Revised Author's Biography

Author's Biography

 

My name is Richard K. Raker. I have lived in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi with my wife and son for twenty-seven years. I grew up on Guam, Okinawa and in South Carolina. I have always loved island life. The sea breezes, clear blue ocean waters, fascinating marine life, and lush tropical forests have always sustained me. I believe that is why these topics and a love for nature, play a central role in most of my writing.

I have ALS, a terminal illness diagnosed in 2006. Prior to that, I worked as an English as a Second Language teacher and then as a computer trainer for a major healthcare organization. Very soon after my diagnosis and a quick disease progression, I found myself paralyzed and bedridden, relying on a ventilator to breathe. I could no longer work, so I spent most of my time reading and watching TV and movies. That got boring relatively quickly. Then, one day I discovered the joy of writing.

First, I struggled through a memoir about the first twenty-five years of my life, telling the story of the events leading up to my decision to move from South Carolina to Japan. It felt good to write. Writing took me away from my everyday troubles and gave me a creative voice that I never knew I had. The memoir, A Remarkable Life, lived by an Ordinary Person was self-published a couple of years ago.

After that, I realized that I had a few more stories that I needed to tell. In fact, I found that I needed to write every day—putting words on to the page somehow helps me define my place in the universe.

In the last two years, I have published four short novels and one short story. It's now 2013, and I am still alive and writing, and perhaps getting better at my craft. My stories are getting longer and more character driven. I hope to complete at least one more novel this year, Narragansett, a historical fiction based on the environmental history of Rhode Island.

I love writing. The two or three hours a day that I spend working on my stories is very therapeutic. I write selfishly. It is fun and gives me a much-needed purpose in life. While I engage in the act of writing, I forget that I am confined to a hospital bed and a breathing machine. Through the stories I tell, I'm able to travel through time and space. I'm able to visit exotic places and share adventures with wonderful friends and characters, human and animal. Writing has taught me that while my physical world may be restricted, my imagination is limitless.

I hope you enjoyed Not Too Late for Paradise, please consider writing a review or sending me your comments to me at rraker@hawaii.rr.com. I'm always looking to improve. With your encouragement, I promise to continue.

Thank you all for your love and support.

 

RK Raker

            April 2013

Not Too Late for Paradise – coming soon!

This is a first draft of the cover! Hope to be published by early May...

Depressed. Then grateful!

I've been feeling a little bit down and depressed lately. I haven't been getting out of my bed that often, it's been over three weeks since getting into my wheelchair. It's a long story why, mostly because it's just more comfortable for me to stay in bed, and also gets a big chore for my wife or my other caregiver to get me into the wheelchair – takes a lot of time and effort for everyone. However, I'm beginning to realize that I have to get out more often. Otherwise, my health is relatively stable. I am getting out of breath more easily and my choice of foods has diminished significantly. I can't chew very well, and swallowing can sometimes be a problem. On the other hand, my family, friends and caregivers show me so much love and understanding each day! I'm so lucky to have all of you in my life. And, my voice is still strong. I can communicate and I can control my computer – even though it crashes at least once or twice a day. My son tells me I need to buy another computer with more processing power and RAM. My mother has the beginning stages of Alzheimer's and my father is barely able to take care of her. So that's my sad story, but then I am extremely grateful! I still have so much to live for... I'm in communication with a friend, an expatriate living in France who has ALS. We have built a friendship over the last few years, comparing progression. He has ALS only four years and his progression is much worse than mine – he has a tracheotomy, cannot talk, and must be fed by a feeding tube. But still he has a. I have to learn from him, that I too can have a positive attitude. I think being grateful for what I have now is the beginning of that process.

Goodbye. Blockbuster!

Sadly, I have to cancel my DVD by mail subscription with Blockbuster. I remember when the first Blockbuster stores came to Honolulu, gosh, those were exciting days! Remember going to the video store and being totally amazed at all of the choices on the shelves. My wife, son and I used to spend hours there, sometimes getting so overwhelmed with all the choices that we would end up walking out of the store with nothing! Then came DVDs by mail. What a wonderful service that was... It was especially great for me since my diagnosis with ALS. I could select my movies on the Internet and they would be delivered to my door. Now however, times are changing again and "direct streaming" is the new way to watch videos/TV/movies. Blockbuster has not kept up with the times, and their streaming selection is very poor. I was hoping that they would continue to emphasize movies by mail, but even their availability of new titles by mail has gone below satisfactory. I also prefer Blu-ray, and that has made the availability of movies that I want to watch even more difficult. So, I say goodbye to the convenience of movies by mail and now begin to embrace the wonderful world of "streaming" movies. I think the cost will be somewhat more expensive, but the selection should be more current and immediately available. I will be using Netflix and Oceanic Cable on demand, initially until the next big thing comes along!