Reviews from readers come me often.  Here are some recent ones:

“I just got time without interruptions to read your wonderful book!  It was beautifully written and the amount of research you did was amazing! I could identify with much of it (except I don’t know much about baseball).It was quite nostalgic in descriptions of growing up in the era we did in high school and college.  I laughed and cried to the end.  To me a good book pulls the reader in and allows them to experience emotions. Thank you for that.”

“You were not just ‘very good’ at creating and tell your story, you were, instead, outstanding. I am very impressed. Your ability to so wonderfully describe the people, places and emotions of the story had me at times closely relating and nodding my head in agreement, at times smiling to myself at your observations, and at times even choking back my own emotions. It is very hard to believe that this was your first novel and I hope it will not be your last.”

“I have just finished your wonderful book while sitting on the beach in Naples. That qualifies this delightful novel as a ‘beach read.’! Ken, you have quite a talent for storytelling.”

I am extremely appreciative of the time readers take to express their opinions to me.  As with any author, especially a new one, I’m still waiting for that first national break (review) and hoping it will come in the not too distant future.

I formerly placed comments on my website but they became so numerous I could not keep up.  I’ve yet to hear a negative reaction, although it would be unlike friends to say anything bad about the book.  I understand that.  But what has been so encouraging to me as a writer is that people have gone beyond simply saying they enjoyed the book.  They’ve commented on the dialogue, the building of the characters, the unexpected twists and turns, the lessons gained from the book, and so forth.

The number of persons — men and women — who have said they cried at points in the book shows that the writing captured them and then caused them to express feelings of sadness at appropriate times in the story.  A writer could hardly ask for more than to know that he/she elicited feelings that could only come from absorbtion in the story.

As with any writer of a novel, I need a national break — a review by a major media columnist or book reviewer or broadcaster.  I’m working hard at promoting to national media but you can help by expressing yourself on amazon.com or telling friends on Facebook or Twitter what you feel about what you read.

In my opinion, the story is a natural for Hollywood.  Perhaps I’ll get a break there, too.

Meantime, I am encouraged to write another and have at least two stories in mind.  Perhaps I will combine them; perhaps I have two separate novels yet to write.

Have a great day.

All writers resort to different habits and settle on those that work best for each person who sits at the computer keyboard or takes pen or pencil in hand and begins writing on lined paper.

I gave myself five years to write my novel.  It took me two, to the day.  I attribute much of that to a daily routine that did not vary.

Each evening I set the timer on the coffee maker, awoke the next morning at 6:00, filled the urn with coffee, and by 6:30 began writing.  I wrote and researched for four to five hours every day, virtually without exception.  Thank God for the internet because it saved me probably a year of time that would have been spent in driving to a library and researching whatever the subject was at hand for that day.  Of course, I used libraries for information I couldn’t find on the internet.

Even though my novel is fiction, I wanted everything that related to specific periods to be factual — the Depression and its impact on American life, World War II and its wide-ranging impacts, the 1950s during which I grew as a teenager, the impact of the Vietnam war on some of Davie Miller’s friends, and medical situations that arose in the  story.

In regard to the ’50s, even though I was a teen then, I could not trust my memory to facts such as what the exact colors were of cars that I wrote about, the names of the clothing we wore, and the names of popular songs/singers and where they ranked on the charts.

There are medical situations in the novel and I didn’t want a physician to read the story and say, “That’s preposterous; that’s not the way a doctor would have treated that condition.”  Thus, I interviewed numerous physicians and made certain that every condition and treatment described in the book was exactly as it would have been in the year in which it occurred.

Fortunately, I never got “writer’s block.”  I never sat at the computer and was mystified as to where I wanted to go with my story.  While I didn’t have a complete outline of my novel on paper, the development of the story seemed to flow out of my mind and into what I hope all readers will agree is an excellent book.

But did my story-development-day end at 11:00 or 11:30 each morning?  Certain not.  No matter what I was engaged in the remainder of each day, the novel would be on my mind and I’d think of something and jot down notes which I’d refer to when I began writing and researching the following morning.

Writing for me was pure joy and I attribute a lot of it to the strict organization of the task that lay before me when I hit the first keystroke on April 1, 2009.

Here are the latest examples:

I was reading comments about the book on amazon.com last Friday night and saw that a second person has now said they are going to make positive changes to the way in which they live their life as a result of reading the novel.  Wow. There is no greater compliment to an author than to learn that he/she inspired someone to do something good.  To make changes in the living of a life is the ultimate honor.

It was my goal in writing the novel to produce a story that was entertaining but also to cause the reader to think twice about how they are leading their life.

