What’s your novel about?

I was driving one day in late autumn of 2016 and quite abruptly words formed in my mind beginning with “There was once a man named Mr. Murphy who no one knew, and no one ever saw, but everyone knew was there, and the only one who had seen him, who could say they knew him, was a young woman named Katherine who consequently was feared by many, cared for by a few, and truly known by only one.” Where those words came from was a mystery, and as they rattled through my mind, I realized they only vaguely made sense, but still I wrote them down, and then continued from there.

I wasn’t sure what I was writing. Prior to this, my writing was focused on poetry to express myself, and I had never had any inspiration to write fiction. As the notion of Mr. Murphy and Katherine developed, it caused me to wonder if this was fiction…the idea of this story came from the ethers, and as I wrote and created the place where this story occurred, it came quickly, as though I was merely dictating a distant memory.

Nearly nine years later, the novel is almost complete. Looking back on writing it, through the many years, through the many experiences I’ve had, through the ups and downs, through the times of writer’s block or simply setting it aside to focus on painting; it’s funny to see how the story has evolved from its initial inspiration. And that evolution is even more interesting since evolution is a central theme of the story.

People are often excited when I tell them I’m writing a novel, which is understandable. Writing a novel is no easy feat, even for the poor writer, and most people do not write novels. I feel like the Wow!s  I receive are a similar response to someone saying they’re climbing Mt. Everest, or sailing around the world, or even running a marathon. I’m not saying writing a novel is as difficult as those examples, but I only want to note the interest shown to a similarly unique objective.

While I am excited to say that I am writing a novel, I am almost afraid of the inevitable questions that come when I tell someone – What is your novel about??? Ugggg… I wish I had a simple answer to that question. Over time I have developed a decent elevator pitch and depending on whom I’m speaking to and how much time I want to spend speaking to them, that pitch will have more, or less detail.

The Short Pitch goes something like this: For over 300 years, the men of the Murphy family have traveled to a place that began as nothing and over time developed and evolved from the Murphy’s perceptions and desires. They go there to learn life lessons, though the lessons are unique to each individual and are dependent on the power of their own conscious.

This short pitch often leads to many questions…and that’s why you should read it. Again, I wish there was an easier answer to what the novel is about, or even what genre it fits into. Likely, it will fall somewhere into the realm of Fantasy, though within the pages you’ll find history, philosophy, romance, and possibly a touch of comedy. Like the horizons of my paintings, the story is a bit tilted. You should not be surprised halfway through it, when you set the book down and question the odd scene you just read, nor should you be surprised when you pick up the book again and keep reading. It is that kind of book.

COMING SOON….2026.