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Saturday, August 8, 2009

A Fiction Author's Story

The way a fiction author finds his characters, story line, and publisher, is almost as interesting a read as the novel itself. Such is the case of Certified Financial Planner and President of Academy Wealth Management, Eric Reinhold. Eric began telling his children bedtime stories that they enjoyed immensely. This evolved into writing, for which he had no formal education. As a graduate of the Naval Academy, creative writing classes are hard to come by. Eric took a few creative writing classes in high school. He is mainly self-taught, and claims he took to heart the “show it don’t tell it” aspect, so important in weaving a fiction tale.

Eric has completed two of the three planned books in the Annals of Aeliana, which is set to be a trilogy. When asked where his writing ideas come from, he said, “I strongly believe that the people you know, the books you read, and the places you go have a significant influence on your life and have been a great impact on my writing.” The story is set in a real-life town of Mount Dora, Florida. A visit to this picturesque town intrigued Eric, and he felt that every element an author could desire to create a fantasy adventure was contained there. So began his writing journey. It would take him seven years to complete the first novel.

Many people might have given up, but obviously Eric’s belief in his idea, characters, and the faith-filled adventure he created spurred him on. Once his book was completed, the next and very important step was finding a publisher. In 2000, Eric tried to find a Christian publisher. He didn’t have any takers. He finally landed a contract with Creation House, some years later. The book has been a success in many ways, but especially to Eric as he received a three book contract. Originally, Eric had planned a seven book series, and may still write that number of books.

Everything depends on sales. Sales drive the engine of any successful publishing house. Taking a chance on an unknown author is always risky, especially one without experience. But this didn’t stop Eric from trying. He has worked very hard in marketing the books, alongside his publisher, and has some insight in ways that are effective.

Listen to Blog Talk Radio: Information In A Nutshell with Felice Gerwitz as she interviews Eric Rheinhold on Monday, August 10, 2009.
(http://www.WritingandPublishingRadio.com)

2 comments:

  1. I love to see how God leads His children on a creative journey such as writing.

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  2. I interviewed Eric today and it was an amazing session. He shared about his 3 month recovery after open-heart surgery and how the Lord used this time to allow him to make some life decisions. He has completed book 2 in his series, I can't wait to read it! (oh, I mean read it to my children :)

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