Well, hello there! My name is J A Quarles and this is the first blog post I have ever written. So, I would like to say a big thank you the 3 people that have decided to spend the time reading this.
By day, I own and operate a landscaping company in southeast Louisiana. And yes, it is approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit during the day during summertime down here. By nights and weekends, I write fantasy books. Well...maybe more like I am in the process of writing fantasy books sometimes on nights and weekends. I am married to my beautiful wife and we have one fur baby at the moment, our little grey ghost.
Writing and fantasy have been my passion since I was in the second grade. In an after-school tutoring program, I wrote my first story, The Troll King, which was subsequently "published" and put in the school library. Back in the early 90s (which is almost 25 years ago now) the entire book was hand written and draw by you guessed it, me. Let's just say that my illustrating abilities have not advanced much since 1993. The book was packed with adventure and battles, at least from the perspective of a 7-year-old. What might seem like an amateurish production to anyone today with a computer and printer, the experience of writing my own story and seeing it on a library shelf had a profound effect on my nerddom for the rest of my life.
A lot can change in 25 years. One of the only guarantees in life is that things will constantly change. Work, school, friends, and marriage continuously influence and create new life experiences. But through all the ups and downs in life, I still write. I love writing stories and cannot imagine life without this means of expression. The stories that I write could not have been created without my exposure to some of the greatest writers of Science-Fiction & Fantasy. The works of George R. R. Martin, R. A. Salvatore, Tad Williams, J. K Rowling, and Robert Jordan (just to name a few) have opened whole new worlds to me.
I plan to use this blog to talk about these stories and authors that mean so much to me. I will also talk about my own work and life from time to time, and I promise to try to not be boring or preachy. Because at the end of the day, no one wants to listen to that nonsense. Though I have been told more than once that I am filled with nonsense and other similar things...
Once again, thank you for spending the time to read this first posting of Musings of a Grey Ghost. I will do my best to keep things light-hearted, relevant, and insightful. And until we meet again, the best of fortune to you all.
JAQ
