What's in a Name?

A good friend of mine called yesterday to let me know that he had just left the doctor's office with his wife and they learned that they are having a little girl.  They already have a son, and are thrilled to be adding a daughter to their family.  And now, the discussion about names will begin.  Some couples read every baby book and website possible, sifting through hundreds of names in search of the perfect one.  Others choose to honor family members by passing down a name from a previous generation.  Or, there are times when both mom and dad just know right away that a certain name is meant to be for their baby.

If you are a writer like me, you know that creating your characters is much like giving birth.  While there certainly is no physical comparison to the effort, we certainly spend time thinking about the people we are developing, wondering how they will turn out, and introducing them to the general public with a sense of pride and protectiveness.  And, at some point, we also must provide our characters with names.

In my work, the names I select all mean something and were chosen with purpose.  Whether it's the all-American girl who works in the clubhouse or the fallen athlete who ended up on the wrong side of the socioeconomic divide or the businessman from the other side of the world, I play into cultural stereotpyes when selecting names and, I hope, promote some challeging conversations among my readers.

So, I would like to know from you -- what is your process for naming your characters?  Does the name come first with the full personality and other details to follow?  Or, do you need to step back and look at a developed character sketch and then pick a name that is fitting?  I want to know how you give birth to your characters.  I imagine it's probably a personal and emotional process for you as much as me.

Check Me Out on Facebook and Twitter

With three published novels and a fourth book that I am hoping will be released in the first half of 2010, I have learned quite a bit about the worlds of writing and marketing. I’m sure many authors will agree, particularly those who have chosen the self-publishing route, the hard work really begins after the final words of a book are written.

The entire writing process is fun! Once I develop my general plotline and character sketches, the books often take on lives of their own. The characters may even develop in ways that I don’t even expect when I sit down to engage them in a new scene. It’s enjoyable to create situations to place them in and experience how they interact with one another.

But, after the book is done and bound, how do you get people to take notice and spread the word to others?

Authors have so many publicity options that were not available to writers just five or ten years ago. Currently the social networking tools of Twitter and Facebook enable me to reach the reading audience. I am active on both sites and I would love for you to join me there.
You can simply look up my name on Facebook and search for James Ross from Saint Louis. On Twitter I am known as both @golfnovels and @JamesRossBooks. Please connect with me so that you can be one of the first to be notified of any book signings, radio appearances, or other events. I update all of my online information on a regular basis.

If you haven’t checked out any of my books yet, I hope you will do so. Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, and Tuey’s Course all take place against the backdrop of the fictional Prairie Winds Golf Course. However, keep in mind that the story lines have universal appeal. They are not strictly about golf. That is merely the setting. Whether or not you are a fan of golf, I think you will enjoy the memorable characters you meet within the pages of my books!

Going on "Holiday"

This blog is going to borrow a little tradition from the continent of Europe for the next few weeks.

Typically in that part of the world people will take a vacation from their job or workplace for a four to six week period. This allows the body, mind and soul to regenerate, regroup and become energized.

I’m going to borrow that custom for a short period of time and have chosen the end of the summer to “go on holiday.”

Even though it will seem like nothing is being done I’ll be working behind the scenes to write more of Opur’s Blade. That’s the story of a young boy that comes from an impoverished background and chases his dream. It is the fourth book in my series from Prairie Winds Golf Course high atop the Mississippi river bluffs just east of St. Louis.

While the blog experiences a little down time feel free to try my previous three books.

Lifetime Loser is about a swindle and fraud that details the difference between criminal and civil law. Follow the scheme as it twists and turns its way through the American legal system.

Finish Line details the coming-of-age of two teenage boys. After getting into some mischief they land summer jobs on Prairie Winds Golf Course and are exposed to life lessons by several of the grown men.

Tuey’s Course describes the frustrations of a black man as he operates in a business world dominated by whites. Racial profiling and discrimination from city hall dominate Tuey’s life while he flees to the supposed safe haven of Prairie Winds Golf Course.

While I wrap up Opur’s Blade I’ll look for comments and feedback from the previous stories.

James Ross Explains Why he Became an Author

One day you wake up and announce to the world that you would like to write a novel. Pardon the pun, but that is a novel idea. At some point in time that is what everyone dreams about. Let’s face it; we all have a story to tell, don’t we?

