Miracle:Inspiration for book changed outlook for Colfax author

Gazette Reporter

When Colfax native Mark Gudmunson’s miracle happened, he was driving. His faith had been so-so lately and his lifestyle was lagging.

Then, it happened. In 2006, he was in his car on the road to Spokane, and the plot of a novel suddenly came to him.

As the days passed, the notion of writing a book weighed more and more heavily on his heart.

So, Gudmunson began to write. And write and write and write.

“There was no booming voice that came. The story just came over my heart,” Gudmunson said

Four months later, he had in his hands a very rough draft of Priceless, a Christian novel that is now published and set to be distributed nationally in May.

Priceless is a 300-page novel depicting the life-changing events in young Jay Bilston’s life, set in Pullman. When a powerful letter arrives in his mail, Bilston must decide if his present life goals are more important than his faith and the girl he loves. The novel follows Bilston’s rise to wealth and a tragic accident that ultimately forces him to choose where he stands with God.

“Just as God extended us all grace, he was extended grace,” he said.

Gudmunson said it was during the creation of the book that his own life and faith began to turn around. He was working a six-figure job as a construction project manager in Spokane, working six or seven days a week.

As he wrote about Bilson’s faith, Gudmunson realized his own faith was in a stagnant condition. He was not living an active lifestyle as a follower of Christ, he said.

After he wrote the book, he quit his job the next year to work closer to home in construction. “I realized my children- I realized my family was more important than my career,” he said.

He looked into working with youth at the Nazarene Church. When he started, there was no youth group for the church. Today, a regular crowd of more than 40 Colfax youths turn out to share a meal once a week and learn about Christ.

“I tell my teens all the time God wants to do mighty things through us,” he said.

Tate Publishing awarded Gudmunson with a contract last May.

A small Christian publishing company in Oklahoma, Tate charges a fee from an author on awarding a contract. Authors potentially can earn the fee back through book sales. Tate will begin selling the book May 18 to a national distribution company where major book stores can choose to buy it.

Gudmunson lives in Colfax with his wife of 10 years, Lori, and their five children. A Colfax native, he graduated from Colfax High School with the class of 1985.

Locally, Priceless can be purchased at Main Street Books.