So, you want to be an author? You read my blog and buy my books (I hope you do!) and say, “Gee, I wanna be a famous, brilliant, rich author like that Tj O’Connor.” Let me expel those rumors—I am none of the above, well, other than being Tj O’Connor. Writing is not for the meek. It’s also rarely, at least in my case and that of many, many fellow authors I know, not going to get that private jet, sports car, and buckets of cash. Here’s what you will get: tired; frustrated; thrilled at a sale; thrilled to speak with fans; great friends who are also authors; great friends that are fans; tired; frustrated… did I mention those?
Why tired and frustrated, you ask? Easy. You’re a writer. It’s like knuckle scrapes and bruises to a mechanic, or athletes’ food to a jock. You know, it’s the way it is. You write, edit, rewrite, re-edit, and get frustrated. You write for an entire weekend, bang down six thousand words or more. Then, Monday afternoon over a nice lunch, you read it and go, “Dear God, shoot me now. This sucks.” And then bam! Back to work to fix those six thousand words.
Oh, sure, there are times it works. There are times it’s exactly what you want. Then, there are times it’s cannon fodder. Hence, frustration.
Then, the tired part. Unless you’re one of the lucky, brilliant authors who hit a major seller and stop working or retire, you’re slugging through a real job and writing in your spare time. For me, that’s brutal. I work a lot of hours and crave the keyboard of my latest novel. So it’s early mornings, late nights, weekends… yep, I’m exhausted more of the time.
Still, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Did I mention that finishing a novel is the east part? Ah, grasshopper (if you don’t get the Kung Fu reference, sorry), the real work begins after THE END. It’s editing, editing, editing, getting your agent to sign off, getting it to your publisher, and if you’re between publishers or simply don’t have one yet, that’s the real battle. Then, once with a publisher, it’s PR, sales, PR, sales, signings (read that begging for fans), blogging, social media, rinse repeat rinse.
Get it? It’s work. It’s real work. Writing is not for those of you who think, “Ah, hell, I’ll write the great American novel and fat cat it from now on. How hard can it be? Tj O’Connor writes novels all the time. If he can do it, so can I. Yep, you probably can. But can, and will you, be willing, to do all the rest.
Now, before someone slaps me and says “Damn, you’re complaining but it’s all your choice.” Yes, it is and I’m not complaining. I absolutely love writing and being an author. I have a fabulous agent, publicist, editor, and publisher. I have been so very fortunate that my books get sold and I get to travel, meet and talk with fans, and have them love my work. Sure, no private jet yet, no yacht and no money falling from trees, but I’ll take what I have and thank everyone for it.
I truly wouldn’t have it any other way.
So, having said all this, my brilliant, whip-cracking publicist told me I had to blog and get three things out there: something personal about me (read the above); what I’ve been up to lately (also see the above); and something about my latest release. So, let me fill in the blanks here.
Other than writing, editing, writing, and working, I’ve been out there plugging Lowe Curran and The Whisper Legacy. If you haven’t heard, my publisher, Level Best Books, plans on this being a series. The sequel, Whisper’s Revenge, is done and with them. This is, without a doubt, my favorite novel I’ve written. Except for Whisper’s Revenge, I like that better than Legacy. Good, too, since Book III is already on the drawing board. And did I mention that Lowe Curran and The Whisper Legacy are getting rave reviews? No? Then yeah, they are.
Oh! And this fall, Dying With A Secret, Book IV of The Dead Detective Casefiles, featuring Oliver “Tuck” Tucker will be out. It’s the story of Tuck and Angel being hunted by a secret government lab for nefarious reasons—including finding the famous Beale Treasure. But wait, there’s more…. Dying For The Truth, Book V, is nearly done draft one! I’m loving this one, too, because it brings out more of Tuck’s family background and intertwines a deadly research project with a twenty-year-old series of murders that first brought Tuck and Bear Braddock together. Don’t miss these upcoming Dead Detective Casefiles.
Did I miss anything? Oh, yeah, amidst all the work and writing, I got to sleep one night last week—Friday night I think. Almost all night, too. Wahoo!
Until next time, Yasoo, Adieu, Adios, and all that—see ya soon and be safe!
