Richard Greer Announces New Book: Crossing Paths Finding Hope

    “I wrote the book because we all need hope. We long to have hope in our life.”
   Umatilla pharmacist and area resident Richard 'Doc' Greer is a well-known face in North Lake County, having served thousands of people from his Umatilla Drug Store location over the years. Greer's caring nature and desire to help people while bringing them closer to God has resulted in a lifetime of experiences that are being recalled in his first book, "Crossing Paths Finding Hope: Inspired By True Stories".
   Years in the writing and development, the book, which became publicly available last week, contains stories of hope based on actual experiences Greer has had while serving as a career pharmacist.
   The book is based on a fictional pharmacy in 'Utopia Springs', which any reader with even a little history of the area will quickly come to realize is closely based on Umatilla. The book was born out of Greer's desire to share his experiences after personal health issues were raised several years ago. While the book is fiction, the stories are real.
   The theme of caring and faith weaves throughout the book's 230 pages. From stories of family loss to financial crisis and more, the reader is retold stories showing how people can be helped when other people care enough to get involved. It is a book that takes its lead character from a place of personal crisis to one of a spirited attitude toward service.
   Greer sees the book as a timely offering at a time when the world has seen so much suffering due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
   “I think the book is timely,” he said this week while taking a short break at the drug store. “We are all struggling with hope right now. It takes you into the hearts of real stories, and shows what can happen when people aren't scared to open their hearts and give hope.”
   Greer has been compiling the book for several years, first as a simple retelling of actual events, and then later developing into its current form.
   “I’m not a writer. I felt like God was telling me to write the book.” I wrote this book because I felt these stories needed to be told.”
   In recent years, Greer massaged the book’s flow as input was offered by readers he passed the transcript along to, as well as his publishing company. And he isn’t shy about saying that God was his number one advisor.
   “When I would get ready to write, I would pray to motivate me,” Greer says. “Then I would watch a video from Danny Gokey. He took the time to tell me there is always hope.”
   More recently, Greer has been working with Christian Faith Publishing to prep the book for large-scale publishing. The firm helped create the cover and is leading marketing efforts. A nearly minute-long promotion video has been created for youtube.com, featuring a lead-in that reads “In the midst of awfulness, a light shines, and you know there is hope on the horizon!”. That video can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSeD20UUArs.
   The book has been well-received, briefly jumping into the top ten list of Amazon’s Contemporary Christian Fiction Books list last week. It can also be purchased at Barnes and Noble online. A digital/ebook form of the publication is due within a month, and an audio version is expected this summer. Contracts have already been signed with I Tunes, Amazon, and Audible for distribution. Additionally, Greer says he is working on a follow-up to the book, tentatively titled “Breaking Chains - Finding Hope”.
   It has been a lot of work to create the book, and a lot of nights pouring over text to get it just right. But all the work is worth it, Greer said, as long as one mission is accomplished.
   “If just one person comes to the Lord because of this book, it was worth it.”