Interview with Richard Capriola, author of A Nation Under Judgment
Richard Capriola spent many years serving as a hospital chaplain. He completed four years of Clinical Pastoral Education in preparation for his chaplaincy work. In addition to his pastoral care experience, he has served as a mental health counselor at both a regional crisis center and a psychiatric hospital.
Connect with Richard Capriola:
Website: www.anationunderjudgment.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rickcapriola
About The Book
Title: A Nation Under Judgment
Author: Richard Capriola
Publisher: Mill City Press
Publication Date: April 3, 2014
Pages: 222
ISBN: 978-1-62652-767-6
Genre: Non-Fiction
Format: Paperback / PDF
What does it mean to be One Nation Under God? Our Founding Fathers believed it was more than a political slogan. Have we strayed from their vision? A Nation Under Judgment focuses on issues currently facing our nation including hunger, poverty, the environment and marriage. These and other issues are reviewed from both a Scriptural point of view and a social policy point of view. Readers are empowered to consider whether our nation is moving away from being One Nation Under God.
Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE
Author Interview
My book began with the idea to write a small book about wisdom. First, I had to find a good definition. The one I chose was wisdom is the ability to see things from God’s point of view. From that definition I began to examine our nation’s social policies from a Scriptural point of view to explore if being “one nation under God” we had lost our wisdom – are ability to see things from God’s point of view when crafting national policies.
How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?
The book was a real challenge! I worked on various editions of it for seven years and the biggest challenge was keeping the data and information up to date! There is a great deal of information in my book about our nation’s social policies and the data kept changing. Also, as the book evolved I was inspired to add new chapters on different issues and eventually the original book was completely restructured. The best advice I have for other writers is to use a professional editor to help with the final product.
Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?
I am a self-published author and my publisher is Mill City Press. As a first time author it is really difficult to land a traditional publishing contract. I researched several different self-publishing companies on the Internet and discovered Mill City Press offered me the best publishing options.
Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?
Definitely there were surprises! The most striking surprise to me was the amount of time and effort a new author, especially a self-published author, needs to invest in marketing their book. It’s not just the money one needs to invest in marketing (although that can be substantial) it’s also the time that is needed to market the book in so many different areas. Fortunately there are many good marketing opportunities available for self-published authors. It just takes time and persistence to find them!
What other books (if any) are you working on and when will they be published?
Most of my time now is spent promoting A Nation Under Judgment. Eventually I may return to my original plan to write a small book on wisdom from a Scriptural perspective without the social policy aspect. But for now my attention is on trying to promote my current book.
What is your favorite place to hang out online?
I like to spend time on Facebook. There are several groups for self-published authors. I find them helpful for sharing marketing ideas and for supporting authors. It’s a great community of writers that use Facebook to support and encourage one another.
Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to get across with your book?
The message is simple. My book empowers readers to consider whether our nation is moving away from being one nation under God. I hope it challenges them to consider what it means to be one nation under God and examine if we are living up to those words as a nation.
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