READ, Courage, Josh K. Stevens

“If we had to say what writing is, we would define it essentially as an act of courage.”

~Cynthia Ozick

I’ve been very busy over the last few weeks – family, work, children and homemaking have taken a priority.

But one assignment got me pretty excited - a book release! I met Josh K. Stevens about eight years ago when he was working at a local independent bookstore - Read Between the Lynes. I knew about his writing aspirations and even joined him in a writers group for a bit.

Family, children and work pulled us in separate directions, but no matter where Josh went, he always was writing. He never gave up.

So, it is with great excitement that I dedicate this blogpost to his three-book contract! Yes! In print!  He worked incredibly hard. His first book – only available on e-reader – Bullets are My Business garnered the attention of publishing house 280 Steps. When approached by them, he signed on for a trilogy following the life and crimes of Deuce Walsh, former - er, soon-to-be-current - gangster.

I am going to Stevens' release party – April 28! Book one of three, Scratch the Surface, will introduce the world to Walsh and a host of witty characters. I have pre-ordered my copy here so Josh (a daring man of his craft) can autograph it. And, I will get to listen to him read from the book – giving an audible voice to the characters that he formed. Yep, courage.

First off, let me say that it isn’t the type of book I generally would read, but it is written by a friend – and, he never gave up. He courageously kept writing and putting himself out there until his dream materialized. I don’t mind being challenged – or reading outside the box. Now, I have not read it yet; the book doesn’t even come out for two weeks, but it is an adult pulp-noir novel. So, fair warning to my readers – it may be (a lot) grittier than anything I might otherwise recommend;)

Hence this photo I took of him – deep in the heart of our sleepy little town, black capital graffiti-letters encourage passersby to read. And, I am pretty sure that refers to almost anything – a realistic gangster novel, a little old blog post, the drive-thru menu, an inspirational book or the newspaper.

Every person who puts pen to paper (or fingertips to keys, as it were) courageously shares a bit of his soul.

So, some sage advice for all of us:

Read. Appreciate. Be thankful for those who dare to speak the written word.