Interview With Author James Thunder

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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