Joesephus

What follows is a tribute by his friend Jake Rivers

Joesephus was killed in a car accident in South America after his mother's wedding. He was killed on 10/28/2007. He would be 26 in November.
<p>
For those that haven't heard, Josephus was recently killed in a tragic traffic accident.
<p>
Josephus sprang on the scene a couple of years ago offering a fresh perspective as an author writing in English, not his native language. He struggled a bit with his first story but learned quickly and became an author whose new stories were looked forward by his many fans. It is noteworthy that every one of his tales earned the coveted red 'H'.
<p>
Josephus made many friends among his readers and fellow authors. He was open to advice from his more experienced peers yet quickly grew in his ability to write entertaining stories so that he was able to help other new authors.
<p>
He died as a young man on the threshold of life, newly married and just finishing his Masters which he had worked so hard to earn. Shortly after his marriage his wife was was called to duty as an officer in Iraq. I know Josephus was proud that she was serving her country though she was in harms way.
<p>
I worked closely with Josephus on writing the series of stories based on the song, "This Bed of Rose's." The genesis of the idea for the set of stories originated with a question that he asked me. I knew him to be a good writer with a quick, inquiring mind.
<p>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<p>
Josephus, we will miss you and friend will always be the word that comes to mind when your name is mentioned. Your legacy is the body of stories you wrote and we will always wonder what further tales would have come from your fertile mind.
<p>
Your friend, Jack (Jack Rivers)
<p>
<p>
Below is what Joesephus wrote about himself. He left out so much to hide his ID. I will miss him

I think it's time to update my profile. I've been married for almost a year to a wonderful American woman who will be going to Iraq as a Marine 2nd Lt in August of 2007. I'm worried, she's not.

We were both college athletes at the highest level, and we're both in grad school... she'll come back when she gets back. I'm a citizen of a South American country and I learned English in school. I graduated from an American high school, but I've lived all over the world.

My stories reflect my understanding of life. My mother has been married and divorced six times. My father was her first and I thank God that he won custody. His second marriage has been stable, so I've seen both sides. My goals in writing are to become a professional some day in my own language. Until then I think practice in English will serve me well.

I love to hear from readers. I use an several wonderful editors, but I can't leave a story alone until it posts. Thus I know there are errors in my stories. I'm always grateful for people who point out my mistakes. English is a weird language and I don't pretend to be it's master. Please let me know if some of my dialogue doesn't sound right in English.

I'm also grateful to those who show me holes in my plot or in my character development. Several readers have taken the time to give me valuable insight into why some of my characters actions don't make sense.

I AM NOT AN ARTISTE! What's more, I'm the one who is supposed to be the "writer" so don't worry if your critique isn't well written. I do try to answer all emails, but with my schedule I don't always make it if all you say is that you enjoyed my story. I love, LOVE to get those sorts of messages but I'm not sure how to answer without sounding pompous or begging for more praise.

Bottom line, I don't care how well you write, but please write and tell me where I'm weak!

I've been asked about my picture, it's of a beach in Ireland. The little dots are people. Photography is a hobby

Joesephus' downloads have now passed the 1,000,000 mark. I know he would have been pleased and frankly wouldn't have believed it. I know he would want to thank all that read his stories.