Blog Archives
Humanize The Experience of Guilt
The Songs of My Family follows a woman who is a wife and mother who blames herself for a car accident that orphans three children. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I think that we often carry the weight of blame, even in instances when it is just an internal struggle, but particularly when we know that others are projecting blame upon us. Myra’s relationship with her own guilt over the car accident was born of the understanding that we’ve all felt this level of remorse and responsibility at one point or another, deserved or not. Myra’s self-judgement is both directly related to the external judgement she is facing and also completely independent of it. Through her struggle with her own culpability, she is forced into recognition that the only way to achieve true forgiveness is to find it within herself. She has to remember that she alone has the power to change her circumstances, regardless of how others perceive them. The goal of the story is to inspire that understanding in the reader, and to create a direct experience that showcases how influential we are and how freeing an act of grace can be.
Myra must come to terms with her guilt and open herself up to healing and helping those that need her the most. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I really wanted to humanize the experience of guilt. I believe it’s one of the most dominant forces that holds us back from our own greatness, and that bringing that awareness to light is the first step towards undoing the faulty belief that our mistakes define us. Kindness dismantles guilt and brings us face-to-face with our true nature, that of love. When we act from love, we remember what is possible and the hope which is ignited through that remembrance carries a powerful punch.
Through Myra’s reluctant acceptance of Emilia’s proposal, she rises above the external perceptions of who she is and creates an internal shift that allows her to step into her own power. All of the other characters who are privy to this gradual transformation are changed by it, too. Her act of kindness, regardless of where it was sourced from, extends outward and helps them all to find those same seeds of possibility within them. I wanted her character to illustrate that, even staring into the face of adversity, the choice to act from love always exists and doing so holds the ability to dramatically alter the trajectory of both our lives and those we interact with.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Although I’ve spoken to it already, most certainly the power of forgiveness was a huge theme throughout. I also really wanted to explore the concept of accountability as an act of self-love and to tackle our tendency towards judgement, oftentimes without ever digging deep enough to understand the bigger picture.
Another theme that felt important to integrate was that of cross-cultural relationships and how our differences can be a source of connection, as opposed to division. Though Myra’s family and Emilia’s family come from extremely different backgrounds and cultures, their shared trauma ultimately leads them to common ground and the understanding that all hearts are created equally. Throughout the story, they each experience highs and lows, extreme ranges of emotion, and the deep desire to feel understood and validated. At our core, we are sharing a human experience, and that recognition creates a lot more peace in the world.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I have a few ideas buzzing around in my head for the next book, but haven’t fully
committed to one, as of yet. I’ve had several requests for a follow-up to The Songs of My Family and it’s most certainly on the table. I’ve toyed with the idea of rewriting the story from the vantage point of Greg, who is absolutely the most misunderstood character. All that being said, the next book will happen, it’s just a matter of when. Whenever it is, my commitment is to continue to develop deeply engaging characters with relatable story lines that speak to the love that is innate within us and the powerful transformations we are always capable of making.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Unjustly carrying the burden of the accident alone, she is forced down a path that will put her face-to-face with the children of the couple she has killed. Despite their disdain for Myra, further tragedy compels the children to ask her for an almost unthinkable act of kindness and what unfolds proves to be the thread that will ultimately reshape the tapestries of both their families forever.
The Songs of My Family is a heartfelt story of courage, resilience, and love that inspires its readers to remember the power that lies in patience and the beauty of second chances. It serves as a reminder that all things happen according to a greater plan and that we each have an inner potential that is best sourced through our deepest challenges.
The Slow Moral Collapse
The Unsealing follows two attorneys as they descend into the world of corruption in the upper class during the Gilded Age. What was the initial idea behind this story, and how did that transform as you were writing the novel?
The Avenging Angel Detective Agency™ Mysteries are what I like to call ‘whydunits’ – not ‘whodunits’ as in the classic Agatha Christie type mystery. I like to explore what motivates people, sometimes very ordinary people, to do extraordinary things. (Many of which are criminal, immoral, or in shockingly poor judgment.) In The Unsealing, I explore the slow moral collapse of two initially high-minded attorneys and friends, who succumb to the temptations of wealth, power, and sex. It’s a very human story, but with the additional interest and complexity of being set in a very different time from our present day and one with very different attitudes toward just about everything.
