Author Interview: With Chuck Carr – Wonders in the Deep

About the Book

Book: Wonders in the Deep

Author: Chuck Carr

Genre: Christian Fiction, Inspirational

Release date: April 29, 2021

Love. Loss. Hope. Heroism. Is there safe passage through the torrents and storms of life?

Wonders In the Deep is a dramatic illustration, an emotionally charged depiction of the elements that keep us human, fuel our spirit, and give us the courage to continue.

The life of eighteen-year-old Brandon Lawrence is one riddled with questions. Pained sore inside, he seeks answers that have been swallowed deeply by his own grandfather, whom he lovingly calls Pap. How did his parents and grandmother die? Why does his grandfather resent Natalie, Brandon’s best friend since childhood? Why is he forbidden to step foot on a boat, to ride the waves of the sea? Will he ever find answers?

Pap’s journals. Could they hold the secrets?

Set in the rocky and rugged coastline of Maine, the story uncovers Brandon’s world in the summer of 1998. The 1930s and 40s of his grandfather’s world are now over, along with the flat plains of a corn-belted Illinois town he had decided to leave as a young man. What had happened to cause a man to run from a life he couldn’t handle? What had turned Pap into a man withdrawn from life? A man holding tight to the secrets of his life.

Sitting alone on the same weathered dock Brandon had come to with Pap every Thursday growing up, he tries to piece together the puzzle of an unspoken life. Face to face with the only solution he knows, he must choose between honor and answers; an act of thievery plagues him hard, haunting and jolting his conscience. If his grandfather is too brokenhearted to speak of such things, could Brandon steal the answers he needs from the journals?

Wonders In the Deep is a soothing balm, medicine to a hurting and wounded soul. Faced with the harsh realities of grief and loss, two men embark on a great journey to find healing in the deep and uncertain oceans of life. As you journey with Brandon and Pap, you may identify with their struggles.

Is there true triumph over adversity? How far will one go for answers? How far will you go?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Inspired by life events, Chuck Carr takes lessons learned over his years and forms them into words and phrases meant to lift others from the same hardships he has faced himself. He wraps and weaves the essence of what life is all about into this, his fourth book, a novel. Filled with his own energy, blood, and tears, Chuck combines this powerfully lifting message with one of his greatest passions in life¾his passion for the sea. As a former youth pastor, Chuck Carr has influenced hundreds of people throughout his life. He desires to help others live effectively despite hardships, as his testimony proves that sufferings can be changed into blessings. Losing a spouse in 2008, he strives to help those hurting from the same pain. A life altering accident in 2018 left him with a traumatic brain injury, and his vision and life goals have been refocused to help others heal from devastating traumas. He is a writer of both fiction and nonfiction, publishing The Convergence, Navigating Grief, and All That the Locusts Have Eaten, which carry the message that one can live the abundant life God desires for us regardless of hardships and shortcomings we face. His audience at www.Chuck-Carr.com has been blessed by inspirations about topics such as Christian faith, overcoming loss and grief, and achieving purpose in life. Now remarried to a woman of shared life goals, Faerie, he has chosen to live with purpose despite his injuries, being an inspiration to others, residing in New Alexandria, Pennsylvania.

More from Chuck

There was never a time in my life so confusing, so emotionally raw and puzzling as when my first spouse passed away in her twenties in 2008.  She had to say goodbye to our two boys ages 5 and 3.  The event changed everything about me in one way or another.  The things I was forced to face since that day are things that unfortunately so many other people are also forced to face as well.  It isn’t fun.  Thus, the birth of my desire to help those who know what I’m talking about.

Initially, I was attacked with the obvious¾the daunting question of “why.”  It never fails.  We all ask it.  Sooner or later, that single question begs our attention, and how we answer it will determine our outlook on everything else in life.  It is an unavoidable roadblock that cannot be dodged or taken lightly.  If not properly handled, that monster will bite you from behind and consume you¾it is a foe one cannot play around with.  But not all things are black and white.  Another thing I learned out real fast, was that some things don’t have a right or wrong answer in life.  Yes, I avoided it like the plague.  Almost a certainty, those who meant no harm would bring it up and shove it in my face unknowingly.  It came with incredible pressure, the prod or question no survivor ever wants to look at.  “You’ll find love again.”  Maybe.  But should I love again?  The prompt comes in various forms, yet none look pleasant to the one who has tasted loss.

These two insurmountable difficulties are what prompted me to write the novel Wonders In The Deep: A Tale of Healing.  I wanted others to learn that the “why” is a tremendous opportunity for us if we allow ourselves to go on the journey God promises to walk beside with us.  Only there¾in this incredibly intimate and personal space¾can we understand the richness of a God whose heart is broken right along with ours.  I also wanted to show readers that some may choose to honor those they have survived¾and that is ok.  Some, choose to love again.  It is a deeply personal choice that is extremely hard to navigate.  This book illustrates it well, a way to sort out feelings one might not be able to do alone.

Wonders In The Deep.  A place where one can cross the great divide of heartache to healing.  A journey of a lifetime.  One I hope you will cross with me.

Author Interview

What is your favorite book that you have written (Published or Unpublished), and why? 

