For his love of children

Robbinsville resident publishes first book at 84

By: Katrina Lewin
   Charles Parker, 84, of Robbinsville, recently published his first book, "Fireside Stories," a collection of four tales.
   When he began telling "The Story of Jack" to his adopted son David 10 years ago he had no idea that it would stand the test of time.
   When Mr. Parker and his second wife separated, David was only 4 years old. When he had visitation, he said, he "had to get David back by 8 p.m." Without the opportunity for bedtime talk, Mr. Parker said, "it became natural to tell him stories" as they drove back home.
   When he was 10, David asked his father if he remembered "The Story of Jack." It was this question that spurred Mr. Parker to begin writing it down.
   He enjoyed writing it so much that after he finished, he said, "I had a little steam built up, and I wrote a few more stories after that," completing the four tales that comprise the book.
   Mr. Parker said he realized "that there is a very definite need for all young people for adventure and excitement. Part of my aim here is to create healthy excitement." He does this by adding lots of surprises and plot twists. "It keeps the reader on edge," he said.
   The stories are all true-to-life tales filled with adventure. "I never really cared for fantasy," he said, so he made sure that everything in his tales "could or could have happened or could happen." Each story is entertaining while teaching a lesson.
   The first, "The Story of Jack," chronicles the life of young Jack Bell, who spends a year as a cabin boy on a pirate schooner off the coast of nineteenth century Florida.
   Following that is "My Story," the tale of Adam Sims, a bank clerk from Prescott, Ariz. He is on the run for a murder he did not commit, and has written an account of what happened in hopes of clearing his name.
   "Pyrenees Adventure" is next, a story in which a hiking accident in the modern-day French Pyrenees mountains results in a chance encounter with the ETA, the terrorist branch of the Basque Separatist movement. The hikers escape – but the ETA follows.
   The book concludes with "Tom and I," a series of adventures of a boy growing up with an identical twin that follows the pair from childhood to old age.The stories are "great for ages 10 to 110," Mr. Parker said. They are perfect for teenagers, he said, and he has high hopes that it will get out into the schools.
   The book is named "Fireside Stories," Mr. Parker said, because "my father used to tell me stories in front of the fire, and I have very vivid memories of that." He hopes that these tales can be told in the same way.
   Mr. Parker published the book with iUniverse. "All the steps were made easy for me," he said, and they helped set him up for online selling, gave him business cards and "Just Published" postcards to give out, and even helped design the cover.
   Mr. Parker gave them a little paragraph describing what he wanted the cover to look like, he said, "and they did it to perfection."He presented his book at a reading to the NJ Reading Association on Friday, Oct. 6 at Barnes & Noble in Hamilton. The association is a group of teachers who are interested in new books.
   He read excerpts from his tales and got a positive response. "They all clapped," he said, and there were a few people who expressed interest in buying a copy. Though he has not yet done a book signing, Mr. Parker hopes to do one in his church in Princeton.
   A retired mechanical engineer, Mr. Parker had "written a few technical reports" in his time, but said he never tried his hand at fiction.He isn’t in it for the money, either. "I intend to donate all royalties I receive from the book sales to The Parker Mother & Child Foundation, created by my son, James Whittier Parker, for the benefit of women and children in Uganda that have been devastated by AIDS," he said.
   If not for the money, and not for the writing, why did Mr. Parker choose to publish this book at his own expense? The answer is simple: "I love children," he said. Mr. Parker has four grown children from his first marriage, as well as David, now 14, his younger brother Isiah and 11 grandchildren.
   We may not have heard the last of Mr. Parker. "Not what I’ve gotten a taste of it," he said, "I may try something more."
   "Fireside Stories" is available from Barnes & Noble, Ingram Book Group and Baker & Taylor. It can be bought online, or by placing an order in person at any bookstore.