To open this can of worms…
Announcing the re-release of my novel, “The Seventh Thunder.”
The concept is massive. So much so it initially scared agents and publishers away.
A few years ago I used this novel as my calling card to find a new agent. Leveraging the endorsement of my former editor at Penguin-Putnam, I hit up 11 big-name New York agents with the pitch.
All eleven said, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, that they liked it. Three said they were certain it would be published. But not with them involved.
All eleven took a pass.
It was too big. Too provocative. Too rooted in fact, it would make people uncomfortable. Davinci Code uncomfortable. Which made no sense to me since that book sold over 80 million hardcovers.
Too often this business doesn’t make sense.
Can a concept be too big?
Depending on the genre, yes. If you don’t soften it with other things. And if you don’t play to the expectations of the genre’s audience.
The key in any genre is causing readers to suspend disbelief for the ride, and to use enough real-world elements to prop up what seems to be a leap. In sci-fi and fantasy the sky is the limit in this regard. But within a contemporary thriller, certain boundaries are in play.
My secular thriller, The Seventh Thunder, was pushing those boundaries.
In the story I leveraged a lot of real-life elements, which in and of themselves seemed like fiction. A hidden code within the original texts of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible; this has since been disproved by experts, but many still believe in it). A publicity-shy group of ultra-wealthy and powerful Christian men based in Washington (they allow the women to serve at their luncheons) who lobby world leaders to believe as they do. (Here’s a link to a 2003 Harper’s article about them.) Terrorist factions that justify their actions with radical Jihadist belief systems.
Then I pushed things by inserting a mysterious character who may or may not be an agent of something that is more than human. It’s an apocalyptic thriller (though secular, it’s not a “Christian” novel in that sense), after all. Angels and demons do have a role in such things.
And then I added a whopper of a “what if?” proposition.
There is a verse from Revelations (10:4) in which John is transcribing visions of the end of the world, using cryptic language and bizarre images to describe what he saw but couldn’t understand (how could a man who lived 2000 years ago possibly describe an Apache attack helicopter firing air-to-ground missiles?). Seven bowls. Seven trumpets. Seven scrolls. And then, finally, the seven thunders.
But then he is instructed by the angel who is delivering these visions to him to seal this up and “write them not,” because by the will of God no one can know these things, which will come to pass at the end of days.
I always wondered what it was that he saw. Logic says the visions would indicate when, where and how the prophesy would been ignited.
I considered writing a novel about the Rapture as described in Revelations (two guys named LeHaye and Jenkins beat me to it), and wondered what kind of spiritual mess I’d be in if I guessed at it and somehow came too close.
And then it hit me.
This would be the conceptual heart of my novel.
I would wrap my fiction around these real-life elements. In my novel a grieving author writes a book that speculates what those visions were. He looks at the unfolding world geo-political stage and takes a calculated guess at it.
It would soon become clear that he came too close.
When his book emerges from the slush pile and gets viral media buzz, it sends powerful forces of good and evil — one side seeking to eliminate the book and it’s author before publication, the other wanting nothing more than to thwart the will of God and put it on Page 1 — into a frenzy of desperate action.
Because what he wrote is already in play in an election year, with dark agendas and huge consequences on both sides. Suddenly he is the pawn, even a lynchpin, in a global and perhaps supernatural tug of war, with everything at stake.
Big, right?
And it seems ripped, as they say, straight out of today’s headlines. In the upcoming election year, you’ll wonder if there is a little divine intervention going on, given the spooky level of real-world relevance, and considering the book was written in 2008 (then updated for this new issue).
Behold the resurrection… of this novel.
I eventually landed an agent, then another agent, and then a small publisher. The book won an award (2010 “Best Thriller,” Next Generation Indie Awards), and shortly thereafter a larger publisher (Turner, who also published Deadly Faux) scooped it up, and here we are.
The book was re-republished yesterday, December 2, in paperback, hardcover and, coming very soon, on Kindle. It can also be found in select Barnes & Noble stores; if its not there they will order it for you.
I hope you’ll give it a read and decide for yourself.
Think big. Never give up.
There is always, especially in this evolving marketplace, a second chance.
*****
You may know that I offer story coaching services, using an assessment and evaluation strategy that identifies strengths and weaknesses in your story plan (a separate service evaluates partial and complete manuscripts, as well), rather than an ongoing creative partnership over the development process itself. Re-checkups do serve this purpose, but the focus is really problem and opportunity identification and development.
I’m extensively revamping my story coaching programs , giving them more focus and value. I will be rolling them out in the new year, and will update you here when ready.
In meantime, if you are looking for a creative coach to help mentor and work with you as you develop and write your novel, I recommend my friend Jennifer Blanchard. She’s created a process model which includes one-on-one time with her, and upfront guides to targets and criteria, over a 90-day window. It’s something I recommend and whole-heartedly put my name behind.
