The Book Tree Radio Show Returns TONGHT!!!

I'm personally inviting you to call in TONIGHT AT 8 PM (est) for the relaunch of the Book Tree Radio Show. Let us know what you’re doing, tell us what you’re writing about and where our audience can get your projects. Take down this number - (718) 506-1699 and don't miss this great promotional opportunity!!!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/johntwills
 
You're invited to call Silver Rae Fox and John T. Wills TONIGHT for what is going to be an exciting evening on the night that The Book Tree Radio Show returns to the airwaves… You don’t want to miss this great promotional opportunity!

Call in: (718) 506-1699. You don’t want to miss it!

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Legacy – A New Season is coming!!!

It's been several years since "Just a Season" and it’s time to move on. Generations have come and gone, life is bearable after all, and hope lives in a little boy and in a man who almost lost all hope.

It's been said that there are no words that have not been spoken and no stories that have never been told but there are some that you cannot forget! "Legacy - A New Season" is the perfect complement to that statement. It is the sequel and the continuation of "Just a Season" and a stand-alone story rich in history on a subject rarely explained to children of this generation concerning the African American struggle.

This long awaited saga to the epic novel "Just a Season" will take you on an awe inspiring journey through the African American Diaspora, as told by a loving grandfather to his grandson in the oral African tradition at a time when America changed forever.

THOUGHT PROVOKING PERSPECTIVES is moving to WordPress.com. Please follow me there!!!

http://johntwills.com

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… John T. Wills, author of Just a Season

Just a Season is a luminous story into the life of a man who, in the midst of pain and loss, journeys back in time to re-examine all the important people, circumstances and intellectual fervor that contributed to the richness of his life.

This fictional narrative begins with a grief-stricken father visiting the grave site of his beloved son who was killed in a tragic accident – a moment that he and no other loving parent should ever have to face. As he sadly gazes at his son’s headstone and reads what is inscribed there, the dates 1981 – 2001 bring about an illuminating discovery.

The tiny dash that separates the years of one’s birth and death represents the whole of a person’s life. If this tiny dash were to tell his life’s story, what would it say? In Just a Season, the dash of this man’s life is revealed. What emerges from the pages of this book is a legacy of true benevolence and grace.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Just a Season?

John T. Wills: The novel Just a Season was born out of a dreadful horror. From it, I was seeking to achieve a far-reaching noble purpose associated with the book’s success. About five years ago, I lost my only son due to a tragic automobile accident.

It was, without question, the worst thing imaginable for my wife and I, and certainly my darkest hour. Adding to the terrible sadness of this situation, my son’s death occurred on his son’s first birthday. Elijah, my grandson, is now six years old.

From this nightmare, I have come to understand that adversity can either destroy you or develop you. Having said that, my salvation was to take this lemon and make lemonade.

The primary purpose of the book was to use it as a vehicle to passionately empower, inspire, educate, enlighten and ultimately cause the reader to re-examine the content of their “Dash”. In our season of life, “We only have a minute, didn’t choose it, can’t refuse it, it is up to you to use it – it is just a tiny little minute, but an eternity in it”. We change the world, but we must first change ourselves.

Life is precious, regardless of the circumstances we might face. All of us endure mountains, milestones and valleys as well as the multitude of events and changes that occurred over time affecting what we know as life. Through this story, I hope the reader can understand they can overcome life’s challenges.

This is a story of tenderness, discipline, honor and love delicately shared with readers in a way that says this life, though brief, is significant. So hold it in highest regard for the “Dash” is our legacy to love ones, indeed to the world, which we are blessed to share, albeit, for Just a Season.

JP: What sets Just a Season apart from other books in the same genre?

JT: It’s been said that there are no words that have not been spoken, and there are no stories that have not been told. But there are some that you will not forget. Just a Season is one of those stories.

I can recall a powerful statement once made during a sermon by my childhood pastor Reverend Cole. He said, “Unless and until you suffer enough pain, then and only then, will you reach deep inside and feel the breath that God has breathed into your soul coming eye to eye with your destiny finding your purpose.”

This powerful statement came to me as an epiphany during my time of adversity. You see, the title was predestined as the inspiration that speaks to a religious knowledge or understanding of life’s meaning – a life is Just a Season.

Having said, I believe this story was written by someone greater than myself. I was merely the vehicle to bring this great story to the hearts and minds of other souls. Just a Season is not a story you will simply read. Rather, it is a story that you will live. It is not HIS-story; it is our story that captures the journey of living with all the issues of a life witnessed through the eyes of an African-American man spanning decades.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Just a Season getting out to the public?

JT: I think I am a colorful writer and try to paint a visual picture with my words. I’m sure living through Jim Crow, segregation, integration and whatever you call the current system we live in today has colored my writing. Particularly, while writing Just a Season with respect to it being a historical narrative covering those things of significance to African-American people experienced over the past fifty years.