Additionally, I have had these two emails today that I want to share with you.  Both persons have just finished reading the book.  Their comments are excerpted:

“Swinging at life’s knuckleballs with faith is the best anyone can do. In fact, it’s the knuckleballs themselves that will reinforce/strengthen faith. That broad vision came through so well in the book.

“Another feeling that came through to me was the everyday reality (perhaps a writing tactic) of the life stories. It infers that you did a lot of research to accurately portray scenes, situations, events, historical happenings, etc. I loved the way you described some of the dinner menus…it took me back to dinner tables of my life and the people with whom I was sharing time.

“Of course I understood the time about which you wrote….and although it is a novel (with your license to embellish) it is a great and extremely accurate reflection of a genre. If  your grandchildren, or anyone’s grandchildren, want to understand what was going on in the mid to later 1900s…this is a great read.”

“I just finished your book and want you to know you brought me to tears several times! I became extremely involved with the protagonist, a truly heroic ‘ordinary guy’ with an extraordinary capacity to deal with his knuckleballs in a positive way.

“All the while I was cheering Davie’s successes and the strong faith that helped him cope with each knuckleball pitched his way. The knuckleball is a wonderful metaphor for life…and all of our lives!”

If you haven’t picked up a copy of the book, I hope you do.  I hope you, too, will be inspired.

On June 2, I spoke about alumni relations and what makes an effective alumni chapter when I appeared before the Asheville-Western North Carolina chapter of the Indiana University Alumni Association.  The event was a picnic prior to the Asheville Tourists professional baseball team game at McCormick Field in Asheville. An excellent crowd of approximately 50 turned out for the picnic and my novel was purchased by several.  I can’t thank Jerry Bobilya, president emeritus of the chapter, sufficiently for hosting my wife and me.

Since an extremely important part of my book’s story takes place in Jacksonville, FL, I was in that city June 8 and 9. I was interviewed on the morning show of WAWS-TV, then for 15-minutes on 1010XL, the all-talk sports station. My time in the city included a two-hour appearance at Barnes & Noble in the St. John Town Center where I was kept busy greeting people, talking with them, and autographing copies of the novel.  I also met Jason Townsend-Rogers, an aspiring journalist who wrote an excellent column in Toonari Post about me and the book.

Back in Indiana, I’ve continued to be busy with promotions.  My thanks go to Sharon Gamble of WFYI Radio, Indianapolis, for being well-prepared for her 12-minute interview with me. It was broadcast on the station June 29 and 30.

On June 26, I was the keynote speaker at the Evansville, Indiana Rotary’s annual community service appreciation day.  The crowd of approximately 200 was a joy to address because of rapt attention as I spoke about why one has an obligation to engage in volunteer activities that help fellow man.  Many purchased the novel following the program.  WNIN-TV, Evansville broadcast the speech today (July 1) and will again tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. (CDT).

“I don’t know a great deal about Francis Joseph Reitz — certainly, in growing up in the Evansville area I was aware of the surname — but it seems your club’s motto could easily have been his, too, as he gave of his vast wealth after he retired — giving millions to education, religion, and charities.

“He, of course, had a profound impact upon the city.  But whether a person possesses great wealth or not, it is equally important to give of one’s time to helping others.  I’m certain everyone here does it — after all, you’re Rotarians — and my message today is that you should feel good about it.

“I have a question for you to ponder:  Where would our country be without volunteers and what volunteers do? Think about it. What if we had to pay for every service that volunteers provide for free? Where would our social service agencies be? What about health organizations such as the American Cancer Society, Heart Association, and so forth? What about government itself? Can you imagine the number of services that would not exist because the money would simply not be there to provide them?

“And then think about how there would be less progress in American society because of the diminished services…about the untold number of people who would not be served because those services would not exist; they could not be afforded.

“By virtue of being born in the United States or moving here and becoming a naturalized citizen we have the incredible gift of freedom. Freedom is free to us and we take it for granted. But as Americans we have an OBLIGATION to give back as a way of giving thanks for that gift.

“We have an OBLIGATION to give of our time, talent, and energy — and, when possible, finances — to be of service to our fellow man through community involvement, as life’s circumstances will allow us to be.

“It is an obligation we should expect of ourselves. Unfortunately, too many do nothing. Nothing, when they could do something. Shameful. At the same time, I certainly understand situations where people struggle just to get by every day and are lucky to find time to sleep, let alone think about community service.

“I also admit that serving can be overdone. One has to find the proper balance of their time devoted to family, profession, community, and church service. I know I’ve been guilty of getting my priorities out of whack. I will never forget my wife’s comment one day when our children were growing up and she saw how active I was in the community. She said, “Ken, never forget that opportunities for volunteering will always be there, but your children won’t. It was one of those wake-up moments that we sometimes need in life.