In reality though, how does it all really come about?

For me, the writing itself is relatively easy. The sentence structure; the punctuation; the correct spelling are all general tools that don’t cause much of a problem for me. And I assume that is true for a lot of other writers.

In my opinion the challenging part of writing is dreaming up the topic. It takes much thought to come up with a story line and develop a plot. Creating scenes is a taxing exercise of the mind. Putting the actions in a readable sequence is also tricky. The story must flow and force the reader to stay interested enough to turn the pages.

In my personal experience it may take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to figure out how I’m going to make a story work. Once I identify the subject matter that I want to write about a subconscious energy sort of kicks in. Even though I continue to live daily life, the inner thought process is constantly at work trying to figure out the details of the story.

One trick that I found was that exercise helps me to reach a state of relaxation that allows for my mind to reach an open phase. While jogging I have found that the demands on the respiratory system and muscle groups have allowed for me to reach a freedom from within.

Another valuable time of discovery is in the middle of the night or shortly after awakening in the morning. For some reason the mind is not clogged and burdened with the goings-on of everyday life. Still another mind-enlightening time is while I am driving down the interstate in my car. During those moments I have found that it is always a good idea to have a pen and pad of paper easily accessible to jot down ideas.

At any rate, as I mentioned earlier, the time that it takes to sort events out in my mind varies. One of the things that I love to do is create characters. I can actually see them and hear them. Once the scenes are figured out and put into the proper sequence, then I have the freedom to place my characters into the action and have them deliver the message of the story.

It is fun to create twists and turns as the story is delivered. It is enjoyable to place hard-to-attain hurdles in the path of a main character as he or she travels on their journey. It is pleasurable to exploit their weakness and make them vulnerable to the actions of the other characters. Most of the characters have some sort of a purpose. Even if it is merely wallpaper in the action of the story, they seem to fill out the scene is some way, shape, or form.

So, in a nutshell, even if you decide to sit down and write a novel, just remember that it takes a great deal of planning to actually decide how the story is to be told. It is so very important to have an orderly procession of events and actions that follow in a logical manner. Characters have the freedom to deliver the message. The trick is putting them in situations that allow for the message to be delivered in an entertaining and meaningful way.

Good luck! Writing is a fun exercise of the mind. You’ll find that it becomes a little easier if you do some sort of pre-planning before you start. After all, when you take a drive in your car it is always better to have a destination in mind. Otherwise you merely wander aimlessly.

Check out his Recent List of Books:Especially if you love the game of Golf with extra adventure added.

Tuey’s Course

Lifetime Loser

Finish Line

I hope you enjoy them and please send me feedback or feel free to ask me any questions you might have about me or any of my books.

Controversial Issues Will Continue to Be a Focus When I Take on Teen Pregnancy

As I have shared many times on this blog, I do not shy away from tackling controversial topics in my three published books—Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, and Tuey’s Course. Some of the subplots that take place on and around the Prairie Winds Golf Course have included alcoholism, racism, crooked politicians, illegal sports gambling, womanizing, and many other areas that provide great content for any writer. With my new book Opur’s Blade, which is scheduled to be released later this year, I will continue to address issues and develop characters that will make my readers think and maybe even shout back at the pages once in a while. One of the topics you can expect me to explore is the difficulty that comes with teenage pregnancy.

What are some of the problems associated with babies who enter the world when their mothers are still in high school? Young pregnant women are not as likely to get the proper prenatal care and are more likely to smoke than their older counterparts. The result of this behavior can manifest in low birth weight, which is often a contributing factor in blindness, deafness, and cerebral palsy. Teenage moms are also more likely to struggle financially, leave their own education unfinished, and create poorer “life outcomes” for the children they raise. You will have to read Opur’s Blade when it becomes available to learn the specific story and struggles of my character, but you can be sure the road is not easy.

What are your thoughts on teen pregnancy and how to decrease its occurrence? Should there be more sex education in schools? Are parents not being proactive enough in knowing what their children are doing? Is the media responsible for the beliefs that teenagers hold about sexual behavior? I know it’s not really related to golf, but I would love to read your thoughts on this hot-button topic. And, I look forward to your reviews on how I handled the issue when Opur’s Blade is released.

