Ever since the publication of Deceived, A Black Raven Novel, five years ago, I dreamed of when I’d retire from my legal job and become a full-time author. However, one major drawback to retiring was that I loved my “day job.” Also, for a long time, I loved working as a lawyer while keeping up with my writing career. This post tells the story of why I had to choose between these two passions and where I found inspiration to make the decision.
Working Two Jobs with Passion
When I began my career as a Staff Attorney at the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the job was a perfect fit. The work involved two of my favorite things—research and writing—with long stretches of quiet time for focusing on legal issues and analyzing caselaw. Plus, the lawyers and support staff were interesting and nice.
For years, I was able to juggle my roles as an attorney, author, wife, daughter, and mother of two pups. When Imagine, A Black Raven Novel, was formatted for publication, on the page before the book club questions, I said this:
Dropping Balls
Regrettably, a 2019 release date for Insertion, A Black Raven Novel, isn’t materializing. Readers have emailed me with inquiries regarding the expected release date; I apologize if I’ve disappointed any of you.
Shortly after Imagine was published, my dual-career juggling act fell apart. So, what changed? Circumstances. My father died. I found grief overwhelming. In that same timeframe, life threw a few other obstacles my way. The end result was that, no matter how much I tried, I lacked the energy to handle dual careers.
While my legal job took precedence, it didn’t take long for me to miss fiction writing. Yet, although my novels involve characters who are risk-takers, ready to make life-altering decisions at a moment’s notice, I’m not that sort of person. I’ve had jobs my entire life. From my early teenage years of being a file clerk at my father’s insurance agency, I’ve always loved the structure that work hours provide in my days.
Thinking Like My Characters
As I wrestled with the retirement decision, inspiration came from an unlikely place…an exercise that I use when writing fiction. The exercise is a simple method of keeping my subconscious mind focused on the story when I’m not writing. I read a quote, think about what (if anything) it would mean for my characters, and imagine how they’d react if they came across the quote. To make this exercise quick and readily accessible, I keep a box of quotes in my closet and focus on a quote each morning.
One morning in the winter of 2019, as I was considering the pros and cons of retiring from my legal job, I pulled out a quote by Mark Twain that related more to me than my characters:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~ Mark Twain
Twain’s boating analogy called to me on a superficial level. My husband, Bob, and I are boaters. Ideally, once I retired from my legal job, I’d have more flexibility for unhurried boating trips. I’ve always planned to write on our boat in “retirement;” I envision traveling from port-to-port, taking long walks in new places, and having quiet mornings where I’m tucked away, writing, in a forward berth. Many chapters in my earlier novels were written aboard our boat. My love of boating has influenced my writing; both Deceived and Imagine have nautical themes.
On a symbolic level, I equated my legal job with the quote’s reference to a “safe harbor” and I equated a full-time writing career with the reference to a “dream.” From there, the quote’s meaning resonated as an affirmative push towards retiring from my legal career. With Bob’s support, I made my decision.
After the Jump
I’m writing this post in October 2019, almost three months after my last day as a Staff Attorney. As much as I anticipated becoming a full-time author, at first, the lack of structure in my days was daunting. I’m happy to report that after a few starts and stops, I’m making progress on Insertion. I’m fortunate that the protagonists in Insertion are characters I know well; Black Raven Agents Sylvia Leon and Adam Evans, the protagonists in Insertion, were also the lead characters in Imagine. Writing the continuation of their story is a bit like becoming reacquainted with old friends.
I’ll keep you posted on writing progress and Insertion’s projected release date here, on Facebook, and on Instagram. If you haven’t read Imagine, now would be a great time to read it (at least I think so!). The story begins on Halloween night and continues through the Christmas season. Like my other novels, Imagine is available in print and eBook at Amazon.
Also, when I envisioned working as a full-time author, I imagined having time for activities that fuel my creativity. I love exploring my surroundings, whether at home in New Orleans or wherever boating takes me. I enjoy writing about my experiences and sharing them with you on my website. I also like sharing the inspiration behind my writing work, such as this post regarding Deceived and this post regarding the cover of Concierge.
Now that I’m getting the hang of being a full-time author, I’ve updated my site with a post on enjoying October in New Orleans and I share a taste from the Octobers of my youth with my grandmother’s recipe for caramel popcorn. I hope that you enjoy reading these posts as much as I enjoyed writing them!
Whatever you’re doing with your days, I hope that you’re finding time, as Mark Twain advised us, to “catch the trade winds in your sails” and “Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Thank you for joining me on this journey. Take care, and stay in touch–
p.s. – The quotes and quote box are a set of “365 Gathered Truths,” from Sugarboo and Company; I purchased mine locally from Relish on Metairie Road.