So far, this one.  Wonders In the Deep was so good to me for many reasons.  I really enjoyed a setting that permitted such creative expression.  The coastline of Maine is breathtaking.  It’s one of my favorite places in the whole world.  To get the chance to write about it in such detail was a lot of fun.  It was an outlet I couldn’t wait to dive into (gotta love the pun).  I also really enjoyed going back in time during flashbacks of the story.  To go back into an era of time that I feel fits my personality well, live it, enjoy it, and rub elbows with my characters was really special to me.  I do that a lot with my books.  I engross myself in their settings as they creep into my brain.  So for this book, it was great to go back to some of those times.  The obvious, of course, is that the message of this book was incredibly special for me.  I had a very clear target and goal for writing this book.  It was, and still is being achieved with every new reader who needs to hear it.  To take what I’ve learned about tragedy and loss and package it together into a story that helps other people is a very satisfying feeling.  That’s what it’s all about . . . helping and serving others who are in need.  Wonders In the Deep does just that.  

What inspires you the most?  

I learned a long time ago to write things down.  It’s important.  Because we are human.  When we learn the great practice of journaling, we are giving us a great gift later in life.  Why?  Because with it we can see how far God has brought us.  This is certainly the case with me.  I suffered a bad accident in 2018 which left me with a traumatic brain injury.  To make a long story short, my recovery was difficult and trying, as I went through many different types of therapy.  I was confined to a chair nearly 24/7.  I couldn’t continue my career any longer.  It was hard to be trapped in a body that wouldn’t cooperate with what my heart wanted me to make it do.  I went into a dark place when nearly everything I enjoyed was taken away from me.  The good news, however, was that the creative side of my brain was unaffected.  One day I sort of had a wake-up moment from the Lord, and thankfully, I started to see that I needed to start looking at what I could still do, rather than what was taken away.  My wife encouraged me.  “You’ve always wanted to write a book,” she said.  “There’s no better time to do it than now!”  And she was right.  It was great for my rehab.  We went out and I bought a new laptop.  I could sit with it on the couch.  I relearned how to type.  At first, I kept pressing the wrong keys.  But I stuck with it and taught myself how to type again.  It’s pretty amazing how God worked things out.  At first all I could see was tragedy.  But God saw much clearer than that.  It was really a blessing in disguise.  When I go back and read my journals from that time, and see how far I’ve come mentally, how far God has brought me, it’s an amazing platform that I can stand on.  If you ask me what inspires me?  Honestly?  It’s the work that God has done in my own life.  He took someone who was set on course for tragedy and turned him around and gave him purpose.  I see that now.  I can read the developments written in ink on paper.  It’s wonderful to see the transformation.  I’m currently writing novels, blogging, and helping others despite a disability.  God is good.  I am a huge fan of journaling.  Not just for me.  For everyone.  I suggest everybody tries it.  Then read them.  Seeing how far God takes you will inspire you too. 

Once an idea takes root, how long does it take you to write it down?  

I write things down immediately!  When an idea hits me, I can tell in an instant if it holds weight or not.  Usually, when a good idea shakes me, it’s like a comet crashing from the sky (author grins from ear to ear).  I’m the type who is ready to clear the desk off with one swift swipe and make room for the next idea, giving it as much freedom and room as it needs to show its face.  When an idea hits, I’m a fury of pen strokes, keystrokes, or voice recordings.  I simply must get as much of it down as I can.  Too often if we don’t do this, the faint form of brilliance fades before it is captured, and we never get to take the next step. 

What are your hobbies other than writing? 

My hobbies had to change with my injury.  Many of the things I once enjoyed frequently I had to adjust or switch out with other, different things.  One of the few that I still hold on to is the love I have for archery.  I’ve been shooting bows since I was a kid.  It’s something I’ve always done.  Though I had to change how I do it, I still love to take the time to enjoy shooting.  I shoot a Mathews compound bow and have things set up in our yard to practice.  My wife even shoots with me now.  It’s something we enjoy doing together.  It fits well with the great passion I have to be outside.  I love enjoying the creation that God blessed us with.  There is beauty all around us, and I want to enjoy it all.  Photography is another hobby.  I take my camera with me on my journeys to the hills, forests, valleys, and streams of Western Pennsylvania as I get out of the house and enjoy the view God has made for us to see. 

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? 

That would definitely be my wife.  Iron sharpens iron, right?  My wife, Faerie, has been there to help me through thick and thin.  It’s been so crazy, such a wild ride of adventure, one that I never saw coming.  She caught the vision before I did.  She pushed me when I was weak and helped get me up on my feet when (post-accident) all I saw was roadblocks.  She was convinced I was a writer before I was.  She knew that there was something special about how I joined words and phrases together from love letters and daydreams I had written to her while dating.  She knew the gift of writing was there.  It just needed help gaining the courage to expose itself to the world.  Faerie is exactly who I needed as an author to get me out of my head and onto a page, and now many people are blessed as a result.  God definitely knew what he was doing.  He took a great woman, a brain injury, and did something incredibly special. 

Thank you again Chuck for answering my questions again!

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Chuck is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card & signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/1e7e2/wonders-in-the-deep-celebration-tour-giveaway

Check out more tour stops to learn more about Wonders in the Deep by Chuck Carr!

ook Reviews From an Avid Reader, June 3

Through the Fire Blogs, June 4 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 4

Texas Book-aholic, June 5

Inklings and notions, June 6

For Him and My Family, June 7

deb’s Book Review, June 8

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 9

Bizwings Blog, June 10

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 11

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 12

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 13

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, June 14 (Author Interview)

Rebecca Tews, June 14

Blogging With Carol, June 15

Beauty in the Binding, June 16 (Author Interview)