Betrayal VBT

Blurb:

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:

If Jack’s own father had provided him even a little visibility and exposure to life as he grew up, Jack would have thrived on it. Jack came to realize that his dad just didn’t have what was needed to be a “real” father.

"I found out where your father‘s working. I’m sure he’d like to see you.”  Jack’s mother’s comments caught him off guard.  Jack was eight years old when his mom and dad separated and divorced. The fact that his father wasn’t coming home any more affected Jack greatly. In his home, their living room windows faced the street. For several weeks after his dad left, Jack would stand in the window every evening looking out and waiting for his father to come home. So, when Jack’s mother told him and his three sisters that they could go see their dad, he was elated. Looking back, he was more affected by the divorce and not seeing his father than Jack’s sisters. Also, for some reason, Jack thought he had done something to cause the break up. No one ever told him that, but it was still something he struggled with. Jack needed the protection and security of his father. He wanted him to guide him through life and introduce him to the things his neighborhood buddies experienced. Jack hoped that his dad would teach him how to hit a baseball, ride a bike, swim, or make a snowman in the winter.

 “Can we go see him today?” Jack asked his mother.

 “No, I’ll set it up with your dad and then you and your sisters will be free to go see him.”

 It was a cold, snowy winter day. The snow had been falling for two days. It was the kind of snow that would be great for having a snowball fight or making a snowman. None of that mattered to Jack. He just wanted to go see his dad. So off they went; Jack and his sisters.

 His two older sisters, twelve and thirteen, were given instructions by Jack’s mother on where they were to go and how to get there. It must have been a fifteen- minute bus ride but it felt like hours. As they got off the bus and walked to their Dad’s office, all Jack could think of was seeing him and asking when he was coming back home.

 “Hey, it’s great to see you kids. How did you get here? How are you doing? Did you have lunch?” Jack’s dad seemed so happy to see them. He introduced them to all of his co-workers. He was beaming.

 “These are my three daughters and this is my son Jack,” he said.  “I had to name him after me.” Jack was so proud. He felt like the son of a President.  His dad made Jack feel great.

 After all the introductions, he sat down with them in a conference room and talked to them for quite a while.

 “So, how’s school? Are you getting enough to eat? What about your homework? Are you going to bed on time every night?” Jack’s dad was so attentive to them.

 Finally, their time with him was rapidly coming to an end. He had to go back to work. Jack had been saving his question and he felt like he needed to ask it now.

 “So when will we see you again? And when are you coming back home?” Jack blurted out.

 Jack’s dad didn’t answer for a long time. He just looked away. Then finally he said,

 “Look, I have to get back to work. Why don’t you come over to the place where I’m living and we can sit and talk for a much longer time?” Jack thought about that for a moment and then asked,

 “Ok, but then will you tell us when you’ll be coming back home?” His dad looked away again before he answered,

 “Sure, we can talk about it then.”

 He wrote down his address and phone number for them. They agreed on a time to show up at his house on the upcoming Sunday right after church. Before they left he hugged each of them. He waited to hug Jack last. Looking back, Jack sensed something in his hug that he didn’t quite understand until much later.

The hardest part about writing is the editing part.  It is probably different for most writers but for me, I am amazed at just ho must editing is required.  There are multiple aspects here that I need to unpack.

First, when I say edits, I’m not talking about re-writes or the drafting process.  I truly appreciate this process.  To me, this is the place where the book goes through the process of going from an infant to an adult.  I wrote the first draft of one of my novel in about six months.  I didn’t write continually every day but from the first day until I completed it, about six months had passed.  I had several people read it, including my wife.  The comments showed me the areas where I needed serious changes.  It also showed me the areas where I had excelled.  I was motivated to start the next draft, and the next, and the next.  In all, I probably had eight or nine drafts before I arranged the novel into an acceptable form.  Each draft kept getting better and better.

Second, when I got to the end of the draft process and the novel was in its final stage, it needed to be edited.  This is where the difficult process started for me.  It is the area where all of wording, spelling, punctuation, and syntax are addressed.  Every word, sentence, paragraph, and chapter is analyzed for correction.  I tried to edit my own final product and realized that I am simply too close to it.  I tried reading the novel out loud believing that this would make a difference.  While it did make some difference, there were still things that were missed.

Third, I’m convinced that in order to write a novel, you need a community of people to read the book and be exceptionally proficient in the editing process.  I recognize that dialogue is one of the most challenging aspects of a novel.  For me, things that seem very straightforward can be extremely tricky.  So, rather than for me to believe that I can handle this portion successfully, I realize that I need editing experts who have a passion for this aspect of the book process. 

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Author Bio and Links:

John Wendell Adams has more than twenty-five years of experience in management, marketing, and sales. With degrees in business and management development, Mr. Adams has led highly effective sales teams, managed an executive briefing center for senior leaders, and won numerous awards as a leader and individual contributor. His senior leadership positions and assignments stretch across domestic and international markets and include Aragon Consulting Group and IBM. These experiences served as a catalyst for Betrayal, his newly published work of fiction. The author of A Man's Story, a collection of motivational short stories for men, John has conducted seminars and speaking engagements around the country and is involved in various charitable organizations. He and his wife Grace have five children and currently live in Skokie, Illinois.

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