Novelist Ronald Chapman joins me today to chat about two of the books in his psycho-spiritual thriller Chronicles of Grace series, The Dark Side of Grace (#2) and A Killer’s Grace (#1).
You can learn more about Ronald by visiting his other stops while he tours with Wow! Women on Writing. Tour stop details are below.
Bio:
Ronald Chapman’s written works explore psycho-spiritual themes including innocence, forgiveness, spirituality, growth and development, and twelve-step recovery. He spent many years as a national award-winning radio commentator on KUNM radio in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He is an elite Accredited Speaker through Toastmasters International, and an accomplished leadership facilitator working with clients all over the world, including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. Ron currently resides in Atlanta and spends much of his time immersed in art and beauty wherever his travels take him.
Welcome, Ronald. Please tell us about your current release.
What inspired you to write this book?
There is so much misunderstanding we have about the world, and the people of the world, to say nothing of our own blindness to ourselves, what Carl Jung called the “shadow self.” A long-time mentor taught me for two decades that if we don’t understand something there is no way to do or be any better. That’s become a driving theme for me, i.e. enabling us to be better.
Excerpt from the prelude to The Dark Side of Grace:
I really like using setting and an omniscient perspective to capture ambiance.:
Light falls through turquoise skies. A blanket of snow carpets the valley, reflecting the light and amplifying its effect to an ethereal quality. For artists and wanderers who find their way to New Mexico, it is the expansiveness of the light that holds and embraces them.
To the east, the light glints off snow-mantled mountains, their shadowed pinkish hue a near-perfect contrast to the sky. High desert stretches endlessly westward as the Rio Grande threads its way through the city of Albuquerque. Beneath the river lies a former canyon created when the plates of the earth wrenched apart. Over millennia it filled with layers of boulders, gravel, soil, and detritus that is now miles deep.
Atop this makeshift foundation of earth the world is nearly motionless, seemingly poised for the unexpectedness of the day at hand.
Then I love a good character in setting and tension, which is both revealing and engaging.
“In a large flat space in the southern lee of a mountain, the Sufi compound’s wreckage radiated out. Trees were flattened for several hundred yards. The buildings and walls that remained looked from afar like the Anasazi ruins Pitcairn and Maria Elena had seen in canyons across the Southwest. Crumpled vehicles still smoked, and he even thought he could smell the carnage. Tiny black figures moved in the distance as a helicopter rose in the air.
Maria Elena pressed her head into his chest and began to cry. He wrapped her in his arms and continued looking below. Pitcairn felt the sorrow rise, a bittersweet ache just above his heart, and began another kind of breathwork Kari had shown him to help blunt the effects of retraumatization.
Maria Elena pulled away to rub her eyes and blow her nose. She shook her head. “I don’t know how you can be with this as often as you are.”
Pitcairn brushed her cheek. “Kari says I have a very high threshold for discomfort. She tells me it’s the basis for a high degree of empathy that’s growing in me.” He shrugged. “All I know is to stand in the presence of it and breathe. To bear witness …” His voice fell away.
Pitcairn scanned the horizon again. “Emmy, this is what I seem to have been called to do. And somehow, I can simultaneously see a great beauty amid the ugly.” He smiled tenderly as she looked at him.
“You know,” Maria Elena said, “I always thought it was the violence that lurked in you that was so alluring. But right at this moment, I realize it’s the compassion that I love so much.”
Pitcairn quickly raised a hand. “I still can’t see what you and others see in me.” He chuckled. “Most people can’t see their own inner darkness. Me … I can’t fathom anything other than that.”
Maria Elena nodded. “Me, I cry. Then I start trying to figure out how to catch the bastards and make them pay.” A wry smile crept to her face.”
What exciting project are you working on next?
Well, I had not planned for A Killer’s Grace to become a series, though it seems the story, and the characters and the muses have other plans for me. The third book in The Chronicles of Grace is at the publisher to be reviewed, and I’ve written about twenty percent of the fourth book. I think there are five novels by the time it is complete. Then again, I’m clearly not in charge of the writing or the plan!
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Well, I suspect the seed were sown long ago in my refuge in the bowels of my hometown library, deep in the musty book smell, lost in the stories, where no one could find me, and I did not want to be found. It was probably only a matter of time before I’d need to write given my love of stories and books.
