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As I considered what my topic would be for this blog, I thought the potential writers among you might enjoy jumping onto my learning curve with me, in case you ever navigate your own writing journey. Believe me, writing is one of the greatest joys of my life, but things are not as easy or straight forward as you may think if you want to achieve significant success. I have certainly learned many lessons, but I suspect I haven’t even scratched the surface. I published my first book From Promise To Peril in 2021 and have sold thousands of them since that time. When the sequel was published in 2024, the quality of my writing had noticeably improved. While my readers found both family sagas entertaining and insightful, there was a definite change in my writing style. It had matured and become more refined. When it was time to submit another printing order of my first book a few months ago, I chose not to rush the process, because once I identified my problems in the manuscript, I did not want to print anything that was less than my best. There was no quick solution, so I began another complete rewrite. Over the ensuing eight or nine months, I meticulously reworded certain scenes to flow more smoothly, especially the dialogue, which was a bit choppy. I also eliminated many of my redundancies, my unnecessary repetitions and generally, polished the rough stones. Although the storyline did not require any substantive changes, I also had to be mindful of maintaining the consistency of the story to merge perfectly with the already published sequel, with one notable exception. I made a promise to my devoted readers, many of whom are seniors, to significantly enlarge the font size by about fifty percent. Initially when I published my first book in 2021, my publishers cautioned me against increasing my font size because doing so would significantly increase printing costs and ultimately, it could affect the suggested list price of the book by about an extra fifty percent. There is an old saying that I never forgot after selling life insurance for over 25 years - the only thing better than finding a new customer, is keeping an old one. Please forgive my reference to ‘an old one’ but if the shoe fits, then so be it. It just so happens this is particularly true for the thousands of my elderly readers. I will do my best to keep you posted, but at this point the second edition of From Promise To Peril should be released about the end of May. Please let me know if this blog was relevant to you, or even a bit interesting if you are not planning to become a writer. I have always found that if I could learn from other people’s mistakes, rather than my own, the lessons of life are so much less costly as to time, energy, frustrations and money!! #BookRewrite #WritingLife #HistoricalFiction #FromPromiseToPeril #SecondEdition #FontMatters #ReadersFirst #AuthorReflections #WritingCommunity #LessonsLearned #EvolvingAsAWriter
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A quote that is attributed to American song writer Jade Jackson resinated with my grandson, Benjamin “When people fall in love with someone’s flowers, but not their roots, they do not know what to do when autumn comes.”
It got me thinking, it is a poetic way of saying what many of us eventually learn—sometimes the hard way—about love: it cannot survive on beauty, charm, or fleeting moments alone. The “flowers” represent the best parts of someone—their laugh, their success, their energy, their outward confidence. But the “roots”? The roots are their fears, their past, their struggles, their quirks, the quiet parts of them that don’t bloom for the world to see. And autumn always comes. There will be days when the flowers fade—when life gets hard, when one of you is grieving, exhausted, frustrated, or afraid. There will be seasons when the joy is harder to find, when the weight of responsibility dulls the shine of who you both used to be. If love has only taken root in what is easy, or pretty, or polished, it ca not withstand these moments. Real, lasting love begins when we fall not only for how someone shows up when the sun is shining, but for how they endure the storms. It is in knowing their past and not flinching. It is in loving the parts they are still learning to accept themselves. It is in choosing them on their worst day, not just their best. It is easy to love someone’s potential. It is harder, and far more meaningful, to love their truth. In Tracks of Our Tears and From Promise to Peril, I tried to weave this idea into the love stories that unfold amid war, displacement, fear, and trauma. When you strip away everything—possessions, certainty, even safety—what remains is the soul of a person. And if that is what you have come to love, then the relationship can survive any season. A long-lasting relationship is not built on the flowers alone. It is built on daily choice. On knowing the full story. On seeing someone for exactly who they are—and staying. So the question becomes: Do you love someone’s flowers? Or have you taken the time to know, understand, and love their roots? Because only one of those loves knows what to do when autumn comes. Have you ever wished you could do something meaningful to help someone in need? We are often asked to donate money or time to charitable causes, and while many of us give when we can, true generosity is about more than a financial transaction. It is about understanding need—not just seeing it from a distance, but feeling it, having lived it. Those who have never experienced real hardship may sympathize with those less fortunate, but they will never truly know what it feels like to be cold, hungry, or utterly alone. It is because of that, their generosity—while well-intended—rarely carries the same weight of sacrifice.
Some of the most profound acts of giving come not from wealth, but from those who have little to spare. When you have been in a desperate situation, struggling just to survive, you do not just acknowledge someone else’s suffering—you recognize it. You know the gnawing ache of hunger, the exhaustion of going one more day without rest, the fear of uncertainty. It is that understanding that often compels people to give, even when the cost is significant. In Tracks of Our Tears, Julia is forced to navigate this reality from a young age. She has lost her family, her home, and the life she once knew. Cold, starving, and alone, she wanders through the ruins of a bombed-out city, searching for any sign of safety. When she stumbles upon a young couple and their child, she sees the same desperation in their eyes that she feels in her own bones. Despite her own hunger, she reaches into her pocket and offers the small bit of dried mushrooms she had saved. Later, when she has only a small piece of bread left, she shares it without hesitation. In that moment, it isn’t about survival alone—it is about recognizing another’s suffering and choosing to ease it, even at her own expense. Julia’s journey is filled with these moments—instances where people who have almost nothing still find a way to give. The group of homeless farmers who rescue her from near death do not have food to spare, yet they take her in and nurse her back to health. When she finally leaves them to search for her own path, their leader, Pavel, hands her a knife, something deeply personal and valuable to him. He could have kept it for himself, but he understands what it means to be vulnerable, alone, and unprotected. That understanding is what makes his sacrifice meaningful. Later, when Julia, exhausted and starving, comes across an old farmhouse, she knocks hesitantly on the door, hoping for kindness. The man who answers—worn and wary—initially hesitates, but something in her voice, in her eyes, convinces him to help. He does not have much, yet he gives her food, a warm place to rest, and even a sense of dignity by insisting she clean herself before sitting at his table. His generosity is not about wealth—it is about recognizing a need that he himself may have once known. These acts of giving—small, personal, and often costly—reflect a deeper truth about human nature. A wealthy person can write a check to a charity and feel good about their contribution, but the sacrifice is minimal. It does not disrupt their life, nor does it force them to go without. But for someone who has little, giving often means going hungry themselves, sleeping in the cold, or parting with something that cannot be easily replaced. And yet, these are the people who give most freely. True generosity comes from understanding, from the ability to look at another person and see yourself in their suffering. It is not about convenience or comfort—it is about connection. Most of us will never face the kind of life-or-death decisions that Julia endures, but we all have opportunities to show kindness. Whether it is sharing what we have, offering a helping hand, or simply acknowledging someone’s struggle, with compassion and understanding. Generosity is not about how much you have to give—it is about the willingness to give, even when it costs you something. It is in those moments, when we choose to give despite our own struggles, we often receive something far greater in return. |
AuthorJames was born in Toronto and graduated from York University in 1978. From Promise to Peril is the first of three books in a Trilogy in which he brings his amazing fictional characters to life by creatively weaving them throughout actual historical events. He now resides in Milton, Ontario. Archives
July 2025
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