Interview With Author Dennis Gibb

 

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1. What inspired you to write this book?

I tend to receive inspiration from odd sources. The basic idea for this book came from another book I read about the early explorers of the Ohio River Valley. One of the men was reputed to be able to see the future and came from a family of seers. I found that interesting. I researched and found a long history of seers among the Scots-Irish. I also found there was a lady in Scotland as late as 1974 who had this ability but was unable to bear the suffering and took her own life. I wondered what would happen if a person had this ability in our modern world, with its focus on science, rationality, and reason. It seemed it would set up tension and form the base of a good plot line.

 

2. What exactly is it about, and who is it written for?

An Da Shelladh means the sight of the seer or the second sight in Scots Gaelic. The book deals with a young man who discovers at age 13 that he possesses a power that defies logic and resists scientific examination. He can see when others will die, but he doesn’t know the exact time or method; he only knows that it will happen, and it always happens. Whatever happens, will have its locus where he sees the black spot on the person. He does not seem to be able to change the outcome, and it is never natural death. It is always violence, disease, or accident. The book is about suffering, finding meaning in suffering, finding meaning in life in general, and the difference between guilt and shame. A person with an inquiring mind and a dash of spirituality will find this an exciting story that will challenge perceptions.

 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?

I hope readers will find joy in a good story and gain insights into why people suffer and what we are supposed to learn from suffering, which is all around us all the time.

 

4. How did you decide on the book’s title and cover design?

I believe that an unusual title and dramatic cover design entice people to pick up the book, which is half the process of making a sale. The title came from my research on the subject, and the cover, with its boldly contrasting colors and the double eye reflecting second sight, seemed to attract the most favorable comments when I tested it on coworkers and others.

 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers?

First, writing requires discipline. You must write every day. It must become a job. Second, you need to figure out how you write best. Some authors outline, others wing it, and others use other methods. You need to find the process that works for you. Writing an hour a day at the same time worked for me. Third, when you finish a book, there will be a letdown. You have spent a lot of time and poured emotional and physical energy into the pages. In effect, you have given birth. It’s normal to feel empty after you finish. Fourth, if you have an idea for a book, get it out of your head. Please put it on paper or in electronic form. Don’t worry about grammar, punctuation, continuity, or anything- crystallize the idea in some form. You can do all that other stuff later. A lot of terrific books have died unwritten. Fifth, even if you aren’t published, you have done something most people have never done: be proud of yourself.

 

6. What trends in the book world do you see, and where do you see the book publishing industry is heading?

 Anyone who has tried to get published knows the process is long, hard, and dispiriting. The industry has changed so much that it is a new world. While digital publishing has given authors new channels to publish, it has merely changed the problem. In the past, when a mainstream publisher took on your book, it also took on the marketing and promotion. With digital publishing, that falls on the author, and while a person may write well, that does not mean they are marketing wizards. Good marketing is what it takes to stand out against the massive number of new titles published yearly. Mainstream publishers and agents seem to be moving to younger authors who are writing on more current trends, even though many potential target audiences do not read books. The method to reach younger people is via audiobooks, which present a new set of publishing and marketing challenges. I think book publishing will be around for the foreseeable future. Still, it will be a very different industry, with publishers focusing on more segmented audiences, and it will become a lot like the fashion industry. Publishers will have to guess which genres will be popular next to produce products, and the shifts in popularity will happen faster and faster.

 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing the book?

All authors draw from their own experiences to some extent, and my long and colorful life gave me unique tools and insights. I have had the unfortunate experience of taking human life and having had my own life put in grave danger. When that happens, your perception of life and death changes, and you confront what is simultaneously humankind’s greatest fear and greatest motivation- death. My military service and lengthy career in finance developed discipline and mission accomplishment, so I would finish this project once I started. My age has also been a great asset. Two of the most liberating times in life are when you stop caring what you look like and what people think of you. Only then can true wisdom begin to flourish. My sojourn in the prison system stripped away any vestige of concern about what people thought about me, and I have never been an Adonis, so looks have never been a concern. I hope that wisdom is now finding its way to me, and I have found a spiritual peace that has eluded me over the years.

 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?

I have no idea how to describe my writing style. I would say it is witty and ironic. I was once told it was like David Foster Wallace, but I don’t see it. I write a story as if someone is telling it to me like Peter Falk did in Princess Bride.

 

9. What challenges did you overcome in writing the book?

A lot! I had a rough draft nearly complete. Then, in 2019, I was sentenced to 5 years in prison and had no access to the manuscript. While in prison, I had access to a 10,000-volume library with a large assortment of books by C.S. Lewis and, most importantly, Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, which is almost required reading in prison. I also came across Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations and the Discourses of Epictetus, both Roman Stoics. All those sources and the stories of my fellow inmates gave me valuable insight into suffering. My reactions to having everything I ever thought important to me stripped away gave me a clarity of vision and thought only found by those who suffer deeply for extended periods. I started writing the book again, longhand, not having access to a typewriter or computer. While in prison, I almost died of COVID-19, and the result was an early release. I left prison with only a grey prison sweat suit and a pair of sneakers but in my hands were six composition books, a draft of the novel. Then, I had the monumental task of conforming the two drafts!

 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?

I have pledged that all royalties of this book will go to the victims of my crime. I am dedicated to extinguishing the debt I owe them before I die (I’m 77, so that might not be too far off). Is there a better reason for buying a book than doing a good deed and enjoying a great story?

 

About The Author: Rather than a paragraph, I will direct you to this story, which ran in one of the local papers in the Puget Sound area: https://lynnwoodtimes.com/2024/03/19/dennis-gibb-240319. It does an excellent job of telling my story. See more on LinkedIn: Dennis Gibb | LinkedIn 

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.