Check out my interview with John Morgan here!

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To make this fun I thought I’d play a little game and see if you can name the people in these photos. The person who gets the most answers right wins…books. I’ll probably keep the contest going until I get home! Please email the answers to Portraitwriter (at) gmail (dot) com

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6. Please ignore the REALLY bad picture of me and concentrate on the person in the middle!

7.

Well, this will have to do for now. Internet connection is very slow! Please email the answers to Portraitwriter (at) gmail (dot) com

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I met Mike when I first stumbled across his blog Wide-Eyed fiction. His post about excessive violence in the CBA writing caught my attention especially since I just finished reading a book I thought had excessive and unnecessary violence. I began reading his blog and knew this guy had something to say. When a spot opened up to write for Writer…Interrupted, Mike was the first person who came to mind and he graciously accepted my offer to write for me! Then he got cancer, and was scheduled for Chemo the same time his first novel was to release. There was no question in my mind the people at Writer…Interrupted had to step in to help this interrupted writer. We did, and the result is this wonderful blog tour. The rest, as they say, is history, but I’ll let Mike fill you in on everything else!

I was less than three months from the big release of my first novel, The Hunted, planning for this big brouhaha of a launch, trying to get myself organized and in promotion-mode when I got the call at work and the doctor said, “I’m very sorry but you have colon cancer.”

Wow. Stop the presses. Stop life.

Cancer? You’ve got to be kidding. I’m 35, no family history, healthy. You know those medical screening questionnaires where they ask if you’re allergic to anything, have heart problems, smoke, drink, wear glasses, blah, blah, blah? I answer NO to everything. Everything.

And talk about poor timing. I found out on March 17, had surgery April 16, started chemotherapy May 20. My book releases June 3.

Lord? You sure you know what you’re doing here?

Silly me, of course He knows what He’s doing. He’s molding me, shaping me, chiseling away the junk. I heard a story once about a famous sculptor who carved this majestic lion out of solid granite. An admirer asked the sculptor, “How do you do it? It looks just like a real lion?” The sculptor replied, “It’s really not that hard, I just chisel away everything that doesn’t look like a lion.”

In my life, at this time, I’ve accepted that cancer is the chisel in God’s hands, cutting away everything in my life that doesn’t look like Christ.

You’d be amazed at how much your life can change when you’re literally looking death in the face. Cancer isn’t something that will go away in time. It’s not the flu. It’s there to stay and grow and kill unless something radical is done to get rid of it. That’s pretty eye-opening. Pretty humbling. Pretty scary.

So I’m a writer, right? I’m supposed to be writing. Every day. That’s what they say. But how do I fit cancer into my writing schedule? How do I fit cancer into my life?

How? Priorities. When you’re staring death—that repo man from the great beyond coming to collect—in his beady little eyes it has a way of sorting things out. All those things in life that used to be so important, the things I used to fret and worry about, the things that used to spike my blood pressure? They don’t seem so important any more. What’s important is my family and my purpose here on earth. What’s important is making sure I leave some fingerprints when I depart. Fingerprints on the lives of my daughters and wife, fingerprints on those around me, fingerprints on my readers.

Some things have decreased in importance—things I used to think were non-negotiables. And some things have increased in importance. My writing was always been important to me. It’s my passion, my dream, my gift. I love writing. When I write I feel God’s pleasure. But never has it seemed more important than it does now. And not just writing to craft a great story that will keep readers turning pages, but weaving a tale with meaning, with importance, with lasting take-away value. Giving the reader something to walk away with, and hopefully, prayerfully, something life-changing.

And that’s how I know I’m doing what God wants me to do, that He wants me writing. Only the things most dear to my heart survived the “big shake-up.”

Cancer is also a pretty stern schoolmaster. There are lessons to be learned for sure and either you submit to learning them or you’re in for a hopeless journey. Here’s just a few of the lessons I’ve learned.

• My life is but a vapor. Make it count.
• God is in control and He works in some strange and mysterious ways. If I’ll let Him out of that box I like to keep Him in and let Him work, I will see Him do things way beyond even my wildest expectations.
• When I’m at my lowest, at my most helpless point, Jesus is there. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
• My writing is a gift from God, and He has blessed me with an avenue for sharing what He has put on my heart with others. Don’t abuse it, don’t neglect it.
• Pain and discomfort identifies me with Christ.
• There are abundant blessings in even the most trying times. I just have to look for them.
• There’s no better community to be surrounded by than God’s family.