I find that my characters reveal their stories to me gradually. There are times when something appears in my mind’s eye – a scene, a snippet of conversation, a sound or smell – without any apparent connection to the story I think I’m telling at the time. So I wait … and eventually the connections are revealed, and I write them down. I think of myself more as an observer than as a creator: I am emphatically opposed to making things up. If that all sounds a bit mystical, then I am guilty as charged, but it’s the way it happens to or for me. The title The Unsealing was (in part) inspired by this slow process of revelation, in which the characters themselves share with us more and more of their lives and innermost desires as the book progresses. I hope that readers will enjoy that unveiling of a story that my characters knew all along and which they chose me to write down.
Why choose this place and time for the setting of the story?
I grew up in Buffalo, and have always been fascinated by the place. In 1901, Buffalo and its neighbor, Niagara Falls – were the Silicon Valley of the day: a hive of innovation and bustling commerce across a number of industries. Buffalo was at the time the eighth-largest (and fastest growing) city in the United States, and it was in many ways ‘the place to be’ for the young and ambitious. Today, though, the city’s population is smaller than it was in 1890, while the United States’ population has expanded fivefold, and clearly the centers of innovation have gone elsewhere. How that happened and why – what seeds of decay were sown even in the city’s heyday – is a very intriguing and complex story, and one I like to tell. And that, too, is a human story – how it can take many years for bad decisions or bad karma to catch up to you. But they always do.
What were some of your inspirations as a writer?
I suppose that I’ve always been captivated by the written word’s mysterious ability (not unlike music) to conjure up thoughts and emotions in people I have never met, never will meet, or who may not yet be born. My greatest goal is to transport people to another place and time, show them things they can never see any other way, and then bring them safely back. If I think about artists who have inspired me, Emily Dickinson and Jim Morrison would be at the top of the list. Both of them were obsessed with the notion of peering beyond the boundaries of ordinary human experience and guiding us through those sometimes unusual psychological landscapes – and all at no risk to ourselves, other than a challenge to our settled ways of thinking.
Will this novel be the start of a series or are you working on a different story?
The Unsealing is the first in a series of books, the Avenging Angel Detective Agency™ Mysteries. Some of the characters from The Unsealing will continue on in future volumes, but many new ones will appear – and each book is a free-standing, independent story that does not require that one read the books in any order. That said, I think readers who follow along as the books appear will be rewarded with a deeper appreciation of the back-stories of their favorite characters. But it’s by no means a requirement. Thus far I’ve completed four Avenging Angel manuscripts, and they’ll be published over the next two years or so, and I’m working on the fifth now. If readers enjoy them, they’ll keep on coming.
Author Links: Website | GoodReads | Instagram
Named BookLife “Editor’s Pick” – “… Written with grace and power, capturing the moment that electricity lit up the world …”
Love, Lust, and Murder in the Gilded Age …
Buffalo, New York, 1901 … a muscular, young city, Queen of the Lakes … The Electric City … where the money spent to build Newport mansions and Park Avenue townhouses is made, plays host to the world’s greatest fair, the Pan-American Exposition and its 8,000,000 guests. Yet the city is only weeks away from disaster, when a crazed anarchist will assassinate President McKinley.
And less than a mile from the spectacle of the Pan-American, a web of love, lust, and intrigue is forming within the elite enclave of Ashwood. Alicia and Edward Miller may be one of Ashwood’s most envied couples, but inside the walls of their luxurious home, a toxic malice is brewing. When simmering and sultry Alicia falls for dashing Ivy League attorney Arthur Pendle, on whose mysterious income he and his longsuffering wife Cassandra – facing demons of their own – live fast and high, infatuation soon curdles into something sinister and obsessive.
Meanwhile, the beautiful Sarah Payne – who from girlhood has dreamed of becoming a detective – struggles to find fulfillment in a man’s world. Trapped in a loveless marriage to a dissolute dentist — who has become dangerously dependent on ether and alcohol — Sarah befriends the unhappy Ed Miller and is drawn into the deadly drama inside the Millers’ disintegrating marriage.
When Edward comes into possession of a trove of explicit letters from Arthur to Alicia – love letters, to be sure, but also a confession of much darker doings – he and Sarah, along with the Pendles, are plunged headlong into a deadly whirlpool of official corruption, graft — and murder.
Inspired by Buffalo’s true crime ‘murder of the century’, in The Unsealing Robert Brighton recreates a world at once utterly strange and strangely familiar. Pitting detective against detective, husbands against wives, and set against the backdrop of Gilded Age splendor and excess, The Unsealing is a gripping, psychological tale of forbidden pleasures and fathomless pain.
