In a nutshell:

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2004:

OMENS II: THE ROGUE
On Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004, I left Grants Pass, Oregon to tour the Rogue River Historic Loop to conduct research for an upcoming book, a sequel to my novel "Omens." It is here, along the wild Rogue River, that Cliff Rilek resurfaces. I met many friendly locals along the way who were all too happy to answer questions and give me the information I needed about the area. Also, a special thank you to Russ, at the Grants Pass Chamber of Commerce. Visit this website often for information about this upcoming novel.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 2004:

CHEROKEE ART DISPLAY
On Sunday, Aug. 10, 2004, I set up a 10x20 foot booth on Port Orchard's Bay Street during The Cruz All-Saints Car Club show. As you can see in the photos, I sold books and artwork. I wish to thank the crowds of people who stopped by to talk, and those who purchased from me. I do enjoy meeting the public and hawking my wares. :)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2004:

BOOK TOUR THROUGHOUT ARIZONA
In the past week, I've driven more than 700 miles throughout the state of Arizona to promote my books and to meet the people in the towns I write about - Safford, Cordes Lakes, Glendale, Phoenix, Tempe, Globe, Prescott and more. In terms of success, I scored 500 on a scale of 1 to 100, and was very, very pleased. I met some really neat people on this trip, and saw many places that I haven't seen in ten to fifteen years. There are links to the photos of this trip below:

OMENS photo documentary
A tour of Safford

GLASS photo documentary
A tour of Cordes Lakes, Prescott

SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 2004:

FULL FEATURED ART SHOP!
Last week, I bought out a small framing and photo-related business, and after a week, I've got everything in place to ramp up the art side of my business. I still write and sell my books and I still produce gallery-quality exhibition original art and reprints, but I can now offer you so much more. Including faster turnaround on framing and matting, custom framing and assembly, glass work, photo restoration, creation of negatives from existing photos, vacuum mounting of photos onto hard board, and so much more.
I look forward to serving you with any of your art-related needs.

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2003:

THE SECRET IS OUT!
My latest novel, "Secret Things" was published June 13, and I received the first copies today. I handed them out like candy, mindless that I'm trying to make a living here. Tomorrow will be different.

It was a major milestone for me, as I'd written this book back in 1992, and had basically tucked it away in a drawer. Six months ago, I began a rewrite and some exhaustive editing. Eventually, two chapters were deleted, two chapters were added, and the last three chapters of the book were completely rewritten with a tighter, more compelling ending. I would urge you to purchase a copy by clicking the link above.

It was a bittersweet day, as I learned my best friend is nearing the end of her life in a Seattle hospital. I headed over, but was stopped, as her condition had deteriorated to the point she couldn't handle visitors. I am plagued by sheer exhilaration on one front, and a horrific sadness on the other. Please do what you can to support the American Cancer Society. It already is a matter of life and death, and there are no guarantees on you, me, or anyone else you know and love.

SATURDAY, NOV. 30, 2002:

"INDIANA" - THE CHEROKEE ART FLAGSHIP PRINT OF 2002 IS COMPLETE!
This print was five months in the making and required over 90 hours of precise pen and ink work, on a 30 x 20 inch canvas. Furthermore, it is the first American-Indian themed print produced since 1984. The print features Sonja Hill and yours truly as the models.

I will post information to my website within the hour (www.jimwcoleman.com). In addition, “Cherokee Production Studios” t-shirts are being printed now, and will be available by Dec. 10. Those shirts bear the “Indiana” theme and will be given out with each “Indiana” print sold. Prints will begin shipping in mid-December.

Next up, a print, already half completed, of Star Trek’s Mr. Spock. I will also be doing preliminary sketching today for “Closing Time” – a Cherokee 2003 print from a scene in the motion picture “Trees Lounge.” This print will combine a scene from that movie with a scene from Bremerton’s Manette Saloon.

Cherokee Production Studios is a licensed business entity in the State of Washington and will staff a booth at the upcoming Kitsap County Home and Garden Expo at the Kitsap Pavilion in mid-March. Information will be available on the website. Friends are invited to help “man” the booth. We’ll all have a grand time.

THURSDAY, DEC. 27, 2001:

OHMY! OHWOW!: Doesn't my little sister just have the cutest little baby girl? She is a warm, cuddly little doll!!!

During a holiday trip to Phoenix, Ariz., there was plenty of fun to be had. I was able to retrace the same footsteps I took as a child and young man in a wide variety of former haunts, and was even treated to a guided tour of the home I grew up in - but it turned out that I conducted much of the tour, as the new homeowners were hungry for history on the home. A trip up the Apache Trail, a family gathering filled with fun and music, and quiet time spent with the grandparents made this an unforgettable trip. We never had a chance to open our gifts - they will be opened January 2, 2002. They are secondary in the shadow of truly great experiences in Arizona.

TUESDAY, DEC. 18, 2001:

Work continues on rebuilding this web site. I used the "old" design for four years. It was an attractive, navigable, sound design. Never once did I think: "Wow, I should change the look and feel of my website." But lately, I've begun plans to market my abilities on a larger scale, and a redesign seemed to be in order. I thank you in advance for your patience with this process (and with the broken links) - most all the content that was here before will be back - bigger and better!

Cherokee 2001 ended on a very positive note. Three prints were completed in the last two months of the year:

     Marina and Pooh-Bear

     Whiskey River and

     Solo

In reviewing all the prints completed in 2001, I've decided my favorite - hands down - was Possible Pasts. Early plans for 2002 include a portrait of the late artist Daniel Schmidt, a portrait of James W. Coleman Sr., and a theme print (underway) called Holy Man.

UPDATE: DEC. 1, 2002 - At the end of the year, none of the prints just mentioned were actually completed. There were other prints, other projects.