“Last week, I heard a U.S. Senator being interviewed on NPR. He was asked something to the effect of what had been his biggest challenge in office. His response was that it was the challenge of finding the proper balance of time he needed to devote to his family and to his constituents.

“Thus, it is quite proper to learn to say NO when asked to serve. But although the word NOTHING begins with N-O, using NO as an answer must not become an excuse for doing NOTHING.

“What power we have as individuals and as people working together for the betterment of our communities.

“I was struck by a story I read in the Courier & Press about the United Way of Southwestern Indiana’s ‘Spring Into Caring’ event two months ago. Participating companies allowed their employees to volunteer for the day with area nonprofit organizations. One estimate of the value of the donated time and work by more than 300 people was in excess of $20,000.

“Successful leaders — successful people — serve their community. #1, it’s an expectation they have of themselves. #2, it makes them feel good and they become stronger leaders, stronger people as a result.

“As John Reynolds in his book, The Halo Effect, so ably put it: ‘The unplanned side benefits to your career…so often occur when you reach out to others. The warm glow from that effort somehow manages to find its way back to your own life. The halo effect doesn’t just affect your soul, it affects your career, too.’

“I used to do a lot of leadership training and I have a list of attributes that I believe are essential to being an effective leader. When I go through the list of attributes that includes honesty, ethics, integrity, being an excellent listener, treating people with respect…the most important of all, in my opinion, is being a positive role model. And I think volunteering plays a role in being such a person.

“As John Reynolds writes, “Volunteering shows your character — your true character. You grow as a person because you see value in what you do and sometimes see life from another viewpoint you didn’t have before. You will gain more from it than you gave.” Probably each of us has had that feeling at one time or another in our community service. We got more from it than we gave in time and effort.

“I’ve heard the following comment so often in regard to higher education. It’s not uncommon for graduates of a university to say they want to volunteer with their school because they want to give back as a way of expressing thanks or appreciation for the great education they received. Sure, they paid a lot of money for the opportunity to earn their degrees, but they are so pleased with the impact of that education on their lives they want to demonstrate appreciation.

“I have a strong belief in what I call ‘positive role modeling’ and a belief that we are on earth to use our immense talents to help others. Each of us has a lot of talent.

“There are those who will say to me, ‘Ken, I don’t have time to volunteer.’ To which I’ll answer, can you spare one hour per week? Can you give one hour to read to a class of elementary school children or to residents of a senior citizens center?

“There are those who will say, I could do something but I don’t know where to start, where to go. To which I’ll answer, contact a nonprofit in the health services field, a social services agency, or a school. Say, here I am. I’d like to do something and have X hours per week or per month. How can I be of help?

“Perhaps the person could serve on a board or a committee…or get completely away from their area of professional expertise and conduct tours at a museum…coach a team…provide transportation for someone to a medical appointment…help serve a meal at a center…work in their church…help sort donated clothing at another center. Or use an area of expertise and show people how to do something as simple as balance a checkbook or as difficult as budget their income and expenses.

“What we as individuals don’t know — and perhaps will never know — are the unanticipated positive consequences of a single act we take.

“Like with the long row of dominoes standing on end, when the first is tipped and touches the second, the last one in line ends up getting impacted. The full benefits of our first touches may never be known — the child who goes on to a life of scientific discovery after being inspired by a one-hour volunteer who read a story about science to her class in elementary school…the family that got back on its feet after an elementary session on budgeting by a volunteer…or a man who decided he should coach children in baseball after recall the wonderful lessons he learned from Mr. Johnson, his coach when he was a child.

“Shakespeare wrote, ‘How far that little candle throws its beams.’ How far our singular acts can reach.

“Thank you, all of you, for your volunteer efforts. Take pride in your service. Feel good about what you have done and will continue to do. Know that Evansville is better in part because of you as an individual and because of Rotary as an organization and because of thousands of other volunteers and dozens of other organizations in this city.

“There’s a line from a song that was popular many years ago. ‘If you believe in forever, life is just a one-night stand.’ Make the most of your one-night stand and show the way for others to make the most of theirs.

“Set a positive example for others to follow. Continue to do good works with your life.”

While flying, I had plenty of opportunity to think about a multitude of subjects.  When my wife and I travel abroad, we always return home renewed in our knowledge that all of us in the U.S. have untold opportunities to do virtually anything we want in life, more so than residents of any other country in the world.

Our freedoms are taken by granted by nearly everyone, because we grew up with them and we experience them every day.  But on this day — Memorial Day — we should sincerely stop and think about what we have and how we’ve been able to continue reaping the rewards of having been born in this country or have arrived from other lands and eventually become U.S. citizens.

