Oct 17, from 1 - 3 PM
And then, in December I'll be going to NYC for more book signings - details yet to come!
I'll let you in on a secret - that the characters in The Book of Drachma, everyone - from Bob, Judy, Craycroft, LeGace, Drachma and Tom, down to the likes of Wheezer, Clarice, and Jeremy - all of them have got things to tell me. It's a strange process, this creating of a fantasy world. And as I bring you their tales, I learn some amazing things along the way. Things that I never consciously thought about, but to them very deep and meaningful things. And even though I've got the outline in my head of what will happen, the journey is one which we make together. The creative process is for me a process of discovery, and if I told you that I know what all of my characters are going to be doing along the way, I'd be lying.
It's that which I plan to bring with me to the book signings, for the events I regard as occasions to celebrate their lives as well as ours. And for your information, I am in the middle part of the fifth book in the series, which I am (so far) calling Center Game. And as the plot thickens, and as the characters interact with each other, my own interaction with my devoted followers becomes so much more important.
So, I hope to see some of you there (and I'll have all four volumes for sale):
Barnes & Noble, in Rogers, AR Oct 3, from 1 - 3 PM (or whenever the store gets tired of me)
Rogers Public Library, Rogers, AR, Oct 17, from 1 - 3 PM
And then, in December I'll be going to NYC for more book signings - details yet to come!
August 22, 2015
Just some ramblings about where we've come from, and the dangers ahead.
As some of you may be aware, I've started a new (daytime) job. I'm the new Facility Medical Director of the hospitalist program in McAlester, OK. And why would I now, this close to retirement, start something as foolish as a new job? Well, that's the key - I'm inching ever so close to retirement that I really wanted to make a difference. And that was just not going to happen where I was. I was yet another cog in the industrial machine of medicine.
McAlester is kind of an interesting town, and reminds me a lot of Chickasha, OK, where I spent six years in the practice of medicine. And the hospital in McAlester is a regional hospital in Southeast Oklahoma. As with most hospitals in this day, it is facing a future which is uncertain, somewhat dangerous, and certain to cause tremendous change in the way medical care is dispensed. And what of the physicians, and in particular the physicians who serve the hospital and its patients? What are the challenges that these physicians are facing?
There are two major challenges which I see facing the physicians in our increasingly uncertain world of the next few (or many) years. The first is one of definition, and the second is one of adaptation.
By definition, I mean how is it that we tell ourselves why we do what do. It has been my contention that physicians are not quite like anyone else. Historically, physicians have held a special place within the ranks of humanity. As far back as the ancient Greeks, and the healers and shamans of tribal peoples physicians or healers have been seen as persons set apart. And it is a special calling that we as physicians feel. It is more than just a job, it becomes in a very real way part of how we define ourselves, and see ourselves.
William Osler put it this way (and here I must thank Janice Mancuso, creator of The Osler Symposium for this quotation).
"You are in this profession as a calling, not a business: as a calling which extracts from you at every turn self-sacrifice, devotion, love and tenderness to your fellow men. Once you get down to a purely business level, your influence is gone, and the true light of your life is dimmed. You must work in the missionary spirit, with a breadth of charity that raises you far above the petty jealousies of life."
What we, as a profession are facing is the redefinition of ourselves as something easily replaceable, easily expendable, and oh, so easily missed. And I, for one, object!
By adaptation, I see physicians, as humans, needing to adjust our lives in such ways that we can regroup and refresh ourselves in concert with the demands of the institutions which employ us, or have power over us. For the institutions do not care, and if we do not adapt, we will burn out.
So, you see, I've got an agenda, albeit a nebulous one, which I've set for myself. And whatever you think of it, my other profession as a writer keeps me going - at least for now.
McAlester is kind of an interesting town, and reminds me a lot of Chickasha, OK, where I spent six years in the practice of medicine. And the hospital in McAlester is a regional hospital in Southeast Oklahoma. As with most hospitals in this day, it is facing a future which is uncertain, somewhat dangerous, and certain to cause tremendous change in the way medical care is dispensed. And what of the physicians, and in particular the physicians who serve the hospital and its patients? What are the challenges that these physicians are facing?
