Notes From The Author I wrote my first book at age sixteen. It was an inspirational "how to" book designed for teenagers who wanted to achieve academic success. I was fortunate enough to have performed well in school & wanted to share my strategies with other teenagers. Since then, I have written several hundred books on various topics ranging from financial/business management to cognitive skill mastery. I never published any of my books, not because they weren't beneficial, but because my life was so full that I never took time to pursue publication. I was born into a Christian family on September 22, 1965 in Cleveland, Ohio. Before reaching two years of age, my father decided to pursue… the ultimate career - full-time missionary work "where the need was greater". The need turned out to be greater in Camden & Dermott, Arkansas. Because of my parents' strong faith in putting God's interests first, they sold our one-story brick house in Shaker Heights, Ohio & headed to Arkansas. Thus, at an early age, I developed an appreciation for spiritual pursuits. I learned how to talk with people from all walks of life, faith, background & religious beliefs. I learned to truly appreciate & enjoy people. Before my eighth birthday, my mother became pregnant with my oldest brother. The doctors in Arkansas refused to honor my parents' request for the abstinence of blood in case of any delivery complications. As a result, we moved back to the North & settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was difficult for my father to get the missionary work out of his system, but he eventually adjusted. He served as a special overseer in a Cincinnati congregation. Mom went back to teaching school in the Cincinnati Public School system. She was a terrific teacher because she was passionate about teaching. She always went above & beyond because she was a stakeholder in her students' lives. While spiritual pursuits were important to my family, education was extremely important as well. My parents attended every one of my open houses & teacher's conferences. They supported me in all of my extracurricular activities & took great pride in every single accomplishment (no matter how small). This support helped me to shape the very essence of my being. The more I accomplished, the more I wanted to accomplish. I yearned & sought out varied life experiences. I decided to attend the University of Cincinnati for undergraduate school majoring in Management Information Systems & minoring in Real Estate, Psychology & English. I am still amazed at why I selected MIS as a major. While I had an excellent grasp on computer technology, I never wanted to spend my entire life programming computer systems. I thought the technical background would aid me in any career path I selected. Because of my love for people & insatiable curiosity about their behaviors, Psychology was naturally interesting to me. As to my interest in English, creative expression has always been a magnetizing art form that I continue to strive to perfect. I worked to learn as much as I could about English in College.
Jack Wilkinson has written about sports for more than thirty-five years in Miami, Chicago, his native New York, and Atlanta. Named the Georgia Sportswriter of the Year three times, he's covered many World Series and Final Fours, as well as multiple Olympics and Super Bowls, and has written for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.