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Titus and Maximus hang with their dad, Doc, after bowling at AMF.
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Doc Collins wrote much of his first book while sitting in the seating area behind Aroma's Coffeehouse.
U.S. Army veteran turned romance author Doc Collins is what the late ESPN anchor Stuart Scott would call “as cool as the other side of the pillow.”
On the way into Culture Café, our designated meeting place, I spotted the 1300 Hours author on the side of the restaurant doing what he does best, shooting an inspirational Facebook Live video. It’s his modus operandi. For Collins, life is more than being an author. It’s living as an agent of change.
A local boy, Collins attended Williamsburg-James City County schools before leaving for Army Basic Combat Training in 2011 to become a medic. Though he travels extensively in his career, he said, “Williamsburg, Virginia, is truly my home.”
“Read. Pray. Coffee.”
Collins begins his day capturing his thoughts within the pages of his journal. Sometimes that’s at home, other times he’s noodling at Aroma’s Coffeehouse while drinking a Magnus Brew. “It's always been an environment that nurtured creativity for me,” he said, noting the sitting area behind the coffee shop is where he penned much of his first book, 1300 Hours.
“It's a nice little spot. But the bustling of a coffee shop has always been inspiring. I'm not somebody that needs solitude for my creativity,” added Collins.
His morning routine consists of devotions from the Bible and studying personal development.
“I like to spend as much time as I can in Proverbs because it's inspiring,” he said.
All of this mental and spiritual preparations are part and parcel to his life’s mission to bring healing, hope and understanding to the military family.
“What I endeavor to do every day is to become more of a catalyst for healing. Inspiring hope,” he stated.
Adventures in Fatherhood
After feeding his mind and spirit and satisfying his creative itch, Collins likes to chop it up with his two boys, Titus, 10, and Maximus, 8. An active father, Collins enjoys taking his sons to Veterans Park for some physical activity. “They're both avid lacrosse players, so we'll be in the field playing a game of catch,” he said.
After breaking a good sweat, they break to Retro’s for lunch. The rest of the afternoon is spent perusing the library, checking out books and grocery shopping at Aldi and Trader Joe’s. They get the necessities, and a few other treats. Among those, a six pack of Virginia Beer Company’s Saving Daylight and some carrots and apples. Those come in for the next part of their day–time with the horses.
“We head back to town and walk down toward Matthew Whaley School and find the horses in whatever pasture they're at so we can feed them. The kids have always been into that,” he said.
With the day winding down, Collins and his boys make their way to Barrett’s for a surf and turf dinner. They play cornhole until dinner arrives, eat, and then Collins returns his sons to their mother.
Down Time
Collins ends his evening with a leisurely stroll down Boundary, Prince George and Duke of Gloucester streets–retracing the course he used to run years ago while preparing to enter the Army. He likes to puff on a Micallef cigar purchased from Havana Connection in New Town as he walks and reminisces. “That's the best way to wrap up an evening,” he said. “From start to finish, Williamsburg has a lot to offer.”