As I navigate the publishing waters and my upcoming #memoir I find myself often at the edge of this proverbial cliff wondering if I truly have the wings to fly.
The doubts assail me that my story, the good and bad, the pretty and ugly will soon all be out there for everyone to see (read.) Not to mention is it any good and does anyone really want to hear my story. Will it make a difference? To just one?
To paraphrase lyrics from the TSO song Epiphany – when you stand at the edge of a cliff and your mind wonders if you should take one more step.
Your mind often says you won’t but your heart says you might. #Quote #Motivation #LiveYourDreams
I am choosing to take that step, into the unknown and a future that is fraught with fear but also the possibilities. Touch one life and you just may touch the world, ripples ya know!
PS – I will be revealing the cover of my memoir ๐พ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ค๐ฎ๐จ ๐ผ๐ง๐ ๐๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐พ๐ง๐ฎ next Tuesday, July 27 here on WordPress and across all my other social media accounts, watch for it!
Just this… where the premise for my memoir ‘๐พ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ค๐ฎ๐จ ๐ผ๐ง๐ ๐๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐พ๐ง๐ฎ’ started over three years ago. Ideas slamming into my brain and hastily scribbled on a 3×5 card.
I dived deep into my past and the pain to write my story over the next few years. Encouragement came in numerous ways from family and friends. I signed withย Christian Faith Publishing (@christian_faith_publishing)ย last fall to publish my manuscript. Now my story has been edited, formatted and the cover design completed, to be published very soon for the world to read.
Cover Design Teaser!
Never give up on your dreams no matter what. God gave you those dreams for a purpose to make a difference in the world. ๐ย #LiveYourDreams
A journey of carrying grief and healing while navigating personal and societal expectations around men and grief. Currently in the cover design phase and to be published later this summer.
Title page of ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ญ- ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ from my upcoming #memior ‘๐พ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ค๐ฎ๐จ ๐ผ๐ง๐ ๐๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐พ๐ง๐ฎ’.
My story of carrying grief and healing while navigating personal and societal expectations around men and grief.
Currently in the cover design phase, stay tuned and sign up for my mailing list for more updates!
Thank you all for the support and encouragement. The manuscript has been moved forward to the formatting stage, first for the hard copy and then the digital copy. The above and image is another one line, no explanation, and no context from my upcoming memoir > Cowboys Are Not Supposed to Cry.
I have completed the ‘shitty’ first drafts and edits of each novel of the series – ‘The Chronicles of Faith.’ Each book was completed in 30 days during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November where the goal is write 50,000 words. If nothing else NaNoWriMo motivates you to get a story out of your head onto the paper.
I wrote the first book:
‘The Beauty of the Stars’
Back in 2014 and then let it sit. My wife and daughter both persevered through reading the rough, I mean rough, first draft and encouraged me to continue the story. (Truth be told I didn’t let them read it for a couple of years, it just sat collecting dust.)
Thus, in November of 2018 and 2019 I wrote the next two books in the series:
‘The Stars are Falling’ and,
‘The Judgment of the Stars.’
The title of the series ‘The Chronicles of Faith’ came to me for few reasons. One, I love Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. Second, I have always loved the idea of writing a series myself. Third, the main character’s name is Faith and she, as well as other characters each go through their own journey of faith.
The Chronicles of Faith – book quotes
Beauty is all around and our pain distracts us from seeing the truth. (The Beauty of the Stars – Coming soon Book 1 of the series ‘The Chronicles of Faith’ by Mark Wayne)
Falling is inevitable and only fatal if we choose not to get back up. (The Stars are Falling – Coming soon Book 2 of the series ‘The Chronicles of Faith’ by Mark Wayne)
Judgment finds us all, the only question is when and how. (The Judgment of the Stars -Coming soon Book 3 of the series ‘The Chronicles of Faith’ by Mark Wayne)
Faith is a loner and she knows she is different. As an evolving drone technology is unleashed on an unsuspecting populace she longs to find connection. Charles Davidson, head of The Group, is intent on building an empire, letting nothing stand in his way. Faith and Charles are both driven and their fates intertwine in ways neither understands.
Supernatural powers are driving an agenda of epic proportions. Forces of good and evil collide inside the human hearts of two people who seem to have nothing in common. Others join Faith in her quest to kill Davidson, while each is forced to answer the questions of who they are and are they good enough? The destiny of each hinges on the challenging choices that each must make, especially Faith, and the consequences of which affects them all.
Please note this is also not the actual cover.
So What’s Next?
I am leaning towards self-publishing the book series in the near future. If you have any advice or resources for me I would welcome that. Please either leave a comment or email me at info@markschutter.com
In the meantime I am hard at work writing, actually editing my memoir. The book captures my experience of grief and loss as a young man. The book will be for anyone who has experienced loss and who hasn’t? Grief will touch us all and changes everything.
Stay tuned for future updates on both my novels and my memoir.
