Rodney Walther is an award-winning author who brings his perspective as a father and a "baseball guy" to BROKEN LACES. An experienced manager, coach, league director, and volunteer umpire, Rodney knows firsthand the characters that populate Little League fields.
Writing awards include contest wins from the Houston Writers Guild, Maryland Writers' Association, North Texas Professional Writers Association, Panhandle Professional Writers, and West Virginia Writers, plus finalist status at the prestigious 2008 Writers' League of Texas manuscript contest.
Writing awards include contest wins from the Houston Writers Guild, Maryland Writers' Association, North Texas Professional Writers Association, Panhandle Professional Writers, and West Virginia Writers, plus finalist status at the prestigious 2008 Writers' League of Texas manuscript contest.
Judges have consistently praised Rodney's strong narrative and his ability to evoke powerful emotions. Comments include:
-- "You have an excellent sense of story and a native ability to infuse the story with emotion." (Houston Writers Guild)
-- "There is intelligence, verve, and sensitivity in your style." (Crested Butte)
-- "Good 3 dimensional characterizations... making us like [Jack] and not like him at the same time." (Writers' League of Texas)
-- "Powerfully compelling." (San Gabriel Writers League)
Rodney is an active member of the Houston Writers Guild and the Writers' League of Texas.
-- "You have an excellent sense of story and a native ability to infuse the story with emotion." (Houston Writers Guild)
-- "There is intelligence, verve, and sensitivity in your style." (Crested Butte)
-- "Good 3 dimensional characterizations... making us like [Jack] and not like him at the same time." (Writers' League of Texas)
-- "Powerfully compelling." (San Gabriel Writers League)
Rodney is an active member of the Houston Writers Guild and the Writers' League of Texas.
Product Description
BROKEN LACES is an emotion-packed story which features Jack “The Cannon” Kennedy, a suburban workaholic who doesn’t understand the importance of family until he faces life as a single parent. Set in a fictional Little League in the Houston suburbs, BROKEN LACES explores the importance of father-and-son relationships, the struggles of shared grief, and the redemptive power of baseball.
Here’s the back cover blurb:
Everyone deserves a second chance.
Jack "The Cannon" Kennedy thinks he's living the American Dream. A fancy house in the Houston suburbs. A promising career. And a loving wife who tolerates his long hours and selfish ways.
In one horrific instant, he loses his wife. Then his job. Then his hope. And that just leaves Kellen, the young son Jack hardly knows or understands.
Jack realizes he must reconnect with Kellen or they'll never get past their shared grief. But Jack's biggest obstacle is staring back from the mirror.
Desperate to reach Kellen, he turns to baseball, the game he once loved. With Jack, a win-at-all-costs former star pitcher, coaching his son's Little League team, what could possibly go wrong?
Jack "The Cannon" Kennedy thinks he's living the American Dream. A fancy house in the Houston suburbs. A promising career. And a loving wife who tolerates his long hours and selfish ways.
In one horrific instant, he loses his wife. Then his job. Then his hope. And that just leaves Kellen, the young son Jack hardly knows or understands.
Jack realizes he must reconnect with Kellen or they'll never get past their shared grief. But Jack's biggest obstacle is staring back from the mirror.
Desperate to reach Kellen, he turns to baseball, the game he once loved. With Jack, a win-at-all-costs former star pitcher, coaching his son's Little League team, what could possibly go wrong?
What will e-readers like about your book?
Readers like my realistic portrayal of a traumatized man who faces an uncertain future as a single parent, while also being haunted by the mistakes of his past. The first-person narrative has a strong voice, a unique male perspective for the genre. Spiced with humor and subtle wit, BROKEN LACES provides an honest take on grief, fathers and sons, and regret.
Why did you go indie?
Although I’ve had the full manuscript reviewed by various agents, the timeframe for publishing BROKEN LACES through traditional means didn’t meet my plans anymore. This story has been in progress (and recognized with multiple awards) for a number of years. After significant editing and polishing, it’s ready for prime-time.
Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
Similar authors who feature damaged protagonists with dysfunctional (err… complicated) family dynamics include Jodi Picoult and Pat Conroy. Of course, Nicholas Sparks mines similar themes as well. Sparks is the 900-pound gorilla, but I’m confident my writing and story compare favorably. Very favorably.
Links
Author website: RodneyWalther.com
Facebook fan page: Facebook.com/rodney.walther.author
Buy BROKEN LACES on Amazon, Createspace, on in the Kindle Store
You can also find BROKEN LACES at Smashwords
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