One of my reviewers said, “Not since The Color Purple” has she read anything so emotionally powerful. Another compared it to Roots, saying it is the stuff movies are made of. So in that sense, I feel more comfortable with a historical narrative or historical fiction that I call “fact-tion” because it allows me to add my personal interpretation.

Success is subjective at best, meaning it is determined from within. Otherwise, it is not then it is just a fleeting fantasy. As far as keys: mission, dedication, purpose and a desire to increase the equity within my “Dash”.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Just a Season?

JT: I have probably considered myself a writer or maybe a storyteller all of my life as I have been writing for many years. However, I did not have an interest in publishing anything mainly because I did not have the time due to work, family, and all of the things that involved living, which consumes our lives.

So when the inspiration appeared, or circumstance, the story simply flowed from my being as if it was destiny. From the first word to the shelf, it took about nine months with me doing everything. To include writing, editing, cover design, webpage and making all the necessary agreements required to bring this phenomenal novel to the public.

I wrote this book because I believed it was a story that had to be told.

JP: What’s next for John T. Wills?

JT: I have a new project, which is the sequel to Just a Season titled Legacy. It’s ready to be released in the very near future. I have planted clues within Just a Season, setting up the continuation of it. On that note, I will only say that it will be thought-provoking, compelling, powerful and also a must read.

I’m also working on a story called Brownsville that resurrects the ghosts and richness of those segregated communities that existed as a result of Jim Crow that are now reduced to footnotes in the annals of time. I am a firm believer that knowledge is power and education is the single most important ingredient necessary to neutralize those forces that breed poverty and despair. This philosophy planted the seeds that cultivated a life, which is Just a Season.

I would like to suggest and invite anyone reading this interview to visit my blog – “Thought Provoking Perspectives” as it will offer information and commentary that will educate and inspire…

http://www.johntwills.com/

http://www.myspace.com/justaseason

http://www.twitter.com/johntwills

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"Just a Season"

It’s been said, there are no words that have not been spoken and there are no stories that have never been told but there are some that you will never forget – until now. Just a Season is a luminous story into the life of a man who, in the midst of pain and loss, journeys back in time to reexamine all the important people, circumstances, and intellectual fervor that contributed to the richness of his life.

This fictional narrative begins with a grief-stricken father visiting the grave site of his beloved son who was killed in a tragic accident; a moment that he and no other loving parent should ever have to face. As he sadly gazes at his son's headstone and reads what is inscribed there, the dates 1981 - 2001 bring about an illuminating discovery.

The tiny dash that separates the years of one's birth and death represents the whole of a person's life. So if this tiny dash were to tell his life's story, what would it say? In Just a Season, the dash of this man's life is revealed and what emerges from the pages of this book is a legacy of true benevolence and grace.

Praise for Just a Season . . .

"Just a Season is a thought provoking novel by author, John T. Wills. ...focusing on various topics such as pain, suffering, love and life. The characters and the plot are captured very well. It is very well written from beginning to end. This is one of those books, where you cannot judge the book based on its title and cover." Congratulations well done! -- Afrika Asha Abney

". . . Thank you for your example of tenderness and discipline in what I know is a story of love, delicately shared with readers in a way that says, this life, though brief, is significant. So hold it in highest regard for "the dash" is our legacy to love ones, indeed to the world, which we are blessed to share, albeit, for Just a Season." Excellent! -- Sistah Joy, Poet, Cable TV Host

"Wills pulls you in from the very first page... Just a Season is a heart-wrenching story about growing up and believing in yourself. I highly recommend this book to young men in high school, trying to find themselves and feeling like they have nowhere to turn." -- Cheryl Hayes, APOOO Book Club

"This is the stuff movies are made of... not since Roots have I read anything that so succinctly chronicles an African American story." One Word phenomenal!!!
Cheryl Vauls, Library Services

"Not since The Color Purple have I read a book that evoked such emotions. John T. Wills possesses the ability to transport the reader directly into the life and struggles of his main characters story. This book actually touched my heart and inspired me to increase the equity in my "dash"! Excellent -- Tonja Covington

"Wills captures male bonding between generations and lets the reader passively watch as family love and closeness unfold on the pages . . ." Outstanding -- A great read -- Cheryl Robinson, Host and Executive Producer of JustAboutBooksTalkShow.com

"JUST A SEASON is laced with thought-provoking commentary on the Vietnam War, the assassinations of the 1960s, the migration of crack cocaine into inner-city neighborhoods, and a myriad of other ills that have rocked America. This is a very good piece intertwined with several history lessons spanning many decades." -- Dawn Reeves, RAWSISTAZ Book Club

"John T. Wills particulars each notion so eloquently that you feel that you're actually right there with him... this is an inflicting history lesson that I believe all African American males should experience." JUST A SEASON is a pivotal read -- Carmen, OOSA ONLINE BOOK CLUB

