Betrayal by John Wendell Adams #BookTour, Interview & $50 Amazon Or B&N GC Giveaway

Betrayal by John Wendell Adams

Betrayal. It’s an ugly word, and virtually everyone has experienced it in one form or another. The question is, what do you do about it? Seek revenge? Recover and go on? Or allow rage and despair to destroy everything you’ve ever worked for?

In his riveting debut novel, author and longtime businessman John Wendell Adams details the story of a man caught in an ugly web. Jack Alexander has landed a great job as a divisional director of sales in a Chicago-based IT company. Hired to turn around a regional disaster, he is rewarded with additional responsibilities. The problem: his vitriolic new boss, a co-worker’s unwanted advances, and their secret conspiracy.

Fired from his job, forced to confront both his present and his past, Jack goes through an emotional tailspin before he is able to reconcile what has happened to him. Eventually, he’s hired as a vice president with a much larger firm. When his new company decides to acquire his old one, Jack comes face to face with the two people responsible for his earlier demise.

Meanwhile, he uncovers some illegal activities that could put the acquisition at risk. Is this the time for revenge, to right the wrongs that have been done to him? What should he do? Is it possible to act effectively and also with integrity when confronted with those who compromised his marriage, his career, and his sense of self-worth? Adams comments, “I have worked in the corporate world all my adult life and have witnessed or personally experienced the highlights and moral failings that come with it. To put it simply, if you’ve ever experienced betrayal in the workplace, in love, or in a family, this book is for you.”

“Betrayal is simply a stunning, must-read work that will transform hearts that are open to receive the life lesson within its pages.” ~ Reader Review

Excerpt:

Jack couldn’t wait until church was over on Sunday. It was a train and a bus ride for Jack and his sisters. His mother was comfortable with letting the four of them go alone since his oldest sister was very responsible. They talked as they went but Jack was consumed with his thoughts about spending the day with his dad. Janice, his big sister told them,

“Mama said that we have to stay together. So hold hands and make sure we don’t get separated.” As they walked the two blocks from the bus to the address Jack’s dad gave them, he almost couldn’t contain himself.

“Are we almost there?” He asked his sister.

“We’ll be there in a few minutes. Just stay together,” she reminded them.

When they got to the address his father gave them it turned out to be a parking lot. Janice looked at the addresses on both sides of the parking lot to determine if maybe he’d written down the wrong number. They then walked to a corner store; found a pay phone, and Janice called the phone number they had. She tried it three times. Each time the recording was the same…

“I’m sorry, the number you’ve dialed has been disconnected. Please check the number and try your call again.” She then called their mother, explained the situation, and asked her what to do.

Their mother’s answer was clear,

“Just get back on the bus and the train and come home.”

When Janice told her siblings that they were going back home Jack started talking and crying at the same time.

“Wait, why are we leaving? We haven’t seen Daddy yet. Maybe he’s out looking for us. If we leave, he won’t find us. We can’t leave.” But Janice was direct.

“Mama said we need to go back home. So, let’s get going.” Jack couldn’t stop crying. He couldn’t believe that he wouldn’t see his dad. It was as if all hope was gone. Jack was sad all the way back home. He never saw his dad again until he was grown, married, and had two children.

It was clear that Jack’s dad didn’t really care about his son or helping Jack through life. Jack developed a hard inner shell, trusting no one, not wanting to be hurt like that ever again. And while he didn’t trust Art completely, he did appreciate Art’s care and concern for him from a business perspective.

Author Guest Post/Interview

 

Where does you inspiration come from?

Webster says… An idea is something that you imagine or picture in your mind. When I think on that definition, I agree with it. I have had numerous ideas that I’ve imagined or have been pictures in my mind. There are several ways that ideas arrive at my mental doorstep. Here are a few of them.

One way is for me to be in discussion. I’ve been in meetings or simply having a conversation with another person. In the midst of the discussion, I’ll have an idea that seems to pop up from out of the air. But I generally attribute it to the “Lively Art of Conversation”. It is my opinion that my mind goes into action when prompted by discussion. If I had been simply sitting gazing off into space, I’m not certain that the same idea would have come to the forefront of my brain. I find that I am mentally simulated during conversation and ideas arrive.

Another way is when ideas are revealed to me when I’m asleep. It has happened enough times that I regard it as a “place where ideas are born”. Previously, I tried to analyze the process in order to determine the genesis of it all. I had reasoned that an idea likely came because of something that happened before I fell asleep, watching TV, reading a book, or reviewing work papers. But I have decided that ideas totally unrelated to my pre-sleep activities came to me during my sleep state. Actually, I love this process because I am energized by the thoughts and the ideas that I received. It’s as if they are sitting and waiting for me to open my eyes and begin a new day. It’s like hearing the sound of birds chirping to herald in the morning and the prospect of tremendous things to come.

