Chuck Black wrote Kingdom’s Edge to inspire his children to read the Bible with renewed zeal. This parable led him to write the Old Testament allegories, Kingdom’s Dawn and Kingdom’s Hope. Chuck added three more titles to the series, Kingdom’s Call, Kingdom’s Quest, and Kingdom’s Reign which will be released in May of 2007.
Chuck is a former F-16 fighter pilot and currently works as an engineer for a firm designing plastic consumer products. He has a degree in electrical and electronic engineering and served eight years in the United States Air Force. Chuck and his wife have six children.
What book or project is coming out or has come out that you’d like to tell us about? 
Kingdom’s Call, Kingdom’s Quest, and Kingdom’s Reign, the last three books in the Kingdom Series published by Multnomah Books, a division of Random House. These books will be released May 15, 2007. Kingdom’s Dawn, Kingdom’s Hope, and King
dom’s Edge, the first three books of the series, were released in May of 2006. This series is a compressed chronological allegory of the entire bible set in a medieval time period which covers two generations of characters. It contains a great deal of medieval action and adventur
e while teaching biblical principles.
Tell us about your journey to publication. How long had you been writing before you got the call you had a contract, how you heard and what went through your head.
My journey to publication is unusual and one that I wouldn’t normally recommend to an aspiring author. It is one that has left many in the business scratching their heads wondering, “How could this have possibly happened?” I never intended to write a book, or publish a book, or be an author. Before writing my first book, I had absolutely no experience in writing or publishing…zero! Quite simply, I wrote a story for my children that was intended to inspire them to read the Bible and deepen their relationship with the Lord. That simple story launched me in a direction I never anticipated.
I wrote a parable of the life of Christ set in a medieval time period where the knights, swords, castles, and battles were all directly symbolic of events in Scripture. The response from my children was remarkable. After a couple of months of nudging, I finally convinced my wife to read the story. She finished it with tears in her eyes and convinced me to attempt to publish it. After reading about the depressing and overwhelming odds of even getting an agent to consider the work, I nearly quit before I began. Instead, with much prayer, we decided to self-publish the work. My wife edited the book, and I designed the cover and interior. A couple of months later I had five hundred copies of a book in my garage without any idea if I could sell a single copy.
We took the books to a homeschool convention where I was to conduct a seminar. I was given a booth in exchange but didn’t plan on spending more than an hour or two manning it. Much to my surprise, I spent every hour for two days straight taking orders from families who wanted a book to inspire their children to get excited about their faith. I had unwittingly stumbled into a gap in the literary market, and there was enough room for a book like mine.
After writing three more books to make a series out of the story, our self-publishing business was beginning to overwhelm me and my family. The books were becoming quite popular and our little company was doubling every year. By year five, I prayed for the Lord to take the Kingdom Series and lighten my load. After a phone call to Multnomah Publishers, I sent samples of the books to them for evaluation. They became so excited about the books that within ten days we were discussing details of a four-book contract. Remarkably, they fast-tracked three of the books for release just seven months later, with three more to be release twelve months after that. It has happened so fast and furiously that I find it difficult to even consider myself a legitimate author. I haven’t endured the years of rejection or the bumps and bruises that most authors experience before getting published. I think that is why I still considered myself just a simple dad that wants to inspire my children.
Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?
My faith is such an integral part of this whole story, for I would never have taken any of the steps that led me here without encouragement from the Lord in the form of opportunity and positive feedback. Through the years, I have been confirmed over and over that I should move forward with the Kingdom Series and future works. I wish I could say that this has removed all of my doubts, but I must admit that there are times when I still doubt. However, I am grateful that encouragement seems to come just when I need it most.
What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?
I have made numerous mistakes while self-publishing my works, but the road to getting published with a major publishing firm has been fast and singular so I don’t have much to comment on regarding this.
What’s the best advice you’ve heard on writing/publication?
Find multiple people to read your work who will be brutally honest with you. Then be ready to accept the critiques and adjust.
What’s the worst piece of writing advice you’ve heard?
That won’t work.
What’s something you wish you’d known earlier that might have saved you some time/frustration in the publishing business?
