Where it all Started...

One long take to explain why I sit at a desk always looking out at water, no matter where I am, scribbling away: as a kid, primarily playing sports year around, I hid from my jock friends that I didn’t watch tv but, instead, read books. When I’d receive 10 or so books each week from book club, I’d lie and say they were for my sister (although I didn’t have one, yet.) When my teacher in 4th grade played a record for the class, “My Fair Lady,” although all the guys said how “gay” (not cheerful) it was, I secretly, clandestinely asked for the record at Christmas. When my dad would go deer hunting, I didn’t say anything, but wondered how he could shoot Bambi. Really? I figured something was wrong with me. The only way to rational this with myself was to believe I was “sensitive” maybe … like writers must be?

So, all my life I thought I wanted to make an attempt at being a writer. I majored in English in college and got a job teaching, primarily, creative writing. But, ironically, I spent so much time reading and commenting on my students’ writing (as well as coaching a couple sports, directing a play, and publishing a literary magazine) that I had little time to write, myself. Add to that a marriage (50 years next year!), living on a farm (hobby), heating with wood, and raising 5 brats, make that “no time.”

Before being forced out of teaching (declining enrollment), I took all the MastersDegree classes at the Uand getting “A’s” encouraged me. Of course I was analytical enough to realize, even though a cocky Irishman, no way with words would raise a family. So, decided to get paid decently for helping people… so my hoard could go to college if they wanted to… and started my financial planning career. I whetted (good word?) my appetite for writing by writing a quarterly newsletter for my marvelous clients.

When I handed my planning firm off to my son and his associate, Ken, I thought it would be copasetic to try to blend my previous two careers with what I was hoping would be my third. Thus, I wrote “If I Had a Million Dollars: How to Achieve Financial Independence Before Your Parents Do,” what I hoped would be an easy, maybe somewhat humorous read directed at the generation that needed it the most – theMILLENIALS…the somewhat innocent victims of the debt debacle created by the generations before them. I still do some lectures and presentations at colleges and universities. Definitely a different subject matter but definitely a gas to be in front of students, again.

But, it was fiction that I wanted to write. So, “Back to the Island” is my first attempt. There will always be demons to kill as I attempt in this book…but with the pen, sensitively. It started as a short story while sitting on my porch in Hope Town looking out at the harbor and like the Ever Ready Bunny………Hope readers find the characters fun and the novel enjoyable to read. 

More next week.