There are two major challenges which I see facing the physicians in our increasingly uncertain world of the next few (or many) years. The first is one of definition, and the second is one of adaptation.
By definition, I mean how is it that we tell ourselves why we do what do. It has been my contention that physicians are not quite like anyone else. Historically, physicians have held a special place within the ranks of humanity. As far back as the ancient Greeks, and the healers and shamans of tribal peoples physicians or healers have been seen as persons set apart. And it is a special calling that we as physicians feel. It is more than just a job, it becomes in a very real way part of how we define ourselves, and see ourselves.
William Osler put it this way (and here I must thank Janice Mancuso, creator of The Osler Symposium for this quotation).
"You are in this profession as a calling, not a business: as a calling which extracts from you at every turn self-sacrifice, devotion, love and tenderness to your fellow men. Once you get down to a purely business level, your influence is gone, and the true light of your life is dimmed. You must work in the missionary spirit, with a breadth of charity that raises you far above the petty jealousies of life."
What we, as a profession are facing is the redefinition of ourselves as something easily replaceable, easily expendable, and oh, so easily missed. And I, for one, object!
By adaptation, I see physicians, as humans, needing to adjust our lives in such ways that we can regroup and refresh ourselves in concert with the demands of the institutions which employ us, or have power over us. For the institutions do not care, and if we do not adapt, we will burn out.
So, you see, I've got an agenda, albeit a nebulous one, which I've set for myself. And whatever you think of it, my other profession as a writer keeps me going - at least for now.
August 5, 2015
Just a few days away
What good does advertising do? I suppose, in the long run, advertising does little to change the course of things. People, after all, make up their minds about what is a good book, or great literature, or not worth their efforts, or an assault on their senses. And they do so without anyone telling them what to read - or do they?
As a case in point, I'd like to tell (or actually to retell) my account of John Kennedy Toole, and his great book, A Confederacy of Dunces. This was a a book, written long-hand on yellow legal paper (yes, really). After writing this book, John Kennedy Toole tried to get it published. But can you even imagine what that took? Imagine, if you will, taking his tome to publishing houses, where the front office people found it so much easier to reject it outright, than to try to read it. Well, it didn't take too long for Mr. Toole to become discouraged with the whole process, and he did, in fact commit suicide. But fortunately for us, the story doesn't end there. His mother took up where he left off, but her will was more than the combined efforts of the publishing world could bear. In a bit of a pique, the publisher of one such house agreed, if this woman would simply go away, to read it (or at least the beginning of it), and then she could go back to her life, knowing that the book was looked at by one of the greats. Well, as it turned out, this publisher started reading those yellow legal pages, and he read, and he read further, and he couldn't stop. He then, with the mother's permission, agreed on the spot to publish the book.
With a final bit of irony, after it was published, the book won a Pulitzer prize - awarded to John Kennedy Toole posthumously. And I can promise you, that if you start reading this amazingly funny, humane and intelligent masterpiece, that you will, like the publisher, not be able to put it down. And like a great wine, it lingers on the palette for a good long while.
And what does advertising have to do with any of this? Well, once he agreed to publish the book, he had to figure on getting the word out about this unknown author and his great novel - and so he did, and the rest is history. And the world of publishing has now changed. Except for the few large publishing houses, book promotion is now pretty much left up to the individual authors, and many of us do not have the time (nor the inclination, nor the expertise) to pursue such things.
Which brings me back to my own efforts in promoting my own second trilogy. I'm going to have a book signing bash at Barnes & Noble, in Rogers, AR this coming Saturday (Aug 8th), from 1 - 3 PM.
So, what I'm telling you is that I would really like to see a great turn-out there this Saturday, and surprise the store manager with the number of people coming out to see this unknown author.
