We recently connected with Ralph Jarrells and have shared our conversation below.

Ralph, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

My first novel, “ill gotten gain” was the answer to a question I had as a teenager. What happened to the 30 pieces of silver that Judas was given? The Bible tells us that he threw them into the temple. Then we are told they were used to buy Potter’s Field as a pauper cemetery. Then they disappear. They were, obviously, an important talisman for Christianity. Many years later, I started writing it in response to a challenge from my Executive Assistant. It became an on-again, off-again project for the next 40 years. Finally, my new wife said, you are always talking about that book you are writing. Why don’t you finish it? So I did, and the first publisher I submitted it to published it. When I had my author’s copy in my hands, I asked my publisher what I should do now. He said, “Write another”. “Fiery Red Hair, Emerald Green Eyes and A Vicious Irish Temper” was the result. A good friend’s mother was the source of the idea. She had lived in Charleston, South Carolina, for many years and knew the story of Anne Bonny, the first female pirate in the Caribbean. I started researching the idea and found the basis of a good story. To make it different than most pirate stories, I decided to make the story a historical fiction autobiography years after her pirate years.

Ralph, 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 began writing novels after I retired from a 40+ year career in marketing and advertising. In the college journalism school, most of my classmates were dreaming of writing the great American novel. I, on the other hand, was dreaming of making money. Writing was always a part of my career, but never creative writing. I had worked all of my adult life. When I retired, there was nothing to do. I never liked fishing, and rocking on the front porch seemed like a big waste of time, so I decided to finish the novel. I had been good enough or lucky enough to have senior executive credits on my resume…VP for the largest advertising agency in the world, Sr. VP Marketing for an international franchise company and VP Marketing for a NYSE entertainment company. Novel #1 and Novel #3, “Jesus-Judas: Best Friends Forever,” were based on Biblical stories. “Jesus-Judas: Best Friends Forever” was recently named the Religious Fiction Book of the Year 2025. Writing Religious Fiction came easily to me. The KJV Bible provided the skeleton of the story and my research provided what the Bible didn’t say. So, Novel #4, “The Bullet, The Bible and The Best Laid Plans”, is a WW1 love story, but it has a Biblical basis. I am currently writing a guidebook on writing Religious Fiction. It includes over a hundred story ideas and provides a bibliography of my sources.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I think all creative people think they know all the answers; I did. As the head of a corporation department, I had to learn the wisdom of allowing my employees to do the job they were assigned, even when I knew I could have done it better. The second lesson was that I couldn’t be an expert in all of the areas I was expected to manage. So I learned I had to rely on input from my suppliers, people who knew much more than I did about a single subject. My suppliers made me look smart in more than a few instances.

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

It may be difficult to remember, but getting fired can be a big learning experience, and it makes you take a good look at yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ralphejarrellsauthor.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ralphejarrells/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralph-e-jarrells-42a523b/

Image Credits

property of the author and I have the rights