One more is when I have gotten a vision of something while I have been attending a totally unrelated event. This one might seem a bit strange but for me it is very real. One example…recently, I was at a leadership retreat and all of the attendees were watching and listening to a video. All of a sudden, I got a vision of an idea. It turned out that the vision was totally unrelated to the video or the retreat. That idea led to a significant series of life-changing events.

As a result, I’ve concluded that there is no rhyme or reason as to how ideas show up for me. I attribute them to God and His desire to “Wow” me. As a result, I try to stay open to what He wants to convey. I’ve also learned that I can go with an idea or not. My sense is that God is going to make it reality with or without me. If I say “Yes”, I get to go along for the ride. Keep Writing!!!

 

Would you ever want to change genre’s and if so what would you like to experiment with?

Actually, the genre that I write in currently is great for me. When I think about character development, scene/setting, dialogue, plot, etc., I am thinking in the current genre in which I write. I realize that this may not always be the case going forward but for now, it is great

 

Are your characters/ideas drawn from people that you know personally in any way?

Writing non-fiction has a number of challenges, you have to make sure your information sources are accurate, if you make stuff up, you won’t be credible, often the material could become boring, suffering from too many fact, figures, and data points, the characters already exist so you can only use your imagination so much.

When writing fiction you get the opportunity to “make stuff up”. I like the fact that my imagination can run wild. I have the freedom to allow the plot, the dialog, and the characters to run off in the direction they desire. My job is to try and “hold the reigns”.

Character creation is a fun part for me. Once I decide on the main protagonist and antagonist, I start to think about all of the others that will lift up or tear down the story line as the plot evolves. I strive to make the characters believable. I ask myself, “Why will anyone like or hate them”? “What will they be remembered for?” “How will they advance the plot?” “Why should I care about them?” In addition, I work to make sure they aren’t one-dimensional characters. Here are a few additional questions I ask, “Ok, why are they in the book?” “What about them will make the story more interesting?” “If they are introduced, will they have an important impact on the plot? “Will they be memorable?” If I don’t feel strongly about their contribution, then I likely won’t use them.

One last thing is dialog. This was a difficult thing for me. I couldn’t determine how to control the character. I wasn’t sure how to give them the proper voice and still create tension and advance the plot. Someone gave me some great advice, “If you let them, the characters will take the dialog where it needs to go.” My takeaway was to give each character a voice and then let them express what they believe needs to be said. It seems a bit surreal, and I guess it is. But once I allowed this to take place, character dialog and development became easier. Character development is still a work-in-process but I’m getting better at it. Keep Writing!!!

 

Where would you like to be in 10 years with life or career?

Healthy, married, traveling, writing, enjoying my children and grandchildren

 

What book or books are you reading now?

Retaliate (sequel to Betrayal) by John Wendell Adams It turns out that I am investing most of my time in this new work of fiction.

 

What do you do with your free-time when you are not writing or brain-storming?

I am a runner, a golfer with a 12 handicap, and a cyclist. I love to watch films with my wife and we enjoy Latin dancing.

 

What is your fondest memory from childhood that left an impact on your life?

I didn’t have the greatest relationship with my dad but one of the memories that I still remember is going to the White Sox baseball game with him. I still hear the sound of the bat hitting a ball, the roar of the crowd, and the bright blue sky as we walked up the stairs to enter the ball park. All of this I took in as an eight year old. I was holding my dad’s hand as we walked.

Once we got to the top of the stairs, I saw for the first time all of that thirty seconds before I could only hear. This event opened my eyes to a whole new world, the world of baseball and I got to share it with my dad. I never forgot that memory. I’ve tried since to capture it with my sons but it just wasn’t the same. We were able to capture some different memories but none quite like that one. So, when I want to think of my dad in a positive way, I can go back to that place and it puts a smile on my face.

 

 

John Wendell Adams is the author of “Betrayal”, an exciting novel that exposes some the moral failings in the business world. Set in Chicago, Betrayal is a suspenseful and intriguing page-turner for anyone who has ever been betrayed or bushwhacked in the workplace, a love relationship, or in a family. Earlier published works by John include the series, A Man’s Story, a collection of motivational short stories for men.

With more than 25 years of experience in management, marketing, and sales, having degrees in business and management development, Mr. Adams has held a number of senior leadership positions and assignments, including Aragon Consulting Group and IBM, which stretched across domestic and international markets. These experiences served as a catalyst for his newly published work of fiction.

John has conducted several seminars and speaking engagements around the country. In addition, he is involved in various charitable organizations. He and his wife, Grace, have five children and currently live in Skokie, Illinois.

 

* Website * Twitter * Facebook *

 

John will be awarding a $50 Amazon/B&N GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found by clicking the Goddess Fish Promotions banner you will find below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This promotion was brought to by both the author, John, and Goddess Fish Promotions. If you are interested in Goddess Fish Promotions, you can contact them via website, Twitter, Facebook, Blog, or Google+.