For his 15th book, Donald Charles Lacy decided to do something a bit different.
"It's more of an intimate, personal type of book laden with spirituality," he said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon.
The book, "With an Attitude of Gratitude," reflects his life over the past 75-plus years. He looks into the past, at the present and ventures into the future.
Born in Henry County, between New Castle and Muncie, Lacy has been a pastor for more than 50 years in the United Methodist Church, serving a variety of localities. He developed an extensive lake ministry on Tippecanoe Lake.
His first 11 books, he said, were books of sermons that found their way onto clergy book shelves. The first one he wrote in 1974.
After those 11, Lacy compiled a collection of works including meditations, columns, sermons and other writings. Besides writing 15 books, he has authored numerous newspaper columns and magazine features.
"I haven't delved into fiction and probably won't," he said.
Two of his more well-received books included "Fast Food for the Soul" and "More Fast Food for the Soul". He said they did well because of the lessons people were able to glean from them.
His newest book, "With an Attitude of Gratitude," he said is deeply meditative but also written for the general public. He wanted the book to be a union of the head and heart.
The back cover of the book was "brilliantly" done by the editors, Lacy said. It gives a nutshell of what the whole book is about.
Promotional work for the new book just recently began. To date, he's done some book signings and will continue to do more around Indiana and western Ohio.
On May 21 from noon to 7 p.m., Lacy will be at a book signing at Family Christian Store in Fort Wayne. He will be at Borders in South Bend/Mishawaka June 26 from noon to 7 p.m.
The book is less than 200 pages long. Lacy said he didn't want to write a book that would just sit on the library shelves. He wanted his autobiographical book to be something simpler, less academic.His book also references people and places from the Leesburg and Warsaw areas that people will recognize.
The book is for anyone, he said. It is geared toward the public.
For a copy of the book, Lacy said it can be purchased through Barnes & Noble, Borders and online at Amazon.com The publisher, Providence House Publishers, also has it on their Web site at www.providencehouse.com