Challenging Stereotypes through Entertainment

There have been certain books, movies, and television programs over time that, while meant primarily to entertain, have stirred quite a bit controversy and caused many of us to rethink our preconceived notions about people. Do you remember the weekly off-color comments that Archie Bunker made from the comfort of his armchair? He spoke in an honest and sometimes offensive manner that would never be allowed on network television today. How about when Ellen DeGeneres used her television program to present an openly gay lead character to the country? She continues to be one of the popular figures in entertainment today. The movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, which was released in 1967, caused great controversy with the presentation of an interracial marriage. And, books ranging from The Bible to works by Mark Twain to The Joy of Sex have been burned for the supposed dangerous ideas they asserted. I love the idea of these different art forms being the sparks for some great debates!

My three published books all center on the game of golf and the personalities who spend their time at the Prairie Winds Golf Course. However, another theme that runs throughout my work is the use of stereotypes that purposefully challenge our comfort levels. From race to sexuality to parenting, I worked diligently to create language and physical details that would force the readers to examine their own views on how society portrays different types of individuals. I want people to break out of their comfort zones a bit when they read my books.

If you have read Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, or Tuey’s Course, I would love to hear your thoughts on the stereotypes that I work to expose. Did you have a particularly strong reaction to any of the characters? Was I accurate with some of the ideas that we commonly hold, or do you think I was completely off-based? I would love to know either way! I look forward to hearing from you.

Writing Novels Can Be a Great Release for Political Opinion

You do not need to be a seasoned politician with a well-rehearsed stump speech in order to express your opinion concerning current events and the decisions being made by our lawmakers. There was an endless supply of protest songs recorded during the Vietnam War, with the topic of war and peace becoming a popular topic again for songwriters in the past few years. Movie and television stars often use the honor of winning an award for espousing their political views from the podium. The same opportunity for expression holds true for authors.

In my three novels, I have used my characters to express a conservative perspective on a wide range of hot issues. There is prominent distrust of big government that is expressed my many of my characters, from the federal government’s desire to impose an ever-increasing tax burden to local officials who go to extremes with their small sphere of power. The government is repeatedly portrayed as an entity that causes more problems, not a body that can bring about effective solutions. With this in mind, I have to wonder—would any of the men and women in my books have participated in the recent “tea parties,” which protested the growing reach of the federal government? I have a feeling that a few of them would have been front and center with a bullhorn.

I hope you will read my three books, Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, and Tuey’s Course, all of which have the Prairie Winds Golf Course as a primary backdrop. Then, let me know what you think of my characters’ political opinions. Do you agree with the perspectives that were shared? What do you think some of the clubhouse regulars would have to say about some of the recent decisions made by government? I look forward to hearing from you!

How Would Prairie Winds Rank Among the Best?

Some people have goals like climbing Mount Everest, visiting every ball park in the National League (don’t get me started on the inferiority of the American League and their designated hitter position), or swimming across the English Channel. Personally, I would love to say someday that I have played a round on every one of the top 100 golf courses in our great country. Tackling the greatest international courses would not be so bad, either! What are the top five locations in the United States? According to Golf Digest magazine, the publication that has been rating golf courses for more than forty years, the best locations as of 2007-08 are as follows:

1. Pine Valley Golf Course in New Jersey
2. Shinnecock Hills Golf Course in New York
3. Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia
4. Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach, California
5. Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania

How many golf enthusiasts are out there reading this blog? Have you visited any or all of these courses? If so, I would love to know if you agree with these rankings.

My research on the top courses in the country got me thinking about how the fictional golf course I feature in my novels would measure up. Prairie Winds Golf Course is located in the beautiful state of Missouri, is managed and manicured by a staff that takes its responsibilities seriously, and hosts a cast of regulars that is certain to keep any guest entertained. However, its profile is not exactly as high as those beautiful locations we all see featured on CBS on Saturday afternoons. Prairie Winds is definitely more of an “every man’s” course.

If you have not read my three books that take place at Prairie Winds Golf Course, Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, and Tuey’s Course, I hope that you will do so.

Contact me and let me know if Prairie Wings is a place that you would like to spend a day!