Using both services — hers and mine — becomes a double-barrel strategic attack on writing the best possible book you have in you. But either, used alone, will greatly enhance your chances.
Contact Jennifer HERE to learn more, sign up for her newsletter and get in line to win a free 90-day coaching program.
20 Responses
Hi Larry,
Your book sounds interesting! Would give it a read, for sure. Too bad the giveaway contest only applies to the US, I understand the reasoning, but disappointing all the same. I will be looking for it on Kindle with the others!
Larry: Please don’t let your wife read this because I love you, I love your ideas and all your inspirational posts. I loved you when you came to our Tara retreat. You gave us so much valuable information that I took home with me …Thank you. Lynette
Hi Larry
I’ll have to check this new book of yours out for sure.
Writing about the history of humanity is daring and I applaud. Collective religion is intertwined with history like they invented humans. Ancient texts and mythology much older than the Bible make researching the Bible a very interesting task. On Earth we’ve got everything from the world is 2000 years old to alien intervention. It’s like icecream where vanila just isn’t fun anymore and all bets are off regarding our past.
Too bad people didn’t put as much effort into our future. Google Geo Engineering and you will see that Post Humanism (Google that) will occur in under 50 years from now. Nobody bats an eye with a comment like that because that concept is TOO BIG. Post means AFTER. After Humans…nothing to worry about. Zillions of dollars are being spent this very second to make that a reality.
So Larry, you’re one who writes about “what if” there’s more to Story then “once upon a time” and “the end”. You’re gonna have trolls. Trolls love to knock down someone else’s sand castle but never make their own. I smacked a big Amazon troll with some major questions–and he disappeared under his bridge. Funny but he couldn’t prove his points. Wasn’t even fun mopping him up. Never argue with an idiot.
Movers and Shakers attract trolls. Comes with the territory.
Hold your head up high Larry! You’re actually doing something productive.
Merry Christmas to everybody out there!
Kerry
@Robert – once again you and Mike get a major gold star for your contributions to this site. I’ve had quite a ride relative to snarky reviews over the 8 books I’ve published. On Story Engineering and Story Physics there were some really heinously personal and insulting ones, and I used to interact (using the Comment feature at the end of each posted review)… got myself into some trouble in that regard, I’m a bit of a street fighter when someone throws a punch. Not that I don’t honor negative feedback, hey, people are entitled to their opinion. But when they cross the line, authors are expected just laugh and click away, and that’s been hard. But that’s what I do now.
One guy (you can still find him among the 300-plus Story Engineering reviews, his name is Bunker) said he wanted to come to my house and throw books at me. I invited him to do so, said I’d even send a car to the airport to pick him up. When I suggested that it might not turn out the way he expected, then it was me crossing the line. A long thread of discussion ensued, including people who piled on because I responded at all. (Pretty entertaining stuff, actually). It’s a no-win situation for the author. It’s like a little life seminar, the trolls are out there, and when the vast majority have appreciated what you’ve done, or the effort to do it, that’s the place to focus. So that’s what I do.
Thanks again for being here. I’m revising the site and my story coaching, and hope to increase both frequency and depth of content in 2015, and grow the readership accordingly. My stats have been flat for three years, and other than tweeting my ass off about posts, it’s hard to grow a niche site like this. But totally worth it to be in relationship with the readers who get something out of this. I learn something every time I write a post and read a response. L.
Thanks for pointing out the past reviews, Larry. The majority of them are five stars and sound great. The haters come in at the end, however, and try to spoil the party based on their self proclaimed “superior knowledge” of biblical texts. But I especially love the one review who said you got the story structure wrong based on his views of your own teachings in SE.
That really says it all, doesn’t it? Opinions and interpretations of any text–especially religious ones–tend to vary so greatly that fiction and fact intertwine all over the place. But write a work of “fiction” on the subject, a label that says the story was cut out of whole cloth everyone holds it up for scrutinization. As if their own literal beliefs, if spread out for examination, would have a better handle on such things. Most people don’t.
It’s a touchy subject, so no one can point fingers…except most do any way and call it a “rebuke” for the betterment of your soul. It just depends on which side of the fence you’re standing on.
It’s a beautiful argument. One writers can all learn a great from because we know if our characters are to come across believable, they all need to “believe” their side of the fence is the right one. Belief, justification, if strong enough, righteous enough, really can move mountains–even if millions need to be slaughtered along the way in the name of what we hold most dearly at the core of our understanding. And art imitates life. Or is it the other way around? Is all that we have come to know a world of fact or fiction? Do the lines blur, oh yes indeed, into a third choice called “faction.” Oh, my!
@Mike and @all – anxious (and a little nervous) to hear what you think. I know you’ll be honest, which is good. It’s not for everybody… just like Davinci Code, there were haters right out of the gate.
