Meet Cole, Shelly, Robbie, Micky and Josie

Meet five free-spirited teens: Shelly, Robbie, Josie, Micky and Cole, who will inspire you to enjoy every second of your life. Shelly is pregnant. Robbie plays guitar. Josie’s a little confused. Micky likes cars. Cole’s a little shy. Some people called them useless. They were told to get out of town. Some people said that they were about as good as wet matches…but Jalan, Crystal and Jack thought otherwise. If you had ever been ridiculed, bullied, mocked…or if someone had ever made you feel like you was good for nothing or worthless then Randolph Randy Camp’s award-winning ‘Wet Matches: A Novel’ is a story for you. Without being preachy-but yet-entertaining, ‘Wet Matches’ takes a fresh contemporary look at America’s ever-increasing youth runaway and teen homeless problems. ‘WET MATCHES’ is a Quarter-Finals Winner of The Writers Network 14th Annual Screenplay and Fiction Competition.
RCstories' Children's TV Series

HARRY'S FIELD is an animated, children's fantasy TV series. The series centers around a magical flying school bus named Eagle Wing, which transports kids from urban areas to an enchanted, colorful place called Harry's Field, where they learn about nature and our environment from a variety of jovial, talking animals and plants. TIME OUT TIME IN is another very lively and engaging animated, children's fantasy TV series created by Randolph Randy Camp. In a very entertaining and colorful manner (without being preachy), the series encourages young kids to use their imagination while simultaneously teaching them about life's virtues, such as the importance of being polite and kind to others. All works registered with the Writers Guild of America, East. Learn more at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

Classroom Book Talk: Wet Matches

Author Randolph Randy Camp with high school students after a Class Book Talk Discussion on his novel WET MATCHES.
*(Did the camera catch an eye blink?)
On Monday, December 16th, author Randolph Randy Camp met with the sophomore Certified Nursing Assistant students from East High to discuss one of his novels, Wet Matches, that the students read. The students relished the opportunity to actually meet and discuss his work.

Wet Matches is a metaphoric story loaded with highly engaging characters who consistently demonstrate empathy as they mature and move beyond severe barriers in their life to become healed contributors to society.  Mr. Camp shared his personal story of growing up in the  segregated South and how his experience, and a song that he wrote as a teenager, became the plot of his book. Students were spellbound as he discussed the process of writing and publishing a book.

Mr. Camp recently had his third book, Twenty-nine Dimes, a Love Story, published, and his sequel to Wet Matches is in the final editing stages. - (Mr. Tim Wagner, Instructor-Teacher)

Learn more at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Robbie's Song: Rappahannock Dreams from 'Wet Matches'

 

 

 

 

From  "WET MATCHES", the character ROBBIE sings the song "RAPPAHANNOCK DREAMS"...

Leaves fallin' down and tears in my eyes
I sit by this river and cry and cry
But just like running water...running water
These Rappahannock dreams keep passin' me by
But someday soon I'm gonna get away from here
Just like running water...clear and clear
I sit by this river and cry and cry
Somebody please...please
Tell me why these Rappahannock dreams keep passin' me by

US Copyright Reg# PAu002512961

AUTHOR RANDY CAMP VISITS CNA STUDENTS AT EAST HIGH

On Monday, December 16th, author Randolph Randy Camp met with the sophomore Certified Nursing Assistant students from East High to discuss one of his novels, Wet Matches, that the students read. The students relished the opportunity to actually meet and discuss his work.

Wet Matches is a metaphoric story loaded with highly engaging characters who consistently demonstrate empathy as they mature and move beyond severe barriers in their life to become healed contributors to society.  Mr. Camp shared his personal story of growing up in the  segregated South and how his experience, and a song that he wrote as a teenager, became the plot of his book. Students were spellbound as he discussed the process of writing and publishing a book.

