Interview with Geoffrey Edwards, author of Fire Bell in the Night

Geoffrey Edwards, a Gather member, is the Finalist in the Gather First Chapters Writing Competition and author of Fire Bell in the Night, which will be available September 18 in bookstores.

This is the second and final interview with the two winners of the Gather First Chapters Writing Competition. Book reviews of each of their books will be published when the books become available. 

Geoffrey and I exchanged an email interview.

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Kathryn: What inspired you to begin writing? Is writing in your family? Are you driven? Did anything specific steer you into writing?

Geoffrey: It was the story that drove me to write. I had never really thought I would write a novel, but one day I was sitting in Chili's, eating a Big-Mouth burger, and BOOM! The story of Fire Bell hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to write it. It felt like what I was meant to do. I have never had the sense of purpose that I had when writing this story.

Kathryn: How long did it take to write Fire Bell in the Night?

Geoffrey: About 2 years, including the research time. But for that time period I became obsessed. I didn't go out of town once, rarely went out to dinner or a bar, and generally became somewhat of a recluse. Fortunately, I have forgiving friends and a saint of a wife.

Kathryn: Did you have other publications before Fire Bell in the Night?

Geoffrey: Just one: "A No-Frills Christmas" which came in second (a familiar place for me) in the Florida Times Union Xmas Story Contest when I was in 8th grade. I know it sounds rinky-dink, but believe me, as any writer can attest, seeing your work in print is a life-affirming accomplishment. But it is funny looking back. I was a pudgy kid (who became a pudgy adult) and there must be 30 food references in the story. I must have been starving when I wrote it.

Kathryn: Are you a newspaper man or other writing/editing professional?

Geoffrey: I write and edit textbooks for levels K-12. I love what I do.

Kathryn: Would you recommend the same or similar course of writing and publishing to others?

Geoffrey: Everyone's story is unique and different - both in writing and in getting published. I think the important thing is to try... to give it a shot... and damn the consequences. I would never have dreamed that this is the way that I would have gotten published. I would never have fathomed 5 years ago that I was even capable of writing a 450-page book that wasn't nonsensical. But here I am. And I can definately state this: the buildup in your mind, the daydreams you sit and fantasize about, the thought of how you will feel when you get your hands on your own novel... all of it pales in comparison to the reality. So keep writing....and you will get published!

Kathryn: How did you choose your topic? Or, did your topic choose you?

Geoffrey: As I said before, the topic chose me. But I was a history major in college and I was always fascinated with the times just before catastrophes...the times in retrospect when we can see the horror coming, but the actors of the time can not. Fire Bell in the Night deals with one such time.

Kathryn: Were there a lot of rewrites?

Geoffrey: Countless. While it took me two years to write the book, I have been rewriting ever since...for almost 2 years. And, I assure you, were I not limited by the publishing date, I would still be tweaking the darn thing.

Kathryn: Anything else you would like to add?

Geoffrey: I have mentioned this before on Gather, but I think it bears repeating. I was rejected by over 300 literary agents. I certainly had some interest shown, and I did have one brief time of representation, but for the most part it was let down after let down, one disappointment after another. I don't mean this to sound daunting... just the opposite. I have seen so much quality writing on Gather that I want people to understand --- do not EVER give up. Even if you have to put it in a drawer, like Terry Shaw did, don't give up. Believe in your work, keep working to make it better, and hold on to a bit of faith..no matter how hard it may seem. And remember, Gather is full of people ready to help. Consider me at the top of the list.

Additionally, I would like to thank Kathryn for this for this opportunity. I have really enjoyed it.

And, thank you, Geoffrey.  Your words:

"do not EVER give up. Even if you have to put it in a drawer, like Terry Shaw did, don't give up. Believe in your work, keep working to make it better, and hold on to a bit of faith..no matter how hard it may seem."  are very important to all of us here on Gather.

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To join the group, Fire Bell in the Night, click here:  Fire Bell