As a point of interest, the reviews from the earlier incarnation of this are still up on Amazon. Use this title to find ’em: “Whisper of the Seventh Thunder.”
Hi Mike–Dan Brown proves what Larry says about the writing not being the most important aspect of a best seller if you get the other factors right. It was an interesting and controversial concept. Brown managed to get the right balance…with, I’m sure, with a little help from his publishers PR department. I remember some folks trashing the book as if it were presented as some sort of new gospel. I’m sure all that helped too.
I enjoy those sort of “What Ifs,” personally. When they are done right. Lots of folks play around with legendary tales and fail. I think it depends on one’s understanding of the tale and making the “What If” fit into the mold, link up with it on just enough aspects to make it seem probable. Or at least researched well enough to be plausible. But that goes for any work of fiction. It’s all a matter of details and being a good enough liar to sound half convincing.
I’m hoping – and yes, expecting – that it is “Da Vinci big” WITHOUT being “Da Vinci BAD,” this being my only lasting opinion of that book: Bad. The subject-matter, I always felt, deserved the application of considerably more writing talent than Mr. Brown appeared to be able to muster. Larry’s premise certainly sounds excellent, and please DO tell us the moment that the Kindle (and other electronic …) editions are available.
Congratulations. This concept reads Da Vinci big. I’ll be looking for it. Sounds like it would be a great movie too.
Off topic–I would like to ask you to offer a generic beat sheet for all four stages as you did for stage one. I found that post–with the generic Hero does x, faces x, learns x– to be quite helpful.
I am rereading your Story Engineering and Story Physics books. Cannot recommend them enough. Thanks for cutting through the bs.
Best wishes on your book’s debut.
Sounds like my kind of book! Looking forward to reading it – will there be kindle version? Please?
Congratulations Larry! So happy for you. You deserve all the success coming your way. Thank you again for helping me become a better writer. You give me structured hope. Happy Holidays.
When great things don’t become “the next big thing” I remind myself that the iPhone only has 12% of the cell phone market but that doesn’t stop me loving mine.
If your writing isn’t scaring anyone off it isn’t strong enough.
I love this book of yours — and love the story of how it finally got published. Congratulations on this next issue of it — very well deserved.
It gives me some hope that my story will someday find a home. My agent has given up peddling “VIrgin of the Desert”, a story she claims to love — and one that is very close to my own heart.
This is a strange business, isn’t it?
Please don’t raise your prices! My Christmas gift to myself is going to be your full plan–Finally saved my pennies and am excited to work with you.
What a fantastic concept! If it helps any, just know that so many people with good ideas have been ridiculed for the foresight.
Fortunately in this day and age we can take things in hand and give it a “push” to get it out there, despite what “they” think.
Sounds like my kind of book, Larry. Looking forward to reading it. BTW, I recently finished reading “Darkness Bound,” and would totally recommend checking that one one out. It’s not only interesting to read Larry’s early work, but it’s a helluva twisty tale 🙂
I guess, Larry, that it all will depend on how well =you= executed it … if not last time, then this time. Hell, I see no reason (from your description of it …) why it should not be the case that, a year or so from now, you’re “puttin’ on the Ritz” and wondering why it took so damned long for lightning to strike twice.
Or not. (As Han Solo put it: “don’t get cocky, kid!”) 😉
The challenge of “a grand story” is, I think, a very real one: that you must -simultaneously- “have your story’s head in the clouds” AND “its feet on the ground.” The story can easily soar to the rafters but leave its hero behind. Or, the hero can chain the story to the floor. Either one doesn’t work.
When the premise of the story is, literally, “a tale as old as time” … the story of some Ancient Order(ing) that’s (of course) waiting to achieve its Eternal Destiny in (of course) Our Hero’s misfortunate tenure … the usual problem that I have is that: “while the Ancient Plan might be thousands of years old by now, the human lifespan is seventy-odd (in a good century).” The Plan has to have had a plausible means by which to sustain itself, far beyond the scope of human life-span. And yet, the Hero must prove to be Enough Hero to defeat this enemy that he’s encountering (with no advance preparation …) for the first time.
Dan Brown might have made a gobs-a-money doing this, but I personally think that his most-famous novel *sucked* in terms of serious characterization. He sniffed a movie and so he wrote a bunch of “movie scenes,” in which the story made no sense (“I’ve been murdered!” … puh-leeuze …) but the scenes played good. It was fairly straightforward to turn the thing into a script, and he stuffed the pages with details. But he did not (IMHO) stuff the pages with story. His characters spewed “ancient information” that it was never really explained how they could have known.
When the Kindle edition becomes available, I trust that I’ll be able to “peek inside” and read the first chapter or so. Good luck! 😉