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In His Words, It Was An Adventure

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By HAROLD VALENTINE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 26, 2008

LAKE MAGDALENE - Lakeshore Villas resident Wes Bigelow, 56, is a self-described adventurous spirit.

At 19, he went to Vietnam as an Air Force ground-to-air radio operator. Despite the hardships of war, he remembers the friendliness of the country's people and Vietnam's beautiful beaches.

"Not having to see air strikes firsthand was not as scarring to the mind as other guys out there actually fighting," Bigelow said. "It was a good experience. It's not something I'd like to do again, though."

During the late '70s and early '80s in New England, Bigelow found another adventure as a chimney sweep. For about 3 1/2 years, he took pride in offering a necessary service.

"Twelve-o'clock at night one time I was on a roof with a foot of snow," he said. "But they had two children, and their only source of heat was wood for the chimney, so I had to do something."

Bigelow said he left that work because he did not want to manage several employees and worry about sub-par work as the business grew.

He managed a bed and breakfast in northeastern Pennsylvania and wound up in Florida after a failed venture to open a beach resort in Belize.

"I had to march to the beat of a different drummer," he said.

His latest adventure started in his mind and became a book he published in September titled "J.U.M.P." - Joint Universal Metaphysical Powers.

Bigelow described it as a fantasy-action-adventure book but said people have responded well to the story's romance.

The protagonist, Jake Stele, or "Jas," starts as an average guy with no direction in life. Bigelow said an accident reveals unusual powers while Jas recovers in the hospital. Jas later connects with a group of characters who also have supernatural powers under the guidance of Dr. Brooke, who leads the team.

"It's actually very good therapy," he said. "My job at the time was very stressful."

Bigelow said he has no major writing experience and decided to follow through on the idea after taking a year off from work.

"J.U.M.P." is printed on a demand basis by Publish America. Bigelow has promoted it with book signings in small towns throughout New England, as well as locations in Tampa such as Barnes & Noble.

Without previous readers, Bigelow said he's happy to have sold a few hundred copies of the 304-page book since it became available Sept. 3.

"It's just an escape," he said. "I think there's more to everyday life than what we see. Fantasy lets us explore that."

Bigelow said the best way to check out the book is to visit his Web site, wesbigelow.wetpaint.com.

Reporter Harold Valentine can be reached at (813) 865-1526 or hvalentine@tampatrib.com.

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