Mr. Camp recently had his third book, Twenty-nine Dimes, a Love Story, published, and his sequel to Wet Matches is in the final editing stages. -(Mr. Tim Wagner, Instructor-Teacher)

 
Learn more about WET MATCHES at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

A Home for Robbie, Shelly, Cole, Micky and Josie: "Wet Matches"

Excerpt from 'WET MATCHES'...

Pleadingly, Crystal explains, "Jack, we gotta chance to make a difference in their lives. They need us. How can we go back to that big empty house knowing that these kids got no place to call home?"

AUTHOR VISITS CNA STUDENTS AT EAST HIGH

On Monday, December 16th, author Randolph Randy Camp met with the sophomore Certified Nursing Assistant students from East High to discuss one of his novels, Wet Matches, that the students read. The students relished the opportunity to actually meet and discuss his work.

Wet Matches is a metaphoric story loaded with highly engaging characters who consistently demonstrate empathy as they mature and move beyond severe barriers in their life to become healed contributors to society.  Mr. Camp shared his personal story of growing up in the  segregated South and how his experience, and a song that he wrote as a teenager, became the plot of his book. Students were spellbound as he discussed the process of writing and publishing a book.

Mr. Camp recently had his third book, Twenty-nine Dimes, a Love Story, published, and his sequel to Wet Matches is in the final editing stages. - (Mr. Tim Wagner, Instructor-Teacher)

Learn more details about this prize-winning story about life's second chances at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

The Power of True Friendship and Life's Second Chances: WET MATCHES

Wet Matches: A Novel" is an inspiring and uplifting story about five homeless 'throwaway' teens (all HIV positive) getting a second chance at a better life when a young couple on a high school reunion trip rescues them and takes them on a cross-country journey to their new home in sunny California. 'Wet Matches' is about friendships, and it asks the question, "How far would you go for a friend?" Fifteen years of separation didn't stop Crystal from being there for Jalan. What Crystal did for Jalan will inspire us all to take a closer look at our own relationships and friendships...Could you still laugh knowing that death was possibly lurking around the corner? Meet five free-spirited teens: Shelly, Robbie, Josie, Micky and Cole, who will inspire you to enjoy every second of your life. Shelly is pregnant. Robbie plays guitar. Josie's a little confused. Micky likes cars. Cole's a little shy. Some people called them useless. They were told to get out of town. Some people said that they were about as good as wet matches...but Jalan, Crystal and Jack thought otherwise. If you had ever been ridiculed, bullied, mocked...or if someone had ever made you feel like you was good for nothing or worthless then Randolph Randy Camp's award-winning 'Wet Matches: A Novel' is a story for you. Without being preachy-but yet-entertaining, 'Wet Matches' takes a fresh contemporary look at America's ever-increasing youth runaway and teen homeless problems. 'WET MATCHES' is a Quarter-Finals Winner of The Writers Network 14th Annual Screenplay and Fiction Competition.


RCstories' Children's TV Series

HARRY'S FIELD is an animated, children's fantasy TV series. The series centers around a magical flying school bus named Eagle Wing, which transports kids from urban areas to an enchanted, colorful place called Harry's Field, where they learn about nature and our environment from a variety of jovial, talking animals and plants. TIME OUT TIME IN is another very lively and engaging animated, children's fantasy TV series created by Randolph Randy Camp. In a very entertaining and colorful manner (without being preachy), the series encourages young kids to use their imagination while simultaneously teaching them about life's virtues, such as the importance of being polite and kind to others. All works registered with the Writers Guild of America, East. Learn more at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

