Fulfill Your Dreams!

See! Even Spiderman is enjoying my new novel "Full Circle - A Jack Trench Thriller."

Hello all. I've been busy traveling and working on some other activities so haven't had the time to write this blog lately. But, I'm back in the saddle. I want to talk about you fulfilling your dreams. I have always wanted to be a writer. I am a voracious reader and writers are readers. I have had thoughts swirling in my head for years about what I would write about. But I never put pen to paper until something called Covid happened!

When the pandemic hit and we were all stuck at home. Besides watching Tiger King on Netflix like everyone else did during that time, I decided to write a book on leadership. First, I took a PowerPoint that I used for speeches that I used to give on leadership and decided to make that the nucleus of my book. I also took the time to watch MasterClass on Apple TV to listen to some of my favorite authors. I watched classes by David Baldacci, Walter Mosely, Dan Brown and others to glean insights into how they approached writing. I absorbed how they came up with stories, their process of writing, editing and publishing. Then I set out to write my book.

Needless to say, my first cut at the book was lousy to say the least! My friend and mentor in writing told me after the first cut, "You don't know how to write do you?" I argued vociferously that I had been writing in business my entire life, with a lot of success. It was pointed out to me that it was apples and oranges. That writing a book is a different breed of cat. What I also discovered was that all writers, when they start writing, have their first cut ending up on the floor. And guess what? That still happens to people like Baldacci, Brown, Mosely and other famous authors. It is just part of the writing process.

So, I went back at it again. Cut two! But I discovered that I loved the process and the art of writing. I loved the editing and being able to be creative. When we embarked on writing "The Art of Ronin Leadership," I looked at my library, found my copy of "The Book of Five Rings," and took quotes from that to emphasize teaching points I was trying to make. Nothing made me happier (other than being with my wife and dog Kiku of course!) than being able to spend 3-4 hours just writing. Creating something new out of whole cloth. Taking a blank canvas and turning it into written art. Eventually, I was able to get that first book published and it was met with very positive reviews.

I was a writer! I had fulfilled my dreams. I now have three books under my belt, including my first action thriller "Full Circle." It too, has garnered great reviews both on Amazon and Kirkus Reviews "Engaging Action and appealing characters propel this rousing novel. " I am in the process of writing the second in the series. And, I am still loving the art and process of writing.

It took me until I was in my 60's to fulfill my dream of becoming an author. You all have dreams too. It is never too late to go after those dreams. Go for it. Life is too short. Now, get after it. Don't wait for a pandemic to see your dreams becoming reality. Talk soon!