I had published 3 suspense novels dealing with military/political espionage. An editor suggested I try to expand into something a little more serious, literary. The immigration problems in our country attracted me.
Jospeh Bauer – 5 October 2024
The Back Flap
Wilton and Grace Goodbow’ s long marriage was frequently marked by political disagreement— she was the progressive activist, he the conservative, successful businessman. But their love was deep and bonded by a common passion for the sea aboard their ocean sailing yacht, The Sails of Grace. About to die, Grace elicits her husband’ s promise to set aside his political beliefs and take on her last cause: the reunification of Central American parents separated from their children at the El Paso border. Will risks his own freedom to keep his word.Sometimes the letter of the law and the right thing to do meet head-on. Sailing for Grace is a suspenseful exploration of the intersection of law, morality, and personal choice.
About the book
What is the book about?
A wealthy widower puts aside his political beliefs and affluent lifestyle to fulfill a promise he made to his dying wife: that he will reunite Central American parents, turned back at the US border, with their children admitted into the US and living in foster homes. A novel about love, loyalty, friendship and the intersection of law, morality, and personal choice, wrapped in a plot addressing an enduring social and political issue. When does the letter of the law collide head-on with the right thing to do?
When did you start writing the book?
2020, when the large “caravans” of Central American families walked their way to the US southern border, igniting political opinion and controversy.
How long did it take you to write it?
Including research time, about 20 months.
Where did you get the idea from?
I had published 3 suspense novels dealing with military/political espionage. An editor suggested I try to expand into something a little more serious, literary. The immigration problems in our country attracted me. It came to me that I could create a love story around those problems.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Immediately, I was concerned about the “white savior” criticism that the novel American Dirt (a very fine novel), and it’s white, midwestern American author encountered. I expect some derivations of that criticism may come against Sailing For Grace. But I, as a writer, am not presenting myself in my book as one standing in the difficult shoes of a Central American parent or child. I am using a 3rd person narrator telling the story of a white man grappling, reluctantly at first, with the wishes of his dying wife and his risky journey to meet his promise to her.
What came easily?
Nothing. Writing full-length fiction is harder than hell. You have to love the process and the elegance of a well-crafted sentence, and many of them linked together to tell a story, to keep at it.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
I think every honest author will acknowledge that characters come not out of “thin air” but from the textures and experiences of one’s actual life. It may be physical attributes of people important to you, mannerisms of lovers of old, kindness (or its opposite) of a person to you in your life. Sailing For Grace does include real people, such as Donald Trump, for example. But the characters of my creation are purely fictional and not based on real people.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I read many authors of earlier eras, like Len Deighton (cold war spy novelist), Graham Greene, Saul Bellow, Carson McCullers and John Updike. My cadence and character development are influenced by all of them. I love the pace of current writers like John Grisham and Daniel Silva too and know that they have been influences.
Do you have a target reader?
The avid, intelligent, adult reader who is interested in learning something, if only a little, but who expects satisfaction and entertainment in return for their time.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I have a work routine that I hardly ever depart from. I write (or research) daily, unless I am traveling: a 3-5 hour session that begins in the morning about 10 A.M. I take an hour or so break in mid-afternoon and write for another 1-2 hours until about 5 P.M. I never drink while I am writing, but enjoy a martini when my writing day is done.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
For each of my 6 novels I do a one-page (just one side of a single page) outline comprised of 4 boxes that I envision as 4 parts of the story. In each box I scratch in locations, an abbreviated description of key scenes, and character names that I have decided on in advance. Next, I do enough research to enable me to begin writing text. But I always begin with the last part of the 4th box, the very end of the storyline. I write that first. I find I can then freely take detours as I write without hitting a wall. I know I have to get back on the path to that ending. I stop often along the way to do more research, in order to learn more that I need to know, as events and places unfold.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I write slowly. My average daily production is only about 1,000 words, and often much less if I have been doing research that day too. I try to be satisfied with each sentence and paragraph before I go on to the next. Still, after each session I print that day’s work and the prior day’s work and hand edit with a favorite pen. I enter all the changes before I start the next day. So, by the time I have reached the end of the manuscript I have already edited each line twice. Still, I then go to page 1 and read every sentence aloud. It normally takes a whole month before I complete this polishing process, because I wind up making changes to nearly every page, often adding dialogue, and more often making cuts.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I have always had the benefit of editors from the publishers.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Only during my break, of when reading in the evening. I am a fan of classical music. My choice is usually that.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Only a few. Agent solicitation is the only part of writing and publishing that I decidedly do not enjoy.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I encountered the founder of Running Wild Press, Lisa Kastner, at The Atlanta Writer’s Annual Conference. She liked my work, and I liked her. She signed me up after reading all of my novels (then 4 of them, including Sailing For Grace) and it’s been a great experience since.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
The publisher has done them, with comment from me.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Running Wild Press was optimistic about my chances for commercial success and connected me with a publicist. What a difference the publicist and its team has made. They have made the business aspects of publishing much, much more manageable for me.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
If you have written a book that pleases even a few objective readers, you have succeeded as a writer. If you manage to sell thousands of your book(s), you are a lucky and successful writer. Perseverance and discipline (writing, writing and more writing—“time in the chair”—is everything, so long as your work is of very high quality.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Toledo, Ohio
Where do you live now?
Charleston, South Carolina
What would you like readers to know about you?
My wife and my daughters mean more to me than anything, even my writing.
What are you working on now?
My first attempt at true historical fiction, about the inner life of Franklin D. Roosevelt, his inner circle, the lead-up to WWII and the war itself.
End of Interview:
Get your copy of Sailing for Grace from Amazon US or Amazon UK.