Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Wold.
Richard, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
About 10 years ago, like many other people, I was facing the fact of being laid off. I had worked for the company for over 35 years and was one year from reaching retirement age. As with many others faced with the same situation, many thoughts go through your mind. How am I going to get a job at my age, how am I going to pay my bills, what will people think. My situation was like many others. After a lot of soul searching, I decided not to try to find a convention job at another company, but rather take this opportunity and start my own consulting firm.
That decision turned out to be a good decision for me. Since that time, I have been lucky enough to land consulting work with many fortune 500 companies.
Then one night about 5 years ago, I woke up about 2:00 am after having a dream. For some reason, I could not get that dream out of my mind. I had not written any novel before, but the dream seemed like it would be perfect novel, movie or mini-series on TV. It was literally like something was telling me to write a novel. So, I made that leap and decided to do it. I knew I could not write the worse novel ever written, and that I would not be able to write the best novel ever penned. So, after another bout of soul searching, I decided to write the novel. I decided that if I didn’t write, I would have forever regretted not doing it. I did not want to be a ‘what if’ person, someone always questioning why I didn’t do something. While this was way outside of anything I had done before, it was worth a try.
So, I started writing the novel. it took me a year but finally got it done.
Below is some information about the novel:
What is Stan about?
Stan is the story of the fall and rise of a controversial artist. Stan Foster wakes up after a suicide attempt with no idea who he is. Soon, he finds out he’s an up-and-comer in the New York art scene, and he tries to make that life work for himself — and for Lilith, his very headstrong manager, who pushes him toward success and fame. Stan also comes to find he is plagued by visions of death and destruction, though he can’t tell whether they are omens of things to come or memories of his past. With the help of his psychiatrist, Abigail, he struggles to recover his lost identity and finds that what lies underneath is darker than he had ever imagined.
I thought of this interesting question: can someone who is the epitome of evil still be redeemed? And what would it take for this redemption to occur? In Stan Foster — without giving away too much of the plot—we see a man who has hit rock bottom. He’s tried to kill himself; his art, though popular, is perverse and disturbing to most who view it and, sometimes, to Stan himself. Through the course of the story, he finds out he’s done some terrible things in his time. But he isn’t that person anymore. Having amnesia has forced him to remake himself in a new image. So does he deserve forgiveness for his sins? If so, who will grant it to him? I think these are questions many humans ask themselves regardless of their religious beliefs or absence of belief, and I wanted to explore them allegorically through the writing of this book.
What are some of the themes readers will find in Stan?
First, as mentioned above, is the theme of redemption. Is anyone truly evil enough to be past the point of being redeemed? Second is the theme of selfless love, or what is called agape in Christian theology. In this story, Abigail — Stan’s psychiatrist and a lapsed Catholic who struggles with her own figurative demons — feels this sort of love for Stan. She’s interested in him romantically, but she also loves him for the frail human he is. The question is: how will she feel once she knows his deepest, darkest secret?
A third theme reader will encounter in Stan is the power of self-identity. How much of our personas do we choose, and how much is born into us? If we don’t like who we are, can we change? While suffering amnesia after his suicide attempt, Stan must piece together who he was with only clues he finds as he stumbles through the world. It comes to a point where he must decide if he wants to remain who he used to be or become someone new — a question I think all humans must encounter at least once in their lives.
The writing of the novel was an amazing experience. My advice to everyone is don t be afraid to try something outside of your comfort zone. If I would not have written the novel, I would have for ever regretted it. When I brought up the idea to people that I was considering writing a novel, the response I got from people ranged widely. Many people discouraged me and ‘laughed’ at the idea if me writing a novel. I never understood why anyone would try to discourage people from trying something new. something outside of their comfort zone. People should not avoid trying something out of the fear of failing. it is a cliché, but there are many doors out there for you to open and don’t be afraid to open them. I have received great reviews on the novel and have reached best seller status on Amazon in various categories.
The experience of writing the novel was amazing and afterward, I then had a screen play written based on the novel and am now trying to get the novel picked up for a full-length movie. I know that the odds of this happening are very slim, but again, unless you go for it you will never know.
I have had the honor of doing about 3 radio interviews and have learned a lot about that industry. The experience has been amazing. I have never regretted having written the novel. and the satisfaction of seeing an actual printed copy of a novel you actually wrote is overwhelming.
My advice to anyone willing to listen is to pursue your dreams. Go outside of your comfort zone. Don’t listen to those that try to hold you back or bring you down. the journey you will go though is far more satisfying than you can imagine. If you have the desire, then go for it.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
there were many struggles and challenges. First, being laid off after 35 years on a job at one company can be overwhelming. you can begin to doubt yourself. how will you find another job, pay bills.
Instead of trying to another conventional job at another company, I decided to create my own consulting firm.
I have been fortunate enough to be successful and have many fortune 500 clients.
I then decided to write a novel. again this was outside of my comfort zone. Many people tried to convince me not to write the novel; that who would read it; why do you think you can write a novel. But I decided that regardless of what many people said I would give it s shot. and then to ultimately get a screen play written and try to get the novel made into a movie. I knew, that if I did not give this a try, I would have gone to my grave having regretted not doing it.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Supply Chain Consulting story. Tell us more about the business.
My consulting firm focuses on Warehousing and distribution. In addition to consulting, I have also designed software for that industry that is now being used by many fortune 500 companies.
Having been involved in the warehousing and distribution field for over 40 years, I have acquired a lot of knowledge was to what works and more importantly the knowledge to actually install a process into a warehouse and see results.
the knowledge of understanding what opportunities for improvement and having the knowledge to actually implement a solution is what sets us apart.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I always felt that luck was self-made. you may not have control of everything, but if you persist then things can happen. in many cases, people are afraid to take that first step. You can have a dream, but if you don’t act on it, it will always be just that, a dream.
I have had things go bad in many instances. in those cases I just kept on until I was able to turn it around. some may call that good luck. I call it being persistent.
Luck is a word we give things when something happens. it implies that you cannot control it. I feel that whatever ‘luck’ you may have is dependent upon your persistence.
Life is a journey. and that journey can be as exciting as you want to make it.
Contact Info:
- Address: Richard Wold
1404 Deer Run
Gurnee IL 60031contact info on the novel:
stanthenovel.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FZ32IFC
https://youtu.be/9BA0qgDqLNw - Website: supplychainconsulting.net
- Phone: 847-456-4587
- Email: rwold@supplychainconsulting.net
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