Living The Writer’s Life

While I was away from my daily blogging duties for the last 10 months, besides dealing with the physical failings that come with troublesome residual human genes, I was professionally transitioning from being a hyphenated “lawyer-writer,” dropping the Clarence Darrow bullshit, and getting comfortable with describing myself only as a “writer.”

At first, it was difficult. You see, for four decades I was able to hide behind the professional respectability cloak that they hand you when you are admitted to the Bar. A Linus security blanket. It’s like tandem skydiving. Your writer persona wants the thrill of being a creative, but your lawyer persona is always there to ensure that someone will pull the ripcord if the writer persona flakes out while you are hurtling towards earth.

It also gave me an irrefutable response when, upon being introduced as a writer to someone new, I fielded the inevitable follow-up question: “Yes, but what do you do to pay the bills?”

It’s like those bumper stickers on your twenty-year-old ford that says, “My other car is a Lamborghini.”

This is completely understandable because the “starving-artist” stereotype has its basis in fact. No matter how wonderful your writing may be, unless Oprah plugs your books to her book club, or you land a movie deal, most writers need that other income stream to make ends meet.

On top of that, how many people have you met at a party who introduces themselves as being a writer, and then, after the inevitable follow-up question, “what have you written?” will tell you they’ve been working on their great American novel for the past ten years. Not disparaging another creative’s process, but it lends itself to an incredulous response.

So, the “lawyer-writer” hyphenate worked well for me as I churned out all five novels in The Claire Saga in four years. Writing was my creative sidepiece.

But last fall, the universe decided it was time for me to permanently cut my ties with the legal profession. So, I committed to embracing the writer’s life full-time and without a safety net.

I hadn’t written a novel since I ended The Claire Saga with “Where The Ley Lines Meet,” which was written in the summer of 2023 and published in the spring of 2024.

Now writing is like having sex. If you engage in it regularly, you build up that confidence in your rhythmic performance. But if you allow too much time to elapse between getting between the sheets it’s like being a virgin all over again. Sure, you remember the steps and even all the tricks, but there’s that lingering fear when you start back up that you may not be the stud you once were.

Sure, my daily blogging helped. Forcing myself to write each morning ensured that all my creative parts continued to work. But blogging is a little like masturbation. You get the physical release but there’s no one else there to grade you on your performance.

At least with writing and publishing novels, the proof is in the pudding. If readers buy your book and give it a positive review, you know you’ve done your job. Everyone is happy.

So, last Halloween I stopped blogging, sat down and started writing Free R.A.D.I.C.A.L. It’s a legal thriller set primarily in NYC. Once I realized that I was actually going to finish the novel, I wrote to my publisher, BRW, and they sent me a contract and scheduled a release date – January 2027. I wrapped FR on 12/23 and sent it in. I just finalized the print manuscript yesterday. The novel will soon be available for pre-sale.

But I was feeling like a stud again, so I told BRW I wanted to write another to be released in 2027 as well. So, we went to contract without me having written word one – which I had never done before – with a delivery date of September 1st. I was going to start in March or April, but life got in the way.

When I realized that the Summer Solstice was upon us, I finally sat down and started writing. Sixty-seven days of writing later, Spark of Faith was wrapped on the night of the August Sturgeon Moon, which was experiencing a lunar eclipse. Fortuitous indeed. I made my deadline. I’m now in the process of the final ms edits before it goes into production.

But during those same summer months I got to do some fun purely writer things.

In early June, I was a guest speaker at the Colorado University Children’s Writer’s Camp.

The Auraria Campus Young Writers Camp – FAQs | Denver Writing Project | CU Denver College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Where I was able to entertain two different sessions of students – one high school in the morning and one middle/lower school in the afternoon session. Those kids were amazing. I loved sharing my experience as a writer with young people who had chosen to spend a few weeks of their summer vacation working on their writer’s craft. They were all so passionate and impressive.

The highlight was when one of the youngest kids in the afternoon class slipped me this handwritten note.

I never felt that good walking out of a courtroom.

Later this past summer, I was a guest presenter at the annual Ft. Collin’s Comicon.

Fort Collins Comic Con – Geeky Fun For The Whole Family

Where I was able to entertain a room of adults interested in the topic of what it’s like writing sci-fi/fantasy in the modern world.

And that was a blast.

Of course, the highlight of the event was getting to meet the actor John Ratzenberger: John Ratzenberger – Wikipedia

He will always be Cliff Clavin on one of my favorite television shows in the 80s.

He was a warm and friendly person, nice enough to share a conversation and he asked for my card so he could check out my books.

The end result, I had two public events in 2026 where I was introduced and accepted solely as a writer.

And that feels amazing. I am finally where I’m supposed to be.

Well, today’s another hump day to attend to, and that means attending to my chores here at Casa Claire. In addition to the animal husbandry, I have some lawn mowing to see to (not a euphemism).

But I am also fielding responses by fellow writers and faithful readers to the circulating final draft of SOF, because I have to have its edits finalized and the manuscript back in the publisher’s hands by 9/28.

I used to dream about such things.

And for you my fine, five readers (I think I’m back up to 3 at the moment), my message is clear. Never, ever stop pursuing your dreams.

In the meantime, no matter what else you get up to, have a great day!