James Rush Manley – Writer

Okay, I confess. I write books. I knew I would since courting my wonderful wife. My qualifications? Fascination with the sky beckoned me. A multifaceted career as a professional pilot positioned me. Life as a husband and father gave me empathy. Living as a Christ follower gave me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to do whatever he asks.

But, much like flying, writing is an addiction for which there is no cure. The best you can hope for is remission. And, if by some misfortune, you see that chance approaching, hide, and the ridiculous notions of abandoning either pursuit will pass you by. read more ...

One of my favorite things to do is spend an afternoon in a book store that also has a coffee shop. From thousands of titles, I pick a dozen candidates to consider. Then I order a cafe-americano accompanied by a scone and sit to choose one. Or two. Or maybe three. That simple small-table haven makes the whole book thing seem uncomplicated. Publishing books, however, is not.

Recently, I pitched my new SciFi novel, The Perelandra Paradox-Discovery (first of a three-part series) to a book publishing agent. First hope, then no joy. So, on to the next agent. Discouragement tempted me but a few days later, life reminded me that publishing books is a complex affair.

When I had a tree stump removed, the machine broke an irrigation pipe. The fix shouldn’t be too hard, I thought. Dig to expose the break. Cut out the bad ends, then glue in a new section. Thirty minutes tops. Simple. Not so much, actually.