How Reading Damaged my Ignorance

 

A Letter From the Writer Behind Giftkone Publishing

How reading damaged my ignorance.

I do not mean that one book, one library, or one source suddenly gave me all the answers. Reading gave me something more valuable: a way to ask better questions, do my own research, compare different accounts, and hear more than one side of a story.

My writing journey began during a time when research often meant physically going to the public library, looking through shelves, checking indexes, and following one subject into another. Later came computers and the internet, and suddenly there were even more doors to open.

For me, those doors led to a deeper understanding of history.

I began looking into the dark spaces in my own understanding of family history, educational history, spiritual history, social history, and especially Black history. The more I read, the more I discovered how much had never appeared in the textbooks I was educated with.

That realization disturbed me.

I began to understand that inaccurate history does not usually survive because of one person. It can take an entire system to create it, repeat it, protect it, and pass it from one generation to another.

For misleading information to become accepted history, books have to be written, approved, printed, distributed, purchased, taught, and repeated. Educators may inherit material they did not create. Publishers may rely on accepted sources. Political, religious, scientific, and social institutions may reinforce ideas that have gone largely unchallenged.

Sometimes people may simply repeat what they were taught.

Other times, inconvenient facts may be ignored, minimized, distorted, or left out altogether.

That became one of the strongest motivations behind my writing.

I wanted to investigate some of the subjects that had once been missing from my own education and then share what I discovered with others. I wanted to write about people, history, culture, family, faith, health, caregiving, relationships, and ordinary human experiences that deserve another look.

I am still learning.

That may be one of the most important things I can say about myself as a writer.

I do not write because I believe I know everything. I write because there is still so much I want to understand.

Reading taught me that learning does not end when school ends. Sometimes our real education begins when we finally become curious enough to question what we were originally taught.

That curiosity eventually became Giftkone Publishing.

Why I Created This Blog

I want the Giftkone Publishing Blog to become more than a place where I talk about my own books.

I would like it to become a meeting place for writers, readers, and curious people.

Writers are invited to share what encourages them to keep writing, what inspires their stories, where their ideas come from, and what writing prompts help them when the page seems empty.

Readers are invited to talk about the books and stories they enjoy. What makes you keep turning the pages? What kind of characters stay with you? What subjects do you wish more authors would explore? What makes you recommend a book to somebody else?

And you do not have to be a writer or an especially devoted reader to belong here.

You may simply be someone interested in history, family, culture, creativity, publishing, storytelling, or learning something you did not know yesterday.

You are welcome too.

What I Hope My Writing Accomplishes

Some of my books are meant to entertain.

Some are meant to inform.

Some are meant to preserve memories.

Some grew from questions I carried for years.

Others began with nothing more than an idea that refused to leave me alone.

Whether I am writing fiction, memoir, history, wellness, activity books, or stories about ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances, I hope there is something in the work that causes the reader to think, remember, question, smile, learn, or see something from a slightly different direction.

I have learned that a book does not have to change the whole world to matter.

Sometimes changing one person's understanding of one subject is enough.

Sometimes helping somebody remember part of their own history is enough.

Sometimes entertaining someone through a difficult afternoon is enough.

Sometimes a book simply needs to start a conversation.

And That Is Where You Come In

Writing can begin as a solitary activity, but books are not completed by writers alone.

Readers complete them.

Every reader brings personal memories, beliefs, questions, experiences, and imagination to the page. Two people can read exactly the same story and walk away carrying something completely different.

That is one of the things I love most about writing.

So I hope you will participate here.

Tell me what you enjoy reading.

Tell me what you are writing.

Tell me what inspires you.

Tell me about subjects you believe deserve more attention.

Share the writing advice you wish someone had given you earlier.

Share the books that changed your thinking.

And when you read something from Giftkone Publishing, I hope you will tell me what worked for you, and even what did not.

That conversation can help make the next book better.

My ignorance has suffered a great deal of damage since I first discovered the power of reading.

I hope it never recovers.

