Guest Post and Interview With Ray Gorham, Author of 77 Days In September

Living With Your Editor

As I came to the conclusion of the second draft of my book, I decided I had probably better have someone with better English skills than myself do a little bit of editing.  In school I had always been a good reader and decent speller, and strong in math and science, but for some reason the rules of English, beyond the basics, never made sense to me.  Fortunately, I have a very talented wife.

Feeling pretty good about my book, I approached her with a 2” stack of paper (I had managed to talk her into editing).   “Prepare to be amazed,” I said (or something equally witty, I’m sure).  She stuck her hand out for the manuscript.  “I’m pretty busy, but I’ll get to it as soon as I can,” she replied.  From the expression on her face, I could tell she wasn’t expecting to be amazed.

Being in need of affirmation after such a long project, I was very anxious to get her feedback.  It was probably only a week, but it seemed like a month before she announced she had the first chapter done.  I eagerly snatched the papers from her hand, expecting to see smiley faces on each page, an occasional missing comma fixed, and a mushy love note at the end of the chapter telling me how wonderful my writing was and how glad she was she married me.

She turned to go make dinner and missed seeing my legs buckle as I glanced down at the first page.  Red ink everywhere!  I stumbled to the bedroom and fell into my writing chair.  With shaking hands I fanned through the 20 or so pages in my hand, more red than black.  My head spun.  I had thought my wife was pretty smart, now I wasn’t so sure. 

Commas, apostrophes, possessives, verbiage, wording—you name it, she nailed me on it.  I opened the document on my computer and started making corrections.  Okay, maybe I need a comma there.  I guess that word fits better.  I’ll trust you on this one.  By the end of the night the first chapter was done, and it was looking and sounding quite a bit better than it had hours earlier.

We did make it through the book, and the final product is much, much better than my original version.  We liked the process so much that we went through it two more times for the book (just kidding about the like part).  In my defense, I can proudly report that there were some pages towards the end of the book that didn’t need any editing, but they were few and far between.

I learned a few things from the process.  A second set of eyes on your work is essential, because no matter how thorough you think you’ve been, you’ll miss a ton.  Editing isn’t personal.  Rules are rules, and no matter how good I think something is, it needs to be said the right way.  Also, English can be learned—she’s been through part of my second book and has commented that I’ve improved greatly on the technical side of writing (hooray for me!).

Finally, I’ve realized why we never hear about people falling in love with their editor.  Agent?  Yes.  Bodyguard?  Yes.  Backup dancer?  Yes.  Director?  Yes.  Fans?  Yes.  Editor?  Not on your life.  I don’t think it is humanly possible to fall madly in love with someone who points out everything you do wrong.  Fortunately for me, I had fallen in love with her years before, so we didn’t have that hurdle to cross.  So my life, and my writing, is much better for it.

INTERVIEW WITH RAY GORHAM:

Welcome today to Ray Gorham visiting with me at Reviews by Martha’s Bookshelf.

Hello Ray -

I thought your guest post was figurative until I read it and realized it was literal. That is great to have such support and assistance.

I have to tell you that I remember reading Alas Babylon back in the 1970s and I listened to it on Audible last year.  I enjoyed reading 77 Days in September as an updated perspective on an EMP attack against America through a very engaging story.

Q1.  What inspired you to write this particular story? 

RG: I had wanted to write a book for some time, but was tired of so many books with characters who were not moral people.  I don’t want saints, just people who try to do the right thing, even when it is really difficult.  In this story, I wanted to have people who, in the most difficult situation I could imagine, hold on to their decency, and try and do what’s right.

I very much appreciated the real characters you created and the morality aspects of your story.  

Q2.  What is the biggest obstacle you have to overcome when you want to write?

RG:  Finding the time to do it.  I have several ideas for books that I think could be quite enjoyable, but between work and family I don’t have the time I need to write.  I need to learn to do with less sleep I think, or things will never get done.

I can so relate to that problem. 

Q3.  Can you please share one thing you found surprising or unusual when researching or writing 77 Days in September?

RG:  The trigger in the story is an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP).  I found a report online that was prepared for congress a few years back, and reading their assessment of what would happen in with a low level EMP was way scary.  Most experts predict a mortality rate of over 50% for the entire population after the first year, and yet it is something we never hear about.  I ended up wanting to warn people as much as I wanted to entertain them.  Hopefully the book will inspire some people to become more prepared.

I agree that this is a threat that we tend to overlook or downplay.

Q4.  Do your work career/hobbies/interests influence your writing?

RG:  It’s not really a hobby, but I like to think about life, and God, and people, and some of my reflections come out in the characters and their conversations.  I thought I kept it pretty light, but there have been a few negative reviews referencing those sections.  Oh well, could be worse, I guess.

I was actually a little disappointed you did not include more faith in the ending of the story. Overall though I thought the tone was balanced.

Q5. What are some of the best tips you’ve received on writing and what one tip would you pass on to new authors?