Make A Difference, You and I, One by One

Posted on December 11, 2013 by rcstories1

Several years ago I became a mentor and an advocate for at-risk kids. I remember asking this one particular kid why did he own a gun, and his response was “Because it makes me feel like a man.” And at that very moment when he said that I knew I had to work with this kid. After several months, the kid and I managed to get to the root of his issue, and we both realized that his gun was merely just a shield to hide behind because he was so ashamed that he wasn’t good in school, which led him to drop out. It took some time but eventually I had convinced him to get rid of his gun and re-enroll into the alternative school program.
I’m bringing this up because in Buffalo, New York, unsolved criminal cases involving guns and shootings are seemingly becoming an accepted and an expected reality within certain communities. And that troubles me and we have to do something about it.
There’s a particular stagnant case in here Buffalo that I’m concerned with so I called in a favor to get a closer look at some of the behind-the-scenes details. Personally, I wish that city, state, and federal officials could work more closely together and share their progress with one another instead of being sort of competitive because fighting over proper jurisdictions only slows and stagnates an investigation. And I must say though that it’s truly frustrating for both the innocent parties and the law enforcement officials involved with the case to have a primary and secondary suspect in mind but they can’t seem to get any witnesses within the community to come forward to identify the shooter in court.
This is why I have a strong devotion towards working with young people, especially those young people who are brainwashed and saturated with these manipulative beliefs that permeates within certain minority communities. It bothers me greatly whenever I see a T-shirt or hear a young person say “Don’t Snitch” or “Snitches get Stitches.” Ironically, some of the same scare tactics that the plantation owners used to keep slaves in line are the same manipulative scare tactics gang leaders use in our neighborhoods today.
Whether I’m giving a book talk in front of a classroom, or at a bookstore, or having a one-on-one, I absolutely love every opportunity I get to speak with a troubled and sometimes aimless youth. And I always point out to them that twisted phrases like “snitches get stitches” can only work on people who don’t think for themselves and people who tend to be followers. I also try to make the point that how can we tell and teach our little kids to make sure that they tell someone, a parent or another trusting adult, if someone is touching them inappropriately — and then, a few years later, these same kids are getting confused because they’re bombarded with “don’t snitch” and “snitches get stitches.”
In my little humble effort in trying to make a difference, I really try to drive home the crucial point to kids at risk that certain people involved with criminal activity and who may have a high status within a street gang can only survive if they continually recruit non-thinking followers to do their dirty work for them. And one of the best ways to combat this problem is to teach, inspire, and motivate these kids at risk to grab a book and try to learn how to gain more confidence and think for themselves, so that they don’t have to be a mindless follower anymore.
It saddens me whenever I learn of a kid dropping out of school because I know that the chances are high that he or she may trade their schoolbooks for a gun. And gang leaders just love it when their neighborhood has a high percentage of dropouts because it gives them a good supply of non-thinking followers. We must do whatever we can to keep our kids in school and not let them become easy prey out on the street.
I constantly meet concerned adults who tell me that they really want to do something to make their street, their block, or whole city better, and they often say something like “I want to help make my block safer but I’m just one person, I can’t make a difference.” And then I happily tell them that I used to think that same way quite some years ago, and then I became an absolute believer in the fact that one person can certainly make a difference. My beliefs changed when I’d handed a female gang member a book and she told me a couple years later how that book had changed her life.
So, even though these unsolved cases, such as the shooting case here in Buffalo, are frustrating, we can still try to make a difference in our own little humble way, you and I, one person at a time, one by one.
(PS: I want to sincerely thank all of you across America and around the world who have taken the time to write to me. I can’t even begin to tell you what that means to me and how grateful I am to you. Every day I get numerous messages and letters from you that truly humbles me.)
– Randy Camp

Learn more at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

The Bags

The Bags

Posted on December 9, 2013 by randy0312

It’s been just about a year now since my mother went on to a higher place, and as we get close to Christmas my mind drifts back to the Christmas mornings of my childhood in Spotsylvania County. My four brothers and I would wake up early on Christmas morning and go into the living room where we would find our Christmas gift, which was a typical brown paper lunch bag containing an apple, an orange or tangerine, a handful of hard Christmas candy, and a handful of Holiday shelled nuts.
I remember when I was a kid and sometimes I would overhear my mother reminding our father that it was close to Christmas and she had to go to town to get the candy and nuts for the bags. I imagine that my mother is up in heaven right now bugging God, reminding him that it’s close to Christmas and that she have to go to Earl’s SuperMarket in Fredericksburg to get the candy and nuts for the bags.

