We were lucky to catch up with Jim Sano recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jim, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Growing up, I always thought it would be cool to write a book and create an intriguing story. As I matured and experienced life, I couldn’t help being interested in what made some people happy and content and others so lost, anxious, and unhappy. From my journey, the purpose and meaning of life always stemmed from God and our relationships with others. At the same time, I was interested in psychology and how healthy thinking impacts our ability to love and live life to the fullest. That combination seemed like such a powerful means to free those struggling and looking for the keys to freedom and wholeness. The story for “The Father’s Son” intrigued me as it began to unfold in my mind, and I began researching this journey of the main character, who had been the victim of a childhood trauma that had impacted his life. Despite being driven and highly successful in the eyes of the world, avoidance of the fear and pain deep inside had affected all of his relationships, and it would take an unexpected friendship to face it. After all the prep work, I thought that the actually writing of this story would be a painful process – but it ended up being one of the most fun things I had ever done in my life. The creative process was an amazing experience as the story, and characters unfolded in ways I had never expected. Since the book was published, I have had the humble honor of meeting and talking with so many people worldwide who tell me how much this story impacted their life, faith, and relationships. That made this book deeply meaningful to both myself as the writer and all those readers who took the chance to go along the journey themselves.

Jim, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up in an Irish/Italian family in Massachusetts, and my parents allowed me to see life from completely different perspectives. Faith and family have been the most important priorities in my life, and I’ve been blessed on both fronts. I’ve been married to Joanne since 1986, and we have two wonderful daughter, Emily and Megan, and we’ve been greatly enjoying our first granddaughter his years. I attended Boston College, Bentley University, and am currently pursuing another Master’s degree in Catechetics and Evangelization from Franciscan University. I’ve worked as a high school teacher, consultant, and businessman in high tech before retiring and becoming a full-time author. I’ve met some great authors through the Catholic Writers Guild and so many amazing people around the world who have read or helped to promote these stories. My eighth novel is expected to be released in February of 2025, and the books have earned twenty-five literary awards.

Although I’ve always enjoyed creative outlets in my life, I would never have imagined myself as a writer of novels. I love doing the research for each story and learning about new places and people, but the greatest enjoyment is in getting lost in the writing process itself, letting it unfold and surprise me. I never know who much show up as a character or how a scene might play out. I feel blessed to be part of the creative process and more so to engage with those it resonates with.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Before embarking on this journey to writing a book, something must convince you that you can do this. What makes one think they have the talent and ability to produce creative work worthy of publishing? If I was willing to do the work, how else would I find out except in the trying, failing, and persevering? Whether you paint, write, sing, or dance, you are putting yourself out there for people to critique and possibly reject – but how will you know unless you try? If you believe creative arts have a value and purpose in life, it is worth finding out. Resilience comes as one meets the speedbumps along the journey. There was the reaction of the first beta readers, who would let you know if you had something worth pursuing, and then the editor, who would give you very frank advice that causes you to decide how much you want to do this. Then the challenge of finding a publisher willing to take a chance on a new author and your story. Publishers will reject you for many reasons without ever reading your story and evaluating your work, and you seem to hit too many dead ends to see it happening.

I’ve always been an optimist who perseveres through rejection and never let hope die. I believed in the project and the purpose of the work, so I continued until I found a publisher open to sharing this work. As many authors know, there are millions of books published that no one knows about. Most authors sell less than one hundred copies to people they know and most publishers do little marketing to help. It takes a commitment to find interviews, podcasts, and social media presence to create awareness of your work. Having almost twenty thousand followers on X (Twitter) has helped provide a platform and get to know so many wonderful people worldwide. If we create to share, we need to be willing to do the work to build awareness and take the risk – but it’s part of the process and worth all the effort.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Be it ever so humble, there is a mission and purpose that drives this creative journey. I feel as if we are in this life together to help each other, love each other, and share any wisdom we obtain to allow others to live the life they were intended to live and the fullness of the relationships they have along the way. We see so many people in pain, full of anxiety, avoiding hurts that can short-change their lives, and I feel as if we are called to be there for one another. There are plenty of self-help books on the market telling us the answers that can free us to live life fully, but it may be that an intriguing story with relatable characters will resonate with readers in a way that brings it home for them. Following and becoming connected to the journey and relationships of the main character can provide an inspiring or thought-provoking experience that the reader can relate to and respond to in their own life.
Each book I’ve been blessed to write has different journeys, mysteries, and characters for readers to connect with and enjoy and hopefully be inspired by. Sharing the faith and the stories of characters who overcome the obstacles that have kept them from seeing their self-worth and purpose is worth the effort, especially when the stories are both moving and enjoyable to read.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jimsano.com
• Instagram: @jimsanobc79
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-sano-a648343
• Twitter: @jimsanobc79