Looking Out the Window: Bill Garrison Talks about His Time Travel Book, The Day She Died. Gives Away a Copy.

A Warm Welcome to Bill Garrison

Bill will give away EITHER a print copy OR an e-book of The Day She Died. To enter to win leave a comment and an e-mail address below.

Hi Bill. First, tell us a little about yourself.
I’m married with three children and live in Oklahoma City. I’m a CPA and work in healthcare but my real love is great stories. I don’t want to be mindlessly entertained; I want to be moved emotionally. I spend my weekends going to basketball, football, soccer, and volleyball games and love every minute.

Lots of writers were young readers. What about you? If so, what did you read?
I was an avid reader. I remember winning a most read books contest in 2nd grade and getting a free book. In sixth grade, my parents gave me a bunch of books for Christmas, and I remember being disappointed because I wanted toys.

Ahh, sorry about the toys, but congratulations on the contest. Let's talk about your writing. Why do you write?
I really enjoy telling a story and creating a feeling in the reader, a feeling of joy, surprise, shock, love, happiness. I write for the reader. I also write because I have something on my heart and I want to convey something from God. It is hard to write a novel when God isn’t behind it.

About The Day She Died

The Day She Died is my latest book, and my only book. It’s a time travel mystery in which the main character, 45-year old John, wakes up one day back in college, on the day his fiancé disappeared. He travels through time, visiting college, high school, adulthood, then back to college again, gathering clues to both the mystery of his girlfriend’s death and the keys to enjoying a life without regrets.

What inspired you to write this particular book?
I used to walk from my work to a parking garage several blocks away and just daydream about what it would be like to be back in high school playing basketball with all of the knowledge of the game I had as an adult. That kind of thinking went on for years, just for fun, as I imagined taking the wisdom of a full life back into time to have a few do-overs. Then you throw in the experience of three previous novels and the inspiration of other time-travel books and movies, and the idea for this book was born.

Where do you get ideas for your books?
I really get ideas from other stories. Plot twists, locations, characters…maybe. But the big ideas are the emotions and the feelings you get after you read a great book. I want to create the same feelings in my novels.

What themes do you write about?
When I reflect on the themes of my three novels and I realize there is an over-arching theme, and that is we’ve all messed up, and no one is perfect, but God has blessed each of us with a wonderful life, or God is capable of bringing anyone out of the darkness and into the light, regardless of their past. It feels like the spiritual themes of my novels were written to address my own spiritual weaknesses at the time. Writing The Day She Died helped me accept my life and the decisions I’d made and to not live every day thinking about what I could have done differently.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Never be afraid to ask for help. In fact, force yourself to get involved with other writers and critique groups. You will learn so much and you will be amazed at how willing they are to help.

What would you be doing if you weren’t writing?
Sadly, I’m doing it. Just kidding, but I’m an Auditor for a state agency and work in the health care field. I love spending time with my kids and their sports activities. I’d enjoy working in the food industry. I think it would be fun to run a restaurant…but maybe because I’ve never worked at one.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
Thank you for letting me be a guest today. I had a lot of fun answering these questions. You can learn more about me and my novel at www.billgarrisonauthor.com

It was my pleasure, Bill. Thanks for visiting.

Buy links:
Barnes and Noble Nook
Barnes and Noble Print Book
amazon

Looking Out the Window: Memories on the Heart

Several weeks ago my husband, Rick, and I ate at a restaurant we frequent fairly regularly. The cute, young waitress who usually waits on us took our orders for burgers and fries. I’ll call her Mandy. As usual Mandy’s smile and bubbly personality brightened our day. We giggled and confessed to her that we shouldn’t eat the fries, but we were going to do it just this once. She joked. “Okay, you’re being bad today.” Not long after we got our food a couple came in and sat in the booth behind us. Mandy walked up to the table with her big grin. “Hi, how are you?” she asked. The man, who had salt and pepper colored hair and a pudgy face, spoke in a harsh tone, “I want the steak.” “Sure, which one would you like?” Mandy asked. “I don’t want you to put it in the microwave. That will make it tough. Do you understand?” Mandy’s lips turned down. “Yes sir, which one do you want to order?” “I want it medium rare. I don’t want blood oozing out of it. I want it cooked right.” “Yes sir, which steak di...

Looking out the Window: Bible Study Leader Kristi Neace Says God Won't Fail Us and Introduces Us to Her New Book, Pathlight to Praise. Free Bible Study Coming Soon.

A Warm Welcome to Kristi Neace Kristi shares a devotional. She will start a new Bible study on Facebook in July. Watch for the announcement, giving the exact date and time on her Facebook Page Scriptural videos also available. See below.* In a Pit? Psalm 40:1-3‚ “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.” Can you think of a time when God helped you out of a low place? Perhaps something had caused you to spiral downward, or maybe like the Old Testament character, Jonah, you had run away from God so as not to have to do what He was asking of you. Through this passage, we see that David was experiencing this first-hand. He was in a place of despair, yet God was gracious, and after some time, placed Dav...

Looking Out the Window: Welcome Inspirational Historical Romance Writer Penny Zeller

Penny will be giving away a copy of her latest book, Hailee. To enter to win a copy leave a comment and your email address. Hi Penny, welcome. First, tell us a little about yourself . Hi Gail! Thank you for hosting me on your blog. It’s great to be here! I am a wife, mom, and author of several books and numerous magazine articles. I also write a humor blog “A Day in the Life of a Wife, Mom, and Author” (www.pennyzeller.wordpress.com). I am an active volunteer in my community, serving as a women’s Bible study small-group leader and co-organizing a women’s prayer group. My passion is to use the gift of the written word to glorify God and to benefit His Kingdom. I devote my time to assisting and nurturing women and children into a closer relationship with God. However, all that being said, my greatest ministry is to, with my husband Lon, raise our two daughters for Christ. When I’m not dreaming up new characters for books, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and campin...

Peering Through Life's Window

Search This Blog