I’m so pleased to welcome author Michael Scott Garvin to The Novel Approach today. His debut novel, A Faithful Son, is one of the most impactful novels I’ve read so far this year, and I’m so happy he’s joining us today to chat a bit about the book and what it’s been like to send it out into the world.
Welcome, Michael!
“Boys like me grow up crooked. Twisted and bent like gnarly white oaks reaching to find any sunlight peeking under the canopy of the taller pines. We stretch up toward the slightest breach of light slipping through boughs of the larger trees. Quietly and deliberately we watch other boys on the street corners. We study them in class, observe them on the field, and mimic them like the mockingbird who learns to attract by singing another bird’s son.” ~ A Faithful Son by Michael Scott Garvin.
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So, the novel is written – It is complete.
It was an arduous, four-year journey. The manuscript has been published and is receiving an impressive list of accolades and national reviews. It has a spiffy cover and only a few punctuation errors. The novel was a finalist in the New York Book Festival and Kirkus was exceedingly kind to me. Amazon and GoodReads are collecting a lengthy list of 5 star reviews, and since its May release, my little book is selling like hot cakes and has topped the Amazon Best Sellers list in my genre nine times over the past four months.
It all sounds hunky-dory, right?
So, why in the heck am I so sad? Why aren’t I rejoicing?
The truth is, I miss my little novel – I miss those quiet times together. I’m grateful that readers have had a chance to enjoy the manuscript but I miss those hours when it was just me, a cup of coffee, and the words. My most recent novel, Aunt Sookie & Me, will be on bookstore shelves in 2017, but I miss my Faithful Son.
I am quite certain all writers can appreciate this sentiment. Those lost hours spent with a manuscript are precious. The days, weeks, months and years writing on a project become as much a part of you as the time spent with a dear old friend.
My friend, Lisa, with The Novel Approach, asked if I would say a few words about my writing experience, but I strongly believe we authors already understand the time requirements, the deadlines, the blood, sweat and tears, the promotion push and the fear of letting go of the book after we’ve nurtured the manuscript for years. What I was not ready for, was the void left behind in its absence—A Faithful Son now has a very separate life from mine. It has grown up. It has its own friends now. And like any growing child who is old enough to go his own way without a curfew, I am left lonely, feeling a bit sorry for myself, and I want him back home by supper time!!!
Michael Scott Garvin
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About the Book
This captivating coming of age tale chronicles the life of Zach Nance, a young man struggling to find his place in an ever-shifting world and the zany cast of local characters who help him come to an understanding of himself and the secret he harbors.
The small town of Durango, Colorado provides the rural backdrop for Garvin’s masterful novel. A hunky traveling carnie, an eccentric gaggle of pious church spinsters, a flirty drag queen and Jesus Christ, himself, all make appearances within the pages of this endearing novel.
After tragedy befalls the Nance’s, Zach’s close-knit family unravels. He vows to protect his beloved mother and sister from the fallout of his troubled father’s choices — forcing young Zach to redefine his loyalties, his faith and his own destiny.
A beautiful and heartrending tale in the grand tradition of To Kill A Mockingbird and The Help.
A Faithful Son captures life’s bittersweet journey through lost innocence, sacrifice, and self-discovery, treating readers to a compassionate story of enduring hope.
[zilla_button url=”http://amzn.to/2f48JNN” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Available at Amazon.com [/zilla_button]
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