SOUTH BEND — A religious novel released by long-time Lake Holiday author Rick Lyon is gaining traction with readers.
His latest book, “The God of Jesus,” was written to provide enlightenment to peoples of all religious background concerning “who God really is,” he said, and offer his take from a unique perspective.
Though he relocated to South Bend with his wife Susan in recent years, Lyon completed much of the writing for his novel lakeside at his home on Shore Drive.
“I began writing it several years ago, but as a dad, husband and working man, I would work on it as time and inspiration allowed,” Lyon said. “The title comes from my desire to correct some of the erroneous concepts and beliefs that people, both religious and non-religious, have about who God really is.”
He’s sold more than 500 copies on Amazon so far, and the book looks to perform as well as his previous “FAQ’s with the Facts” series, as well as a list of other publications. It’s been viewed thousands of times on both Quora and YouTube.
“I learned that the easiest part of producing a book is the writing of the book,” he said. “The hard part is creating the physical book, eBook or audiobook. The hardest part is promoting and selling. While sales are not what we hoped for, they are continuing and slowly growing.”
Lyon attended Coal Creek Central schools before studying engineering at Purdue University. He worked at Midstates Steel and Wire for 15 years before spending twice that time with Nucor Steel.
He was one of the first to work at the new Nucor facility, even helping construct the building in the late ‘80s. He went on to operate the water pumps that would begin the melting process for the mill’s first batch of steel produced at the new site.
“There is a book about that … I actually gave the author a tour of the mill when he was writing it,” Lyon said. After two years on the floor, he moved into the Environmental Department until he retired in 2018.
“I never worked so hard or so long in my life and I never learned more or enjoyed it as much as I did during those two years,” he said.
Lyon and his wife married in 2016 before the pair moved to South Bend to be closer to her family. But now the kids are all grown and, with much of the Lyon family residing in Montgomery County, it may be time to head home.
“I always swore that I would never move one inch farther north, but then I moved to South Bend,” he joked. “As the grandkids are now starting their own lives, we are planning a move back home. My wife calls herself a ‘Sugar Creek Girl’ because she loves living there.
“Living in a large city has been an experience that was worth having but not prolonging,” he added. “I got involved with the South Bend Volunteer Police and learned a lot from that. One thing I learned was not to move to a big city.”
One thing that won’t change for the Lyons though is the drive back and forth for birthdays and holidays.
“The God of Jesus” is available for $14.95 per copy through Amazon’s self-publishing service Kindle Direct Publishing. Lyon said readers can best find the book by searching “The God of Jesus Rick Lyon” while shopping.
