Wisconsin author discusses how he began his writing journey

LAKE MILLS — Sometimes bedtime stories can lead to published books, at least, that was the case for James Salimes, who writes under the pen name J. Ellis Blaise.

“At bedtime it was my kids and their friends having adventures, so that’s how it started,” Salimes said.

Daydream Believer Books and Gifts hosted Salimes, a Wisconsin author, last Friday to discuss his first book, and share his goals for the future.

Salimes released his first book last year called “Treasure in a Field,” which he said had origins in the bedtime stories he would tell his kids about adventure and pursuit, where the main characters were his kids, and their friends.

In fact, Salimes said the main characters in the books are named after his kids and their friends, or at least, the ones who allowed him to include their names. Some of the names are pseudonyms.

But the ideas for this book began long before Salimes had children.

“I’ve always wanted to write a full on novel, so ideas started in high school,” Salimes said.

Salimes was always writing as a kid, but he didn’t immediately pursue a career in writing. He was a pastor for 15 years, then worked in hospice care and now works as a chaplain in Edgerton, where he lives. Salimes is originally from Lake Geneva.

Salimes said he began seriously writing “Treasure in a Field” 10 years ago. He didn’t intend for it to become a trilogy, but now plans to write two more books, and a prequel to finish the series.

For the cover art of the book, Salimes recruited a friend. He had a vision for what the book would look like, and both the inside and outside of the book are filled with detailed art in accordance with that vision.

Salimes also plans to use his background as a pastor to work on some spiritual non-fiction books in the future.

“Treasure in a Field,” which follows the story of Wesley, named after Salimes’ son, is an adventure and fantasy story that Salimes said has appealed to all ages. He based the story around a verse in the Christian Bible about a treasure hidden in a field. Salimes said by the end of the first book, the reader still doesn’t know what exactly the treasure is, but he already knows, and plans to reveal it in a future book in the series.