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| C. Kevin Thompson |
After my incident with the unscrupulous agent (Part 1 of my
story can be found here)
and my aversion to Christian writers conferences and fledgling, self-publishing
houses (Part 2 of my story can be found here),
I understood one very important thing: You have to keep writing. It’s a lot
like any worthwhile pursuit in life. If you want to be good at something, even
at a professional level, you have to practice. Study the playbook. Know all the
basics, the nuances, and tricks of the trade to be the best. For in this
business, aren’t we all attempting to be professionals? If not, we should be.
Otherwise, it’s the arena leagues of life for the rest of our careers. Say,
“Goodbye,” to your “NFL” dreams.
On this road to publication, the common fallacy is to believe
those New York Times bestselling
authors out there, whose work you love to read when it’s released, wrote his or
her first bestseller and immediately skyrocketed to stardom. Often, though,
that is not the case. Rarely does an author write the great American novel on
his or her first try. Usually, there are works in the files, stored away, that
will never see the light of a bookstore. There are often several lesser known
works flailing away in mid-list purgatory. Even Michael Crichton, with all his
success, had Pirate Latitudes tucked
away in his files. My guess is it would have remained there if he was still
alive.
So, getting back to my story, after reading scads of books
on writing, I realized that while I suffered the agony of defeat in the form of
rejection letters and emails, coupled with the raw nerves of being duped by the
bad agent, I was not going to improve unless I kept writing. So while A Case of Deja Vu slowly moved into the
filing cabinet, I started work on my second novel, Q Do You Believe?, based on the Star
Trek-TNG series. This work was strictly a labor of love and written for my
oldest daughter because we both were big ST fans. It was never intended to be
submitted for publication. It was to be a gift for her 16th birthday. I proudly
presented it to her on her 18th birthday.
So much for deadlines.
I then tried my hand at YA fiction, completing the first
book in a proposed series entitled The
Doulos Files, titled after the Greek word for a “servant.” The series was
designed to be used in youth groups to help spark discussions and teach members
about servanthood in the Kingdom of God. Did I try to get it published? Yes. I
farmed it out. And I got rejected. I got discouraged, too. However, I didn’t
quit, although the thought had crossed my mind a time or two.
All the while, I studied up on self-publication and had
almost settled on a new self-publishing house which was affiliated with a big
publishing house everyone would know if I mentioned it. If the book did well,
then the big parent house would pick it up. Sounded good to me. Everything,
except the price. Several thousands of dollars if I went with the Cadillac of
packages offered? Only a couple thousand if I picked the Yugo package. However,
even if I had the money, which I didn't, spending that much moola was a high
hurdle for me to jump.
Then, I received a flyer from a writer’s conference. The
cost of going to the conference fit the budget better, but I still had my hang
up about conferences to overcome. After praying about it, I felt led to give
the conference a try. If it proved to be a waste of time, then I’d pat myself
on the back for having my spiritual reservations confirmed and start saving my
pennies for an incursion into the land of self-publication.
Moral
of Part 3: Stop talking about that next book you want to write. Stop
reading the rejection letters and throwing those pity parties for which we
writers are so famous. Instead, write. Read about writing and write. Read the
works of other authors you like to read. Then, compare your writing. How does
theirs differ? What makes their writing good by industry standards? Find those
answers and apply it to your writing. And never stop. Even when you get
published, you’ll always feel it could have been better.
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
