Author: Jim Kepler

Meet Jim Kepler, the guy who doesn't just write – he lives and breathes life with a touch of faith. You'll catch him exploring the world, nose buried in books and poetry, scribbling away in coffee shops, and vibing to an eclectic playlist, all through the lens of a Biblical worldview. Need advice on penning your masterpiece? Jim's got you covered. He says, “Why wait? It's never too late to dive into writing. The present is the perfect time to start.” As an author, poet, and blogger, his words aren't just for show – they resonate with folks across the world. His numerous books? They're not just books; they're a passion project. Jim's all about helping you know Jesus Christ, making Him your Lord and Savior, and weaving the Bible and Jesus' teachings into your everyday life. Wanna dive deeper into Jim's world? Hit up his website jimmiekepler.com, drop by on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), catch him on Instagram and even see and hear him on his YouTube channel. It's a literary journey worth joining!

Valentine’s Day Thoughts

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I went to the doctor yesterday afternoon. I have severe ear infection. That is causing my dizziness. I’ve had those since a kid. I also have a sinus and repository infection bordering on bronchitis. I was treated for pneumonia back in September and spent a week in bed.

I was treated December 18, December 24, and again January 19 for sinus infection, ear infection and bronchitis. I got another shot, some fourth different type on antibiotic, and a super duper cough medicine that has the warning – “DO NOT DRIVE OR OPERATE MACHINERY WHILE TAKING THIS MEDICATION. IT WILL MAKE YOU VERY DROWSY AND HAVE AN ACCIDENT”. Sounds powerful. It is okay to take at night and then drive during the day.

After the doctor, it was time to go to the pharmacy at the big box store. My experience forces me to offer a “Customer Service Tip”. The tip is set realistic expectations. I turn in an RX. It’ll be ready in 30 minutes I’m told. I check back in 50 minutes. I’m told by the same person it’ll be at least another hour. I am unhappy. If they had said 2 hrs initially and set my lower expectations, I wouldn’t have expected it ready.

The above story gets worse before it gets better. I am told to stand to the side while they get my RX ready. The person waiting on me leaves for lunch without telling me or anyone. I keep waiting impatiently. Finally, a lady I know comes on duty. She helps a couple of people then asks me whats up. I tell her my sad story. She apologizes for the poor service which someone provided. She then checks and finds my RX is ready. It has been ready for 45 minutes.

Apparently, the young man got it ready, but his lunch break time came along, and he just left. Insert scream of frustration here! He didn’t take the time to get it to me before going to eat. He didn’t tell anyone. And I dutifully waited to follow the last instructions I was given. They made sure I left before he returned from lunch. I guess they were afraid I might go postal on him when he returned.

They experience reminds me of when I worked as a senior training specialist for American Express back in the 1990s. I learned the average person with a good customer experience tells at most one or two people if they tell any. Have a bad experience and the horrors are shared with over 20 people.

Last night the new RXs caused me to have insomnia. I was after 4:30 AM before I went to sleep.

It is now Friday morning. It is 63.2 degrees on my front porch at 11:00 AM on Valentine’s Day 2014. After having trouble getting to sleep last night I slept until 9:20 AM. I got up, wished Benita Kepler happy Valentine’s Day, just as she left for work.

I bought a nice gift for her earlier this week for Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, it is sitting on my desk at work, and I am on vacation today and Monday. Linda Lee Tritton that I work with can vouch that it’s there. She saw it and asked about it. I guess it is good intentions gone wrong. I am “resting and relaxing” today. I finally showered and got dressed. I had the music cranked up. I am headed to the Shops at Willow Bend to walk for an hour. Then I will head to my favorite Starbucks to write (12:45 to 3:30 PM).

Today’s writing goals:

  1. Write another chapter in the Bradbury Burroughs Raindome SF novel,
  2. Finish reading the Terry Burns book on writing,
  3. Work on final edits and organizing on my forthcoming book “Lonely and Feeling Blue”. It is a poetry collection due out next month,
  4. I have some book reviews that need finished. The first drafts are written – maybe they’ll get priority today,
  5. Review the registration info for April’s poetry conference “Poetry at Round Top”,
  6. Check out the details for All-Con 2014, Dallas , March 13-16, 2014, and
  7. Check out the details for the biggie – Dallas Comic Con May 16-18, 2014. Now with 4x the space on one floor! 600,000+ square feet of comic and pop-culture family fun. It’s guests will include guests Stan Lee, William Shatner, Nathan Fillion, and Robert Englund. It is a Dallas version of Comicon.

