Finding Myself

A few days ago a friend of mine informed me that she had seen my book, Before You Say "I Do", in the reading rack of a hospital waiting room. Hearing this surprised me, even though this was the first book I wrote (published originally back in 1998) and also one of the few books of mine that is still in print. (Most of my books go out of print a few months after they are published.)

Hearing about this book also brought back memories of how I wrote it. I was in Evansville at the time, and my writing space was located at a small desk in the basement of the parsonage. This basement area was dark, dank, and infested with camel-back crickets. At the time, I was writing on an old Tandy 1000. My goal was to write a book and, hopefully, make a few bucks so I could trade up to a Compaq computer and write even more books. (I accomplished both with the sale of Before You Say "I Do"--a book that I sold on my own, to a New York publisher, with no help from an agent or anyone guiding me through the writing/publishing process.)

But writing the book was not an easy task. There were many obstacles. I wrote, for example, while sitting in my bare feet because the carpeting in the parsonage basement was often cold and damp. Sometimes the carpeting had standing water. I also had to combat hundreds of crickets. I wrote in the dark (very early in the morning or very late at night). I also had to combat the wife and kids. Chelsey was kindergarten/1st grade, Logan was an infant. They demanded my attention while at home, and my writing was frequently interrupted by crying, wailing, or arguments. And, of course, there were Becky's frequent screams echoing from upstairs: "Where the hell is your father?" "Don't tell me he's downstairs in the basement!" "Get your ass up here and help me with these kids!"

Ahhh, such is the life of a young writer. But good Lord-a-mighty I'm glad I can actually write from time to time now in peace and quiet. I write what I want to write. I write even if Becky doesn't want me to write. I write even if my kids are calling me on the phone. I just don't answer.

And thank God . . . the carpeting is dry and the only bugs I have to contend with now are the ticks I pick out of my scalp.