Recent surveys have shown 81 percent of Americans think they can write a book. Of that 81 percent, only a small fraction of people actually sit down at their laptops with an idea in their head and begin the process of creating art with their words. In fact, that was one of the biggest problems for Grand Valley State University student Adam Jones, author of “In the Land of God.”

The book is a piece of literary historical fiction and was inspired by the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. It takes place during the early 20^th century in a fictional town called New Canaan and is centered on a married couple, Abraham and Sara, who live on a farm and have twin sons named Isaac and Ishmael.

Jones said one main theme of the book is family conflict, as well as the destructive nature of conflict itself. In fact, a big motif in the story is fire because fire can cause massive amounts of destruction, but it can also be a way of starting over: a person can have a fresh start if they don’t have anything left.

Another theme of the novel is trying to escape one’s problems. The fictional town of New Canaan is set right on the edge of the Ozarks, as though it is trying to get out of the South but doesn’t quite want to be part of the North. In fact, Abraham and Sara move there from the Northeast to get away from life in their old town. The point of this, Jones said, is to say, “You run so far trying to get away from your problems, but you can never really fully get away.”

When asked which authors have been influential in his writing life, Jones cited men such as John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway and Raymond Carver, all of whom had some influence on his book in one way or another.

Jones emphasized the importance of getting to the point in writing. He thinks many contemporary authors tend to “beat about the bush” for dramatic effect or simply to add unnecessary fluff to the story, but Jones appreciates Hemingway’s style because he gets to the point and is concise.

For many authors, it’s very difficult to be just that: an author. There are a number of difficulties and obstacles that prevent most people from writing. For Jones, the hardest obstacle to get over was just sitting down and starting the book.

“Something like 80 percent of people want to write a novel, but only about 10 percent actually sit down and do it,” Jones said.

Self-criticism was another big obstacle for Jones. Being able to set aside one’s inhibitions and just write what comes into one’s head is a hard skill to master, but it’s necessary when it comes to writing a book.

Then, there was the difficulty of deciding how to publish the novel. Jones wrestled with the idea of going through a traditional publisher or self-publishing his own book. In the end, it came down to one question.

“Do I really want to take this baby I’ve been working on for three years and hand it off to someone else and say, ‘Here you go—do whatever you want with it?’” he said. 

In the end, Jones decided to opt for self-publishing. The hardest part of this was getting his book out to the public.

When asked what impact he wants his book to have on those who read it, Jones said it wasn’t his choice.

“Ultimately, it’s out of my hands now,” he said.

Jones has resigned himself to the fact that people are going to make of it what they want and will infer their own meanings from the words he has spent so long writing.

In closing, Jones shared some advice for future authors: “Don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t turn out how you planned at first.”

“In the Land of God” is available to purchase on Amazon as an e-book or a paperback.