"From the first page you are transported into John's world as if you are there and are experiencing it with him. I am amazed at how John is able to use the events of the time to let you know where you are in time. I felt as if I was teleported... his ability to describe what was going on during that time makes me extremely proud of my heritage. You will come away with a feeling of, now I know why that is. I thoroughly enjoyed "Just a Season". - Mia L. Haynes

"Just a Season is a work of love, respect and honor... A book filled with the wonder of life, and the pain and growth encountered in living it." Outstanding! -- Ron Watson, Editor, New Book Reviews.Org

"in the final analysis the tiny little dash represents the whole of a person's life. If someone, for whatever reason, were to tell the story concealed within my dash. What might they say? ". A thought provoking and powerful read that will forever resonate within my soul . . . Speechless. Carron

I humbly thank you following "Thought Provoking Perspectives", BLACK EMPOWERED MEN, and your support of my phenomenal novel "Just a Season" that is a must read.


JUST A SEASON

The Snake

My Granddaddy told me fascinating stories designed to make me a man. In fact, he would tell me every day that “I raised you to be a man and as a man, you don’t know what you may have to do but when the time comes, you do it.” He said it so often throughout my youth that it was embedded into my mind. To this day a warm smile appears “when I have to do it”.

I have to admit, I loved this wise man more than life itself. I knew, even then, his teachings were an inspired declaration of his celestial will or more simply put - his vision that shaped my destiny defining my purpose. Pop’s would teach me lessons, often times, like an Aesop Fables to make me think and it was my job to figure out the moral of the story.

This is my favorite:

The way the story was told to me, Granddaddy’s friend, Mr. Bob whose job was to offer a prayer every Sunday morning at church during the service prior to the preacher’s sermon, a job he had held for years. Sunday was a special day for the community, and for him to have a position where he would have the attention of everyone was a big deal. More accurately stated it was a platform for him to perform. He would have been a great entertainer.

Mr. Bob would walk to church every Sunday morning, rain or shine, from his home. The trip was several miles up and down hills and around curves, and he would be dressed in his best suit for the morning service. During the walk he would practice his part for the service, the prayer, with the intention of making it a show complete with screams and tears. This show would sometimes last thirty minutes. There were many Sundays one would wonder how one man could have so much to ask of the Lord and maybe say, please, let somebody else get a blessing.

On his way to church this particular Sunday, Mr. Bob came across an injured snake. In what he perceived as divine intervention, God said to him, help this poor creature. He realized he did not have a prayer for that day’s service, so he thought, wow, if I help the snake I can pray for us to have the strength to help all of God’s creatures. Since the snake is the lowliest of all creatures, this would really inspire the congregation and hopefully give them the encouragement to do the same at least until next Sunday’s message. So he picked up the badly injured snake and placed him in a safe place until he could return from church.

With great energy, and now inspired, Mr. Bob went on his way. He planned and practiced his prayer as he marched on to church. After he arrived and exchanged a few greetings, the service began with a joyful noise, as they say, meaning full of song. Then it was his turn to pray. He began to pray with a powerful tone, full of emotion. He asked God to give each person within the sound of his voice the strength to reach out and help all God’s creatures, from the loving dove to the lowly snake. His message had many in the tiny church standing with shouts of Amen. He felt he had done his job as he closed, asking God to bless the church and said Amen. In his usual style this took about a half hour.

To his surprise, the pastor also chose a sermon nearly identical to his message which took about another hour and a half, talking about helping all of God’s creatures. What a great day it was, Mr. Bob thought. Normally after the service ended everyone hung around and fellowshipped as it was one of the few chances they had to socialize. Mr. Bob would not hang around on this day  he had a mission and left church in a hurry. He rushed back to the spot where his injured snake was placed hoping it would still be there. He was very excited when he arrived to find it was where he left it. He put his snake in a burlap bag he had gotten from the church and took the snake home.

Over the next several weeks Mr. Bob cared for this creature, desperately trying to save the snake and nursing it back to health. About three weeks later he thought it was time to take his snake back to where he found it, thinking it was well enough to be set free. The following Sunday, he put on his best suit and started his journey to church with snake in hand. As he arrived at the spot where he had found it, he thought, what a wonderful thing he had done. He was sure to receive God’s blessing for this act of kindness.

He rubbed the snake gently and said goodbye. However, when he reached into the bag to grab it, suddenly the snake raised his head and bit him. Then bit him again and again. Mr. Bob cried out, “Why would you bite me after all I’ve done for you? My God why?” I guess he was expecting an answer from God, but none came. He repeated his cry once more. Then the snake stuck his head out of the bag and said, “I am a snake and that’s what we do.”After hearing this story over and over again, I finally figured out what it meant. It was a lesson that would prove to be invaluable.

Be careful in your dealings with people because people, just like the snake, will hurt you  that’s what they do.

Taken from the phenomenal novel “Just a Season”
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