BookMarketingBuzzBlog: Interview With Author Jess Archer

Friday, July 22, 2016

Interview With Author Jess Archer

Finding Home with the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Billy Graham (WestBowPress)

What inspired you to write this book? Since my book is a memoir, my own unique childhood experienced inspired me to write this book. I have been writing poetry and essays for 20 years, but I decided it was time to write my first book. When I asked myself, what should it be about, the answer rose cleanly to the surface: my childhood growing up in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Billy Graham is 97 years old. I wanted to tell my story before he passes away.

What is your book about? My book, Finding Home with the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Billy Graham is a true account of growing up inside the world of the BGEA. For 15 years, my family traversed the globe to prepare cities for Billy Graham’s large-scale evangelistic meetings. My memoir details the gritty struggles I faced as the perpetual “new kid” in town and the intense anxiety I experienced because of our transitory lifestyle. With help from two of the greatest musical forces on the planet, my book explores the universal question of: where is my true home?

What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book? The number one theme of my book is applicable to everyone: where is home? And more specifically, when I pass away from this planet, is there a spiritual home that is just for me? My book describes the delicate beginning stages of a relationship with God and how that relationship is entwined with the meaning of home.

What advice do you have for writers? Try and write every day. Even if that’s just 200 words. Try and make it a practice, a discipline to write every day. Don’t wait for inspiration to write. Simply sit down and write. The very act of writing will get you inspired with an idea. I read every book on writing I could get my hands on. I reread the ones by authors like, Anne Lamott, Annie Dillard and Stephen King. Read their books about the practice of writing. Then follow their advice.

Where do you think the book publishing industry is headed? In many ways the publishing industry is a lot like the music industry now. The market it over-saturated. It’s very easy to put your music and your writing out there for people, even if that work is kind of awful. But craft is still paramount, I think. Great writing will rise. But even so, there just isn’t a lot of money in writing. You have to be ok with that. It helps to have other means of income.

What challenges did you have in writing your book? I tell people, try not to start a book at the same time you are starting a family. I know from experience that having babies while trying to complete a book is a rough combination. You feel pulled by competing forces. I had to learn be patient with myself, my children, my limited freedom. When I did get the chance to work on my book, I was a focused force. In some ways, having children helps you learn how to not waste a second of time. When I got the chance to work on my book, I did! If people can only buy one book this month, why should it be yours? I love to answer this question. I have three compelling answers:

1.) There is no book like mine on the market! I am the only person who traveled with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association who has written a memoir about that life. Many people have written books about Billy Graham, but I am the only one who’s family traveled to arrange his crusades who has written about that lifestyle.

2.) Most millennials have never even heard of Billy Graham. My book is a way for teenagers and young adults to grasp an understanding of Billy Graham’s world-impacting influence because I tell about his through story...through my story. My book isn’t a dry Wikipedia description of the man; it’s a first-hand experience with him.

3.) My book is short and potent. At only 122 pages, it is easily digestible...it’s the perfect summer weekend getaway!

For more information, please consult: www.writerjessarcher.com

BookMarketingBuzzBlog

Friday, July 22, 2016

Interview With Author Jess Archer

No comments:

Post a Comment