Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am from Asco, West Virginia born to a coal-mining family of 16 children. I learned a long time ago that in order to survive in life, I have to work for it since nobody will bring it to you on a silver platter. With no money for college, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After getting settled in the Marine Corps, I realized that I needed to enroll in school to get farther in life. So I enrolled at the University of Hawaii to study Club Management. Now at 84 years old and retired after 20 military service and a Vietnam Veteran, I finally properly published this book. You see back in 1998, I wrote a book and had it printed out but it was not properly published and distributed.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title of the book is “A Ridgerunner’s Journey to the Last Frontier.” When we came home from Vietnam, we were not treated right. After 50 years, I was selected to be on an Honor Flight. So on April 17-21 2018, The Last Frontier Honor Flight flew me together with 22 other veterans to Washington DC to visit the memorials built to our honor. It was so overwhelming to see kids shaking our hands, saluting and thanking us for our service. In every hotel and airport we arrived in and landed, we were greeted with the most heartwarming welcome from everyone present. I thought that there is hope in America after all. It was 50 years long overdue but that moment made up for everything and I never thought that I would live long enough to see that beautiful homecoming which I thought to be a redemption of honor.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wrote about my memoirs and may not find it unusual but writing events in bullet points helped a lot. It may be hard for some people to remember some names from childhood but I may say that I have a knack for remembering them. When people had an impact on your life, I tend to know their full names – all in my head.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read mostly self-development books. I believe that I would not be able to help others unless I help myself although most of it I learned from the “survival school” of growing up in the Bishop Family in the wild, West Virginia. Then later, most of my influence came from being a Marine and books about the Generals of War. But believe it or not, my all-time favorite book is “How to Influence People and Win Friends.”
What are you working on now?
I am working on getting the book into an eBook format and audiobook. If I still would have the time to research, I would like to write about the 5 brothers who served in Vietnam at the same time. There were only 3 of us left which will be harder for me to pull together the stories.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I find that Lulu , Amazon , Barnes and Noble would be good in promoting the book because of the customers they already have. I also use Facebook and my co-author is learning more about Twitter and Pinterest as a method of marketing. We also utilize our website store.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is to keep on writing. The more you write, the more you will discover your style. And while writing, keep on reading as well. Take time to read at least an hour each day. You will make mistakes but that’s the only way to learn.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I was once told to keep a journal. If you write about 300 words every day, sooner or later you have a book by the end of the year.
What are you reading now?
An easy book to read, “Choose Yourself.”
What’s next for you as a writer?
I was told that after publishing the book, you have to learn marketing. This generation has created a different kind of marketing strategies – that is a lot to learn for me. So I will just keep on writing and delegate marketing to someone else.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
One is “The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants” by the Department of Army hoping that any of the plants are growing in the island. A 3-Ingredient Recipe Book to go along with the 1st book and I got to find a good one for that though. “Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy” to help me decide if I still wanted to go back to the civilized world. And of course my book, “A Ridgerunner’s Journey to the Last Frontier.” I can never find another survival book than the one I went through living in a coal-mining family.
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