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| C. Kevin Thompson |
I always get inspired by hearing other authors’ stories. We
always think writers became household names overnight. Climbed the New York
Times’ Bestseller List with their first book. Yet, for many of us, that simply
wasn’t the case. So, as I tell my story, I hope it will inspire and challenge
others to persevere and save some from pitfalls this business can have waiting
in the shadows.
_____________________
By the mid-’90s, I had published several articles in various
Christian publications and was set to continue that path for however long I
cared to do it. However, the creative bug bit me years prior, and I thought, “Why
not try my hand at writing a novel?” Little did I know what that thought
involved.
As a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, I started writing what became
a novel entitled, A Case of Deja Vu.
I thought it was good for a first novel by someone who was darker than Kelly
green when it came to “the business.” I did a little research and sent it off
to some Christian publishing houses thinking this was the great American,
Christian novel they all had been waiting to read. (Have you ever thought that
way before?) So, you can guess the huge dose of disappointment I incurred when
the rejections letters and rejection postcards came streaming into my mailbox.
I appreciated the personal touch the
postcards conveyed.
Believing in my work, I did a little more research and found
that most houses only accepted “agented” manuscripts (mss). So, you guessed it.
I farmed out my mss to agents. The same results occurred. Devastated, I
staggered away like a boxer who just failed to beat the ten-count.
So, I placed my novel on the back burner and continued to
write a few more articles, which were published. This success prompted me to
trudge ahead with the novel.
Then, one day, I found an agent who said she would love to
offer me a contract and represent me. She praised my work and said it was one
of the best novels she had ever read from an unpublished author. You can
imagine my delight. So, I sent her the required contract and the $300 signing
fee….
I can hear you now. “Uh-oh. Didn't he know good agents never
charge up front?”
No.
He didn't.
I only found the website Preditors & Editors AFTER the whole
ordeal. So, in my zeal “to be published,” I followed the “professional”
instructions of my agent to the letter. She sent me names and addresses of
publishers she thought would be interested in my mss, and I sent them the
listed items: a copy of the mss and a copy of a letter from her agency.
I never heard from any of the publishers. Not long
afterward, I learned why.
She and her husband had been arrested for fraud.
I now get a check from their correctional facility in Texas.
It’s the court-ordered attempt to pay back the $300 they stole from me. A few
dollars and cents at a time. About three times a year.
Guess I should add that to my will.
When I realized what I had done by learning more about the
industry, I felt about one-inch tall. Still do when I dwell on it. I allowed
zeal and novice beliefs to trump reason and preparedness and became a casualty
as a result.
Moral of Part 1: Patience and doing your homework by
networking with those “in the know” will save you a great deal of grief and
humiliation in the future. It will be money well spent.
Next month, I’ll continue my story.
A
Clandestine Mission.
A
Cryptic Message.
A
Chaste Promise.
Blake
Meyer dreamed of a peaceful end to a dutiful career with the FBI. Married now,
his life was taking him in a new direction—a desk job. He would be an analyst.
Ride it out until retirement. Be safe so he could enjoy his grandchildren some
day.
But when
a notable member of the IRA is murdered in a London flat, Blake’s secretive
past propels him into the middle of a vindictive, international scheme so
hellish and horrific, it will take everything Blake possesses—all of it—to save
the United States from the most diabolical terrorist attack to date.
C.
KEVIN THOMPSON is an ordained minister with a B.A. In Bible
(Houghton College, Houghton, NY), an M.A. in Christian Studies (Wesley Biblical
Seminary, Jackson, MS), and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership (National-Louis
University, Wheeling, IL). He presently works as an assistant principal in a
middle school. He also has several years experience as an administrator at the
high school level.
A former Language Arts teacher, Kevin decided to put his
money where his mouth was and write, fiction mostly. Now, years later, Kevin is
a member of the Christian Authors Network (CAN), American Christian Fictions
Writers (ACFW), and Word Weavers International. He is the Chapter President of
Word Weavers-Lake County (FL), and his published works include two
award-winning novels, The Serpent’s Grasp
(Winner of the 2013 Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference Selah
Award for First Fiction) and 30 Days Hath
Revenge - A Blake Meyer Thriller: Book 1, as well as articles in The Wesleyan Advocate, The Preacher, Vista,
The Des Moines Register and The Ocala
Star-Banner.
Kevin is a huge fan of the TV series 24, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, and Criminal Minds, loves anything to do with Star Trek, and is a Sherlock Holmes fanatic, too.
Facebook: C. Kevin Thompson – Author Fan Page
Twitter: @CKevinThompson
Goodreads: C. Kevin Thompson