There are still too many books to read, too many questions to ask, too many stories to hear, and too much history waiting to be rediscovered.

Thank you for visiting Giftkone Publishing.

More importantly, thank you for being part of the conversation.

Giftkone Publishing
Books, stories, ideas, and conversations worth sharing

Welcome to Giftkone Publishing.

Starting this blog feels a little like opening the door to a new room, one filled with stories, ideas, unfinished conversations, lessons learned, and possibilities still waiting to be discovered.

I have spent much of my life creating in one form or another. My background has included broadcasting, science, engineering, filmmaking, and now, increasingly, writing and publishing. Each of those experiences taught me something different about communication, but writing has given me a special kind of freedom.

Writing allows an idea to begin quietly in one person’s imagination and eventually find its way into the imagination of someone else.

That is something I never take for granted.

The Joy of Writing

One of the things I enjoy most about writing is that a story can begin almost anywhere.

It may start with a memory.

A conversation.

A historical event.

A person you once knew.

A place you visited years ago.

A question you cannot stop thinking about.

Or sometimes it begins with nothing more than a simple thought:

“What if?”

That question has probably launched more stories than we will ever know.

For many years, I had story ideas at times when I had more responsibilities than opportunities to write them down. Careers, family responsibilities, work, caregiving, and simply living life all competed for the same hours.

Now I have more time to return to some of those ideas.

And I have discovered something wonderful.

The stories were still there.

Some had changed.

Some had grown.

Some had become more meaningful because I had changed.

Life experience has a way of adding depth to ideas that once seemed simple.

That is part of what makes writing exciting to me today.

I am not simply writing stories.

I am discovering them.

Sometimes the characters surprise me.

Sometimes research sends me in a direction I never expected.

Sometimes a scene that was supposed to be short becomes one of the most important parts of the story.

And sometimes I realize that the story I thought I was writing is actually about something much deeper.

That discovery is part of the joy.

Why Giftkone Publishing?

Giftkone Publishing is intended to become more than a place where I announce books.

I want it to become a meeting place for people interested in writing, independent publishing, storytelling, book promotion, distribution, history, creativity, and the changing world of publishing.

Some visitors may be experienced writers.

Some may be working on their first book.

Some may be considering self-publishing.

Some may simply love reading.

All are welcome.

I hope to share things I have learned along the way—the successes as well as the mistakes.

Independent publishing involves much more than writing a manuscript.

There are book descriptions to write.

Covers to consider.

Titles to choose.

Keywords to research.

Formatting decisions.

Advertising.

Author pages.

Reviews.

Distribution.

Social media.

And perhaps the most difficult question of all:

How do you help the right reader discover your book?

I do not claim to have every answer.

In fact, one reason I created this blog is because I believe some of the best answers come through conversation.

Readers Are Part of the Journey

Writers spend a great deal of time alone with their words.

That is simply part of writing.

But books are not meant to remain alone with their writers.

Eventually they have to leave us.

They enter the hands of readers.

And once that happens, something changes.

The reader becomes part of the story.

Every reader brings different experiences to a book. A scene that means one thing to the writer may mean something entirely different to the person reading it.

A character I intended to be minor may become someone’s favorite.

A sentence I almost removed may become the line someone remembers.

A historical detail may encourage someone to research something they never knew.

A fictional situation may remind another person of something they experienced in real life.

That is why reader feedback means so much to me.

I think of reader response as a kind of compass.

Not a compass that tells the writer exactly what to write.

A writer still has to follow the story he or she believes in.

But readers can point toward things a writer may not have noticed.

They can tell us where they became excited.

Where they became confused.

Which characters they cared about.

Which subjects they wanted to know more about.

Which scenes stayed with them after the book was closed.

That information can become part of the writing path.

Reviews Are More Than Stars

Book reviews are often reduced to a number of stars.

I understand why.

Ratings are quick.

But the comments behind those stars can be far more valuable.

When someone takes a few minutes to explain what they liked, or what they thought could have been stronger, they give an author something worth considering.

