Beyond Gratitude

Oh what fun it is to celebrate the birthing of a project into the wider world! And like the birth of a child, the release of a new book brings a constellation of double sided coins. The novice writer dreams of publishing a great work, filled with hope of changing the world through their written wisdom. For without this deep seeded optimism, no literary contributions would find the light of day in the larger world.

Ah…. the larger world… the business of making money through publishing… it is marginal at best; neither is it for the faint-hearted. It has taken two decades of research and several years to write and rewrite Voyage of the Templar Guardians, not to mention the learning curve of entering the publishing industry.

In the paradigm of algorithms and global platforms, critical mass of mega data defines success.  Swimming up stream in such torrents can destroy even the most determined creative endeavor, especially in fiction… and particularly when the narrative flows outside the standard template of mundane thought processes.

Thus, my books have entered this 3D world with hope of matching vibes with readers who feel drawn to learning about life in medieval Europe leading up to the authoritarian crackdown on freedom of faith in the 1300’s. It was a time when imagination flourished in ways we cannot imagine now. And I would argue that we need imagination more than ever to envision practical solutions to age old problems.

On January 22, 2020, I had the rare opportunity to celebrate the debut of my book, Voyage of the Templar Guardians, at Houston’s amazing Brazos Bookstore with a hardy gathering of family, friends and readers.  We discussed how we can learn lessons today from the Middle Ages and how the tipping points from then and now are the products of a continuum of both conscious and unconscious choices.

I hope to wrtie more about that later, but this blog post is dedicated to honoring the JOY of bringing Voyage of the Templar Guardians into the world, with its shiny blue and gold colors and arresting cover.

 

 

My overflowing gratitude to Chris Dalrymple, my editor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My family, friends and Brazos Bookstore!