My freelance writing business, Made Here Books LLC, has been in operation close to 12 years at this point. In that time, I have written for a broad-base of clients ranging from carpenters and mobile oil change services to internationally-known keynote speakers, business coaches and cyber-security experts.
My clients have sought me out from all over the states, Canada, the U.K., Japan, China, Romania, Pakistan and Israel. For the most part, I have cared for all of them, even when they have been obnoxious and imperious. I understand it. It is their business and they are filled with the anxieties and fears of trying to make it in an unforgiving and increasingly mean-spirited world.
Friends have often asked: do you plan on retirement? The answer is a brief, “No.” Writing brings me joy and writing for others fulfills me. I am not being the consummate sycophant here; I love my work. I did not fully realize it until I left my previous, full-time debacle and instead, made a concerted effort to work with good people who have positive courage and positive attitudes.
The Other Half of the Equation
The Made Here Books work is, however, one-half of the equation. The other half is the writing I do for myself. It is where my book writing lives, and the biggest critic of then all; me.
I am writing two books simultaneously. One book occupies 90 percent of my time and the other project awaits re-launching. The main book is currently in its 8th draft and concerns itself with the years I spent as a paramedic during the height of the New York City HIV/AIDS crisis. It is currently at 86,000 words +/- and is being prepared to be sent out to three readers and my literary agent.
The paramedic book is like my child, but unlike a child, it cost me a return to PTSD and at times, depression. For the job changed me in ways I cannot convey and moved me in ways that no one I worked with or knew can understand. My assignment is to convey it. In that conveyance is where my critics and critique await.
The second book may be renamed from The Man Who Saved Basketball, to Junie and Me. It is the true story of the friendship between Junius A. Kellogg and Robert “Bob” Otten. Junius was the man who uncovered the biggest scandal in the history of collegiate sports then he went on to become a Harlem Globetrotter. However, that was just the beginning of his incredible life. Junius passed away in 1998 and so I never had the opportunity to interview him. Over the course of numerous interviews, Bob Otten became my dear friend. He passed away in August 2019 and I still mourn him. He and Junius were friends for 48 years.
I have an exciting year ahead. The one question that lingers, should I be so blessed, is what will happen should I sell one or both of my books? They must take priority. For silencing my inner critic, who has spent a lifetime critiquing me, is what all of us should strive for; I need to shut him up.