As a pilot in the Air Force, you quickly learn that some people have it and some people don’t. Even though flying a plane may be natural you still need to learn the specifics of the plane you’re going to fly. I think the same applies to writing. I didn’t need to know what to write, but I did need to know how to write it. Most of it came naturally, but I wish I’d taken a little more time to learn the specific writing techniques that editors require.
Is there a particularly difficult set back that you’ve gone through in your writing career you are willing to share?
Quite honestly, these six books have taken on a life of their own, and I often feel like I’m just along for the ride. I am so grateful for the success and yet humbled by it all. Within a year and eight months, six books will have been published, and I’m still dizzy from it all. Not having planned on a career, I can hardly call anything I’ve experienced as a set back. I’m just thankful to be allowed to be here.
What are a few of your favorite books? (Not written by you.)
As a youth, I loved science fiction. I think those books inspired me to be both an engineer and an author. John Christopher’s “The Tripods” made a lasting impression on me as a teenager, and I couldn’t wait to share them with my children once they were old enough. As an adult I thoroughly enjoyed “Piercing the Darkness” by Frank Peretti, “Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan, and “The Hidden Value of a Man” by Gary Smalley and John Trent.
What piece of writing have you done that you’re particularly proud of and why?
This may be hard to believe, but it is the first book that I ever wrote, Kingdom’s Edge. Having never published a single piece of literature, this book was straight from my heart as a father, written to please my heavenly Father. It is not my best work, but it is my purest work. It almost feels like a miracle.
Do you have a pet peeve having to do with this biz?
Not yet, but I’m sure I’ll find one.
Take us through your process of writing a novel briefly—from conception to revision.
My inspiration often comes from listening to music. There are a few songs that so overwhelm me I can’t contain the words that are waiting to spill out. I often spend many hours lying in bed or driving on the road pondering a story. After a few days (or weeks) of mentally creating the story, I begin to outline. Scenes and dialog often come in non-sequential fragments that I write down. As I create the significant events of the story, I then write to tie these events together.
My methods are probably unorthodox, but it seems to work for me.
Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you would love to accomplish?
My goal is to please the Lord. As trite as that may sound, I would walk away in an instant if He was not pleased with my writing. Beyond that, it is to inspire others to get passionate about Christ. And finally, I hope to leave a part of my passion alive through my books for my future generations to experience and to know my heart.
Was there ever a time in your writing career you thought of quitting?
Yes…many! I’ve felt a bit like a fish out of water all along the way, which often left me wondering what I was doing pretending to be an author. But in truth, I discovered a deep love for being creative with the English language. This accidental writing career has opened a whole new dimension of life that brings great joy. It’s not as exciting as holding your newborn baby in your arms for the first time, but the experience generates similar feelings.
What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?
My favorite part of being a writer is creating a work that inspires people to change their lives. I love writing something that others can’t wait to read…it doesn’t even feel like it’s me. The worst part of being a writer is not having enough time to do it.
How much marketing/publicity do you do? Any advice in this area?
I don’t have much to compare to. Having grown into this career from a self-publishing track, I was pretty motivated to continue marketing and generating publicity to promote the books. Balancing and coordinating my efforts with the publisher has been a learning experience. The team at Multnomah has been absolutely wonderful to work with and was willing to be very flexible with me in my unique situation.
Have you received a particularly memorable reader response?
This is difficult, for I have been encouraged by the words of many parents and young people that have read and enjoyed the books. When a book makes an impact on a readers life, that is humbling and powerful. Here is one of the most memorable:
“When I started to read it I could not put the book down. I was wrapped up in the story from the beginning. It showed me how to be filled with compassion and love for others. The prince rules forever!”
These words from this young man are enough to keep me writing until I’m ninety-nine.
Parting words?
