Judge Cotton Pens Book For Charity
PAUL ROY -- Independent Herald Editor
The title - How To Get Loose From a Snapping Turtle - Before It Thunders - sounds like it's going to be a humorous book, but as author James L. "jamie" Cotton, Jr., says in his preface, it's actually a collection of "homespun remedies, cures and fixes."
And it's a good one, if or for no other reason than it reveals and promotes the common senses of the people of our region - the mountains of East Tennessee.
It's Cotton's first book and while he doesn't attempt to take credit for all of the logical and inexpensive solutions to the everyday problems he writes about, at least he had the common sense to record them for posterity.
The four-page table of contents for the 200-page volume lists topics ranging from how to keep bread and cookies fresh to a road map for purchasing a used vehicle - 180 single-page "chapters," as he calls them, "written as a tribute to the amazing common sense and ingenuity of our people in Scott County and the Appalachian region."
Cotton, an Oneida attorney who also serves as Scott County's General Sessions Judge, says the book took a lifetime to form and a year to write, mostly by jotting down ideas on a legal pad "after midnight."
He says for years he kept a private journal in which he would write down little homemade cures, fixes and "how to's" he got from his parents, relatives and friends . . . and that was the beginning of the book.
"Growing up as a boy in Scott County and through my many years as an attorney and on the bench, I've found that some of the smartest people I've ever met did not have much formal education. This book is an accumulation of their ideas.
While there's no formal dedication in the front of the book, Cotton does have an acknowledgment page, in which he expresses his appreciation to his parents, James and Carolyn Cotton, "for a wonderful childhood;" his secretary, Lou Ann Smith, "who patiently converted my legal pad-scribbling to the typewritten word;" and to his wife Lisa and children, Caroline and Luke, "without their immeasurable love and support, this book would not have been possible."
In addition to the satisfaction he got from penning a book and seeing it through to publication, Judge Cotton said he had an ulterior motive - to benefit two local charities "close to my heart" - the Scott County Women's Shelter and CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates).
"All the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the Women's Shelter and CASA," Judge Cotton said, adding that, between now and the first of the year, "every penny - not just the profits" from sales generated in Scott County will go to those charities, thanks to the financial assistance provided by the East Tennessee Foundation and the Swain Family Trust (Mike and Marsha Swain), as well as the cooperation of his publisher (Xlibris Corporation). Judge Cotton explained that a special trust has been established where the funds will be deposited, and special sales locations and book signings by the author have been scheduled beetween now and Jan. 1, 2003. After the first of the year, the book will be distributed to regional booksellers and will be available online at Amazon.Com, Borders.Com and Barnes and Noble.com. Orders can also be placed directly to the publisher, at Orders@Xlibris.com.
The books are priced at $15 and for an additional $5 will be inscribed with a personalized message by the author.
The first opportunity to purchase the book locally and have it personalized by the author will be on Friday at the Main Office of First National Bank in Oneida.
Oneida Wal-Mart Manager Tom Rozman has also agreed to host a series of book sales and signings to benefit the two local charities, beginning on the Saturday following Thanksgiving (Nov. 29) and continuing on the first three Saturdays in December (Dec. 6, 13, and 20).
Cotton's book can also be ordered by mail (the $20 price also covers the cost of postage). Checks or money orders should be made out and mailed to: The Shelter/CASA Book Trust, P.O. Box 5475, Oneida, TN 37841. To have the book signed with a personal message, please include the spelling of the name it is to be made out to as well as how it should be personalized.
To acquire additional books, contact Lou Ann at the law office (423-569-9141); Vickie at the Women's Shelter (423-569-3355), Christy at CASA's office (423-663-8943), or fax requests to the Book Trust at 423-569-8184.
Cotton said his book would also be available at other local businesses in Scott County in the near future.
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