Lost Loves by BJ Bassett

Lost Loves

B J Bassett

Ray Bradbury died in 2012 at the age of 91. He wrote sci-fi and fantasy. Among his writing credits are Fahrenheit 451 and many screenplays, including Moby Dick.

He was a writer’s writer. I remember many years ago when he gave up his monthly column in a writer’s magazine so an aspiring writer could publish his work instead. That act of generosity instilled in me an admiration for Ray Bradbury that over the years has never diminished.

At the age of 12 he started writing every day and never stopped. His creative work appears in books, magazines, films and television. Today, high school and university instructors continue to share his stories with their students.

He hated school and early mornings. He fell in love with the public library and educated himself there. He had a lifelong love affair with libraries.

He suffered a stroke in 1999, forcing him to use a wheelchair, yet it didn’t stop him from sharing his love with others.

In 2005 I was given the opportunity to hear him speak in Santa Barbara, California. My daughter, Melanie had a ticket and I begged her to get me one. He was in his 80’s and the rumor was this could be his last speaking engagement because of his declining health.

I was so excited and I purchased his newly released biography, The Bradbury Chronicles—The Life of Ray Bradbury, before entering the building.

We sat in the full UCSB auditorium waiting with hundreds of others. When the curtains opened there sat Ray Bradbury in a wheelchair.

He began by telling us about his childhood. His mother took him to movies and he fell in love with them. This is when he began to collect his loves. Another of his loves was Buck Rogers (a character in Amazing Stories—a comic book type of publication). Bradbury collected the magazines, but when friends teased him he tore them up. Later, he realized he had given up one of his loves and he cried. It was a lesson he learned the hard way, and he shared that devastating experience with others.

He grieved his decision and the loss of his love. Later in his life he told a friend of the devastation he experienced when he gave up what he loved. Having the same collection of comic books, his friend gave them to Bradbury.

He kept us on the edge of our seats for over an hour, ending with “Don’t give up on your loves.

          I related to his love of writing and I’ll never forget his admonition to those present. “Never give up on your loves.”

Other gems Bradbury shared that night were:

“Friends are to encourage you.”

“Teachers are to inspire you.”

“You need someone to believe in you.”

“Jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down.”

“I’m careful not to know where I’m going. I take a chance.”

“Be a passionate explorer.”

“Fall in love over and over until things begin to happen.”

            I relate to Ray Bradbury’s story. Like him I, too, hated school and getting up in the morning. I also love libraries, books, and writing. His words from that special night in 2005 continue to inspire me today.

B. J. Bassett encourages others as an author, teacher and speaker. Her books include a contemporary novel, Gillian’s Heart; a historical novel Lily; Sweet Charity; A Touch of Grace—The G.R.A.C.E. Ministries Story; and coauthor of a children’s devotional My Time with God, Focus on the Family, Heritage Builders, with over 55,000 copies sold.

As a contributing writer, publications consist of Writer’s Handbook 2000, The Writer, and The Focus on the Family Guide to Growing a Healthy Home, Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc.—consistently on Bookstore Journal’s Best-selling Christian Books List from November 1990 – February 1991, and voted the 10 Best Books for 1990 by Today’s Christian Woman.

Magazines, devotional booklets, curriculum and newspaper publishers include Focus on the Family, Woman’s World, The Quiet Hour, Pathways to God, Devotions, Harcourt Brace, WordAction, Gospel Publishing and Times Standard (newspaper).

She teaches writing workshops at Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, OR and at writer’s conferences. As a speaker for Stonecroft Ministries, she tells her story of rejection and acceptance, not only in life, but as a writer as well. She also offers book talks, including discussion questions and shares the journey — from the seed of an idea to a published book.

Memberships: ACFW and Oregon Christian Writers (OCW).

She enjoys reading, jigsaw puzzles, knitting, munching warm scones oozing with butter and strawberry jam and sipping earl grey tea.

A native Californian, she lives with her husband of 60 years in Roseburg, Oregon.

Dr. Nancy St. John has a well-kept, twenty-year-old secret. 

A pregnant high school senior, she is banished by her parents to live with her spinster aunt in Chicago. 

Heartbroken, Nancy concentrates on her work and avoids intimate relationships. Hope, the daughter Nancy gave up for adoption twenty years earlier, finds her. A bond blossoms between them but is challenged by Hope’s leukemia. Hope needs a bone marrow transplant, but she has a rare blood type. Nancy is not a match. Nancy is determined to find Skip, Hope’s biological father, who never knew about Nancy’s pregnancy or why she disappeared so mysteriously.

Purchase SWEET CHARITY HERE