As a case in point, I'd like to tell (or actually to retell) my account of John Kennedy Toole, and his great book, A Confederacy of Dunces. This was a a book, written long-hand on yellow legal paper (yes, really). After writing this book, John Kennedy Toole tried to get it published. But can you even imagine what that took? Imagine, if you will, taking his tome to publishing houses, where the front office people found it so much easier to reject it outright, than to try to read it. Well, it didn't take too long for Mr. Toole to become discouraged with the whole process, and he did, in fact commit suicide. But fortunately for us, the story doesn't end there. His mother took up where he left off, but her will was more than the combined efforts of the publishing world could bear. In a bit of a pique, the publisher of one such house agreed, if this woman would simply go away, to read it (or at least the beginning of it), and then she could go back to her life, knowing that the book was looked at by one of the greats. Well, as it turned out, this publisher started reading those yellow legal pages, and he read, and he read further, and he couldn't stop. He then, with the mother's permission, agreed on the spot to publish the book.
With a final bit of irony, after it was published, the book won a Pulitzer prize - awarded to John Kennedy Toole posthumously. And I can promise you, that if you start reading this amazingly funny, humane and intelligent masterpiece, that you will, like the publisher, not be able to put it down. And like a great wine, it lingers on the palette for a good long while.
And what does advertising have to do with any of this? Well, once he agreed to publish the book, he had to figure on getting the word out about this unknown author and his great novel - and so he did, and the rest is history. And the world of publishing has now changed. Except for the few large publishing houses, book promotion is now pretty much left up to the individual authors, and many of us do not have the time (nor the inclination, nor the expertise) to pursue such things.
Which brings me back to my own efforts in promoting my own second trilogy. I'm going to have a book signing bash at Barnes & Noble, in Rogers, AR this coming Saturday (Aug 8th), from 1 - 3 PM.
So, what I'm telling you is that I would really like to see a great turn-out there this Saturday, and surprise the store manager with the number of people coming out to see this unknown author.
July 16, 2015
Just how many books?
As some of you know, I'll be having a book signing Aug 8, 2015 (that's in about three weeks) at Barnes & Noble in Rogers, AR. In anticipation of that event, I went to the store to meet with Andy, the assistant store manager. I'm very glad I did.
The book signing is to feature my fourth book (the first of my second trilogy), called The Healer's Defense, Heir of Drachma, Book One. I guess what he didn't realize was that I had written the first trilogy, and which has been available since late 2013.
He was just going to order 15 - 20 copies of the fourth book. And here I was, telling many of the people I knew or met about my book signing, and that I'd have copies of all four books. Well, he agreed to order some copies of the first three books.
Based upon what I've told people, and what people have told me, I believe that we can expect the store to quickly run out of the books they have ordered. But I'll have plenty of books to sell, in the event that they do run out (books in my own private collection). It is my sincere hope that we do, in fact embarrass the store, and promptly sell out of their own books!
So, for any of you who may be so inclined, I would invite any and all of you to show up Saturday Aug 8, 2015, from 1 - 3 PM, at Barnes & Noble in Rogers, AR. I can promise you a good time, with great company, great coffee, and wonderful books! Look forward to seeing many of my friends and colleagues there!
The book signing is to feature my fourth book (the first of my second trilogy), called The Healer's Defense, Heir of Drachma, Book One. I guess what he didn't realize was that I had written the first trilogy, and which has been available since late 2013.He was just going to order 15 - 20 copies of the fourth book. And here I was, telling many of the people I knew or met about my book signing, and that I'd have copies of all four books. Well, he agreed to order some copies of the first three books.
Based upon what I've told people, and what people have told me, I believe that we can expect the store to quickly run out of the books they have ordered. But I'll have plenty of books to sell, in the event that they do run out (books in my own private collection). It is my sincere hope that we do, in fact embarrass the store, and promptly sell out of their own books!
So, for any of you who may be so inclined, I would invite any and all of you to show up Saturday Aug 8, 2015, from 1 - 3 PM, at Barnes & Noble in Rogers, AR. I can promise you a good time, with great company, great coffee, and wonderful books! Look forward to seeing many of my friends and colleagues there!