Contains three original interior scratchboard illustrations.
Join Robert Brighton on a journey into the real Gilded Age in an electrifying tale of scandal, love and murder – and the birth of the Avenging Angel Detective Agency. Get your copy today!
My Own Version Of The Legend
Time’s Daughter follows a modern-day schoolteacher who is taken back to 1875 and finds herself in the middle of a conflict between a handsome plantation owner and his greedy stepbrother. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I grew up in a small parish in northeastern Louisiana that back in the day had over 100 plantations. Stories about old plantation houses and their owners fascinated me. A true story about a man who was driven out of his mind by someone he trusted captured my attention. I quit a job I loved supervising student teachers at the University of Texas at Dallas to write my own version of the legend.
Christina Forsythe is an interesting and well-developed character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I knew she would have to be a strong woman to survive in another century. | wanted to give her a character flaw that she would overcome by the end of my book. Christina was prejudiced against mental illness because of her father’s bipolar condition. By falling in love with a man people referred to as a madman, she was able to overcome her prejudice.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I wanted to explore a man’s love for his daughter and how far he would go to keep her safe. Other themes include good versus evil, never giving up, and Justice.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m currently working on Take Only My Love, but | have also published Sidestepping the Truth, a gentle romance novel, The thirteenth Apostle—a thriller, and two contemporary novels: Conveniently Married and Winds of Fate. |’ve co-authored two children’s books, A Horse for the Heart and Mystery of the Swamp Lights.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
To Honor The Good Times
Kings of the County League is a stirring and fun story sharing your experiences as one of the members of The Kings of the County League. What inspired you to write this sports memoir?
I gave a large part of my life—18 summers—to the league immortalized in this book. When my playing days ended, I felt the proper way to honor the good times, the guys, and my long-time manager—a man who gave his life to the game—was to write this book. The process a labor of love and I couldn’t be more proud of the product.
Was there any research that you had to do to ensure you got the facts of the story correct?
It is a work of nonfiction and based primarily on the accounts of the characters. Where archival information was available, I relied on it for information, quotes, and the foundation of parts of the narrative. While I relied upon a number of sources, most of the research came from revisiting in memory those not-so-long-ago events.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Set against the backdrop of a small German town in Illinois just minutes from the big city, the story charts the history and fortunes of one manager, one baseball club, and one summer in mid-western county league baseball. It is a funny and poignant story that reminds us of the real meaning of summer, friends, and America’s favorite pastime. The book also contains over 100 pages of pictures and stats encompassing the 60-year history of the club.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
I want readers to be entertained and at the same time appreciate the down-to-earth characters and unadulterated brand of baseball depicted in the story.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook
Kings of the County League presents baseball unadorned, a game sweet enough to lure ex-big leaguers, grown men married with kids still living for the occasional square-up, college upstarts dreaming of the pros, and the blossoming high school hopefuls looking to hang with the “big boys” every summer to the scorched, dusty sandlots in the middle of America’s heartland.
Set against the backdrop of a small German town in southern Illinois just minutes from the big city, the story charts the history and fortunes of one manager, one baseball club, and one summer in town vs. town, you versus me mid-western county league baseball. The funny and poignant story reminds us of the real meaning of summer, friends, and what was America’s favorite pastime.
A Simple Act Of Kindness
Oliver the Oyster and the Pearl Gifts follows a curious oyster who goes on an adventure to discover how acts of kindness can make a difference in the world. What was the inspiration for your story?
It is my personal belief that the world we live in only gets harder each and every day. As such, I want children to feel inspired, and encouraged to always help those around us. Everyone, even the closest of our loved ones, can all use a simple act of kindness from time-to-time.
What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
Some of my most favorite books have always had some sort of historical or learning aspect to them. Books like Dan Brown’s “DaVinci Code” are loaded with tons of true and made-up facts. Books like that have always inspired me to want to learn more about what they were discussing.
In my own way, I also wanted to incorporate some learning moments. I wanted my story to flow in such a way that children learned something, without knowing that they were learning something. Sort of like how your parent may have hide a vegetable in something that you were eating as a kid and you didn’t realize it at the time.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
Children’s books should not just be fun, but they should also be inspiring, encouraging, and slightly educational. Those were my goals as a writing in this book.
Where does the next book in the series take the characters?
New to the harbor is Clara the clam who has unfortunately experienced some sad moments in her life. However, with the help of her new friends Oliver the oyster, Cathy the crab, and Miriah the mermaid, Clara discovers the secret to living her life full of happiness regardless of anything that has happened or could happen.
