Felling Big Trees is the story of disgraced Congressman Fran Stewart as he turns to the American heartland to find redemption in the eyes of his daughter and the woman he loves. He has been adrift after losing his wife in a horrific car accident. Trying to free himself from a politically powerful mother-in-law who blames him for his daughter's death, Fran searches for a way to prepare a better future for himself and his teenage daughter, Becky. An innocent misstep one evening leads to political disaster for Fran. Fran travels through heartland towns where no one knows he's a former congressman. Stripped of the detachment that characterized his early years as a congressman, Fran is drawn to an everyman perspective that poses universal questions. What breeds inaction and apathy? How do we jumpstart a deeper connection to the injustices we see every day? What does it take to engender empathy in a meaningful and focused way? How far will we humble ourselves to help those with few resources? Fran has to stand up to prejudices and uncaring established ways. His story and how he relates to those he meets fits well with a time when compassion and tolerance are often overwhelmed by strident tones and lack of basic civility.
Guest Post: Hitting The First Key
There’s a lot to plan when writing. Even before one
sits down at the computer, the mind is at work organizing, conceptualizing,
projecting. I finally sat down and from scraps of paper and unorganized saved
files, produced thirty pages of which I was very proud. I started to write my
first manuscript. Maybe one hundred pages into the work, a friend whose writing
skills I held in high esteem read what I had produced so far. I was devastated
when he told me the first thirty pages absolutely had to go. I almost gave up
right there.
I finished
the manuscript and realized that in the beginning, I had been trying to
manhandle my manuscript, trying to fit it into something that didn’t belong. I
spent a lot of time on those thirty pages, but it was time to say good bye.
I
remember typing the final period on my first manuscript. I was done and ready
to send it out into the world. But I was a rookie and when my friend said “Now
comes the hard part”—the hard part being re-reading, revising, and cutting,
cutting, cutting—I wasn’t sure I could take that. But I did and spent long
hours editing.
Prior
to writing my second manuscript, which turned into my debut novel, Felling Big Trees, I realized that I was
creating my own world as I wrote. I had just retired from twenty-five years on
Capitol Hill and all the interactions with people, the press of events, and the
identity my position brought me were gone. There was a void and I found
developing characters and having them act in ways that advanced ideas and
themes important to me was fun. Every day, and I mean every day, I wrote
something. I’d do 400-500 words and one day, I drained all reserves—just as one
would in a grueling athletic event—and produced 800 words. At the time I was
reading a lot of John Irving and that brought a certain perspective to the
words I wrote. I also enjoyed country music and listened to the songs of Jo Dee
Messina and Brooks and Dunn as I wrote. I’m sure the strange mix of those songs
and the works of John Irving moved my story along in a unique way. Oh yeah, I
also wore an old Yankee hat everyday as I wrote. I’m sure all writers have
concoctions they bring to their desks.
I
remember using one of those cardboard trifolds, the kind you use for science
projects, to record character development and plot lines, then secondary characters
and sub-plot lines to the point where I was so confused I closed it up and put
it away. I used post-its instead, but they kept falling on the floor and any
order was gone. So I went back to the trifold.
In
the end, I wrote 88,000 words and knew the editing had to begin. I did some editing,
but I put the manuscript away for ten years as I acquired a new identity—a
grandfather who watched his grandchildren during the day. When that duty was
over, I mulled over reengaging with the manuscript. I did, and this time sought
a professional editor. Her comprehensive edit lopped off 11,000 words, but she
said that’s not unusual and I shouldn’t be alarmed. We found places to insert
segments that moved the story along more smoothly and strengthened character appeal.
In the end, I was satisfied with what I had written. It is, however, a long
trip from the first key stroke to the last, especially as the last can be so
hard to find.
About the Author:
Rich Garon received both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Politics from New
York University and began a career on Capitol Hill that lasted for more than 25
years. For the last six of those years he served as Chief-of-Staff, Committee
on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives. He currently chairs
the Serve (Outreach and Mission) Committee at the Immanuel Anglican Church in
Woodbridge, VA and coordinates the Homeless Ministry, with an emphasis on those
living in the woods. He was named to the Board of Directors of the Greater
Prince William County [VA] Community Health Center, and conducts mission trips
with his wife, Karen, to Bolivia to support church-building in several areas
including what began as a tent city.
For more information, please visit www.richgaron.com, and connect
with Garon through Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
Felling Big Trees is available for preorder on Amazon and for
immediate purchase on BookBaby.
Continue following the Felling Big Trees blog tour tomorrow with Jackie Mantey Writes Like a Girl!'

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