Authentic Living

It all started when my daughter at the age of 2 or 3, told my wife and I a story about the time she and Jesus went to Mexico to save the chichiwowwows.

Yes you read that right.

There was a book series called Skippy Jon Jones that she loved about a chihuahua and she had quite the imagination. When she told us this, I knew right away I had to turn this into a book.

I'd always loved writing and caught the bug in high school and tried my hand at my first thriller/murder-mystery novel in my early twenties.

So, with the help of my brother, we turned her imaginative story into a fun little picture book and gave it to the immediate family for Christmas. And I thought I was done. But then my brother and his wife began creating ABC/123 books for each of their kids when they turned 1. By the time their third child turned 1, my son was turning 10 and was now the only grandkid out of 5 who did not have a book written for them.

That's when the questions started. "Dad, where's my book?" "Dad when am I getting a book?"

The problem was I couldn't just write a picture book now, I had to write a real book with real chapters. Over the next couple of years I tried several ideas, none of which stuck. Then one day, he came to me and asked, "Hey dad, do you know what lucid dreams are?"

I replied, "I think so, but tell me." There's a parenting tip in there :)

He went on to explain lucid dreams to me - the idea you know you're dreaming, but can affect change in the dream. In that moment a light bulb went off and the idea for Anders Reality was born.

I wrote a story about a boy who on the night of his 14th birthday fell asleep and fell into another world. He soon found out he came from a line of dreamers, whose job it was to protect this other world. My son at the time loved cats, so this world was filled with cat-like people.

I was able to get the book written, edited and published and gave it to him on his 14th birthday. At the same time I thought let's put this out in the world and see what others think. I reached out to a bunch of bookstagrammers who reviewed it. I thought if they all hate it, that's fine, I wrote it for my son and accomplished what I had set out to.

But, the opposite happened. Everyone LOVED it. And I knew then, this is what I wanted to do. I spun up another urban fantasy series that never really took off because even though I enjoyed writing it, I wasn't cut out for fantasy. My real love was and is thrillers, twists, turns, murder.

Crafting twists and chasing shadows is what I love to do. I've always had a passion for thrillers and twists ever since seeing The Usual Suspects when I was a teenager. I hope you enjoyed this background story and I hope you come to find my books are fast paced and leave you on the edge of your seat. I regularly hear comments like, "I was almost late for class", "I didn't want to have to make dinner for my family", "I stayed up way too late telling myself just one more chapter."

If this ends up being you, please let me know! I want to add you to the growing list of those who love chasing shadows! Email me at [email protected].

https://www.adamroachbooks.com/

Suzanne Sitrin

https://vivianokeke.com/

A former editor at Simon & Schuster and Harcourt, Martha C. Lawrence has shaped the voices of some of the world’s most successful thought leaders. As executive editor at Blanchard, she has collaborated with Ken Blanchard for more than 20 years, including on Trust Works!, winner of the San Diego Book Award. Her editing credits include multimillion-copy bestsellers and #1 New York Times titles. She is also the author of an Edgar, Anthony, Agatha, and Shamus-nominated mystery series featuring private investigator Elizabeth Chase.

Life’s Too Big for Small Boxes

The Moment Everything Shifted

Breaking Free, One Step at a Time

Carmell Clark

Master coach, Life Artist, speaker, and author, Carmell has worked with thousands over the past 15 years to influence transformation and behavioral change. Through her latest work and system, Bare Minimum Genius, Carmell is training and mentoring women as thought leaders, global change agents, influencers and entrepreneurs.

She serves on the board of Art in Common, a 501c3 connecting refugee groups and existing communities through art and cultivating relationships.

Dr Tom DeWitt

Darryl Stickel

About Darryl Stickel

Darryl holds a PhD in Business from Duke University. He wrote his doctoral thesis on building trust in hostile environments. Upon completion of his studies Darryl worked for Mckinsey & Company in their Toronto office. Darryl founded Trust Unlimited in 2003.

Darryl has worked with senior executives from a broad range of industries from all over the world. He has served as faculty for the Luxembourg School of Business and the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California. Darryl recently completed his book Building Trust: Exceptional Leadership in an Uncertain World.

His trust model is both simple and insightful. Darryl’s practical experience and deep knowledge of trust make him a powerful thought partner and ally for individuals at the highest level of organizations. His contribution to the field of trust has been recognized by his nomination to the Top Thought Leaders on Trust by Trust Across America; Trust Around the World.

https://www.rafaelmcmaster.com/