June 26, 2015
A word of - Wow!
Well, I'm really stunned. Never did I expect such an interest in my book launch/giveaway. And I really don't quite know what to make of all this.
I did launch a book giveaway for Heir of Drachma, Book One, The Healer's Defense, and based on my previous giveaway, I expected maybe 500 - 600 people would be entering, but I did not expect 1511 people across the US, Canada, GB and Australia to show an interest! And how I wish that I could give a book to everyone interested. But to the 15 people who won - congratulations! And I sincerely hope that you'll be pleased with the results. Just to let you know, I'll be sending your books shortly.
For those of you who did not win a free book this time around, I'll be having another giveaway with my next book, Center Game, which should be completed by about the end of this year.
And lest you forget, there is another trilogy which precedes Heir of Drachma - namely The Book of Drachma, which is readily available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, as well as other online sources. It is the original tale of two times and places, and the magic, the medicine, the murders and the resolution which can only be experienced in the reading.
So, keep your reading lamps lit!
I did launch a book giveaway for Heir of Drachma, Book One, The Healer's Defense, and based on my previous giveaway, I expected maybe 500 - 600 people would be entering, but I did not expect 1511 people across the US, Canada, GB and Australia to show an interest! And how I wish that I could give a book to everyone interested. But to the 15 people who won - congratulations! And I sincerely hope that you'll be pleased with the results. Just to let you know, I'll be sending your books shortly.
For those of you who did not win a free book this time around, I'll be having another giveaway with my next book, Center Game, which should be completed by about the end of this year.
And lest you forget, there is another trilogy which precedes Heir of Drachma - namely The Book of Drachma, which is readily available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, as well as other online sources. It is the original tale of two times and places, and the magic, the medicine, the murders and the resolution which can only be experienced in the reading.
So, keep your reading lamps lit!
June 17, 2015
Just a week
This has been an extraordinary week for me, capped off by a near disaster in the air.
As I was on the second leg of my flight into Knoxville, TN, which was supposed to be the uneventful, half-hour flight from Atlanta, I noticed that the plane, instead of just touching down, began circling the airport. Then, after we had circled it yet again, and we finally touched down, I noticed all the fire trucks and ambulances to either side of us. The landing was a little rough, but not compared to many flights I had been on. And it was then that the Captain got on the intercom and told us there was a problem with the landing gear, and they would be towing us back to the airport. Well that half-hour flight ended up taking an hour and a half. But you know what was really remarkable? Not one passenger complained (including the kid riding in the seat behind me), and no one seemed nervous nor upset over the incident.
Well, so now I'm for the moment safe, and ready for my medical leadership two-day conference. And I am thankful to God that I can get back to my vocation, as well as my avocation in one piece
But that brings me to tell you that you only have a week left in the great Heir of Drachma giveaway. That's right it's just until the stroke of midnight (?Central Time, ?GMT) 6/25/2015, and so far it's going great, but you really don't want to lose out to all the readers with 50,000 books on their to read list, do you?
And I guess it would have been a moot point if that potential air disaster had occurred. Hmm...
As I was on the second leg of my flight into Knoxville, TN, which was supposed to be the uneventful, half-hour flight from Atlanta, I noticed that the plane, instead of just touching down, began circling the airport. Then, after we had circled it yet again, and we finally touched down, I noticed all the fire trucks and ambulances to either side of us. The landing was a little rough, but not compared to many flights I had been on. And it was then that the Captain got on the intercom and told us there was a problem with the landing gear, and they would be towing us back to the airport. Well that half-hour flight ended up taking an hour and a half. But you know what was really remarkable? Not one passenger complained (including the kid riding in the seat behind me), and no one seemed nervous nor upset over the incident.
