Today was the day that I received my author copies of Kindred Spirit. The final book. The version that will be on book shelves in a few weeks. (May 23, 2006 to be precise.)
It took me twenty-five years of writing to have my first novel published and maybe that’s what always makes it so special for me to hold the finished book in my hands. It’s always a long process, from initial idea to published book. I turned in the draft of KINDRED SPIRIT back in November 2002. Since that time, the manuscript has not changed much. Most of the revisions were done prior to that point. Now, four years later, I get to hold the “real” book in my hands. To feel the weight of it. To ruffle the pages and catch that new book smell I’ve loved since I was a young boy with dreams of someday being a published author. It’s the reward at the end of a long journey, and every book has a unique journey to publication. I take some time to appreciate that when I hold the final book in my hands.
In a way, it’s also a glimpse back to days long ago, to the early idea, to the development of the plot and the realization of the characters… to a different time in my life. I did much of the research for KINDRED SPIRIT in June and July of 2000. I was six years younger. I had two children then. I have three now, and the third is in pre-K.
I’ve finished the next book after KINDRED SPIRIT and that book will now begin its own unique journey to publication…or not. Publication is never guaranteed. But my attention is split yet again. The book just completed in manuscript form takes up part of my time as I try to find it a home, but I’m also getting ready to do a book tour for the finished book I now hold in my hands… and I’m also preparing myself to start serious work on the NEXT book. Sometimes, life as an author feels like being a time traveler.
Holding that finished book reminds me what all the writing, and revising, and promoting, and seeking publication is all about. It’s about the book. The book on the shelf at the local bookstore, for sale online, on a shelf in a library… waiting to be read and, I hope, enjoyed. For an author, seeing the finished book is a special moment of celebration. But it’s also a reminder that there are other books that need to be written, that you can’t sit on your laurels and be satisfied with what you wrote six years ago, sold four years ago, and will autograph a month from now. You hope to become a better writer next time, to tell a better story, to get it more right the next time out. If you don’t hope to improve, if you stop setting new goals, then what’s the point? Life and the passing years represent a new well of ideas and experiences to draw from. I’m proud of the books I’ve written, but I always hope my next one will be my best.
I’m a different writer now than I was six years ago. I have new stories to tell. I am an author. It’s what I do. And I appreciate all the readers out there who let me do this thing that I love.
Thank you,
John Passarella
http://www.passarella.com
I wrote a short story called “Undead Air” based upon a painting called “Zombie Riot” by David Seidman. The interesting thing about the painting was that it featured real life Philadelphia morning show DJs Preston & Steve (WMMR, 93.3FM) battling a horde of ravenous zombies. (Are there any other kind?) My challenge was to place two real people in a fictional situation. The painting had a gonzo attitude, with Preston firing a pump action shotgun into a charging mass of undead and Steve wielding a baseball bat with equal effectiveness. In writing the story, I took my cue from that gonzo portrayal, hoping to deliver an appropriate companion prose piece for the artwork.
I’ve been creating RSS feeds for a while now, but I’m new to the world of podcasting (i.e., audio broadcasting via the Web; in my case, this amounts to a remote and portable author reading!), so please excuse any beginner mistakes.