Articles written by James Roy

What is Helium

About me - James Roy

I'm a writer of many styles, but my best-known work is as a children's and young adult author. I've been writing professionally for over twelve years.

My best-known books are:

*Captain Mack (Honour Book in the Children's Book Council Awards in 2000)
*Billy Mack's

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Creative Writing > Novel Excerpts Novel excerpts: Romance: 2 of 226
I saw Martie that weekend, as promised. Weekends are the busiest time for a comic, so I told her that if she could find her way into town, I'd meet her after my show, which was an early one. "Dinner and a movie sound OK?" I asked, and she agreed. Sure, sounded fine.She was waiting in the front bar when I emerged, a little lat... More..
Autos > Autos (Other) Ways to convince yourself your minivan drives like a Corvette: 1 of 12
Presumably the object of the exercise here is to create the illusion of sportiness without having to actually outlay too much sporty cash. Therefore I will immediately dispense with the notion of rebored manifolds and fuel-injected lumpy cams and go-fast drop tanks on the old Toyota Hiace. Instead, in this piece I intend to f... More..
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips Tips for choosing your own writing space: 5 of 44
Perfection. As writers, we often become caught up in its pursuit - the perfect phrase, the perfect description, the perfect hook, the perfect page. Unfortunately, in perfection's absence, we find a ready excuse for our failings. In this case, the perfection we seek is in the space we choose in which to do our work.We should f... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Parenting (Other) Preparing your child for a stay in the hospital: 1 of 6
As well as being a father of two, I've been nursing children and adolescents in hospitals for over fourteen years. How many kids is that? I've got no idea. Thousands, I suppose. In that time I've seen all kinds of families going through all manner of stress. Much of it is unavoidable. Circumstances have intervened, and the fa... More..
Autos > Driving & Safety Should you smoke in your car?: 11 of 62
To me, the essence of freedom is being able to do whatever you wish, providing it causes no harm to others. So at first glance, the easy answer to this question is this: smoke as much as you like in your car if you're alone, and are prepared to suffer the consequences. And those consequences might include, but not be limited ... More..
Pets & Animals > Dog Training Don't let your dog be the boss: 4 of 21
Dogs are pack animals. That is to say, they are very social creatures, and like to live in groups, especially in the wild. Their social network is based very much on "pecking order", or a strict social hierarchy. The only reason we have been able to domesticate dogs to become pets is because we - the humans - have become thei... More..
Creative Writing > Novel Excerpts Novel excerpts: Death of a sibling: 1 of 5
ROTATIONAL FORCES - Excerpt from "Town"Hattie's mother still smiles, but it's usually only for a photo-op. Such as when the junior reporter from the Tribune comes around to the chambers, and takes photos of the Mayor shaking hands with the winner of some statewide writing comp. Or some kid who's been selected for the national... More..
Arts & Humanities > Writing for Success How to turn your personal experience into a novel: 6 of 27
I was once told that it's considered pretentious to begin an article with a quote, but I'm going to do it anyway, because it suits my purposes perfectly. The quote in question is from Ecclesiastes: "There is no new thing under the sun." And in the context of this topic, it is very good advice indeed.To elaborate, your own per... More..
Entertainment > TV Characters & Personalities Memorable TV cartoon characters of the past and present: 14 of 45
Homer. I love the allegory, assuming of course that Homer Simpson was named for Homer, the supposed Greek author of 'The Iliad' and 'The Odyssey'.The original Homer was supposedly blind. Homer Simpson is seemingly blind to... well, to most things. The needs of his family, the way his behavior affects those around him, his pla... More..
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Change: 33 of 105
I hate change. Nothing tightens the knots across my shoulders quite like my wife starting to move furniture around. She likes to move furniture around a lot, but she's gradually learning not to. Not quite so much, anyway.I often wondered why I despised change so much. But I think that I'm beginning to get a handle on it.My ki... More..