About The Runaway Pastor and BREAKERS

Just before The Runaway Pastor was published and released, I had been making chapters of another novel--BREAKERS--available here. Once The Runaway Pastor was released, my attention turned to its promotion. At least for the first month or so.

I'd like to share a bit about BREAKERS (BREAKERS is only a "working title." It could change at any time.) This is a project I've been toying with for about eight or nine years. I used to give myself the week between Christmas and New Years to write. And BREAKERS was one of the first things I began. This was long before I ever thought of being a "writer." I just wanted to play with some thoughts and questions that were playing in my mind. Those thoughts still rent space in my head. In fact, they are even more prominent than when I began writing them.

So, those of you who were following along with the development of BREAKERS, don't think that it has forever been put away. I've had it on a side burner, so to speak. But it is beginning to receive some time here and there as I write about walls between the church and the world, or proper boundaries between those "unequally yoked."

In the meantime, I continue to receive encouraging words and sales reports from The Runaway Pastor. Report after report are demonstrating that people are beginning to understand better the conflicts and trials often faced by pastors. I know of one small group that has passed it around until nearly everyone has read it. A recent review suggests hosting a discussion group centered around the book and support of their pastor.

Keep your reviews, comments and spreading the news via word of mouth going. I continue to hear words of encouragement from people in "the book industry" saying they believe Runaway may just take off.

BREAKERS: First 8 Chapters! And THE RUNAWAY PASTOR Feedback Needed.

Hey, thanks for your interest and for asking for a copy of the first 8 chapters all in one document. BREAKERS is giving us an opportunity to explore on one level the idea of a Christian dating a non-Christian. More importantly, we explore some commonly accepted assumptions regarding how we define "Christian."

So welcome. Click here to read the first eight chapters of BREAKERS! And as always, please give me some feedback on the check boxes below, or via the comment option, or email me at samshill@sbcglobal.net.

IMPORTANT!! Also, I had a nice call from my agent yesterday. Once again, a couple of publishing houses have shown interest in The Runaway Pastor manuscript. I'll keep you posted on any progress, if it comes. If you have read the posted chapters of The Runaway Pastor, then I have a request to make. I need to compile a list of comments for my agent to use. Would you send me a short paragraph on facebook, or comment here or email me at samshill@sbcglobal.net? I would appreciate it.

I'll look forward to hearing from you.

Peace.

BREAKERS: Chapter Seven

Well, here it is...click here for chapter seven of my new novel BREAKERS.

Feedback please...

BREAKERS breakthrough

Wow, it has been a long dry spell for writing on BREAKERS. However, yesterday I sensed I was somewhat "caught-up" on my real work (yeah, right). And I sat down and began to write. Soon a chapter-length chunk of writing was written.

Today I need to work on adding a few things, and doing some first run editing. And later today, I'll hope to post chapter seven of BREAKERS here.

As some of you know, I began putting this book up here because I had written it years ago and thought it would be easy just to plug-in a chapter each week. Well, the book is changing, and yesterday's chapter is a completely new addition. So, what I'm telling you is that I'm not data entry-ing an old book, I'm writing a new one. Thanks for your patience as I move forward with this project. And as always, I want and need your honest feedback.

See you later today--I hope.

Breakers: Chapter Six--Thanks for asking!

Here is chapter six. It was fun to create. I'm re-writing in this chapter, so it's pretty much new...except for Jon. He's been like this for years.

Please comment, check responses and if you are enjoying Breakers, why not tell some friends?

So DIVE IN HERE!

Grace and Peace to you.
david

Breakers: Fifth Chapter! Link below.

Yesterday I was able to spend quite a bit of time writing, and today a friend and I proofed the next chapter of Breakers. So here it is.

As always, let me know of errors. This is fresh, so you will find them.

Hope you enjoy the fifth chapter, and if you haven't read Breakers yet, then all five chapters are here.

I like the way two world views are juxtaposed in the lead characters of the story. I'd love your comments.

Peace.

More Breakers sooner than I thought

I took much of the afternoon and some of this evening and worked on chapter five of Breakers. I will give it another look tomorrow, and if it seems ready, I'll post it up here by Tuesday. However, it could be tired eyes that are thinking it is almost there. Stay tuned, and thanks for your patience.

Regarding the grandchild. Nope. Nothing yet.

Peace to you.

