J.R. Bale has always tried to explore the themes in his stories from an unusual perspective, whether it was politics in Phoenix in the Middle of the Road or consciousness in Cognition Chronicles. He lives in an alternate dimension called New Jersey. In his pursuit of diverse perspectives, he has traveled to over a dozen countries across four continents. He even applied to NASA’s space program. When not writing books, he is a marketing consultant and college professor.

In addition, he provides marketing consulting services for fellow authors and is a founding member of Page Bound Success.

 Book Summaries:

Phoenix in the Middle of the Road
David Grant, former businessman and current academic, is coaxed into running for Congress as an Independent. In doing so, he enters the bizarre world of national politics, testing his abilities and moral compass. However, when the country finds itself in the middle of a constitutional crisis, Grant discovers he is in a unique position to save the country, yet it might also destroy all he values in life.

Cognition Chronicles: The Redstone Legacy
Can a soul be duplicated? Can one man’s madness save civilization? Can an artificial intelligence have a heart? These are not the questions one usually asks, but the answers may determine the final outcome for the human race.

It all begins with a little girl and her imaginary friend, whose persistence defies reason. Meanwhile, a scientist wrestles with alien voices in his head, which test both his intellect and sanity. And a powerful industrialist is offered a form of immortality, but it’s not what he expects. Finally, it is graduation day for an ordinary college student, as her world changes beyond her wildest imagination.  How will each will affect the ultimate destiny of humanity?

Appearances:

J.R. is available for book signings, talks and panel discussions on writing and/or marketing. His current stand-alone topics include:

• The Self-Marketing Author’s Checklist
  Independently published authors must compete with the traditional book marketing machine. In this talk, J.R. covers ten things independently published authors must do to market their books. This talk can be done with or without PowerPoint and is easily length-adjusted. He will give this presentation at no charge, provided the event is free to the public and he is allowed to sell books afterward.
• Building Three-Dimensional Characters for Fiction
  Creating characters that resonate is vital for any reader.  He will give this presentation at no charge, provided the event is free to the public and he is allowed to sell books afterward.
• Books I Did and Did NOT Write
  I’ve had several books zooming around in my head. Why did I invest in some and not others? A slightly humorous discussion of of one writer’s process.

Other topics can be developed on request.