Most of you know
by now that I write. The beginning came in sixth grade when my teacher, Sr.
Josephe’ Marie, would give us ‘story starters’. These consisted of three or
four paragraphs on a notecard. After our work was completed or a test was
finished, we could walk up to her desk and take one.
The idea was to
read the three or four paragraphs and then complete the story anyway you wanted
to. I don’t remember whether or not we received extra credit, but every chance
I got, I’d grab one and write.
In 1987 or so, I
had a short story, “Dusty and Me”
published in St. Anthony Messenger. I was ecstatic. I mean, I received money
for a story I wrote and it was actually published. I even received fan mail
(okay, it was one letter from some guy in the Midwest, but hey . . .) But it
wasn’t until 2014 when my first book was published. It was exciting and
overwhelming at the same time.
I think about my
short story and the six books I’ve written, and I remember the rejection I
received from agents and publishers. Honestly, I think I could take all the
rejections and cover a room in my house. Seriously. Stephen King in his book, “On Writing” described how he used a
nail to hang his rejections on the wall over the desk where he did his writing.
There were so many rejections, he ended up using a railroad spike to hold them
all. J.K. Rowling describes herself prior to Harry Potter as being ‘the biggest
failure I knew’.
But . . .
King’s manuscript,
“Carrie” was rescued from the
kitchen garbage can by his wife, who told him to finish it and send it in. The
manuscript was rejected 30 times before being picked up by Doubleday. It went
on to sell over a million copies and become a successful film. J.K. Rowling sent
her finished manuscript to 12 different publishers and was rejected by them
all. A Bloomsbury editor finally picked up the book for an advance of just
£1,500. Her editor suggested she get a teaching job. The “Harry Potter” franchise became one of the best-selling series in
history with over 450 million copies purchased world-wide. Dr. Seuss was rejected
by 27 publishers. John Le Carré’s first novel “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold” was rejected by a publisher with
a remark to his agent, “You’re welcome to le Carré – he hasn’t got any future.”
Isaac Asimov said, “Rejections slips, or form letters, however tactfully
phrased, are lacerations of the soul, if not quite inventions of the devil –
but there is no way around them.”
For me, I keep
focusing on that one agent who will say ‘yes’. I keep focusing on that one
publishing house hoping for the same response. Fortunately for me, I have a
very good publisher so I feel a step or two ahead of some other writers. But I
am quick to recognize where I once was and to some degree still am.
The thing is, our
lives are full of rejection. The job you wanted but didn’t get. The love you
thought you needed and wanted but ended before you were ready for the ending.
The A grade you thought you earned but instead found a big red C on the top.
The concert ticket you wanted but found they had all been sold out.
It doesn’t matter
if you are young or an old fart like me. It doesn’t matter if you are a kid
struggling to find a way in this world or an experienced vet. Rejection stings.
It hurts. No matter the age, no matter the experience, no matter how many times
you or I have succeeded, rejection hurts.
I think of the
kids walking our hallways. I think of some of the adults manning our offices,
our classrooms, driving our buses, preparing the food- all of them, all of us,
have and will experience rejection. All of us, no matter who we are.
Some are better
able to pick ourselves up, dust off our britches and keep moving forward
undeterred. Others, not so much. Kids in particular. They don’t have the resilience
some adults have. They, and some of us, still need to learn that life continues.
That there will be days of rejection and failure, but there will also be days
of acceptance and success. The ebb and flow, the valley and trough. Such is
life, I think. Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
To My Readers:
Connect with me on Social Media:
Twitter at
@jrlewisauthor
Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author
Good News!
Spiral Into Darkness made the finals for Author Shout Reader Awards! I will know in January if it won an
award. It has also been nominated for Top
Shelf Book Awards! That is quite an honor! I’ll find out more yet this
month or early December.
Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer for Midwest Review had
some wonderful things to say about Spiral Into Darkness:
“Joseph Lewis
excels in building more than just a 'whodunnit' mystery. His is a novel of
psychological suspense that weaves a 'cat-and-mouse' game into the equation of
dealing with a killer who is much cleverer than anyone he's run up against in
his career as a detective. Tension builds in an excellent, methodical manner as
Lewis creates a scenario that rests firmly on not just the actions of all
involved, but their psychological foundations. The result is a powerfully
written work of psychological fiction that is highly recommended not just for
mystery and police procedural readers, but for those who appreciate literary
works well grounded in strong characters, plot development, and emotional
tension. Great buildup, great insights, great reading!”
