Dad in a Box by Mark Spruce
Mark Spruce shares the story behind his debut novel, Dad in a Box, out now at Amazon.
Being part of the Belvoir writers’ group and hearing such great stories from other group members inspired me to really focus on finally writing my own novel. It took a long time for the subject for my story to clearly form but once it had then it began to fall into place quite quickly.
Talking to male friends in their fifties and sixties I realised we all enjoyed relating stories from our youth. Some are funny, some are tragic but they have stayed with us all our lives. The common regret is many of us don’t think to find out about our parents’ stories until after they have passed away. What if we could have the opportunity to discover these stories after they had gone? This was the starting point for my novel.
For many years I worked as a fundraising manager for the RNLI and would regularly hear both amusing and heroic stories from lifeboat crews. Over several years I came to reflect how these stories would become their children’s legacy as so many of them were properly recorded. I would hear friends tell me how they regretted not paying more attention to their own parents’ stories when they were younger and that now it was too late. I certainly knew this to be the case with my own father.
The theme is both specific and common which hopefully gives the book its appeal.
I think the main thing I have learned through the process is perseverance. Some chapters were easier to write than others. Writing convincing dialogue can be really hard! Once it is finally finished though and you see it up there for sale on Amazon it really is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Nothing beats the feeling of first holding a physical copy of your book. Also reading positive reviews from readers is really gratifying.
If you have a good idea then just keep plugging away one chapter at a time. Review, edit, re write and carry on. Eventually you get to the end!
The book, Dad in a Box, is available to buy via Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.
Mark will present practical steps to publishing your own novel via Amazon at our next meeting on 10 November 2020. And, for a musical interlude, head over to Mark’s YouTube channel.
Update 15/11/20: Check out coverage in the Newark Advertiser of Mark’s five star reviews.