James Ross's Blog, page 17

Tiger, Marriage, and Hypocrisy

The world's number one golfer, Tiger Woods, set off a firestorm of publicity late in 2009 when it was revealed that he had many affairs during his marriage. Publicly his reputation was questioned, his marriage jeopardized, and his children perhaps psychologically damaged. Corporate sponsors have tried to distance themselves from his name.

The 2010 PGA Tour has had several events and Tiger is nowhere near the golf course. In fact it was recently reported that he was in a sex rehabilitation cent...

Get Caught Up on Life at Prairie Winds Golf Course Before My New Book is Released

My fourth novel, Opur's Blade, is nearing completion and I am excited to introduce it to my readers later this year. If you haven't read my first three books, now is the time to do it! While each one of my novels stands alone in its storyline, some of the characters are found throughout the series and you can best follow their individual stories if you have read Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, and Tuey's Course. For those not familiar with my three published novels, here is a brief overview.

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Top Ten Signs You've Been Away from the Golf Course Too Long

With the freezing weather that has gripped most of our country for the past several weeks, many people who try to get on the golf course nearly every day have been separated from the fairway for way too long. Temperatures are finally returning to seasonal norms in many places, so perhaps it is finally time to get out the golf clubs and try to play a round. If you get through a hole or two and feel that something is not quite right, here are the top ten indicators that it has been a while si...

The Alphabet Series Continues with the "Es" of Golf and Writing

It's time to take a break from focusing on the New Year's resolutions of my characters and return to the earlier series I was sharing about the similarities between playing golf and writing a novel. The more that I think about the two activities, the more I realize they have in common.

Today, I want to take a look at the "Es" of golf and writing. See if what I came up with holds true for you as well.

Editing -- When it comes to writing, this component is obvious. You should not even consider...

Julie's Turn for New Year's Resolutions

I hope that all of you had a fun and safe start to the New Year. I've been checking out some of the blogs hosted by other writers and so many of you have shared some great resolutions for the New Year. Most of my professional goals are focused on the continued marketing of my three published novels as well as the final work needed to get my fourth book, Opur's Blade, ready for the market.

As part of multi-part character review, I am sharing what I think would be appropriate New Year's resoluti...

Even My Characters Make New Year's Resolutions

Today marks the last day of 2009 and many of you will be celebrating the start of the New Year with friends and family tonight. I hope that everyone has a safe and fun holiday! In addition to champagne toasts and the singing of Auld Lang Syne, there will be millions of people across the country who will decide with determination that 2010 will be the year that they actually keep their resolutions. And, most of those promises will be broken by Valentine's Day.

I thought it would be fun to im...

Who Should Bring My Characters to the Big Screen?

Most writers do not sit down at the keyboard to write a novel with visions of an Academy-award winning movie already running through their heads. If that was the case, I am sure their focus would be on writing screenplays instead of books. However, most authors may admit to the fact that they have allowed their minds to wander once in a while as they create the perfect Hollywood cast for their latest work.

There is now a website that allows these daydreams to be shared with others, and for f...

Government Gets Involved in Christmas

In my third novel, Tuey's Course, I introduce readers to the character of WeWildapheet Ulisees O'Tweety, a man who is better known as Tuey. When pitted against the power-hungry members of the local government, Tuey finds that his efforts to run his small business are thwarted at every turn. As the book reaches its conclusion, the readers will find that Tuey will go to great lengths to achieve the justice he believes he deserves from the officials at city hall.

How many of you have been frust...

Is It More Difficult for Famous Athletes to Be Faithful?

One post about the Tiger Woods car accident and resulting admission of infidelity has been written here on this blog. The details that continue to be released surrounding his home life have prompted more thoughts about the connection between being a superstar athlete and a devoted husband and father. Can these roles all co-exist? All too often, we see these men who believe themselves to be superhuman to be consumed by the attention and the praise and decide that the expectations placed on ...

The Series Continues: The Four "Cs" of Golf and Writing

Continuing with my exercise that is exploring the connections between golf and writing a novel, I would like to offer "Four Cs" that may be shared by both activities. After you read the list please come up with some ideas of your own and share them!

Consistency – If I take a month off from the golf course, I will notice a difference in the quality of my game. The same holds true for writing. If a vacation or some other time obligation takes me away from my keyboard, I can feel a bit rusty w...