On Tour: A Year in the Room
About the Book
Book: A Year in the Room (The Reluctant Pilgrim Book 2)
Author: Steven Rogers
Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction
Release Date: October 23, 2024
Reluctant pilgrim Ben Cahill steps off a flight from Israel facing an unrelenting list of challenges—a fractured family, no job, no place to live, and a dubious grip on his newly-found sobriety. He has no plans for the next steps in his life.
Ben starts over, settling into a small, rented room and working three part-time jobs. As his first year of recovery unfolds, Ben fights an unrelenting spiritual war against his personal demons and the consequences of his past actions.
Can a chain-smoking, no-nonsense grandmother, a retired navy cook, a crusty old Scotsman, and an unexpected pilgrimage to the legendary Scottish Island of Iona, clear away the wreckage of Ben’s life and lead him to hope? Join Ben on his journey in this sequel to the award-winning novel Into the Room.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Steven Rogers is a Christian author of the “Reluctant Pilgrim” series. His most recent novel, A Year in the Room, was published in November 2024. The book is a sequel to his debut novel, Into the Room, which was published in 2021. In addition to other awards, both books were finalists for the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Carol Awards.
Steven loves the process of writing, especially exploring characters that are either broken or facing unfamiliar situations. They are usually ordinary people confronting their internal demons and the challenges of day-to-day living. He also enjoys bringing his stories to a happy, or at least hopeful, ending.
Steven serves as the Director of Royalty Management and Acquisitions Editor at Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. In addition to writing, Steven is a speaker and enjoys sharing his journey of faith and exploring how God’s word applies in the modern world.
Steven, a proud father of three adult children and one incredibly lucky son-in-law, is happily married to his wife of thirty-nine years, Kathy. They live in Richmond, Virginia.
More from Steven
When I first began writing, I was trying to become the next Stephen King. I was inventing serial killers, violently murdering people, and using time travel as a plot concept. At the time, I didn’t know there was a robust and far-reaching Christian Fiction market.
Things changed in 2017 while I was on a flight to Israel. Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, I had the thought, I wonder what would happen if I were an alcoholic who has just been released from rehab, and I HAD to take this trip? I quickly invented my character, Ben Cahill, and took him on the tour with me.
When we got back home, my wife asked what I’d been writing in my journal during our visit to The Holy Land. After I explained, the following exchange took place:
Her: “You may have a book there.”
Me: “That’s not my genre.”
Her (using much gentler language): “You’re not published yet; you don’t have a genre.”
To make a long story short, the result of this conversation was my first novel, Into the Room.
A Year in the Room is Book 2 in my “Reluctant Pilgrim” series. I wrote the book because I was compelled to continue telling Ben Cahill’s story and explore an alcoholic/addict during the first year of recovery.
Many writers fall in love with their characters. I am no different. Writing about Ben has been a blessing for me. His story has significantly impacted my personal spiritual journey, taught me to forgive, and brought me closer to God. I will be forever grateful for his impact on my life.
Interview with Steven:
What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
I consider writing a mission and a book can only impact one person at a time. As a result, my favorite thing about being a writer is meeting readers and discussing my books. There’s something about the personal connection and hearing what people did or didn’t like about my stories that is both fulfilling and educational. I especially enjoy learning that my story had a positive impact on one of my readers.
My most blessed moment was when a reader of A Year in the Room said, “I actually think I’m a better man for having read this story.” To know that my writing had a positive impact on someone was a compliment beyond anything I could have dreamed of receiving.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
I have a whole presentation on this topic and could talk about it all day long. The most surprising thing I learned was how much my writing impacted my personal faith journey and changed the way I viewed life.
Writing about my protagonist, Ben Cahill, and his struggles with alcoholism taught me to forgive others. It helped clear my heart of resentment, anger, and guilt directed towards the alcoholics/addicts in my life. In addition, walking with Ben through the story helped me to understand better God’s grace and His love for all of us. I genuinely believe that, if these books had never been published, telling Ben’s story would have changed my life.
Can you share a real-life event that inspired your writing?
While A Year in the Room is fictional, the story reflects my own experiences observing alcohol and drug abuse in others. This perspective was forged by living with those around me suffering from the disease, witnessing their recovery, and addressing the impacts those addictions had on me and my life. My journey has led me to do extensive research into the mind of the alcoholic/addict and the reality of alcoholism/addiction as a family disease. No one escapes untouched. I’ve tried to reflect this perspective through the story.
What questions do you ask yourself when preparing to write a new book?
I begin with three questions. First, what is the story I want to tell? Second, have I already told this story? Three, has someone else told the story?
Once I’m satisfied with these three, I ask myself the big question— “Are you vulnerable enough to dig into your soul and expose some of your demons?” To truly impact a reader, an author must be willing to let themselves be seen on the page. This does not mean writing an autobiography or detailing specific events in your life. What it does mean is confronting your emotions and/or behaviors. For example, in writing about my protagonist Ben Cahill’s alcoholism, I had to face my own actions, faults, and addictions, working them, directly and indirectly, into Ben’s personality and the plotline. This is not easy to do, but I believe it makes for an authentic story.
What was the best money you spent as a writer?
Before submitting the manuscript of my first novel, Into the Room, to agents, editors, or publishers, I invested in a professional editor. She provided invaluable feedback and style recommendations. She also requested a few additional scenes that strengthened the story. Once we were completed, she helped me find my publisher, Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. I will forever be grateful to Michele Chynoweth for her counsel and advice.
How do you come up with story lines/book topic?
My ideas primarily come from two mental exercises. First, I constantly ask myself, “I wonder what would happen if?” About ten percent of the time, I get a story idea. Secondly, I mentally practice writing by trying to describe the space around me using imagery and “showing versus telling.” Sometimes my mind wanders further than I planned, and I end up with a short story, sketch, or character I’ll later insert into a longer work.
What was your favorite childhood book and why?
First, I’ll tell you about the childhood book that had the most significant impact on my life. When I was in second grade, my father grew tired of me watching TV and dragged me to the local library, enrolling me in their summer reading program. For each book I read, I received a paper feather to glue onto a picture of a Native American headdress. The first book (something about a swimmer in a neighborhood pool) did not impress me at all. However, the second, The Reluctant Pitcher by Matt Christopher, flipped a switch in my brain, and I became a lifelong lover of reading fiction. Since that eventful summer, I’ve always been reading novels and exploring new authors. I often wonder if my passion would have developed without the experience of reading Mr. Christopher’s books as a seven-year-old boy.
My favorite childhood book was Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. For me, the story was magic, filled with amazing adventures and unforgettable characters. I used to roam the woods behind my house pretending I was Tom. Also, this was the first book I ever bought with my own money. I can still remember the Saturday morning my parents and I stopped at a flea market in Fall River, Massachusetts, when I dug some change out of my pocket to buy an old hardcover copy issued in 1928. The book still sits on my bookshelf today.
Blog Stops
To celebrate his tour, Steven is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://gleam.io/AqCbw/a-year-in-the-room-celebration-tour-giveaway
I enjoyed the interview.
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