Why did you decide to collect these particular stories together? What is the overriding theme here for you
I hope this doesn’t sound too weird, but I chose these stories with my dear departed mother in mind. Mom passed away in 2011. We were very close. She knew how much I loved to write, yet had been putting off jumping in and making even the tiniest of beginnings due to many reasons (family, career, the usual suspects). In one of the last conversations we had, she counseled me to ‘Start following your dream, Jim. Before it’s too late.’ You know what? She was right. I took her advice. The night after that conversation, I took the leap and committed to start writing every day with the idea in mind of trying to be the best writer I could be. I’m glad I did! This was back in 2011, and it was the best thing I've ever done. I love writing, and this collection of stories, “Where the Heart Is,” is a book I’m sure Mom would have liked. The stories are character-driven and have a positive message, both themes that my mom enjoyed in the books she read. Mom, these are for you!
I love the cover. Why was this particular picture important?
I’m so glad you like the cover. I do, too! The inspiration came from one of the photos on the calendar that hangs in the small room that is my writing space. I have an appreciation for lakes, and I love to sit and look out over them and enjoy their beauty. Being on a lakeshore is also a nice time to contemplate life. The cover represents both of those quiet pastimes. Thank you to Martin James for helping me select the cover image and also for the final great design. It’s perfect!
You worked with our intern, Fatima, on this collection. Can you tell us a little about that process?
Heartfelt kudos go out to Fatima! She was wonderful to work with. I appreciated that she was conscientious, thorough, and she also gave me some great input. I’d love to use her again if that were ever possible!
Jim, you’re a prolific writer of short stories. How do you manage to keep finding inspiration?
That’s a very kind comment, Gill. Thank you very much. I’ll answer by reiterating that I love to write, and that I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Seven years after dedicating myself to writing in 2011, I started sending my work out for publication. You published my first story, “Remembrance Day,” in 2018, and it gave me a huge boost in confidence. Thank you so much for that! I am a very quiet person. I do not mind being by myself at all. I love to go for walks and read. Throughout my day, I’m always thinking about possibilities for stories or poems. When the idea comes to me, I’ll write it down. Today, for example, I was playing with my yo-yo. (Yes, you heard me right, my yo-yo. It’s part of my morning routine LOL!) The idea of a poem came to me as I was doing an “Around the World” move. I went upstairs and jotted the poem down in my notebook. I went over that first draft and liked it. I then wrote the poem. I still liked it. It will be added to my new poetry collection, “Quantum Moments.” Ideas like that happen to me all the time, and I’m glad that they do! It helps to keep writing interesting, challenging, and fun.
Do you have any advice for those who are new to writing short stories?
Yes. Try to write every day. If you have a story you are working on, keep at it. Once you finish, review it, make sure it’s the way you want it, and then write another one. Stay with it! Ray Bradbury said, “If you write a story a week for a year, you’ll have 52 stories at the end of that year. I’ll guarantee at least one of them will be good.” To that I’ll add, probably more than one. The point is, keep writing. You only get better by writing. I’ll also add this: write for yourself. Write stories that you would want to read. If you like what you’ve written, that’s the main thing. You can never please everyone, so you have to please yourself. At the end of the day, you can say, “You know what? I don’t care what others say, I think my story is pretty good.” When you get to that point, when you like your own work, it’s a great place to be.
Are you working on any new projects?
Yes. Right now, I’m doing the final edits for “The Rebels,” which is Book 5 of my Creekside Chronicles YA (and older) dystopian/adventure series. It’s almost ready to be published. I’m also in the process of publishing “Periodic Haiku,” a collection of 5-7-5 syllable haiku poems based on the first 118 elements of the periodic table. And I’m also working on a collection of poems to be published in 2026 entitled “Quantum Memories.”
Do you have any events planned?
No events planned at this time except for ‘soft releases’ on FB and my blog.
Note: Thank you so much, Gill, for the opportunity to be on your blog. Your continual support of my writing efforts is stupendous and means the world to me! Again, thank you so much.
See Jim's web site here: https://theviewfromlonglake.com
Find your copy of the book here
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