Well, so now I'm for the moment safe, and ready for my medical leadership two-day conference. And I am thankful to God that I can get back to my vocation, as well as my avocation in one piece
But that brings me to tell you that you only have a week left in the great Heir of Drachma giveaway. That's right it's just until the stroke of midnight (?Central Time, ?GMT) 6/25/2015, and so far it's going great, but you really don't want to lose out to all the readers with 50,000 books on their to read list, do you?
And I guess it would have been a moot point if that potential air disaster had occurred. Hmm...
May 23, 2015
How would you define success?
I just got back from a successful book signing trip to Oklahoma City. Now what do I mean by successful?
You could look at it strictly from the perspective of financial success, and that would be true. I made enough money to cover the costs of purchasing the books, staying in a hotel, driving to OKC and back, and meals along the way.
But that is not what I mean. For me the most successful moments are those recorded in my memories. You see, it was going back some of my old stomping grounds, and reconnecting with familiar faces and personalities. And it was in a new light, because I was not going back as a doctor, but rather as a friend. To be able to reciprocate the hugs without it being seen as harassment or somehow inappropriate made all the difference. It offered the chance for my former friends and acquaintanences to see me in a new light, as it also gave me the opportunity to see and appreciate them without their professional starch on. We did talk medical stuff, but not with the urgency of having to tell of medical matters which impacted real patients, with real and pressing concerns. And there was a true sense of relaxation, as if my medical fiction could somehow spread a soothing balm on their tired and stressed out souls.
And that is the nature of medical fiction. I believe that for all its gritty realism and drama, it can be a real release, much like picking up the Sunday paper, and sitting down with your favorite hot beverage and reading about the lives of others in the world before going back to it. For that is what I offer - the chance to be in the world of Bob, Judy, Craycroft, Tom, Falma, LeGace and Drachma - but then to be able to put it down and go back to your own very real world.
And there were the completely unexpected bits of my trip, which made it a success for me. There was the occasion of being able to sit down in the world of Credo House, to be able to sit and enjoy the best coffee since college, and to listen in as the discussions of theology got hot and heavy. Then there was the hotel clerk who just happened to be looking for something to read, and the waitress who "had never met any authors," as well as the mother of a precocious fifteen-year-old who had his heart set on becoming a physician. To be able to touch their lives was to me a very special event, which went well beyond my more reasonable expectations of success.
So, a huge thank you goes out to the friends and sundry others in the Oklahoma City area, who let me briefly back into their lives. Enjoy my latest fiction, as I did enjoy the experience!
You could look at it strictly from the perspective of financial success, and that would be true. I made enough money to cover the costs of purchasing the books, staying in a hotel, driving to OKC and back, and meals along the way.
But that is not what I mean. For me the most successful moments are those recorded in my memories. You see, it was going back some of my old stomping grounds, and reconnecting with familiar faces and personalities. And it was in a new light, because I was not going back as a doctor, but rather as a friend. To be able to reciprocate the hugs without it being seen as harassment or somehow inappropriate made all the difference. It offered the chance for my former friends and acquaintanences to see me in a new light, as it also gave me the opportunity to see and appreciate them without their professional starch on. We did talk medical stuff, but not with the urgency of having to tell of medical matters which impacted real patients, with real and pressing concerns. And there was a true sense of relaxation, as if my medical fiction could somehow spread a soothing balm on their tired and stressed out souls.
And that is the nature of medical fiction. I believe that for all its gritty realism and drama, it can be a real release, much like picking up the Sunday paper, and sitting down with your favorite hot beverage and reading about the lives of others in the world before going back to it. For that is what I offer - the chance to be in the world of Bob, Judy, Craycroft, Tom, Falma, LeGace and Drachma - but then to be able to put it down and go back to your own very real world.
And there were the completely unexpected bits of my trip, which made it a success for me. There was the occasion of being able to sit down in the world of Credo House, to be able to sit and enjoy the best coffee since college, and to listen in as the discussions of theology got hot and heavy. Then there was the hotel clerk who just happened to be looking for something to read, and the waitress who "had never met any authors," as well as the mother of a precocious fifteen-year-old who had his heart set on becoming a physician. To be able to touch their lives was to me a very special event, which went well beyond my more reasonable expectations of success.