I’m pretty sure I’ve broken all the “rules” and am an enigma to many. In fact, I am guessing that my story of the road to publishing is one that agents and publishers alike may want to hush and ignore for the difficulty it would bring them should someone purposely try it. As I mentioned at the start, it is not one I would recommend although there is a lot to learn from it. I think perhaps what my story says is this: if you’ve written something good that people like, don’t give up…don’t give up…don’t give up…
dom’s Edge, the first three books of the series, were released in May of 2006. This series is a compressed chronological allegory of the entire bible set in a medieval time period which covers two generations of characters. It contains a great deal of medieval action and adventur
e while teaching biblical principles.Tell us about your journey to publication. How long had you been writing before you got the call you had a contract, how you heard and what went through your head.
My journey to publication is unusual and one that I wouldn’t normally recommend to an aspiring author. It is one that has left many in the business scratching their heads wondering, “How could this have possibly happened?” I never intended to write a book, or publish a book, or be an author. Before writing my first book, I had absolutely no experience in writing or publishing…zero! Quite simply, I wrote a story for my children that was intended to inspire them to read the Bible and deepen their relationship with the Lord. That simple story launched me in a direction I never anticipated.
I wrote a parable of the life of Christ set in a medieval time period where the knights, swords, castles, and battles were all directly symbolic of events in Scripture. The response from my children was remarkable. After a couple of months of nudging, I finally convinced my wife to read the story. She finished it with tears in her eyes and convinced me to attempt to publish it. After reading about the depressing and overwhelming odds of even getting an agent to consider the work, I nearly quit before I began. Instead, with much prayer, we decided to self-publish the work. My wife edited the book, and I designed the cover and interior. A couple of months later I had five hundred copies of a book in my garage without any idea if I could sell a single copy.
We took the books to a homeschool convention where I was to conduct a seminar. I was given a booth in exchange but didn’t plan on spending more than an hour or two manning it. Much to my surprise, I spent every hour for two days straight taking orders from families who wanted a book to inspire their children to get excited about their faith. I had unwittingly stumbled into a gap in the literary market, and there was enough room for a book like mine.
After writing three more books to make a series out of the story, our self-publishing business was beginning to overwhelm me and my family. The books were becoming quite popular and our little company was doubling every year. By year five, I prayed for the Lord to take the Kingdom Series and lighten my load. After a phone call to Multnomah Publishers, I sent samples of the books to them for evaluation. They became so excited about the books that within ten days we were discussing details of a four-book contract. Remarkably, they fast-tracked three of the books for release just seven months later, with three more to be release twelve months after that. It has happened so fast and furiously that I find it difficult to even consider myself a legitimate author. I haven’t endured the years of rejection or the bumps and bruises that most authors experience before getting published. I think that is why I still considered myself just a simple dad that wants to inspire my children.
Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?
My faith is such an integral part of this whole story, for I would never have taken any of the steps that led me here without encouragement from the Lord in the form of opportunity and positive feedback. Through the years, I have been confirmed over and over that I should move forward with the Kingdom Series and future works. I wish I could say that this has removed all of my doubts, but I must admit that there are times when I still doubt. However, I am grateful that encouragement seems to come just when I need it most.
What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?
I have made numerous mistakes while self-publishing my works, but the road to getting published with a major publishing firm has been fast and singular so I don’t have much to comment on regarding this.
What’s the best advice you’ve heard on writing/publication?
Find multiple people to read your work who will be brutally honest with you. Then be ready to accept the critiques and adjust.
What’s the worst piece of writing advice you’ve heard?
That won’t work.
What’s something you wish you’d known earlier that might have saved you some time/frustration in the publishing business?
As a pilot in the Air Force, you quickly learn that some people have it and some people don’t. Even though flying a plane may be natural you still need to learn the specifics of the plane you’re going to fly. I think the same applies to writing. I didn’t need to know what to write, but I did need to know how to write it. Most of it came naturally, but I wish I’d taken a little more time to learn the specific writing techniques that editors require.
Is there a particularly difficult set back that you’ve gone through in your writing career you are willing to share?
Quite honestly, these six books have taken on a life of their own, and I often feel like I’m just along for the ride. I am so grateful for the success and yet humbled by it all. Within a year and eight months, six books will have been published, and I’m still dizzy from it all. Not having planned on a career, I can hardly call anything I’ve experienced as a set back. I’m just thankful to be allowed to be here.
