A Time To
Act
1. What inspired you to write your book?
"A
Time To Act" is the fourth in a biblical/historical series I began some
years ago. As the narrative began in the days of John the Baptist and travelled
through to the first years of the early Christian church, my writing about the
apostle Paul was clearly inevitable! I've always been drawn to this complex man
and wanted to explore the possible reasons how and why he came to be the way he
was.
My own
fascination with him goes back a long way, to a rushed Sunday school project
competition on Paul's journeys. My older brother decided to enter only three
days before the deadline, writing furiously all day and night to get it done in
time, blitzing through the Bible record, cutting and pasting pictures and
drawing wonderful little maps with footprints leading from one strange place to
another. Stuck to its brown paper cover was a little gold chain from a bracelet
of my mother's, and underneath the words, "For the Hope of Israel I am
Bound With This Chain!" I was only nine or ten years old, but I found this
incredibly moving, evocative and exciting. I've loved Paul ever since, I think.
2. What is it about?
“A Time To
Act” is a fictionalised biography of the life of Paul the Apostle, from his
birth to the end of his first missionary journey. Though it is true to the
scriptural record, it is primarily about the human side of this man – his
intellectual and emotional struggles – because these are experiences common to
us all.
3. What do you hope will be the everlasting
thoughts for readers who finish your book?
When they
think back on my book I hope they remember feeling moved in some way. That they
realise Bible 'figures' were in fact real, warm-blooded people who laughed and
cried and suffered and overcame. And that they are left with a sense that
divine love is the way to real peace and lasting joy.
4. What advice do you have for writers?
I think
everyone knows the traditionally quoted 'best' advice: "Write what
you know." In the case of historical fiction I could add:
"And if you don't know, find out."
But the
best personal advice I can pass on is to spend regular time with your
characters, a little and often, just as you do with real people you care about.
If they are not real to you – if you as the writer don't care about them – then
why should the reader?
5. Where do you think the book publishing
industry is heading?
I think
it's heading for eventual recovery and growth once the novelty of E-books etc
wears off. I mean, you just can't drop an E-book in the bath and dry it on the
towel rail, or scribble random comments in the margin, smell the pages, find
crumbs in the pages from your last midnight snack, remember that greasy
fingerprint on the dog ear where you marked your place, that sandy bit where
you read on the beach.... need I go on? Books are physical and tactile and
evocative and personal in a way that electronic media can't be. People will
always love 'real' books.
Having said
that, I should add that I think the growth of self-publishing through
electronic means is a great thing for books in general, no matter what form.
Books, which would once never have been accepted by editors with
financially-determined, narrow criteria, are now out there finding enthusiastic
readers.
6. What challenges did you have in writing your
book?
Weaving
together cultural colour, historical fact and fiction satisfactorily is always
a challenge. Staying faithful to the Biblical record makes it all the more
demanding, as there are various interpretations of the scriptural text.
Accurate timelines can be a struggle. So the research in general is a challenge
for me. Sometimes I felt like my head was going to explode!
7. If people can only buy one book this month,
why should it be yours?
“A Time To
Act” is an unusual combination of escapism (to a different time, place and
culture) and reality (it really happened) with imagination (it might have
happened), which can uplift, transport, and refresh weary minds jaded with fast
living. Though it's a story of struggle and redemption, it is primarily one of
great hope, which is relevant to our century and vital to each human heart.
The book is 600 pages, with lots of detail, so each time you read it
you will probably pick up something new.... so it's good value for
money! Oh, and it has nice pictures!
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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016
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