Author John Shivers released 6th in His Christmas Series in Time for the Holdiays

John Shivers is an author with 26 books to his credit. More than that, he’s a very good friend, and I’m honored and excited to talk about this excellent writer, whose imagination will astound you. John has loyal readers who never miss a single book, give them as gifts, and are always itching for the next one to be printed. In 2018, one such reader suggested that John write a Christmas book. He brushed it off at first, but the reader persisted. John spent about forty days writing a Christmas book he was certain would be a one-time thing. Three Gifts for Christmas was embraced by all of his fans, and even resulted in many new readers. The consensus was that his Christmas series should be made into Hallmark movies. John jokes that all we need to do now is convince Hallmark of that.

So, as the holiday approaches, so does the release of Kissin’ Kin for Christmas, his sixth Christmas novel. Each of John’s Christmas books are stand-alone stories. What else has he written? Well, it started with Christian fiction novels in 2003, with Hear My Cry in that genre. Next for this word-weaver was his Slop Bucket Mystery series, which includes five titles, and he’s written seven novels that aren’t in a series. John says when he is working on a book he writes each day, giving it between two and 10 hours a day. Then he may go weeks between books, before the idea for another one is given to him.

Readers agree that what sets John apart is the way he puts the words together. He has had some say that if they began reading a manuscript with no author identified, they would know it was his by the way it’s written. This is a notable trait of any good artist, and writing is most definitely an art form. John’s abilities are truly God-given. When we talked for this interview, he said, “I love music, but God didn’t give me one single ounce of musical talent. He concentrated it all on my writing ability.” John pastors two Methodist churches in Calhoun, and I’m guessing his congregations would agree.

I asked him to expound on the statement that books are given to him. He told me that he was riding down the road having a conversation of a political nature with his daughter. After he dropped her off, as he drove, the book Alive by Default was born from that conversation. He stopped the car, grabbed a brown paper sack from the back seat, and jotted down the outline for it. Another time, he was sitting on a bench in a shopping mall, when he inadvertently overheard a conversation between two women. The older lady was telling about her grandson, who she’d been raising. The child was taken from her by force on trumped up abuse charges that weren’t true. The boy was put into foster care, and she wasn’t allowed to see him or contact him. She was heartbroken and distraught that he didn’t know she still loved him. This was the inspiration for this year’s Christmas book.

So what is next for this author? He tells me there are at least six books in synopsis form, and at any time, another idea could surface. I don’t foresee him letting his fingers rest for long, because writing is his outlet, his love, and what he is meant to do. If you love to read a good book or need a gift for any reason, any of John’s titles would be a great choice. His books are available directly by contacting him at jshivers1@gmail.com or through Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. They are also available for Kindle and other digital readers. Email him to sign up for his email newsletter, and you’ll be notified of upcoming events.