Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
It was in 1992 that my story began,
And the title of Marcus Hurst filled the naming demand.
Pennsylvania was the place where our family was raised, And milking the cows is how we spent our days.
Eight siblings I have, which has brought many joys, Two sisters Iโve gotโthe rest us are all boys.
While in my early teens 80 songs that I knew I stuck in my brain where they all stood in queue,
And then I would sing them while doing my chores And driving the tractors in fields out of doors.
My first job I got at the age of nineteen, And teaching at school had become my routine. Grades seventh and sixth I had taught from my stool, There at West Cocalico Mennonite School.
Then, at a bicycle shop, I had started, To work on those bikes was the course to be charted.
And Red Rock Refuge became my career, To help teenage boys their bad habits to clear.
The framing of houses I did for a year, And then I went back to my teaching career. At a small country school called Limestone Valley,
I helped fourteen students, their numbers to tally. For the last four years I run a workshop for boys
Who are blind or are mentally handicapped joys. As much as I can, I work at my writing, Right now I find poems especially exciting.
(It was during the shutdown, in 2020, A change came over me that puzzled me plenty; It was one morning, from the minute I woke
That rhymes did appear in the things that I spoke. A spontaneous poet I have been ever since,
Though that fact never made me any more of a prince. And now that I find myself being a poet, I decided I might as well practice to grow it.
So, with rhymes I cope, and I haven’t lost hope For it is quite amazing, I find, To tune ears and brain, whether dry or in rain, And behold what rolls out of my mind.
[When I mention this rhyming, I do not mean to boast;
Iโm just sharing the story of my recent diagnose.])
Additionally, if folks do not bristle too soon, I often instinctively whistle a tune. Iโm also a singer, of low parts and high, And composing of music is something I try.
I find it hard to believe, but itโs true now I say. There are 40 some songs Iโve helped write in some way.
My passion in life, that I refuse now to waive, Is to help other people find the fulfillment they crave. (And whether or not it may sound rather funny, Lasting satisfaction is not found in money. Although monetarily I am actually quite poor
I find I am satisfied, of that I am sure.)
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “The Contentment Dilemma”?
Well, my mind goes to a paragraph from the 2nd chapter of the book, that address that question:
โI have ample evidence that Satan despises this book. He did his best to distract and discourage me from completing it by instigating a horrible mental sensation that used to bother me when I worked on my writing projects. Satan would have gotten me to give up writing if God had not heard my cry for deliverance and made him stop it.โ
Besides that, God has been very faithful at helping me write the book. My greatest challenges have been with getting the book published.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
The Holy Bible has been my greatest influencer.
Other books that have helped shape this book are: Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis; Impressions, by Martin Wells Knapp; Surprised by Faith, by Dr. Don Bierle; and The Case for Faith, by Lee Strobel
Q4. Whatโs your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
Upon some thinking I have concluded that my favorite spot in America is my home in Buffalo Valley. I have traveled throughout the lower 48 states, and the best part of each trip had always been getting home again.
Besides that, I enjoy camping in the wilds of north central Pennsylvania with my friends. I have many precious memories of star gazing, seeing bear, and kayaking the West Branch Susquehanna River.
Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘The Contentment Dilemma’?
It was God that got after me to write this book and coached me through the numerous phases of its creation. My personal experience,. of locating peace of mind when I surrendered my life to God, has also been a motivator for me to get this book published and aid others at locating that peace of mind.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘The Contentment Dilemma’?
The book started as an article that I wrote as a teenager, and at the age of 24 I added a few chapters to it and got the idea of making a book out of it. It took another seven years till this fourth edition of the manuscript got published.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
This book is currently available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and bookshop.org, among other places books are sold.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘The Contentment Dilemma’?
For the title, I made a list of all the potential titles I could think of, over the course of a few months. Then I crossed out the ones that I didnโt like, and narrowed it down to two or three different ones. I got opinions from friends and kept thinking about it for a few weeks till it finally became obvious that The Contentment Dilemma was going to be the one.
The book cover was professionally designed by Jude Mag-asin, and was the obvious choose of the two options he presented to me; and he sure did an amazing job.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
I spent hours upon hours contemplating about the book in Godโs presence, and He provided untold amounts of encouragement and advice. Many times when I came across a specific issue with how to word something, a phenomenal solution suddenly came to mind as soon as I prayed about it; and there where times it happen the very second I decided I will need to seek Godโs advice. (I share a few of these stories in the book.)
Of a surety, without Godโs divine aid this manuscript would not be worth reading.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice youโve been given about writing?
โDonโt give up. If it is worth writing it will be hard work, but it certainly will be worth the effort.โ
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