Interview with Author Frank McKinney

My guest today is author Frank McKinney. Hello! Welcome to Writing in the Modern Age! It’s such a pleasure to have you here.

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?



https://books2read.com/u/4jD6jX
Francis Rose, lead singer for a meteorically popular Christian rock band, has it all—fame, fortune, family, and deep faith. With the support of his loving wife, young daughter, and Down-syndrome blessed son, he’s gone from performing for an audience of 20 at his tiny Lutheran church in Keeler, Indiana, to selling out 20,000-seat arenas. His impact is global, soulful, and seemingly unstoppable.
The seven deadly sins don’t stand a chance against a man of Francis’ character, morality, and faith. Or do they? Their alluring assault is relentless as Francis encounters each of them along his ascending path to superstardom.
The Other Thief is a controversial, heart-wrenching love story of deception, pride, and lust, along with mercy, grace, forgiveness, and above all – love, that Christians as well as non-Christians will relate to on a raw, humanistic level.

It came out September 18, 2018.

It is available on my website and on Amazon.


All right.


Is there anything else which prompted this book? Something that inspired you?

Luke 23: 33-43. I wanted to share the message of love, healing, forgiveness and hope, and that it is available to everyone, no matter what's happened in the past.

I see.
 
Let me ask a different question...

When did you know you wanted to write? Or has it always been a pastime of yours?

It was my writing ability in high school that kept my GPA above 1.0. I always got A’s in my Creative Writing class and in English. After reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in third grade, I knew I was either going to be Willy Wonka, a daredevil or a writer.

Nice! 

Do you have any favorite authors yourself, Frank?

Roald Dahl, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Anthony De Mello, David Lee Roth, and Rich DeVos.
 
So, do you write in a specific place? Time of day? 

My oceanfront treehouse office.

Awesome! 
 
Are there any words you'd like to impart to fellow writers? Any advice?


That everyone, I mean everyone, has a book inside of them. We are taught from an early age that reading is critical, which it is, yet writing is so much more proactive and really amplifies one’s creativity and ingenuity far more than just reading. I’m an advocate for writing over reading.

Great!

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit us here today at Writing in the Modern Age. It was wonderful having you!  :)


Readers, here is the blurb for The Other Thief.


https://books2read.com/u/4jD6jX

Francis Rose, lead singer for a meteorically popular Christian rock band, has it all—fame, fortune, family, and deep faith. With the support of his loving wife, young daughter, and Down-syndrome blessed son, he’s gone from performing for an audience of 20 at his tiny Lutheran church in Keeler, Indiana, to selling out 20,000-seat arenas. His impact is global, soulful, and seemingly unstoppable.
The seven deadly sins don’t stand a chance against a man of Francis’ character, morality, and faith. Or do they? Their alluring assault is relentless as Francis encounters each of them along his ascending path to superstardom.
When the imagination of a writer, the expertise of a real-estate marketing guru, and the passion of a lover of Jesus cross-fertilize, the result is a novel on the order of The Other Thief.

A heart-wrenching love story about deception, pride, and adultery, along with mercy, grace, forgiveness, and above all - love, that Christians as well as non-Christians will relate to on a raw, humanistic level.


Purchase Link:

 

Universal Reader Link: https://books2read.com/u/4jD6jX


Here is an excerpt from the book.


