Narragansett. Now available!

"Narragansett" is now available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle formats. Please check it out! It took over a year to write, 400+ pages. Lots of history and science, but some good characters and story as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Narragansett-R-K-Raker/dp/1490512268/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1372468729&sr=1-10

Do you like this cover?

"The Gunslinger's Confession" a short story is coming very soon. The story is completed and I have this first draft of the cover – I can't decide if this cover is what I want?? Do any of my friends have opinions or suggestions?

Goodbye, Mom

Goodbye, Mom. I'll miss your unconditional love and constant thoughtfulness. I'm so sorry that I couldn't be there to help you and Dad when you needed it the most. I know that my battle with ALS was more difficult for you to accept, than for me. You do know that I thought of you every day while you were fighting Alzheimer's and your other medical issues. I still think of you every day and I regret that I wasn't with you during the final moments. I prayed for your peace and comfort every day. You taught me so much, but more importantly you let me be independent and learn on my own. I know that must have been difficult for you. I'm sorry for some of the angst, worry and sadness that I caused you, especially during my teenage years. However, you know that I turned out okay!

I'm proud of the life you lived as a daughter, wife, mother, friend and artist. You are the daughter of German immigrants, born during the depression. At a young age, you expressed your freedom and independence in the boroughs of New York and the streets of Manhattan. You ran away with my father, near penniless, to San Francisco to start a new life. The two of you have been so close and together for over 50 years. Together you traveled the world, and brought me along. You were always adventurous and ready to try something new, to live in a new country—Guam, Okinawa, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Spain. I believe that you loved the beaches of Isle of Palms, South Carolina the best. We were at peace there. The ocean and sand dunes embraced us and made our family closer.

Thank you for everything, I miss you every moment.

Love, Richard.

PS I posted some of your paintings on my website – anyone is welcome to take a look at my mother's wonderful artwork.

Rick's posse website/flowers and art work

 

Why don't you write more about your ALS journey?

Lately, some of my friends have been asking me why I don't write more about my experiences and journey with ALS.

"It's inspirational to read about your struggles and the courage and lessons you have learned," they say. "It helps us to appreciate our lives and all that we have."

Well, I'm glad to hear such lovely encouraging words and it makes my heart sing to know that I have so many friends who care about me and my daily fight. First, let me say that I don't feel courageous at all, I'm afraid, sad and anxious the majority of the time. I struggled to stay positive, but often lose the battle, and yet, I have hope of winning the war. I vow not to succumb to depression. I don't think this is courage, it's a necessary reaction to keep myself sane and alive.

Then, I will also admit that I have learned some lessons – some from what I have experienced over the last seven years, and other lessons by the fact that I now have time to engage in hindsight and view the successes and mistakes I've made throughout my lifetime. There is a lot we can learn if we can set aside our busy daily lives and reflect on what we have already experienced. I have that luxury. I have plenty of idle time for reflection.

So, what about writing more about these lessons and struggles?

Simply put, I think it's avoidance. I don't want to write about the reality of my life, it's too scary and to ugly to think about. The thought of putting in words how I feel when my wife has to help me on the toilet, or my son holds my head when I aspirate and spit phlegm and pieces of food into a bucket, is terrifying. I don't want to face the reality anymore than I have too. I'm not sure I fully understand how I feel when I wake my wife up in the middle of the night so she can move my body position – I know I feel helpless and sad. I feel enormously frustrated that I cannot move my own leg, and terribly sad that I have to wake her up from precious moments of sleep that she badly needs. I don't want to dwell on the sadness and helplessness, at least not now, so I avoid writing about it.

I can understand why some the best memoirs are written near the end of life, after a change of career, or drastic new direction. I think then the person is ready to face those experiences, good and bad, once again. That's why think it was easy to write about the first 25 years of my life, "An Extraordinary Life, lived by an ordinary person." That was a time when I made a drastic change in my life's direction. It was easy to reflect on it 25 years later.

Honestly though, I have written some pages about my current ALS journey and life thus far. This little tidbit is one such endeavor, just for those friends who ask for more. You can find other writings, website and blog – they're just not very well organized or well-written. I am also working on a more in-depth novel, blending my daily life with ALS with the fantasy of meeting a woman shamaness living on the big Island. She guides me through my depression and the big questions of life. It's going well, but I don't expect to finish it for several years – I have more to learn first. In the meantime, I do put a little bit of myself and my lessons learned in each of my stories – you just have to look for them.

Add to your summer reading list!

Dear friends,

Please Consider adding one of my books to your summer reading list! I also appreciate when you share my books with others, or let other people know that I am an aspiring author. All of my books can be purchased on Amazon.com and Kindle. Here's a quick summary of what I've published so far:

"Not Too Late for Paradise." – My most recent, and perhaps best written story yet. Loosely based on my travels through the Micronesian islands. Tells the tale of two young boys coming of age at very different times – the 1870s and the 1970s.

"The Birdman of Nuuanu Valley." – Inspired by the view from my living room window. A much expanded retelling of the Hawaiian legend. Tells the history of Nuuanu Valley.

"The Brookside Rooster." – The short story relating the real, but fictionalized, events that occurred in my neighborhood last spring when a rooster came to visit.

"The Hamster and the Gecko-A Survivors Story." – Tells the story of the tragic Japan tsunami of March 2011, and the resulting debris field that was spread throughout the Pacific. My bestseller!

"Sealand 1001" – a science fiction story set 150 years in the future. Humans have survived global warming and climate change, but now overpopulation threatens the ocean the health of the earth. Dolphins and whales work with eco-terrorists to stop development of floating cities.

"A Remarkable Life, lived by an ordinary person" – my first self published book. A memoir of the first 25 years of my life leading up to my decision to leave South Carolina and move to Japan.

"Dolphins' Dance" – my very first book, published by the vanity press PublishAmerica.com. They have outrageously priced this wonderful story about my fantasy of being reincarnated as a dolphin. Tells the story of the dolphin's life and his many adventures. My contract with PublishAmerica is up in five years, at that time I will self publish a second edition and lower the price.

RK Raker Amazon author page – where you can find links to all of my books.