By Jim Cole
Never Cry Again
Historical Fiction
A 10-year old boy living in rural southern Arkansas during America’s Great Depression is forced from his home into a life of survival.
Afraid and alone, Drew begins his dangerous but remarkable journey, knowing that he can trust only the Black Community that has surrounded him. His chilling and astonishing adventures as he meets liars, bootleggers and thieves while suffering hunger and poverty, paint a compelling mosaic of life in the 1930s rural American South.
While Drew occasionally experiences despair, his source of strength is that taught him at a young age by evangelical congregations.
The turbulent and violent years of World War II following the Great Depression complete an uplifting narrative of desperate times.
Praised by one critic as Huckleberry Finn meets Forrest Gump, Drew’s adventures on the way to responsible and compassionate manhood are a story relevant to the upheavals and turbulence in society today.
Best Selling Author
Jim Cole
Jim Cole is a retired civil/structural engineer. While traveling around the world on various engineering projects, he always dreamed of becoming a writer. When he retired after 42 years as a consulting engineer, he saw his chance to fulfill that dream. He attended Rice University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies in Houston, taking classes in creative writing. Later, he joined the Houston Writer’s Guild and was fortunate to be under contract for several years to the Houston Chronicle for stories for their Sunday supplement magazine, Texas.
Today, Jim and his wife Marian live quietly in their hometown, Victoria, Texas, where Jim continues his interests in writing and studies Victoria’s rich history and heritage.
Jim currently authors a monthly newspaper column for Victoria Preservation, Inc., where he is a member of the Board of Directors. His well-received column, “Vanished from Victoria” documents Victoria’s vanishing nineteenth and early twentieth-century architectural heritage.
Latest Interview
KETP Program
Jim Cole was featured in an interview on the popular KTEP “Perspectives” program with Moderator Louie Saenz discussing his latest book “Never Cry Again”.
Recently Published
Run With The Wind
As clouds of war gather over the Gulf of Mexico, murder enters the lives of a young poverty-stricken Galveston widow and her crippled son Benjamin. Azzo, a romantic stranger born in Germany, plays on Sarah’s emotions while helping enhance her income by converting her crumbling 19th century mansion into modern apartments.
From just before the beginning of war, the crippled Benjamin finds that he has a deadly secret that can never be revealed without bringing danger to his family and Galveston.
World War II erupts and Sarah, assistant manager of the organization that schedules Galveston shipping, finds herself a target for saboteurs and spies while German submarines lurk offshore, waiting for oil tankers as they exit into the Gulf of Mexico.
Love, Sarah will learn, may not be enough to overcome the secrets that Azzo carries, some that could topple a government.
Through it all though, Sarah knows the strength and true grit of her son’s character. She never doubts that Benjamin will overcome his polio, realize his heart’s desire, and Run With The Wind.
An engaging coming-of-age tale… part Huckleberry Finn and part Stand by Me
– Kirkus Reviews
Not only does the story show a boy who overcame all of the struggles he faced, but it gives the readers a glimpse of what life was like during the 1930’s and 1940’s.
– Bookloversblog.com
…excellent character development, perfect editing…nicely incorporated backdrop…a flawless book…perfect 4 out of 4 stars