Speaking of community, one thing I’m finding out is that this community of Christian writers is wide-spread, generous, and loyal. We have a common bond (glorifying Christ through the written word) and we take it seriously. There is no attitude of competition. We’re all in this together and we’re all serving the same Master. I’ve been so blessed by the overwhelming support I’ve received from my fellow writers. The prayers, the encouragement, the support have been awesome at times. What greater testimony, right? By the love we show one another the world will know we are followers of Christ.

Thank you, Gina, for letting me throw down some of my random thoughts and feelings. I could go on for hours about my experience with this cancer and how it has affected my life and writing. Thanks for letting me take a few minutes of your time. It really comes down to this: Life is hard; God is good. We only get one shot at this thing called life so make it count.

Thank you, Mike! You have already ministered to me (through this cancer) in ways you’ll never know. And I’m certain you’re ministering to people you’ll never know! I will continue to pray for you as I hope my readers will also! Readers, you can read more about Mike, his book, and battle with cancer in my interview with him. Mike also blogs at Writer…Interrupted on the first Monday of the month.

Review: Though I was in the middle of reading two other books, when I (Gina) got The Hunted in the mail I couldn’t help cracking the book open. Several days later, I shut the book. Not because I couldn’t get into it, but because I FINISHED it! That’s right. I can’t believe I read a book in less than a week! In fact, I would have finished it last night, but I couldn’t keep my eyes opened any longer.

The Hunted grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let go. Joe Saunders left Dark Hills long ago, but returns when he learns his nephew is missing. What he discovers is incomprehensible. A rogue lion roaming the woods and terrorizing the town? In Pennsylvania?

Joe, along with Maggie who knows more about the “secret” than she lets on, is pulled into the mysterious and deadly attacks on the residents of Dark Hills. As he draws closer to the truth, he must choose whether or not to draw closer to the God who has let him down.

I was intrigued with the storyline and the “secret” plaguing the little town of Dark Hills. This book kept me reading way past my bedtime! The writing was exceptional for a debut novel and the pacing kept me turning pages. Though I’m squeamish with “bloody” descriptions and not a fan of “horror,” The Hunted didn’t overdo the violence (way to stick with your convictions, Mike) and told what was necessary for the story. Bravo, Mike!

WATCH THE VIDEO TRAILER:

READ: The Hunted First Chapter:

Sorry, I don’t have a copy to give away, but you can get your own here!

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 I don’t know how I found Mike on the internet, but when I started reading his blog, I knew he had something. I was drawn to his words, his faith, and his love and integrity in his writing. And since I love suspense, I felt right at home at his blog. After reading his blog for a while, a spot at Writer…Interrupted opened up and I knew without praying about it that I wanted Mike to write for me. In about six weeks Mike’s debut novel will hit the shelves. What should be one of the best times of his life is now shadowed by the fact Mike’s been diagnosed with cancer. You can read more about it on his blog and in this interview, but I wanted to take this opportunity to ask for your prayers for his surgery on Wednesday. Depending on how the surgery goes, they will decide if radiation and chemo is necessary! Thanks for your prayers and look for a future post highlighting Mike’s debut novel, The Hunted!

Tell us a little about your family and your call to write.

I’ve been married to my wife, Jen, for ten years and we have three beautiful daughters ages five, seven, and nine. They’re a lot of fun. We have good times together.

As for my call to writing. Well, I can’t say “I always wanted to be a writer.” I didn’t. In fact, all through school I hated reading, writing, English class, literature, and anything else associated with those topics. My call was very sudden and I can still feel the nudge as if it were just last week. Ten years ago my brother-in-law was in a serious motorcycle accident and landed himself in a deep coma with a prognosis of death or, at best, persistent vegetative state. Jen and I went to the hospital to visit my sister and Darrell and left distraught, angry, confused, you name it. I didn’t know what to do with the emotions I was having and I remember feeling a sudden urge to write them down. So I did. I grabbed a pad of paper and pen and started pouring my heart out on paper. Now, I’ve always stuttered and have had a hard time expressing myself verbally but when I released my emotions on paper I felt a freedom I’d never felt before. I could say exactly what was on my heart and in my mind and say it fluently! I’d found my voice and I haven’t stopped writing since. Oh, and by the way, Darrell proved the doctors wrong, pulled through, and is doing just fine now.

