INDIE JOURNEY : James C. Wallace II

My Own Journey Down the Road of Yellow Brick!

I grew up in a loving household where my parents read to me on a daily basis and taught me the joy of reading. Many a night I recall sitting in the front room of our rural West Virginia home as my mother would read from the many books of Oz and my father would act out some of the odd scenes pictured within. One particular scene that often frightened me was how the Tin Woodman took up his sharp axe against the Fighting Trees of the Great Forest of the Quadling Country. Of course he defeated them easily, but my father made it into quite the horrific scene of carnage and much spilling of sap. Many years have passed and I became the father who entertained my children with stories of Oz and now find myself regaling my grandchildren with these same timeless classic stories. Often I find myself emulating my father to such a degree that sometimes I feel like he is standing by my side as I recount the many adventures of Dorothy and Toto, even though he has crossed over the Shifting Sands nearly 20 years ago.

It was the joy of reading and my experiences working with disadvantaged youth in Indianapolis that compelled me to relate a new story of Oz as recounted to me by the elegant and benevolent Ruler of Oz herself, Princess Ozma. It was she who commanded me to tell the tale of Jamie Diggs and his adventures as he came to accept his role in Oz. Little did I know how difficult it would prove fulfilling her Royal Command.

Like so many aspiring new authors, I encountered countless roadblocks, brick walls (not yellow, of course), literary agents and publishers who lacked vision and courage, as well as an economic meltdown that saw the publishing industry suffer greatly. As with all new authors in waiting, I tried my hand at sending out inquiry letters to both literary agents and publishers across the nation, only to acquire a stack of rejection letters which currently measures nearly 1 meter tall. It would seem that I had picked the wrong time to be a new author, given the economic climate now engulfing the world in general. After numerous setbacks and frustrations, I decided upon a course of action that would take me deep into the heart of the Print-On-Demand Self Publishing world. It was a momentous decision that I chose with much trepidation and concern. After all, what do I know of publishing, formatting, cover design and the like? I am, by training and choice, a scientist and educator, not a children's author and publisher. And yet, once I trod down the path of self-publishing, forever would it dominate my ways (done in the classic Yoda voice).

Looking back at that decision, I have no regrets as I have come to understand that the POD Self Publishing world provides me with constant opportunities to learn and improve. In addition, the successes I have achieved come with a much higher degree of satisfaction when I am the one responsible for that success.

In particular, one of the major reasons Print-On-Demand Self Publishing is so rewarding for me is the control I have over content and storyline. I tend to write in a style that approximates what I call the Hoosier dialect but is not grammatically correct in some ways. There are English professors and teachers I know who deride me for this style of writing and have offered to correct what they perceive as incorrect syntax, grammar and the like. When I have given them the opportunity to do so, the results tend to change the story in such a way as to drift away from my vision and become someone else's vision. Granted, it may now be grammatically correct in all ways, but it is no longer my words… It is someone else's words!

This was unacceptable to me and Print-On-Demand Self Publishing allows me the ability to retain control of my words and content such that my vision retains its original concept and storyline.

My vision of Oz is a three volume storyline, and when it is complete, I am convinced that my choice of Print-On-Demand Self Publishing will have proven to be correct and proper, at least as far as I am concerned. As the time approaches for the release of volume two; Shadow Demon of Oz, I look back at a time when my vision of Oz was only a vision and I feel great pride at what I have achieved so far.

In the immortal words of The Wizard of Oz as he addressed the citizens of Emerald City just prior to his fateful balloon trip back to the Great Outside; Par Ardua Ad Alta!