Please welcome Suspense author LJ Sellers. I've always enjoy hot summer read. LJ Sellers has a tasty recipe for a one: toss in some criminal intrigue, add in murder, human drama, shavings of socio-political themes, and then add a cool Detective to solve it all and you have The Sex Club. Nail biting is optional. Or not.
Lj shares with us some thoughts on life changing moments. She touches on writing, day jobs, the need to feel good about yourself while waiting for that 'break' from aspiring author to being published.
Milestones tend to make me reflective. Often they make me want to reassess and regroup. Not this one. Nearly 20 years ago, I sat down and started my first novel. I remember the scene clearly: a Commodore computer set up in the bedroom, a cup of coffee in hand, and a yellow reporter’s tablet with some sketched-out ideas.
Much has happened in my writing career since then, and we’d need a whole pot of coffee to cover it. Two events, though, stand out as game-changers in how I lived my life. The first was an epiphany I had about nine years after starting that first novel. I read an interview with a scriptwriter who’d recently sold his first screenplay for big money. When the interviewer asked if he would do anything differently (given the chance), the writer said, “If I had known it would take ten years to sell a script, I would have found a better day job.”
That hit home with me. At the time I was waiting tables and doing a little freelance writing. There’s not much editorial work in Eugene, Oregon, but still, working as a food server was making me feel bad about myself. Also, I had recently failed to sell a novel, even though my top-notch agent told me we had an offer. (Crushing!)
I realized I had to find a better day job—immediately! I had to resume my career and put my journalism degree and inquisitive mind to work in a productive and satisfying capacity. Hating your job is no way to live. How you spend every day is critical.
So I stopped living for the future—that day when my novels would sell and my life would change. I found a job as a pharmaceutical magazine editor, and I accepted, on some level, that nonfiction writing and editing would be my career and that it would be enough.
It was great move. I instantly felt better about myself. Over time, I developed extensive editing and layout skills that would serve me well for a lifetime in publishing. (I also learned a lot about drugs!) I kept writing fiction in my spare time though. It’s an addictive little hobby.
Seven years later, the magazine moved to New York and I was laid off. While I looked for work, I used the opportunity to finish writing The Sex Club, the novel that would finally launch my career as mystery/suspense author. Still needing the security of a paycheck, I soon found a position with an editorial publisher. It was a wonderful job, but it took every bit of brain power I had. In the two and half years with that company, I didn’t write a single word of new fiction.
In the long run, it was not a happy time in my life.
Then last March, as the economy started to tank, they laid me off. It was nerve racking but also incredibly liberating. I decided to do things a little differently this time. I decided to write first thing every morning, no matter what. (Thus the name of my blog: Write First, Clean Later http://ljsellers.com/wordpress/.)
Much has happened in my writing career since then, and we’d need a whole pot of coffee to cover it. Two events, though, stand out as game-changers in how I lived my life. The first was an epiphany I had about nine years after starting that first novel. I read an interview with a scriptwriter who’d recently sold his first screenplay for big money. When the interviewer asked if he would do anything differently (given the chance), the writer said, “If I had known it would take ten years to sell a script, I would have found a better day job.”
That hit home with me. At the time I was waiting tables and doing a little freelance writing. There’s not much editorial work in Eugene, Oregon, but still, working as a food server was making me feel bad about myself. Also, I had recently failed to sell a novel, even though my top-notch agent told me we had an offer. (Crushing!)
I realized I had to find a better day job—immediately! I had to resume my career and put my journalism degree and inquisitive mind to work in a productive and satisfying capacity. Hating your job is no way to live. How you spend every day is critical.
So I stopped living for the future—that day when my novels would sell and my life would change. I found a job as a pharmaceutical magazine editor, and I accepted, on some level, that nonfiction writing and editing would be my career and that it would be enough.
It was great move. I instantly felt better about myself. Over time, I developed extensive editing and layout skills that would serve me well for a lifetime in publishing. (I also learned a lot about drugs!) I kept writing fiction in my spare time though. It’s an addictive little hobby.
Seven years later, the magazine moved to New York and I was laid off. While I looked for work, I used the opportunity to finish writing The Sex Club, the novel that would finally launch my career as mystery/suspense author. Still needing the security of a paycheck, I soon found a position with an editorial publisher. It was a wonderful job, but it took every bit of brain power I had. In the two and half years with that company, I didn’t write a single word of new fiction.
In the long run, it was not a happy time in my life.
Then last March, as the economy started to tank, they laid me off. It was nerve racking but also incredibly liberating. I decided to do things a little differently this time. I decided to write first thing every morning, no matter what. (Thus the name of my blog: Write First, Clean Later http://ljsellers.com/wordpress/.)
I developed a freelance editing business that allowed me to work on my schedule—with the paid work done during afternoons, evenings, and weekends. Mornings were for writing novels.
I love my new life! My bathroom is perpetually messy, dinner is often an unimaginative freezer-to-oven meal, and there’s laundry backed up everywhere. I’m also never sure if the next freelance gig will pay the bills. But since that lifestyle change fifteen months ago, I’ve written two more Detective Jackson novels and I’m working on a third. One of those stories will be published in September, and another book will be released in August next year.
My husband says he’s never seen me so happy. It’s the first time in my life I’ve put my novel writing first. Making a living, raising kids, taking care of an extended family, and keeping the house together were always a priority. Those things are all still important; I just don’t let them get in the way anymore. I also realize how lucky I am to be in this position.
One of the best things about this new life is the social networking. I love blogging and sharing writing and marketing advice with other novelists. I love meeting writers and readers online and getting to know them. I love attending conferences and being a part of the crime novelist community.
The takeaway message is this: Enjoy every day (and every task). And make time to do what you love, whether it’s writing, or skydiving, or quilting. It’s the only way to be truly happy.
Have you had a life changing moment? If so, please share.
I love my new life! My bathroom is perpetually messy, dinner is often an unimaginative freezer-to-oven meal, and there’s laundry backed up everywhere. I’m also never sure if the next freelance gig will pay the bills. But since that lifestyle change fifteen months ago, I’ve written two more Detective Jackson novels and I’m working on a third. One of those stories will be published in September, and another book will be released in August next year.
My husband says he’s never seen me so happy. It’s the first time in my life I’ve put my novel writing first. Making a living, raising kids, taking care of an extended family, and keeping the house together were always a priority. Those things are all still important; I just don’t let them get in the way anymore. I also realize how lucky I am to be in this position.
One of the best things about this new life is the social networking. I love blogging and sharing writing and marketing advice with other novelists. I love meeting writers and readers online and getting to know them. I love attending conferences and being a part of the crime novelist community.
The takeaway message is this: Enjoy every day (and every task). And make time to do what you love, whether it’s writing, or skydiving, or quilting. It’s the only way to be truly happy.
Have you had a life changing moment? If so, please share.
***
L.J. Sellers is an award-winning journalist, editor, novelist, and occasional standup comic based in Eugene, Oregon. She is the author of the highly praised mystery/suspense novel, The Sex Club, and has a second Detective Jackson story, Secrets to Die For, coming out in September (Echelon Press). A standalone thriller, The Baby Thief, will be released in August next year (Echelon Press). When not plotting murders, L.J. enjoys cycling, gardening, editing fiction manuscripts, and hanging out with her extended family. You can find LJ on Facebook, Crimespace, and Twitter.
Lj's Website http://www.ljsellers.com/
You can read an excerpt of:
The Sex Club http://ljsellers.com/wordpress/books/the-sex-club-excerpt
Secrets To Die For http://ljsellers.com/wordpress/books/secretstodiefor-excerpt
To be released September 2009
