JAMES KING
James King on the Wayne Norman Show, WILI-AM.
FREELANCE WRITER AND NOVELIST. At age six James King announced to his mother he was going to be a writer. He wrote his first novel after graduating from the University of Notre Dame. When that novel didn't sell, he set out to travel across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. For three years he worked on and off and backpacked overseas while gathering ideas for new stories and novels.
In 1983 he moved to the East Coast and wrote for a small publishing firm. Later he struck out on his own and became a freelance writer, specializing in corporate communications. During this time, he wrote two additional novels--both of which he was unable to get published. In 2006, almost 30 years after graduating from college, Jim pursued a Master's Degree in Writing at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. It was during this time that Jim wrote the bulk of BILL WARRINGTON'S LAST CHANCE.
In 2009 Jim entered that novel in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. From among several thousand entries, Jim's novel made the first cut at 500, then the next cut at 100. One day in May, he received the call. His novel had been selected as a finalist. A few days later, at a ceremony in New York City, BILL WARRINGTON'S LAST CHANCE was announced as the winner, and a lifelong dream came true. Jim's novel was published on August 9, 2010. At the end of that year Barry Josephson ("Life As We Know It") picked it up for the big screen.
Today Jim lives in Wilton, Connecticut with his wife and two children. He is currently working on his next novel.
BILL WARRINGTON'S LAST CHANCE is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Indie Bound. Featured below are highlights from James's writing journey, a book trailer for his debut novel, a conversation with James, and his Twitter Tweets. See also James's book carousel, where you can select, click, and enjoy a few of his favorite reads.
*Leave a comment for Jim and be part of the community at four days a week. Jim loves to hear from his readers and can be reached here with any questions you may have for him.*
In 1983 he moved to the East Coast and wrote for a small publishing firm. Later he struck out on his own and became a freelance writer, specializing in corporate communications. During this time, he wrote two additional novels--both of which he was unable to get published. In 2006, almost 30 years after graduating from college, Jim pursued a Master's Degree in Writing at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. It was during this time that Jim wrote the bulk of BILL WARRINGTON'S LAST CHANCE.
In 2009 Jim entered that novel in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. From among several thousand entries, Jim's novel made the first cut at 500, then the next cut at 100. One day in May, he received the call. His novel had been selected as a finalist. A few days later, at a ceremony in New York City, BILL WARRINGTON'S LAST CHANCE was announced as the winner, and a lifelong dream came true. Jim's novel was published on August 9, 2010. At the end of that year Barry Josephson ("Life As We Know It") picked it up for the big screen.
Today Jim lives in Wilton, Connecticut with his wife and two children. He is currently working on his next novel.
BILL WARRINGTON'S LAST CHANCE is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Indie Bound. Featured below are highlights from James's writing journey, a book trailer for his debut novel, a conversation with James, and his Twitter Tweets. See also James's book carousel, where you can select, click, and enjoy a few of his favorite reads.
*Leave a comment for Jim and be part of the community at four days a week. Jim loves to hear from his readers and can be reached here with any questions you may have for him.*
BILL WARRINGTON'S
LAST CHANCE a novel by James King "Part road odyssey, part coming-of-age tale, King's novel achieves the exact right balance of humor, redemption, and reconciliation." -Booklist "Perhaps the best thing you can say about a novel is that the story lingers after you finish it. I have gone on thinking about this one without trying." -Sue Monk Kidd, Author, NY Times Bestseller, THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES "This is what reading is about and what a good book is supposed to do." -Sue Grafton, Author, Kinsey Millhone mystery series |
A CONVERSATION WITH JAMES.
August 2010
WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER? DID YOU EVER DOUBT THAT YOU WOULD BE ONE?
I remember quite clearly the day I announced to my mother that I was going to be a writer. I had seen an announcement in a magazine for a writing contest. The contest was sponsored by Highlights for Children magazine. I was six years old.
BILL WARRINGTON'S LAST CHANCE IS YOUR FIRST PUBLISHED NOVEL. COULD YOU TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY TO PUBLICATION?
This is actually the fourth complete novel I've written. The first one I wrote soon after college. I did the whole starving artist routine: studio apartment, waited tables, blah blah blah. That didn't go anywhere. I wrote the second novel a few years later. Strike Two. With my third novel, though, I thought that my dream was finally going to come true. I was in my 40s by now, and an agent claimed to love the book and offered representation. After a nearly complete revision of the novel, she ended up passing on the project.
I have to say that I've run the gamut, writing-wise, thanks to agents. One said one of the books would make a great Young Adult novel and he'd consider taking it on, so I rewrote it accordingly. No sale. Another potential agent with one of the other books said it would make a great movie, so I rewrote it as a screenplay. Needless to say, I never heard from Francis Ford Coppola.
When I turned 53, I wanted to give the whole idea of writing a novel one more try. But I wanted more feedback as I went along. So I enrolled in a Masters of Writing program at Manhattanville College. I wrote the bulk of BILL WARRINGTON'S LAST CHANCE while I was earning that graduate degree. I finished the novel the year after I graduated, and was fortunate enough to have an editor at Viking read it, like it, and want to buy it. Which they did. So ... I'm a debut novelist at the age of 55. It only took me about 30 years or so to get there.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER? DID YOU EVER DOUBT THAT YOU WOULD BE ONE?
I remember quite clearly the day I announced to my mother that I was going to be a writer. I had seen an announcement in a magazine for a writing contest. The contest was sponsored by Highlights for Children magazine. I was six years old.
BILL WARRINGTON'S LAST CHANCE IS YOUR FIRST PUBLISHED NOVEL. COULD YOU TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY TO PUBLICATION?
