Author Roy Akers Discusses First Novel “A Long Road Home”

Writers of all ages joined author Roy Akers at the A.K. Smiley Public Library on Tuesday, July 23 to hear about his novel-writing process and an excerpt from his new novel, “A Long Road Home.” The crowd sat patiently in one of the community halls inside the A.K. Smiley Public Library waiting for the presentation to begin at 6 p.m. Akers began his presentation by greeting the crowd. The audience was also encouraged to ask many questions in such an intimate setting. After the greeting Akers began speaking about his personal writing background, noting that this was his first published fiction novel. Akers then went on to say how and why he came up with the idea of his novel, noting what he considers are the four major parts of writing fiction. “The beginning is meant to hook the reader, the middle of the story progresses it, the end [had] better leave the reader satisfied, and the structure is something you have figure out how to [make] early on,” said Akers, adding that structural errors are the most common and often confusing. “Structural errors include run-on sentences and [not] knowing when to cut a chapter. Make sure you pick a place where the train of thought changes, continuity [shifts], a plot [requires it] or [for] character building,” he said. Akers also spoke about starting the writing process: a handy pen and paper always nearby is ideal because ideas can come at any time. “Notes are very important and [they] take a long time to write. Jot down thoughts when they come to you and make them brief,” Akers added. “Do not be afraid to dream outside of your personality,” insisted Akers. “You have to work hard if you want to be a writer.” “A Long Road Home” tells the story of Jimmy Ray Watson, who grew up on a farm in rural Missouri between the Great Depression and the beginnings of WWII. Unwilling to accept the mental and emotional abuse of his father, Jimmy Ray’s mother leaves him as a young child. Readers will follow the oftentimes violent life of Jimmy Ray as he grows up, where he eventually understands and accepts the importance of feelings previously unknown to him as a young child. Jimmy Ray will encounter anger, compassion, terror, friendships won, friendships lost, and love, all while living with the nightmarish memories of two wars. This is Akers’s first published book, but he notes that others are in progress. When he is not writing, Akers, a retired CEO, enjoys spending time with his wife at his home and in their cabin at Big Bear Lake. Akers was for nine years a spokesman for a building materials industry, and has assisted in writing various industry standards over 28 years. You can purchase his debut novel on Amazon.com.