As a kid I was always making stuff: skates, skateboards, skimboards, skis, sleds, clothing, furniture, wood carvings, Easter baskets, comic books, you name it. I was the mother of all nerds. Anyway, I think I was searching for the one thing I wanted to keep on making for the rest of my life. Then one day I discovered Choose Your Own Adventure books. Remember those? You as the reader were asked to make choices for the characters. They were a lot of fun and I just had to make my own. And so I did, writing three of them, and I was forever hooked on writing.
In high school, I was a fine balance of jock and nerd. I played football and baseball and somehow managed to write five complete novels. How was I able to write so much and play sports and study at the same time? Easy. No girlfriend. In fact, I didn't kiss a girl until I was in college!
In college, I still managed to write two books and over 80 short stories. (Even with all the kissing.) Eventually, I graduated with a perfectly useless degree in anthropology, got married two weeks later, and shortly thereafter started my career as an insurance claims investigator. I've made better choices.
I would spend the next four years researching and writing my first adventure novel, THE ARK. At the age of 28, I landed one of the biggest agents in Hollywood.
Welcome to Hollyweird. I discovered that I had a natural knack for writing screenplays. (Go figure.) For the next two years, I worked exclusively with Paramount Pictures and Alphaville Productions developing various movie and TV projects. Some things worked out; most didn't. I learned much and I'm thankful for the experience.
Ultimately, I realized I had strayed far from my true love: novels. And so, with a little bit of money in the bank and some time on my hands (okay, fine, I got fired from my insurance job), I moved to Carlsbad and wrote three books: NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP, MOON DANCE, and THE MOUSE.
Being married to a dreamer is tough. Being married to a dreamer and a writer is damn near impossible. Yup, you guessed, after seven tough years my wife was gone, baby, gone.
Not to worry. I met another girl eventually (poor thing), and together we moved up to Seattle. Things turned ugly fast. Lost my job, my car, my money, the girl, went bankrupt, and yet somehow wrote I PRAY THE LORD MY SOUL TO KEEP in a freezing cold basement in the middle of a rainy winter, unemployed and stealing food (usually donuts) from local grocery stores.
Like the prodigal son, I eventually came home to southern California, got a new job, got my private investigator’s license, got a new movie agent, moved to LA and was fortunate enough to have my first novel published in November 2005 by Mundania Press.
In 2006, I wrote ELVIS HAS NOT LEFT THE BUILDING, and in 2007, I moved up to Oregon where I became a vegetarian (for moral reasons), and wrote the first draft of my ghost story, I SING THE BODY DEPARTED. In 2008, I moved back to southern California to help out with my sick father. (A brain tumor; he's doing okay now, but not great.)
Now in 2009, you guesed it, I'm back up in the Pacific Northwest, living on a small island in a small home with my small doggie. It's a simple, peaceful life, and one that allows me to continue writing full time.
I've come far from those days of stealing donuts. Full circle, if you will. (Yes, that's a donut pun.) Life is a journey, and somewhere along the way I realized that doing what I love and living with joy are the keys to my happiness. Remember, life is too short to work another minute at a job you don't love.
As you can see, I take writing very seriously. I work hard creating novels and stories for you to enjoy. So thank you for stopping by. I truly appreciate you as a reader and as a friend. My goal is to make you a lifelong fan. And remember, word-of-mouth is still the best way to promote new writers. So if you enjoyed my novels, please tell a friend. For more information about me or how to order my books, please visit my website at www.jrrain.com.
I wish you many rainy nights of cozy reading.
J.R. Rain
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