On the Fourth Day of Christmas, Author Frank Acland Talks About His First Book

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, 

Author Frank Acland Talks About His First Book

It was at about this time last year when I got the idea for my book, The Secret Power Beneath. I was walking in the snowy woods with my daughter and suddenly had the thought that I might write a book. I'm not sure what it was about that time and place that gave me the urge, but it was a resolve that I decided to stick to. I only had the vaguest notion about what the subject should be -- it would feature an underground world, and an advanced civilization based on a new form of energy technology. But at the outset I really didn't have a clear picture of what I wanted to do.

The next few weeks and months found me trying to piece together the book scene by scene, chapter by chapter. It was exhausting and exhilaration and the same time, taking much time and energy -- but gradually it fell into place. Plot ideas developed -- characters were added and subtracted, and after about eight months the work was finished. It seemed like the last few chapters were the hardest -- tying up loose ends and coming to a satisfactory conclusion were not easy. The re-reading, proofreading and editing was laborious and tedious -- but it was necessary to get rid of errors and clutter.

Suddenly I found I had finished the book. It was at once a relief and an anticlimax. For a long time I had been thinking, "I will feel so good when this is all finished." But when it was over, I felt somewhat of a loss. I found I had put so much myself into the book that it was strange not to be involved any more. However there was, and still is, the sense of having achieved something that I was satisfied with. 

I also hope that the story might introduce readers to new ideas and think of new possibilities. The energy technology described in the book -- "The Secret Power" -- is fictional, but I believe we are ready to see breakthroughs in energy technology unlike anything seen before in the world. In another role as an author I write a blog about a new form of energy technology that appears to have the potential to radically change our world. Go to http://www.e-catworld.com for more on this.      .

As far as my fiction work goes, I think there is more to write. The story has places it can go -- but right now I can't quite summon up the resolve yet that I had last year -- I know what is involved! This time last year I was unaware of everything that would be required to complete the job, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that I set a goal for myself and achieved it -- and in the process did work that I am satisfied with. 

I don't consider myself a successful author in terms of sales or critical acclaim. But I do feel a certain sense of success in simply having set a goal and worked until I completed it. I could have easily given up and left another half written manuscript to be forgotten or discarded. 

It is gratifying when people say they enjoyed the book. That has always been my hope -- that people will become absorbed with the story, and find something that sparks their interest in there. It's funny how a writer can become attached to characters they create -- these were people I invented, and yet I somehow felt they had a separate identity from my own. I wonder about their futures and what they might do with their lives. Maybe one day I will find out!

Frank Acland

For more information about Frank Acland and his books, check out his website at http://www.frankacland.com.

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