In The Road Unveiled, former missionary Lauren Baumgartner takes the lead role, journeying alongside Doug Zimmer. Both are characters from Bishop’s debut novel, The Persistent Road. With a free spirit but a broken heart, Lauren dreams of bicycling places in America her parents told her about but couldn’t show her. But she’s also fleeing a secret and a deep longing for intimacy, neither of which she can escape.

The Road Unveiled touches on issues of the heart: romantic love, loneliness, lack of purpose, and unfulfilled desires. Written from a Christian perspective, it also broaches cultural issues in America, such as the plight of Native Americans and gang activity. The book’s setting, which includes a ride through Yellowstone National Park, captures the essence of the Great American West. Furthermore, with no shortage of perils on the road, tense scenes keep the pages turning.

You can learn more about the book by reading the reviews on Goodreads, the pre-publication news release, and the book’s description in the Open Road Press store. The paperback retails for $18.99 and the ebook for $9.99. Purchases from Open Road Press are eligible for a 25% discount using the checkout code FRIEND. You’ll find the book for sale on other websites. Booksellers can obtain the book from Ingram.

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The Southern Christian Writers Conference has selected The Persistent Road by Tim Bishop as the winner in the 2023 Notable Book Awards for self-published fiction.

The Persistent Road is a novel about a man who loses all he once cherished and embarks on an epic bicycling adventure to find out if life is still worth living. It engages the reader on issues of the heart, such as grief, loneliness, and depression. Two Christy Award-winning novelists, Katie Powner and Ace Collins, as well as Patricia Bradley, a USA Today bestselling author, have endorsed the book.

The Persistent Road was named a finalist in both the Christian Fiction and the Inspirational Fiction categories of the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards contest last May.

Tim Bishop has written several books in various genres, including the award-winning Wheels of Wisdom with his wife, Debbie. Bishop had a long career in corporate finance before pivoting to writing and publishing. He uses the handle @TimBishopWrites throughout social media.

The Southern Christian Writers Conference is based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and is designed to help both aspiring and successful writers learn more about the writing and publishing process.

Now Available in Audiobook

On February 1, 2024, Open Road Press published The Persistent Road in audiobook format. The narrator, Kim Rasmussen, has forty years of voice acting experience, including stints on The Sugar Creek Gang, Unshackled!, and the Dove Award-winning Treasures of the Snow. The Persistent Road audiobook can be purchased on major online streaming platforms, such as Spotify, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google, and Amazon/Audible, among others. You can listen to a sample by clicking on the icon in the bottom right corner of the book cover on the Barnes & Noble listing.

Tim Bishop’s debut novel follows the plight of Doug Zimmer, who loses all he once cherished before embarking on an epic bicycling adventure to find out if life is still worth living. The story broaches issues that have become rampant in American culture: loneliness, depression, and suicide. The book has been endorsed by five award-winning authors of Christian fiction and two editors of Christian web portals. Early reader reviews on Goodreads have been positive.

The paperback retails for $17.99 and can be preordered through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Open Road Press is offering a 15% discount for preorders directly from the publisher. The e-book can be preordered through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Google Books, and Kobo, discounted on all sites below its $9.99 list price. To take advantage of discounts, all preorders must be submitted before the book’s publication date of June 20, 2023. Booksellers can obtain the book through Ingram.

USA Today bestselling author Patricia Bradley concluded her endorsement of Bishop’s book by saying, “It’s a book I’ll read again and again.” Ace Collins, who in 2015 won the prestigious Christy Award recognizing excellence in Christian fiction, said, “The Persistent Road is a beautifully written story of tragedy and triumph. It’s a simple, straightforward narrative of the complicated nature of love, loss, and faith. This is a journey well worth taking.” And according to Katie Powner, “The Persistent Road is an enjoyable and unexpected story that tackles tough spiritual questions.” Katie Shands called it “hope on paper.”

Chris Carpenter, the managing editor for Crossmap.com, a division of The Christian Post, added this comment about Bishop’s novel: “This book is not only an engaging celebration of the human spirit but an insightful reminder that God can create miraculous outcomes even when all seems lost.” Senior editor/producer Beth Patch of CBN.com called it “a convincing story of how even the hardest of hearts isn’t hopeless.”

The Persistent Road by Tim Bishop has already been selected as a finalist in two genres – Christian fiction and inspirational fiction – of the 2023 Next Generation Indie Awards book contest.

This page on Tim Bishop’s website provides links to all preordering options, effective through June 20, 2023.

You can preorder The Persistent Road at this webpage. To stay abreast of developments, join Tim’s newsletter and enjoy a free e-book of life lessons courtesy of Tim and Debbie Bishop.

From the back cover:

There’s always an escape.
Sometimes you need to search long and hard for the right one.

After losing all he once cherished, Doug Zimmer follows his wife’s parting bread crumbs and rides up the Pacific coast—on a bicycle. Armed with a revolver and only a vague plan to get through the months ahead, he aims to end his depression one way or the other.

As spiritual forces wrangle for his soul, he pedals eastward across America. He meets Lauren Baumgartner—a younger adventurer with a vibrant spirit—and a band of zealots who confront his aversion to religion. Accompanying Doug are not only sunny days and the beauty of nature but also the perils of the road, fellow travelers with their own stories, and the hollow silence of solitary campsites playing host to unseen creatures of the night.

A jarring episode on a climb through a treacherous pass brings Doug face-to-face with life and death. Will Doug’s adventure deliver him from loneliness and lament . . . or hurtle him to an abrupt end?

TIM BISHOP has bicycled many of the roads that Doug Zimmer travels in The Persistent Road. And having coached people struggling with similar issues, the author is familiar with his protagonist’s problems. Tim and his wife, Debbie, are coauthors of the award-winning Wheels of Wisdom.