By Tj O'Connor, author of Dying to Know, Dying for the Past, and the upcoming, Dying to Tell
And once again, the calendar tells me I’m late …
These days, consulting eight or ten hours a day and writing
all my waking hours is starting to take its toll. This morning, I was up late
and assailed by my two Labs, two visiting canines—including a 165-pound
Mastiff, and several of the neighborhood dogs and goats because I was not at my
post in the kitchen feeding them timely. Oh, for the life of one of them!
Life as an author can sometimes be lonely and boring—sitting
alone in your little office or writing nook and banging away on the keyboard.
Sometimes, it’s about travelling to far places to entertain and enthrall
audiences—read that, beg and plead to buy your books. And sometimes, it’s sitting
at your keyboard, staring at the screen, wondering, “What the hell have I
gotten myself into?”
And the answer is simply, “Exactly what you wanted—so stop
whining.”
Today is one of those days where I’m overwhelmed. Work is
building momentum onto my real-life, travelling is now every other weekend, and
money pours from my fingertips to market my books and cajole and hunt down
readers. It’s a poor-me day. I realized just an hour ago that I was late
posting this blog. So, now, I sit here trying to make sense out of something
worth talking about. It’s raining—and as they say in that new commercial, “Of
course it’s raining.” I’m not feeling well. Another airplane awaits. Another
hotel room beckons. Damn. Damn. Damn.
I need a day off. I need two or three or ten.
Stop! Stop! Stop! Isn’t this what I asked for? Isn’t this
exactly where I planned to be? Let me take stock of the past few weeks and
where I’m heading in the next few weeks. Certainly there is a positive message
here … right?
Right. My whining is over. Coffee is kicking in. Fingers are
moving again. Oh, if the damn rain would just turn into sunshine and daisies.
Okay, maybe not daisies, but you get the picture. I need umph.
So, let me take stock.
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Millbrook
Book Festival in Upstate New York. Millbrook is a delightful town that reminds
me of my youth—as it should since I grew up just thirty minutes from there. Its
streets and buildings stepped out of the 19th century and its people
are friendly and endearing. Of course, not many of them showed to the festival,
but eh, these things happen. Last year’s festival had standing room only. This
year, not so much. But those folks who did attend were great and I actually had
a chance to talk to them a little longer, tell a few stories, swoon a little
more. And, as always, Sam—the festival chieftain—and her army of festival
volunteers were wonderful hosts and I look forward to returning next year.
Two things made my weekend worth the eleven-hour round trip.
First, I met an extraordinary young author—Jesse Saperstein. Jesse has written
about life with Asperger’s called “Getting a Life With Asperger’s.” He’s
amazing and was a delightful companion under our tent. Jesse also has
accomplished what I dreamed of when I was his age—he backpacked the entire
Appalachian Trail. No, you read that right ... the entire trail. Jesse is one
of those people you meet and walk away wondering why you cannot be more positive and focused and uplifting. And, sitting
here, at this moment, I feel a little stupid having complained this morning.
His achievements and life-perspective are remarkable. I cannot wait to see him
next year and find out what new milestone he has set for the rest of us. Look
at Jesse’s world at www.jesseasaperstein.com
(note, the link is temporarily down, but it should be working soon.)
The second event worth my trip was my reunion with two
new-old pals I met last year at the festival—Jim Holmgren and Louis Romano. Jim
is an author and of all things, a clock aficionado. He skipped selling books
this year and volunteered again at the festival. He’s a wonderful guy and will
be joining me for dinner in Winchester in a week or so when he is enroute to a
Clock conference (yes, there is such a thing) in Tennessee. Jim’s one of those
guys who is warm and engaging and makes you feel important. Yet under his
veneer is a ticking master author of Swiss proportions (sorry, couldn’t help
myself). Lou is an author and a businessman who is knocking the world down with
his books—Intercession, So You Think I’m Dead, and Besa. He writes about the Albania mob
and true crime and is hoping to turn Besa
into a movie soon. These two characters and I raised hell, told lies and one or
two true stories, and entertained an audience during a panel discussion on our
books. We shared the panel with another great author, Chris Orcutt, who dazzled
the audience with quotes from Hemmingway, Aristotle, and Raymond Chandler—but I
have to say, Lou and I clowned around as much as we talked serious biz. Oops,
maybe we’ll focus a little more next year. I’m looking forward to it.
As I look at my calendar and think about how Jesse views all
things as an opportunity, I see many of those now myself. There’s a fun book
club in Erie, PA, in a week; Thriller Fest in Manhattan in July with my agent,
the lovely and amazing Kimberley Cameron; a charity conference in Williamsburg,
VA—Scares that Care—in July; Comic-Con in Dover, DE, in August; and The Suffolk
Virginia Mystery Authors Festival (I cannot wait for this one!) in August. I’m
speaking and paneling at the Mechanicsburg, PA’s Murder As You Like It mystery
festival in September, and on and on into the fall. Damn … what am I
complaining about? What would I be doing if not for these events to beg, er, seek an audience?
Well, truth be told, I’d be working on my new thriller and
mystery. But, I can do that in hotel rooms and all my free time (wink wink). So
why complain? Isn’t this exactly what I wanted?
Yep. So I’ll sit back and shut up now. I’ve whined and
yawned and written this missive to get back on track. The extraordinary people
I’ve met and those I will soon meet are the reason I love this writing-gig. No,
really, I love this. It’s tiring and often stressful and expensive. But I
wouldn’t have it any other way. One day, soon I hope, I’ll have enough fans to
make each trip a little easier. If I don’t, I’ll just have to work harder and
write better and whine less.
Honest, I will. You can trust me. I murder people and create
anarchy for a living. It’s what I do.
Tj O’CONNOR IS THE GOLD
MEDAL WINNER OF THE 2015 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS BOOK AWARDS FOR MYSTERIES. He
is the author of Dying to Know and Dying
for the Past, available in bookstores and e-books from Midnight Ink. His
third paranormal mystery, DYING TO TELL,
will be released January 2016. He is currently working on a traditional mystery
and a new thriller. Tj is an international security consultant specializing in
anti-terrorism, investigations, and threat analysis—life experiences that drive
his novels. With his former life as a government agent and years as a
consultant, he has lived and worked around the world in places like Greece,
Turkey, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and throughout the Americas—among
others. He was raised in New York's Hudson Valley and lives with his wife and Lab
companions in Virginia where they raised five children. Dying to Know is also a Foreword
Review’s 2014 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award finalist.
Learn about Tj’s
world at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tjoconnor.author
Blog: http://tjoconnorbooks.blogspot.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7148441.T_J_O_Connor
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