Investing his time into creating a craft with 72,000 words, local author Jim Corley was able to celebrate his completed work with a book signing held at the Sweet Home Public Library on Thursday, July 18.
“When I could actually hold a copy of the completed book in my hot little hands, it felt very gratifying – a sense of accomplishment,” he said.
The 80-year-old already has a couple other books under his belt, but his most recent work, “The Secrets of Solomon’s Seal: A Palestinian Story,” is the first in a trilogy that follows a Palestinian Muslim and an Israeli Mossad agent.
Being pro-Jesus, pro-Israel and pro-Palestine, Corley said he wanted to put characters from each nation together in a conflict while still portraying both sides in a positive light and ultimately bringing the Muslim through to the end with a different perspective on the Bible than what he was raised to believe.
It was 9/11 that made Corley realize he had enemies, and it was the event that pushed him to question, “How do I love my enemies?” Through his journey of writing Solomon’s Seal, he created his characters Rahm Khalidi and Adi Ovitz, and used them as tools for Corley’s own purpose: to be a peacemaker.
Corley, a former pastor, hosts a weekly writer’s critique group – called Inkslingers – on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. in the public library. He also assists with an online summer writing course, “Writing for Publication,” which can be found at https://bit.ly/Corley-Class.
For those who have been thinking about writing a book, Corley offers two pieces of advice. First, BIC (or, Butt In Chair). Second, join a writer’s group.
“Writing gets done in solitude, but gets better in community,” he said.
Participating in a writer’s group holds him accountable to keep his butt in his chair and produce something more, he added.
Quoting his father-in-law, former Linn County Undersheriff Clyde McLain Sr., “a very wise man,” Corley stated, “We all need a little adult supervision.”
As with his other books, Corley’s self-published works are available through Amazon (perhaps best found by doing a search under his name J. Michael Corley).