Introduction

Circle of Doors remained a secret for almost five years until just before publishing. Only my immediate family and a few close friends knew about the project. For a true entrepreneur, stepping outside conformity, taking risks and embracing atypical ambition is a normal way of life. Then there are times when life can send you in directions so different from a path of even thinly disguised normality, that prudence suggests a quiet road.

The journey began in the midst of running a thriving company when a focused career ambition that had fueled my professional interests for the previous twenty-five years suddenly vanished overnight. My mind was always abuzz in an endless parade of ideas, images, plans and schedules. That particular February morning, I woke to silence. There was no voice of direction, no thoughts to organize, no interest whatsoever in the work that was my life just the day before. It was as if someone had reached into my soul and turned off the switch.

Three troubling months went by as I tried to find reason and understanding in what had happened. Completing existing business projects was a struggle. Other career options were pondered aimlessly while I waited for the missing interest to return. It never did.

Then one night I experienced an incredibly vivid and highly organized dream wherein I was sitting alone in a large, old theater. The seating curved around and sloped downward toward a stage straddle by roman columns. There was a mezzanine above my head and red velvet drapes with gold rope trim on the walls. The curtains over the stage opened to reveal a screen and a movie began to play that I watched the entire night. The next night would bring the very same dream and the second part of the same movie. While documenting this amazing and admittedly strange experience, I was compelled to embellish certain points of the story. It wasn't long before a distinct and overwhelming impression settled with me that it was intended I write the entire story in detail so it could be shared.

This revelation was too much and the idea was dropped. A novel wasn't exactly what I had in mind for furthering professional ambitions and supporting my family. As a businessman, any project worth doing is worth doing right. That means an unwavering commitment of time, energy and resources. To commit to a project of this scale, with the odds of a new author's first novel being picked up by a notable publisher just astronomically slim, made no sense. Yet there was a presence behind the impression that when glimpsed in brief moments of clarity, was embodied as an endlessly immense and powerful force gently and patiently encouraging me to go forward. It was hard to explain and impossible to ignore. With the blessing of my wife and young family, the story would be the first time I would dedicate everything to a project based entirely on faith.

A certain amount of legitimate writing experience and new ambition led the project. After weeks of hard work, I eagerly went back to read what had been penned. It was superficial and devoid of the incredible feeling and depth of the original experience. At the time, I thought these efforts were the best I had to offer. Everything was deleted and despondency set it. There were no doubts about the events that had led me to this point. So if the story was really meant for me to tell, what was wrong?

With the voices silent once again, introspection found my answer; selfish ambition in a single-minded goal to make the story successful had led me to write what I thought people wanted to hear, not what was meant to be written. Inspiration comes through you, not from you. That’s something I’ve known most of my life and had momentarily forgotten. It was time to search for understanding that can only come from beyond one's self.

The desire to work had never left. With my businesses gone, I sought honest direction. For part of that summer, I did nothing but work on our property clearing brush, moving dirt, terracing slopes, building walkways and retaining walls…and listening. I built fences and paths, planted trees, grasses and flower gardens…and listened. As I worked, the waiting story began to emerge in ideas, concepts, characters, plots, and purpose. True direction and motivation were coming together. It was all becoming clearer.

Professional writing advice was sought and I started the journey over. This time everything was different. The ideas that came were sometimes so powerful that I would become emotionally overwhelmed. Other times the thoughts would simply come so fast that it was almost impossible to keep up. Weeks turned into months, then into years…

Circle of Doors is much more than a story about adventure and mystery, it’s about all of us. It’s a testament to strength, purpose, conviction, hope, justice, love, and endless possibility. Many times our greatest accomplishments are met with the greatest challenges, but nothing of real and lasting value is ever easily achieved. Every choice we make continues to mold our character, and those who always reach for what is more worthwhile will always find themselves in some way better and stronger for their efforts. It is my hope that this work conveys at least some of those values.

When we begin to understand who we really are, then we can begin to understand what is truly possible. Greatness is within us all if we will only encourage the desire to search, to learn without prejudice, find the patience to understand, and develop convictions that endure. And sometimes finding direction can even be as simple as just closing the doors, and listening…

-Ranse Parker