What else about Author James Ross?

I piddle around in the Field of Real estate (not much going on there right now as we all know)



Staying glued to the NCAA Basketball Tourney



I am pulling for my Alma Mater, Mizzou......



Played nine days of golf in Ft. Myers, Bonita Springs,and West Palm Beach earlier this month



Getting ready to watch the Masters Apr. 9-12




I am also working on my next novel, "Opur's Blade"


Always on my Computer so feel free to leave me any comments or questions you might have. What have you been upto?

Review of ‘Lifetime Loser’

Review By:
Ladies on The Tee
A Golf Community for Women by Sherry Tabb
Website: http://www.sherrytabb.com/

First let me start by stating that I am in no way considered to be a book critic. However, I know what holds my interest and what does not. Having said that I recently had the opportunity to read, the James Ross book, Lifetime Loser. This book is the first in a series of 3 novels to date by Mr. Ross.

Lifetime Loser is a story about greed vs. honesty. Its backdrop is a golf course and there is a well woven plot that involves a naive golf professional, J.W. Schroeder and a very unscrupulous business man, Lew Zerrmann and his equally dishonest associates and acquaintances. Ross takes us on a journey that spans two decades and has enough twists and turns to keep you hanging on every word.

For me this book was as interesting a read as a John Grisham or Patricia Cornwell novel (two of my personal favorites). The character development was strong and effectual. The proverbial fight of good vs. evil plays well in this book especially with the focus on greed. It rings so true for today’s world. It is not until the end that you really find out what will happen. There are many surprises even at the end so don’t think you can figure out who wins. You’ll need to read the book.

The bottom line is that I ended up putting off some office work to finish this book. It is a real page turner, even if you are NOT a golf fan. I am anxious to begin reading the second of the series, Finish Line. But for now, I have to get back to my office chores. I may have to burn some ‘midnight oil’ tonight and get into the next story….

Recommendation: A hole-in-one!!

The Effect of Divorce on Children … Especially Teenage Boys

If you take a walk down the “Self-Help” aisle of the local bookstore during your next visit, you will find no shortage of text written on the difficult issues surrounding divorce and the children who are sometimes caught in the middle. There are books advising parents on just the right way to talk to their kids about the unavoidable split. Others share important information regarding the legal maze that can develop from child custody battles. And, there are thick tomes that reach out to adult children of divorced parents who are still grieving even though decades have passed since the split occurred. There are certainly instances in which divorce is unavoidable. Homes in which adultery, abuse, or some unbreakable chain to an addiction is evident are not beneficial for any member of a family. However, there is much documentation to prove that even the most justified of divorces can have negative effects on the kids who were brought into the union.

I strongly believe that an ideal home will have an involved and caring father present every day. We see the consequences of absent fathers in the news every day. In my second book, Finish Line, I share the story of Justin Ventimiglia and his best friend Keith Pucchio. Both of these teenage boys are in desperate need of discipline and positive male role models, as the men in their lives have either disappeared or appear only to vent life’s frustrations at innocent family members. Without a strong father figure guiding these young men, they find themselves getting into trouble with an unforgiving neighbor who threatens both legal and financial consequences. It takes the mentoring of Curt Schroeder, who allows both Justin and Keith to work at the Prairie Winds Golf Course for the summer, to change these teenagers’ attitudes and get them headed in the right direction. The story of Finish Line shows that one person’s positive influence can make all the difference in the world.

Please click here to purchase Finish Line or my other two books, Lifetime Loser and Tuey’s Course.

Interview with Michael Ray (Nationally Syndicated Radio Show)

Congrats goes out to Author James Ross

Author James Ross has an interview scheduled on Wednesday, March 18th a 9:00 PM CST.

Please visit www.DresserAfterDark.com to find out more information and be able to listen to the interview.

March Madness is Underway – Get Those Brackets Ready!

For college basketball fans, this week marks the best time of the year. The brackets for March Madness have been announced! Sixty-five teams will now take part in exciting, frenzied hard court action over the next three weeks. Who will be the Cinderella team of 2009? Which of the number one seeds will be the first team to fall? I am excited that the Missouri Tigers have earned a great spot on the bracket and look forward to our first game against Cornell.

However, it is not only the love of the game that has people across the country talking about college basketball right now. March Madness also marks one of the greatest events for sports gamblers, both serious and casual. In offices everywhere, brackets are being Xeroxed and pencils are taking to the paper. Some will study the statistics meticulously when making their selections.

Others will write down their teams of choice based on jersey colors, alma maters of friends, and mascots. As has been proven in years past, all strategies have a chance at success.

