Author: David Harder
Located in: Prescott, AZ
Submitted: October 23, 2018
Tell us a little about yourself. David Harder has been writing for over twenty-five years. His novels are inspiring stories about individuals who impact their world in unique ways. Some of his recent work involves historical fiction with alternative insights into Biblical history. David uses the Bible as the foundation for the novel, then expands the stories to give depth and realism to characters barely mentioned in the scriptures.
Initially, his written work was for trade journals and for marketing materials in the computer industry. Entering college at age 40, David found he enjoyed writing stories. With encouragement from family and friends, he started writing short stories for fun. After spending 4 years writing the two book series Pride and Conflict and Pride and Consequence, and running the story by a professional editor, David realized; to achieve a dream and become a publish author, it was going to require a lot of work. Unfortunately, at the end of 2012, David reached a dismal emotional low, which nearly cost him his life. He received an email from a friend, which contained a message from God in the form of a Bible verse from Jeremiah 29:11-13
"I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the LORD; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. When you call me and come and pray to me, I will listen to you. When you search for me, yes, search for me with all your heart, you will find me."
Starting that day, David began a new journey and a new life--a complete turnaround, filled with unspeakable joy and purpose. His journey is recorded in the book, Carving Hope.
David is a current graduate of Vineyard Institute in biblical studies and leadership.
What was your motivation behind this project? The value of one's life is less about the length of time, but how we touched other people through our actions and words. Final Grains of Sand is about one man;s journey and how he chose to face death. I wanted the reader to pause and think about their daily impact on the people around us -- positive or negative. A friend once was describing her father; it was his story that influenced me to write the book.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? Final Grains of Sand deals with death and the legacy we leave. All too often, we only see someone from the unique perspective of our daily encounter. This book takes a realistic examine of one man;s life that will allow others to relate with his story. The book is about who we touch in our journey and not on what we accomplished. Perhaps the story will encourage folks to value every life and every moment.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? Writing a novel takes years of work. An author will pour their heart and soul into a manuscript in hopes that the book will impact the reader. During the writing process, I needed to stay focused on the individual characters, their personalities, their speaking style because the book is mostly dialog. During the writing process, the characters became living individuals and I could feel the emotions they experienced. I tried to capture their feelings within the story. Once a manuscript is finished, then the editors and publishers aid in refining the story and sometimes this can create heartburn since the author is emotionally tied to the words. I learned that not all outcomes meet our expectations.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? I enjoy a variety of writers. My major source of inspiration is always the stories within the Bible. I enjoy works by John Grisham, James Michener, Ron Chernow, David Baldacci, Tom Clancy, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: Don't judge people by what you see. Social media is filled with videos and stories about individuals we do not know, and would probably not notice, that are incredibly talented, amazing, heroes, and interesting. Life is uncertain -- value those around you. Love has a broad definition, so choose love.
