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Tasting the White Water
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An unpredictable journey through life towards a higher understanding of self

Title: Tasting The White Water

Author: Jack Daley

ISBN: 1-4137-0375-5

Publisher: Publish America (October 20, 2003)

Genre: Biographies and Memoirs/Inspirational
Paperback: 59 Pages.

Price: $12.95

 

Highly Recommended

tasting.jpg

  Mr. Daley shares with us his innermost thoughts and dreams to describe his journey to awaken from the slumber that we call life. A student of Henry Miller, Castaneda, Gurdjieff, and Krishnmurti for over forty years, Mr. Daley has written, Tasting the White Water as both a biography as well as an inspirational story. Like many of us, Mr. Daley takes part in many of the same struggles that we face today. He has a family and the normal obligations that we are all charged with. However, Mr. Daley feels that something is missing and that he has not reached his full potential. He documents his dreams in this book and tries to attach some type of value to them during the course of his day. At times he is overcome by a feeling that he has lost control and that he is not prepared, as his dreams switch from one scene to another.  There are so many parts of his inner-self that crave attention as well as outside factors that need to be addressed.

 

  He and his friend Alex take up white water rafting in this stage of his life as a means of recapturing their youth and they discover a natural and legal high. At first, they feel their way down the rapids with little skill and some success. However, as the book progresses Mr. Daley conquers his fears and insecurities as he battles fearlessly through the rapids, and he begins to awaken from his life and reach towards his true potential. It is as if the worries of his life have vanished to be replaced by a true appreciation of life itself. Time has stopped, material things began to sloth away as every beam of sunlight and every part of Gods creation teaches Mr. Daley about his inner-self and how he has evolved based on his experiences and dreams.

 

  He acknowledges the fact that we are who we make ourselves to be. Nothing in life is totally out of control, as it is perceived. If you tackle a series of problems in the same manner that you tackle the powerful current as you navigate through vicious rapids, you can achieve success. Sometimes you have to roll with the punches and prepare yourself physically and mentally for the unpredictables that fate and destiny assign to us. Perhaps that was not his entire message, but Mr. Daleys inspiration has awakened a part of my psyche to believe that this is what it means to me. I had some trouble placing the genre primarily because this book can mean so many positive things in so many ways.

 

  The imagery is vivid and you may find yourself gasping or holding your breath as you ride the rapids with Mr. Daley. He is a true artist well verse in the use of words and descriptions to take you to the places that he has been and to travel down the river that he has conquered. Tasting the White Water is a remarkable piece of literature free from any fluff or unnecessaries. Every word in this book and every scenario offered ties into his central theme that man is still truly asleep in his potential. To awaken we must first realize that we are asleep and then we are prepared to take the next step.

 

PURCHASE

An Interview with Jack Daley



To start this off, why don't you give an idea of what the book is about?

   Tasting on one level is a story about white water rafting adventures on three California Rivers. On another level it is about an examination of dreams and the unconscious that leads to a moment of awakening.


Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life?

     I grew up in Philadelphia and Yardley PA. I didnšt really start reading until after I finished high school. A friend and I open a beat coffee house, The Trivia in 1961. It was at this time that my love for reading began.


Who were your earliest influences and why?

Henry Miller was the first author to really influence me. He had a window on truth and he shared it in a way that was very easy to understand.


What would a typical day be like for a writer?

    For me it is up a six A.M and right on the computer. I write in my dream journal for a half hour or so. Then, I start on the work that I am concentrating on and write until 11:A.M. or so. After that I am pretty much finished with writing for the day, though I do come back for hours at a time at different times of the day when something strikes me.


How long have you been writing and in what capacities?

   I began writing in 1967. I have been writing journals and have completed four novels and a dozen or so short stories. I keep a writing and a dream journal going all the time.


Which is more difficult to write - Fiction or nonfiction and why?

  I find that at times fiction is more difficult at other times nonfiction. It all depends on the inspiration, whether it is there or not.


Has there ever been a time when you wanted to throw in the towel and give up? And if so, how did you defeat those instincts?

    I have felt like given up several times, but found that there is nothing else that I would rather do.


What is the hardest part about being a writer?

  The hardest part is finding time to write when there or so many distractions in a day.


Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

   My hobbies are hiking and reading. Reading, of course, gives one inspiration, and so does hiking outdoors. Being in nature is sometimes more inspiring than any book.


Articles and media alike make it sound as though the only way to rise to the top is to sacrifice. What do you find to be good sacrifices?

    You have to sacrifice your time. You have to force yourself to go beyond your normal limitations and that is a good sacrifice.


What question do you get asked more than any other?

    How did you get started?


What is the coolest thing a reader has said to you?

   A reader of Seeing the Dragon, a chapter in my unpublished novel, Sunday Mornings, said that he got lost in my story. He said that it gave him a literary high.


What has been your feedback from readers? What do they say to you about their interpretations of your book?

  So far I have had very limited feedback.


Do you think that as a writer you are more prone to watching what goes on around you and observing behaviors than most people are?

    Yea, I am more prone to watching. And, I find that I spend a lot of time in self-observation.


Who are some of the authors you consider to be "don't miss"?

  Henry Miller, Saroyan, Gurdjieff, Krishnamurti.  Walt Whitman, Jack Kerouac, Doesotevesky, are among the authors that I feel should be read.

 


If one were looking to start his/her own career as a writer, what would you suggest his/her first step to be?

  The first step is to begin a journal of your every day experiences. Write a dream journal also.


What kind of movies do you enjoy?

  I actually do not get time to go to the movies.


What is your favorite city to visit, but one that you would nšot want to live in?

  My very favorite city is San Francisco. I love to go there and walk the streets. I never have gone to San Francisco when I didnšt have a good time. I might even live there if I could afford it.


Whatšs the strangest question youšve ever been asked in an interview?

   So far, I have had no real strange questions.

What išs the best part of being a writer?

  The best part is being able to work at home, and pick your own time to do your work.


What's next?

   I have three unpublished novels, two are ready for publication and Iš am revising the third. I guess, next is getting Sunday Mornings to a publisher.

 

 

Betsie's Literary Page sincerely thanks Mr. Daley for allowing us to conduct this interview. We wish you great success!

 

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