Well, it is time to get on with the day. Oh, the below video is a little something I made for my bride on Valentine’s Day.

The Prairie Dogs Have Coal Miners’ Helmets with Lights and Other Stories

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The Prairie Dogs Have Coal Miners’ Helmets With Lights and Other Stories

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The Prairie Dogs Have Coal Miners' Helmets With Lights and Other Stories
The Prairie Dogs Have Coal Miners’ Helmets With Lights and Other Stories

Today is Saturday, February 8, 2014. It is a Saturday. After a week of cold miserable weather, we had a reprieve this afternoon. The sun came out after spending the morning behind clouds. Temperatures that started at freezing made their way to 52 degrees at 4:47 PM. After days with temperatures staying below freezing it felt like a heat wave.

My Saturday was similar to many others. I awoke later than usual today. I slept until 7:15 AM. Instead of heading for coffee at Starbucks, I had breakfast at home as well as my morning caffeine. I watched some of the Olympics opening ceremonies on DVR while I ate a bowl of Cheerios with dried cherries. I remained at home until my wife departed for work.

After she left I loaded my laptop and myself into my Ford Taurus. I headed to my favorite Starbucks for a morning of editing and formatting. I had a tall blonde roast coffee. I spoke with my friend Joanne and her husband. She is a local bank branch manager I see most mornings when I stop in for coffee.

I put the last touches on the formatting of my book “The Prairie Dogs Have Coal Miners’ Helmets With Lights and Other Stories”. It is available on Kindle February 9, 2014 in the United States, India, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Australia.

Maybe the hardest part of the book was the dedication. I dedicated it to:

  • My wife Benita B. Kepler, who permits me to pursue my passion of writing.
  • My poet friend and beta reader Karen Vandiver Garrison for her encouragement.
  • My writing coach Linda Lee Tritton and the Wholehearted Writing Group: Marcie Aber, Sabrina “Sam” Chapman, Amy Koetter, Talya Tate Boerner and Storm Ricamore. I told them thank you for their beta reading and suggestions. I have grown to love them like family.

At 1:30 PM, I left Starbucks. I went to the gasoline station and filled my car up with gas.

Next, I returned home. My wife was still at work. My kitty greeted me. She was looking for tuna. I ate leftover meat loaf to her disappointment.

I retired to my home office and did more editing while watching/listening to The Seekers 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert from the early 1990s.

About 5:45 PM I moved from my office to the kitchen. I prepared pork chops, corn, green beans and pineapple for the evening meal. I had it ready when my wife came home from work about 6:45 PM.

Following dinner, I watched the conclusion of the Olympics opening ceremonies on DVR. I then retired to the kitchen. I put up the clean dishes in the dishwasher. I next rinsed the dinner dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. I washed the pots and pans in the sink. I made a pitcher of iced tea as well as taking up four trays of ice. I do not own an ice maker other than four ice trays.

I read the short story “Dehydration” by Grayson Queen. It was very interesting. It deals with the premise of what happens if the earth’s water supply becomes non-potable.

I also finalized arrangements for going to see the Dallas Symphony and Bernadette Peters tomorrow. The show is after church. It is at 2:30 PM.

Well, it’s about time for bed. In the name of shameless self-promotion, buy my book “The Prairie Dogs Have Coal Miners’ Helmets with Lights and Other Stories”. It’s available on Kindle at http://www.amazon.com/Prairie-Miners-Helmets-Lights-Stories-ebook/dp/B00IBRLH74/.

Photo Credit: The cover image use is with permission under Creative Commons Share-Alike License CC-BY-SA 3.0. Joe Ravi is the photographer.

Book Review: Mission to Berlin: The American Airmen Who Struck the Heart of Hitler’s Reich By Robert F. Dorr

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Robert F. Dorr’s “Mission to Berlin” documents the mission that took place on February 3, 1945 to bomb Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany.  The author does a very skilful job of telling the stories of the men who flew on it. He shares the incredible story of American fearlessness in the last months of World War II. The size of the air battle challenges our belief as in excess of 1,000 bombers and multiple-hundreds of fighter aircraft originating from Allied bases journey to the heart of Nazi Germany. You also get a good overview and understanding of the structure and operations of the United States Eighth Air Force.

