Desert Reflections Blog

June 1, 2026 James Cormier

Chapter One - Dreams (Preview)

Specific Book-Related

Finally after three long years I finally have a fully-finished Chapter. Chapter 1 - Dreams is an introduction to a few key Characters, a few minor characters and a trip back in the past that points to the future. It is…

April 15, 2026 James Cormier

Editing is underway!

Specific Book-Related

It's taken a fair bit to reach this point. I had hoped I would have arrived here much sooner but it is what it is. I'm currently working on my author revision pass. This is the first time I've actually gone back to the…

February 23, 2026 James Cormier

So, so close...

Specific Book-Related

I spent another full week writing last week and promised myself I would finish my manuscript. I've set and reset target dates, time and time again, and can't seem to get it done. Well this week I can officially say that…

January 26, 2026 James Cormier

Time Flies - 3 Years Ago Today

Culture & Experience

January 26, 2023 at approximately 8:30 GST (1230PM EST) I met my son at the International Terminal at the Dubai Airport (DXB). Adrian had been in Dubai since November 2022. He had spent the previous 6 months in Blackpoo…

September 23, 2025 James Cormier

Launching My GiveSendGo Campaign - The Next Stage Begins!

Specific Book-Related

When I first sat down to write the opening words of Lighthouse in the Desert, I had no idea how much of myself would end up on the page. Writing a memoir is unlike writing anything else—it’s not just putting words toget…

June 22, 2025 James Cormier

Coming down the home stretch, I think?

Specific Book-Related

I have stalled. I haven't written in 8+ weeks. It's true, the end of the book is the hardest part to write. I have so much going through my mind, so many distractions. I find myself exhausted, too tired to write and jus…

May 2, 2025 James Cormier

A Dog Named Paul

Memoir & Personal Journey

It's been two years since my ordeal in Dubai but I still remember much of it like it was yesterday. Very cliché but so very true. About this time I was moved into the flat with my soon to be very close and dear f…

April 23, 2025 James Cormier

Finding Time

Memoir & Personal Journey

As I get closer and closer to finishing up the manuscript, I find it more difficult to find the time to write? It's not a writer's block, the story is still fresh in my mind, and when I settle in and focus it all comes…

April 11, 2025 James Cormier

Mom and Dad's 59th Anniversary

Updates & Events

This year my parents have been married 59 years! I am so blessed to have had their example to follow - not that their marriage was perfect, far from it, but rather that through thick and thin they always managed to make…

April 2, 2025 James Cormier

Time Heals All Wounds?

Struggle & Overcoming

Two years on and I can still feel the ache in my heart... It was April 2, 2023 3:00am - Dubai(UAE) I had spent the past month with my son Adrian, hoping and praying that we could leave together. I was supposed to have g…