merrywood — 12 years ago(October 03, 2013 08:33 AM)

All told I always look for Jim on screen. His work is extraordinary. His creation of the Bobby Singer character in
Supernatural
and the following that ensued is a clear indicator of this. As for books, I have friends that pop them out once a month (no exaggeration). Not so in my own case, I published seven non-fiction books and early in my career,
Rod Serling's
Twilight Zone
had inspired me to write short fiction. As life would have it, in my early career track I met and worked with Rod and then he encouraged me to write a short story collection.
At the time of his death, I was asked by one of the two leading newspapers in Rochester, NY (where Rod died at age 50) to write his eulogy. In 2008 I edited the eulogy and had it published again, by FATE Magazine in the July/August issue. Entitled, "My friend Rod Serling and His Legacy." In it, I documented my own Twilight Zone in that Rod managed to contact me through five different spirit mediums in a 20+ year period. His encouragement continued compelling me to take it out of my filing cabinet and go back to work on it. My short story collection was finally finished in 2008 but in the meantime, the short story as a literary form seems to have died in the U.S. and I do not even receive the courtesy of a reply to my queries sent to agents and publishers. Thus, if and when Jim's book comes out will be fine with me. I plan to buy it. Unlike me, Jim is an accomplished celebrity and he is certain to find print. As for his subject, George Reeves, a greatly underrated actor. Movie lovers can spot him in Ted Turner's favorite movie, Gone With the Wind (1939). Like Jim's wonderful Bobby Singer character, and Rod Serling himself, he died too young.