For most of my life, I used to think that fiction was pointless. Why would anybody waste their time reading made up stories when they can just read nonfiction to improve their lives? I would think.
I focused on reading nonfiction. That’s what I tried writing, too. But the books that I read lacked soul and came across as preachy. And my own nonfiction, though I think it had heart, didn’t resonate the way I wanted it to, either. I turned back to reading fiction and eventually realized that the really great novels all had a hidden truth embedded inside their stories for readers to discover.
So when I started to write my own novels, I made sure to include important truths in my writing, knowing that the hidden message would have a better chance of being accepted through a story.
Because if I told you there is honor in never leaving a man behind, however that applies to you, you might not believe me. But if you read my first novel, The Senator, you might change your mind.
If I told you that you can’t escape your destiny, the thing you were born to do, you might not buy that. But if you read my second novel, Credible Threat, you might see the truth in that statement.
And if I told you that your past doesn’t define your future, you might disagree and tell me that I have that wrong. But if you read my latest novel, In Plain Sight, you might understand that we all have hard choices that we need to make if we want to escape the shadows of a broken past.
Most of my readers found me through my fiction, but many from my nonfiction days stayed along for the ride. Thank you for sticking with me, but I encourage you to try reading a novel. It doesn’t have to be one of mine, but pick up a book in a genre you think you might enjoy and give it a try.
Because if the writer knows what they’re doing, they’ll take you on a wild ride during the main plot, but the B story — the inner journey the hero goes on — will contain a truth that we all need to hear.