Author Robert F. Dorr gives a detailed report of its evolution. He takes us from the pre-takeoff preparation and activities to the concluding landing.  The book is well paced. The basic structure of the book is spellbinding narrative. The storyline presents a mesmerizing description of many of the aviators on this historic mission. His use of primary source references such as first person interviews and personal letters adds warmth and the human touch to the narrative.

I found the way Mr. Dorr combines his interviews and letters with the detailed duties of each member of the crew a great way to explain the duties and procedures of the B-17 crew. The way he tells the story you feel as if you are there from take off to landing seeing the point of view of each member of the crew. He does an amazing job of drawing the reader into the life of the crew. This alone is reason to read the book.

Another reason to read the book includes the good picture of how the war affected the young crews, the technical side of the B-17 and its development and deployment as well as the evolution of fighting strategies. It was fascinating to see the change in philosophy as to the use of the fighters and to see how the Thunderbolts and especially the P-51s made a great difference in the  survival rates of the B-17s once they were able to escort all the way to Berlin.

I enjoyed the appendix that explained “What Happened to Them?” It told us of what key personalities mentioned in the book did after the war. It was a pleasant addition to the book.

This is an outstanding book.  Every World War II buff as well as aviation enthusiast will want it in their library. This is the second book I have read written by Robert F. Dorr. The first was “Hell Hawks!” which I also strongly recommend.  Zenith Press is the publisher.

Ten Things to Know About Me

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Jimmie A. Kepler
Jimmie A. Kepler

1. I’m a writer of speculative fiction, nonfiction, poetry and a book reviewer. I primarily write science fiction and fantasy, poetry and review military history books. I sell a high percentage of my nonfiction. My bibliography is listed here.

2. I live with my wife in the Dallas – Fort Worth Area, but I’ve also lived in other places. I grew up a cold war era military brat. I did my bachelor and master’s degrees in Texas and my doctorate in California. Growing up I lived in Texas, Ohio, Texas, South Carolina, Illinois, South Carolina, Arizona, Texas, New Hampshire, and Texas. I have worked in Texas, Kansas, Georgia, Washington State, California, Idaho, and Louisiana.

3. A partial list of my hobbies: reading, computers, history, walking/hiking, guitar, customer care and caring for my wife and aging-parents. I have a strong commitment to lifelong learning.

4. I know a secret about the Texans. As a fifth generation Texan and member of Texas First Families I know a lot about Texans. Texans think they are smarter than you, know more than you, and come from the best place on earth. Texans are born with a bad infection of Hubris – self-confidence is abundant. Garrison Keillor adequately explained a Texan’s view of gun control. They view control as holding the weapon steady as they squeeze off the next round.

5. Yes, Jimmie A. Kepler is my real name. It is Jimmie with an ie, not James. Why? That’s is my father’s first name. The A is for Aaron. I was named after my paternal grandfather whose middle name was Aaron. He passed away eighteen years before I was born. Kepler is my last name. Yes it is the same as the famous mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler. Am I related to him? Heck if I know, but I’ll claim him.

6. I graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington with a BA degree in History and minors in military science and English (creative writing and grammar). I have a MA degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I hold a EdD degree in educational administration.

7. In ancient history I was a commissioned officer in the US Army. I won the military draft with a lottery number of 25 back in the day. I even went to airborne school and jumped out of airplanes.  I’m honorably discharged at the rank of Captain.

8. Some people tell me I’m driven with lazor focus. I like to say I set and achieve goals.

9. I’ve been blogging and on the Internet since the 1990s. I used Compuserve all the way back to the mid 1970s. I used email as early as 1976 in the US Army and 1979 with CompuServe. I first used Chat in 1980. I’m an old dude. I’m older than Bill Gates or the late Steve Jobs.

10. I am a Christian. My faith impacts all areas of my life. I am not perfect, but forgiven. I won’t preach at you.

My Oldest Son Was Born 37 Years Ago Today

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My son KrisOn Monday, January 24, 1977 I was a second lieutenant on active duty stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington. I was serving as the weapons platoon leader (81 mm mortars and T.O.W. missiles) in Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion 47th Infantry in the 3rd brigade of the 9th Infantry Division.

