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