Beloved local author James D. Houston writes another stunning book

Local author James D. Houston’s new book, “Where Light Takes its Color from the Sea: A California Notebook,” paints a glorious picture of Santa Cruz through the essays and short fiction gathered within its pages; a portrayal so vividly dynamic that if it were indeed a painting, it would be undeniably worthy of occupying wall space in the Getty or the Met.

In his new book, Houston depicts Santa Cruz as a veritable Shangri-La, California as a fantastical place where adventuresome settlers flocked. His writings explore human beings’ innate desire to belong to a place, to feel at one with our surroundings. Houston chose Santa Cruz as his home despite many circuitous global sojourns, and his story mirrors the journey of many emigrants, who alighted from seemingly all corners of the earth, yet still call Santa Cruz their home.

“Where Light Takes its Color from the Sea” explores the places and experiences that have shaped Houston’s life. As a young child, he was inexplicably drawn to this slice of California’s coast. Growing up in San Francisco, Houston became enamored of Santa Cruz, visiting at every possible opportunity. Eventually, he and his wife Jeanne moved here, inadvertently settling into a house previously occupied by a survivor of the Donner Party. Little did Houston know that this would later inspire his writer’s mind to compose a book about the calamitous expedition through the High Sierras, one of the nine novels he’s penned, “Snow Mountain Passage.”

Part two of “Where Light Takes its Color from the Sea” explores the many and varied people that shaped his life, eventually inspiring him to become the person and author he is today. From the wooded mountains of Tennessee to the southern comfort of Alabama, Houston’s ancestors and relatives provided a North Star of identity for him throughout his malleable youth.

Next, Houston delves into his life of writing. Discussing the experiences that made him decide why he wanted to write, the people that inspired him along the way, and his early years as a writer, Houston’s story is both entertaining and auspicious. It is in this section of the book that Houston describes a favorite memory, his friendship with award-winning author Wallace Stegner. “He was a very important figure in my life,” Houston says. “I have a vivid memory of the day I went up to his studio around the time he was getting a lifetime achievement award from the LA Times. It was a precious day.”

The last section of this book provides a smattering of the work of Houston. It consists of four fictional short stories that best represent the thematic fabric of the book: time, place and person.

Houston’s mellifluous prose will capture your heart and soul as he reminisces about years gone by and life lessons learned. Part memoir, part journal, part short story collection, “Where Light Takes its Color from the Sea” will draw you in, captivating your attention to the very end. Houston says that the book is made of “pulling together pieces I’ve accumulated over time, hopefully with some through lines. Not just a grab bag collection, but with themes that run through it and join things together; a sense of place and habitat and how they affect our lives.”

Houston’s book explores the inexorable truth that sometimes it’s not being in a place, but being away from it that will make you realize that it’s home. “Where Light Takes its Color from the Sea” will re-open your eyes to the multitudinous charms of our beloved city and our fair state, reminding those of us who may have become blasé over time what a sparkling jewel our home really is.

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