Author Bio And Book Background

When it came time to write for a personal project, I knew I wanted to write about something important.  I questioned what is important to people?  What would be so important that someone would die for it? That led to much research looking for possible leaders worth writing about.  I finally selected a diverse group of 18 individuals who represented different countries, cultures, religions, age groups and occupations.  Some were born in poverty, some in wealth and others in between. What they shared in common was a belief in something that was worth pursuing no matter what.  What the belief was varied by each individual.  They pursued what they thought was right, not for fame or riches, but because it seemed the right thing to do. As long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a writer.  I don't know if people choose to be writers or if we are chosen.  I would type stories on a manual Royal typewriter as a child, and even make my own book cover with a piece of heavy red paper. Growing up in the Bootheel of Missouri, opportunities are limited for someone who wants to write.  I always knew I would have to leave, so it would be best not to be too attached to people or to things. I grew up with my grandparents because my mother was too ill to take care of my sister and me.  She committed suicide when I was five years old in an area called Soulard in St. Louis.  We were not there when it happened, but my early exposure to death led to a fascination of what happens when we die.  Do people make the most of their earthly lives?  Is this the only life that we have?  Shouldn't every life count for something? I did leave the Bootheel and go to college, obtaining a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia.  One of the things taught in journalism school is that the death of thousands is a statistic, but the death of one is a tragedy.  People can identify with the story of one individual, where the other is too much to comprehend. Like the individuals who I write about, I know that we each have a finite amount of time in this life.  This book represents my own legacy in tribute to those who paid the ultimate price.  Their stories need to be retold and kept alive for each generation.