10/2021 - Postings From Prosper
Whew! Welcome Readers, lots to unpack in this inaugural post of Postings From Prosper. First of all, thanks for coming along on this journey, this is just kicking off, but is a long time in the making.
I wrote my first "book" as an 11 year old, as part of a school project. That story was more an homage to the one of my favortie comic books, based on the Princess of Mars books from famed author, Edgar Rice Burroughs. For the next several years, I continued to write stories about an earthman, transported to a mysterious world, where he saves a princess, unites a kindgom and sires many herioic sons and daughters. Fully embracing my own process, I wrote only on yellow legal pads with a number 2 pencil! Hey it was the 80's - number 2 pencils were the writing instrument of choice for all school age children!
Eventually, teenage-hood took over, and I put the pad and pencils away. Decades passed, and while I continued to enjoy reading all manner of books when I had a break from work and family, I put the writing bug to the back of my mind.
So what changed? Well 2 things, which coincided. One was the pandemic, which impacted so many lives on so many levels, and the other was a family move from the East cost to North Texas. Far away from friends and family, and keeping mostly indoors due to the pandemic, my mind began to wander about...what's next?
Jake & The Big Move, was born out of my youngest boy's feelings about moving away from everything and everyone he had ever known and settling in Texas. While we were encouraging and supportive, the truth was it took a bit for him to find his niche in a new school and town, and there were moments we all struggled with our decision to move for my wife's job. It was also meant as test case, to see if could navigate this new journey, in a world where, first and foremost, I had work responsibilities that could be overwhelming at times. The good news is self-publishing is easier now than its ever been due to the internet. The biggest challenge, apart from finding the time to write, is reaching your audience. Which is where YOU come in!
So we are off on this journey, which I hope will be a long one. I may come back to J&TBM, which I always intended to be a series of advertures featuring young Jake, but my focus will be more topical books, tackling the historical underpinnings of current events, such as with Afghanistan Graveyard of Empires. Two books currently underway will focus on: the Pandemic, examing the current situation medically and politically vs how we have historically been able to erradicate major illnesses like smallpox or polio, to be titled Pandemic University, and a lighter book called Digital Hustlers, which looks at how the internet is powering young people, who youtube and tiktok their way to millions, not to mention, the burgeoning "side hustle" economy.
Well, Readers, thanks for coming along for the ride, each month I will chart my progress, what i'm learning, mistakes i'm making, and my successes, measured in connecting and bulding a relationship with YOU. This website is a work in progress, and I hope to make it an easy way to interact with me and my books. Eventually, I hope to have enough of an audience here to market all available formats (ebook, print, audiobook) but for now, you will be able to find the book(s) through major retailers like Amazon, Apple Books, Google and others.
Signing off till next month,
John A. Tyler
