Synopsis: A Soul's Calling is a memoir about a man who listened to his heart instead of reason.
Scott, a forty-something attorney, is average in every way except one. He has a connection to the Other Side. He speaks to Spirit and Spirit speaks to him. He sees, hears, and interacts with an invisible realm that is beyond ordinary human perception. When Scott learns his soul has been spiritually compromised he travels to the ancient kingdom of Nepal to win it back. Once there, he hikes the Himalaya carrying a mysterious bundle and a stick laden with prayers from Luminous Beings hoping to come face to face with the greatest mountain on earth: Mount Everest. As his journey unfolds, Scott is called on to battle his fear of heights, the thin air, and his physical limitations.
A Soul's Calling transports readers to the rugged but enchanting Khumbu Valley where mountains speak and nature is imbued with a special kind of magic. The novel is an inspiring modern day adventure that weaves the timeless themes of living an authentic life, the consequences of power, and what a man would do for unrequited love. Powerful, sweeping, and deeply moving, readers will search their hearts as the book draws to a stunning conclusion.
A Soul's Calling is a book for our time and for anyone who believes the world can be a better place.
Interview with Scott Bishop: Favorite
color, food, drink and animal?
My favorite color is purple followed closely by yellow and
electric blue.
Favorite food? Chocolate. Definitely chocolate. But I love all
kinds of foods like Italian, sushi, the classic American cheeseburger. Bring that
burger with a side of onion rings, please.
And, oh! I looove roast lamb! There is something about the
smell of rosemary when it’s cooking in the oven, with potatoes of course, that
I absolutely adore. Really though, there’s so much good food out there it’s
hard to pick just one favorite.
What
do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Typical activities, reading, watching movies, photography,
being in the outdoors.
When/Why
did you start writing A Soul’s Calling?
When I was on the trail—I distinctly remember this—it was
somewhere between Debuche and Pangboche, I thought that once I got back home I
was going to leave the Himalaya behind. I mean, hiking to Everest Base Camp is
hard work. I could never have imagined how hard it’d be going into the trek.
Had I, I may never have gone.
So here I was on the trail, headed for Dingboche, climbing
these huge stone stair cases, up and down, ad nauseam as I write in the book, and
I just kept muttering to myself that once I got back home to New Jersey, I was
going to put this expedition behind me. Far behind. I didn’t want anything to
do with it. Though at the time, I had to admit to myself that after a couple of
weeks, once I rested up, I’d probably want to take a look at my photos.
When I returned from Nepal, it took me a good two weeks
before I unpacked anything—that includes my dirty clothes. My duffle and
daypack sat in the middle of the living room floor. I just ignored them,
walking over the bags as I needed to. After two weeks went by, I began slowly looking
through the photos I had taken. But that wasn’t enough, so I began posting some
of them up on a blog. But that wasn’t
enough. So, along with my photos, I decided to post excerpts from the journal I
had kept while on the trail. After three or four posts with the excerpts it
felt like the blog posts needed more. So I began to write short narratives to
go along with the photos and journal excerpts. At the time, I limited myself to
about 1000 words so I could have a post finished in a week. But the narratives
grew on their own accord anyway. And then, one day, I decided not to hold back,
not to limit the word count of the narrative I was currently working on. That’s
how the first chapter came to be. Before I knew it, the narrative I was working
on had blossomed into 5000 words.
I was reluctant to say I was writing a book. But by the
beginning of January, something had taken such hold of me that I just surrendered
to the process. I mean, there was really nothing else I could do. It was a
powerful feeling that took hold of me. It felt like I was being woken every
morning and dragged to my word processor by an otherworldly force. It was like
some spirit entity was leading me to my word processor every morning and insisting
that I sit and write. It was only then that I allowed myself to acknowledge
that I was writing, and commit to writing, a book. There seemed little choice
in the matter for me. There was a story that needed to come out. So I wrote.
When/Where
do you feel most comfortable writing?
First thing in the morning, after a cup of coffee, that’s
when my muse and I get together best. That’s when hammering out words is
easiest for me. I sit at my desk
in front of the computer and bang away at my keyboard, looking up from time to
time to watch the cars drive by on the main street that runs past my home. I
watch people walking past on the sidewalk, too. But when I’m editing, polishing
my words up, I’ll print whole sections and chapters, curl up into an oversized
comfy chair, and, with pen in hand, engage my muse until the words, their
rhythm and tone, feel just right. I need perfect quiet for all this to come
together, too.
Where
does your inspiration for a story come from?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to write a
novel. The only problem was, I’ve never been drawn to any particular story strong
enough to spend the time to set it down on paper. That is, until A Soul’s Calling came along. Actually,
that’s not entirely true. In January 2010, I had begun writing the first pages to
a book, but I didn’t get very far. My law practice steered me away from it and
I just didn’t have the time to make any headway with it.
Purchase: You can purchase A Soul's Calling online at Amazon for $14.95 ($4.95 Kindle version).
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