FICTION FRIDAY

JOHN 3:16 BLOG TOUR

FEATURING SIDNEY FROST

This is week one of John 3:16 Adult Fiction Book Tour. Over the next seven weeks I'm going to introduce you to seven excellent authors. By learning who these women and men are I hope that you will be more than interested in the stories that they have to offer you.

Today I am introducing Sidney Frost, author of Where Love Once Lived.  

1. When did you first know that you would be an author?  My earliest memory of writing is when my sister decided we would publish a neighborhood magazine. We were living on Pete's Path in Austin at the time, so I had to be about twelve years old. By publish, keep in mind the magazine was handwritten and each copy was handwritten as well. So there wasn't a wide distribution and the magazine only lasted for a summer. When school started we were too busy to continue it. But I remember getting to write and I remember the encouragement from my sister.

2. Who are your favorite authors? For many years, my favorite all time author was James Michener. I love the way he researched and covered a geographical area in a way that made it come alive for me. As I studied writing, I read only books that were similar to what I wanted to write. My favorites at that time were Jan Karon, Dee Henderson, Philip Gutley, and Elizabeth Berg. Now I'm reviewing books for several publishers and belong to a neighborhood book club and I read books by a variety of authors.

3. Share with us your journey to publication? I've wanted to write for so long. I don't know where to start. I had some non fiction articles published n the 1980s plus a computer book in 1983. But, I've had an idea of an novel that I've carried around in my head since the 1960s. I even tried to to write it a couple of times. I finally decided to wait until I retired so that I would have time for what seemed like a monumental task. Then, I realized I didn't know how to write a novel. So the next step was to take online classes.

Four years later I had a good start for what eventually became Where Love Once Lived. It won several manuscripts contest, but I couldn't find an agent or publisher, Finally, in 2010, I decided to publish through a print-on-demand publisher, CreateSpace. I'm glad I did. The book is doing good and is currently #6 top rated in Amazon's Kindle Edition in the Religious Romance.

4. What advice do you have for aspiring authors? I am often asked how one goes about writing a novel and getting it published. All I can tell them is my own experience. However, I can add where I made mistakes so they can skip some of the trial and error I went through. For example, one thing I learned too late is that you should know the market before you start writing.  I didn't know what genres were or what publishers were buying. It may have made it easier to get published if I had studied the markets first.
Another thing I tell people is to take classes. Not just for what you learn from instructors, but for what you can learn from reading your classmates' works and what they say about yours.

5. Have you explored interracial themes in your writing? I am the father of three children and I was a single parent with full custody for many years. I taught my children to be color blind. I believe in total equality of the races and believe that it is only possible if differences were noted at all. When my daughter started dating a black friend in high school, some of my friends were shocked. Not me. Because I knew she wasn't doing it for any other reason than the fact she cared for the person.
In Where Love Once Lived, there is a black family and an interracial marriage. I hope it comes across as realistic. I've had more comments about that part of the book than other parts and people have even asked abut a follow up book to find out what happens next.

6. Tell us about our future projects? I have completed another novel. It is Christian fiction, but it fits more in the mystery/suspense genre. It is called The Vengeance Squad, and it is about a young college professor who uses computer knowledge to track down the people who killed his fiancee. The book is complete and is in the final stage of getting ready for publication.

Thank you Sidney for sharing your experiences with us. If you are interested in learning more about Sidney or would like to purchase a copy of Where Love Once Lived you can find him at:
http://sidneywfrost.com
http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Sidney-W-Frost/131589900213725
http://twitter.com/#!/sidneywfrost  

CONTEST FOR FREE BOOK

Each week you will have the opportunity to win a free book. To participate in this drawing you must answer the following questions about the author that I have just interviewed. The winner will be announced on next Friday when I feature another author of the John 3:16 Adult Fiction Blog Tour. The prize is a Free Copy of HOME AGAIN: STORIES OF RESTORED RELATIONSHIPS.  The question is:
What is the name of Sidney's wife? Hint: The answer is at his website. http://sidneywfrost.com