Stand For Our Kids

Words such as dismantling, deleting, or dissolving should never be associated with the word education. Words such as promote, empower, expand, encourage, support and bolster should be the words linked to education. Whether at the national level or the state level, our education department is vital to the strength of our nation. We lead by example and when we, especially at the federal level, defend and fully support our public educators and many vital educational programs, it shows that our government have placed great value on our kids’ future and their education. A strong America starts with a strong education system for every child, rich or poor. Any politician or elected official who advocates for the dismantling of the Education Department, at any level, is leading us in the wrong direction. – Randolph Randy Camp

Keep Hoping, Don't Give Up

Keep Hoping, Don’t Give Up…Just like many of you, watching what’s happening in Ukraine right now is rough. Seeing the inspiring, fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people reminds me of my favorite children’s book ‘The Little Engine That Could.’ I think I can, I think I can. (And how fitting that the book cover reflects the colors of the Ukrainian flag.) – Randolph Randy Camp

You're The One

Regardless of your age, your status or title a lot of you are Angels to some of us, even if you’re not aware of it. Sometimes, in our darkest moments when we feel like throwing in the towel, it’s amazing how someone else, at the very same time, is looking at you as if you’re the brightest light they’ve ever seen. Whatever you’re going through right now, high waters or low waters, just remember that you could be the Angel who is keeping someone else going. – Randolph Randy Camp
More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Your World Too

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and Birthday Wishes. I take nothing for granted. When I was very young I didn’t even know what it meant to have indoor plumbing or running water. I’ll never forget my humbled beginnings and the backwoods of Spotsylvania County where my dreams were shaped. As a child I used to sit on the bank of the Rappahannock River, watch the water flow and daydream about becoming a writer one day.
Today I’m so blessed and grateful. I truly appreciate every one of you. Regardless of your beginnings, regardless of whatever, don’t let anyone or anything stop you. Whatever limitations or labels others have placed upon you it’s your own description of yourself that matters most. Always remember that you’re uniquely special, valuable and that this is your world too. – Randolph Randy Camp
More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Just Believe

'JUST BELIEVE'....When I was in elementary school I remember telling my classmates on the playground about the wild dreams I would have and they would just make fun of me and called me crazy. I learned that people are quick to call you crazy when they don't understand you. People are quick to belittle and ridicule you when they are jealous or envious of you. As I got older I remember one of my teachers encouraging me to write down my wild dreams, and would tell me not to let anyone discourage me and just believe in myself. - Randolph Randy Camp
More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Your Discovery

I’m so truly blessed to have such genuine caring friends, fans and followers in my life. I hope that all of you are encircled with people who sincerely want to see you flourish and rise (and not those who secretly laugh at you if you should stumble.)


It’s March 12, 2018 and once again, I’m reminded of that old familiar adage, “There’re two important dates in your life, the day you was born and the day you discover why you was born.” Regardless of your age, the color of your skin, or where you come from, I honestly believe that there’s something uniquely special inside each of you.


Thank you EVERYONE today for your Birthday Wishes, and if you haven’t already, I hope that you will soon discover why you was born. – Randolph Randy Camp


More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

No Checkbook Required

If you’re a waitress, plumber, cashier, reporter, journalist, delivery driver, mechanic, factory worker, farmer, lab tech, teacher, ect. you’re impacting lives every day. Keep doing what you’re doing. You don’t need to be famous or wealthy to help somebody. I’ve never been on the New York Bestsellers List, but my joy and wealth comes from my conversations with engaging students during our classroom book talks. Helping someone doesn’t always involve money. Inspiring someone, igniting the spark in others to better themselves is one of the greatest gifts you can give….no checkbook required. – Randolph Randy Camp
More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Get Up!

The true meaning of Easter always makes me think of everyday people who, at times, gets this fantastic urge to resurrect or re-invent themselves. In certain ways, we’ve all been there at one time or another.
It’s an inspiring and wonderful thing to see someone get back up on their feet after falling down. I can’t tell you how many times I felt like a failure during my 56 years on this earth.
For all of you who’ve been knocked down once or twice, I hope that you rise again and surround yourselves with positive people as you continue your journey towards a happier and better life for yourself and your loved ones. Have a Happy Easter, Everybody! – Randolph Randy Camp
More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Mile 19: A Runner's Dream

Don’t give up on people. There’s good in everybody, although in some it’s hidden. Often, a person just need someone to believe in them first, before they start believing in themselves.

My legs were close to giving out. It felt as though I was hitting the infamous runners’ wall. My breathing was heavy and my mouth was extremely dry. I was running the Los Angeles Marathon for the second year in a row. I’ve always loved running, and I ran the LA Marathon as a fundraiser for my favorite charity. I was slowly approaching mile 19 where a line of kids, wearing ‘I Have A Dream’ Foundation T-shirts, stood on the side with cups and small bottles of water in their extended hands.

While living in Los Angeles several years ago, I volunteered with The ‘I Have A Dream’ Foundation and worked closely with the “dreamers”, which are kids mostly from low-income, gang-infested neighborhoods who are promised college tuition or vocational school funds after they’d graduated high school. Soaked in sweat, I was turning the corner at mile 19 and noticed one of the ‘dreamers’ stepping out from the group of energetic, cheering kids with the cups and mini-bottles of water. She stepped into my path and quickly got my attention while wildly waving a bottle of water. She made sure that I was only getting water from her. This was a special moment for both of us. This particular girl would regularly roll her eyes and typically shrug off helpful advice and guidance from me for the past several months as she struggled to maintain a positive outlook within a household and neighborhood filled with school dropouts and gang members.

