Author Spotlight: K. Raymond Rush
On this week’s edition of Author Spotlight, we chat with K. Raymond Rush, author of Dorrance title The Ghost.
Name: K. Raymond Rush
Hometown: New Bern, North Carolina
Book Title: The Ghost
Genre: Christian, action-drama
Dorrance Publishing (DP): Describe your book in 10 words or less.
K. Raymond Rush (KR): Action, drama, betrayal, romance, restoration, salvation.
DP: What made you want to write your book?
KR: No idea. I was standing guard duty at the Ft Drum airport, saw a pad and pen, picked up the pen and started writing what became this novel.
DP: How long did it take you to write your book?
KR: It took about 20 years with interruptions from Sept 11, the death of my son, the death of my wife, grieving, meeting my new wife, a wedding, moving three times, and COVID 19.
DP: How do you choose the names of your characters?
KR: I borrowed the names of friends, family and a couple off of billboards.
DP: What do you do when you have writer’s block?
KR: I wait for the Lord to get me going again. He always does.
DP: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
KR: Actually, it was the last three chapters that unexpectedly ended the conflict, terminated any future threat, and restored friends turned enemies back into fast friends through forgiveness.
DP: If you were stuck on an island and had to have one person from each category with you, who would they be and why:
-One character from your book:
KR: T.Q., the main character. He is the most qualified and best trained to survive both physically and emotionally under those kinds of conditions.
-One famous person (living or dead):
KR: Shakespeare! His writing shows that he thought outside of the box. That type of thinking is what is needed to survive and flourish.
DP: Besides writing, what are your other interests?
KR: Helping other people, helping at church doing staging and repairs, walking the beach and swimming in the ocean, talking to family and playing with my grandchildren, taking walks with my wife and holding her hand the whole way.
DP: Do you keep a journal?
KR: Not in the traditional sense. Several times a week I write in a book/journal that I make “Thank You” notes to the Lord for things I am thankful for. I also started writing poetry around 1978 and since, whenever something exceptional, good or bad, happens to drives me to write. Two pieces have been included in a magazine and several other have been used by churches and clergy.
DP: How did you celebrate the publishing of your book?
KR: My wife, Barbe, and I shared dinner and a toast with wine with some family and friends.
DP: If your book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?
KR: Funny you should ask. I have a list of the main characters with background, physical characteristics, and the basic emotions that drive each character. I would leave the selection of the characters to the director, with my input, which I hope would be Mr. Denzel Washington as my first choice.
DP: What did you enjoy most about working with Dorrance Publishing?
KR: What I enjoyed most about working with Dorrance Publishing was and is the people I come in contact with. They are knowledgeable, they listen, they give great suggestions for marketing and sales to first time authors, and they are sincerely kind. I have found that the last is mostly non-existent in other companies I tried to work with.
DP: Five favorite books of all time?
KR: The Bible, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, The Boy Scout Handbook, and the complete works of Shakespeare.
DP: One sentence of advice for other writers:
KR: Write from the heart, research if you don’t know your subject, be true to your story, and use a reputable company, like Dorrance, to give readers the best chance of getting a quality book.
Thanks to K. Raymond for chatting with us!
