James J. Jackson July 16, 2009
My first published book, In All Things was not my first literary effort. Writing has been my passion for most of my life. I began writing poems for the town newspaper during high school. I continued to write as an adult at every opportunity, mostly poetry at first, and I even won several monetary prizes in poetry contests. I also wrote and submitted opinion columns to various newspapers.
Eventually, I became a syndicated opinion columnist, writing periodic columns for the local daily paper, for other papers and syndicates, including a newspaper in southern India, in a language called, Malayalam. I send my columns to the editor, who translates them and publishes them in the paper.
I have always used writing therapeutically, and my first book arose from a serious challenge I faced for several years. I was being stalked and threatened by a former employee who had sworn to kill me. As I went through the process of prying and hoping for his apprehension, I bean writing my story in third-person, laying out the facts as they developed, formulating strategies for the subject of the book to use to counteract the efforts of the antagonist.
The situation was eventually resolved, and the person was neutralized and no longer posed a threat to me, but the final book was too intense for me to take it through the publication process, so it remains on a floppy disk. The day will come when it will be published, but not yet!
Most of my columns dealt with everyday life issues from a moral perspective. Some of them dealt with my life and upbringing, and many others talk about disturbing social trends, and their effect upon youth today, etc. A friend of mine, Dan, who died before the book was published, constantly urged me to make a book out of my columns. I dedicated a copy in Dan’s memory to the library at the school from which my daughters and Dan’s children graduated.
The publishing process was intense, but much easier than it would have been without the presence of the Internet, which made my publisher search and submission of query letters mush easier. Once I settled on a publisher, the rest went like clock work, and my book has been well received, earning a five star rating from Amazon.Com, among other accolades. One of the best things that has happened post-publication was discovering Once Written, where I can communicate with other authors.
About James J. Jackson
James J. Jackson has experienced more adversity than most people, but his writings in this book, which are a compilation of published columns, reflect how God guided him and blessed him in spite of all the slings and arrows he faced. You will be blessed by these columns, whether on the lighter side, or tackling heavy spiritual issues, as you envelope yourself In All Things...Moral Reflections and Decisions of Life Issues."
James J. Jackson Profile at OnceWritten.com
