Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I must admit, I knew that I should be writing. Instead, I tried to do life different. It was a twenty-year dream to write a book, and the first monumental fear to overcome was actually starting. Authors face fears of many kinds, but if they don’t sit down and start writing, nothing will ever happen. In 2018 I suffered a traumatic brain injury that put me on the couch long enough to realize I needed to be writing, and haven’t stopped since. My first novel, “The Convergence,” is a dimly lit reflection of what my life lost in tragedy can become when God changes your eyesight. After that book was very successful, I continued writing, figuring I should write about what I know best, and decided to do a self-help booklet to help people through the struggles of wrestling grief. I lost a spouse in 2008. I know how hard life can be at that point of loss. I wanted to help as many people as I could to get through grief and loss. Now, just released last September was my memoir, an inspirational read of how a life lost in despair can be ignited, given hope, and lit for all the world to see. I want my life to mean something to others, inspire them, and see that there is always hope.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is “All That the Locusts Have Eaten: God’s Redemption Through Loss and Heartache.” After my accident, which fractured my skull in two places, I felt all the burden and pressure to be something I couldn’t be anymore. There was at least some permanent damage to my brain. I had already suffered the loss of a spouse, a divorce, and a church split, but now losing my health seemed like too much to bear. I was bound to a recliner 24/7 and became isolated and vulnerable to depression. This memoir is my true story of how I was lifted out of that dark hole of hardship and set on a new course of empowerment and purpose. I’m nothing other than an ordinary guy. If my life can be used to mean something, anybody’s can.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I suppose that of all my favorite places to write, sitting on the floor is the best. I’m not sure why. I have a desk. I have an office to write in. I have a kitchen table. I don’t know why those places don’t seem to be as productive as a floor, but when I sit down on the living room carpet, it seems like things flow better there than anywhere else. Of course coffee is another requirement.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
As far as authors, I admire a few people, but for different reasons. My mentor is one who has sold himself out to live for a cause higher than himself, and I highly respect him for it. Going all in is something when focusing on your life purpose is something I will always be thankful for learning from him. I admire a woman by the name of Ann Voskamp, though I have never met her, because she speaks my language, and I can identify with the words and pictures she paints in her books. I have been influenced by Kristin Hannah, because I love her style and the arrangement of the craft in her pages. Finally, I am inspired by Joni Eareckson Tada and Amy Bovaird, who both were dealt a bad hand of cards in life, though didn’t let it defeat them, turning to writing when life turned against them.
What are you working on now?
Currently I am working on a novel titled “Wonders In The Deep.” In my opinion it is the best work of my writing career, and I am extremely passionate about its debut. In the hands of editing right now, I hope to release it early 2021. Sometimes the most valuable lessons in life are learned at the hardest cost, and in this story spotlighting a grandfather and a grandson, they both learn things in unexpected fashion. It is a reflection of my own life, an allegory in ways, as I try to pass on the single most important lesson I’ve had to learn in my own personal life. Everybody has struggles in life. It’s what you do with them. Set on the rocky coastline of Maine, there are ships, rough seas, mysteries, and love to unfold.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is a learning curve for me. I’ve tried about everything. It seems that putting on a clean shirt and being in the public eye seems to sell the most books so far lol. I do have a website that is very engaged with people looking for answers. I write about Christian topics ranging from grief and loss to spiritual growth to family life. I get a lot of traffic on the web.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. Don’t stop. Write what you are passionate about. Pour your heart and emotions into the page. Don’t stop until those that read your words feel the exact thing you do.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That’s a tough one to answer. I suppose in all honesty, it was advice that I was given after my first wife passed in 2008. At the time I was bottling anger and a host of other negative emotions. I wrote about this exact point in my life in the opening chapter of “The Convergence,” where I was advised to get my feelings out, no matter what they were. It’s tough to explain without rewriting the chapter, but holding resentment doesn’t do you any favors. God is bigger than the box we try to put him in. Other than that, I hold very close to my heart a Charles Spurgeon quote saying “a Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to a person that isn’t.” Simply makes sense to me.
What are you reading now?
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullevin
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have big plans for book number five. I’m already into it, having done countless hours of research. It has been fun, another fiction inspirational read, one full of positive messages. I’m tackling social issues like disability in modern culture, the dichotomy of trying to live an honorable life in a world that lives the opposite yet seems to prosper anyway, and of course, a bit of a love story as well.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
First, the Bible. It is my inspiration, my roadmap, and the breath in my life. Second, my novel coming out soon Wonders In The Deep. I’ve read it five times now and it still does it for me each time. After those two, probably Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and Hemmingwey’s Old Man and the Sea.
Author Websites and Profiles
Chuck Carr Website
Chuck Carr Amazon Profile
Chuck Carr’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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