Welcome to the official blog for the V. Karl Whitfield website. As you peruse the website and blog series, I hope I can fulfill everything you are looking for in an author’s website and blog. Feel free to offer suggestions on ways I might improve my books, blog, and website.

I came to be an author through the back door, and, late in the game. I’ve always been a decent writer, but I never dreamed I’d write a novel. To think I wrote a trilogy is just mind boggling on so many levels. Then, to top it off, I’m three books and a screenplay past the trilogy. As of this writing, I have four completed Manuscripts.

I’ve been asked, how did you select the title, “Above The Clouds?” Several years ago, I was on a flight. I do not remember where I was going or where I’d been. For some reason, this time, when the plane rose above the clouds and I looked down on them, I got a different feeling. I’ve been flying since I was twelve years old, so this was not the awe of flying that caused this feeling.

I thought, there are several billion people on the earth. Think of all the people on the earth, then think about the planes above the clouds. This represents a very small percentage of people, given the population of the earth. This caused my mind to race! How many people are living lives they would rather not live? I asked the question, what does above the clouds mean?”

I thought about this the rest of the flight, but I did not get an answer. As the flight prepared to land, I made a mental note. If I ever write a book, it will be titled above the clouds. Keep in mind, at this moment, writing a book was not anywhere on my radar! I walked off that flight and literally forgot about above the clouds and writing a book.

Fast forward to late 2019 and the Covid – 19 pandemic. As people started to get sick and life started to slow down, I literally found myself with time on my hands. Then, in March 2020, when we went into the shelter in place mode, we had nowhere to go. I found myself with a couple of young people, also known as my grandkids, daily. They were on mobile devices, so I had to find a way to keep myself occupied.

I took out my laptop and started to write. I never intended to publish what I had written. After I kept banging on the laptop, a story started to emerge! I was all in when I started to name the characters! I started writing about people, situations, and things I’d seen in my life, and before long, I had a story! Let me say right here, the back story is not a biography! When I write or develop characters, I use what I call a “modeling technique.” The character might be modeled after a person or people I know.

So, when you read my stories, you can safely ask the question, “who is this modeled after?” I used this “modeling” technique heavily in the back story. In fact, every character in the back story is modeled after someone I know or have met in life. I say again, the back story is not a biography! The thing that surprised me most about writing, was how intense I got while writing the story! To say I was in character is an understatement!

The back story did not have a lot of places that caused my emotions to bounce. The second book in the trilogy, “Taking Flight” had my emotions all over the place! Of the characters in the trilogy, Pam’s character is my fave. I say this because she is a professional woman who is not afraid to put people in their place. I know several women whom her character was modeled after. Pam’s character was by far the easiest to write.

A close second is Carl Allen, the protagonist in the trilogy. He is the kind of guy who loves women and is comfortable around them. This is due to the relationship with his mother, Rachel. She is a strong-willed woman, so Carl Allen is used to dealing with strong willed women. Dealing with Rachel growing up also provided him with the skill set needed to deal with women who are angry with him.

As you read my work, rest assured it is written from the heart. That is the only way I know to write.