How did you get your first “writing break?”

In 2006 I attended my first writer’s conference in Philadelphia (Greater Philly Christian Writer’s Conference) with a proposal for a completed novel titled The Hunted in hand. I went fully expecting to land a contract (yeah, I know, how foolish of me). Not because of pride, but because I had prayed and prayed about it and really felt like the Lord was going to do something at the conference. I had studied fiction, read books about writing, practiced and practiced and thought I had a quality manuscript to pitch. Man oh man was I disappointed. I met with three editors and an agent and all of them basically said thanks but no thanks. I was bummed. But I still had a critique scheduled with novelist Kathryn Mackel so I knew there was at least some hope for maybe a little encouragement before heading home. Kathy not only encouraged me but offered to endorse my book and help me find an agent. A couple weeks later she referred me to an agent friend of hers, Les Stobbe, who agreed to represent me. A few months later Realms Fiction of the Strang Book Group showed interest and a couple months after that they were offering me a contract. Whew! Looking back on how the whole process unfolded, I’d be an idiot not to recognize God’s hand in it, how He was orchestrating things so perfectly. As he always does.

What do you write and why this genre?

I write supernatural suspense. Why? Because I’m weird. No really, I grew up glued to the TV set whenever The Twilight Zone was on and later when the X-Files aired. I loved monsters and creepy things and have always been intrigued by phenomena like Big Foot and the Loch Ness monster. I have a very active imagination and writing in this genre allows me to let it run loose, let that leash out and give it some freedom to do its thing. And so far, so good, except for the occasional, “What in the world is going on in your head?” question I get. But hey, it’s all good. I know I’m weird.

Do you have any recent contracts and up coming releases?

My novel, The Hunted, is releasing June 3 and I just signed another contract with Realms for my next book, tentatively titled Scream, and tentatively due to release Winter of 2009. Watch for this one, it’s a real . . . scream. Corny, I know.

What do you hope to accomplish through your novels?

I want people to not only be entertained by a good story but to see God in a totally different way than they’re used to. I want them see God outside that box they’ve put Him in, to see Him as the all-powerful, all-knowing, yet oh so personal ruler of the universe and heavenly daddy. I want them to be encouraged to let God unleash His power in their life.

And now for the tough questions…

How do you balance being a dad, husband, writer, and working?

With a heavy sigh and a lot of prayer. Sometimes I feel like I’m burning the candle at both ends and the flame is centimeters from my fingers. I’m one of these Generation X dads who like being involved in the every day chores of the house: laundry, ironing, bathing the kids, cleaning up after meals, you know. It would be really nice to be a full-time writer but that’s just not where I am so I have to make the best of the time I have. I’m careful not to take time away from the family or my responsibilities at home to write.

When do you find the time to write, and do you ever feel like you’re neglecting your wife and children when you write?

At my regular job I work three ten-hour days and two five-hour days. On the five-hour days I usually stay after and write at work (the office is closed and quiet) for a couple hours. Other than that, I get up early (4:30 or 5:00) every morning and get a little writing done. If Jen takes the girls out shopping or something I use that time too. With all the other things going on in life I have to squeeze writing in where I can. So far it’s worked out okay.

How do you handle interruptions in your writing life?

Hopefully with grace. It’s hard because when I start writing I get in kind of a zone, a rhythm, and any interruption breaks that. It’s then hard to get started again. That’s day to day. Big picture, I don’t know what could be more interrupting than being told you have cancer. On March 17^th I found out I have colon cancer. Since then, life has kind of been put on hold. I’m slowly getting back into the regular routine while fitting the cancer treatment in where I have to. I’m getting some writing done, but not near as much as I’d like. I have to accept that, though. God has me going through this particular trial right now for a reason and I want to take time to make sure my family is nurtured. I’m also seeing the importance of just being with God and finding what He’s teaching me in all this. It’s been a trial, I won’t downplay that, but I’m trusting that when this is all said and done and I’m back to keeping my regular schedule that my writing will take on new meaning and dive to new depths. I’ll appreciate all the more the gift God has given me and want to use it all the more to glorify Him.

How do you position yourself to HEAR God’s voice when all the noises of life are swirling around you?