RCstories' Children's TV Series

HARRY'S FIELD is an animated, children's fantasy TV series. The series centers around a magical flying school bus named Eagle Wing, which transports kids from urban areas to an enchanted, colorful place called Harry's Field, where they learn about nature and our environment from a variety of jovial, talking animals and plants. TIME OUT TIME IN is another very lively and engaging animated, children's fantasy TV series created by Randolph Randy Camp. In a very entertaining and colorful manner (without being preachy), the series encourages young kids to use their imagination while simultaneously teaching them about life's virtues, such as the importance of being polite and kind to others. All works registered with the Writers Guild of America, East. Learn more at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

               HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!
                          – Randy

An Author's Defense: 29 Dimes Reaction

December 2, 2013

“My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.” Ernest Hemingway wrote those words years ago, and as a writer, I can’t think of a better way to defend myself than with Hemingway’s words. I’ll try to explain.
I understand that some folks around the country have called my latest book ’29 Dimes’ inciteful because I have a hot-mouth character named ‘Pepe’ speaking his mind about Florida’s schizophrenic ‘stand your ground’ law in certain parts of the novel. From my understanding, what’s getting some folks especially riled up is when Pepe performs his provocative, ‘in your face’ spoken-word anthem ‘Hear My Echo’ towards the end of the story. The specific line from that anthem that has got some people bent out of shape goes like this, “…I don’t like standing in Florida – facing a courthouse gun…” Depending on where you stand on the different sides of the ‘stand your ground’ debate, you may possibly see those lyrics as “inciteful”, but I specifically wrote those words for the voice and the mentality of a specific fictional character. It would be an injustice to myself as a writer, and certainly a literary injustice to the fire-tongued character I’d created if I had him voice his opinion and thoughts on other safe and soft topics currently headlining America’s newspapers and not a hot topic such as Florida’s ‘stand your ground’ law. I wouldn’t be true to myself as a writer, nor to my story if I did that.
The ‘stand your ground’ law in Florida and several other states is very schizophrenic because lawmakers and law enforcement officials are picking and choosing when and when not to use and invoke the law, seemingly using it when it’s convenient for them at that particular time and place. For example, take the case of the Florida woman Marissa Alexander who initially was sentenced to 20 years for firing a warning shot at her intruding husband, and when she tried to use Florida’s ‘stand your ground’ law as her defense the judge simply threw it out, saying that she could’ve ran out of the house. But, on the other hand, look at what happened in the other high-profile Florida trial where a vigilante got away with murder, thanks to the convenience of the wishy-washy ‘stand your ground’ defense. The reason I wrote and used the words “…courthouse gun…” in the ‘Hear My Echo’ lyrics was to express mostly my character’s belief, and to be quite honest, some of my own as well, that Florida’s ‘stand your ground’ law is seemingly sanctioned by the state, giving everyday Jane and Joe permission to kill without consequences. When the ‘not guilty’ verdict went viral in the George Zimmerman trial it instantly triggered my memory bank to a time in America when old cranky men draped in white sheets with cone-shape heads would hang a man of a darker shade up in a tree for all of the local town people to see, knowing that there would be no repercussions whatsoever, and everyone nonchalantly walks away as if this was accepted as normal everyday life.
I never intended my novel to be “inciteful”, but I do want it to open discussions in classrooms, at the kitchen table, and around the water cooler. I truly believe that if America is ever going to have better race relations among our very diverse and ever-growing population then we simply must start with a peaceful conversation first.
Randolph Randy Camp


RANDY'S TV SCRIPTS - CHILDREN'S SERIES
1. Harry's Field (May 2014, Registered with Writers Guild of America, East, Reg#R30871)
2. Time Out Time In (May 2014, Registered with WGA, East)


If you would like further details on ’29 Dimes’ or Author Randolph Randy Camp go to https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp