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| C. Kevin Thompson |
I recently came across two articles that spoke to different
topics but had a similar message.
One article, from Mirror,
in the UK, tells the tale of how a female author by the name of Enid
Blyton apparently held a contest back in the day. The winner received a
copy of George Elliot’s book, Silas
Marner, with an inscription from Blyton congratulating the winner named
Mary. The book was then acquired years later via some kind of estate sale by a
bookstore in the UK and put on the shelves for one pound (£1). Someone bought
the book, took it home, and found the famous author’s signature and note inside,
instantly making the book worth several hundred pounds, much to the lament of
the used bookstore owner.
The other article was about a Canadian pharmacist by the
name of Dr.
William Leslie who traveled to central Africa, spending 17 years of his life
attempting to evangelize the region. He eventually left Africa believing his
mission was a wretched failure. Now, 72 years later, what has developed into a
thriving Christian community is nothing short of miraculous.
As writers, we often feel like Dr. Leslie, don’t we? We
write stories. We write articles. We blog. We Facebook. We Twitter. We “pin”
things of interest on Pinterest. We write more stories and articles, all the
while seeing our work go largely unnoticed. It seems to “get noticed” in the exploding,
noisy world of publishing requires something miraculous. It takes a great deal
of faith and hope to keep after this writing deal we love so much when nothing
miraculous is happening.
But who’s to say that one day, a book you signed for a
reader or contest winner won’t be worth more than all your books combined? Or
who’s to say a flourishing community of fans over the years won’t sprout up in
little pockets, little dots on the globe, where you surely believed you had
never penetrated?
We often limit ourselves. It’s not that God closes the
doors. It’s rather that we do. “Oh ye of little faith” (Matthew 8:26). We sang
the songs as kids. “My God is so big, so
strong, and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do.” Yet, He has
chosen NOT to use us and our writing abilities. That’s what we rationalize,
anyway. Instead, we believe God’s chosen Author X or Author Y. “He’s blessing
them. Look at their Amazon rankings and number of reviews!”
Could it be that they are selling tons of books but making
no impact on society? I’ve never heard of Enid Blyton. She sold 600 million books (partially because she
wrote about 300 million…J/K, but close). I’m sure she was an excellent author,
but her books didn’t impact me, and I’m sure I’m not alone. Oh, and by the way,
none of her books have been made into blockbuster movies, either. Interesting.
Yet, one author who did make an impact on me was Margaret
Marshall Saunders. She didn’t write very many novels. I only counted a handful
online. The one I read as a boy was Beautiful
Joe. It impacted me because I was given this book shortly after our
family dog passed away. The one I’d grown up with since being an infant.
I said all that to say this: You just never know who you may be impacting right now, or in the days
ahead. So, keep writing. Keep getting better at it. Don’t lose hope. You
just never know when somebody wanders into a used bookstore and finds your
signature on the inside pages. Or maybe a reader gets inspired and does
wondrous things for the kingdom of God in a remote place. Or maybe a little boy
finds comfort in your words after a devastating loss.
None of these things can happen if you turn off your
computer, toss your pen aside, and say, “I quit.”
Keep writing, my friend, and be faithful to God. He has plans
for you (Jeremiah 29:11).
Book
2 of The Blake Meyer Thriller Series
A
Looming Attack. A Loathsome Abduction. A Lethal Assassin.
Supervisory
Special Agent Blake Meyer has an impossible choice to make. After thwarting a
massive biological attack on the continental United States, the contagion is
still missing and in the hands of the enemy. So is his family. Abducted as an
act of revenge.
The
clock is ticking, and the chances of finding his wife and children wane with
every passing second. The assassin behind it holds all the answers.
Or does
she?
Three
demands. Three choices.
Blake
Meyer knows what must be done...but can he accomplish it before it’s too late?
Time is literally of the essence. And double time will not be fast enough.
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 an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership (National-Louis
University, Wheeling, IL). He presently works as an assistant principal in a
middle school.
His latest book, 30
Days Hath Revenge - A Blake Meyer Thriller: Book 1, is now available! Book
2 of the Blake Meyer Series, Triple Time,
is now available for pre-order! Book 3, The
Tide of Times, will be out in August 2017! Also, the second edition of The Serpent’s Grasp will be out in May
2017 through Hallway Publishing!
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.
To connect with Kevin and learn more, please visit:
Facebook: C.
Kevin Thompson – Author Fan Page
Twitter: @CKevinThompson
Goodreads: C.
Kevin Thompson
