J.R. Wheeless

I began penning stories at a young age. My first recollection of putting words on paper to tell a story was when I was in first grade. It was the beginning of a love affair with the written word. By the time I was a senior in high school, I was writing a weekly column for a local newspaper.

Throughout college, I wrote, not for pleasure, but for a grade. Actually, not for a grade. I didn’t care about grades, but only cared for the knowledge I could squeeze from the system. I was a philosophy major, and out of necessity, I practiced the pleasurable skill of putting words on paper in such a fashion that others might follow the thoughts of a person (me) who thinks more outside the box than in. Working 20 years in a 911 allowed me to continue the practice. I filled notebooks with my writings. Then, I destroyed the notebooks. What I wrote there was for me, not for others. It was a cleansing ritual that helped me immensely.

I self-published my first book in the summer of 2015. "Passing Thoughts of A Wandering Fool" came about because I needed something to do. I’m an avid reader of subjects of all sorts. Basically, if it’s in print, I’ll probably read it. Since I enjoy reading what others have to say, I thought I might enjoy putting my ideas out there to share with others. I had been reading digital works for many years, and it was only natural I published by first book on that platform. Thus, was born a short book of thoughts, and ideas that had been gathering dust.

After "Passing Thoughts," came the first book in the Big Dog and Blondie Series, "Dead Man’s Bounty." Close on its heels came another work of fiction, book number two in the series, "Escape From Terlingua." From there, it’s all been uphill. I continue to churn out short stories and books of much longer length, both fiction and non-fiction.

To date, I have several stories published under the name J.R. Wheeless and even a book of short stories under the name Teena Underwood ("Too Young To Die"). I've also developed and update annually the handbook (history, rules, records) for the Fantasy Football League I belong to. You can find that by searching for SVO Handbook authored by Sierra Valley Ocean.

There’s always something new in the works, so be on the lookout for new books as they come out.