.
- What inspired you to write this
book?
I tend to receive inspiration from
odd sources. The basic idea for this book came from another book I read about
the early explorers of the Ohio River Valley. One of the men was reputed to be
able to see the future and came from a family of seers. I found that
interesting. I researched and found a long history of seers among the
Scots-Irish. I also found there was a lady in Scotland as late as 1974 who had
this ability but was unable to bear the suffering and took her own life. I
wondered what would happen if a person had this ability in our modern world,
with its focus on science, rationality, and reason. It seemed it would set up
tension and form the base of a good plot line.
- What exactly is it about, and
who is it written for?
An Da Shelladh means the sight of the
seer or the second sight in Scots Gaelic. The book deals with a young man who
discovers at age 13 that he possesses a power that defies logic and resists
scientific examination. He can see when others will die, but he doesn’t know
the exact time or method; he only knows that it will happen, and it always
happens. Whatever happens, will have its locus where he sees the black spot on
the person. He does not seem to be able to change the outcome, and it is never
natural death. It is always violence, disease, or accident. The book is about
suffering, finding meaning in suffering, finding meaning in life in general,
and the difference between guilt and shame. A person with an inquiring mind and
a dash of spirituality will find this an exciting story that will challenge
perceptions.
- What do you hope readers will
get out of reading your book?
I hope readers will find joy in a
good story and gain insights into why people suffer and what we are supposed to
learn from suffering, which is all around us all the time.
- How did you decide on the book’s
title and cover design?
I believe that an unusual title and
dramatic cover design entice people to pick up the book, which is half the
process of making a sale. The title came from my research on the subject, and
the cover, with its boldly contrasting colors and the double eye reflecting
second sight, seemed to attract the most favorable comments when I tested it on
coworkers and others.
- What advice or words of wisdom
do you have for fellow writers?
First, writing requires discipline.
You must write every day. It must become a job. Second, you need to figure out
how you write best. Some authors outline, others wing it, and others use other
methods. You need to find the process that works for you. Writing an hour a day
at the same time worked for me. Third, when you finish a book, there will be a
letdown. You have spent a lot of time and poured emotional and physical energy
into the pages. In effect, you have given birth. It’s normal to feel empty after
you finish. Fourth, if you have an idea for a book, get it out of your head.
Please put it on paper or in electronic form. Don’t worry about grammar,
punctuation, continuity, or anything- crystallize the idea in some form. You
can do all that other stuff later. A lot of terrific books have died unwritten.
Fifth, even if you aren’t published, you have done something most people have
never done: be proud of yourself.
- What trends in the book world do
you see, and where do you see the book publishing industry is heading?
Anyone who has tried to get published knows
the process is long, hard, and dispiriting. The industry has changed so much
that it is a new world. While digital publishing has given authors new channels
to publish, it has merely changed the problem. In the past, when a mainstream
publisher took on your book, it also took on the marketing and promotion. With
digital publishing, that falls on the author, and while a person may write
well, that does not mean they are marketing wizards. Good marketing is what it
takes to stand out against the massive number of new titles published yearly.
Mainstream publishers and agents seem to be moving to younger authors who are
writing on more current trends, even though many potential target audiences do
not read books. The method to reach younger people is via audiobooks, which
present a new set of publishing and marketing challenges. I think book
publishing will be around for the foreseeable future. Still, it will be a very
different industry, with publishers focusing on more segmented audiences, and
it will become a lot like the fashion industry. Publishers will have to guess
which genres will be popular next to produce products, and the shifts in
popularity will happen faster and faster.
- Were there experiences in your
personal life or career that came in handy when writing the book?
All authors draw from their own
experiences to some extent, and my long and colorful life gave me unique tools
and insights. I have had the unfortunate experience of taking human life and
having had my own life put in grave danger. When that happens, your perception
of life and death changes, and you confront what is simultaneously humankind’s
greatest fear and greatest motivation- death. My military service and lengthy
career in finance developed discipline and mission accomplishment, so I would
finish this project once I started. My age has also been a great asset. Two of
the most liberating times in life are when you stop caring what you look like
and what people think of you. Only then can true wisdom begin to flourish. My
sojourn in the prison system stripped away any vestige of concern about what
people thought about me, and I have never been an Adonis, so looks have never
been a concern. I hope that wisdom is now finding its way to me, and I have
found a spiritual peace that has eluded me over the years.
- How would you describe your
writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?
I have no idea how to describe my
writing style. I would say it is witty and ironic. I was once told it was like
David Foster Wallace, but I don’t see it. I write a story as if someone is
telling it to me like Peter Falk did in Princess Bride.
- What challenges did you overcome
in writing the book?
A lot! I had a rough draft nearly
complete. Then, in 2019, I was sentenced to 5 years in prison and had no access
to the manuscript. While in prison, I had access to a 10,000-volume library
with a large assortment of books by C.S. Lewis and, most importantly, Viktor
Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, which is almost required reading in prison.
I also came across Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations and the Discourses of
Epictetus, both Roman Stoics. All those sources and the stories of my fellow
inmates gave me valuable insight into suffering. My reactions to having
everything I ever thought important to me stripped away gave me a clarity of
vision and thought only found by those who suffer deeply for extended periods.
I started writing the book again, longhand, not having access to a typewriter
or computer. While in prison, I almost died of COVID-19, and the result was an
early release. I left prison with only a grey prison sweat suit and a pair of
sneakers but in my hands were six composition books, a draft of the novel.
Then, I had the monumental task of conforming the two drafts!
- If people can buy or read one
book this week or month, why should it be yours?
I have pledged that all royalties of
this book will go to the victims of my crime. I am dedicated to extinguishing
the debt I owe them before I die (I’m 77, so that might not be too far off). Is
there a better reason for buying a book than doing a good deed and enjoying a
great story?
About The Author: Rather than a paragraph, I will direct you to this
story, which ran in one of the local papers in the Puget Sound area: https://lynnwoodtimes.com/2024/03/19/dennis-gibb-240319. It does an excellent job of telling my
story. See more on LinkedIn: Dennis Gibb |
LinkedIn
Need PR Help?
Brian
Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page
views, can be reached at [email protected] He is available to help authors promote their story,
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successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your
advocate, teacher, and motivator!
About Brian
Feinblum
Brian Feinblum should be
followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is
copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now
resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue
dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The
Writer and IBPA’s The Independent. This
award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts
over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by
BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018
as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by
www.WinningWriters.com as a “best resource.” For the past three decades,
including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book
publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses,
Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres,
right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark
Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay,
Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan
RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He
hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and
has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah
Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association,
Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and
Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have
been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY
Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington
Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, &
Co-Op Association Handbook. It was featured
in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.