Author Links: Website | Instagram
Maximize Their Success In Life
How To Be Successful In Life helps readers discover their Unique Success Power and shows them how to use it to achieve greater success in their life. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I wanted to share the most valuable lessons I have learned in life with other people who might benefit from this knowledge and wisdom. I have worked with hundreds of business and individual clients for more than 40 years and observed that many of them did not know their unique strengths (a.k.a. success power), so they were sometimes frustrated and sometimes underperforming as a result. I would like to help all readers minimize their frustration and maximize their success in life. This book is also driven in part by my faith which teaches, “Love on another” and “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”
What is the biggest obstacle that people face in discovering their Unique Success Power?
Many people view personality assessment tools like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the VIA Character assessment as interesting tools when they encounter them, but very very few integrate their unique personality and character into their life’s work and success journey. Even reviewers of this book have said, “I may go back and take those tests later” perhaps viewing a test as something they might be graded on. Although we do not call any of these assessment tools “tests,” because there are no right or wrong answers, still many people perceive them this way. Instead they should think of them as “power tools” that can help them be more successful in life, happier and more fulfilled.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
- Understanding and managing the 4 internal and 5 external success factors which enable you to create your own Unique Success Power System.
- How to turn visions and goals into concrete action that gets things done.
- How to understand your mind and take control of your thoughts for greater success.
- How to take care of your body, emotions and spirit.
- How to have better relationships with other people.
- Keys to effectively managing your finances.
- Managing success in daily life, one day at a time.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
A better understanding of how to be successful in life, and a strong belief that they can indeed be more successful – even achieve great success – if they follow the guidelines in this book.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Do you want to achieve greater success in your life?
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Achieve success day by day by taking control of your time, actions and mindset.
No book can guarantee success, of course. The problem is, so many other “success” books are based on the billionaire achievements of rare people. They say, “Do what I did and you can be successful like me.”
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You are truly a unique person!
You need to better understand your uniqueness and build on it – that is your power!
That is how you can best succeed!
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Based on 40 Years of Real Success Consulting
Author E.W. “Buck” Lawrimore has over 40 years experience as a success consultant for individuals and companies. He earned a degree in psychology from Davidson College and has studied success, the mind, brain, self-knowledge, and self-control throughout his career.
A former news reporter, he has written four other books as well as thousands of news articles, websites and brochures.
He has helped hundreds of organizations and individuals increase their success and satisfaction in life.
He has also read and analyzed thousands of books and articles about success methodologies and combined the most effective discoveries with his own real-world experience into what really works!
Much of the information and insights in the book you won’t find anywhere else.
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Defining Your Success and Power
To many people “success” means wealth, fame and power.
But actually success can be a much wider range of things.
You are capable of many different kinds of success.
Focusing on the kind of success you want is critical to attaining it.
The key to attaining success is concentrating your resources on your greatest opportunities.
That’s where your power comes from.
Instead of doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and making no progress…
You concentrate your resources based on your 9 key success factors…
And focus them like a laser beam on your greatest opportunities.
What are your 9 key success factors?
The 4 internal success factors of mind, body, emotions and spirit
The 5 external success factors of relationships with people, finances and other property, your work, your leisure activities, and your interaction with the environment.
These 9 life success factors cover everything in the world that might impact your success!
A Literary Titan reviewer had this to say: “…This informative book is a must-have handbook written by an author with practical knowledge about how things work for personal and business success. I found helpful advice on my mental potential and focusing on physical and psychological stability. I love every aspect of this book, and it is hard to highlight my favorite sections. The Simple D method of decision-making, connecting with God, and rediscovering that our mind has infinite power and how it directly influences our journey was exciting. This is one of my key takeaways from this book. The central theme of this book is controlling your thoughts and thus changing your destiny because whatever we think becomes our reality…”
Are you ready to get going on your Unique Success Power journey?
Took On A Life Of Its Own
Murder at Manzanar follows a private eye with a knack for finding things others cannot who ends up uncovering more than he anticipated. What was your inspiration for the mystery that must be unraveled?
2022 was the 80-year anniversary of the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II. I had been reading quite a bit about it and wondered how I could weave it into a story. As part of my research, I came across how many Japanese families had to just walk away from their homes and businesses never to see them again because of unscrupulous people, who conned them out of everything they owned. They were only allowed to take what they could carry when they were dispersed to various camps around the country. It wasn’t until 1990 that the US government paid out reparations to those who survived the internment camps. I thought about how interesting it would be to see how one Japanese family was conned out of their business and how the wrong came full circle to the detriment of the person who stole it.
