Inspiration, humour, mystery and thrills.
My interview on The Authors Show, in which we discuss my inspirational book Just Keep Climbing, is now live.
The interview is available on major podcast platforms like Spotify, Pandora, IHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and others.
Alternatively, you can just listen to it here.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, mostly because I’ve been working on my inspirational book, Just Keep Climbing: Inspirational Stories for Overcoming Challenges and Living Life. It’s nearing completion and I’m very proud of the outcome. Eight people generously shared their inspirational stories with me and I can’t thank them enough.
So, where is it? Well, here’s part of it.
Here’s what’s going to happen. The cover will be revealed in a few days on July 31. In the meantime, take a guess at what’s under the shaded area based on the title.
The e-book goes on presale August 1. Then, on September 9, Just Keep Climbing will be launched to the world. I can’t wait to share it with you.
This is a departure for sure from my mystery and thriller titles but since everyone needs a little inspiration from time to time, I thought Jake Scott could take a little break. He’ll be back in the spring.
In the meantime, watch for the presale of Just Keep Climbing, grab your copy (to be delivered September 9) and read some amazing stories.
I have been busy writing away during the last two months. Work is progressing on my inspirational book, Just Keep Climbing. Based on my motto, “Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing,” the book features eight stories by amazing people who generously shared their journeys with me. Among them are a woman who changed her career from a salaried executive to writing full time, a woman who struggled with obesity until she became a champion body builder, two recovered drug addicts, a delightfully positive woman with stage four melanoma, and a family living in the middle of a conflict in Cameroon. Each is amazingly inspirational in their own way. They are going through the draft manuscript now. Publication is expected in the late summer or early fall.
In the meantime, Jake Scott has not been forgotten. Watch for a new Jake Scott mystery in the spring.
It never ceases to amaze me when things pop up in our lives that we can use for inspiration or motivation for whatever it is we want to do, whether it is writing or anything else.
I recently had the opportunity to participate in the Canada Army 5K Run. It was a first for me and something I’ll never forget. There were runners of all ages, shapes and sizes and in all kinds of physical condition. Some pushed strollers, others were in wheelchairs or walked with canes. The disabled group went out ahead of the section I was in so I didn’t get a chance to see them, but I can just imagine the challenges some of them face and they still took on the run. In total, close to 20,000 people participated. It’s impossible not to be inspired by it all.
When we sagged a little during the run, bands and cheering sections high-fived us or rang cowbells or waved banners and signs spurring us on. My favorite sign was one that read, “When you sweat, you look hot!” I was certainly sweating, so…
I entered for personal reasons. I wanted to challenge myself, of course, but I also wanted to raise money for “Support Our Troops.” The money raised provides the Canadian Forces members and their families with a variety of opportunities that may not be possible otherwise. Their programs range from children’s camps, to vacations to scholarship opportunities.
Organizations like “Support Our Troops” focus on gaps left by governments everywhere that seem to have let the troops down. Our veterans don’t get the recognition they deserve and especially if they have been wounded while on duty.
I set my fundraising goal low and didn’t really make that much of an effort to raise money, but because we have some wonderful supporters, my wife and I received an invitation to a “Top 50 fundraisers” reception Saturday night at the War Museum in our home town and the nation’s capital of Ottawa. We heard from and met some of the beneficiaries of the program and again, their stories were truly awe-inspiring.
One told us he had severe PTSD and lost everything as a result. He was homeless for a while and drank a quarter of a bottle of rum every day. He eventually got the help he needed and, while he still has a long way to come back, he will now participate in the Invictus games. There were many other similar inspirational stories.
It was a tremendously heart-warming weekend and one that I’ll draw inspiration from for a long time. Watching people run who are far less physically capable was amazing to see. Hearing the stories of people who have been to the end of their rope and fought their way back makes some of the challenges faced by most people minuscule by comparison.
I not only gained valuable motivation and inspiration, but I’m applying this to my new book by giving one of the characters PTSD. I’m about 30,000 words into the story, and I hope, in some small way, to raise awareness of the severity of mental illness and ways to overcome it. It will be woven into a work of fiction, but I hope that it may also be educational.
When faced with a challenge, we always need to think about what others are going through. With a little thought, we can always think of someone who has it worse. Not that someone else’s misery should make us feel better, but maybe it can be a reminder that if others can get through their challenges, so can we.
Today, Facebook reminded me of a picture I posted three years ago. It was a special moment.
When our son Chris and I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2009, he mentioned he used the phrase, “Just keep swimming” from the movie Finding Nemo as motivation to reach the top. In retrospect, our climb was a sample of the challenges we all face in our lives no matter how significant they are. We have to meet them head on and do our best to overcome them. We have to keep climbing.
With Chris’ mantra in mind and with my own philosophy to keep going no matter what, I came up with the following slogan: Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep on climbing. It was originally just a personal reminder to my family and I to keep pushing ahead when we are met with challenges. I never foresaw the impact it would have.
Since that time, I have been approached by people around the world asking if they can use the motto on tee shirts, posters and rubber stamps and it is often quoted on social media. It was even tweeted by actor Jared Lehto! The response has been amazing, but the best by far was the attached picture sent to me by a woman in Virginia telling me she was inspired enough by the slogan to have an excerpt tattooed on her arm.
I never anticipated the impact of the slogan. I was floored and truly honored that the words would have enough significance to someone that they would turn them into a tattoo. It’s a reminder that we never know the impact of our words so we should always be aware of what we are saying or writing. People remember and words matter.
As for the slogan. it doesn’t matter what challenge we are facing, or the setbacks that might arise, we have to keep climbing. Whether it’s an illness, the loss of a loved one, a career move or writing the next great novel, we have to keep pushing forward. There are no guarantees. Chris and I could have been stopped by altitude sickness or fatigue or weather or any number of factors, but we weren’t because we kept climbing. No matter what the challenge, perseverance gives us the best opportunity to reach the top.