Why I Felt It Was Time to Write This Book by Steven Manchester

When I was young, my grandfather was an amazing storyteller. Although he never put pen to paper, I was awed by the power of words—to make people laugh or even cry. I knew then that I wanted to be a storyteller, too.

I’d just returned home from Operation Desert Storm (with PTSD), and was working as a prison investigator in Massachusetts. Needless to say, there was great negativity in my life at that time. I decided to return to college to finish my degree in Criminal Justice. During one of the classes, the professor talked about police work but nothing else. I finally raised my hand and asked, “The criminal justice system is vast. What about the courts, probation, parole – corrections?” He smiled and told me to see him after class. I thought I’d done it! In his office, he explained, “There’s no written material out there on corrections or prisons, except from the slanted perspective of inmates.” He smiled again and dropped the bomb. “If you’re so smart,” he said, “why don’t you write it?” Nine months later, I dropped the first draft of 6-5; A Different Shade of Blue on his desk. From then on, I was hooked. I was a writer.

Today, 25 years later, I have written 17 books, with 7 of them being national bestsellers. The vast majority of the time, the ideas for my books come from real-life. I write “feel good tear- jerkers that celebrate the strength of the human spirit”; my books are normally about relationships and the challenges that we all must overcome. And the underlying theme for each is that “none of us is ever alone.”

This book, however, is even more personal than my others.

On September 5, 1945, my father, William Manchester, entered this crazy world with the same promise we each get—life is what you make it. He grew into a good man, the salt-of-the-earth, always willing to help anyone in need. Dedicated to his family, he exercised a backbone forged from steel—usually working two jobs—to feed and clothe his five children. He was funny. He was kind. He was my greatest hero.

On September 5, 2018, my father, William Manchester, left this crazy world with all that he’d earned—the eternal love and undying respect of a grateful family.

Bread Bags & Bullies is both a well-deserved thank you note to my father. Without my dad, I could have never been me. Within each comical passage and every heartfelt scene, Bread Bags & Bullies is a tribute to my greatest hero—my dad—who remains present in every fiber of my being.

This hysterical coming-of-age novel is also a love letter to the 80s—an absolute nostalgia fest—filled with the music, movies and TV shows, fashion, food and toys enjoyed during the best decade ever!

About Steven Manchester:

Steven Manchester is the author of the #1 bestsellers Twelve Months, The Rockin' Chair, Pressed Pennies and Gooseberry Island; the national bestsellers, Ashes, The Changing Season and Three Shoeboxes; and the multi-award winning novels, Goodnight Brian and The Thursday Night Club. His work has appeared on NBC's Today Show, CBS's The Early Show, CNN's American Morning and BET's Nightly News. Three of Steven's short stories were selected “101 Best” for Chicken Soup for the Soul series. He is a multi-produced playwright, as well as the winner of the 2017 Los Angeles Book Festival and the 2018 New York Book Festival. When not spending time with his beautiful wife, Paula, or their four children, this Massachusetts author is promoting his works or writing.

Find Steven Manchester Online:

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