That does not mean an author should change direction every time someone has a different opinion.

If ten readers read the same story, they may have ten different reactions.

That is part of art.

But patterns matter.

If many readers respond strongly to the same character, that tells me something.

If several readers are confused by the same part of a story, that tells me something too.

Feedback becomes information.

Information helps writers make decisions.

That is why I welcome honest reader responses.

Positive reviews are certainly appreciated.

But thoughtful criticism can also have value.

My hope is that Giftkone Publishing can become a place where writers and readers understand that relationship.

Free Books and Review Copies

From time to time, I plan to make selected books available to prospective reviewers.

Most of these will probably be eBooks because they are easier and less expensive to distribute.

Receiving a free book will never mean that someone is required to leave a review.

A review is appreciated, but it is not mandatory.

And when someone does choose to write a review, I want that review to represent their real opinion.

Independent authors depend heavily on readers.

Reviews help other readers discover books.

Recommendations help books travel from one person to another.

Even a simple comment can encourage a writer to continue.

Sometimes writers wonder whether anyone is listening.

A reader can answer that question.

Writing Under More Than One Name

Most of my current writing appears under the name Butch Gray.

Some of my earlier work, and other projects, may appear under the name Hank Gray.

Both names represent parts of my writing history, and Giftkone Publishing will provide a place where readers can discover work published under either name.

Rather than treating those names as completely separate worlds, I hope this site can help connect them.

Different books may explore very different subjects, but the person behind them is still fascinated by stories, history, people, relationships, and the experiences that shape our lives.

What You Can Expect Here

Future Giftkone Publishing posts may include discussions about writing and storytelling, independent publishing experiences, book promotion ideas, author resources, historical subjects connected to my books, works in progress, excerpts, character discussions, behind-the-scenes research, and lessons learned through publishing.

I also want to talk about the process itself.

Why does one story work while another struggles?

When should a writer revise?

How much should readers influence future books?

How does an independent author reach people without becoming nothing more than an advertisement?

How do we preserve older stories while still creating new ones?

These are questions worth discussing.

I expect this blog to grow as I grow.

I Want to Hear From Readers

One of my biggest hopes for Giftkone Publishing is that communication will travel in both directions.

I will write.

But I also want to listen.

Tell me what you enjoy reading.

Tell me what subjects interest you.

Tell me which books you would like to know more about.

Tell me which characters deserve another story.

Tell me what you would like to see discussed on this blog.

Writers sometimes spend so much time asking readers to buy something that we forget to ask what readers actually want to read.

I want to ask.

Your comments may help guide future posts.

Your questions may become future articles.

Your reactions may influence the direction of future writing.

That does not mean readers will be asked to write the books for me.

It means I respect the people I am writing them for.

A compass does not walk the road.

It helps you know which direction you are facing.

That is how I hope to use reader feedback.

Join Me Beyond the Blog

I also invite you to connect with me on Facebook, where I share information, books, projects, creative ideas, and updates:

https://www.facebook.com/FindWallArt/

The blog and Facebook page can serve different purposes.

Facebook allows for quick conversations and updates.

Giftkone Publishing gives me room to explore subjects in greater depth.

I hope the two will work together.

The Road Ahead

I do not know exactly where this blog will eventually lead.

That is part of the excitement.

Publishing continues to change.

Readers continue to change.

Technology changes.

The ways writers reach audiences change.

But one thing remains remarkably constant.

Someone has a story.

Someone else wants to hear it.

Everything between those two people is the publishing journey.

Giftkone Publishing is my invitation for you to join me somewhere along that road.

Whether you are a writer, reader, publisher, distributor, reviewer, historian, aspiring author, or simply someone who enjoys a good story, I hope you will return.

Read.

Comment.

Ask questions.

Share ideas.

Recommend books.

Tell me what interests you.

And most importantly, keep reading.

Because writers may put words on the page, but readers are the people who give those words somewhere to go.

Welcome to Giftkone Publishing.

I am glad you found your way here.

— Butch Gray
Giftkone Publishing