You may wonder why I continue to promote “Fifty-Three Weeks.” It’s not to make money, because I probably won’t. Writers invest money as well as time in this work (someone has to pay the editor and publisher), and it’s rare that a first-published effort turns a profit.
That’s not why I write anyway.
For me, writing has purpose. I feel called to this, just as much as I felt called to preach. Writing for me is a sacred trust, a stewardship. The nearly two decades I spent (and still spend) writing are God’s time and my community’s time, not just mine, and it would be irresponsible to let slip into obscurity.
I write as I preached: with a sense of urgency, because life is finite; there is no time for sleepwalking through it. I’m retired, and I could pull into a shell define by entertainment or hobbies or dreams. But we neither live forever nor can go back for a do-over. That’s why I will put my words out there—about my novel, or any other matter—as frequently as I can.
Besides, it’s not just about me or my book—it’s about the increasingly essential place of writing in our lives. (More about that later).
So I will promote this novel that is for me a rare and wonderful privilege. And I will continue writing—certainly in this and other platforms, and (hopefully) in my next book, and the next.
I’m still promoting “Fifty-Three Weeks.” This is why.