My unit was training with the 2 Battalion 77th Armor that week. In the early afternoon, I was receiving instruction of tank/infantry tactics when my company commander, Captain John Bratton told me my wife had been taken to the hospital to deliver our first child. Diane Davenport the wife of David Davenport the 4.2 inch mortar platoon leader had taken Benita to the hospital. My driver (yes as a mortar platoon leader I had a jeep and a driver) took me to my quarters. I got my car.  From there, I headed to the hospital.

Upon arrival, I found her and Diane. Diane stayed until I arrived to relieve her. My wife, Miss Benita, had her water break about 12:30 PM. Now it was the waiting game. We were in Madigan Army Hospital. It is a teaching hospital. I watched as over a dozen interns and residents as they looked at her lady parts and practiced attaching, unattaching, and reattaching a fetal monitor. At one point, she pulled the sheet over her head to hide from the endless eyes examining her.

Madigan was an old wooden frame World War I era facility. The maternity delivery room used the old hospital open ward concept with four delivery tables in the room. My wife was on one table. On the other was Brenda Schwarzkopf, the wife of then Colonel Norman Schwarzkopf. He was then commanding he first brigade of the Ninth Infantry Division. Their son Christian would be born about 2 and one-half hours after our son Kristopher. I like to joke and say I was on a first name basis with Schwarzkopf. He called me lieutenant and I called him sir.

Yes, I was in the delivery room. I helped coach with the breathing as we used the Lamaze technique to help with the delivery. Benita was amazing, brave and yes I watched it all.

Our son Kristopher was born just after 10 PM. I recall how excited I was to call our parents back in Texas. I called Benita’s parents first and then my parents. The time was after midnight in north Texas.With my call, both sets of parents were instantly wide awake. They were excited, but not as much as I was.

Just a few days later Benita’s parents came and helped with the new baby. I know Benita was so glad to see them and have their help.

Kris has added joy to our lives and continues to do so to this day. He is an outstanding young man. I am proud to be his father. The picture is from December 2013.  It is the most recent one I have of Kristopher.

Poem: Why Won’t You Talk

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Why Won’t You Talk

Why won’t you talk?
About the things that you feel
Yes it’s you and me
We share a common history

What can I do?
To get through to you
What can I say?
To make your pain go away

Once you enjoyed being in my arms
Your personality charmed
You were made for me
We shared our destiny

But now distant you’ve become
Like the setting sun
A million miles away
You never want to play

Despair has overtaken you
More deadly than the flu
Will you ever return to me?
The girl once that I did see

While we share our life
As husband and wife
Somewhere gloom and despair
We were a handsome pair

To death do we part
Was our pledge from the start
I will stay the course
God’s strength is my source

I count myself blessed
I married the best
A lover and a friend
Faithful to the end

A companion for life
Together we survived strife
You’ve put up with me
Forever grateful I will be

Still I wonder … why won’t you talk?
About the things that you feel
Yes it’s you and me
We share a common history

Jimmie A. Kepler
© 2008
Originally published in: WORDS..RHYMES..POETRY & PROSE!

The Muse and Me

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Have you ever had a muse, or a muse-like experience where you felt so passionate, or “taken over” by a creative spirit or compulsion to express and create? This is more than just “in the zone” … it’s almost as if someone or something takes over and writes for you.

Four examples of a muse in my life are shared below.

Example One – I was taking a senior level English course with the ominous title “Transformational Grammar and Advanced Creative Writing”. The program was exactly as the title … a writing course that made sure you dissected the grammar. Remember diagraming sentences? This was far more interesting as it dismembered each sentence to parts of speech, syllables, suffixes/prefixes and even lower in the structure. You could get credit for the course as a senior level English or Linguistics class. The professor was my first muse. She believed in and encouraged my writing. She was , the first to point out the value of reading regularly, journaling, and submitting what you wrote. She helped get me published the first time in a university publication and then a historical study in a military magazine. She told me I should embrace a bohemian lifestyle and write full-time. She turned me on to Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac.