I’m writing this piece today because the girl at mile 19 who’d handed me the much-needed water is now all grown up and doing quite well for herself. She keeps in touch with me, and recently had sent me an email, whereby she referenced the LA Marathon and our special moment at mile 19, and then she went on further, thanking me for not giving up on her and always believing in her.

I hope that all of you have someone believing in you, or perhaps, you believing in someone else. – Randolph Randy Camp

More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Your Time

Many of us have spent the last 18 months following the latest developments of the  primaries, presidential campaigns, and debates, all leading up to the grand finale, which was last night’s election results. It’s just amazing how much time we’ve devoted to following the lives and the news surrounding the candidates. And now that the election is over, what will we do with all of that extra time?
Can you imagine if we spent 18 months devoted to our own lives. What if we spent a year and a half enriching ourselves? Maybe we could spend some time on building our job skills to ask for a long, overdue raise. Why do we spend so much time following the lives of others, especially those who are making 6-figure paychecks while we’re fighting to earn every dime above minimum wage?
Now that the election is over, make a commitment to spend the next 18 months enriching yourself. You deserve it. It’s your time now. – Randolph Randy Camp
More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

The Journey



Sometimes we let others discourage and derail us. Growing up in rural Virginia years ago, I found a sense of adventure and escape within the pages of various books. Yep, even back then I knew that I was a book nerd, and I was certainly teased and ridiculed for it.

When I was young, I absolutely loved reading stories and books about different cultures. I was so fascinated with the Aborigines of Australia and their 'walkabout' ritual (whereby a boy transitions into manhood) that I wanted to experience my very own walkabout here in America. So, at age 15, I up and left my country roots in Spotsylvania County and went on a 'rite of passage' journey. My adventurous journey came to an end in the big city of Philadelphia, in which the juvenile court system there classified as a 'teen runaway' case.

When I was detained at the juvenile detention center in Philadelphia, I remember the intake worker making fun of me to her coworker who was sitting nearby when I'd quickly answered with a no-nonsense expression "I was on my walkabout" when she'd asked with a puzzled face, "Why did you runaway to Philadelphia?" The moment the intake worker heard the word 'walkabout' leave my mouth, she instantly shot her coworker a twisted look as both of them burst into laughter. Still today, I vividly remember that intake worker's look. It was the same look I got from some folks years ago when I used to tell them that I was going to write my own book one day. It was a look that said that I must be crazy...a mental case...just another dreamer.

In contrast, about a year ago, I got a completely different look. It wasn't a condescending look that questioned my mental state, but a look that was of sincere admiration. Just before I'd moved to Iowa in 2015, at a New Jersey book signing event, a young lady approached me and quietly commented, "Mr. Camp, I love the titles of all your books. How do you come up with titles like '29 Dimes' and '...Then The Rain'?" When I explained to the young lady that my stories and novels are usually metaphoric mirrors of my life and my walkabout journey to Philadelphia specifically was the inspiration behind my second novel '...Then The Rain', she immediately smiled and gave me one of those genuine looks of surprise.

In spite of others' ridicule and condescending laughter, don't ever let them discourage you from your goals and dreams. Let your heart guide you and keep you on track. - Randolph Randy Camp

More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Beautiful You

Beautiful You...

There’s beauty in each one of us. There’s something special about you. From this day forward let your beauty shine! -Randolph Randy Camp

(photo: Author Randy Camp with high school students after a classroom book talk)

More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Do What You Love: Be in Charge

Do what you love to do. Be in charge of your own life, otherwise someone else will. I used to be a talker, always talking about what I wanted to be or what I wanted to do. A few years ago, I stop talking and put an action plan together to take my love of writing to a higher level. My first novel won the Quarter-Finals Prize at the 14th Annual Writers Network Screenplay and Fiction Competition in Los Angeles, and currently it’s my top selling book of my four published works. There’s a certain inner peace that comes from doing something that you truly love, and I hope that each one of you have this already or will take steps toward finding your inner peace.
And don’t let your day job define you. I understand that you must do whatever in order to pay the rent, but don’t let the designer in you, the artist in you, the executive in you, the inventor in you, or the store owner in you wither away or tire you out due to your devotion to someone else’s dream. Be the person you want to be. Do what you love to do. – Randolph Randy Camp
More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

The Janitor

Regardless of what job you’re currently doing to pay your bills, support your family and yourself, always make sure that you’re also taking some time to nurture and cater to your own personal dreams and goals as well. Every day, in some form or another, we work and do things to make other people rich or happy, especially those who work within the service industry. What are you doing to make yourself happy?
Every day, we devote approximately eight hours toward someone else’s business or dream, indirectly making their dream a reality. How many hours (or minutes) per day are you devoting to your own dreams or goals?
Don’t let your day job define you. I understand that you must clean the toilets or bus the tables in order to pay the rent, but don’t let the designer in you, the artist in you, the executive in you, the inventor in you, or the store owner in you wither away or tire you out due to your devotion to someone else’s dream. Be the person you want to be. Define yourself! Empower yourself!
In my own personal life, I’ve cleaned many toilets, and I’ve been on various factory floors working on the assembly line. However, while I was cleaning the toilets or mindlessly checking the parts and products as they traveled along the conveyor belt, in my head I was simultaneously working out my characters’ dialogue for my manuscript, which I tirelessly typed up in the wee hours of the night, sometimes two or three pages on a good night.
No, everyone doesn’t know my name, but this janitor’s dream has come true. Today, I’m so very grateful to all of my fans, followers, and readers from around the world who have bought my books, read my articles, and recently made ‘False Dandelions’ one of my bestselling novels. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all. – Randolph Randy Camp
More at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp