Authors Answer: Gary Fields
Authors Answer Q&A #591
Author interviews almost always focus on questions regarding an author’s latest publication (and that’s great because it’s how readers discover new books!) but sometimes it’s fun to ask authors to talk about their lives beyond the book they’ve just written. Authors Answer (started as a blog in 2020, moved onto Substack in 2025), is an attempt to give authors space to wax eloquent about the other influences on their writing. The questions posed here move beyond the formulaic classics like, “What books are on your nightstand?” or “What book inspired you to be a writer?” and even “You’re having a dinner party….which three authors (dead or alive) do you invite?” There are 20 standing questions. Authors pick FIVE that they want to answer.
Are you an author? Visit the Questions page to learn more about participating.
Today’s post features Gary Fields.
Gary Fields earned his law degree from the University of Miami and his degree in mathematics/computer science from SUNY Albany. He has designed computer systems for Fortune 500 companies and built a law practice specializing in community associations. He’s written hundreds of songs, performed professionally as a solo acoustic artist, been a leader in civic activism in his community, and coached youth sports for 18 years. The Book of Judges is Gary’s first novel. He is currently working on a sequel. Gary and his wife, Debbie, now live in the Los Angeles area, close to the rest of their family.
Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome?
Living it right now. I started my debut novel, The Book of Judges, twenty years ago, heavily researched it, wrote fifteen drafts, had more than twenty pre-readers and three phenomenal editors to help me along as I worked hard to develop my craft. Yet I’ve been amazed that a very selective publisher, SparkPress, believes in the book with its genre-blended format of modern-day thriller interwoven with eight millennia-spanning stories of historical fiction, along with its uplifting messages. I was staggered to now have none other than Simon & Schuster handling sales and distribution. And when anyone calls me “author” it’s like right after my wedding, when someone on the phone would ask me to get my wife. Oh, right, I have a wife. Well, oh, right, I sort of guess I’m now an author. It’s still hard to believe that as of February 24, 2026 my book will actually exist!
Is there another profession you would like to try?
Architecture. I enjoy designing and building things, whether with my words or my hands. I’ve built furniture and helped design two homes. To me, architects are part artist, part scientist, part mathematician, and part magician. To understand all the engineering ramifications while creating something both practical and dazzling – what gifts they give to the world!
What’s the difference (at least for you!) between being a writer and an author? How do you shift gears between the two?
To me, the difference is in responsibility to the reader. Writing can be for myself. But being an author involves so much more. Can I teach my readers something new? Can I hone the pace of the novel so they find it effortless to go from page to page? Can I engage them with the dialogue, the characters, the scenes, the twists? Can I leave them with something compelling/suspenseful/open-ended as I end each chapter, so they’ll want to go forward for the resolution? Can I draw them deeply into the story, while not engulfing them in an overwhelming onslaught of excess words? Can I ultimately leave them feeling uplifted? Can I make them want to read my next novel?
Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing? Do you sew? Paint? Draw? Knit? Dance?
I write songs. I’ve written over three hundred and performed as a solo acoustic artist in my early twenties. From an early age, I had a love affair with words, and a talent for rhyming and poetry. In college I borrowed a suitemate’s guitar (thank you Robert) and on the first two chords I learned, I wrote my first song. But it was always the lyrics, the words, that inspired me. In fact, a key concept in my novel is called “The Words.” If you read the extended version of my short story “Justice” (a more concise version appears in The Book of Judges) which you can download for free from my website (www.garyfields.com), you’ll get an introduction to The Words.
What do you worry about?
The eight historical stories in my novel are about judges around the globe heroically seeking justice in life-and-death human rights trials. Throughout history, forces have conspired to crush human rights. Until someone, somewhere, says “not today.” As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country, a country founded based on a belief in human rights, I worry about what rights may be threatened in the future as technology presents the potential for ever increasing invasions into our personal lives. We, the people, must remain vigilant in protecting the rights we hold dear.
Endnotes!
This newsletter is a passion project started by me, Elizabeth Rynecki, to try to help shine a light on new-to-me authors. I am also an author (and a documentary filmmaker and podcaster) and if you want to learn more about me, you can visit my website or read my personal newsletter, Ink Trails: A Chronicle in Creativity.
I’ve never made Authors Answer specific social media accounts, but you can find me on Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky.