Monday, April 25, 2011

Register to win Eddie Snipes' "I Called Him Dancer"

We're happy to have Eddie Snipes with us today talking about his book, I Called Him Dancer. To learn more about Eddie and his book, read on!
Title: I Called Him Dancer

Cover blurb: For a moment, Michael danced on top of the world, but one bad choice turned his life upside down. The once promising Broadway star now washes windows for tips and lives among the homeless. When his former dance partner recognizes him behind the fray of whiskers, shame drives him away from her. Angry at God and the world, the Dancer refuses to allow anyone into his life. When everything is stripped away, three things remain: faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love.
I Called Him Dancer is a story about how one woman's enduring faith and unconditional love drives her to reach out to a homeless man who has given up on life.

1) How did this story come to you?
Tralena Walker and Tom Webster spoke at the Atlanta Writers Club in September of 2009 to talk about song writing. I almost didn’t stay for their segment. In fact, I was walking down the hall to leave and said to my wife, “Let’s go ahead and stick around. Maybe it will be interesting.”
I’ll spare you the details of their talk, but they performed a song titled, ‘I Always Called Him Dancer.’ At the end of the song one of them said, “I’ve always pictured this as a good idea for a book. We’ve been trying to get someone to turn it into a novel.”
My head exploded at those words and the plot of ‘I Called Him Dancer’ unfolded in an instant. I spoke with them after the meeting and we’ve been working together since 2009 to sharpen the manuscript and tell the story both of us envision for the song.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
My journey is part of the reason for starting my publishing company. Most agents and publishers liked the story, but don’t think this type of genre can sell in today’s market. I’ve been in contact with 43 agents and publishers. The ones who showed interest wanted to change the story are add things that go against my vision of having a Christian-friendly story. Plus, I wanted this to be a testimony that would appeal to non-Christians as well.
I came to the conclusion that my vision was not the same as our current market driven industry, so I researched the pros and cons of self-publishing. I finally decided that if done right, independent authoring was a good option. Time doesn’t permit me to give the reasons for and against, but in the end, I decided launching a business was the best platform for launching my book.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I’m dyslexic. But remember, slysdexics are teeple poo.
I hated writing until I was in my thirties.
I never read fiction until I started writing it. I read over a hundred novels and a dozen books on the craft of writing to get a feel for fiction and good story telling.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I have another completed first draft manuscript. I actually wrote it before ‘I Called Him Dancer’, but put it aside until I finished this book. I have four more books outlined, and have started writing one of them. Plus I’ve published a technical book about designing a hosted WordPress site.

5) Parting comments?
A band of Contra Rebels kidnapped my dog. They said they would only release him if my book becomes a bestseller. I’m depending on you to help rescue my poor dog.

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
http://www.eddiesnipes.com/
Twitter @eddiesnipes
Facebook – eddiesnipes
Linked in, you guessed it - http://www.linkedin.com/in/eddiesnipes

12 comments:

  1. Love your sense of humor! I've been through some hard times with some family members, so I'm interested to find out how the dancer's former partner is able to help him. Please sign me up for the drawing. And thank you for writing a book that honors the Lord!

    workamper2530@yahoo.com

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  2. This sounds like a unique and interesting story! Thanks for entering me.

    twinwillowsfarm at gmail dot com

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  3. I am already a subscriber.

    Hate it when publishers say that it is a good story but won't sell. It should be that it is a good story period. It is often difficult to find
    a story that doesn't appeal to the mass market.
    Please enter me in this giveaway for "a good story".

    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

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  4. Eddie's story is a fascinating disclosure of another side of life. I would really enjoy reading this book. Thanks for the giveaway and the chance to win it. I hope I win it.

    In His Faith,
    Barb Shelton
    barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com

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  5. Aw, I wanna help him get his dog back! Seriously, I love his "vision of having a Christian-friendly story ... that would appeal to non-Christians as well." Write on!

    kj at karenjordan dot net

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  6. thanks for the chance to read this story....

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

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  7. What an interesting story on how you wrote this book. I think sometimes in publishing they need to bring in fresh ideas because as a reviewer, sometimes the books begin to get that same-old, already read this story feel. Just different names and such, but same story. I think it would be neat to read something unique but still God-honoring. Thanks for stepping up and sticking your neck out. Sherri

    sherri5 at pa dot net

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  8. Thanks guys and gals. I thank you, and my dog thanks you.

    Stay safe and I hope fellow southerners pass through tonights storms safely. Northerners too, if you guys are getting this as well.

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  9. Thanks guys and gals. And my dog thanks you :) Those in the paths of the storms tonight, stay safe.

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  10. This sounds like an interesting book. Thanks for the chance. I'm an email subscriber.

    nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

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  11. There were 11 comments, so I used Random.org. The number is 9. Woohoo! I won!

    The next number drawn is #1. Janet, you're the winner. Go to http://www.eddiesnipes.com and send me your mailing address. The contact page is at the bottom of the landing page (About / Contact).

    Congratulations, and I hope you enjoy the book.

    Thanks for commenting. As a consolation prize, you can get the kindle version for just .99 cents at Amazon :)

    ReplyDelete

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