This past Saturday, I enjoyed another client's book release party.

When I received Mike Congrove's invitation, I was surprised. I even replied, "It lives!"

We'd last worked on the book in September 2024. I then suggested he look into the hybrid publisher Streamline Books to get him across the finish line. They did so quickly and capably.

​Eating with God's Fork has been available since February, but Mike waited until Saturday to officially announce it with a breakfast-taco-laden home launch party.

It was great to hear the larger story of how the book came to be, some of which I knew, but some of which was new to me.

It all reminded me of how it truly takes a team to make a book a reality.

I was also surprised by the title because that wasn't the book's original title. (And no, I'm not going to tell you what it means because I don't want to ruin the story in the book.) It is a better title.

As for what the book is about—and before we get to the art of fictive nonfiction—the Amazon description says it well:

The Art of Fictive Nonfiction

One aha moment I helped Mike unlock was how to start the book.

He had a series of fascinating stories about the people he'd met, the churches they'd started, and his personal journey from "corporate cog" to church planter. We put a workable structure in place, but there was still the ever-looming question of where to begin.

Placing myself in the reader's shoes, I wondered, What's most compelling? If I don't know Mike or the work that his organization does, what will most pique my curiosity?

So I told Mike, "I want to know what it's like at those churches. Give me a week in the life of someone who's benefited from what your ministry has established."

I may have heard his lightbulb click.

His words flowed, the story took shape, and the first third of the book came into being.

While Mike fictionalized the account, he based the stories on real people, real experiences, and real interactions. At the launch party, he even mentioned that there's no way all of what happens in Part 1 could happen in seven days. But to provide the reader with an immersive, concise, compelling story, he fictionalized the real. He condensed time and combined characters.

The simple lesson is this: When writing nonfiction, don't be afraid to be creative. Leverage the full power and potential of storytelling. Get the draft down, but then take a day or a week to consider your options of how best to present your material. Then use what fits your book and will captivate your audience.

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