Readers Favorites wrote:
“If you enjoy
thrillers, especially psychological ones, Spiral
Into Darkness by Joseph Lewis will grab you good and proper in the opening
two chapters. You will find yourself avidly turning pages as a serial killer
accosts his victims, confirms their identities and blasts away their faces with
a .38 pistol. If you are interested in both the good and bad sides of humanity
and why we each turn out as we do, Spiral
Into Darkness won’t disappoint.”
Best Thrillers wrote:
“The Bottom Line:
A thoroughly compulsive police procedural by
one of America’s most promising new writers. Joseph Lewis, author of our Best of 2018 pick Caught in a Web, is
back with another crime thriller featuring world-weary Milwaukee detective
Jamie Graff . . . While Lewis savagely explores romance, drama, and sexuality
with his wider cast of characters, Jamie’s interpersonal life is refreshingly
free of drama for a cop, enabling him to be the determined, resourceful rock
capable of cracking the case. The result is a thoroughly compulsive crime
thriller.”
And, Spiral Into Darkness has made it into the Top 50 Indie Books by Reader’s Choice!
You can find Spiral Into Darkness on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2RBWvTm and on Barnes and Noble at https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spiral-into-darkness-joseph-lewis/1129937958;jsessionid=0C9F7881E2F56139FAD36435022CB35D.prodny_store01-atgap18?ean=9781684332090
Best Thrillers had
previously reviewed my book, Caught in a
Web. It was named as a PenCraft
Literary Award Winner for Thriller Fiction! Best Thrillers called it “one of the best crime thriller books of the
year!” I am both proud and humbled.
You can find Caught in a Web on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696
or on Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caught-in-a-web-joseph-lewis/1128250923?ean=9781684330249
Caught in a Web is now available in Audio format. You
can find it at https://www.beaconaudiobooks.com/audiobookreleases/high-school-drug-rings-gangs-and-revenge-are-all-encompassing-in-caught-in-a-web-by-joseph-lewis
If you do read Caught in a Web, Spiral Into Darkness, or any of my other books, please leave a
rating and a review. I would appreciate it. Thanks for this consideration!
Spiral Into Darkness:
He blends in. He
is successful, intelligent and methodical. He has a list and has murdered eight
on it so far. There is no discernible pattern. There are no clues. There are no
leads. The only thing the FBI and local police have to go on is the method of death:
two bullets to the face- gruesome and meant to send a message. But it’s
difficult to understand any message coming from a dark and damaged mind. Two
adopted boys, struggling in their own world, have no idea they are the next
targets. Neither does their family. And neither does local law enforcement. https://amzn.to/2RBWvTm
Caught in a Web:
The bodies of high
school and middle school kids are found dead from an overdose of heroin and
fentanyl. The drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors and the Milwaukee
Metro area is controlled by MS-13, a violent gang originating from El Salvador.
Ricardo Fuentes is sent from Chicago to Waukesha to find out who is cutting in
on their business, shut it down and teach them a lesson. But he has an ulterior
motive: find and kill a fifteen-year-old boy, George Tokay, who had killed his
cousin the previous summer.
Detectives Jamie
Graff, Pat O’Connor and Paul Eiselmann race to find the source of the drugs,
shut down the ring, and find Fuentes before he kills anyone else, especially
George or members of his family. The three detectives discover the ring has its
roots in a high school among the students and staff. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696
Book One of the Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives:
Two thirteen year
old boys are abducted off a safe suburban street. Kelliher and his team of FBI
agents have 24 hours to find them or they’ll end up like all the others- dead!
They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. And the possibility exists
that one of his team members might be involved. http://tinyurl.com/Stolen-Lives-J-Lewis
Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives:
Six men escaped
and are out for revenge. The boys, recently freed from captivity, are in danger
and so are their families, but they don’t know it. The FBI has no clues, no
leads, and nothing to go on and because of that, cannot protect them. http://tinyurl.com/Shattered-Lives-J-Lewis
Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives:
A 14 year old boy
knows the end is coming. What he doesn’t know is when, where or by whom.
Without that knowledge, neither he nor the FBI can protect him or his family.
The Lives Trilogy Prequel, Taking Lives:
FBI Agent Pete
Kelliher and his partner search for the clues behind the bodies of six boys
left in various and remote parts of the country. Even though they don’t know
one another, the lives of FBI Kelliher, 11 year old Brett McGovern, and 11 year
old George Tokay are separate pieces of a puzzle. The two boys become
interwoven with the same thread that Pete Kelliher holds in his hand. The three
of them are on a collision course and when that happens, their lives are in
jeopardy as each search for a way out. http://tinyurl.com/Taking-Lives-J-Lewis
