Writing & Publishing

Why I Write

WHY I WRITE

When I started college I majored in English. I wanted to be a writer. I had written several short stories when I was eighteen, and felt like I was about to join the hallowed halls of Shakespeare and Hemmingway, but reality seemed to have a way of trumping fantasy. I got married, changed my major to business, and had a relatively successful career. However, I didn't like the cold world of profits at all cost, particularly the human cost.

As soon as I was able I left that dispassionate world and began to write. To me writing was a pathway of expression, of sharing the ideas and emotions that we all feel, of creating characters and events that a reader could relate too, and possibly creating a better reality for all of us.

I didn't limit myself to any particular genre which allowed me to express the human condition at its best, and at its worst. In my murder mystery love begat a serial killer. In the family drama love took many turns, and was depicted in less than a loving way to those we loved, and when we did … we wished we hadn't, as sometimes it took more than a life time to make up, but for those that shared a love, life was beautiful… most of the time.

The most asked question, to ourselves, and to each other is; What happens after this life? None of us want to pass out of existence, so we created gods to sate our fears and give us hope. Maybe they’re real and maybe they’re not. I started a trilogy on the subject, a fantasy of life after death. I finished book one and am in process of finishing book two. It’s been making me a little crazy because I’m beginning to believe it.

It’s been really challenging to eliminate the basic nature of humanity and all of those naughty bad things that we do. But I think I have. That’s the beauty of writing

I took an American family through four generations of American history to depict the absolute role that politics and wealth play in the life's that we lead. Throughout history wealth has been able to control, in many instances enslave populations. It could happen here and now…to us. I love politics.

My latest novel is a psychological trip through the psyche of one Charlotte Prentice. She literally has everything, beauty, intellect, wealth, and yet she is a very dangerous person. She is someone we all know, or know of, and in ourselves. She and her ilk are dispassionately driven to success, and are our scourge. But in this novel I have left any guilt up to the reader. I adore this woman; she is so naughty. I’ve taken the liberty to show you a query letter that all writers must send to either an agent, or a publisher about their latest book. It is the query for, “The Narcissist: A Dark Journey:

Query

The Narcissist; A Dark Journey

In this novel there is an underlying theme that the reader is unaware of. The reader may completely disagree with it, however by the end of the reading journey she/he will embrace it.

"The Narcissist-A Dark Journey" is a psychological trip through the psyche of one Charlotte Prentice.

She is breathtakingly beautiful, extremely intelligent, and dangerous. She will do whatever it takes to receive the adoration and success that sustains her ever demanding personality.

Who is this woman whose beauty is only over shadowed by her intellect? Charlotte herself is unaware.

Outwardly she is a woman who fights discrimination and poverty; an advocate of education and freedom. To the onlooker she is perfection. But inside, there is something darker lurking, something that pushes her single-minded plans forward without empathy.

Her life is filled with tragedies that she cleverly planned and executed, while maintaining a safe distance from them.

Her life is also filled with romances, again that she cleverly planned to nurture her successes, even in the shadow of her sexual dilemma that she must keep secret, or in her psyche, lose everything.

She and her ilk are the scourge of our society, driven to success to satisfy their needs at any cost. They are the business leaders and politicians who woo us with deceit and shallow promises. Sometimes we are amused by them. Other times we are stricken by them. But make no mistake: they are not amusing; they are calculating and dangerous.

Is she guilty of her crimes and horrific acts? In The Narcissist-A Dark Journey", the reader is both judge and jury, and finding the truth can be very complex.

This is what a publisher makes a decision upon, as to pursue the book further and request the manuscript, or simply ignore you. Nice huh.