My Fathers' Day Essay - What Kind of Father?

As a person, I have observed many examples of ‘fathers’ and regrettably more bad than good.  On a positive note, I was particularly struck by two recent pieces related to fatherhood, one by LZGranderson at cnn.com, and the other by Dominic Utton at the Mail Online.

As an author, I have often created characters in a father role.  In certain of my books, the father is described after his death. In Playing the Baseball Card, the protagonist describes his father as a man who ‘made sure that his children were the most important part of his life.’

In Aiden’s Arrival: Honor Before Gold, a now-grown son describes a man who assumed a father’s role by marrying a women with two young children.  “None of us; my mother, my sister, my nephew, my niece; were related to our father and grandfather by blood, but that didn’t matter to him.  He showed us, by his example, that family is about loving people, and caring about people, and living together in a supportive way.  Not always in harmony, but always caring about your family more than anything else.  He lived that kind of life, and today we carry on with that legacy.”

In Zac and the Reluctant Prince, Book 1 of the Prince David series, the father is described this way:  “The example of his life teaches us the lessons of responsibility, obligation, commitment, dedication, loyalty, patriotism and also compassion.  In his life, he strove to be the best son he could be, the best husband he could be, the best father he could be, the best officer he could be, and the best man he could be.”

If you know your father, what do you think of him? If you knew your father, how do you remember him?

I believe a real father is one who looks into the eyes of his children, and says to them, “My life improved the day you came into my life, and my life gets better every day that you are still in my life.”  I also believe a real father is the kind of role model I’ve described in the excerpts from my books, above. 

If you have the chance to be a father, or if you are a father, how do you want to be remembered? 

To all fathers, everywhere, Happy Fathers’ Day.

Playing the Baseball Card

I've seen a big surge in sales of Playing the Baseball Card recently, and I'm more than pleased.  I would say that I'm awed and humbled.  

I know it's the right time of year for Baseball, so that makes a difference.  But, there's a more important factor at play here.  Good ratings with positive reviews.

At Barnes and Noble, there have been 45 ratings with an overall average of 3.5 stars.  A reviewer at B&N called the book 'inspiring.'  One of the best things about writing is the ability to share my work, but when it inspires someone, that's a home run.

But, even better? 

At the Apple iBookstore listing for Playing the Baseball Card, there have been 54 ratings with an overall average of four stars.  What's more, there is an amazing review at the iBookstore, and the review has touched me deeply. Here it is:

Father and Husband 

     

by Umpire 24

In my 53 years of living this may be one of the most emotional books I personally have read. Being a big baseball fan and a father of a son who played baseball this book was awesome. I would think any baseball fan and father would love to read this, I actually had a good cry for the first time all during this book. Any if you have time this is a must read book!!

A Solar Eclipse - in the right place?

Normally I confine my blog posts to topics that are relevant to my writing, but every now and then, there are local events that absolutely require some attention in my blog.  The tsunami that hit Crescent City, California and other places on the US and Canadian west coast, back in March 2011, is one such event, and the Solar Eclipse this Sunday evening is another.  This HuffPost piece describes many details.  

The Annular Eclipse will last about four minutes, at about 6:30 pm, in northern California.  The ring of fire, a feature of these types of eclipse, should be well worth taking the time to see (carefully).  

A person who witnessed this type of eclipse over in Maine, a few years ago, described being able to see rings of fire all over the forest floor.  I wonder how much of that will repeat this evening.

In any event, for those not in the path, this site, of the Slooh Space Camera, is broadcasting the event live, and is a great way to monitor and view the eclipse from anywhere in the world.  In fact the coastal weather forecast for this evening in northern California is cloudy, so the web may be the best place to watch.  For all those interested, I hope you take a look. 

How to find the books of Wilson James, author

I am often asked, “How do I find your books?” I respond by suggesting Smashwords, or Barnes and Noble, or Kobo, or the Sony eBook store, or perhaps Apple’s iBookstore, or maybe even Amazon (so far only for certain of my print books).  And, once you've found my books, here's a link to a post I did about software or apps to read eBooks.

So, here's the answer to the question: How to find the books of Wilson James, author?

