As it turns out, Brock Booher lives fairly close to me, we are both published through Cedar Fort, and he makes an outstanding lemon pie. It has been my pleasure to have met him and I decided that an interview with this author was in line. I suggest that you keep an eye on this guy because I expect his writing career to really soar.


  
 

Q1: What was your inspiration for writing his particular story?

A1: The stories my parents told me over the years provided the initial inspiration for the story, but I have always pondered the gifts we each have. The book started as a short story that didn't really work that well, but as I researched the ideas sparked by the short story and my parents' stories, I found inspiration a few pieces at a time until eventually I had a novel. I find that inspiration comes from a variety of sources.

 
Q2: Healing Stone takes place in the 50s. Why then?

A2: I chose that era for two reasons - it was the time period of my parents' stories, and it was the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. One provided me with the intimacy I needed, and the other provided me with the conflict and tension as a backdrop. It was an time when the world was simpler and time when the world was about to change  significantly.

 
Q3: Are any of the characters based on real people? 
 
A3: One character is based on a famous revenue man that busted up more moonshine stills than other revenue officer in Kentucky history. I researched his history and tried to get his personality right, but I did have to take a bit of license with the timing and involvement. All the other characters are a combination of people I have met over the years, people I grew up with, and my imagination.

 
Q4: Healing Stone is set in Kentucky. How would the story be different if it happened someplace else, like California?

A4: I don't think this particular story would feel right in California for me. It needed to happen in the South because of the various themes it explores. If it had taken place somewhere else the nugget of the story would be the same, but the themes supporting the storyline would have to be different. Time and place influence a story as much, or more, as characters do. We can often take a familiar story line and change the time and place to give the story a different feeling, but sometimes it doesn't work. For me, this story had to happen when, and where, it did for it to feel authentic. The sequel will use a different time and place to capitalize on different themes.

 
Q5: What does the future hold for Stone Molony?

A5: He has to find his fortune in the world. He has to move through life like the rest of us. The only problem is that he isn't like the rest of us. He has a gift. We shall see what fortune and trouble his gift will bring.

Q6: What makes Healing Stone stand out among the other books in this genre?

A6: I am not sure what genre to put this book in LOL. Maybe that's what makes it stand out. It has the feel of magical realism, religious writing, mystery, and coming of age all rolled into one. I wasn't really thinking of a
genre. I just wanted to tell a story.





 
Q7: What challenges did you have writing this book?

A7: Finding the time is always the biggest challenge. After that it was finding the right voice. Once I found the voice the story just poured out. Then my challenge was finding a publisher that would publish it.

 
Q8: What was your favorite chapter to write and why?

A8: I enjoyed writing the scene when Leck convinces Stone to try and heal a young girl, Hazel, with polio. It brought me tears when I wrote the scene. I love the irony of someone that didn't feel worthy of healing insisting that the healer who didn't feel confident enough to heal should try and heal a young girl with the faith to make it all happen. It was the moment when Stone begins to understand his gift and unlock his future.

 
Q9: What message do you want your readers to walk away with when they finish  
Healing Stone?

A9: I hope that like all good art the reader takes away the message they need most. That could be a message of hope, a message of change, a message self-development, a message of justice, or perhaps a message of faith. I hope that I have layered enough themes throughout the story that the reader can take whatever message they need at the
moment.

 
Q10: What are you working on now?

A10: I am playing with a sequel idea, but I have another manuscript about a young street orphan in Lima, Peru, that gets caught up in an organ-smuggling organization. I hope to
have it ready by the end of the summer. I am always coming up with new ideas...

            
The last couple of weeks have given me the chance to experience a whole new aspect of the author’s journey through life. Author interviews. I have had no less than three of them and they have taught me a few lessons. 
              
Journals of a Healer: Unleash Your Hidden Genius with Mary Blake was the first of my interviews to be released. This is a podcast interview and that meant there was an opportunity to have any tremendous gaffs on my part removed. That certainly takes off some of the pressure of being interviewed, which in turns results in a more relaxed and more entertaining event. 
             
What I learned from this interview is the value of having your answers ready ahead of time. Now, you can’t always predict what the host will ask, but it is worthwhile to have a list of commonly asked questions. I’m not suggesting that you read from a prepared sheet of responses because that leads to a lifeless interview. However, you can think of these questions ahead of time so that you have a feel for how you will answer them, or questions similar to them. One of Mary’s questions really caught me by surprise and I am so glad that the horribly long pause I gave was edited out. 
             
Next was The Good Word
podcast with Nick Galieti. This was actually my first interview, but it was placed on schedule to follow all of the other interviews that had already been recorded. The great thing about this interview was that Nick made it very easy to go through this process the first time. I feel sorry for the amount of editing that had to go into it to remove all of my “ums” and “ands”. The important lesson I learned from this particular experience was that the interviewer really makes or breaks the interview. A good interviewer will usually lead to a good interview. Before you agree to appear on a show take the time to listen to a couple of the interviews to get a sense of the host’s style. 
             
Finally, last week I appeared on live radio. KFNX 1100 AM in Phoenix has the Networking Arizona show with Carol Blonder and it proved to be the most educational of the three interview experiences I’ve had so far. Carol is a true professional. Before the show she sat down with everyone who was going to be on her show and went over what they would talk about. This wasn’t a case of her telling us what she wanted. It was a matter of her finding out what we needed to discuss to help us in our individual situations. On the air she was smooth and controlled the interviews in a good way. What I mean by that is if a guest was stumbling with an interview she picked up on that right away and jumped right in. She also has a great online presence. No matter what was being discussed with the guest she sounded interested, which will make it sound interesting to the listeners. 
             
The best part of my experience with Carol Blonder came after the show. She took the time to help me understand what I need to do to successfully to pitch my book. Any book that I write. Believe me, I took notes. Those notes will be helpful for further interviews and even speaking opportunities. I am going back to do a second show with Carol and when I’m done with that I will post it on the website. Until then, feel free to check out my interviews with Mary Blake and Nick Galieti.