The Glamorous Writing Life of Richard Mabry

One of my favorite movies is The Muppet Movie. The reason is probably the scene in which the Muppets meet the famous producer (played by Orson Wells). After a bit of interchange, he tells his secretary to “sign them to a standard rich and famous contract.” In a movie, that’s funny. In real life, if a writer expects their first contract to bring fame and fortune, it’s sad.

After I signed the contract for the publication of my first novel, I’m not sure what I expected. I enjoyed the congratulations from my fellow writers, as well as the praise from my family. But beyond that, not much had changed. No one stopped me on the street to ask for my autograph. There was no announcement from the pulpit to bring the congregation to its feet, cheering and whistling. And the local media didn’t flock to my doorstep for interviews. In other words, it was business as usual.

So much for the “famous” part. What about “rich?” Although information about advances and royalties is hard to come by, most authors realize that they’re never going to get rich from that money. To begin with, “advance” is just what the name implies—an advance against royalties. That means that sales of the book must reach a level where royalties exceed the amount of the previously paid advance before the author makes another penny.

Stress Test will be my fifth published novel of medical suspense, and I’m proud of it. But the book that a reader will finish in anywhere from a few hours to a few days took me well over six months to write.

And I won’t become either rich or famous for the effort.

Still interested in writing? Good. If you’re interested in writing for publication because you have a message you want to get out, if you write because the words are burning inside you and you have to share them, if you write because—as I’ve heard my fellow authors say—you can’t not write, then welcome aboard. The life isn’t glamorous. Matter of fact, as deadlines approach, edits have to be done, the demands of keeping a presence on social media suck away your time, the writing life is downright tough. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

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            Dr. Richard Mabry is a retired physician, past Vice-President of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and the author of four published novels of medical suspense. His books have been finalists in competitions including ACFW’s Carol Award and Romantic Times’ Inspirational Book of the Year. His last novel, Lethal Remedy, won a 2012 Selah Award from the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference.

            Richard’s website is http://rmabry.com, and he posts regularly on his blog, http://rmabry.blogspot.com. He is also active on Twitter (RichardMabry), Facebook (rmabrybooks), and GoodReads.

Come back tomorrow and enter to win a free copy of Stress Test!

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Did You Know? ~ Benjamin Franklin's Son, William

Just when you think you know someone, you find out something that makes you realize you never knew them at all. Of course, when the person you thought you knew was an historical figure, chances are excellent there are many, many things you didn’t know about them.

What historical figure am I talking about? Benjamin Franklin. I discovered today that he had an illegitimate son named William. No, I’m not being judgmental because he had a kid out of wedlock; I was just surprised. (And if this is something everyone else in the world already knew, please just don’t make me be feel stupid by saying so. Just read my blog article and smile.)

Years ago, in my child’s mind, Mr. Franklin was a kindly, spectacle-wearing man who flew a kite with a key on it in the middle of a thunder and lightning storm. In fact, my little child’s mind had all of our founding fathers on a pedestal of perfection, and I’m afraid that a bit of that idealism stayed with me into adulthood. Then, four years ago, I read a biography of John Adams, and my view of Benjamin Franklin (along with all our founding fathers) began to radically change. He, and all the rest, became quite human.

William Franklin

So, it wasn’t Benjamin Franklin’s humanness in conceiving a son out of wedlock that surprised me. It was the circumstances. No one knows who William’s mother was. Some say that she was a prostitute. Others say she was Benjamin’s common law wife, Deborah Read, and Benjamin took the blame to protect her honor. At any rate, in 1730, when Benjamin Franklin was 24, he publicly acknowledged William and raised him in his household along with the children he and Deborah had. (Francis Folger Franklin, born October 1732, who died of smallpox in 1736, and Sarah Franklin, called Sally, who was born in 1743. She eventually married Richard Bache, had seven chidren, and cared for her father in his old age.)

William was educated in Philadelphia, and in the 1760s, studied law in London. There William fathered an illegitimate son, William Temple Franklin, who was born on February 22, 1762. The boy’s mother was never identified. I thought it weird that he followed  his father’s footsteps so closely. The boy, called Temple, was placed in foster care. Later that year, William married Elizabeth Downes, the daughter of a planter from Barbados. After William passed the bar in 1763, Benjamin helped him gain an appointment in 1763 as the last Royal Governor of New Jersey.

