THE "WHEN'S" AND "WHY"S OF WRITING MY BOOK

I have been asked lately WHEN and WHY I wrote QUADALAJARA? As I mentioned in a previous post, I enrolled in a "Special Interest" evening class at Glendale Community College in 1995 titled, "How to Write Your Own Autobiography". "Fellow" author and accomplished writer, BetteLou Tobin, was the instructor. I have been fortunate to have traveled quite a bit in the not-so-distant past and, as the passenger, found my mind wandering to places and times that brought back fond memories. If only I could have penned that daydream into a short story, I thought to myself? And so I did. After class I would go back home eager to capture an interesting time or event on paper --- 1995, pre-computer days for me. I would stare at the blank page until a thought would pop into my head that triggered the creative juices to flow. Doctors, notorious for poor handwriting, wrote more clearly than I. After writing a few short stories, and with the writing class behind me, I soon lost interest. In 1997 I met someone I'll call "Leilani". I had lunch with Leilani one afternoon, and after listening to her talk about her life growing up in the Philippines, I decided to open an old album from my Vietnam days. I was soon busy typing at my new PC and wrote what turned out to be Chapters One, Two and Three of my book. I typed for two or three hours every afternoon and evening, glancing at old photos that brought back old memories. My new friend seemed interested in reading what I had put on paper. She fell asleep half way through my chapter about Bangkok and I lost interest once again. Fast forward to December 2002 --- four years ago this month. I made friends with a bright young lady from Mesa, AZ named Annelise. Reading and writing were high on her list of favorite things to do. We exchanged emails daily, and when Pop took ill on December 6th of that year, Annelise was there to "talk to" --- sometimes we emailed twice a day! As Pop's health continued to decline, Annelise was there whenever I needed her. Just an email away. The only way that I could talk about what I was feeling and the only person who I could talk to about it. "That's what friends are for", she told me. After Pop's passing and the worst December of my life, my friend from Mesa, AZ became my part time helper. I "gambled" by showing Annelise my now six year dormant "writing project". She took it home with her and called the next morning --- early! "Jack, this is great! Can I show this to my best friend and my brother?" It was then that I decided to dust off the old manuscript and do something constructive with my life. When I got bogged down writing chapters five and six, I found the perfect solution --- I emailed Annelise everyday telling her my story, the part that I had difficulty putting on paper. I would then copy and paste the emails into my MS Works manuscript. Whatever works!!! I guess that covers the HOW I wrote the book as well. The "Why I wrote the book, Part II" is another story for another day. Thank you Annelise Hopkins! www.QuadMexico.com