Tag: writing

Writing Update – July 27, 2023

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, mostly because I’ve been working on my inspirational book, Just Keep Climbing: Inspirational Stories for Overcoming Challenges and Living Life. It’s nearing completion and I’m very proud of the outcome. Eight people generously shared their inspirational stories with me and I can’t thank them enough.

So, where is it? Well, here’s part of it.

Here’s what’s going to happen. The cover will be revealed in a few days on July 31. In the meantime, take a guess at what’s under the shaded area based on the title.

The e-book goes on presale August 1. Then, on September 9, Just Keep Climbing will be launched to the world. I can’t wait to share it with you.

This is a departure for sure from my mystery and thriller titles but since everyone needs a little inspiration from time to time, I thought Jake Scott could take a little break. He’ll be back in the spring.

In the meantime, watch for the presale of Just Keep Climbing, grab your copy (to be delivered September 9) and read some amazing stories.

Jake Scott Mystery Receives Great New Review

From The Online Book Club

Review of The Guardians of Truth

Post by Hubre De Klerk » 22 Feb 2023, 03:40

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of “The Guardians of Truth” by Barry Finlay.]

Book Cover

5 out of 5 stars

A secret organization, a missing person, a body, a police investigation, and a retired reporter—if these words don’t get you excited, I don’t know what will. This book is full of suspense, action, and a bit of romance. When Cassie tells her daughter that she must stop someone from hurting other people and then doesn’t return home, a missing person’s file is immediately opened for her. Jake is a retired reporter and a “family friend” of Cassie’s daughter through his relationship with her friend’s mom, Dani. Jake knows that the police are busy with their investigation, but he also knows that they are short-staffed. He decides to dust off his retired gloves and conduct his own investigation in order to assist. He had no idea how far he’d get himself involved or what danger awaited him.

This was such a fun book to read, and it was full of descriptions and easy-to-follow protocols. I enjoyed being part of the investigations and seeing how they unearthed new evidence. I couldn’t help but put myself in Haley’s teenage shoes and imagine the worry she had to go through when her mom didn’t come home. It was also easy to grasp Dani’s frustration when the clues to help them figure out what happened were so few and it felt like the case was at a standstill. Jake was my favorite character by far, with his empathy for others, his being a true friend, and his tenacity to help. He made me think of a bull terrier that just won’t let go after he has locked his jaw.

I enjoyed everything about this book. This book has been excellently edited, as I only found two minor errors throughout the whole book. There was nothing I disliked or would have changed. The book was fast-paced and didn’t have any slow-moving parts. I had my ideas about who the culprit was, but I was still surprised at the end of the book. I was entertained and hooked from the start of the book until the end.

I would rate The Guardians of Truth by Barry Finlay a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. There is absolutely no reason to give this book anything but a perfect score. This book also showed me how important the people in your life are and the importance of being there for each other. I know I have felt shallow when someone is going through a traumatic and emotional time, and the only words I had to offer were that it will get better and that I am here for you. This book showed me both sides, and that the person receiving those words may appreciate them a lot more than you can even imagine. Families and friends are important, and they are what keep you sane when things get tough.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy crime, action, and mystery books. This is a fun afternoon read that immerses you completely. You feel like you are part of the investigation, and you feel all of the emotions running rampant in this book. I really enjoyed it and would love to read more of this author’s books.

Win a digital copy of Searching For Truth

An Inspiring Weekend

It never ceases to amaze me when things pop up in our lives that we can use for inspiration or motivation for whatever it is we want to do, whether it is writing or anything else.

I recently had the opportunity to participate in the Canada Army 5K Run. It was a first for me and something I’ll never forget. There were runners of all ages, shapes and sizes and in all kinds of physical condition. Some pushed strollers, others were in wheelchairs or walked with canes. The disabled group went out ahead of the section I was in so I didn’t get a chance to see them, but I can just imagine the challenges some of them face and they still took on the run. In total, close to 20,000 people participated. It’s impossible not to be inspired by it all.

