Today my guest is my friend, author Wayne A. Burt. I asked him how it felt to have his first novel published. This first-time author is ecstatic. Find out why.
To
say I’m over the moon about getting my first book published would not be
accurate. I'm over the galaxy would be more like it. I’ve been
writing stories for thirteen years. I’ve always known it could happen, I even believed it probably would someday, but when
it actually did, the wonderful feeling was unbelievable. Until you try, you
have no idea how remote the chances are to get picked up by a publisher. Just
to find one who accepts submissions is a challenge. Then to be selected over
the hundreds of submissions they receive is a miracle. If I hadn’t sought out
and met Larry and Lorna Collins, and joined Lagunita Writers Group, Catching a Wave to Sycar might never
have come to pass. Lorna edits for Desert Breeze Publishing, so she made a recommendation
on my behalf.
I received
a gift of great joy. I feel complete. I created a happy allegory about God’s
love for his children and his creation, and now it will be available for a long
time. The granddaughter who inspired it has read it five times. Parents can
share it with their children. Children will imagine what it would be like to fly
like a bird or swim with a dolphin, and I hope they will understand what it’s
like to be loved by their heavenly father.
Don’t
ask me how I came up with the idea for this book. It just happened. I had read that stories with a magical element sell well. So, I waited for an idea. One day,
this one popped into my head, and away I went. I believe in revelation. I’m my
creative father’s son, made in his image.
This
isn’t the first time I’ve received a gift of this nature. I’ve written
Christmas carols I feel the same way about. All of us are blessings to those
around us. This book is mine. And now it’s ours. Isn’t it fun?
Someone
should write a book about how many different ways Wayne Burt can work the fact
that he’s been published into a conversation. Perhaps, it’s shameful, but I
think there’s no point in writing a book if people don’t read it. Right? It’s
the salesman in me.
The
marketing part of the journey is fun, too. Little girls are excited when I sign
the book for them and write their names in the front. People want to buy it and
support me as an author. I recently had a release party at my home, and my
friends and family were all there to support me. It’s a kick being the center
of attention.
I
listen to a lot of audio books as I drive all around each day doing my sales
job. Sometimes, at the end of the book, someone interviews the author. It’s
silly, but I’ve always wanted to do it. I don’t know exactly why, but I love
talking about writing. The process is fascinating to me. An idea for a story
comes into your head, characters are created, and it’s like they come alive and
become real, and their stories are revealed. Amazing. You can find this
interview on my website http://www.wayneaburtauthor.com/writing-well.html.
The
last thing I want to say is this book was a team effort, making the joy of this
milestone in my life all the sweeter. When I started, I didn’t know how to use
a computer. My first two novels were written by hand. I was encouraged to write
by my sister-in-law Janet Powell, and was taught how to write by her daughter,
Colleen. My grandchildren and their prodigious imaginations were a great source
of inspiration. And the editing skills of Lorna Collins and the team of writers
who belong to Lagunita Writers helped me polish the work for publication. Thanks
to you all.
Visit
me on my website: http://www.wayneaburtauthor.com/
You
can also find me on Facebook:
The moment teenager, Sophia
Anderson, paddles into the huge wave, she knows something weird happened. She
just doesn’t know how weird. When the wave transports her to an island paradise
in another world, she thinks she must be dreaming, but when she encounters a
talking butterfly, and an amphibious girl from another planet, she’s convinced she's
never been more awake in her life.
The butterfly is Truson, the
lord of all worlds. The girl is Norie, an amphibious girl from the dying
planet, Sycar. Truson calls them on an adventure, thrilling, dangerous, and as
much fun as it is frightening. Can they rescue Sycar's people in time?
The book is available through Amazon and from the publisher: http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/catching-a-wave-to-scar-epub/
Wayne A. Burt is a California native who married his
high school sweetheart and raised their three children on the warm beaches of
the OC. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Azusa Pacific
University and Fuller Theological Seminary and worked with youth professionally
and non-professionally for much of his life. He didn't begin writing for
children until his own had grown up and moved out. His first published
work, Catching a Wave to Scar, was
written for his oldest granddaughter. His grandchildren's amazing imaginations sparked
the ideas for the story.
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