I get time alone. Sometimes it’s in my car, sometimes it’s taking a walk, sometimes it’s just hiding in the bathroom at work (don’t tell my boss). I know when I need some time apart, and I have to be creative with how I take it. There is time, though. It’s a priority thing. I used to teach the singles Sunday school class at our church and I would tell them, “You find time for the things you really want to do. Everyone finds time to eat. No matter how busy my day is, I find time for food. I can also find time for God.” My favorite thing to do, though, is be in God’s creation. I love the outdoors (and this is reflected in my books), taking a good hike or just sitting by a lake. That’s when I hear God the best.

If you do feel your priorities slipping, what do you do to get back on track?

Ha, usually I don’t notice them slipping and Jen is the one to say, “Hey, Bucko, you’re leaving us out.” She’s good about keeping me in line like that. It normally happens when I’m particularly engrossed in a certain point of my book and I just don’t want to stop writing. I’m feelin’ it, you know what I mean? And I don’t want to loose that feeling, that groove. After she brings it to my attention, I try harder to make sure family comes first, then writing.

Has there ever been a time God told you to set aside your writing to focus on other areas of your life? If so, how did you handle that?

Um, yeah, right now. As I mentioned above, I recently found out I have cancer. I took that as God saying pretty loud and clear that I needed to set writing aside for a season and focus on other things, things like my relationship with Him, my relationship with Jen and the girls. It’s been a real time of seeing the important things in life again. Not that writing isn’t important. For me, it’s very important. But it’s not the most important. I’m hearing that message. I’m also noticing all the time we spend fretting and gnawing our fingernails over mundane, silly things in life. Cancer has focused me, and as I stated before, when this trial is over, I’ll be a better person for it. One other thing, I’m learning things about myself and God that I don’t think I would have learned otherwise. God is good and gracious and takes us by the hand, leading us through valleys to show us more of Himself.

Did you ever feel like you’ve “missed” God in regards to writing, that maybe you should be doing something else?

No way, writing is a passion and I know it’s from God. In the movie Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell tells his sister, “God made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure.” Well, God made me to tell stories, and when I write I feel His pleasure. Indeed I do.

What advice would you give to writing dads who have their hearts set on publication?

Never give up. Never. Give. Up. 100% of writers who are published didn’t give up. That’s the truth. Now, that being said, realize that getting published isn’t everything. God may have something else in mind for you. Maybe your calling is just to write for your church newsletter and minister to the folks who read it. Maybe it’s just to write for your family. Don’t downplay where you are now. God can use you to reach someone else anywhere and in any form. And really, published or not, isn’t that what it’s all about? Really? Sure you can reach more people by getting published, but there might be one person that God wants you to reach through your writing. And that one person makes it all worthwhile.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Thanks for this opportunity, Gina! It’s been an honor to share my heart and a small slice of my life.

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Tell us a little about your family and your call to write.

I am the husband of one beautiful wife, father of four awesome kids, and the so-called master of one very dumb dog. My calling to write is hard to pinpoint. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been prone to get lost in music and in my peculiar imaginings. So I think rather than a specific calling to write, I’ve been harboring some sort of artistic discontent, a sort of infernal itch to communicate through creation, since I was a little kid. I’ve tried many things to scratch it, from playing in rock bands to making people laugh to eventually scribbling down stories.

How did you get your first “writing break?”

Wow, I really feel like the whole journey has been one long series of breaks. Even the setbacks (with the obvious benefit of hindsight) were more like steppingstones. I’m sitting here wracking my brain for a single instance, but the thing I keep coming back to is the idea of ‘emotional’ breaks, the internal stuff.

The outside stuff—getting an agent or a contract or even a great compliment—are wonderful milestones. I really do cherish those things. But I think our biggest breaks happen when we’re in the writing zone, some small insight that comes billowing out of the steam generated by all that furious typing, when we write something that we know is either true or beautiful, something we didn’t know we knew until we typed it. Those are always precious gifts to the writer and need to be treated as such.

What do you write and why this genre?

My answer is confusing, but honest. I don’t know what genre I write (and I’m not entirely sure anyone else does either). And please don’t hear me saying that’s necessarily a good thing either.

I think (for me, anyway) the ‘why’ part informs the ‘what’ part, instead of the other way around. I want to write stories about characters I love. So I really don’t think about genres at all when I’m doing the work, not even a little bit. What I focus on is trying to stay as true as I can to the characters and their stories, then figure out what to call it later.

