Final thoughts on Finding Jack and a very warm Thank You to Gareth Crocker

[dhaupt]

Please use this thread to say any final thoughts you have on Finding Jack and also to say Thanks to Gareth for spending this month with us and for all the words of wisdom he gave us.

I'd like to start by saying that sometimes you by accident find a novel that you may never have picked up on your own but by some happenstance it gets on your radar and you're so glad it did.

Finding Jack was like that for me, I don't usually pick a novel by it's cover but this cover intrigued me enough to want to open the pages and once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. It wasn't always easy to read but it always made me think and it never occured to me to stop reading because I always wanted to find out what happened next.

Gareth that was because of the wonderful storytelling you did, the way you painted the pictures for me and the emotion you pulled from me both happy and sad and I thank you for all of it.

I hope that you will come by and visit us from time to time, let us know what you're up to and I can't wait to read what you come up with next.

Thank You!!!

[1AnneB]

Thanks Debbie for introducing this book to me and everyone here on the B&N boards. Thanks also to Gareth for a wonderful book about grief, love and loyalty. It is not often that one reads a book about a very tumultuous and history-making time in our lives. For all of us who lived through it and all the rest who have only lived it through books, movies and family histories, it offers a bittersweet picture of that time as well as a time-less story of a man and his dog. Thank you for a very special book that will be a "keeper" for me as well as a book that I have already recommended to many others. What's the next one about ??

Anne

[GarethC]

Thanks so much for the kind words, Debbie. It was my pleasure. Thank you also to all those who either took part or followed along quietly. I certainly hope I can participate again one day. Until then.

Best wishes,

Gareth.

[GarethC]

Hi Anne,

Thank you for all your kindness, I really enjoyed all your posts.

Not sure if there will be a next novel, I'm afraid. My publisher and I are not agreeing on the path forward on two new novels I've written. I'm afraid I believe too much in the stories as they are to fundamentally alter them in a way that would make them more commercially attractive.

But, if by chance, things improve then look out for a story about a mythical desert elephant and then a tale about a child who gets murdered in a kidnapping ... only for the father to receive a letter several weeks after her passing that promises the impossible. A chance to get her back...

Do take care of yourself.

Best,

Gareth.

[dhaupt]

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GarethC wrote:

Hi Anne,

Thank you for all your kindness, I really enjoyed all your posts.

Not sure if there will be a next novel, I'm afraid. My publisher and I are not agreeing on the path forward on two new novels I've written. I'm afraid I believe too much in the stories as they are to fundamentally alter them in a way that would make them more commercially attractive.

But, if by chance, things improve then look out for a story about a mythical desert elephant and then a tale about a child who gets murdered in a kidnapping ... only for the father to receive a letter several weeks after her passing that promises the impossible. A chance to get her back...

Do take care of yourself.

Best,

Gareth.

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Gareth, good luck in this fight. I hope you win.

[A_G_D]

Yes, thank you Debbie first of all for introducing this novel to us. If it wasn't for your choice I probably wouldn't have picked it up, at least not now..For me it was a last minute decision whether I should purchase the book or not since I was engaged in something else at that time and I am so glad I did..I actually dropped the other book that I was reading till I finished this one.

Gareth, thank you again for a wonderful novel! This is one of those stories that you read and after a few years you might not remember the characters' names but you will definetely remember the bond between Fletcher and Jack and what Jack symbolized for the men and for our main character. This is a story that brings you close to tears only to bring you back to hope again! In the face of the ugly reality that the war represents, people don't always lose themselves and certain personality traits and human feelings can not be destroyed even by the most dramatic situations! This is one of those stories that in spite of having its share of tragedy brings out the best in its characters and the underlying message is (at least for me) that you have to follow your feelings and be true to yourself no matter what hardships you have to overcome. ( I think we see that in Fletcher and also in Rogan).

Gareth, based on what you said regarding your future books, I don't have any experience in this field and I know nothing about publishing and editing books but I can tell you the same thing. Don't compromise if it doesn't seem right to you! Do it so that when your book comes out you can be fully satisfied with the final version! We will be here waiting patiently for another exciting story! Thank you for taking the time to spend it with us! It was a pleasure!

[GarethC]

Hi Andreea,

I really appreciate your note - thank you for your support.

I've always felt there's something sacred about telling stories and if you start trying to shape and sculpt your work to meet the desires of a particular market, then some of the magic is lost. I think I would rather live plainly, but put out a body of work that I can be proud of. The stories mean far more to me than the monetary rewards. And, trust me, there are easier ways of building wealth than being a novelist. Consider for a moment that a decent sized book-store holds a few hundered thousand books. Now imagine that you have to rely on a customer walking in there and choosing your book above all others. It's a sobering thought for any prospective writer.

And yet there is nothing else I would rather do with my life.

Yours in narrative,

Gareth.