— As I hit the water, I glanced back over my shoulder.

Instead, they chose to wade through the calf-deep mud of a marsh toward Parkersburg.

After a career teaching mathematics in Iowa, Jim retired to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where he loves exploring the beach and writing stories, both fiction and nonfiction. His first novel, Freedom Run drew rave reviews. He is presently working with other members of the Island Writers Network to tune up several others for publication, including his historical novel “Fannie” about his pioneer grandmother. His stories and poems have appeared in three anthologies from the Island Writers Network and the anthology Twists and Turns from the Personal Story Publishing Project.