Driving to the Sanctuary, I tried to rehearse my confession. But imagining Mary’s face upon hearing what I’d done was too painful. I decided the confession would have to just come out naturally in the moment. If I kept trying to plan it, I was afraid I’d back out. It was like making a plan to saw off your own leg. The more you thought about it in advance, the less likely you’d be to actually go through with it.
I asked the hostess for a quiet table in the corner and ordered a root beer.
“You’re in Justus, aren’t you?” asked the shy waitress as she set a basket of chips on my table.
“I am,” I said, extending my hand. “Francis Rose. Good to meet you.”
“I’m sure people ask you all the time—so you don’t have to say yes—but do you think we could take a picture together? My boyfriend will never believe this.”
“Of course,” I said, leaning into her photo. “Would you like an autograph?”
“Thank you! Could I have two?”
I fulfilled the waitress’s requests, sending her happily off her shift. I nervously scanned the room. It was taking Mary much longer to arrive than I expected. My mind ambled down dark pathways of possibility. Mary had said she’d be going by the house first. What if Cindy had been there, waiting to talk to her? Or what if Cindy had called her? Maybe Cindy was angry with me for ignoring her call and took revenge by spilling our secret to Mary. God, I would be glad when all of this shit was over. Just a few more minutes and I wouldn’t have to be tortured by this anymore—at least not the secrets part.
Sensing commotion at the restaurant entrance, I looked up to see Mary barreling toward me with a terrified expression I’d never seen on her before. Eyes wide, hair frazzled, she accidentally knocked over a chair as she rushed across the crowded restaurant. Adrenaline shot through my bloodstream. Oh shit. Oh shit, shit, shit. It had happened! She’d found out!
Two valets came running after her, calling “Ma’am! Ma’am!” One put his hand on her arm and she twirled to face him, looking disoriented, as though she couldn’t imagine why he’d stopped her.
“I need your car key, Ma’am,” he said—apologetically, because her distress was palpable. Mary gave him the keys in her hand, and angrily took the stub offered by the other valet.
My heart stiff with fear, unable to breathe, I stood up, utterly unready for whatever was about to take place.
Mary lurched to the table like a zombie and leaned against it, staring at me.
“Honey . . . honey, say something,” I said, bracing for the worst. When she didn’t respond, I started rambling. “Mary, it’s terrible, I know. God help me, I can explain. I talked to Pastor–”
Mary grabbed me around the neck and sobbed, “It’s the worst thing, Francis! Why? Why?”
Shaking, I rested my forehead on her shoulder. How could I answer that question? It was the same question I’d been asking myself, but I’d never gotten any kind of answer that made sense. Why? Why? Why had I done this to her? My mouth dry, I pulled her away from me to look into her eyes. “Mary, please know how much I love you. I made a terrible, terrible mistake.”
“Why did it happen? Why did it happen, again?” she sobbed.
Her question stunned me. She was finally remembering my first confession after all this time, and now she was asking how it could happen again with Cindy!
I struggled to get my response right. I opened my mouth to speak, but there was no air to even push out of my lungs. Before I could formulate an answer, she sobbed, “I guess I should have known better than to drive that route, but I wasn’t even thinking about it. And then, just as I passed that spot on East Camelback where we crashed . . . Oh God, I saw her again!” Mary fell into my arms, dissolving into tears, unable to continue.
Slowly, it dawned on me. Mary didn’t know. She. Didn’t. Know. Mary still didn’t know my shameful secrets. She’d had one of her visions, and that was what all this was about. The rollercoaster ride of my emotions was making me too dizzy to support her so I led her to a chair at the table and scooted my chair right up next to hers.
“It was just a vision, sweetheart,” I said, my hands shaking.
“But Francis, it wasn’t the same! It was awful! It was the clearest one I’ve ever had, and you were in it this time! You were lying on the side of the road. It was so terrible; it looked like you were dead! It was you and that same woman I’ve seen before. Oh, how I’ve come to hate her, Francis! That woman with the skin-tight black clothing and the red lipstick and that long, shiny, black hair. Only . . . only this time, the hair started to change, Francis! It seemed to be turning from black to blonde! It was like the woman herself was changing into a different woman, starting with the hair, but then it all disappeared before I could see any more. Why? Why does this keep happening to me? Make it stop!”
My thoughts formed a tornado in my mind as I took my sobbing, trembling wife into my arms. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. It’s over now,” I said.
Wiping her eyes and dabbing at her nose with a napkin, Mary asked, “Francis, why did you say you made a terrible mistake?”
I froze.


Intriguing! What are people saying about this book?


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Wake-Up Call to Anyone who thinks 'This could never happen to me! Get very comfortable before you begin reading this story because once you begin this book you will find it too riveting to set it down! A quick, exciting and easy to follow storyline that has you turning pages faster and faster to quench your thirst for more, more, more. This book lifts you up and away from wherever you are grounded while reading it, setting one of your feet in reality and the other in fast action fantasy. - IvyP, Amazon


"This is NOT your typical READ at all!!!
I found it very difficult to put this book down!!
I literally HAD to read this book in a day!!
As I read this book it brought up so many different, sometimes difficult emotions for me.
I could relate to MOST of the characters in this story.
" - Jennifer L, Amazon


We all need Grace,mercy,forgiveness and redemption!! A book that will keep you on edge, I could not stop reading it as each chapter draws you in. Love how this message of mercy is truly needed in the world we in live in today. A well written book! - J Stollar, Amazon

 
 
Add it to your Goodreads bookshelf, readers!
 
The book sounds like an emotional read! We'll be sure to check out this adult Christian fiction/inspirational romance novel!

https://books2read.com/u/4jD6jX


Author Bio

 

Frank McKinney is a true Renaissance man: a five-time bestselling author (in 4 genres), real estate “artist” (creates multi-million dollar oceanfront homes on speculation on the sun-drenched canvas of the Atlantic), actor, ultra marathoner, aspirational speaker.
The mediagenic author has been featured in countless TV & print articles, including Oprah (twice), 20/20, and the cover of USA Today.  Frank’s other books include: The Tap, Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes, and the Good Luck Circle, Burst This! Frank McKinney’s Bubble-Proof Real Estate Strategies, Frank McKinney’s Maverick Approach to Real Estate and Make it Big! 49 Secrets for Building a Life of Extreme Success.

A “philanthro-capitalist,” Frank has made an enormous humanitarian impact in Haiti through his
Caring HouseProject, where he has created 27 self-sufficient villages in 24 cities in the last 16 years, impacting the lives of 11,000+ children and their families. Frank, his wife, Nilsa, and their daughter, Laura make their home in Delray Beach, Florida, where Frank wrote The Other Thief in his oceanfront treehouse office.
 

Author Links:

Website: 
http://www.frank-mckinney.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/frank.mckinney.1  
Frank's Books:


https://books2read.com/u/4jD6jX

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00408AY7C/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00408AY7C&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P81GZY/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i3

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P81K8C/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i4

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002H5GTJC/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VI6HNU/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i2

https://www.amazon.com/Make-BIG-Secrets-Building-Extreme/dp/0471443999

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