Cover Reveal: A Change of Mind and Other Stories by Nick Wilford

I am very pleased to welcome Nick Wilford back to Motivation for Creation.

I "met" Nick through blogging, and was fortunate enough to contribute an essay in his Overcoming Adversity Blog Hop, and the post was later included in his Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew.

When Nick asked for help with his cover reveal, I was so happy I could help out. His new book, a short-story collection called A Change of Mind and Other Stories, sounds absolutely fascinating. Take a look at the story descriptions below the cover, because I bet you'll think so, too!

Title: A Change of Mind and Other Stories

Author: Nick Wilford

Genre: Contemporary speculative fiction

Cover Design: Rebekah Romani

Release Date: May 25th 2015

A Change of Mind and Other Stories consists of a novella, four short stories and one flash fiction piece. This collection puts the extremes of human behaviour under the microscope with the help of lashings of dark humour, and includes four pieces previously published in Writer’s Muse magazine.

In A Change of Mind, Reuben is an office worker so meek and mild he puts up with daily bullying from his boorish male colleagues as if it’s just a normal part of his day. But when a stranger points him in the direction of a surgeon offering a revolutionary new procedure, he can’t pass up the chance to turn his life around.

But this isn’t your average surgeon. For a start, he operates alone in a small room above a mechanic’s. And he promises to alter his patients’ personality so they can be anything they want to be…

In Marissa, a man who is determined to find evidence of his girlfriend’s infidelity ends up wondering if he should have left well alone.

The Dog God finds a chink in the armour of a man with a megalomaniacal desire to take over the world.

In The Insomniac, a man who leads an obsessively regimented lifestyle on one hour’s sleep a night finds a disruption to his routine doesn’t work for him.

Hole In One sees a dedicated golfer achieving a lifelong ambition.

The Loner ends the collection on a note of hope as two family members try to rebuild their lives after they are torn apart by jealousy.

Preorder Links: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Add it on Goodreads

Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those rare times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working, he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. You can find him hanging out on his blog or on Goodreads or Twitter.

The Overcoming Adversity Blog Hop

Last week I was speaking with a co-worker about some health issues I had when I was nineteen. I wasn’t complaining, but rather explaining about a surgery she had asked me about. Toward the end of the conversation she commented how, based off the stories we’ve shared, my life has been hard. I was shocked, and said so.

The only thing I ever feel bad about is my sister’s death, and even then I know that plenty of people have had worse tragedies. For me, though, it’s my greatest personal tragedy. I’m not looking forward to the next tragedy that trumps it. Because the thing about adversity is that it is a part of life. There is always something to overcome.

I can recount many people who have inspired me by their bravery and tenacious determination to overcome. My mother’s family was dysfunctional. Her father was abusive and her mother distant. She overcame her history to be a damn good mom and taught me more about love than possibly anyone else in the world.

My nephew has Asperger’s Syndrome, and has been misunderstood or bullied most of his short (13 yrs) life. He continues to extend himself, remaining friendly and hopeful, in spite of how people have treated him.

My sister, while in the downward spiral of chronic Multiple Sclerosis, didn’t become bitter at what the disease had taken from her.

But that’s just the beginning. Every day I work with kids who still play and see magic in a world where their parents rob them of their childhood. I see parents who overcome domestic violence, or work a full time job and attend school full time in the short-term, so they can provide a better life for their kids in the long run. I hear of people the world over who come through fire to emerge victorious over adversity.

We have a tendency to give adversity a hierarchy, based on what we are most afraid of. The hierarchy doesn’t negate what one person is dealing with, though. It doesn’t diminish the pain which any of us feel in the midst of adversity. It can, however, give us perspective. The comparison of adversities is what allows me to feel lucky because I haven’t lost a child--even if I did lose my sister. In the end, some may have more to overcome than others, but we all are heroes in our own lives.