Spotlight - John Banks author of Glorify Each Day

Join John Banks, author of the literary fiction novel, Glorify Each Day (819 Publishing), as he virtually tours the blogosphere September 5 – October 28 2011 on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

About the Book...

Glorify Each Day is a darkly comical novel depicting the consequences of violence in modern American life.  It tells many stories.  Tommy “Teach” Morrison, the novel’s main character, tells the story of his relationship with his childhood friend Charles – a story of a horrible misunderstanding and a story that Tommy can never retell.  It tells the story of Tommy and Cait, a story of shared love and shared jokes, but a story that Tommy has doomed to end unhappily.

Glorify Each Day is the story of how Tommy becomes Teach, a man on a mission and on a quest for redemption – instructor extraordinaire (at least in his own mind) who must become the protector of all the ill-fated youngsters put in his charge.  It is the story of Teach and his father, a crusty, foul-mouthed abuser of everyone around him and proof that nuts don’t fall very far from the tree.

Glorify Each Day is a story about storytelling and the many different ways to tell a story – stories about Teach’s students; about superheroes, Jesus, races, raps, rapes; about a young woman who learns how to forgive her father, another young woman who learns how to forgive herself, and another young woman who learns that she doesn’t need anyone’s forgiveness.  And these are stories that Teach should be able to learn something from, too, stories that shine a light on lives disfigured by violence and loss.

About the Author...

John Banks was born in Asheville, NC.  His storytelling is very much in the Southern tradition, with a special affinity for humorists such as Mark Twain and the Old Southwest school of writers.  Though entirely imaginary, much of the material in Glorify Each Day must have come from his many years as a teacher in the public schools and community colleges of his native state and from the three years he spent as an a community college administrator.

Visit his website at www.819publishing.com or his Facebook Fan Page here.

In John's words...

What follows below is a secretly recorded phone conversation between me and a literary agent whom I called about his possible representation of me, in my so-far futile attempts to land a major publishing deal after self-publishing my novel, Glorify Each Day. The agent will remain anonymous, but suffice it to say that he was from New York and had represented some of the biggest names in the publishing industry.

“I only have a minute to talk to you, Mr. Banks.  I prefer to be queried by email.”

“You didn’t respond to my query, so I’m just calling to make sure you received it.”

“So what’s the name of your book?”

“It’s a novel called Glorify Each Day.”

“I don’t represent Christian novelists.”

“It’s not a Christian novel.”

“Then why the hell’s it called Glorify Each Day? 

“I got my reasons.”

“Well, whatever.  Even if it’s not a Christian novel, everybody’s gonna think it is.”

“Why?  Why make that assumption?  You can’t tell what a book’s about by its title.  What the hell would you think Moby Dick’s about? I used to think Catcher in the Rye was a book about baseball.  You know, like Field of Dreams.”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Mr. Banks.  People can get the wrong idea.  But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  It doesn’t sound like my kind of book, but if you market it as a Christian book, it might really take off.  A lot of those people might really like it.”

“Not if they read it they won’t.”

“Jeez.  I didn’t like the sound of your book when it was Christian.  I like it even less now.  What kind of book is it, anyhow?”

“I don’t know, really.  I’ve been calling it a literary novel, for lack of a better term.”

“Okay, I could work with that.  Not my bestselling material, but I could work with it if it’s good.”

“But I wouldn’t really call it literary.”

“Of course not.  Why would you?  A non-Christian novel called Glorify His Name-- ”

“Glorify Each Day – ”

“Whatever.  And a literary novel that’s not literary.  Is there anything else this book is, but isn’t?”

“I’m just saying, it’s not all highbrow and artsy-fartsy.”

“I don’t have time for guessing games, Mr. Banks.  Could you call it a mystery?”

“I guess you could – but I wouldn’t.  It does have a murder, though.”

“So it’s a murder mystery?”

“No, not really.  You know who done it.”

“Why would you tell the reader who done it?”

“To build the suspense.”

“Right.  Makes perfect sense.  Good luck with your book, Mr. Banks, or your non-book, whatever it is – ”

“Can I at least tell you about the plot?”

“It has a plot?”

“Sure it does.  Lots of plots, actually.  And lots of different characters.”

“Who’s the main character?  What’s he like?”

“Oh, he’s terrible.”

“Is he the murderer?  The non-mysterious murderer?”

“I don’t know for sure.  He’s violent, but I’m not sure I’d call him a murderer.  But he does try to kill a little dog.”

“Jeez.  Maybe not the best plot twist, there, Mr. Banks.  People love their dogs – especially women.  Are you aware of which gender buys most of the novels sold?  I’ll give you a hint – it ain’t men.”

“But it’s a very important part of the story.  It’s crucial.”

“Okay, but I wouldn’t go around telling people about it.  Make ‘em buy the book first.  That’s not something you’re gonna want to publicize about your book.  Save it till the end, if you’re gonna insist on putting it in there.”

“Oh, I put it in Chapter One.  You think maybe that was a bad idea?  I’ve been letting everybody read it as a free sample.”

“Let me ask you something, Mr. Banks.  Are you trying to sell your book, or sabotage it?  I have to tell you, you may have the worst title, the worst main character, and the worst opening chapter of any book I’ve ever heard of.  So now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with a hot pastrami on rye.  Good luck with your book.  You’ll need it.”

 

Thank you John for stopping by and sharing your muse with us all~!!