Author Terry Brennan

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
The Sacred Cipher Kregel Publications (July 31, 2009)
by Terry Brennan

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Over the past 35 years, Terry Brennan has accumulated a broad range of experience in both the profit and non-profit business sectors.
His 22-year, award winning journalism career included:
• Seven years as a sportswriter and editor with The Philadelphia Bulletin, at the time the largest-circulation afternoon newspaper in the nation;
• Leading The Mercury of Pottstown (PA), as its editor, to a Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Writing;
• Serving as Executive Editor of a multi-national newspaper firm – Ingersoll Publications – with papers in the USA, England and Ireland.
In 1996 Brennan transferred his successful management career to the non-profit sector and served for 12 years as Vice President of Operations for the Christian Herald Association, Inc., the parent organization of four New York City ministries, including The Bowery Mission.
Now Chief Operating Officer of the National Organization on Disability, Brennan also won the Valley Forge Award for editorial writing from the Freedoms Foundation. His two adult sons and their families live in Pennsylvania. Terry, his wife Andrea and their two adult children live in New York City. The Sacred Cipher is his first novel.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

History's greatest secret could be tomorrow's greatest threat More historically and biblically accurate than The DaVinci Code and just as adventurous as an Indiana Jones movie, The Sacred Cipher combines action and mystery to draw readers into a world of ancient secrets and international escapades.
When an ancient scroll appears in a secret room of the Bowery Mission in New York City, Tom Bohannon is both stunned and intrigued. The enigma of the scroll's contents will send Bohannon and his team ricocheting around the world, drawing the heat of both Jewish and Muslim militaries, and bringing the Middle East to the brink of nuclear war in this heart-pounding adventure of historical proportions. The Sacred Cipher is a riveting, fact-based tale of mystery and suspense.

If you want to read the Prologue of The Sacred Cipher, go HERE
The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0825424267

Music Tuesday - Using Fact to Inspire Fiction

PHOTO Tuesday will return next week - this was too good to put off another week!

Often we hear fact is stranger than fiction. What happens in the real world sometimes eclipses any story we could create. As writers, we always have to be on the lookout for true tales that could inspire our next great story!

To illustrate this, here's the real story that inspired the music, followed by the lyrics to an incredibly beautiful & epic song by Dream Theater:

"Can you tell us something about the Count of Tuscany?"

John Petrucci - "Yeah, that's another example of a story that I shared, you know, something that happened to me that I would tell my friends and family but I never really wrote about it. Yeah, it's sort of hard to follow the story but it's basically a few years ago when Dream Theater were playing in Florence or something and there was my friend who is my guitar tech, he's also wine importer, so he wanted to visit a winery in Tuscany, so he asked me if I wanted to come along. So, yeah, the guy who owned the winery is a count, he wasn´t the count of Tuscany, he is a count of something, anyway he brought us to this winery, it was a very old castle in the hills of Italy, it was very bizarre, you know just really weird stories the guy told, you know, like a mummified saint and a chapel, very strange and weird, I thought it would be great to tell that story, probably make a movie of it!"

The Count of Tuscany

Several years ago
In a foreign town
Far away from home
I met the Count of Tuscany

A young eccentric man
Bred from royal blood
Took me for a ride
Across the open country side

Get into my car
Let's go for a drive
Along the way
I'll be your guide
Just step inside

Maybe you recall
A cannibal curator
A character inspired by my brother's life

Winding through the hills
The city far behind
On and on we drove
Down narrow streets and dusty roads

At last we came upon
A picturesque estate
On sprawling emerald fields
An ancient world of times gone by

Let me introduce
My brother
A bearded gentleman
Historian
Sucking on his pipe
Distinguished accent
Making me uptight
No accident

I want to stay alive
Everything about this place
Just doesn't feel right
I
I don't want to die
Suddenly I'm frightened for my life

I want to say goodbye
This could be the last time
You see me alive
I
I may not survive
Knew it
From the moment we arrived

Would you like to see
Our secret holy place?
I come here late at night
To pray to him by candlelight
Then peering through the glass
I saw with disbelief
Still dressed in royal clothes
The saint behind the altar

History recalls
During times of war
Legend has been traced
Back inside these castle walls

Where soldiers came to hide
In barrels filled with wine
Never to escape
These tombs of oakAre where they died

Down the cellar stairs
I disappear
Like the angel's share
The end is near

Come and have a taste
A rare vintage
All the finest wines
Improved with age

I want to stay alive
Everything about this place
Just doesn't feel right
I
I don't want to die
Suddenly I'm frightened for my life

I want to say goodbye
This could be the last time
You see me alive
I
I may not survive
Knew it
From the moment we arrived

Could this be the end?
Is this the way I die?
Sitting here alone
No one by my side

I don't understand
I don't feel that I deserve this
What did I do wrong?
I just don't understand

Give me one more chance
Let me please explain
It's all been circumstance
I'll tell you once again

You took me for a ride
Promising a vast adventure
Next thing that I know
I'm frightened for my life

Now wait a minute man
That's not how it is
You must be confused
That isn't who I am

Please don't be afraid
I would never try to hurt you
This is how we live
Strange although it seems
Please try to forgive

The chapel and the saint
The soldiers and the wine
The fables and the tales
All handed down through time

Of course you're free to go
Go and tell the world my story
Tell about my brother
Tell them about me

The Count of Tuscany

Now that is taking advantage of an odd, weird, and unique opportunity! (I actually feel inspired to write the full story - except that it's already been done in song.)