What are a few of your favorite books? (Not written by you.)
As a youth, I loved science fiction. I think those books inspired me to be both an engineer and an author. John Christopher’s “The Tripods” made a lasting impression on me as a teenager, and I couldn’t wait to share them with my children once they were old enough. As an adult I thoroughly enjoyed “Piercing the Darkness” by Frank Peretti, “Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan, and “The Hidden Value of a Man” by Gary Smalley and John Trent.
What piece of writing have you done that you’re particularly proud of and why?
This may be hard to believe, but it is the first book that I ever wrote, Kingdom’s Edge. Having never published a single piece of literature, this book was straight from my heart as a father, written to please my heavenly Father. It is not my best work, but it is my purest work. It almost feels like a miracle.
Do you have a pet peeve having to do with this biz?
Not yet, but I’m sure I’ll find one.
Take us through your process of writing a novel briefly—from conception to revision.
My inspiration often comes from listening to music. There are a few songs that so overwhelm me I can’t contain the words that are waiting to spill out. I often spend many hours lying in bed or driving on the road pondering a story. After a few days (or weeks) of mentally creating the story, I begin to outline. Scenes and dialog often come in non-sequential fragments that I write down. As I create the significant events of the story, I then write to tie these events together.
My methods are probably unorthodox, but it seems to work for me.
Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you would love to accomplish?
My goal is to please the Lord. As trite as that may sound, I would walk away in an instant if He was not pleased with my writing. Beyond that, it is to inspire others to get passionate about Christ. And finally, I hope to leave a part of my passion alive through my books for my future generations to experience and to know my heart.
Was there ever a time in your writing career you thought of quitting?
Yes…many! I’ve felt a bit like a fish out of water all along the way, which often left me wondering what I was doing pretending to be an author. But in truth, I discovered a deep love for being creative with the English language. This accidental writing career has opened a whole new dimension of life that brings great joy. It’s not as exciting as holding your newborn baby in your arms for the first time, but the experience generates similar feelings.
What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?
My favorite part of being a writer is creating a work that inspires people to change their lives. I love writing something that others can’t wait to read…it doesn’t even feel like it’s me. The worst part of being a writer is not having enough time to do it.
How much marketing/publicity do you do? Any advice in this area?
I don’t have much to compare to. Having grown into this career from a self-publishing track, I was pretty motivated to continue marketing and generating publicity to promote the books. Balancing and coordinating my efforts with the publisher has been a learning experience. The team at Multnomah has been absolutely wonderful to work with and was willing to be very flexible with me in my unique situation.
Have you received a particularly memorable reader response?
This is difficult, for I have been encouraged by the words of many parents and young people that have read and enjoyed the books. When a book makes an impact on a readers life, that is humbling and powerful. Here is one of the most memorable:
“When I started to read it I could not put the book down. I was wrapped up in the story from the beginning. It showed me how to be filled with compassion and love for others. The prince rules forever!”
These words from this young man are enough to keep me writing until I’m ninety-nine.
Parting words?
I’m pretty sure I’ve broken all the “rules” and am an enigma to many. In fact, I am guessing that my story of the road to publishing is one that agents and publishers alike may want to hush and ignore for the difficulty it would bring them should someone purposely try it. As I mentioned at the start, it is not one I would recommend although there is a lot to learn from it. I think perhaps what my story says is this: if you’ve written something good that people like, don’t give up…don’t give up…don’t give up…
Chuck, thanks for sharing with us. I'm constantly amazed at how different yet similar every published author's journey is. You sound like you have your priorities in order. Many successes to you.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting a set for my pre-teen. Exactly what I've been looking for.
ReplyDeleteGirls, I had to just pop in and say you're going to have to interview YOURSELVES soon! Congratulations on finaling in the Genesis, Gina and Ane! Publication isn''t far behind!
ReplyDeleteColleen, you're so sweet, thanks. Ane and I are away at the Blue Ridge Mtn Writer's conference. What a pleasant surprise.
ReplyDeleteps. our Janet Rubin finalled too!
ReplyDelete