Higginbotham, writer of "A Pilgrimage of Time" and "Ransomed Lives" lives in the Atlanta area with his wife and 3 children. Read on to learn more about Higginbotham, exclusively for Marysworld readers:
Interests: Reading, writing, learning, water sports (surfing when I can, windsurfing when I can)
Education: B.S. Marketing, M.B.A., and currently working on an M.A. in Christian Apologetics at Luther
Rice University
History: Born in Kansas City, MO. Served close to nine years in US Navy as a Reactor Operator and Reactor Operator Instructor.
Occupation: Engineer, blogger, seminary student, and writer.
Reason for writing: It is a passion, and I lose myself when I write; the words seem to flow naturally. I used an outline, though it was sparse in detail and unfolded as the plot moved along. For A Pilgrimage of Time, the entire outline took up two pages. I would map a few chapters out, type them in, and then add more chapters to the outline. That way, I was not narrowly defined.
Inspiration: My Christian faith has inspired me to write stories that entertain and instruct. My themes are laced with strong moral opinions and truths. I am a firm believer that novels should be more than entertainment, humor, drama, and romance. One needs to go away changed and with a sense that God directs our paths if we let Him. Music also inspires me. A good song, such as Natalie Grant’s In Better Hands, is inspiring in that I create mental and written drama to go along with the words and the melody.
Ambitions: To see my words in print and in bookstores, and to view, like my character did in A Pilgrimage of Time, a glimpse or two of what words can do, whether they are scripture or encouragement. To change how people view others is another dream. Many people ignore society’s cast-offs, who come in the form of a person of meager means, a deformity, or whatever.
Why a dream concept?: You can do anything in a dream. Time travel is easier when a time machine does not have to be constructed. Besides, I had no desire to turn people off with a science fiction kind of novel, which it is not. There is nothing wrong with science fiction; it is simply not my thrust. The idea of two disparate worlds colliding and forming an intricate tapestry of love, goodness, and faith has always fascinated me and with faith in the impossible as the anchor, anything can happen and anything can be believed if you let it.
Themes: I enjoy weaving in timeless truths and twists and turns in my stories. God’s words and goodness endure and stand the test of time and I enjoyed proving that. We may never see the fruit of our faith in action, especially if those acts were 700 years prior, but if any of us were to actually see that evidence, we would know beyond any shadow of a doubt that none of us are “good for nothing”. We may never see the substance of kind works, but they are at work.
As for twists, I constantly read other fiction authors. The most successful authors are those that allow the reader to wonder what’s next. Those are the kind that never spend countless pages on filler, but rather keep the reader guessing on the unfolding drama. I enjoy leading the reader down a certain path, then throwing a curve right at the end that leaves them breathless and hoping for more.
To request a manuscript, contact Scott Higginbotham at:
Scott
