Endless Possibilities

Reading (and my local library) has always held a prominent place in my life from my childhood to my adult years. Avid readers can agree that books give us the endless possibilities with opportunities to travel to far off locations and different time periods (in my mind), consider new ways to solve problems, and provide me with unique new friends (found in my books).

Over the years my reading ventures have gone from a physical book to audio books (in compact disc form) that I only listen to in my car when I am driving. Getting to and from work, running errands, and traffic jams don’t tend to bother me.

These are all opportunities for me to enjoy an audio book read by a professional narrator. I’ve discovered with my high-octane, dramatic bi-polar personality that I can focus on the road as well as be inspired (and entertained) by the variety of reading material that comes out of the CD player.

I believe that my love of books eventually lead me to choose to become a published author. At heart, all writers are teachers. Whether they write fiction or non-fiction, there is always some kind of moral lesson they are trying to impart to the reader. Be on the look-out for their bits of wisdom, and prepare to be amazed.

I have realized that my desire to educate (and encourage) others all started with acquiring my Elementary Education degree in college. In each one of my books I’ve wanted to make some issue clear to someone.

I enjoy talking about the three books I’ve written. They were all published by PublishAmerica (America Star Books).

Dear God, Please Make Me the Person My Dogs Think I Am: The Chi Lessons

This book was my attempt (three years later) to make clear God’s choice to allow Lymphoma (in 2009) to be a part of my life (and the existence of all the individuals that I care for).

With the devotion I have for Chihuahuas (Chico, Rosco, and Lola), they were a perfect vehicle to use in communicating the important life lessons I’d learned to everyone. Plus, I just loved the title, which was inspired by a t-shirt (of all things).

All for One: The Towns of Ohio Complete Trilogy

Book one in this novel was modernized stories of biblical women, and was dedicated to the important females in my life. It was originally published under the title, Lacy Lessons: Touching Stories for the Heart of a Woman.

 (Compare this title to its male counterpart, Pinstripe Parables by David McCasland, which dealt with modernized stories of biblical men.) Eventually, Lacy Lessons was reworked and renamed, We’re All Just Alike.

 Book two, They’re Just Like Us was originally published by CrossBooks in 2010. It was a collection of modernized biblical stories that dealt with both genders.

I wanted people to know that individuals in the Bible were not that different from us. Emotions rarely change (unlike fashion) no matter what century one lives in.

Little did I know that (back in the eighties) while I was in Bible college that the beginnings of book three in All for One was started. I knew that I wanted to combine all three books into one volume. If the reader liked book one in this novel, they could easily read on without searching for the next book in the series, or making an additional purchase.

My wife felt then (and now) that Unconditionally Yours did not fit as the last book in this novel. It was too different from the other two. As the author, I disagreed because I had no desire to write another modernized Bible story to conclude this with. Let’s give readers something unique that they weren’t expecting.

Book three is broken into three sections. The main character is loosely based on me. Part one is a time travel story to the first Christmas in Bethlehem. (Did God love the “real” Robert?) Part two was a wacky wedding ceremony unlike anything you’ve ever read. (I was dealing with being single at this time.)

Part three is looking back at our common life experiences through the main characters memories. Since I loved the characters in part one so much, I wanted to continue on with them in parts two and three. Who knows where it would lead me as a writer? 

This book needed to be read by everyone. Shouldn’t everyone know the Almighty loves them unconditionally just as they are? Eventually, book three was reworked and renamed, Accept Me As I Am. The three parts of this book would remain unnamed.

All three books together gave me a novel with some girth (lots of pages). The whole novel (with all three books) was called All for One: The Towns of Ohio Complete Trilogy. Three books in one volume was a real bargain (in my opinion).

Whatever

I thought the title fit great with a book all about story prompts. Oh, the possibilities of these questions (or statements) that the reader could use to write their own unique stories.

To make this book unique, pleasurable, and informative, the examples I give for each story prompt give additional insights into the modernized biblical characters in All for One: The Towns of Ohio Complete Trilogy.

Reading is a plus in one’s life. It is the cornerstone to additional knowledge and freedom (of some sort). James 1:5 (MSG) provides this friendly reminder of what to do when you are clueless about your next step in life.

“If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. You’ll get His help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. He loves to help.” With that divine source of wisdom (and power), there is should very rarely be a reason to feel stupid in whatever life throws at you.