Today’s special guest is author Christopher Laney to chat about his new contemporary fiction with elements of magical realism, Flying Colors.
Bio:
Christopher (Chris) Laney is a writer, pilot, and CEO who loves helping others discover what matters most. When he won his first childhood award for writing, he had no idea it would lead to numerous magazine article bylines about learning to fly and eventually to the publication of Flying Colors, a novel that helps readers find what lifts them.
Welcome, Christopher. Please tell us about your current release.
John Freeman is an overworked marketing executive on the verge of achieving everything he wants when he finds himself the student of a mysterious flight instructor whose lessons go well beyond flying planes. As John works to unravel the secrets behind the instructor and his mystical airfield stuck in the past, he begins to struggle between his professional ambitions and the lure of a simpler life. But to earn his wings and soar, John must pass the ultimate test of discovering his true self and what matters most.
What inspired you to write this book?
Years ago, I watched a man receive a Volunteer-of-the-Year Award at an elementary school luncheon. After a long look at the trophy in his hands, he said, “Six months ago, an 18-wheeler doing 80 totaled my car with me in it. I was bumped and bruised but walked away. After that, I could see a glow around everything important in my life. My family, my close friends, the little-league field where I coach my kids, and this school.”
His words stayed with me. I kept thinking, what if you met someone who told you that but also shared he could see a different glow around the people in this world who have found what propels them, those who have found what makes them wake up each morning with hope and excitement? What if he said you had no glow? Would you dismiss it, or would you set off to find it?
Flying Colors is about finding your glow by discovering what lifts you.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I’m working on a new novel about a tech billionaire who accidentally travels back to the 1970s from 2025. Desperately attempting to discover how the time anomaly occurred so he can return to his present, the man begins to question his motivation for going back and ultimately must decide which era he can carve out the better life.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
The first time I sold an article to a magazine.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I split my time between writing and running a tech company with many wonderful people and friends who excel at their jobs. But I like to write first thing in the morning, from 5 am to 8 am. The early mornings are mystical because it feels like my mind is still in the dream realm.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
A while back, I discovered the world around me disappears, and I get laser focused while writing when I use soft earplugs. They never block all the noise, but my concentration skyrockets when they go in.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I don’t remember it, but my mom claims I wanted to be a garbage man so I could ride on the back of the trucks. But I was writing lengthy stories in early elementary school. I simply didn’t realize a writer was something I could grow up to be.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Yes. It’s never too late to become the person you’re meant to be.