Lokman

Lokman: Off to the river for a swim with the boys before the rain comes. Grapes, plums, homemade lemonade, ham sandwiches, chips, and maybe a beer or two--for me. Anyone want to join us?

another jim

Lokman

ABOUT

Gender

Male

Member

Standard

Joined

May 2006

Interests

Homemade sourdough bread and fiery hot sauce

Huge thanks to everyone who has ever reviewed my writing. It took a lot of learning, discipline and perseverance. My first novel was just released, Path of the Rose, by Shea McCandless. It's available at www.blackrosewriting.com, and Amazon, Barnes and Noble.

It's been over three years now since I joined this site, and for those who wonder if it can work, it does. Be patient with your writing. Learn from your your mistakes, but be firm with your belief in your vision. Those are your words.

Lokman grew up in Medford, Oregon surrounded by hundreds of acres of pear orchards. At the age of ten he received his first copy of the Lord of the Rings, firing his imagination and causing grief to ripe pears which he imagined as orcs' heads. But another book, A Thousand and One Nights, captured his imagination even more.

His parents loved to travel and they helped open up new worlds far beyond the confines of the Rogue Valley. Travels in a Dodge van across the United States and through Mexico spurred his family toward the idea of visiting Europe. After being ripped off by an unscrupulous French woman, he decided to learn French and spent his junior year of high school as an exchange student in a small factory town south of Lyon. There, he met a number of North African immigrants; their hospitality and unfamiliar customs gave him the desire to see a world far different than his own.

After graduating from high school in 1987 and cleaning boiler rooms in local schools, he set off for a nine month voyage through Europe, Egypt, Israel and Turkey. Fascinated by the mixture of history and cultures, but most of all by the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey occupied a central part of his imagination.

He attended St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico for a year and a month before dropping out and entering what his family later called his 'Dark Years.' He labored at odd jobs, scrimping and saving to fund his continued lust for travel. He worked up to his elbows in fish guts at a cannery in Alaska, then set off for another trip to Europe and to Turkey. Learning about the many layers of history present in Anatolia; the works of the Ottomans, specifically Suleyman the Magnificent, continued to excite his intellect. Finally, he decided to settle down and go to college so he could more thoroughly study the Middle East and the Ottomans.

He graduated from the University of New Mexico with honors in History and French, tried a year of graduate school, when love found him. He and his Brazilian wife settled in San Diego where he taught for five years at inner city schools, supplementing their income by selling used books online. Such a plethora of books in his garage/office reignited his interest in fantasy.

During a trip to visit his wife's family in Brazil, he had a long conversation with his father-in-law, the renowned Brazilian playwright and screenwriter, Luis Alberto de Abreu, about the hero's journey. On his return, an idea began to emerge in his mind: he looked at all the books lining his shelves and wondered if he had the capability to write.

Other than the dreamy ramblings of a fourteen-year-old mind, and college history papers, he had no writing experience. But when housing prices skyrocketed in Southern California, he saw a chance to make an attempt at his nascent dream. He began to develop an idea for a novel set against the background of a Middle Eastern type world, using his knowledge of Ottoman history. Against the dire opposition of his family and many friends, he and his wife decided to sell everything, and moved to Brazil with their two young sons. On October 13th, 2005, he wrote the first words of what became his first novel, The Path of the Rose. The first draft was a ramshackle disaster, but love of writing had become imbued in the essence of who he is. Since beginning writing, he's published ten stories and now The Path of the Rose has been accepted for professional publication. Its release date is set for the end of 2009. He thanks the many people here on Fanstory who have corrected, cajoled, and coerced him into becoming a better writer.

He currently lives outside of Monteiro Lobato, Brazil, where he operates a small organic farm and orchard, raises free-range chickens, and tries to keep his boys' bamboo swords away from plump oranges and scrawny chickens' necks.
Please visit his website at sheamccandless.com