There is no doubt that gambling on sports is a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States, and not just with college basketball. In my most recent book, Tuey’s Course, I introduce readers to a football referee who uses his position on the field to earn a profit. A few missed calls here, a couple of questionable penalties there, and the course of a game can be changed. These intentional errors, some of which are quite obvious, provide for quite the conversation while sitting around the Prairie Winds Golf Course clubhouse.

For sports enthusiasts like me who find great importance in maintaining the integrity of our chosen game, I hope that the particular subplot will be of particular interest to you. Please go here to purchase Tuey’s Course, as well as my previous books, Lifetime Loser and Finish Line. I hope you will enjoy all of the characters to whom I introduce you as they walk the greens of the golf course and make both earnest appeals and crooked deals along the way.

Reviews are Coming in and they Are Great

"I just finished reading Lifetime Loser. What a book! I really did enjoy it very much. How in the world did you get all the research done? It was incredible. Thanks for sharing these titles with us, I will be looking forward to Finish Line and Tuey's Course. Keep up the good work"
Reader from Oregon.

Radio and Television Interview Report - April Edition

The Masters Tournament is April 9-12
Why Do 27 Million People Find Golf So Fascinating?

James Ross has golf and writing in his blood. Ross is a 5 handicap duffer and a distant relative of Mark Twain. Like millions of golfers across the country, Ross is anticipating the first major tournament of the 2009 season: the 73rd Masters Tournament held at the pristine and hallowed grounds of the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

Like his literary predecessor, Ross offers social commentary on the game of golf, blurring the line between the 18 holes and life outside the greens. Besides champions, Ross examines the dark side of the game: the greed, discrimination, deceit and fraud hatched on the sunny greens of country clubs across this country.

Find out the fascination millions have with the intricacies of the game and the prominent names that have made golf a true national treasure: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods.

Ross discusses:
• The unusual relationship between disgraced investor Bernie Madoff’s guaranteed investment returns and his golf handicap (both 12s).
• Why Bill Clinton’s golf game upset Jack Nicklaus.
• What cheating in golf says about a business person’s professional ethics.
• Why the cost of the game caters to the affluent, not minorities.
• Why the “good-ole-boy” network at exclusive country clubs lends itself to potential crime.

This Guest Takes a Critical Swing at the Game of Golf and Sinks a Hole in One

CREDENTIALS: James Ross is a lifelong golfer and well-received author, incorporating golf into many of his novels. His golf-themed books include LIFETIME LOSER, TUEY’S COURSE and FINISH LINE.

Email:jamesross@authorjamesross.com

Website:www.authorjamesross.com

Blog:www.Author-Jamesross.blogspot.com

“Corrupt” + “Politicians” = A Perfect Combination

We have reached a certain level of cynicism concerning those who are given the charge of making the laws for our country. When we hear the phrase “corrupt politician,” we often think to ourselves, “Well, that’s redundant!” Many of us have approached the ballot box during an election with the resignation of having to vote for “the lesser of two evils.” Of course, the politicians of late have not been doing much to help improve their image. We have one Congressman who was discovered to be hiding thousands of dollars in his freezer. A Senator was arrested for what he maintained was nothing more than a “wide stance” in an airport bathroom. And, I would remiss if I catalogued the recent poor behavior of our elected officials without mentioning the former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich.

Governor Blagojevich, an esteemed neighbor to my beloved home state of Missouri, was impeached and then removed from office on charges that he tried to sell President Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder. Phone conservations in which Blagojevich was heard to be engaging in a “pay to play” scheme concerning the Senate seat as well as other government projects were recorded by federal agents. Although his political career is officially over in the state of Illinois, he still must face federal corruption charges in a trial later this year. While he waits for his day in court, Blagojevich has been making the rounds on the media circuit and pleading his innocence to less-than-convinced crowds.

One of the recurring themes in my novels is the negative influence of power and greed on our political system. From elected officials who look the other way when illegal dealing are taking place to those who take pleasure in belittling those of a supposed lower standing, my books are brutally honest in my take on what happens all too often in our government. I hope you will read Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, and Tuey’s Course. Then, please contact me and let me know what you think of my character portrayals as well as any of your own experiences with less-than-honorable politicians in your area.

