Good morning!

Still no word on the cover art for “Mark of the Successor”. I know…I’m getting antsy to see it as well! But, the staff at Solstice does amazing work. I have no doubt I’ll be blown away.

I had another author ‘first’ last week. An acquaintance of mine is very active in local politics and has thrown her hat into the ring for Mayor. I can’t say I’m a huge local celebrity, but I do have a little clout. A very little bit.

Anyway, she asked me if I’d be able to write up an official endorsement, using my pen name, etc. We had a little chat about it first. Primarily because I felt she needed to know my faith before I did this. I’m not quiet about it, and anyone who Googled me and came across any interviews or this blog would figure it out really quickly. If they’re super-conservative, this could have presented a problem for her campaign. By talking about it beforehand, her campaign can avoid being blindsided.

It led me to realize that authors, big or small, do have a certain amount of sway when it comes to this sort of thing. We are in in a unique position of being able to add a small touch of ‘glamour’ to a candidate or issue. If we’ve presented ourselves publicly as decent, intelligent, and articulate people, our opinions can sway a voter.

This is not a small burden we carry.Just knowing I could convince someone one way or the other is a huge responsibility. It’s a power that can be easily abused, manipulated, or over-used. We are, like politicians, open to public scrutiny. 

I’m only going to be open to endorsing candidates and/or issues that I truly believe in. Because I want to be able to defend my choice if need be. And I want to look in the mirror every day without flinching at what I see.

BB