I guess in some ways it’s like raising kids. We want them to be healthy and happy and to pursue God’s best. But if we’re honest, we don’t know exactly what that’s going to ultimately look like. Because every kid is different and God calls them all to different things. And in the case of my daughter, she won’t even keep the last name I gave her forever.

(And yeah, I think I not only over-spiritualized what should have been a simple answer, but I also pandered to the theme of the website by working child-rearing into an answer about writing! Sorry?)

Do you have any recent contracts and up coming releases?

I do indeed…my first novel, My Name Is Russell Fink (Zondervan) releases Feb. 15 or thereabout. My second novel, Return Policy (Zondervan again) is supposed to release later this year. After that, who knows? But if everyone reading this interview will simply buy one copy of my book for every single person in their church, then I’ll have more contracts and book releases in the future!

What do you hope to accomplish through your novels?

Wow, that’s a really tough question. And my honest answer lands somewhere between “I don’t know” and “a whole lot of things at once.” I guess my hope is that my writing will resonate with readers in at least two ways: 1) that the reader will get at least a little of what they came looking for (story, humor, pathos, an escape, truth, beauty, tears, romance, an escape, etc.), and 2) maybe a little something they weren’t expecting too.

I think the story Nathan told David is a good example. The story ‘worked’ on a surface level. David got it, was moved by it. But then there was a little more to the story than he first thought. I like that.

And now for the tough questions…

Wait, they get harder? I’ve already bled once and cried twice. What are you trying to do to me here?

LOL! Sorry, pal. It’s the price you pay for being published and interviewed here!

How do you balance being a dad, husband, writer, and working?

It’s all about priorities and time management. Which is hilarious, because I’m terrible at both!

God has to come first, then my family, then my obligations to friends and my day job. After all that comes the writing. Ideally, there will be natural synergies among those things. For example, I want my kids to really know me (and vice versa). And I think we can all agree that life is (or should be!) messy. So when you mix all that up, I hope my children will watch and learn by observing Daddy’s juggling act—the successes AND the failures. As much as possible I try to make this a team effort with my family. (My kids talk about my characters like they’re real people.) I’m sure I mess it up a lot. Thankfully, there’s enough grace and humor to grease all the moving parts and keep things moving forward.

When do you find the time to write, and do you ever feel like you’re neglecting your family when you write?

My writing schedule is a bit flakey…and a tremendous tribute to my wife and kids. When I get home from work, it’s dinner and family time. The best days are when I’m totally present and involved during this time. Once the bedtime rituals are complete (pj’s, brushing teeth, reading, praying), I lay down with my kids and take a thirty-minute nap. After that, it’s mommy and daddy time, which invariably involves hot tea and bill-paying. I usually start writing just before 10pm and go as long as I’m able.

How important is a support family to your writing career?

I’m not sure they have a word strong enough for that. Vital?

The day my family starts to suffer as a direct result of my writing will be the day I retire from writing.

How do you handle interruptions in your writing life?

I’m fortunate that I don’t have to deal with a ton of interruptions (unless drowsiness counts!). Most of the time I’m the only one awake. But they do happen and the only thing I know to do is to just try and have a sense of humor about it. Oh, and leave pens and scraps of paper strewn all over the place so I can write down those shifty thoughts before they get away from me.

How do you get back into the flow of writing after you’ve been interrupted?

Again, I’m fortunate in this regard. But I think it’s the same with all interruptions, big or small. You just have to roll your sleeves up and get back into the story. I’ve found that the best solution for most any writing problem is more writing.

How do you position yourself to HEAR God’s voice when all the noises of life are swirling around you?

I’m sure I need to do a better, or at least more consistent, job with this. But when things are going well, it just seems like the antennae is poking up just above all that swirling chaos we call life. So although I may not ‘be still,’ hopefully I’ll still ‘know that He is God’ even amid turmoil.

If you do feel your priorities slipping, what do you do to get back on track?

Hah, I really had to think about this one. But it’s funny, the answer is painfully simple. I don’t have time to do anything but the priorities. And since I love my life, and thus, my whole list of priorities, I’m always doing them.

Has there ever been a time God told you to set aside your writing to focus on other areas of your life? If so, how did you handle that?

