How did I start to write? "Echoes of Betrayal: Protocol Clean Slate"​is my first published novel. However, I have been published locally since college. In the mid-1980s, I returned to college to obtain my Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. One day my English Lit Instructor asked me to stay after class. I was ready for the “You have to do better” speech. Instead, she asked me to write for the college newspaper. “What!” I said, “I am confused. Whenever you return my graded papers, they all look like you had cut your wrist and bled on them. What she said next started my writing career. She laughed and said, “John, all of your issues are technical; however, your ability to put words together is a true gift.” I wrote for the college newspaper, “Vox Populi,” for the rest of the school year. After college, I had stories published in local community papers such as “Speakin’ Out News,” “Valley News,” “Valley Informer,” and area Magazines, “Old Huntsville,” and “Old Morgan County.” Currently, I am a contributing writer for Old Huntsville Magazine, Including several cover stories. In the words of the publisher,According to Cathey:​ “John Tate is a storyteller first and foremost. He was born to be a writer. He has that rare ability to take facts and create a compelling story that the reader will not forget. The story pulls you in, and you have to read it from beginning to end. He is able, in his interviews with people, to get to the heart of their story, and there is always a message at the end. John is a perceptive, patient and personable writer who uses humor and honesty to draw out the story. These are traits that are rare and to have them all in one writer is a treasure.”Cathey Carney, Publisher“Old Huntsville” MagazineRead more about this authorRead less about this author