Tarkington author’s ‘Seeds of Bliss’ places literary spotlight on East Texas character of faith

Bluebonnet News' article by Rachel Hall

J. Andrew Rice

A life-long dream was fulfilled when J. Andrew Rice of Tarkington penned the last sentence for Seeds of Bliss and successfully published his novel for the world to read.

“It took me about 12 years to finish the book. I started on it around the time my youngest son graduated from high school and finished in 2020 during the pandemic,” explained Rice about the process of authoring a 95,000-word novel.

His love for fictional storylines, however, began much earlier in Rice’s life. During his high school years, a school librarian encouraged him to read beyond the chapters of Hardy Boys and suggested he give the book Exodus a try.

“I read it and was fascinated by the story – that I was able to read a book that big and follow it to the end. So, I became a reader of books of fiction,” said Rice.

Being one who enjoys reading stories and telling stories also gave Rice an advantage when it came to writing, especially essays, or so he thought, when he entered college as a freshman at Baylor University.

“I got an F on a paper that I wrote in college for my second semester English class. I thought I was a pretty good writer then, and so I went to the teacher and said, ‘I need to fix this one way or another,’ and she said, ‘I think you got some skill, but you got to understand there is a way you need to use your grammar correctly, but more so about how you structure the story that you’re telling,’” he said.

The feedback on the structure of the story helped Rice remember his strategies for writing speeches and public speaking to help engage the audience, and it is something he decided to focus on in additional essays he wrote for that English class, ultimately earning an A in the course.

“I understood that [feedback], and I said I would really like to write a book someday. The professor told me, ‘Well you can do it, but you need to work on how to present it,’” he said.

Rice definitely put work into the years of brainstorming and writing of the storyline and characters that would become his published novel – the span of time equally the majority of his adult years, and one that became a spiritual journey of his own during writing Seeds of Bliss.

“The story is about a man living out his faith in an East Texas community, because that is what I know best. My faith in Jesus is pretty deeply set. I grew up in church and then I went to Baylor University, which is essentially a Christian university. I learned a lot about some deep truths – it is not an easy thing to live out your faith, and everyone who has it knows that. Sometimes I think some people do it superficially and some people do it very deeply. There is a mixture of folks on how they live out their faith,” said Rice.

The main character, Scott Mitchum, is one who shows his life of faith in a practical way, and that means more than just being faithful on Sundays or because he thinks he is required to do it. Mitchum’s faith means something to him, and that is why he continues to live by it even when bad things happen, according to Rice.

“That’s why I had that theme, because I think there are a lot of folks out there who are quietly living out their faith. They are doing the very best they can. Things happen to them – bad things happen to them – and they continue to do it, and they don’t make a big deal out of it. It’s just who they are,” said Rice.

Mitchum experiences the highs and lows of life and deals with good and bad characters in a way that makes the story relatable to others living a similar life in a small town. There is some humor, some curse words, and even some sexual content within the novel, but the theme of faith remains steady, and, eventually, hope and faith win in the end.

“I know people who have had triumphs over tragedies and have great stories to tell, and that is what I wanted for Scott Mitchum as the main character. Living out one’s faith is a universal theme. I don’t see a lot of East Texas stories, and that is why I wanted to write one. My intent was to write it for us, and to let the world know we have people who go through those things, too,” said Rice.

The amount of time invested in creating the storyline, coupled with Rice’s personal spiritual journey, including difficult times he overcame in life such as being in a major accident with his sons, was something Rice believed God directed. The theme and setting of Seeds of Bliss is something Rice wanted to be authentic, and also wanted to be inspirational.

“The seeds are mustard seeds of faith, and that is what I talk about in the book. I say to follow your bliss, which are the things you would do without being paid or anything else. The reason you get your bliss is because of your faith. Follow your bliss,” said Rice.

Seeds of Bliss is available at Austin Memorial Library or for purchase at major book retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.