This is actually the fourth complete novel I've written. The first one I wrote soon after college. I did the whole starving artist routine: studio apartment, waited tables, blah blah blah. That didn't go anywhere. I wrote the second novel a few years later. Strike Two. With my third novel, though, I thought that my dream was finally going to come true. I was in my 40s by now, and an agent claimed to love the book and offered representation. After a nearly complete revision of the novel, she ended up passing on the project.
I have to say that I've run the gamut, writing-wise, thanks to agents. One said one of the books would make a great Young Adult novel and he'd consider taking it on, so I rewrote it accordingly. No sale. Another potential agent with one of the other books said it would make a great movie, so I rewrote it as a screenplay. Needless to say, I never heard from Francis Ford Coppola.
When I turned 53, I wanted to give the whole idea of writing a novel one more try. But I wanted more feedback as I went along. So I enrolled in a Masters of Writing program at Manhattanville College. I wrote the bulk of BILL WARRINGTON'S LAST CHANCE while I was earning that graduate degree. I finished the novel the year after I graduated, and was fortunate enough to have an editor at Viking read it, like it, and want to buy it. Which they did. So ... I'm a debut novelist at the age of 55. It only took me about 30 years or so to get there.
Paperback cover by Jim Tierney.
DID YOU START THE NOVEL KNOWING HOW IT WOULD END?
No, I didn't. I've heard of writers who outline every last detail, right down to the final sentence. But I make too many changes during the course of the writing to be able to know or even accurately predict how the story will end. The characters tend to take over. In a very real way, the characters and the writing process itself decide where things end up, and when enough is enough. If I try to lock them into a predetermined fate ... well, it just doesn't work. Not for me, anyway.
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF YOUR WRITING JOURNEY? WHAT HELPS YOU MEET AND OVERCOME THAT CHALLENGE?
Probably the same challenge all writers must deal with: Rejection. And I don't know any other way to overcome that challenge except through dogged determination. Keep writing, keep sending out your work, keep thinking positive.
A new challenge we face these days is the Internet. In many ways, the Internet has been an incredible gift to writers. But it is also a huge distraction. I used to be extremely disciplined about my schedule, getting up early to get my fiction writing in before I had to turn my attention over to my freelance business writing. Now, it's way too easy to sit down and think, "Before I get started on the fiction, let me check my email, or take a quick look to see if anyone has posted anything interesting on Facebook." In no time at all, I've lost a half-hour ... or more ... of undistracted writing time.
I read somewhere recently of an author who had the computer he uses to write his novels "spayed"; in other words, he had a techie remove his wireless card and ethernet capability so that there was no way he could access the Internet while working on that computer. Good strategy.
WHEN YOU ARE NOT WRITING, WHAT IS YOUR MOST FAVORITE THING TO DO?
I love to read. If the Yankees are playing, I'll watch them. If the weather's nice, I'll play and lose a couple of sets of tennis. I also love to wander the aisles of bookstores. I can do that for hours.
WHAT'S ONE THING MOST PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Sadly, I can't think of anything. This leads me to believe I talk about myself too much.
HOW WOULD YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS DESCRIBE YOU?
Stubborn. Not a bad trait, in my opinion, for a writer.
✶SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Barry Josephson picks up BILL WARRINGTON'S LAST CHANCE for the big screen.✶
No, I didn't. I've heard of writers who outline every last detail, right down to the final sentence. But I make too many changes during the course of the writing to be able to know or even accurately predict how the story will end. The characters tend to take over. In a very real way, the characters and the writing process itself decide where things end up, and when enough is enough. If I try to lock them into a predetermined fate ... well, it just doesn't work. Not for me, anyway.
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF YOUR WRITING JOURNEY? WHAT HELPS YOU MEET AND OVERCOME THAT CHALLENGE?
Probably the same challenge all writers must deal with: Rejection. And I don't know any other way to overcome that challenge except through dogged determination. Keep writing, keep sending out your work, keep thinking positive.
A new challenge we face these days is the Internet. In many ways, the Internet has been an incredible gift to writers. But it is also a huge distraction. I used to be extremely disciplined about my schedule, getting up early to get my fiction writing in before I had to turn my attention over to my freelance business writing. Now, it's way too easy to sit down and think, "Before I get started on the fiction, let me check my email, or take a quick look to see if anyone has posted anything interesting on Facebook." In no time at all, I've lost a half-hour ... or more ... of undistracted writing time.
I read somewhere recently of an author who had the computer he uses to write his novels "spayed"; in other words, he had a techie remove his wireless card and ethernet capability so that there was no way he could access the Internet while working on that computer. Good strategy.
WHEN YOU ARE NOT WRITING, WHAT IS YOUR MOST FAVORITE THING TO DO?
I love to read. If the Yankees are playing, I'll watch them. If the weather's nice, I'll play and lose a couple of sets of tennis. I also love to wander the aisles of bookstores. I can do that for hours.
WHAT'S ONE THING MOST PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Sadly, I can't think of anything. This leads me to believe I talk about myself too much.
HOW WOULD YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS DESCRIBE YOU?
Stubborn. Not a bad trait, in my opinion, for a writer.
✶SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Barry Josephson picks up BILL WARRINGTON'S LAST CHANCE for the big screen.✶
JAMES KING'S BOOK CAROUSEL. A FEW FAVORITE READS.
| JIM'S TWEETS.
FREELANCE WRITER. NOVELIST. |
Leave a comment for Jim and be part of a community at four days a week. Inspiring. Encouraging. Believing.
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