When we sagged a little during the run, bands and cheering sections high-fived us or rang cowbells or waved banners and signs spurring us on. My favorite sign was one that read, “When you sweat, you look hot!” I was certainly sweating, so…

I entered for personal reasons. I wanted to challenge myself, of course, but I also wanted to raise money for “Support Our Troops.” The money raised provides the Canadian Forces members and their families with a variety of opportunities that may not be possible otherwise. Their programs range from children’s camps, to vacations to scholarship opportunities.

Organizations like “Support Our Troops” focus on gaps left by governments everywhere that seem to have let the troops down. Our veterans don’t get the recognition they deserve and especially if they have been wounded while on duty.

I set my fundraising goal low and didn’t really make that much of an effort to raise money, but because we have some wonderful supporters, my wife and I received an invitation to a “Top 50 fundraisers” reception Saturday night at the War Museum in our home town and the nation’s capital of Ottawa. We heard from and met some of the beneficiaries of the program and again, their stories were truly awe-inspiring.

One told us he had severe PTSD and lost everything as a result. He was homeless for a while and drank a quarter of a bottle of rum every day. He eventually got the help he needed and, while he still has a long way to come back, he will now participate in the Invictus games. There were many other similar inspirational stories.

It was a tremendously heart-warming weekend and one that I’ll draw inspiration from for a long time. Watching people run who are far less physically capable was amazing to see. Hearing the stories of people who have been to the end of their rope and fought their way back makes some of the challenges faced by most people minuscule by comparison.

I not only gained valuable motivation and inspiration, but I’m applying this to my new book by giving one of the characters PTSD. I’m about 30,000 words into the story, and I hope, in some small way, to raise awareness of the severity of mental illness and ways to overcome it. It will be woven into a work of fiction, but I hope that it may also be educational.

When faced with a challenge, we always need to think about what others are going through. With a little thought, we can always think of someone who has it worse. Not that someone else’s misery should make us feel better, but maybe it can be a reminder that if others can get through their challenges, so can we.


Keep Climbing

Today, Facebook reminded me of a picture I posted three years ago. It was a special moment.

When our son Chris and I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2009, he mentioned he used the phrase, “Just keep swimming” from the movie Finding Nemo as motivation to reach the top. In retrospect, our climb was a sample of the challenges we all face in our lives no matter how significant they are. We have to meet them head on and do our best to overcome them. We have to keep climbing.

With Chris’ mantra in mind and with my own philosophy to keep going no matter what, I came up with the following slogan: Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep on climbing. It was originally just a personal reminder to my family and I to keep pushing ahead when we are met with challenges. I never foresaw the impact it would have.

Since that time, I have been approached by people around the world asking if they can use the motto on tee shirts, posters and rubber stamps and it is often quoted on social media. It was even tweeted by actor Jared Lehto! The response has been amazing, but the best by far was the attached picture sent to me by a woman in Virginia telling me she was inspired enough by the slogan to have an excerpt tattooed on her arm.

I never anticipated the impact of the slogan. I was floored and truly honored that the words would have enough significance to someone that they would turn them into a tattoo. It’s a reminder that we never know the impact of our words so we should always be aware of what we are saying or writing. People remember and words matter.

As for the slogan. it doesn’t matter what challenge we are facing, or the setbacks that might arise, we have to keep climbing. Whether it’s an illness, the loss of a loved one, a career move or writing the next great novel, we have to keep pushing forward. There are no guarantees. Chris and I could have been stopped by altitude sickness or fatigue or weather or any number of factors, but we weren’t because we kept climbing. No matter what the challenge, perseverance gives us the best opportunity to reach the top.

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

One of the things I plan to do with Keyboard Reflections is to share reviews of books that I have thoroughly enjoyed or found to be enlightening. One of those books is The War Of Art by Steven Pressfield.

I was given this book as a Christmas gift by one of our sons  who is a singer/songwriter in Nashville. The book focuses on overcoming  the blockages that get in the way of people starting a project or finishing what they started.  While we often hear of authors with writer’s block, it applies equally to anyone who is creative, entrepreneurs, people starting  to diet or exercise… The list goes on.

Pressfield introduces the subject by pointing out that each of us has two lives. There is the one we live and the one unlived within us. Between the two stands resistance. The first third of the book examines how resistance prevents us from fulfilling our dreams or living our lives to the fullest.

The next third deals with the difference between professionals and amateurs. He uses the term “professionalism” as an ideal and explains what it means to be professional in chasing our dreams and overcoming resistance.