Any unique occurance in YOUR life that would make for a fantastic story?

*And for those with some time to kill, because Count of Tuscany is over 19 minutes long, here's the YouTube vidoes:
Recorded live in Miami on Progressive Nation Tour: Part 1 & Part 2
Studio music set to album cover: Part 1 & Part 2

Calling All Bloggers!

Time to sound off! What do YOU consider good Blogger etiquette? What are some pet peeves? And who among your followers is a good Blogger Buddy?

When it comes to Blogger etiquette, returning comments is high on my list. I think that if someone is following your blog and making comments, you should return the gesture once in a while. Leave an occasional comment, follow that person's blog - something!
I see this most often with small blogs. Guess that's why they are still small!

Pet peeve? I understand some blogs receive spam often. (Darn those people - do they have nothing better to do with the day?) So for some, it becomes necessary to install a catch phrase or only allow comments after blog owner approval. However, utilizing both features seems a bit like overkill...
Spunky only gets spammed once a year, so I guess I'm just trusting!

And my vote for great Blogger Buddy? Helen Ginger! She's very generous with her comments and never misses a day in the virtual world. Plus her site Straight From Hel features great posts that are snappy and informative.
No wonder she has so many friends!

Now - YOUR turn!
What manners do you love and what drives you NUTS?
The good, the bad, and the ugly!

Is it Worth the Price We Pay?

This is a guest article I wrote a while back - I recently posted it in my writer's club journal and had many words of thanks for my open honesty. So I am posting it again here at my blog - enjoy!

Is it Worth the Price We Pay?

A four-state book signing tour. A month-long virtual tour. Deadlines looming on the horizon. And a checklist that sprouts two new items for every one we eliminate. Between all the headaches, hassles and constant running, we often wonder if it’s worth the price we pay as authors.

The general public rarely glimpses the unglamorous side of writing. Most people are unaware of the long hours spent creating our storylines, staring at the computer screen until dawn. They can’t conceive of the marketing efforts required of all but the best-selling authors. Our fans don’t realize that we often spend the entire day establishing contacts and composing letter and emails to websites, bookstores, and the media.

The repetitive and occasionally boring tasks required of us really wears on our enthusiasm as well. What began as a passion for writing now feels like work. Our personal lives take a backseat as we attempt to stay ahead of the game. In our profession, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the many details and daily grind.

Besides the time-consuming duties, there are negative aspects as well. The book signing without books when the store forgets to place an order. The speaking engagements cancelled due to lack of funds. The reviewer experiencing a bad life who takes it out on our novel. The pre-taped interview that is cut due to time constraints. These situations can really place a damper on our spirits, causing us to feel even more discouraged.

Is it honestly worth the trouble? This really struck me one day while returning from a book signing. As I crossed a long and lonely stretch of road, Twisted Sister’s “The Price” began to play on my satellite radio. The lyrics echoed my thoughts at the time, and I began to ponder my current path of choice.

Why do we pay such a high price, making so many thankless sacrifices? Certainly not simply for financial gain. I can think of less complicated ways to make money! We don’t do it solely for personal satisfaction. Perhaps that’s the thought initially, but the glow eventually fades. Recognition is pleasant, but we must continue producing if we expect more. None of these factors will motivate us forever.

So why do we pay the price required of an author? The reason is simple – for our readers and those we touch with our words.

How many young writers do we inspire? How many individuals are entertained, their imaginations envisioning the worlds and characters we’ve created? What of those who were without hope until they read our book or heard us speak? We cannot begin to fathom the lives transformed by our mere words. Consider the websites and communities who follow our work, the emails and letters from excited readers, and the fans who drive hours out of their way to meet us in person. These people feel passion and an emotional attachment to our creations. What if our visions had remained locked away in our minds forever because we felt it wasn’t worth the price?

True success is achieved when we affect others in a positive manner, leaving the world a little better than when we found it. There will always be disappointments and stress, but if we can focus on the pleasure and satisfaction our work brings to others, we will persevere. Their joy will fuel our enthusiasm, providing us with a sense of genuine self-worth and happiness. If we lose sight of this purpose, our author experience will be a shallow victory at best.

So, is it worth the price we pay? For the many new friends we make during our journey, our eager fans, and those lives we touch, you betcha!

- Author & Professional Speaker, L. Diane Wolfe www.spunkonastick.net www.thecircleoffriends.net