Name: Ray Sutherland
Book Title: Secret Agent Angel
Website: raysutherland.com
Thank you for your time in answering our questions about
getting published. Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you
decided to become an author and pen this book?
Author:
I began to write stories when I was in
grade school, just for my own entertainment. The earliest I remember was in the
sixth grade. I continued writing, off and on, until I began teaching.
Once
as I was reading a Matt Helm secret agent novel by Donald Hamilton, it occurred
to me that if angels are God’s secret agents, as Billy Graham said, there must
be some really good stories they could tell. So, in Secret Agent Angel, I told
some of those stories from the point of view of the angel. While that turned
out to be an interesting challenge and a lot of work, it also turned out to be
a lot of fun as well. I also thought that it turned out rather well. I began
writing for my own entertainment, and Secret Agent Angel certainly entertained me and my first
readers.
Is this your first book?
Author:
It is my first published novel. I have some earlier academic publications.
With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional,
small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?
Author:
I selected Black Opal Press, which I think would be called a small traditional press.
I liked the availability of the publishing staff and the community of authors on-line that write for Black Opal. The people at
Black Opal were very patient and helpful.
Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey? The pros and cons?
Author:
First, I had to write the book and get it finished, which entailed some determination
and hard work. The process of writing was quite enjoyable, but the process of
getting the manuscript finished and book proposals written and submitting it
was even harder work and considerably less fun. The hard work and persistence
paid off with a published book.
What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular
publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?
Author:
I learned the value of persistence . You must write, even when you don’t feel
like it. You must format the manuscript and write a good proposal, all of which
required determination and persistence.
Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?
Author:
I am happy with the traditional publishing method and plan to utilize it again
for my next book. I also hear good reports about the other methods, especially
indie and on-line publishing, but I like traditional and hope to stay with it.
What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?
Author: Robert A.
Heinlein said it wonderfully well. “You must write. You must finish what you
write. You must put the work on the market. You must keep the work on the
market until it is sold.” I followed these rules and they work. If you want to
be a published writer, you must follow them, too.
About the book:
If
angels are God’s secret agents then you know there are some really good secret
agent stories they could tell, and my first novel Secret Agent Angel tells some
of them in first person as told by one of the angels. Samuel is an angel who
often comes to earth in human flesh and blood form to be God’s secret agent.
Samuel specializes in persuasion and encouragement of people in a crisis,
refers to God as “the Boss,” enjoys the unpredictability of humans, has a weird
sense of humor, and is a junk food junkie. By design, he often is as unaware of
the Boss’s real purpose as are the humans he comes to help and as a result has
some significant misadventures along the way and even some failures. But he
persists in the certainty that God will put it all to good use, even if
humanity and even Samuel himself don’t see how.
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