William Temple Franklin

When the American Revolution began, William stayed loyal to England. Father and son found themselves on the opposite sides of the war, and this forever strained their relationship. I’ll bet. Can you imagine the turmoil for both of them? William having to acknowledge that in England’s eyes, his father is a traitor. Benjamin perhaps feeling rejected by his son’s choice. As a result, William was cut out of Benjamin’s will. Benjamin Franklin said if the war had gone the way William wanted it to, Benjamin would never have made his fortune, so William deserved none of it. Yeah, okay. More human nature. . .

(As an aside, Benjamin found out about Temple, his illegitimate grandson, and took custody of him.)

Benjamin Franklin was a brilliant man. An inventor, writer, musician, politician. . .he accomplished much in his life. And he was one of the men who risked his life to give birth to our country. His humanness only makes him all the more interesting. And it is very possible that in addition to all of the things he did, he really was a kindly, spectacle-wearing man. At least I’d like to think so.

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"Where Do You Get Your Ideas?" by Author Richard Mabry, M.D.

Every author has been asked that question at one time or another, and most of us have to pause and scratch our head before we answer. One of the first things I was told when I was learning the craft was to constantly observe the world around me, because “story ideas are everywhere.” Some authors keep a notebook, others use three by five cards, and many—myself included—simply store these ideas in their brain. From these ideas, a writer develops the plot, populates the novel with characters, and gets to work.

Where do I get my ideas? I get them from everyday life. Both Kay and I are incurable people watchers. Whether it’s in a restaurant, sitting at the airport, shopping, or even at church, we have our eyes on those around us. And it’s a simple jump from there to construct a scenario. See that couple at the next table, each engrossed in their iPhone, not saying a word to each other? Maybe they’ve just had a terrible fight. Maybe he’s reached the tipping point where he’s imagining how he can get rid of her permanently. Perhaps he decides to act on his thoughts. There’s a plot.

My novels thus far have sprung from such varied situations as a relative’s near-paranoia about identity theft, the accusations of mercy-killing against a colleague, and a retraction in a

 professional journal about falsified research data. My latest novel of medical suspense began when I was leaving the medical center parking garage late at night. I looked around and imagined how deserted it must be at two AM. What if a doctor were to be kidnapped from such a location? And what if he had no idea why the men doing it were under orders to kill him? That was the nidus from which Stress Test sprang.

One of my favorite sweatshirts bears the inscription, “Careful Or You’ll End Up In My Novel.” I’d suggest that there’s a lot of truth in that phrase. So the next time you’re out in public, think about how your actions might be the beginning of an idea for a novel. You never know. A writer could be right behind you.

Return Friday for a chance to win a copy of Richard's book, StressTest.

Dr. Richard Mabry is a retired physician, past Vice-President of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and the author of four published novels of medical suspense. His books have been finalists in competitions including ACFW’s Carol Award and Romantic Times’ Inspirational Book of the Year. His last novel, Lethal Remedy, won a 2012 Selah Award from the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference. 

Richard’s website is http://rmabry.com, and he posts regularly on his blog, http://rmabry.blogspot.com. He is also active on Twitter (RichardMabry), Facebook (rmabrybooks), and GoodReads. 

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Sunday Devotional: The Antidote

So, having written about jealousy and envy, I realized it isn’t enough to write about the problem. We must have a solution. A defense, if you will, against the sweet poison that gets pressed to our ears and hearts.

Part of the issue is that it’s so much easier to talk about applying the antidote, than it is to actually do so. Why? Because we have to give up our right to hold onto the hurt, or to the anger. We must, as I wrote previously, forgive people for failing us—in essence, for not being God.

But why—why is it so hard to just lay it down? Even when we know—or say we know—that God is good, that He is all wise, that we trust Him?

I wrestled with this all week but still haven’t come up with a good answer. Oh, yes, I write things and then get tested on them, pretty much immediately. This time seems harder for some reason. Maybe because life has been filled with stresses that fly at me from all directions. You now how it is: you try to hold it together, but at some point one or several darts get past your defenses, and then here comes the meltdown. Your friends, your loved ones, are left standing there looking at you like an idiot—you were so strong last week, what’s wrong with you that you can’t keep it together over this?