So, a huge thank you goes out to the friends and sundry others in the Oklahoma City area, who let me briefly back into their lives. Enjoy my latest fiction, as I did enjoy the experience!
May 9, 2015
Feedback, like cookies.
Sometimes the writing goes smoothly, other times it becomes a real chore. Or sometimes, it seems to sit on the page, staring back at you, not going anywhere for a while, and other times it flows from your consciousness seemingly without effort. Why?
One of the things I have thought of is, of all things, feedback.
Writers, it seems to me, and especially fiction writers require it. Why do you suppose there are writers' groups prevalent throughout the country? What are they there for, but for feedback? And it doesn't have to be "good feedback" either. It can be criticism, or suggestions - helpful or otherwise. Whatever form it takes, feedback is like nourishment. And you as the writer thrive on it, and you "need" it, seemingly more and more. Now I'm quite certain that there are writers out there who need it in very small quantities, and there are those of us who are real "feedback junkies."
If I were to tell you that I know why, I would be lying to you. I really don't know why this is. I could expound great theories about the psychology of this need. But then those theories would amount to nothing more that the millions of other untestable hypotheses about the mind and its interactions with other minds.
What I do know is that with feedback, I am given the mental nourishment to go on with my writing. There is something that is provided in the form of "energy" to proceed and let the writing gremlins wrestle their way as they do, to produce the next completed project.
But there is another aspect to this "energy" which seems independent of feedback, or at least much less dependent on it. And that is the build up of internal tension within the story that you are writing, which gives it a certain inevitability, and forward momentum to the next climax/release point.
For the few of you who are familiar with my first trilogy, The Book of Drachma, within Laminar Flow, it wasn't until nearly the end (chapter twenty, to be precise), where it took the necessary downhill turn, and by then I was virtually done with the story. With the second book, it was chapters fifteen and sixteen before I could "coast" to the end. And with book three (Turbulence and Restoration) we build up to chapter twelve, then briefly coast, but build up again to the climax in chapter twenty-one. And where I needed the external source of energy was chapters five through twelve of book two, and chapters four through eight, as well as chapters fourteen through seventeen of book three. And it was my regular blog readers who provided me with a steady supply of feedback, and for that I am eternally grateful!
And so now we've come to my second trilogy (Heir of Drachma), and book one in that series, The Healer's Defense, is now published, and is due to be released a week from Tuesday, May 19th. To tell you the truth, this novel was written almost entirely without external feedback, and I'm getting the munchies. So, it's now up to you, the great swarm of readers, to tell me if it's any good.
One of the things I have thought of is, of all things, feedback.
Writers, it seems to me, and especially fiction writers require it. Why do you suppose there are writers' groups prevalent throughout the country? What are they there for, but for feedback? And it doesn't have to be "good feedback" either. It can be criticism, or suggestions - helpful or otherwise. Whatever form it takes, feedback is like nourishment. And you as the writer thrive on it, and you "need" it, seemingly more and more. Now I'm quite certain that there are writers out there who need it in very small quantities, and there are those of us who are real "feedback junkies."
If I were to tell you that I know why, I would be lying to you. I really don't know why this is. I could expound great theories about the psychology of this need. But then those theories would amount to nothing more that the millions of other untestable hypotheses about the mind and its interactions with other minds.
What I do know is that with feedback, I am given the mental nourishment to go on with my writing. There is something that is provided in the form of "energy" to proceed and let the writing gremlins wrestle their way as they do, to produce the next completed project.
But there is another aspect to this "energy" which seems independent of feedback, or at least much less dependent on it. And that is the build up of internal tension within the story that you are writing, which gives it a certain inevitability, and forward momentum to the next climax/release point.