RG:  It’s not really a tip, but I have Steven King’s book, On Writing, on audio book.  I’ve listened to it about three times and it helped give me the confidence I could do it.  In it, he compared writing a story to unearthing a dinosaur, said the writer does the digging and simply uncovers what is there.  It sounds kind of weird, but it worked for me.  For advice, I’d just say sit down and do it, but don’t expect a payback.  I’ve been pretty lucky, but most writers make next to nothing from their efforts. 

I am glad you are pleased with your efforts as I do think you are right that writing is a lot of work often with little monetary return.

Q6.  What do you normally read and what are you reading now? 

RG:  I like history and non-fiction.  I’m currently reading “How the Irish Saved Civilization,” by Thomas Cahill.  I also like Colleen McCulloch’s Masters of Rome series.  I really wish I had more time to read (and write, as well).

Thank you for sharing with my blog readers and me.

RG:  Greatly appreciate your time and interest. 

Find Ray and his book at these links:

http://www.facebook.com/ray.gorham

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/77-Days-In-September/192933520729507

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/67990

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/77-Days-in-September-ebook/dp/B0052T1O6S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312412424&sr=8-1

Book Review: 77 Days In September by Ray Gorham

This is an engaging post-apocalyptic story that gives you survival and moral issues to think about.

77 Days in September
by Ray Gorham

• File Size: 460 KB
• Print Length: 283 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0052T1O6S

Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Post Apocalyptic

My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: May 25, 2011

On a Friday afternoon before Labor Day, Americans are getting ready for the holiday weekend, completely unaware of a long-planned terrorist plot about to be launched against the country. Kyle Tait is settling in for his flight home to Montana when a single nuclear bomb is detonated 300 miles above the heart of America. The blast, an Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP), destroys every electrical device in the country, and results in the crippling of the power grid, the shutting down of modern communications, and bringing to a halt most forms of transportation.

Kyle narrowly escapes when his airplane crashes on take-off, only to find himself stranded 2,000 miles from home in a country that has been forced, from a technological standpoint, back to the 19th Century. Confused, hurt, scared, and alone, Kyle must make his way across a hostile continent to a family he’s not even sure has survived the effects of the attack. As Kyle forges his way home, his frightened family faces their own struggles for survival in a community trying to halt its slow spiral into chaos and anarchy.

77 Days in September follows Kyle and his wife, Jennifer, as they are stretched past their breaking point, but find in their devotion to each other the strength to persevere. 

Review:

I have been enjoying reading post-apocalyptic books and was anxious to read this story when it was offered.
I wasn’t far into it when it made me think of the reality-like quality of The War of the Worlds. The story is set up so realistically I was quickly engaged and pretty much read the book in one day.

A group of terrorists have waited and planned for many years to make a strike that will disable America. The bombs explode miles in space but the resulting EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) impacts all electrical devices causing devastating plane crashes, car crashes and stopping all communication and crippling any business dependent on electricity.

The story shifts between the characters. The reader experiences Kyle’s struggles traveling on foot through hostile cities to get home to his family in Montana.  Kyle shares thoughts and emotional feelings through journaling letters to his family. Alternating chapters show his wife, Jennifer, and their children as they fight for basic survival and to keep hope alive. There are some good, caring people willing to help but that is contrasted with the societal breakdowns shown through the greed and malicious actions of evil people. Kyle faces danger and has to decide how far he will go to defend his meager supplies or himself against evil attackers.

Jennifer faces different problems trying to find food sources for her children and keeping them busy and optimistic in times that bring despair. I felt this part of the story was a little weak. Although different survival, medical and social issues are touched on there is not much depth on these issues.

Additionally both husband and wife face relationship temptation. How does Jennifer fend off unwanted attention from a local leader in the community, a man of power and control? Will Kyle resist the seduction of an attractive woman in circumstances where there are no witnesses and no others to know his actions? The story demonstrates that the EMP damage creates a world where anyone could walk away from their responsibilities, leave who they were and become someone else.

I liked the realistic sense of the story and the easy flow of the writing.  I liked Kyle’s determination and Jennifer’s positive attitude. I also enjoyed how Mr. Gorham shared probable societal issues and he provided a view of faith through good people who were willing to do the “right” things even when it wasn’t necessarily expedient.

I was interested to compare this to the 1950s classic Alas Babylon. 77 Days story deals with more modern losses like cell phones and computers. But primarily this story is distinct in that it focuses on two partners of a marriage and how they cope with moral issues rather than telling the story of a surviving village. I found 77 Days in September to be engaging and entertaining and recommend it to those who enjoy Post-Apocalyptic stories and a book that presents moral issues to consider.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some of Kyle’s thoughts on his way:

I’ve realized in the past few days that we don’t need much to be happy, just good people to be with. Location 2774.

An important lesson to note:

“...We’ve been so conditioned to think that the government is always going to be there to fix things that we expect everything to work out. But now that the government can’t take care of us, we’re helpless to do anything for ourselves.” Location 4677

Thank you to the author and Bewitching Book Tour for providing this book for review. Please enjoy the author Guest Post and Interview that follow.

Part of this book takes place in Montana for my Where Are You Reading Challenge. I will also include this on my ARC, New Author and Post-Apocalyptic Challenge lists.