Not entirely. But yeah, there have been lots of times where I’ve had to forego writing to deal with something more important and/or urgent. But going back to your question about priorities, these are easy decisions to make. My deadline for book 2 required some major rearranging and sacrifice from my whole family. But I would have easily missed my deadline if it meant doing damage to the ones I love most. The reality was that we sort of made it a team effort. I really believe my kids can see the value of hard work and pulling together and sacrificing a little for the greater good. And it’s funny, when time is shorter for whatever reason, we tend to relish the time we do have together even more.

Did you ever feel like you’ve “missed” God in regards to writing, that maybe you should be doing something else?

No, and it’s funny…if anything, I sometimes wonder if I “missed” the calling to write. It’s easy to look back on what might have been obvious signals to take up writing. But I liked music and sports and girls and more music and napping way more. For instance I once had a college professor who was always after me to pursue writing. He even asked my permission to send one of my assignments to some journal somewhere. And it was accepted and published! But frankly, I didn’t care. I never saw it and I have no clue what the publication was called. So feel free to either roll your eyes or call me a moron…or both?

What advice would you give to writing dads who are have their hearts set on publication?

Actually…I would suggest a slight tweak in that heart setting. I’m about to be published and it’s a huge honor. It’s humbling and scary and wonderful and all those things that I probably thought it would be. But…getting published wasn’t really ‘the point’ when I started all this writing. So it would be a little disingenuous of me now to make out like it was. And as cool as a publishing deal is, it’s still not the point. In fact, it could easily distort the point if I’m not careful. I always had my heart set on writing well. Getting published is a fine goal, but it should never define who we are as writers. There are a lot of great things about being published. But it has its downsides too.

I have this friend who can write circles around me. Her name is Jeanne Damoff and I don’t know if she’ll ever get a publishing deal or not. I’m not even sure where that ranks on her list of things to do. But I don’t think of Jeanne as ‘not published yet’ or even ‘one who deserves to be published’. I think of her as someone who adores stringing words together. I think of her as a great and good steward of the gifts God gave her—wisdom, insight, pathos, and a killer sense of humor. Her talent is utterly enviable and I have no doubt that her words will inspire and engage and amuse lots and lots of people, whether she gets the nod from a big publishing house or not. Part of me wishes that for her. But then I remember that that’s between her and God. The thing is, I don’t need a publishing house’s stamp of approval to confirm what I already know, that Jeanne is a great writer.

And for the record, I do realize that Jeanne is a mom, not a dad.

Anyway, I wasn’t meaning to parse the question or diminish the goal of publication. But this is such a fickle and subjective business. And I just hate it when I see a writer lose his or her joy. If God calls one to write…and he or she loves the writing…then whatever happens as a result will be pleasing to God. And that’s a pretty darn good goal in and of itself.

I’m beginning to see the truth in your words in my own writing journey. I’ve always known I was a writer, then the publishing bug hit and is slowing wearing off, which is a good thing. It’s allowed me to slow my pace and enjoy life and family instead of striving endlessly for that elusive book contract!

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Nope, I’m sure I’ve said too much already. Okay, yeah, there is at least one more thing…Thank you!

Thanks for having me here. And thank you for your constant striving to remind us to be good parents first. That’s a good, good thing.

Thank you! Through your interview you’ve reminded ME to be a good mom first! Even though you’ve shared from the perspective of a dad!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michael Snyder has spent the bulk of his professional career in sales, has fallen in love, and continues to struggle with the balance between art and vocation. He’s never investigated a murder, much less that of an allegedly clairvoyant dog.

Be sure to check back on Monday for my first ever Writing Dad i interview with Mike Snyder!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Russell Fink is twenty-six years old and determined to salvage a job he hates so he can finally move out of his parents house for good. He’s convinced he gave his twin sister cancer when they were nine years old. And his crazy fiancée refuses to accept the fact that their engagement really is over.

Then Sonny, his allegedly clairvoyant basset hound, is found murdered.

The ensuing amateur investigation forces Russell to confront several things at once-the enormity of his family’s dysfunction, the guy stalking his family, and his long-buried feelings for a most peculiar love interest.

At its heart, My Name is Russell Fink is a comedy, with sharp dialogue, characters steeped in authenticity, romance, suspense, and fresh humor. With a postmodern style similar to Nick Hornby and Douglas Coupland, the author explores reconciliation, forgiveness, and faith in the midst of tragedy. No amount of neurosis or dysfunction can derail God’s redemptive purposes.

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