And once it’s there, under your skin, it tends to flare at odd moments, like poison ivy—you think you have it beat, or mostly so, then you scratch unthinkingly at a mild itch, and suddenly it’s a full-blown breakout, all over again.

It isn’t that the offenses aren’t real, or valid things to be upset about. The thing is, when we focus on them, it feeds the itch rather than kills it. But when we deliberately choose to look up, to look at the Cross, look at Jesus Himself—it begins to fade.

The stepsisters I wrote about last week, jealousy and envy, will hate that, of course. If the Prince isn’t paying attention to them, they don’t want anyone to be happy, and here’s where they show their ugliness. They’ll stop their charade of sympathy and instead lean into your face, screeching and jeering. You’re such an idiot! This proves it! You’ll never change, God doesn’t care about fixing your situation, you’ll have to put up with this indefinitely, and you deserve the misery you feel.

And you know what? Jesus knows what it feels like to have those things screamed at you. He’s experienced injustice: the people who should have known the time of His coming, didn’t, and even those who followed Him misunderstood His purpose until after the Resurrection. He was beaten, mocked, spit on—and this was God, the One who made us all, who gave us life and then went above and beyond to come be the payment for our rebellion against Him! Who had more right to feel the hurt, to be angry at the slight?

But He knows—and He does care. If He doesn’t change a situation, He has a reason, whether it’s for our growing, or to test our trust in Him, or because His purpose for that other person isn’t yet completed. Regardless, we can know that He’s intending to work a greater good through it.

This doesn’t mean the answer is necessarily always to ignore the voices and tough it out. God is always there beside us, but sometimes He waits for us to actually ask Him to deal with those bullying girls before intervening.

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

... let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (Hebrews 4 & 12, NKJV)

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A Writer's Life by Dianna T. Benson

Like I said in my post on Tuesday, what works for some people doesn’t work for others. Finding what works for you is key, not only as a writer but in general for your life. Find your way, what works for you and your writing.

I don’t write well in the morning. My best time is after ten in the morning and all afternoon into the early evening. Of course, though, I need to write around my husband and our kids’ schedules—not only because I love their lives to be a huge part of mine, but also because I write best when the house is empty. Reading on a regular basis and often watching movies and TV shows, opens the door to my creative juices, but I also need to get out of the house and spend time with an array of people, doing an array of things. I write my best material with a pencil and paper, but there are times when simply typing away on my keyboard works well. Sometimes I write best with instrumental music, sometime I don’t.

Basically, I just go with it, I go with what works for me on any given day. If I’m having difficulty finding my writing flow, I go on a run, a hike, or I cycle. After that exercise break in God’s beautiful outdoors, I try to push through the brick wall to find my writing flow again. Sometimes I over push it and really get no where, so I’m learning to back off before that happens. I’m also learning to be gentle to myself so my muse doesn’t bury itself and refuse to come out and play.

Most importantly, I try to keep my writing career in perspective and remember I’m not curing cancer. I try to focus on what’s important: My relationships—my relationship with myself, with others, and with God. Even though I let my muse dictate what it wants, I don’t allow it to run my life or demand the unreasonable. Being published and writing under publishing deadlines changes the game, sure, but I’m much more than a published suspense author, remembering that keeps me happy and the writing flowing well.

May you find your writing way and be happy!

Dianna Torscher Benson is a 2011 Genesis Winner, a 2011 Genesis double Semi-Finalist, a 2010

Daphne de Maurier Finalist, and a 2007 Golden Palm Finalist. In 2012, she signed a nine-book contract with Ellechor Publishing House. Her first book, The Hidden Son, released March 2013.

After majoring in communications and a ten-year career as a travel agent, Dianna left the travel industry to earn her EMS degree. An EMT and a Haz-Mat and FEMA Operative since 2005, she loves the adrenaline rush of responding to medical emergencies and helping people in need. Her suspense novels about adventurous characters thrown into tremendous circumstances provide readers with a similar kind of rush.

Dianna lives in North Carolina with her husband and their three athletic children.

Come back tomorrow to enter to win a free copy of her new release!

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