How did the mystery develop for this story? Did you plan it before writing, or did it develop organically?
It developed gradually and I had some input from one of my Tai Chi students who happens to be a Buddhist priest she told me about a story that she thought would be interesting for a book and I asked her if I could use part of it and she gave me the permission to do so. From there the story took on a life of its own and I just put down on paper.
Was there a reason why you chose this location as the backdrop for your story?
The backdrop for my story is pretty much the same as all of the Polish Dragon P. I. stories. They, mostly take place in Northeast Ohio where I was born and raised. On occasion, Tom or Suzie may travel away from Ohio but always return to their home state. I like to share little tidbits about where I grew up. People don’t realize what a great place Northeastern Ohio is to live in. Things have changed over the years and Cleveland is a top vacation destination. It even has quite the food scene for all of you foodies out there. Right now Cleveland has three chefs who were named semi-finalists for the James Beard award. Time magazine calls the James Beard award the Oscars of the food world.
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers next time?
The story has continued with two more novellas following Murder at Manzanar. They are The Dragon is Missing and Finding Ami. In these two books, Suzie gets more of the spotlight, especially as the first title states Tom ends up going missing and Suzie must find him. In Finding Ami, she has to do a lot of the work because, well let’s just say Tom was out of the picture. I hope everyone enjoys reading them as much as I like writing them.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Twitter | Website
Trials Over Tragedy
Create Destruction follows a 12-year-old boy with parapsychic powers who is turned into a tool at the hands of a scientist with evil plans. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for this story was derived from attempting to have a compelling antagonist who constantly makes the protagonist and the reader think twice about things. Being that I wanted my characters to have great depth and resonating personalities, the antagonist, Dr. Larson, had to almost be stronger than the protagonist, Thomas. Hence why Dr. Larson is so assertive and authoritative despite creating a weapon more powerful than he could dream. Thomas of course being a child and having a sense of innocence that is slowly stripped away from him compels a reader to root for him even though the philosophical points are brought up by the antagonist. Thomas’s inner thoughts are meant to hopefully be the questions we sometimes ask despite being presented answers. Ultimately, I wanted readers to identify with both characters, each acting on two ends of the scale, but only one of them willing to tip it in his favor.
What were the morals you were trying to capture while creating your characters?
For starters, I wanted Dr. Larson to embody evil in such a way that we as humans knowingly do evil things in order to discover something new. This is often disguised as curiosity and the all-consuming need to know the unknown. Dr. Larson just happened to find a way to manipulate a child and a parent desperate to help his child find his identity in an uncertain time in history. Thomas on the other hand is meant to encompass the humanity and innocence of children. As a parent, one of our main goals is to preserve that innocence as long as possible without sacrificing understanding and reality. Thomas, like so many, had to succumb to violence and torture to find his identity and purpose. Tragic as it may be, the idea of trials over tragedy is what Thomas’ father attempted to instill in him so that he could grow from his experiences.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The two biggest themes I wanted to explore were control and choice. The irony is that they go hand in hand but when they are separated, they encompass two different influences. I felt these were powerful themes that resonate in our modern world, two concepts that all humans struggle with and experience throughout their entire lives. Dr. Larson being the one in control, brainwashing Thomas into believing that he no longer has a choice in his own decisions is a metaphor for the unquenchable thirst for power. All men who have power seek to have more of it and Dr. Larson creating a human bomb to use at his will is a form of control few will ever experience having. Meanwhile, Thomas constantly throughout the story appears to be stripped of his ability to chose by the overpowering control Dr. Larson has over him. While this seems to be the case, it is also meant to show that not making a choice is still choosing to do so. One can only make a choice or not make a choice by having control, symbolizing that we are all in control of our own destinies.
Where does the story go in the next book and where do you see it going in the future?
The next story in the Destruction Series is Destroy Creation and is the culmination of the consequences that fall upon Thomas from his past choices. Following a historical fiction timeline that puts Thomas at the center of the Sudan Crater, formed in 1962, he must learn to navigate life with these parapsychic powers. He crosses paths with two influential individuals who grant him perspective and love. It is not without tragedy, but the trials Thomas endures with people he grows to love shapes the conclusion of this story into a message I believe all should know and understand.
Author Links: Website | Instagram | GoodReads
LITERARY TITAN 