For the few of you who are familiar with my first trilogy, The Book of Drachma, within Laminar Flow, it wasn't until nearly the end (chapter twenty, to be precise), where it took the necessary downhill turn, and by then I was virtually done with the story. With the second book, it was chapters fifteen and sixteen before I could "coast" to the end. And with book three (Turbulence and Restoration) we build up to chapter twelve, then briefly coast, but build up again to the climax in chapter twenty-one. And where I needed the external source of energy was chapters five through twelve of book two, and chapters four through eight, as well as chapters fourteen through seventeen of book three. And it was my regular blog readers who provided me with a steady supply of feedback, and for that I am eternally grateful!
And so now we've come to my second trilogy (Heir of Drachma), and book one in that series, The Healer's Defense, is now published, and is due to be released a week from Tuesday, May 19th. To tell you the truth, this novel was written almost entirely without external feedback, and I'm getting the munchies. So, it's now up to you, the great swarm of readers, to tell me if it's any good.
April 25, 2015
The Healer's Defense (or or how did I get to this place?)
Actually, this has turned out to be more of an exciting time than I would have anticipated.
You would think that after the publication of my original trilogy, that any more books being published would be just another (ho-hum) thing. Not so. And I'll tell you why.
To provide some perspective, I'm going to take you back to late 1988. We had recently gotten a new computer/word processor (an Amiga). It was also then at a medical conference, at lunch, where I sat with other attendees, and we griped. About what? We were griping about the state of medicine as portrayed in the lay media, and how they never seemed to get it right. Well, on the way back home, I conceived this grand design of how I was going to write a novel, which would tell the tale of what it was really like to be a physician, and tell it with the accuracy of one who had "been there." But it was also going to incorporate some of my own iconoclastic views on what it meant to be a 7th generation physician. My own dad had recently died, and unknowingly left me his legacy of what it meant to be a physician.
And thus began The Book of Drachma (at that time it was simply called Tim's Novel). It started off with the intention of being an epic medical fantasy, but even in my own mind, it was in three parts. I worked at it, mainly at night, and I rather quickly wrote the first part, along with a few chapters of the second part. When the first part was done, I sent it off to publishers (in those days, you sent them an actual paper manuscript), and while I did keep writing for a while, I heard nothing from publishers.
Then change happened. I went through a divorce, changed jobs and locations, and my interests were not on my writing. But somewhere in my office, over the years, I kept a copy of Tim's Novel. And then in 2009, I just happened to mention to one of the folks who worked in my office that I'd written a novel (or the first portion of a novel), but it was only on paper printed in rapidly fading ink. Michelle offered to transcribe what I'd written onto a word-compatible format, and so began my blogging career. I would dutifully blog one chapter per week, which gave me a great head start on writing the second and third parts of my novel. And by this time, the characters and the story had taken on a life of their own, and I was but along for the ride. It was also at this time that the old Google had a most wonderful place, where people could "meet" in a purely electronic way, could sit down over a virtual cup of their favorite beverage, could listen to music, and generally share life. And so now I had developed something of a following. And my novel now had a name - The Book of Drachma.
And now, with the almost finished three-part novel, I approached publishers again, and this time, Tate Publishing agreed to publish my novel, but they were definitely of the opinion that it should be a trilogy (for obvious marketing reasons). And I began the process of rapidly learning the issues involved in the trade of book publishing. It was in 2012 when my first novel became a printed reality, and after about 23 years I had actually become a "published author." And it really felt good.
Perhaps because I was so busy with my day job, and perhaps because the luster of getting published had lost its shine, publishing the second and third books happened, and they happened without much fanfare. But at the same time, what I had written kept nagging at me, and the characters which I had created weren't done with their stories yet. So, I resumed writing, and by this time, I knew what the world of publishing had for me, and I had learned more about the craft of writing. I began rather quietly, and I began by realizing what I was up against, and how this story was not going to be completed in less that three volumes. I had too many characters, and too many interconnected story lines to wrap things up neatly in one book. So I proposed to my publisher that I had another trilogy I was working on, and they agreed to a three book deal.
