Can your first book be an award-winner? It absolutely can! That was the case for Michael A. Gabriel with his biography The Force of Destiny. Inspired by his father’s fascinating life, Michael penned his work after he retired from his career as an airline pilot. He learned quite a bit during this first writing journey, most importantly that he truly enjoys being an author. His career has kick-started with a book that won First Place for Published Biography in the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards. Read more about The Force of Destiny and Michael’s tips for other new writers on this week’s RPLA showcase.
The Winning Entry, The Force of Destiny 
Logline: A WWII D-Day veteran overcomes his PTSD to rise to the top of his profession as a conductor and music educator.
The Force Of Destiny is a biography about my father and, obviously, the inspiration. I’m fortunate to have learned a great deal about his incredible life and happy to be able to share it not only with the many people with whom he’s worked over the years but with our family.
The powerful story of Arnald D. Gabriel, a promising high school musician whose aspirations for a life in music were interrupted by a World War. Arnald’s fateful and circuitous path in the army led him to his participation as a machine gunner with the 29th Infantry during the June 6, 1944 D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach. Front line combat, the horrors of war and his being held over as part of the Army of the Occupation nearly derailed a career where he would ultimately rise to the pinnacle of his profession as the Commander and Conductor of the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C. He has conducted in all fifty states and fifty countries and is known world-wide for his innovative and powerful leadership style and unique musical genius.
This is my first attempt at writing. I’ve learned a great deal from the experience and am now seriously hooked!
Click here to read and excerpt of The Force of Destiny.
Two Truths and a Lie, Writer’s Edition
Hold the reader’s attention.
Use active voice.
Write every day.
The lie? Write every day. This doesn’t always work for me, I’m often too busy and short breaks help. It is important to hold your reader’s attention. And, I might add, your own. I’ve deleted pages that bored even me. Also, when the writing bogs down, it’s probably because of passive voice.
Other Works by Michael
A short story of mine was recently published in Florida, edited by Scott Tilley, Precious Publishing. Currently I’m working on a novel, (much tougher than I suspected!), and thinking about a screenplay based on The Force of Destiny.
Connect with this Author
I’m still surprised to see the word “author” following my name and even more so when people want to know more! Find me at www.theforceofdestiny.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheForceofDestiny.Gabriel/.
More about RPLA
The Royal Palm Literary Awards competition is a service of the Florida Writers Association established to recognize excellence in members’ published and unpublished works while providing objective and constructive written assessments for all entrants. Judges include literary agents, publishers, film producers, current or retired professors, teachers, librarians, editors, bestselling and award-winning authors, and journalists from across the nation. Entries are scored against the criteria set by RPLA using rubrics tailored to each genre. Winners are announced at the annual FWA conference during the RPLA awards banquet. To learn more about RPLA, click here for the guidelines.