Serpents or Doves? And Breakers Timing

I wanted to link my readers to a post I just read. Such screaming back and forth between emergent and post-modern and traditional and poser people. I like the angle another blogger gave to this. You may too: Check it out here.

Plus, I know it's been a week since I put another chapter up...but this is a special week, you know. I hope to get back on pace next week. Maybe. Probably. Early in the week.

Peace to you. (Unless you need to be serpentine.--If you don't get this, click the link above.)

Chapter 3 of BREAKERS is Coming!

I have chapter three of Breakers in the bag, and plan to post it next Monday--March 23. I wanted to let you know if you checked back in.

I'm not sure how far I'll be going with this. The Runaway Pastor takes some powerful twists and turns after the first chapters, and I've been hesitant to post more than the first seven chapters of it. I don't want to give up too much of a book we are trying to market. But Breakers is a different thing. I probably have an estimated 16 chapters printed on this one, and as I remember, nothing too much is "given away" at the end of them. So I may just go for a while. Or maybe a publisher will jump in and say, "Wow, that's a best-seller in the making! Let's buy it!" Well, if that happens, all of you "comment and encourage" people won't be forgotten:-).

Hey, speaking of publishing, I want to put in a mercenary line or two here. A blog of this sort is a free way for me to have people read what I've written. And a few hundred different people from all over the country and around the world have shown interest in The Runaway Pastor already. That is gratifying, and has happened largely through word of mouth advertising by people like you. Thanks. And, if you like what you read here, please pass the word along. Tell friends, copy and paste the URL to people you think might like this theme.

If you haven't guessed, there is a thorny issue (at least one) in the plot of Breakers. A Christian minister guy is getting somewhat interested in an irreligious girl. This story is allowing me to explore questions of the walls which separate us...especially those that Christians seem to erect that Jesus didn't.

I've spent my life crossing borders of suspicion, culture and class. I've never met a person in which I don't see the stamp of the image of God. I believe deeply in all people--that each of us are potential representatives of the love of God. Breakers is giving me the chance to work out this idea.

By the way, this book probably needs a title besides this working one. Got an idea? Maybe after you read a bit further you will? I've also thought about "Worlds Apart." That feels a bit clumsy though.

Keep your eyes out here next Monday for chapter 3 of Breakers. And have a few friends look in as well.

Peace to you.
David

BREAKERS: Chapters 1, 2 and 3

Hope you had a great weekend. I had a chance on Friday (my day off) to do the third chapter. This has really been fun for me. Like I said earlier, this book crashed with a hard drive several years ago, and I had only printed out a bit of it. I began writing it about 8 or so years back. So Cam and Kenna are like old friends, and they struggle with stuff that interests me. I've always hoped for a chance to get back to Breakers. Thanks for encouraging me along the way. I'm grateful.

You can click here to go and read the first three chapters of the book.

Again, your comments both spoken and written are appreciated. I welcome any suggestions, editing or ideas for the book. Just send them to me here or on my email, which is listed along the side bar to the right. Example, I'm not married to the title of the book. Maybe you would like to suggest another? Have at it.

I'll look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for reading. And if you like it, tell your friends please!

Peace to you.

David

BREAKERS: Chapters 1 and 2 and I think the link works!!!

Well, thanks for your interest. I can't believe how many people have already downloaded the first chapter. Last night, after an incredible day (Worship, performing a wedding for a girl I met the day she was born over 21 years ago, and attending two birthday parties) I had a chance to type in most of the next chapter. I finished chapter two early this morning.

Here are the first two chapters of my first experimentation with a novel--which has been buried for seven or eight years. I call it Breakers.

Grace and peace.

David

BREAKERS: Chapter One

Well, this is bold. Only because we are in "wait mode" for The Runaway Pastor to be marketed, do I introduce a book I've started, lost much of (due to a hard-drive crash) and put away for years.

Breakers is the first book I wrote. I hope I've gotten better since I wrote this--and yes, I've edited a bit as I've typed it back into the laptop. I do love the people of the story. They are kind of like friends I met seven or eight years ago, and always wondered how their story ended. Maybe you can help me decide.

I'm certain there will be multiple/many/a lot of editing errors. But here you go. It's a short chapter, but it is a start. And after posting, I'm heading for a night away with Shelly.

BREAKERS is here----
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhdr3wvs_16hm8czqd2

If you like it, spread the word! You may need another chapter though.

Peace to you!
David