I will be speaking to the Rotary of Evansville, Indiana, in a month, at the organization’s annual Community Service program. My talk will focus on volunteer service, and as I was writing my speech on the eight-hour flight from London to Chicago last week, it dawned on me that the greatest volunteers of all have been those who volunteered to serve in our military.  And, unfortunately, many of them died in the cause of freedom.

I’m proud that I served in the military and volunteered to do so. But I was never in a combat situation and my life was never at risk.  I am particularly proud of those who served in war conditions and pray daily for the peace makers and peace keepers who represent us overseas today.

But please take a moment today, pause, and in your own way remember those who lost their lives to help protect the freedom you have for a cookout with your family, golf, or just sit around and enjoy a day away from work.

TOM McGLASSON

As an author, could I ask for more than the feelings expressed above?  No way.  To date, the strongest reaction came from a man who said he was going to make changes in his life to become a more positive role model.  Wow.

The title of this post is the title of a talk I have given in many churches, as a layman who’s not afraid to talk about his life and faith, although I don’t pretend to place myself higher than any other human being.

In writing my novel, I wanted to develop a story that was entertaining but one that led the reader to think about how he/she is leading their life. The main character in my novel, Davie Miller, was a person with weaknesses and faith. He believed strongly that people need to be positive role models in every aspect of their lives. He was a great example of strong role modeling, using his talents in service through his profession, community service, and service through his church, and role modeling just by the way he conducted himself in everyday life.

Despite professing his faith, Davie still had difficulties with a couple of life’s major setbacks and there was an incident involving an elderly Japanese man where Davie failed to treat him with the respect Davie espoused for all relationships. In many ways, he was no different that most of us, except he always came back to his roots of faith and dedicated himself to living with even more purpose.

Whether you read the novel or not, think about whether you are living your life in the most positive manner possible.

Coincidentally, there is a documentary movie entitled Knuckleball that has been released and is about real-life current and former pitchers.  I’ve not seen it but am anxious to do so.

When I first thought of writing a fictional novel in 1991, I knew immediately that the title would be Knuckleball, but I did not want it to be a baseball book per se.  I wanted it to be about a character who wanted to play baseball at the highest level but also about life’s knuckleballs, those unexpected setbacks that we all face. And I wanted my characters to swing at them with faith.  There are good life lessons in what I wrote.

As I wrote in a blog in early April (see within this website, Inspiration For A Novel), my idea began at a Los Angeles Dodgers adult baseball camp in 1991. I was injured in that camp, wallowed in despair in my Dodgertown villa bed, and prayed over and over for something good to come from the experience.  One night, there was a knock on my door and former Dodger great Carl Erskine stuck his head in.  ”Like to have a visitor?” he said. In walked Carl and Tommy Lasorda, the Dodgers’ manager. I was stunned.

Tommy pulled up a chair beside my bed and talked to me about the injury, saying he knew how I must be feeling because he, too, injured his lower back while fielding a ground ball when he was in professional ball. He recovered and said I would, too, but to have patience.

The last two nights of the week of camp I was able to get out of bed and “old man shuffle-walk” to the clubhouse where Tommy asked me to be his guest at his dinner table.  He did the same the following night. Both evenings after dinner, I joined him as he regaled a few other campers and me with non-stop storytelling far into the evening.  Anyone who knows Tommy knows he talks non-stop when he gets wound up.  :-) There’s much more that’s entertaining about this but I won’t detail it in this blog.

So the silver lining from my dark cloud began with Tommy and has led to my new book, which is not at all similar to my experience.  In fact, the story has nothing to do with it.

My story idea was further developed when I participated, again as an amateur,  in another Dodger camp in 1998 (I was 57), and then stayed in my mind during my careers.  I finally found the time to begin writing in retirement in 2009.  I had fretted for years over what the important middle portion of the book would be.  I knew how I wanted the story to begin and end but I did not know how to get from Point A to Point C.

As I began writing, I let my imagination loose and the story developed on its own into what I think is a terrific book.

The point of this is too many people who want to write creatively believe they must have thought through every detail of what they hope to convey.  My recommendation is to give the mind freedom to create on its own but within parameters.  I think of such writing as a speaker ad-libbing his/her talk from bullet points or a jazz pianist or drummer letting their hands and fingers free to express themselves.  Or a knuckleball pitcher gripping the ball and then trusting that something magic will happen from the time the ball leaves his hand until it reaches the catcher’s mitt.

If you want to attempt such writing, give your mind some freedom. The human brain is amazing.