Smashwords - seven of my eBooks are available here, in multiple formats including for Kindle, Nook

Barnes & Noble – six of my eBooks are available here (3 are top 1% sales rank), for the Nook

Apple US iBookstore – seven of my eBooks are available here, for the iPad

Apple UK iBookstore – seven of my eBooks are available here, for the iPad

Kobo – six of my eBooks are available here, in ePub format

Sony eBookstore – six of my eBooks are available here

Amazon – some of my print books are now available, with selected eBooks to be available in late 2012

Lulu.com – some of my print books are available here

Goodreads  – where to find book ratings, including some of my 

You can do anything, even if you are a kid...

“You can do anything even if you are a kid.” Those words were used in a review of PLAYING THE BASEBALL CARD on Barnes and Noble, one of my books that has maintained a top 1% sales rank at B&N for well over a year. The reviewer went on to call it a “Great book,” and “Very inspiring.”

It is all about empowering youth.

Yes, you can do anything, even if you are a kid. Those words really do describe much of my writing, and I’m pleased the Barnes and Noble reviewer saw that in one of my books. It really is all about empowering kids. Many kids will tell you they can do more than society lets them do, and they want to do more. Of course, society protects young people from themselves, and doesn’t allow things such as medical decisions and driving until certain ages, drinking until even older, and requires all kinds of safety protection for younger people. These age-related safeguards are understandable.

In a perfect society, kids would also be protected from tragedy, and from abusive adults including relatives. However, we do not live in a perfect society, and often kids have to try and protect themselves. Alas, many kids, especially younger kids, often don’t have the means or ability to protect themselves.

In some of my stories, kids have taken steps to keep themselves away from danger and dangerous situations. Some of these kids have also taken steps to find a way to support themselves and find a way out of repressive, regressive, aggressive, violent and even lethal circumstances.

The message I try to impart is that people of any age, especially including kids, can do a lot more than they think they can. Young people often surprise themselves, and those around them, with what they are capable of doing.

There is one other message that I hope my books convey, and that is the idea of supportive friends and family. I know, with absolute certainty, that we can all do more if we have supportive friends, and supportive families, even if those families are related by chance and not by blood.

If my stories help young people, by giving examples of kids persevering in difficult situations, then I will be very satisfied. If my stories help young people overcome their own challenges, and perhaps find some inspiration, then I will be happy. If my stories help young people find the tenacity and courage to succeed in their own lives, then I will be very pleased. If my stories help achieve some better understanding among friends and families, then I will consider myself fulfilled.

If even one young person finds some example in one of my books that he or she can use in their own life, then I will consider that every moment I spent writing those books was the best possible way to spend that time.

Thanks for reading,

Wil

Refining the way I write...

I've had a whole hit and miss thing going on with my writing, recently.  Over the Easter long weekend, for example, I managed 15,000 words as I try to complete two works in progress.  (The second and third books of the Prince David series, if you have to know.)  But, at other times, I've become bogged down, and I struggle to turn out 1,000 words in a week. 

Of course, it doesn’t help that I have a demanding full time job, as well, so my writing time frequently becomes very limited.  But, a lot of the problem revolves around the fact that I’ve been also been slow to adapt to some important skills involved in writing.  As in, writing novels. 

It’s not that I can’t write, because I can.  It’s just that sometimes I get into the heart of my work-in-progress novel, and lose my way.  I find that I haven’t researched properly, or I need a name, or I lose track of what I really want out of this story line.  To help resolve this issue, I’ve started doing more outlining of my stories as I write.  However, I also realize that I need to do more of this.  Outlining, that is.  And, research.  Most importantly, I need to better outline and research before I really get going.  That way, as I get on a roll and as the words flow, I can really keep going and not have to stop for things that I should know already. 

So, having been thinking about this a bit, recently, I was quite pleasantly surprised and pleased to see a recent April 4th post by Amanda Hocking, on her blog, in which she tells of (some time ago) hearing Gary Paulsen (she thinks) describe the need to outline.  Amanda goes on to talk about what works for her, and I am certainly going to take notice of her advice.  So, now, with a big thank you to Amanda Hocking, I will redouble my efforts to plan and outline my works in progress, and let’s hope I can speed up my production a bit.  And, just for the record, here’s what I’ve got on the go, right now.

Happy Reading,

Wil

Important Rules for Writers and Authors

I cannot claim originality, but I've adapted and adjusted this list of Important Rules for Writers and  Authors and it's now perfect for me.  It is just too good not to share:

   So, now that you've read this advice, get busy and start writing!