Saturday, January 2, 2021

An Introduction

 Hello. My name is J.M. Bailey. I'm an author. My first novel, The Teacher, will be coming soon from a small local company called MoonHowler Press. The publisher has been after me for a while to start a website to promote the book. I'm kind of a private person and resisted, but we finally compromised and decided I would do a blog.

"What do I write about?" I asked.

"Promote your books," he said.

"I don't want to be a cheap hack begging people to buy my books," I answered.

"Then write about your life," he said. "Write about the stuff that's in your books but make it personal. Tell the truth without the trappings of fiction."

That scared the hell out of me. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought the idea had merit. Especially if it would encourage discussion among other people -- especially men -- in a similar situation as myself. I'm still scared, but I'm going to do it. Maybe you'll think I'm a monster. Maybe you'll think I need to be institutionalized. Or maybe you'll realize that you're not alone in what you're feeling.

A little background about me ... I'm a retired teacher. High school history was my subject. No, I never coached, which made me an oddball among history/social studies teachers. I was really there for the history, not because I was an athlete who didn't make it to the pros. Sorry if that offends you, but over the years I saw too many people pass through my department with teaching degrees they got because they couldn't let go of their sports dreams.

I live on a modest acreage between Midwest City and Choctaw in central Oklahoma. I have my retirement, Social Security, and hopefully soon some book royalties to live on. I'm comfortable. I travel when I want to. I do love road trips.

As of this writing I have been separated or divorced for just over three years. We'll get into that more later. I have four kids and three grandsons and I love them all very much. I am not dating anyone, despite efforts in that direction. My ex-wife and I are on amicable terms at the moment, and she has been dating another man for almost two years.

That's probably enough background for now.

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