Hurricane Katrina Still Affecting Music in New Orleans

While Hurricane Katrina and the flooding that occurred in its aftermath occurred more than three and a half years ago, the effects are still being felt by many segments of the population in New Orleans. Some residents whose houses were completely destroyed by wind and water have established new lives in cities such as Houston, Nashville, and Memphis. If you drive down certain streets in the devastated Ward 9 area, you still will see condemned houses and debris. And, a city that long claimed one of the most vibrant communities of musicians and artists in the country is still working to reclaim the mantle of a top destination for the jazz and blues. Mardi Gras endures, to be sure, but some of the displaced musicians have yet to reunite or have been forced to find other occupations to make ends meet.

Musicians throughout the world banded together (no pun intended) to assist their fellow artists in the wake of the natural disaster. Organizations that were established to promote music education shared their time and money to rebuild music in schools and in local clubs. Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis worked together to create Musicians’ Village, a community of new homes that helped musicians stay in New Orleans instead of relocating to another city. Classical musicians opened up their symphony halls for donations to their jazz counterparts.

In my second novel, Finish Line, readers are introduced to a character who was an acclaimed musician in New Orleans, but forced to flee after the hurricane. Tyrone Munroe, who received the nickname Bowtye from the regulars at the Prairie Winds Golf Course, moved to St. Louis and found himself tending to the needs of players in the clubhouse in order to pay the bills. His musical talents are revealed, however, when some of the Prairie Winds regulars find themselves on a casino boat with Bowtye as the featured entertainment.

To learn more about Bowtye and the other memorable characters in Finish Line, please check out my new book. And, be sure to read Lifetime Loser and Tuey’s Course for more stories involving the Prairie Winds Golf Course.
Finish Line for the previous stories involving the Prairie Winds Golf Course.

Teeing off Against Corruption

Article Taken from RADIO-TV INTERVIEW REPORT (Mid January 2009)

This Expert Explains Backdoor Dealing on the Golf Course

Your area golf pro shop seems like an innocuous place, but
it’s likely swarming with powerbrokers, movers and
shakers, and others among the local intelligentsia. Here,
important business and political schemes are hatched off
record and out of public view.

Had Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich tried selling Barack Obama’s Senate seat
on a golf course instead of on the phone, he’d likely be a wealthier man.

Some, like writer James Ross are intimately familiar with what goes on behind-the-scenes at pro shops, golf courses and country clubs. And as a descendant of legendary political satirist Mark Twain, Ross has a natural aversion to
corruption. Time again he is shocked and appalled by the events being shaped on the golf course.

Ross will take listeners and viewers behind the headlines for an insider’s view of how power is really brokered in America.

Ross will also discuss:• How golf can teach people ethical principles.

• What cheating at the “gentleman’s game” reveals about a man’s character.

• Why Bill Clinton’s golf game upset Jack Nicklaus.

• What politicians can learn from some time on
the links.

CREDENTIALS: James Ross is the author of LIFETIME LOSER, TUEY'S COURSE and FINISH LINE

AVAILABILITY: National availability by arrangement via phone.

CONTACT: James Ross (314) 578-0144 or jamesross@authorjamesross.com

Website: http://www.authorjamesross.com/

Blog: http://www.author-jamesross.blogspot.com/

Do You Have What It Takes to Qualify for the PGA Tour?

In order to earn the title of “professional” in most fields, there is a series of steps that one must complete. If you want to be a lawyer, you must first graduate with strong marks from an accredited law school and then pass the bar exam. If you expect someone to trust you with a scalpel in an operating room, I hope that you plan to take good notes in medical school, pass your board exams, and undergo the exhausting experience known as your residency. What if your dream is to make a living as a professional golf player? There are certainly worse ways out there to earn a buck! One way to earn the right to list “golf” as your primary source of income is to complete in the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, also known as the “Q-School.”

The Q-School is divided into several stages that are held throughout the autumn months. The competitors who place in the top 25 at the end of the final stage earn PGA Tour cards for the following year. Thousands of men start this process every year, so those who make the final cut certainly have completed a very difficult task. And, before you request the paperwork for the 2009 edition of Q-School, make sure you have the $5000 entry fee ready for submission. No … it’s not refundable.

My first novel, Lifetime Loser, opens with J.W. Schroeder (known as J Dub) playing the last holes of Q-School that, if he plays like he is capable, will land him one of the coveted spots on the PGA Tour. When one ill-fated shot brings all of his dreams of professional golf crashing down around him, J Dub’s life takes a turn that he certainly never could have expected. Through the pages of Lifetime Loser, readers will follow J Dub through the next twenty-three years of his life and meet an unforgettable cast of characters, many of whom continue to have a presence in my subsequent novels.

I hope you will take some time to meet J Dub and his family in Lifetime Loser and then stick with him and his life on Prairie Winds Golf Course for my other two novels, Finish Line and Tuey’s Course.