Kevin Bozard: Writing to Please

I met Kevin years ago, back when I was a "real author" and he'd driven up with his mother to one of my book signings in North Carolina. He's never let go of the dream, even when life tells us writing doesn't matter, and he's also following some of my writing advice--hopefully he is picking the correct half, although I am not sure which that is. Ladies and gentlemen...Kevin.)


A writer's life is often boring, even if a little frenzied at times. I'm no exception. I'm one of those unknown authors that's looking for just a little light to fall on me from the top. A little more than ten years ago, I did a lot of reading, but I had never considered writing. It was while reading one of my favorite authors that I got the idea to try my hand at crafting a novel. I thought this would be a simple task, but I was in for a rude awakening, and a serious reality check.

I spent the next 18 months writing my novel, and the question now was, how do I get it published?

In my search to find representation, I also found that there were authors that were self publishing, and this was something that I entertained a thought of doing, even though everything I read about self publishing, said not to do it. I waited another 6 months or so, before finally self publishing my book.

During this time, I kept reading everything I could find, and this is when I stumbled upon a copy of The Red Church, by Scott Nicholson. I read the book, and loved it. I felt that Scott was someone I needed to get to know. I learned a lot from Scott by reading his articles on his website, but I never asked him the thousands of questions I wanted to ask. Questions that sometimes I regret not asking.

Local reaction to my novels was good, but I didn't really care about the money.  I was more interested in writing to please my readers at this point.

After the excitement died down from the second novel, I began writing a third. This was a novel that would almost end my writing career, due to circumstances beyond my control. A few years passed, and I dabbled with writing, but didn't put a lot of effort into it. Strangely enough, it was a friend from another hobby that sparked the fires of writing again. I wrote a third novel, and found that the publishing world had changed a bit. A lot of the authors I'd met in the beginning were now self-publishing themselves. This was where a lot of writers were headed, so I decided to follow the pack.

These new inspirations helped to breathe life in this otherwise defunct writer, and I'm excited about the opportunities of publishing again. I enjoy writing, and that's what a writer's life is all about. I'm writing again to please myself, and to please my readers. After all,  in the grand scheme of things, that's all that matters.

Learn more about Kevin's books at his website:

 http://www.wix.com/kevinbozard/kevins-epub-page

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