Example Two – I was motivated to the point of being driven, to have a laser-focus. Me driven, can you believe? Anyway, I wanted to get into a doctoral program and needed to start getting published in my then chosen discipline – religious education. I went to the best conferences, met the right people, and paid the price. This wasn’t a once and done thing. It was getting one then two then three then four then five then six a year published. Sheer vanity … I wrote some very good articles like “What I Learned when a Church Member Died”, an article about preaching my first funeral and the shortcomings of the religious education curriculum to prepare the associate minister in this critical area is an example.

Example Three – Nancy Karen Vandiver Garrison … I know her from high school. We also went to the same university. We did prose interpretation and literary criticism together in University Interscholastic League competition way back 45 years ago. Thanks to social media and email we talk nearly every day for years and still do, as recently as in the last few seconds. She holds me accountable to keep on writing and never give up. More than anything, she encourages me to ignore the rejections. She also says what’s next when I get an acceptance. She is a darn good poet and supporter of the arts. Plus, we both love The Monkees!

Example Four – In 1992, I wrote 175 pages in one day for a nonfiction book I was working on. I have had some 50 to 75 page experiences in writing that happen the same way. Sometimes I have poems bounce around in my head and won’t quit talking to me until I relocate them to paper. It can be very surreal. I’ve had several magazine articles that I’ve sold to publications like Children’s Leadership, Preschool Leadership, Poetry & Prose Magazine and Bewildering Stories that just flowed almost perfectly.

I find the muse magically appears when I put my behind in the chair and write.

Background on Muses: The Muses, the personification of knowledge and the arts, especially literature, dance and music, are the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (memory personified). Hesiod’s account and description of the Muses were the one generally followed by the writers of antiquity. It was not until Roman times that the following functions were assigned to them, and even then there was some variation in both their names and their attributes:

  • Calliope -epic poetry;
  • Clio -history;
  • Euterpe -flutes and lyric poetry;
  • Thalia -comedy and pastoral poetry;
  • Melpomene -tragedy;
  • Terpsichore -dance;
  • Erato -love poetry;
  • Polyhymnia -sacred poetry;
  • Urania -astronomy.

It is Malignant

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The sun will not rise for another hour. I am sitting in my favorite Starbucks in Plano, Texas.  My friend Jim is sitting at the table next to me. He is 72 years old and retired from IBM. He is a Oklahoma State University graduate. He was a pitcher on their baseball team in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He pitched a no-hitter in the college world series in 1960. After college, he signed with the Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale Los Angeles Dodgers playing a couple of years before putting his engineering degree to use. He actually made more money as an engineer than as a ball player. Times have changed.

Jen and Loren are the barista’s on duty this morning. They usually are the opening crew. They sweet smile and good morning greet me five mornings a week. This morning all three asked me about the pathology report on my wife’s tumor.

My bride of thirty-nine years had surgery for a malrotated intestine just before Christmas. During the surgery, they had a surprise. They found an unexpected tumor. The doctor was unable to remove the entire tumor due to its being in one of the lymph nodes. The doctor who performed the intestinal surgery is also the director of surgical oncology.

After we got to the car, we prayed and shed a few tears as we digested the news. She is so brave. I am scared for her. We both have a strong Christian faith, which certainly helps. The reality of the news still stings.

After getting home, I call our daughter making sure she had the news. We emailed family. I also posted on Facebook the bullet points of the exam. We had over 30 replies.

I’ll write more on this adventure in life in the days ahead.

When Washington Burned: An Illustrated History of the War of 1812

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One of the least known wars in United States or for that matter British history is the War of 1812.
The War of 1812 was a rather disorderly event. At times it had several minor campaigns going on at the same time. They weren’t coordinated, were hundreds of miles apart and had little or nothing to do with the other campaigns.
The author has produced an understandable account out of this disjointed war. His narrative is well organized. The structure used has each chapter covering a distinct area. They are restricted to a geographic area.  The genius of this approach is let you keep needed focus without covering everything happening on all fronts at the same time. The coverage of the Naval engagements is excellent. They receive their separate chapters.
The illustrations are first-rate. The majority of the images are present-day. He makes skillful use of maps to show the more intricate campaigns. This is an excellent single volume history of the War of 1812. It explains what happened. It explains why it happened. The coverage is balanced with US and British material. The book would be an great addition for community libraries, school libraries and is a must for the personal library of military historians. It would also make a nice “coffee table book”.
Arnold Blumberg and Casemate Publishing have provide a well needed, quality book on the War of 1812.