.
1.
What inspired you to
write this book?
During my lifetime, my mother, Ulilla, never stopped telling
me my childhood story and questioned why we Indians never write history or
write our lives, but because of the lack of knowledge of the know-how, finally,
about 10 years ago I started to get her notes and commentaries, and I started
to write my own notes, and discovered the atrocities for which my family and
our neighbors had endured, and then I desired to give life to her story.
2.
What exactly is it
about and who is it written for?
This story is about the oppression imposed on natives by a
white society that still controls the say-so on our native lives. The story is
written to explain how we survived and endured our lives as natives,
3.
What do you hope
readers will get out of reading your book?
We, humans, see suffering on a stage of numbness and act like
it doesn't hurt or doesn't matter anymore. This story is beyond personal, and I
try to let the world know that we Natives are human and we feel pain too. Maybe
sensitive people will appreciate this story, and maybe it will help stop
more humiliation of weak societies, and maybe we can build a better human
consciousness for humanity's future.
4.
How did you decide on
your book’s title and cover design?
The book title is the place where I was born in the
Everglades; I use the English name because it is more recognizable than the
Native name, and to honor all the Natives who perished fighting to preserve
their land and the integrity of the Everglades. The book cover is the only
photo of my grandmother; that photo is more like how I know her: a group of
people walking along a trail, like if they are walking up to a foggy place of
disappearance that resembles my life; the feathers hanging from a twisted twig were
my grandmother's way to predict where the wind was going to blow; the red
figure below the feathers was a tattoo imprinted on my grandfather's chest. He
told me that it was a family trade sign.
5.
What advice or words
of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?
Courage and determination: I was lucky to have a person next
to me who always encouraged me, and a special agent who allowed me to pay
services in installments because this whole book was financed from my Social
Security check, which amounted to very little; basically, I am penniless,
but please don't give up. The idea of writing.
6.
What trends in the
book world do you see – and where do you think the book publishing industry is
heading?
To live the experience of writing is kind of getting your
fingers into Pandora's box. That is always a light at the end of the page, and
then the chapter, and finally to the finish, but at the very end is a
relief of happiness. I learned to read with books, turning the pages, and
it was always exciting to start the next page. And still, reading print on
paper is a vibrant experience. I'm sure that as technology advances, paper will
disappear too, and for me that will be a sad day. I hope that by then I'll be
on the other side of the white river that my grandmother showed me before she
died.
7.
Were there experiences
in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?
Tears from Tamiami Trail is my personal life story. And
yes, this story is fundamental to my life; it reassures me of who I am and
where I am coming from.
8.
How would you describe
your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?
I don't know about styling in writing at all. But all I
can say is that after spending endless nights editing, and with the luck of
having patience and finding an excellent, skillful editor, my work looks good
today.
9.
What challenges did
you overcome in the writing of this book?
Well, my first
language as a child was the area dialect. Muskogee and some Miccosukee,
Southern Georgian English. So, it was a soup of almost faded idioms in my
person, and translation did not work unless I wrote back words, and that
is besides
the dyslexia that has
not left me down yet.
10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it
be yours?
People should buy and read my book because it is the story of
innocent, humble people who did not complain about oppression. They never gave
up on working for the next day ahead; people who looked at nature as an
essential companion for life; people who discovered that we were not alone
in our imposed suffering, and that it was others who were suffering the same
imposed fate as us; and it also tells about the great American farce of
humanity. It also shows other people's kindness.
Author
Bio: I’m James Thunder, an old Indian man, and author of James
Treasure, a memoir following a child’s life among the Seminole people in
the Everglades. Through my storytelling, I share experiences of hardship,
displacement, family, and community, highlighting the resilience of Indigenous
peoples and the importance of preserving cultural traditions, identity, and
heritage for future generations.
Marketing Help?
Brian
Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors like you to promote
your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of
experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him
be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!
About Brian Feinblum
This award-winning blog has generated over
10, 850,000 page views. With over 5,700+ posts over the past 15 years, it was
named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2026, 2021
and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” Copyright 2026.
For
the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He
formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the
head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the
director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many
first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with
best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen,
Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard,
Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C.
Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.
His
writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s
The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs
He
hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and
has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers
Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod
Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five
times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and
Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.
His
letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal,
USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester)
and The Washington Post. His first published book was The
Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook. It
was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.
Born
and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids,
and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.
You
can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum
.png)