Today I am thrilled to be sitting here with author
and close friend, Nancy Panko.
Nancy, before we get to your excellent book, Guiding Missal: Fifty Years, Three
Generations of Military Men, One Spirited Prayer Book, tell me a little
about yourself.
I was born in the dining room of a farm house in central
New York State. I graduated high school in Pennsylvania and attended The State
University of New York at Alfred for one year. I met my future husband in PA
and we were blessed with two children.
At age 35 I decided to go back to college to become a nurse. I graduated
just before my 40th birthday. It was difficult, but I'm eternally grateful for
the opportunity to have had a rewarding career for 23 years. In 2009, we
retired and moved to Fuquay Varina, NC and never looked back. Our kids live
close by and we get to spend time with them and our 4 grandchildren.
How long have you been writing?
As I look back through my scrapbooks, I find I wrote
short stories all through grade school. I was always good in English
composition and took a creative writing class in high school which really got
me going. As a nurse, we spent a great deal of time writing care plans for each
patient. They had to be clear and concise. The first time I got paid for a
piece was when I wrote for "Humor in Uniform" for Reader's Digest.
They paid me $400 and the check arrived just in time to replace a water heater
which had exploded earlier in the day. I now have seven stories published in
Chicken Soup for the Soul and two in Guidepost magazine.
Give us a brief synopsis of your book.
Across a span of fifty years, three generations
of military men have one prayer book in common that has a mind and voice of its
own. In 1944, a U.S. Army baker volunteers as a forward observer to carry out
covert operations behind German lines in World War II. In the early Sixties, a
focused nineteen-year-old Airman is responsible for decoding critical top
secret messages during the height of the Berlin Crisis. In 1993, an army sniper
overcomes a debilitating condition only to fight for survival in the streets of
war-torn Mogadishu, Somalia, when a Blackhawk helicopter is shot down. Yet,
when each of these men face a crisis, this very special prayer book, My
Military Missal, intercedes with understanding and divine power. Based on
actual events, Guiding Missal is relevant for any person who
is serving or has served in the military and their families.
What prompted you to write it?
Initially, I started a notebook in March 1994 to re-create Dad Panko's military history as a birthday surprise for my husband. I interviewed Dad and members of his company who were eager to tell their stories. Without the volume of material these men provided, it would have been impossible to tell his story. I began to compile the information in a notebook. That single notebook grew to three notebooks.
After all the research put into the birthday
project, I decided to tackle the rest of the story. It was an emotional journey
to relive the struggles of military life and combat affecting loved ones. With
months of interviews and tape recorded conversations from my husband and our
son-in-law, along with well-documented historical facts, similarities
and differences emerged. Three generations of men shared the guidance of the
same prayer book, two experienced combat, one did not, all returned home
changed men sustained by faith and family love. I had everything I needed for my
book "Guiding Missal.”
How long did it take you to write it?
A total of 10 years with many interruptions,
stops, and starts. Life happened, I lacked confidence, and then I joined a
writer's group. They provided feedback and gentle critique. I got to be a
better writer and blossomed.
Do you have a favorite line from the book?
Yes! It is: "He was just an ordinary man
carrying a uniquely endowed military missal with the Word of the Lord to
guide and shield him from harm."
Is it published, and if so, when and by whom?
It is published by The Light Messages group from
Durham, NC, released to bookstores and the public on April 17, 2017.
How can my readers get a copy?
Amazon.com is taking orders for both the print
and Kindle version of the book. Any bookstore can get it for you, it will
probably have to be ordered unless there are lots of requests. (Please, Lord!)
What do you do besides write?
Spend time with family and friends, take care of
our home, read, read, read, and my most favorite thing of all, spend time on
our boat!
How nice. What is your advice to would-be writers?
Keep honing your craft, take writing classes,
join writers' groups that offer constructive, supportive critique. Start with
short stories and try to get them published to gain confidence.
Tell us what you wish you knew when you started
your writing career?
I wish I knew how hard and time-consuming it
would be. Anything worthwhile is hard work and the passion has to be there.
What's next for you, Nancy?
At this point, it's hard to think beyond getting
this labor of love off the ground. Promoting the book is a full-time job. I
continue to write short stories, submitting to Chicken Soup. Perhaps another
novel will take form in a few months, who knows.
Folks, I’ve read this book and I highly recommend it. One thing
that stands out to make the book unique is that it is narrated by the prayer
missal, making the missal as much a character in the book as any of the Panko
men who carried it into battle with them.
Guiding Missal is a timeless
journey of faith, patriotism and miracles that will touch your heart as the
missal and the men call out to God for guidance, protection, and a safe return
home.
Quote of the Day: Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war, With the Cross of Jesus Going on before! Sabine Baring-Gould
No comments:
Post a Comment