Even though this is something of a continuation of the first trilogy, the new characters and the old seemed to meld, and I really believe this is as good a story (if not better) than my first effort. I did learn some useful things, though, in the writing of The Book of Drachma, and I learned them from you. One of the things that you'll notice is that I've included a list of characters, and in place of the usual prologue, what I've included is a synopsis of what happened in the first trilogy.
Unfortunately, I haven't gotten the constant feedback I did in writing The Book of Drachma, so here it is - Heir of Drachma, Book One - The Healer's Defense. I present it to you with some trepidation, and with high expectations. And that's why this time is exciting!
You would think that after the publication of my original trilogy, that any more books being published would be just another (ho-hum) thing. Not so. And I'll tell you why.
To provide some perspective, I'm going to take you back to late 1988. We had recently gotten a new computer/word processor (an Amiga). It was also then at a medical conference, at lunch, where I sat with other attendees, and we griped. About what? We were griping about the state of medicine as portrayed in the lay media, and how they never seemed to get it right. Well, on the way back home, I conceived this grand design of how I was going to write a novel, which would tell the tale of what it was really like to be a physician, and tell it with the accuracy of one who had "been there." But it was also going to incorporate some of my own iconoclastic views on what it meant to be a 7th generation physician. My own dad had recently died, and unknowingly left me his legacy of what it meant to be a physician.
And thus began The Book of Drachma (at that time it was simply called Tim's Novel). It started off with the intention of being an epic medical fantasy, but even in my own mind, it was in three parts. I worked at it, mainly at night, and I rather quickly wrote the first part, along with a few chapters of the second part. When the first part was done, I sent it off to publishers (in those days, you sent them an actual paper manuscript), and while I did keep writing for a while, I heard nothing from publishers.
Then change happened. I went through a divorce, changed jobs and locations, and my interests were not on my writing. But somewhere in my office, over the years, I kept a copy of Tim's Novel. And then in 2009, I just happened to mention to one of the folks who worked in my office that I'd written a novel (or the first portion of a novel), but it was only on paper printed in rapidly fading ink. Michelle offered to transcribe what I'd written onto a word-compatible format, and so began my blogging career. I would dutifully blog one chapter per week, which gave me a great head start on writing the second and third parts of my novel. And by this time, the characters and the story had taken on a life of their own, and I was but along for the ride. It was also at this time that the old Google had a most wonderful place, where people could "meet" in a purely electronic way, could sit down over a virtual cup of their favorite beverage, could listen to music, and generally share life. And so now I had developed something of a following. And my novel now had a name - The Book of Drachma.
And now, with the almost finished three-part novel, I approached publishers again, and this time, Tate Publishing agreed to publish my novel, but they were definitely of the opinion that it should be a trilogy (for obvious marketing reasons). And I began the process of rapidly learning the issues involved in the trade of book publishing. It was in 2012 when my first novel became a printed reality, and after about 23 years I had actually become a "published author." And it really felt good.
Perhaps because I was so busy with my day job, and perhaps because the luster of getting published had lost its shine, publishing the second and third books happened, and they happened without much fanfare. But at the same time, what I had written kept nagging at me, and the characters which I had created weren't done with their stories yet. So, I resumed writing, and by this time, I knew what the world of publishing had for me, and I had learned more about the craft of writing. I began rather quietly, and I began by realizing what I was up against, and how this story was not going to be completed in less that three volumes. I had too many characters, and too many interconnected story lines to wrap things up neatly in one book. So I proposed to my publisher that I had another trilogy I was working on, and they agreed to a three book deal.
Even though this is something of a continuation of the first trilogy, the new characters and the old seemed to meld, and I really believe this is as good a story (if not better) than my first effort. I did learn some useful things, though, in the writing of The Book of Drachma, and I learned them from you. One of the things that you'll notice is that I've included a list of characters, and in place of the usual prologue, what I've included is a synopsis of what happened in the first trilogy.
Unfortunately, I haven't gotten the constant feedback I did in writing The Book of Drachma, so here it is - Heir of Drachma, Book One - The Healer's Defense. I present it to you with some trepidation, and with high expectations. And that's why this time is exciting!
