BooksChatter: ✉ My Journey Into Writing

Today author Steven Manchester takes over our blog to tell us about his Journey Into Writing; his latest work is Three Shoeboxes (12 June 2018, Fiction Studio Books, 285 pages), a Women's Fiction novel.

“Three Shoeboxes is a compassionate, accessible portrait of a vitally important topic, PTSD, how it affects the sufferer and the family—and how to find hope and healing.” – Jenna Blum, New York Times and international bestselling author, Those Who Save Us and Storm Chasers

“Three Shoeboxes will linger in your thoughts long after that last page. Steven Manchester has brilliantly woven a story that will touch your heart, twist your emotions, and remind you why he is easily one of your favorite authors.” – Steena Holmes, New York Times and international bestselling author, Emma’s Secret: A Novel

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My Journey Into Writing

by Steven Manchester

When I was young, my grandfather was an amazing storyteller. Although he never put pen to paper, I was awed by the power of words—to make people laugh or even cry. I knew then that I wanted to be a storyteller too.

I’d just returned home from Operation Desert Storm, and was working as a prison investigator in Massachusetts. Needless to say, there was great negativity in my life at that time. I decided to return to college to finish my degree in Criminal Justice.

During one of the classes, the professor talked about police work but nothing else. I finally raised my hand and asked, “The criminal justice system is vast. What about the courts, probation, parole – corrections?” He smiled and told me to see him after class. I thought I’d done it!

In his office, he explained, “There’s no written material out there on corrections or prisons, except from the slanted perspective of inmates.” He smiled again and dropped the bomb. “If you’re so smart,” he said, “why don’t you write it?”

Nine months later, I dropped the first draft of 6-5; A Different Shade of Blue on his desk. From then on, I was hooked. I was a writer.

Today, 25 years later, I have written 17 books, with 4 of them being #1 bestsellers. The vast majority of the time, the ideas for my books come from real-life. I write “feel good tear- jerkers that celebrate the strength of the human spirit”; my books are normally about relationships and the challenges that we all must overcome. And the underlying theme for each is that “none of us is ever alone.”

Now that I’m a seasoned writer and have been blessed with being a dad, I felt it was time to write a book that tackled several topics that are near-and dear to my heart: the negative stigma attached to mental illness (PTSD) and the strength of a father’s love.

Three Shoeboxes—and its message—means a great deal to me. In fact, I feel like I’ve lived most of my life just to be able to write it.

The latest emotional rollercoaster of a novel from a master of tearjerkers and family fiction.