James F. Warne

James F. Warne is an adventurous 18-year-old who loves the outdoors. That is, of course, when he’s not working. But already, his persistent spirit has paid off: he already has to his credit a book, a publishing company and the fortitude to make a difference.

Warne’s inspiration for his book “Character for Tomorrow” surfaced his sophomore year at Brophy College Preparatory. The father of a friend of Warne’s died on the friend’s 15th birthday. Soon after, this friend’s mother fell suddenly ill, all while the teen transitioned to Brophy. “I was so inspired by just how he got through it, and that he did get through it,” Warne says. “What I learned [is] he can’t be an anomaly; there have to be other kids like this.” The story motivated Warne to compile “Character for Tomorrow,” a book of short stories written by his peers about the obstacles they’ve faced in their lives.

Warne spent the entire summer making phone calls to persuade Brophy alumni to write their personal accounts. “[It’s] an anthology of stories from kids who have encountered many difficult problems and roadblocks that have come up in their lives…via suicide of a brother or crossing the border,” Warne says. “And how they have worked through that and become successful in what they’ve done, despite their odds.” Although he wrote the foreword and the author’s note, Warne made a personal decision not to pen a story for the book. He felt his contribution was to make certain that “Character for Tomorrow” hit bookshelves.

Persisting further, Warne even started his own publishing company, Camelback Press. “Rather than jump through the hoops of these large publishing companies, I can just start my own; it can’t be that hard,” says Warne. “Knowing what I know now about the industry…I probably would not do it [again].”

Although other books are not in the works for Camelback Press, Warne acknowledges that it is not out of the question. Now a graduate of Brophy College Preparatory, he is off to conquer new dreams. In the fall, Warne will begin Georgetown University, where he will study international business and finance.