James Ory Theall
Age: 88
Occupation: Retired accountant, author
Years in the St. Vrain Valley: 18 years, 7 months
What brought you here? What has kept you? I came here to marry a close friend from our single days in Omaha, Neb. The marriage has been wonderful, and I have no intentions of leaving at this time.
How has been writing a challenge with vision loss, and how do you accommodate that? I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa in 1957 while serving in the U.S. Air Force. I was devastated, needless to say, but the young ophthalmologist who told me about the diagnosis said I could curl up in a corner and feel sorry for myself, or I could accept that there was not yet a cure for the genetic condition and make the best of it. I thought about that for a few hours, crying and really feeling my life was at an end, but then accepted the challenge and moved on. With great assistance from the Veterans Administration, computers with speech output and keyboard input came into being, I immediately saw an opportunity to achieve a long-held desire to be a writer, and I’ve never looked back. Help from the VA has come in many forms: computer training, GPS technology, complete rehab and training on daily living skills, mobility training, and introduction to newer and newer state-of-the-art equipment like the iPhone, Amazon Echo, talking microwaves and toaster ovens.
How did you come up with the idea for your Cajun Tale Series, and what stories do you tell there? I’m a bit lazy and don’t like doing much research, so fiction is my bag! The Cajun Tales series was an idea that formed in my mind quickly, as I knew so much about the culture, having grown up in southern Louisiana. The characters are composites of people I’ve known and grew up with, and the stories just develop as I write.
What is your writing routine? The routine when I’m working on a book is to hit the keyboard as early as possible after breakfast and write until about 4 p.m., which is together time for my award-winning author wife, Lorraine, and me. We discuss our work for that day, share solutions for small problems, etc., and give a lot of thought to the next day’s work while waiting to fall asleep.
