Author Interview with Tim Bishop: The Persistent Road

Lets give a warm welcome to Author Time Bishop and his new book The Persistent Road! Time Bishop is here today with me for an author interview!

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What is your favorite book that you have written (Published or Unpublished), and why?
As a self-publisher, you read your drafts over so many times – painstakingly – to make sure they’re ready for readers’ eyes. By the time they’ve been cast into the wilderness, it’s like, I never want to read that book again! And but for selected portions as they pertain to my other writing, I don’t think I have reread those books. I have been touched by The Persistent Road, though, more than I thought possible. Parts of it still bring tears to my eyes even though I know what’s coming. There’s so much in there, certainly more than just a bicycle ride through the wild. It’s strange because I don’t cry easily. I had four male beta readers admit to crying when they read early drafts. That really meant something to me.

What inspires you the most?
I get inspired when I sense a God-given concept to weave into a story – a heavenly download, if you will – and I see it come together better than I thought possible. For me, writing Christian content is an act of worship. And when I feel it click, how can I not be inspired?

What are your hobbies other than writing?
I enjoy spending time with Debbie, chess, and sports. Debbie and I bicycle about thirty miles when we go out on the weekends. We’ve gone across the country a few times, so it’s an intense passion and of course the experiences we’ve had are integral to our writing. We also bat tennis balls around from time to time. And keep up on world events.

Do you have a genre that you would never write? (In the Christian genre sphere i.e. speculative, historical, contemporary, etc.)
I’m not a big fan of fantasy. I’m just not. I prefer dealing with the real world, though I’m glad to place make-believe people in it. I think I can speak to people’s hearts better when I relate to them in the world we share. I approach writing not to provide a means of escape for people, though I understand that’s part of what motivates readers and must be satisfied to earn their attention and their trust. My overarching goal is to edify them. I think that concept may be anathema to risk-averse publishers – just guessing – because it infers an agenda exists. I would argue any writer has an agenda, whether they’re aware of it or not. I totally agree that people need to be entertained or they’ll shut down, but I think when it’s done well, the reader gains much more than an entertainment high.

What is one thing in your life that you would say has had the greatest impact on your writing? Or in your life in general?
My faith is important to me. It has shaped who I am today, and it drives my writing.
Two aspects of that motivation:

1) our entertainment culture has become increasingly debased. I want to add uplifting content and unabashed truth to the mix. People may read to escape their problems but that doesn’t mean content in a book can’t be redemptive for them.
2) I long to share the Lord with other people. I can express what He means to me in what I communicate with words. I think God calls us to share what He’s done in our lives and what He means to us. Doing so creatively has power to spark the human soul.

About The Persistent Road

Book: The Persistent Road

Author: Tim Bishop

Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction/outdoor adventure

Release Date: June 20, 2023

After losing all he once cherished, Doug Zimmer follows his wife’s parting bread crumbs and rides up the Pacific coast—on a bicycle. Armed with a revolver and only a vague plan to get through the months ahead, he aims to end his depression one way or the other.

As spiritual forces wrangle for his soul, he pedals eastward across America. He meets Lauren Baumgartner—a younger adventurer with a vibrant spirit—and a band of zealots who confront his aversion to religion. Accompanying Doug are not only sunny days and the beauty of nature but also the perils of the road, fellow travelers with their own stories, and the hollow silence of solitary campsites playing host to unseen creatures of the night.

A jarring episode on a climb through a treacherous pass brings Doug face-to-face with life and death. Will Doug’s adventure deliver him from loneliness and lament . . . or hurtle him to an abrupt end?
Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

After a thirty-year career in business, TIM BISHOP left his corporate treasurer position, married his dream girl, and embarked with her to parts unknown—on bicycles. Ten thousand miles later, the first-time newlyweds have written four books about their cycling adventures. Their devotional, Wheels of Wisdom, won four first-place book awards. Publishers Weekly dubbed it “a road map for life.”

Tim volunteers as a coach for a ministry that reaches people who are dealing with challenging life issues. He has written numerous articles for various Christian content providers and has been a part of three church plants. These faith experiences have given him an evangelist’s heart to reach people in creative ways.

A graduate of the University of Maine, a CPA, and a three-time Maine chess champion, Tim and his wife, Debbie, live in Middle Tennessee. Connect with him at TimBishopWrites.com or follow @TimBishopWrites on social media.

More from Tim

After three decades chained to a desk in corporate business, I didn’t expect to land here. But now, I’m an author with a debut novel! The road I traveled has been as circuitous as the ones my wife, Debbie, and I bicycled to cross America on our honeymoon. The author part makes sense: I exited corporate life with writing as a primary interest and at least one business book inside me. I also have a passion to share my faith. But a novel? From someone who hadn’t read them since high school?

I’ve since addressed my reading deficiency, but I would like to share with you how The Persistent Road came about.

Shortly after marrying in 2010, I joined Debbie as a hope coach to young people struggling with life. Our third bicycle odyssey, which we embarked on in 2014, was a fundraiser for the organization we volunteered for as coaches. No shortage of financial need there, and few people knew about the hidden gem of a service. Thus, TheHopeLine Tour came to be. We bicycled to our hearts’ content, blogged daily, and pitched our cause.

On day thirteen, things took an intense turn. A man in Richland, Oregon, spilled out his anger upon entering a restaurant. A religious sect at a campground the night before had cornered him with their preaching. We left that restaurant aghast. What had happened in the man’s life to make him so belligerent to matters of faith? The following day, we met him trying to pedal his heavy recumbent bicycle out of – all places – Hells Canyon.

We arrived home two months and three thousand miles later with a bevy of stories brimming with “God moments.” They breathed life into what would become Wheels of Wisdom. Yet that angry man’s screaming echoed in my mind. His unwitting cries for help became lesson 36 in our seeker’s devotional. I called it simply “Hells Canyon.”

My curiosity still wasn’t satisfied. What had happened to make this man react the way he did? And what became of him as he journeyed the perilous roads across America? The Persistent Road answers those questions!

I’ve since landed at another coaching service that welcomes all comers regardless of age. What I’ve learned as a coach and a long-distance traveler by bicycle saturates the pages of my novel. It’s just another example of God’s mysterious ways, of how He uses whatever He pours into us when we ride with Him.