In the last part of the book, Pressfield encourages the reader to embrace the magic allies surrounding us to make a start and to continue on the path towards living the unlived life within us.

I have to admit to being a bit lost in the final section when the concepts become more abstract. Nevertheless,  the first two sections offer enough valuable insight into the resistance that might be holding us back and how to address it to make The War of Art a worthwhile read.  The author cleverly uses interesting anecdotes from his life that are relatable. The blurb refers to the book as a “kick in the pants” and it is that, but it’s also a handy list of the many barriers that could be preventing us from reaching our full potential  and how to overcome them.  In my opinion, the first two sections alone are well worth keeping nearby and picking up when  we find ourselves blocked from the goals we want to achieve.  

A FEW WORDS ABOUT PUBLISHING

My new book, Remote Access, which is scheduled for release this spring, is my 5th so I’ve been down the publishing road a few times. I thought I would share a few thoughts for those considering publishing a book or for others who just have some interest.

There are three  options available: traditional, self publishing and a hybrid of the two. The best option depends on your writing goals. Is it a career? A hobby? No matter what it is, it’s every author’s dream to be traditionally published by a big publishing house, have their book promoted and sit back and watch as millions of dollars in royalties roll in. There are definitely benefits, such as widespread distribution, marketing and mainstream exposure and the credibility that comes with all that. There is also a downside.

Just be aware that it’s rare that a traditional publisher will publish an unknown author and it’s almost always preceded by finding an agent and more rejection letters than you can count. IF it does happen, the reality is that unless you are a big name author or your book is the best the publisher has ever laid eyes on, your work could languish near the bottom of the pile for a long time before it sees the light of day. The publisher may pay an advance, which comes out of your royalties, and the percentage of royalties you will receive on sales is markedly lower as a result (remember the publisher wants to make money from your book). Your book may not look the same either when it is published. You may be asked to make a number of changes before it goes to print.

The second option is self publishing.  This is the easiest and quickest route to follow and the one that pays the most royalties. You need a good cover, a good book description, an editor and a quality book if you want people to keep buying. You are totally in control and because of that, you will spend a lot of time marketing your book. Your royalties are yours to keep. Marketing is a lot of work and you will lose all the benefits of traditional publishing.

A third option is hybrid publishing. With this option, you get some of the benefits of traditional publishing, including distribution and the publishing house brand on your book, which might help with mainstream promotion. You are still required to do much of the marketing.  The author shares the upfront costs with the publisher (editing, cover design, formatting). The cost to the author may or may not be as significant as self publishing. The author’s share of royalties is somewhere between self publishing and traditional. The publisher wants to recoup their share of the upfront costs plus they want to make some money on sales.

My personal experience has been with all three options to a certain extent. I’ve followed my own advice and sent out a handful of queries to agents and got a handful of rejections from those who responded.  My goals are different at this stage in my life so admittedly, I didn’t spend a lot of time on it. I published one of my books initially with a hybrid publisher and my experience was not the best. The value added by this particular publisher wasn’t apparent to me so I got my rights back and self published the book. Still, I found a hybrid publisher recently that came highly recommended and that seemed to have high quality standards. They accepted my manuscript and they spent a lot of time answering my questions. I think they would have been a good fit for me, but I was already down the road of self publishing Remote Access (the book was edited and formatting done) so the timing wasn’t right.

In the end, I have chosen the self publishing route for all my books. It fits my goals and I don’t mind the marketing aspect. For my thrillers, I’ve hired a marketing guru who has been pretty successful in promoting the e-books. I do book signings and my own promotion for my print copies.

My suggestion is to assess your goals and the pros and cons and choose the option that works best for you.  At least go into it with your eyes open. I still believe authors owe it to themselves to try to find an agent to pursue  their dream. You never know, you could have a bestseller on your hands. Check out Query Tracker as a first step to finding  an agent. If the hybrid solution is best for you, make sure you pick one that will do what they say they are going  to do. Do your due diligence. There are many vanity publishers who will publish anything for a price and do nothing for you. Avoid them! If you decide self publishing is best for you, be prepared to do your promotion and make sure your book is the best it can be.

No matter which route you choose, be proud of your published work.