Interestingly enough, much of the material for my first book, What a Wonderful World: Seeing Through New Eyes, was drawn from a large number of social commentaries I delivered on KUNM radio, the public radio affiliate in Albuquerque, New Mexico. So it seems the need to deliver a message compelled me to write the material. It had to be cogent in order to fit into two-and-a-half minutes. So my style is very tight all in all.
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?
A core practice in leadership and organization development and coaching, largely in public health, is where I spend the bulk of my time. It’s high impact work, and very satisfying. Thankfully, it also allows me to write throughout the week. Also very satisfying.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I love to weave into the story some of the interesting people I meet. Sometimes, I warn people they might be in one of my novels! It elicits a lot of really interesting responses.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Truth be told, I’m not sure I had any good ideas, though I sure did love books and reading. That said, when I discovered golf in the fourth grade, and when the teaching pro told me I had a really good swing, it did fuel visions of professional golf. To this day, I still love playing golf, often by myself so I can just play around.
Links:
Website | Blog | Free 12-step recovery content | Facebook | Amazon | Instagram
Blog Tour Dates
June 5th @ The Muffin
What goes better in the morning than a muffin? Join us at the WOW blog to celebrate the launch of author Ronald Chapman’s The Dark Side of Grace. You can read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book. https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/
June 6th @ Book Reviews from an Avid Reader
Joan from Book Reviews from an Avid Reader reviews Ronald Chapman’s The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss Joan’s insight into this thriller! http://bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/
June 7th @ The Mommies Reviews with Tara
Tara from The Mommies Reviews shares her thoughts as she reviews Ronald Chapman’s The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss Tara’s insight into this thriller! http://www.themommiesreviews.com/
June 8th @ World of My Imagination
Nicole from World of My Imagination spends time asking Ronald Chapman about his latest book, The Dark Side of Grace in a fun interview about 5 Things on a Saturday Night! https://worldofmyimagination.com/
June 9th HERE!
June 10th @ Choices by Madeline Sharples
Today’s guest author at Choices with Madeline Sharples is fellow author Ronald Chapman. Chapman has recently released another thriller, The Dark Side of Grace. Today he’ll be writing an intriguing article titled: “Agnostic but Faithful”. Readers won’t want to miss this one! http://www.madelinesharples.com/
June 12th @ The Mommies Reviews with Glenda
Glenda from The Mommies Reviews shares her thoughts as she reviews Ronald Chapman’s The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss Glenda’s insight into this thriller!
http://www.themommiesreviews.com/
June 17th @ Boots, Shoes & Fashion
Linda from Boots, Shoes & Fashion interviews Ronald Chapman about his recent thriller, The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss this insightful and thrilling author interview! https://bootsshoesandfashion.com/
June 20th @ One Writer’s Journey
Today’s guest author at One Writer’s Journey is fellow author Ronald Chapman. Chapman has recently released another thriller, The Dark Side of Grace. Today he’ll be writing a fascinating article titled: “Getting Over Ourselves”. Readers won’t want to miss this one! https://suebe.wordpress.com/
June 20th @ Storeybook Reviews
Today’s guest author at Storeybook Reviews is author Ronald Chapman. Chapman has recently released another thriller, The Dark Side of Grace. Today he’ll be writing a captivating article titled: “Finding Emotional Sobriety; Even in Chaos”. Readers won’t want to miss this one! https://storeybookreviews.com/
June 21st @ Nikki’s Book Reviews
Nikki from Nikki’s Book Reviews shares her thoughts as she reviews Ronald Chapman’s The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss Nikki’s insight into this thriller! https://nikkitsbookreviews.wordpress.com/
June 22nd @ Author Anthony Avina
Fellow Author Anthony Avina shares his thoughts as he reviews Ronald Chapman’s The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss another author’s insight into this thriller! https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/
July 6th @ Knottyneedle Creative
Judy from Knottyneedle Creative shares her thoughts as she reviews Ronald Chapman’s The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss Judy’s insight into this thriller! http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com/
July 16th @ A Wonderful World of Words
Today’s guest author at A Wonderful World of Words is author Ronald Chapman. Chapman has recently released another thriller, The Dark Side of Grace. Today he’ll be writing a captivating article titled: “Transformative Ideas: Self-Interest, Positivity and Stillness”. Readers won’t want to miss this one! https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com/
